Chapter 11: Jeanne Of Navarre.
"It is lucky," Philip said to Jacques, as they proceeded on theirway after the troop had ridden on, "that he did not think of askingus if we were Huguenots."
"I was expecting it myself, sir," Jacques said; "and I was justturning it over in my conscience, how I could answer."
"There could be but one answer, Jacques; though no doubt it wouldhave cost us our lives."
"I should not deny my faith, even to save my life, sir, if thequestion were put to me: 'Are you a Huguenot?' But I think thatwhen four lives are at stake, it is lawful to take any openingthere may be to get out of it."
"But how would there have been an opening, Jacques?"
"Well, sir, you see, if he had asked, 'Are you Huguenots?' I thinkI could have said 'No,' with a clear conscience, seeing that youare an Englishman. Your religion may be like ours, but you are nota Huguenot; and although Pierre does not seem to me to have quitemade up his mind as to what he is, assuredly I should not call hima Huguenot. So you see, sir, that as only two out of the four areHuguenots, there would have been no lie to my saying 'no' to thatquestion. But if he had said 'Are you Catholics?' I must haveanswered 'No,' seeing that none of us go to mass."
"It is a nice question," Philip said; "but seeing that theCatholics never keep their oaths and their promises to what theycall heretics, I think that one would be justified, not in tellinga lie, for nothing can justify that, but in availing one's self ofa loophole such as one would scorn to use, to others. I should besorry to have the question asked me, though seeing I am not myselfa Huguenot, although I am fighting with them, I think that I couldreply 'no;' especially as it is not a question of my own life only,but one involving the whole cause of the Huguenots.
"If I were in your place, I don't know that I should do so; but asyou say that you could do it, without your conscience pricking you,I certainly should not put pressure upon you to say 'yes.' However,I hope you may never be asked the question, and that we shall meetwith no more interruptions until we get to Nerac. There can belittle doubt that, at present, the Catholics have received noorders to seize the queen and her son at Nerac; although they haveorders to prevent her, at all costs, from going forward to Parisexcept under escort; and are keeping a sharp lookout, to preventher from being joined by parties of Huguenots who would render herforce formidable.
"I should hope that, by this time, we are past the last of theirbands. Those we met just now doubtless belonged to the forcegathered in Bazas; and it is in the direction of the north, ratherthan the west, that the Catholics are most vigilant. If shesucceeds in making her way through them, it will be well nigh amiracle.
"Now that we are well past Bazas, we will leave the road and makeour way across the fields; for it is upon the roads that any watchthere may be will be set."
It was a long day's journey, and at eight o'clock in the eveningthey lay down in a wood, ten miles from Nerac; having walked fullyfifty miles since crossing the river Ciron.
"I am very glad, Monsieur Philip, that we were not here four hoursearlier."
"Why, Pierre?"
"Because, sir, in that case you would have insisted on pushing onto Nerac, so as to enter it before the gate is closed; and in thatcase I doubt whether, with the best will, I could have got thatfar, and I am sure that Jacques and Roger could not have done so."
"No, indeed," Jacques said, "I have done my last inch. For the lastfour hours I felt as if walking upon hot irons, so sore are myfeet; and indeed, I could not have travelled at all, if I had nottaken your advice and gone barefoot."
They had bought some wine and bread in a little village throughwhich they had passed and, as soon as they had finished theirsupper, they lay down to sleep. They were up next morning longbefore daybreak, and were at the gates of Nerac before they opened.A group of countrymen were gathered there and, as soon as thedrawbridge was lowered, they entered the town with them. Theyobserved that there were sentries all round the walls, and that akeen watch was kept. As Philip was aware, the majority of theinhabitants there were Huguenots, and the governor was a noblemanof Bearn; and it was doubtless for this reason that the Queen ofNavarre had halted there, as Nerac was a strong town, and not to betaken without a regular siege.
They had no difficulty in ascertaining where the queen was lodged.Early as it was, several Huguenot gentlemen, armed to the teeth,were gathered round the door. Philip, leaving his companions behindhim, went up to the group and, addressing one of them, said:
"I am the bearer of a message for the queen. It is important. May Ipray you, sir, to cause this ring to be conveyed to her. It is atoken that she will recognize."
