CHAPTER V
INSIDE THE COACH
The coach was so heavy that as it rolled along the quiet country road itmade a noise like thunder. The coach was gilded and on the panels werehand-painted pictures of cupids dancing. There had always been two menup on the high seat behind and two in front. Now there was only one manwho was driving, and he was not really a coachman at all, but Neville, afootman of the Saint Freres'. He wore a dark livery and he was veryintent on his driving.
Marie Josephine leaned way out of the window and looked at him. Then shesat back on the blue velvet cushions of the coach so hard that shebounced up and down.
"Neville looks so funny, so solemn and frowning!" She laughed as shespoke, but there was a little catch in her voice. They had always beentaught to hide their feelings with a smile, and Marie Josephine knewthat her grandfather would have been glad to hear her laugh. It had allbeen so strange and different early yesterday morning. Prote had broughther her chocolate and petit pain and she had had her breakfast beforeshe had been dressed. When she had come down to the great entrance hallher mother had been there, waiting. Lisle was there, too, and Hortenseand Denise and Madame le Pont. The governess and the girls were readyfor departure in their mantles and traveling hats. Maman had seemeddifferent, though she wore, as usual, the mourning for grandfather, thediamond brooch that fastened her lace fichu, and her hair powdered anddressed high, like the queen's. Maman had been different in spite of allthese familiar things. She had held Marie Josephine's hand as she hadtalked to the governess, giving directions in her quick, commanding way.
"There is, of course, not the slightest danger to the children. You willnot have the least inconvenience, except that you will not have properservice, but I don't trust the other men servants. There may come a timelater on when it will not be so easy to get away. They may guard thegates if things get worse. I am glad to see you starting for LesVignes."
While maman had been speaking the steady roar of cannonading neverstopped. It had followed them a long way out of the city. They had evenheard its faint ghostly murmur when they were lunching at an inn. MarieJosephine had not remembered all that her mother had said, but she hadsensed suddenly that there was danger. She had thought over again andagain of her mother's remark: "There may come a time later on when itwill not be so easy to get away. They may guard the gates if things getworse." Maman had, as always, thought of her as being young andunheeding, but she had been listening closely. The others had beentalking amongst themselves and had not heard. Over and over the wordscame back to her: "There may come a time later on when it will not be soeasy to get away."
Cecile du Monde was the only one who smiled when Marie Josephine spokeof Neville. She sat between Hortense and Denise, opposite MarieJosephine and the governess. It had been decided at the last moment thatshe was to come. She and her brother were distant connections of the DeSoignes' and the Marquis de Soigne had charge of their estates, whichwere far away in the southwest of France. They were orphans and spentmost of their time with their Paris relatives. Madame de Soigne hadrefused to allow her own child to leave her at the hurried conference inthe middle of the night, after the bal masque was hastily broken up. Thesound of cannonading was heard, and alarming reports came in from allsides. It was like the Comtesse Saint Frere to act quickly. She haddecided at once that the children, with the exception of Lisle, whorefused to leave her, were to start at once for Pigeon Valley and hadoffered its hospitality to her friends. Madame de Soigne had acceptedfirst for Bertran, who was a troublesome, spoiled boy, of whom she wasglad to be rid in the midst of such an anxious time. Then after a talkwith Cecile, who felt that she should go with her brother who wasyounger than she, it had been arranged that they should both accompanythe Saint Frere children. As Lisle had told Marie Josephine it would be,Bertran rode with his servant. The sound of their horses' hoofs could beheard faintly in the still midday air.
Prote sat on a stool at Marie Josephine's feet although there was plentyof room for her in the seats of the great, roomy coach. Ever since MarieJosephine could remember Prote had sat on the stool at her feet and heldher treasures for her as she grew tired of them. Once it had been alarge, gilded, blue glass vase, another time a miniature of hergreat-grandfather, and once a red silk shawl which she had held in herarms pretending it was a baby, cooing to it and singing to it. But allthat had been, of course, when she was very young. The wooden Austriandoll, called Trudle, which her uncle had brought her from hisjourneyings, had always accompanied her until this summer. Madame dePont, even in the midst of her worry, noticed Trudle's absence and said:
"Where, cherie, is the little friend Trudle?"
Marie Josephine shrugged her shoulders.
