CHAPTER XXV.
Poor Rose d'Albret was like an inexperienced youth, playing for a highstake against a numerous party of unprincipled gamblers. While Chazeulwas affecting to be her own partner in the game, his mother, as hisconfederate, was employing all her art against her. During the wholeof that day, the Marchioness was busy in every part of the ch?teau,preparing all means for the attainment of her object. Now, she wasdealing with her weak brother, now with the servants, now with thepriest; and it was with no cold and lifeless calculation that sheacted, but even with more interest than the mere promotion of herson's views could have inspired. She was in her element; she loved theexercise of her cunning; she took a delight in the act; it gave herexcitement, in which to her was life; for all her days had been passedfrom very early years, either in the fine workings of intrigue, or instormy passions and the struggles of the mind. Such things were to heras the strong spirit to the drunkard, or the dice to the gamester; andshe could not live without them. We shall only trace her course,however, as far as this day is concerned, through one or two of herproceedings; for that will be enough to show how she conducted thewhole. As soon as her son had left her in the morning, she proceededto the chapel of the castle, and there, according to the expression ofthe day, gave holy water to the body of her brother. It may be askedif the sight of the coffin and the pall, produced no effect upon hermind; if the salutary thoughts of death, and the evidence, of how allvast schemes and laborious efforts must terminate--of the greatconsummation of earthly ambition--did not create doubt and hesitation,awaken remorse, or excite repentance? Not in the least! Those werestrange and awful times, when the daily scenes of blood and death,and the constant spectacle of vice and crime, seemed to have hardenedmost hearts against all the great moral lessons which mortal fateaffords to the living and the light. They did not--perhaps they wouldnot--feel; and the most frenzied licentiousness, the most guiltyschemes, the most black and terrible crimes, had often, for witnesses,the dead, for pretexts, religion, for a banner, the cross.
What she went to perform was but a ceremony; and as such she treatedit, without one thought but. "We must get the body buried before themarriage, to-morrow.--No need to tell her anything about it."
She was turning to leave the chapel, when the priest entered, andapproached her with a slow and solemn step. "Ah! good father," criedthe Marchioness, as soon as she saw him, "I have been looking for you.I wished to speak with you about the conduct of this obstinate girl.She still holds out pertinaciously, and something must be done toovercome her headstrong opposition. We have thought of--"
"Not here," replied the priest, interrupting her, "not here! This is asolemn and a holy place, unfit for worldly discussions. Let us gosomewhere else, where we can talk over the affair more decently. Thelower hall was vacant as I passed through."
"Well, well," cried the Marchioness with a smile, not altogether freefrom scorn, "There, as well as here."
"Better!" said the priest, leading the way back to the ch?teau itself.When they had reached the lower hall, as a large stone paved chamberon the ground floor was called, father Walter was the first to resumethe subject; saying, "I thought you would fail in persuading her.Monsieur de Liancourt must use all his authority."
"You know him, father!" answered Madame de Chazeul. "It is upon suchoccasions that he always fails his friends. Bold till the moment ofaction comes, he is as timid as a hare when it is most necessary toshow firmness."
"Not when he can be made angry," replied the priest, "or when he canbe convinced that his own dignity is at stake."
"But on this point, neither of those cases can occur," said theMarchioness. "She will weep and entreat, and then both his dignity andhis weakness will take her part. There is but one way before us," sheadded, in a low and confidential tone, "and that is, to convince her,that her own fame and reputation require her marriage with Chazeul."
"That may be difficult," answered father Walter thoughtfully; "but yetwith time it may be done. We may surround her with nets from which itis barely possible for her to escape; and continual importunity doesmuch with woman, as you, lady--"
"Time! Time!" cried Madame de Chazeul impatiently, "but we have notime. That is the very thing that is wanting. The marriage must takeplace to-morrow, before noon--That is decided. It shall be if I live!"
"Nay, but why such haste?" asked the priest. "With no farther anyobstacle but a young lady's reluctance, it were well worth while, togive up a few days to the task of vanquishing that."
The Marchioness gazed at him for a moment with a glance half angry,half doubtful, and then repeated his words, "No obstacle!--Hark ye,Walter de la Tremblade," and she whispered in his ear, "De Montigni isalive and well!"
Father Walter heard the tidings with a calm sarcastic smile,answering, "I thought so, my daughter. But were it not better to haveowned this to me, at once? Such want of trust in those on whoseprudence you can rely, has marred many a fair project, and will marmany another. De Montigni lives!--Then you must be quick, indeed!--Notthat I bear the young man an ill will: not that I would injure him inanything! but if we can by any means prevent it, he must not carry tothe heretic party he has espoused, such estates as would centre in hisperson by his marriage with this lady. Now, Madam, what is your plan?for you have one already contrived, I see."
The Marchioness laughed. "Did you ever know me without a plan?" sheasked; "but my present scheme is somewhat difficult to explain.However, do you not think, good father, that things might be socontrived, as to render, in a marvellous short time, a wedding with myson Chazeul, a very good and expedient thing in the eyes of Rosed'Albret herself?"
"What do you mean?" exclaimed the priest after a moment or two ofconsideration. "You would use no violence? You would not--surely youwould not do her a bitter wrong!"
"Oh, no!" cried the Marchioness, "but simply by means andcontrivances, which I well know how to manage, make her believe thather fair fame is lost, if she do not marry Chazeul. Luckily, he has agoodly reputation as a bold and successful lover, and so the matterwill have every appearance of truth."