The gentleman glanced at the ring.
"She may well do that," he said, "seeing that it bears her owncognizance. The queen is already up, and I will cause it to be sentin to her, at once."
Two minutes later another gentleman came out.
"Her majesty will at once see the messenger who has brought thering," he said, and Philip at once followed him into the house.
He was conducted to a room where a lady was sitting whom herecognized, by the descriptions he had read of her, as the Queen ofNavarre. Beside her stood a lad of fifteen.
"You come from the Admiral!" she said. "Have you despatches forme?"
"I have a paper sewn up in my boot, your majesty; but it was readover to me several times, in case either water or wear shouldrender it illegible."
"He has reached La Rochelle safely, as I heard three days since,"the queen said, "with but a small following?"
"He and the prince had over five hundred with them, when they rodein, your majesty; and parties were arriving, hourly, to swell hisforce. On the day I left he was going out to attack Niort and, thatcaptured, he was going to move south. That was the message I wascharged to deliver. You will find him either in Cognac, or in frontof that town."
"That is good news, indeed," the queen said, "for I should have hadto make a wide detour to pass round the Charente, all the towns andbridges being held by our enemies. It will be difficult enough tocross the intervening rivers. Indeed, as the news that I hadstarted hence would arrive, long before I did myself, it would behopeless to elude their vigilance; and I should have had to make along bend to the east, and might well have been cut off before Icould reach him.
"And who are you, sir, that the Admiral should think fit to intrustso important a message to you?"
"I am English born, madam, and my name is Philip Fletcher. Mymother was French, being the daughter of the Count de Moulins; andshe sent me over to reside with her sister, the Countess ofLaville, in order that I might fight for the cause of the religion,by the side of my cousin Francois. I rode with him through the lastcampaign, in the train of Francois de la Noue and, having had thegood fortune to attract the notice of the Prince of Conde and theAdmiral, they selected me to bear this message to you; thinkingthat, being but a lad, I should better escape suspicion andquestion than a French gentleman would do; especially as he wouldrisk being recognized, while my face would be altogether unknown.
"Now, if your majesty will permit me, I will open the lining of myshoe. You will find, however, that the despatch contains but a fewwords. At first the Admiral thought only to give me a message; buthe afterwards wrote what he had said, in order that, should anyevil befall me by the way, one of the three men who accompanied meshould take my shoe and bring it to your majesty."
By this time he had slit open the lining of his shoe with hisknife, and handed the little piece of paper to the queen. Itcontained only the words:
"All goes well. Am hoping to see you. You will find me in or nearCognac."
There was no signature.
"You have done good service to the cause, Monsieur Fletcher," thequeen said. "How did you manage to pass south, for I hear thatevery bridge and ford is guarded by the Catholics?"
Philip gave a brief account of his journey.
"You have acted prudently and well, young sir; and fully justifiedthe Admiral's confidence in your
prudence. What are your ordersnow?"
"They are simply to accompany your majesty on your way north, if itbe your pleasure to permit me to ride in your train."
"I shall do that right willingly, sir; and it will be a pleasurefor my son to hear, from your lips, a full account of your journeyhither, and something of your native land, in which it may be thathe will be, some day, compelled to take refuge."
"You shall ride by my side, Monsieur Philip," the young princesaid. "You look as if you could laugh and joke. These Huguenotlords are brave and faithful, but they have ever serious faces."
"Hush, Henri! It is not fitting to speak so. They are brave andgood men."
"They may be that, mother, but they weary me dreadfully; and I amsure it would be much more cheerful having this English gentlemanas my companion."
The young prince was tall for his age, active and sinewy. Hismother had brought him up as if he had been a peasant boy. As achild he had run about barefoot and, as he grew, had spent much ofhis time among the mountains, sometimes with shepherds, sometimesengaged in the chase. Jeanne herself had a horror of the corruptionof the French court, and strove to make her son hardy and robust,with simple tastes and appetites; and preferring exercise, hardwork, and hunter's food to the life of the town. He had practisedconstantly in arms, and his mother regretted nothing so much as thefact that, next to the king and his brothers, he stood insuccession to the French throne; and would have been far happierthat he should rule, some day, over the simple and hardy people ofNavarre.