"You are like the others, Madame. You think of me always as a baby, justa baby. Dolls, dolls--why I am done with them!" This time they alllaughed, even Prote, who would not have dared to do so had they beenaccompanied by Madame Saint Frere! She knew well that Trudle was safe inthe packing box, on top of the coach!
Flambeau rested his nose on the ledge of the coach window and looked outyearningly at a fragrant stretch of green meadow. His eyes followed thesudden flight of birds from the branch of a great poplar as theythundered by it.
At lunch time a very small inn seemed to grow suddenly out of the groundas they turned a bend in the road. It was painted green and seemed apart of the rich August countryside. Neville stopped the horses, climbeddown from the box, and bowing, held his hat in his hand, as he spoke toMadame le Pont:
"If it is your pleasure, Madame, I think you and the young ladies canfind refreshment here. There is a sign which says that meals areserved."
Madame and the girls looked out and exclaimed in astonishment:
"The old mill!"
Neville had opened the coach door while he was speaking and Flambeau andMarie Josephine jumped out. The others followed after a moment, and theyall stood in a group looking across at the odd-shaped, mill-likestructure that stood a little way back from the road, with its sign,"Food for Travelers," swaying in the light summer breeze. A year ago ithad been just an old mill, grey and gaunt in the midst of its greensetting of great oaks. The governess turned to Neville uncertainly.
"You are sure that it is wise to come here? It seems odd finding the oldmill so unexpectedly!"
"Let us stay for dejeuner. Oh, it's a dear place, as quaint as can be!"put in Denise, and Neville answered:
"I think it is wiser than to go to a village inn. I am taking the longroute to avoid the villages. That was the order of Madame la Comtesse.There is no real danger, of course, in the villages, but just now Madamefelt justly that one cannot be over careful."
Madame le Pont nodded in assent. "We will remain here for dejeuner,Neville."
A tall, dark young woman served them with good soup, an excellentomelette, and some grapes, at a table covered with a clean, white cloth,on the greensward facing the forest. She stayed by while they ate,asking with a curtsy every now and then, if there was anything more thatthey wished, or anything special that she could procure for them. Shewas particularly kind to Flambeau, cutting his meat nicely and puttingit in a blue saucer by the lunch table. Marie Josephine was so pleasedat this that she went up to the woman after they had finished lunch andsaid:
"Flambeau wants to thank you for his dejeuner. He is very tired of thejourney and will be glad when we are home at Les Vignes."
The young woman, who had said her name was Paulette, smiled kindly andseemed interested.
"Pigeon Valley is indeed beautiful, Little Mademoiselle. The other youngladies, are they your sisters?"
"A sister and a cousin and a friend." Marie Josephine smiled happily atthe dark woman who was patting Flambeau's head.
Just at that moment Bertran du Monde came galloping up to the queermill-inn, with his servant riding behind him.
"The young gentleman would be your brother I suppose, little lady?" thewoman asked as she turned toward the inn.
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"That boy is not my brother. My brother is in Paris with maman," MarieJosephine answered a little indignantly, but the woman was walking awayand did not seem to have heard her. Marie Josephine was not used tospeaking to strangers, but the dark young woman had been very kind toFlambeau.
Bertran was very hungry and he was cross because he had to wait for hisomelette. He was a very fat boy indeed, but he rode well and was not inthe least tired. When Madame le Pont suggested his coming into the coachfor a while and letting his servant lead his horse, he said, "Ride inthe stuffy coach and hear the girls chattering! No, I will not, Madame!"
They left him sitting at the table, waited on by his servant. A stone inhis horse's shoe had been the cause of their arriving after the others.It was thought best for the coach to start on as it could not make suchgood time, and so they waved their hands at Bertran and rumbled ontoward the forest. Two people in the coach did not wave. They wereMadame le Pont and Marie Josephine. The latter was more than ever out ofsorts with Bertran. It had come over her suddenly that it was indeedBertran and not Lisle who was with them. So, when he had answered Madameabout the coach, she had said to him, "It is not you we want in thecoach, Bertran. It is some one else." He had answered, sitting down athis dejeuner as he spoke:
"Is that so, Mademoiselle Spitfire! Well, I shall do as I like. When Iwish to ride inside I shall do so, and when I don't, I won't!" Then hehad gone on calmly with his omelette.