"But can you ever clear a fame once clouded?" asked the priest; "canyou remove the black plague-spot from the fair name which you havestained? Alas! lady, in this world, every idle tongue, every vain,licentious man, every rancorous woman, can blast the reputation of thegood and bright, even by a light word; but where is the power that canrestore it? Foul suspicion still whispers the disproved lie in the earof the credulous multitude, and human malice receives it with delight,and propagates the scandal with busy pertinacity. Will you thusdestroy the good name of your son's wife?"
"Only to make her his wife!" replied Madame de Chazeul, "only toherself;" and she proceeded to detail her plan, not sincerely, indeed,not fully; for she was one of those who can deal in complete sinceritywith no one; but the priest knew her well, and gathered that which shedid not tell, from that which she did. His brow was doubtful andgloomy, however, and he asked, "And yet no violence?"
"None, none!" cried Madame de Chazeul.
"Well," he said, after another long pause, "perhaps it is the only wayto obtain her acquiescence.--Yet I love not such plans; and am gladthat I myself am to play no part in the affair."
"But should you hear or see Chazeul," asked the Marchioness, "You willtake no notice?"
"I shall neither hear nor see him," replied the priest, "for I keepvigil in the chapel by your brother's corpse, according to my promise,until matins."
"That is fortunate!" cried Madame de Chazeul; and then she added, lesthe should put his own interpretation on her exclamation, "I mean, thatyou will be thus freed from all personal knowledge of the business."
"True!" he answered, "true! and I would fain know as little of it aspossible.--I must now go and say mass, lady.--The Count, I trust, willbe present; though, to speak truth, this house is more like a Huguenotdwelling, than that of a zealous Catholic, so sadly are the ordinancesof religion neglected.--But in the course of the morning, I will finda moment to spea
k with him, and strive to confirm him in hisresolutions."
"Do, do, good father!" replied the Marchioness, and left him, notaltogether satisfied with herself for having given him any insightinto the scheme, of which she was now full.
Blanchette was the next person she practised on; but to her sheafforded no intimation of her intentions, leaving her son himself todeal with the maid. But she prepared the way for him, by many anartful hint of the necessity of Blanchette's pleasing him ineverything, both before and after his marriage with her mistress,giving her to understand, that her fortunes depended entirely upon hisfavour, and that if that were maintained, they were secure.
Blanchette listened, and promised to be most obedient; but she clearlysaw that there was some ulterior object, to be explained at an afterperiod; and she waited impatiently throughout the day, to learn whatit was, hoping to find in it a source of profit to herself. Towardsnight, her friend, the confidential servant of Chazeul, called her tohis master's chamber, and she remained with him in close conferencefor more than half an hour. When she came out, notwithstanding theobtuseness of her mind, and the air of still greater dulness which shesomewhat affected, it was evident that the girl was a good dealagitated and even alarmed. She went back with a hasty step to the roomin which she slept, stopped for a moment in the middle of the floor,then turned and went out again and knocked at the door of the priest'sroom, which, as we have before shown, was adjacent to that of hermistress. There was no answer; and, hurrying down, she asked some ofthe servants whom she met below, if they could tell her where Monsieurde la Tremblade was to be found.
One replied that he was in his own chamber; but another exclaimed,before Blanchette could tell the first that he was mistaken, "No, no,Ma'mselle Blanchette, he is in the chapel," and the girl hurriedthither at once. Crossing herself with holy water from the b?nitier atthe door, and making due genuflexions as she advanced, Blanchetteapproached the altar, gazing with a look of distaste, and even fear,at the bier of the old commander as she passed.
The priest was just concluding some one of the many services of theRoman Catholic Church; and the girl waited till the last words diedaway upon his lips, and then with lowly reverence drew nigh.
"What is it, Blanchette?" said Monsieur de la Tremblade; "you seemalarmed and in haste."
"I want to know what I am to do, father," said Blanchette in a lowtone. "I am sure I do not know, whether I ought to consent to whatMonsieur de Chazeul wishes or not."
"Hush," said the priest. "Come into the confessional;" and, placinghimself within the old oak screen, he bent down his head, whileBlanchette kneeling on the other side of the partition, poured,through the aperture, her tale into his ear.
The priest listened without surprise, as she told him that Monsieur deChazeul had required that admission should be given him to hermistress's chamber, at an hour after midnight. "He assured me," thegirl said, "that it is with Mademoiselle d'Albret's consent, but thatshe did not like to mention it to me; and he added, that I was not tospeak of it to her."
"That was not right, for, I believe, it is not true," replied thepriest. "But what you have to do, is to ask Madame de Chazeul, andfollow her directions."
"Oh, if I am to do that," cried the girl, "she bade me already doeverything that Monsieur de Chazeul told me; but I thought it right tocome and ask you, father, that I might be quite sure of what I wasabout."
The priest paused and hesitated; but, after several minutes' thought,he replied, "I know not the circumstances, my daughter.--DoubtlessMonsieur de Chazeul has no evil intentions." And thus saying, he roseand quitted the confessional, leaving Blanchette to draw her owndeductions and follow her own course.
The girl paused and pondered thoughtfully for several moments; thenshrugging her shoulders, she murmured with a low laugh, "Well, if hesees no harm in it, what business is it of mine?" and, with thiscomfortable reflection, she returned slowly to the ch?teau.