"The first thing to do, Monsieur Fletcher," the queen said, "is toobtain more suitable garments for yourself and your followers. Thismy chamberlain shall see about, without delay. I will then presentyou to the gentlemen who accompany me. They are but a small party,but we have received promises from many others, who will join us onour way.
"I may tell you it is already arranged that I shall set forwardthis evening. Monsieur D'Escars has, I hear, some four thousandgentlemen under arms; but these are widely scattered, and I hope tohave a sufficient force to overcome them at any point we may makefor. Some friends have secretly collected two or three boats nearTonneins, where there is but a small part of the Catholicsassembled. Once past the Garonne, we shall feel safe for a time."
"Would it please you that I should ride on first to Tonneins, yourmajesty, and ascertain if the garrison there are not alert, andhave no suspicion that you are about to cross so close to them?Being a stranger here I could pass unsuspected; while were any ofthe gentlemen with you seen near Tonneins, it would createsuspicion that you, yourself, were about to cross in theneighbourhood."
"I thank you for that offer," the queen said, "and will speak toyou about it, later on."
As Philip had been furnished with money, he did not trouble thequeen's chamberlain, but at once purchased clothes for himself andhis three followers, together with breast and back piece forJacques and Roger. On his return to the queen, after an hour'sabsence, he was informed that Prince Henri had made inquiries forhim, and was shown into a room where the young prince was sittingdown to his breakfast, the queen being engaged in business withsome of her councillors.
"That is right, Monsieur Fletcher. I have been waiting breakfastfor you, for half an hour. Come, sit you down with me. I warrantyou have been too busy, since you arrived at Nerac, to think of ameal."
"I don't think, Prince," Philip began, "that it would be seemlythat I--"
"Nonsense," the prince interrupted, "we are not at the court ofFrance, thank goodness, and we have no ceremony at Bearn. Besides,a simple gentleman may dine with the king, any day. So sit downwithout any more delay, and let me hear all your adventures."
Philip still hesitated, and the prince said:
"I told my mother that I was going to have you to breakfast withme; and I believe she was well satisfied that I should, for a time,be out of her way."
This removed any doubt from Philip's mind, and he at once sat downwith the prince and ate a hearty meal; after which he chatted withhim for an hour, telling him about the journey from La Rochelle,the rescue of the Huguenots near Niort, and some of the adventuresin the last war.
"And you were with my cousin Conde, and the Admiral, in the battleof Saint Denis. What luck you have had, Monsieur Fletcher. I hopethe day will come when I, too, shall take a part in war, and be agreat leader like the Admiral; but I would rather that it wasagainst Spaniards, or others, than against Frenchmen."
The door opened, and the queen entered. Philip rose hastily, butshe motioned him to be seated.
"No ceremony, I beg of you, Master Philip. I am glad to find youhere, with my son. I have spoken to some of my friends of youroffer to go to Tonneins, but they think not well of it. It is asmall place, and a stranger would be sure to be questioned; but itwas agreed that, if you would ride through Agen, you might do usgreat service. Five leagues from Tonneins Fontarailles, theseneschal of Armagnac, will be waiting for me, in the morning, witha troop of horse and a regiment of infantry. If the governor ofAgen has news of his coming, he may send out a force to attack himor, should he not feel strong enough for that, he may at leastthink that I am intending to join the seneschal; and in that casehe may send out troops, to bar the roads leading thither from theriver. As many will be passing through Agen, on their way to joinD'Escars, the passage of a gentleman and two men-at-arms willexcite no attention; and if you put up for a short time at an inn,you may be able to gather whether there has been any movement ofthe troops, or whether there is any talk of the departure of any,this evening.
"Should all be quiet, you can join me on the road; or ride directto the village of Villeneuve d'Agenois, where the seneschal willarrive, some time tonight. If you should hear of any movements oftroops, ride down on the other side of the river till within twomiles of Tonneins; then, if you place your men at intervals ofthree or four hundred yards apart, you will be sure to see uscross, and can give us warning of danger, and such indications asyou may gather as to the points where the troops are likely to beposted. We shall cross about midnight."