They thundered into the forest and its spicy fragrance greeted them. Theair was cool there, and the dim wood paths seemed like fairy paths toMarie Josephine. It was so peaceful that it made them all think ofPigeon Valley. They grew more cheerful right away, and even Madame lePont remarked that it was delightful to think of seeing Les Vignesagain. She had purchased some fruit at the inn and Denise held a bunchof amber-colored grapes high above Cecile's head and said, "Bite one!"Madame le Pont remarked, "That is not the way a young lady conductsherself!" but she did not seem to be really shocked at all.
Hortense yawned and put her head back on the cushions, her curls fallingabout her shoulders.
"You look like a little girl to-day, Hortense. I thought you looked sucha very grand young lady when you danced the minuet with Lisle the nightbefore last." They were still driving through the woods and every nowand then a startled bird would make a great stir in the trees orunderbrush as they dashed along. Marie Josephine did not realize whatshe had said at first, but when they all turned and looked at her andDenise exclaimed: "When you saw her dancing with Lisle! What do youmean, Marie Josephine? You were not at the ball!" she knew how stupidshe had been and the telltale color flew to her cheeks.
"How could you have seen me dance at the ball when you were fast asleepin bed?" put in Hortense.
Cecile looked straight at Marie Josephine and suddenly she guessed. Sheknew that Rosanne had been hiding in the balcony. There was a twinkle inher blue eyes as she looked at Marie Josephine, but she would not havetold her suspicions for anything in the world.
"You are blushing. You have done something very naughty. I am sure ofit!" Denise said this with a relish. She was tired, and she had alwayshad a habit of keeping persistently at a subject. She and MarieJosephine did not get on very well.
"Tell me what you meant when you said that about Hortense dancing at theball, Marie Josephine," she persisted.
Marie Josephine's eyes began to twinkle, too. She settled backcomfortably against the pillows and called Flambeau's attention to someblack baby pigs which a woman in a scarlet petticoat was feeding at amoss-covered wooden trough. Denise kept her eyes on Marie Josephine, whoheld Flambeau's paws as the dog looked interestedly at the pigs. MarieJosephine knew that Prote, who still sat on the little stool at herfeet, was shaking in her shoes. It would be fun to tell in spite of theconsequences, if it were not for Prote and for Rosanne!
"You dare not look me in the eyes and say that you did not go to theball," persisted Denise, who was becoming more and more interested andexcited. She had not at first really believed that her sister had goneto the ball and had kept on the subject because she felt in a teasingmood, but Marie Josephine's telltale color betrayed her and Prote's lookof horror confirmed her suspicions.
"Prote helped you, I know she did. Tell me, Prote, did you not aidMademoiselle to go to the De Soignes' to see the ball?"
Denise, to do her justice, would not have kept up with the subject hadtheir mother, the comtesse, been with them, but none of them were verymuch in awe of Madame le Pont. There was no need for Marie Josephine toreply for Prote clasped her hands and exclaimed:
"Heaven be with us! I meant no harm. It was so wrong for LittleMademoiselle to have none of the pleasure!"
All eyes were turned toward Madame le Pont who, to their unboundedsurprise, did not seem in any way as horrified as they had expected! Shelooked at Marie Josephine and then at the others and said:
"After all, now that so many things are happening, what does it matter!"
Could it be true! Their governess saying, "What does it matter!" Madamele Pont, who, in spite of her being more indulgent than the governessesof their friends, had always been so fond of the conventions! She didnot even seem to realize what Marie Josephine had done, and she saidnothing at all to Prote, who sat looking the picture of fright anddespair! Denise was so surprised at the attitude of the governess thatshe whispered to Cecile under cover of the rumbling of the coach:
"Le Pont is in a dream, surely, but I am glad. I was excited and didn'trealize what a scrape they would be in!" Le Pont] Yearslater Marie Josephine remembered the incident; in fact she never reallyforgot it. There were times when she could shut her eyes and see, inthat uncanny way in which we do see long-ago things, the old coach, thefaded coat of arms that had not been regilded that summer, the old bluelining, the warm August sun streaming in, bringing with it the odor offreshly cut hay and oats, thin rows of poplars rising against thestartling blue of the sky, and the peasant women bending over their workin the field beyond. She could see Denise's astonished gaze, from underher lace hood. She always remembered the words and the whole incidentbecause it was the beginning of the great change. Madame le Pont wasright. Things that had mattered so much were beginning to be not soimportant. There would be a time when they would not matter at all.