"I will gladly undertake the mission," Philip said. "I will go outand procure some horses, at once."
"That is unnecessary," the queen said. "We have brought severalspare horses with us, and I have already ordered four to be saddledfor you. You have no armour, I see."
"I would rather ride without it, your majesty, especially on such amission as the present. Besides, if in full armour I might well beaccosted, and asked to whose party I belong; while riding in as Iam, unarmed, save for my sword, I should have the air of agentleman of the neighbourhood, who had merely ridden in onbusiness, or to learn the latest news."
The queen smiled approvingly.
"You see, Henri, this gentleman, although about to undertake adangerous business, does not proceed rashly or hastily, but thinkscoolly as to the most prudent course to pursue.
"You will understand, Monsieur Fletcher, that several of thegentlemen with me have volunteered for this duty, and that we haveaccepted your offer solely because they could scarcely enter Agenwithout meeting some who know them; while you, being a stranger, donot run this risk."
"Moreover, madam, I have another advantage. Were any of themquestioned, and asked directly, 'Are you a Huguenot?' they couldnot but answer yes; whereas, were that question put to me I couldreply 'no,' seeing that I am an English Protestant, and in no way,save in my sympathies, a Huguenot."
"That is an advantage, certainly; but it may be the question willbe put, 'Are you a Catholic?'"
"In that case, your majesty, I could only reply 'no;' but methinksthe other question is the most likely one."
"I wish I were going to ride with Monsieur Fletcher, mother."
"That is impossible, Henri; for scarce a Gascon gentleman but hasbeen down, at one time or other, to Bearn. Do not be anxious foradventures. They will come in time, my son, and plenty of them.Would that you could pass your life without one; but in thesetroubled times, and with France divided against itself, that is toomuch to hope.
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br /> "Should you by any chance, Monsieur Fletcher, fail to rejoin us atVilleneuve d'Agenois, you may overtake us farther on. But run norisk to do so. You know whither we are bound, and I trust that,when we arrive there, we may find you before us. I myself willretain the ring that you brought me, and will return it to theAdmiral; but wear this, in remembrance of one in whose service yourisked your life," and she handed him a diamond ring, which he knewenough of gems to be aware was of considerable value.
"And take this dagger," the prince said, taking a small andbeautifully tempered weapon from his belt. "It is but a bodkin, butit is of famous steel. It was sent me by Philip of Spain, at a timewhen he was trying to cajole my mother, and is of the bestworkmanship of Toledo."
Philip expressed his thanks for the gifts in suitable words; andthen, taking leave of the queen and prince, went down to thecourtyard. Here he found Pierre and the two men-at-arms, standingat the head of three powerful horses; while one of the queen'sretainers held a very handsome animal in readiness for himself.
"Her majesty begs you to accept these horses, sir, as a slighttoken of her goodwill."
In five minutes, the party had issued from Nerac; Pierre, as usual,keeping close behind Philip, and the two men-at-arms riding a fewlengths behind.
"This is truly a change for the better, Monsieur Philip," Pierresaid. "We entered Nerac as tillers of the soil, we ride out inknightly fashion."
"Yes, Pierre, it is good to be on the back of a fine horse again;and this one I am riding is worthy of a place beside Victor andRobin."
"Yes, he is as good as either of them, sir. I am not sure that heis not better. We, too, are well content with the queen ofNavarre's generosity; for her steward gave us, before we started,each a purse of twenty crowns, which has been a wonderful salve toour sore feet. I trust there will be no more occasion to use them,for a time."
"I hope not. It was a long journey, but it was fortunate that wepushed on as we did; for had we been twelve hours later, we shouldnot have found the queen at Nerac."
"And why does not your honour stay to ride with her?" Pierre asked.
"I hope to join her again, tonight. We are going through Agen,where I hope to gather such news, of the movements of the Catholictroops, as may be of use to her."
Agen was about fifteen miles distance from Nerac, and as there wasno occasion for haste, and Philip did not wish the horses to havethe appearance of being ridden fast, they took three hours intraversing the distance.
When they neared the town, he said to Pierre:
"I shall not take you with me. If there should be trouble--though Ido not see how this can well come about--four men could do no morethan one. Therefore, Pierre, do you follow me no nearer than issufficient to keep me in sight. The other two will follow you at anequal distance, together or separately.
"Should any accident befall me, you are on no account to ride up,or to meddle in the business. I have told you what my instructionsare, and it will be your duty to carry them out, if I am taken. Youwill put up your horse and, mingling with the soldiers andtownspeople, find out if there is any movement in the wind, orwhether any troops have already gone forward. Jacques and Rogerwill do the same, and you will meet and exchange news. If you findthat anything has been done, or is going to be done, towardsputting more guards on the river, or despatching a force that mightinterfere with the passage of the queen from Tonneins to Villeneuved'Agenois, Roger and Jacques will ride to the point where I toldyou the crossing is to be made, and will warn the queen of thedanger. I leave you free to ride with them, or to stay in the towntill you learn what has happened to me. If you should find thatthere is no movement of troops, you and the others will be freeeither to ride to Pontier, or to make your way back to Cognac; andto join my cousin and give him news of what has happened to me. IfI am only held as a prisoner, the Admiral will doubtless exchange aCatholic gentleman for me. He is sure to take many prisoners at thecapture of the towns."
He then called the two men-at-arms up, and repeated theinstructions relating to them.
"But may we not strike in, should you get into trouble, master?Roger and I would far rather share whatever may befall you."
"No, Jacques, it would be worse in every way. Force could be of noavail, and it would lessen my chance of escape, were you beside me.Single handed I might get through, and trust to the speed of myhorse. If taken, I might plan some mode of escape. In either caseit would hamper me, were you there. Above all it is important thatmy mission should be fulfilled, therefore my commands on that headare strict. I do not apprehend trouble in any way; but if it shouldoccur, you will at once turn your horses down the first street youcome to, so that you may in no way be connected with me. Pierrewill, of course, turn first. You will follow him, see where hestables his horse, then go on to some other cabaret and, having putup your horses, go back to the place where he has stopped, waittill he joins you outside, then arrange for the hour at which youare to meet again, and then go off in different directions togather the news of which we are in search.
"Take no further thought about me, at all. Give your whole minds tothe safety of the queen. Upon that depends greatly the issue ofthis war. Were she and her son to fall into the hands of theCatholics, it would be a fatal blow to the cause."
So saying, he rode on again at the head of the party. When within aquarter of a mile of the town, he again called Pierre up to him.
"Pierre, do you take this ring and dagger. Should I be taken, Ishall assuredly be searched to see whether I am the bearer ofdespatches. I should grieve to lose these gifts, as much as Ishould to fall into the hands of the Catholics. Keep them for me,until you learn that there is no chance of my ever returning toclaim them; and then give them to my cousin, and beg him in my nameto return the ring to the Queen of Navarre, and the dagger to theyoung prince."
"I like not all these provisions," Pierre said to himself."Hitherto the master has never, since I first knew him, given anycommands to me, as to what was to be done in case he were capturedor killed. It seems to me that the danger here is as nothing tothat he has often run before, and yet he must have some sort offoreboding of evil. If I were not a Huguenot, I would vow a scoreof pounds of candles, to be burnt at the shrine of the Holy Virgin,if the master gets safe out of yonder town."
Philip rode on across the bridge, and entered the gates withoutquestion. Up to this time, his followers had kept close behind him;but now, in accordance with his instructions, they dropped behind.He continued his way to the principal square, rode up to an inn,entered the courtyard, and gave his horse to the stableman.
"Give it a feed," he said, "and put it in the stable. I shall notrequire it until the afternoon."
Then he went into the public room, called for food and wine, andsat down. The tables were well nigh full, for there were manystrangers in the town. After a first glance at the newcomer, nonepaid him any attention. Pierre and the two men had, in accordancewith his instructions, passed the inn they had seen him enter, andput up at other places.
There was a loud buzz of conversation, and Philip listenedattentively to that between four gentlemen who had just sat down atthe next table to him. Three of them had come in together, and thefourth joined them, just as Philip's meal was brought to him.
"Well, have you heard any news at the governor's, Maignan?" one ofthem asked the last comer.
"Bad news. Conde and the Admiral are not letting the grass growunder their feet. They have captured not only Niort, as we heardyesterday, but Parthenay."
"Peste! That is bad news, indeed. What a blunder it was to let themslip through their fingers, when they might have seized them withtwo or three hundred men, in Burgundy."
"It seems to me that they are making just the same mistake here,"another put in. "As Jeanne of Navarre is well nigh as dangerous asthe Admiral himself, why don't they seize her and her cub, andcarry them to Paris?"
"Because they hope that she will go willingly, of her own accord,Saint Amand. La Motte-Fenelon has been negotiating with her, fort
he last fortnight, on behalf of the court. It is clearly farbetter that she should go there of her own will, than that sheshould be taken there a prisoner. Her doing so would seem adesertion of the Huguenot cause, and would be a tremendous blow tothem.
"On the other hand, if she were taken there as a prisoner, it woulddrive many a Huguenot to take up arms who is now content to restquiet. And moreover, the Protestant princes of Germany, andElizabeth of England would protest; for whatever the court may sayof the Admiral, they can hardly affirm that Jeanne of Navarre isthinking of making war against Charles for any other reason thanthe defence of her faith. Besides, she can do no harm at Nerac; andwe can always lay hands on her, when we like. At any rate, there isno fear of her getting farther north. The rivers are too wellguarded for that."
"I don't know," another said, "after the way in which Conde and theAdmiral, though hampered with women and children, made their wayacross France, I should never be surprised at anything. You see,there is not a place where she has not friends. These pestilentHuguenots are everywhere. She will get warning of danger, andguides across the country--peasants who know every byroad throughthe fields, and every shallow in the rivers. It would be far betterto make sure of her and her son, by seizing them at Nerac."
"Besides," Saint Amand said, "there are reports of movements ofHuguenots all over Guyenne; and I heard a rumour, last night, thatthe Seneschal of Armagnac has got a considerable gatheringtogether. These Huguenots seem to spring out of the ground. Sixweeks ago, no one believed that there was a corner of France wherethey could gather a hundred men together, and now they areeverywhere in arms."
"I think," Maignan said, "that you need not be uneasy about theQueen of Navarre. I am not at liberty to say what I have heard; butI fancy that, before many hours, she will be on her way to Paris,willingly or unwillingly. As for the seneschal, he and the otherswill be hunted down, as soon as this matter is settled. A day ortwo, sooner or later, will make no difference there and, until thequeen is taken, the troops will have to stay in their presentstations.
"My only fear is that, seeing she can have no hope of making herway north, she will slip away back to Navarre again. Once there,she could not be taken without a deal of trouble. Whatever is to bedone must be done promptly. Without direct orders from the court,no step can be taken in so important a matter. But the orders mayarrive any hour, and I think you will see that there will be noloss of time in executing them."
"And Nerac could not stand a long siege, even if it were stronglygarrisoned; and the handful of men she has got with her could notdefend the walls for an hour. I hope she may not take the alarm toosoon; for as you say, once back in Navarre it would be difficult,indeed, to take her. It is no joke hunting a bear among themountains; and as her people are devoted to her, she could playhide and seek among the valleys and hills for weeks--ay, ormonths--before she could be laid hold of.
"It is well for our cause, Maignan, that she is not a man. Shewould be as formidable a foe as the Admiral himself. Huguenot asshe is, one can't help respecting her. Her husband was a poorcreature, beside her. He was ready to swallow any bait offered him;while, even if it would seat her son on the throne of France, shewould not stir a hand's breadth from what she thinks right."
Philip finished his meal, and then went out into the square. Thenews was satisfactory. No order had yet arrived for the seizure ofthe queen; and though one was evidently looked for, to arrive inthe course of a few hours, it would then be too late to take anysteps until nightfall, at the earliest; and by nine o'clock thequeen would have left Nerac.
No movement was intended at present against the seneschal, nor didthe idea that the queen might attempt to join him seem to beentertained. It was possible, however, that such a suspicion mighthave occurred to the governor, and that some troops might secretlybe sent off, later. He must try to learn something more.
Confident that he could not be suspected of being ought but what heappeared, a Catholic gentleman--for his garments were of muchbrighter hue than those affected by the Huguenots--he strolledquietly along, pausing and looking into shops when he happened topass near groups of soldiers or gentlemen talking together. So hespent two or three hours. No word had reached his ear indicatingthat any of the speakers were anticipating a sudden call to horse.
He saw that Pierre was following him, keeping at some distanceaway, and pausing whenever he paused. He saw no signs of the othertwo men, and doubted not that they were, as he had ordered,spending their time in wine shops frequented by the soldiers, andlistening to their talk.
Feeling convinced that no orders had been given for the assembly ofany body of troops, he sat down for a time at a small table infront of one of the principal wine shops, and called for a bottleof the best wine; thinking that the fact that he was alone would beless noticeable, so, than if he continued to walk the streets.Presently a party of four or five gentlemen sat down at a table ashort distance off. He did not particularly notice them at first;but presently, glancing that way, saw one of them looking hard athim, and a thrill of dismay ran through him, as he recognized thegentleman addressed as Raoul, the leader of the party that hadstopped him near Bazas. He had, however, presence of mind enough tolook indifferently at him, and then to continue sipping his wine.
The possibility that this gentleman, with his troop, should havecome to Agen had never entered his mind; and though the encounterwas a most unfortunate one, he trusted that the complete change inhis appearance would be sufficient to prevent recognition; althoughit was evident, by the gaze fixed on him, that the gentleman had anidea that his face was familiar. To move now would heightensuspicion, if any existed; and he therefore sat quiet, watching thepeople who passed in front of him, and revolving in his mind thebest course to be taken, should Raoul address him. The latter hadjust spoken to his cousin, who was sitting next to him.
"Do you know that young gentleman, Louis?" he asked. "I seem toknow his face well; and yet he does not know me, for he just nowglanced at me, without recognizing me. You know most of the gentryin this neighbourhood. Do you know him?"
"No, I cannot say that I do, Raoul; though I, too, seem to have arecollection of his face. It is a sort of face one remembers, too.I should think his family must belong to the north, for you do notoften see men of that complexion about here. He looks very young,not above nineteen or twenty; but there is a look of earnestnessand resolution, about his face, that would point to his being someyears older."
Dismissing the matter from his mind, Raoul joined in theconversation round him. Presently he grasped his cousin's arm.
"I know where we saw the face now, Louis. He was one of the fourfellows we stopped, two days since, near Bazas."
"Impossible, Raoul! Those men were peasants, though two of them hadserved for a time in the army; the others--" and he stopped.
"You see it yourself, Louis. One of the others was a dark, activeman. The other was but a lad--a tall, well-built young fellow, withfair complexion and gray eyes. I thought of it afterwards, andwondered where he got that skin and hair from. I put it down thatit was a trace of English blood, of which there is a good dealstill left in Guyenne, and some of the other provinces they held,long ago."
"I certainly see the likeness, now you mention it, Raoul; but itcan hardly be the same. This is a gentleman. He is certainly that,whoever he may be. How could a gentleman be masquerading about as apeasant?"
"That is what I am going to find out, Louis. He may have been aHuguenot, making his way down to join the Queen of Navarre at NeracHe may be one of her train there, who had gone out, in disguise, toreconnoitre the country and see what forces of ours were in theneighbourhood, and where posted. That may be his mission, here; butthis time he has chosen to come in his proper attire."
"That can hardly be his attire, if he is one of Jeanne of Navarre'sfollowers. He may have got a suit for the purpose, but assuredlythe colours are too gay for a Huguenot in her train. For my part, Isee nothing suspicious about his appearance. There, he is payinghis reckoning, and
going."
"And I am going after him," Raoul said, rising. "There is somethingstrange about the affair, and there may be some plot. Do you comewith me, Louis.
"Monsieur D'Estanges, I have a little matter of business on hand.Will you come with me?"