CHAPTER III.
A BOLD ADVENTURE.
Daumon had in no way exaggerated when he said that Norbert was spoken ofas the "Young Savage of Champdoce," though no one used this appellationin an insulting form. Public opinion had changed considerably regardingthe Duke of Champdoce. The first time that he had made his appearance,wearing wooden shoes and a leathern jacket, every one had laughed, butthis did not affect him at all, and in the end people began to term hisdogged obstinacy indomitable perseverance. The gleam that shone from hishoarded millions imparted a brilliant lustre to his shabby garments. Whyshould they waste their pity upon a man who would eventually come into agigantic fortune, and have the means of gratifying all his desires?
Mothers, with daughters especially, took a great interest in the youngman, for to get a girl married to the "Young Savage of Champdoce" wouldbe a feat to be proud of; but unluckily his father watched him with allthe vigilance of a Spanish duenna. But there was a young girl who hadlong since secretly formed a design of her own, and this bold-heartedbeauty was Diana de Laurebourg. It was with perfect justice that shehad received the name of the "Belle of Poitiers." She was tall and veryfair, with a dazzling complexion and masses of lustrous hair; buther eyes gleamed with a suppressed fire, which plainly showed theconstitution of her nature. She had been brought up in a convent, andher parents, who had wished her to take the veil, had only been inducedto remove her owing to her obstinate refusal to pronounce the vows,coupled with the earnest entreaties of the lady superior, who was keptin a constant state of ferment owing to the mutinous conduct of herpupil. Her father was wealthy, but all the property went over to herbrother, ten years older than herself; and so Diana was portionless,with the exception of a paltry sum of forty thousand francs.
"My child!" said her father to her the first day of her return, "youhave come back to us once more, and now all you have to do is tofascinate some gentleman who is your equal in position and who hasplenty of money. If you fail in that, back you go to the convent."
"Time enough to talk about that some years hence," answered the girlwith a smile; "at present I am quite contented with being at home withyou."
M. de Laurebourg had commented with some severity upon the conduct ofthe Duke de Champdoce towards his son, but he was perfectly willing tosacrifice his daughter's heart for a suitable marriage.
"I shall gain my end," murmured the girl, "I am sure of it."
She had heard a friend of her father's speaking of Norbert and hiscolossal expectations.
"Why should I not marry him?" she asked of her own heart; and, with theutmost skill, she applied herself to the execution of her design; forthe idea of being a duchess, with an income of two hundred thousandfrancs, was a most fascinating one. But how was she to meet Norbert? Andhow bring over the money-raking Duke to her side? Before, however, shecould decide on any plan, she felt that she must see Norbert. He waspointed out to her one day at Mass, and she was struck by his beauty andby an ease of manner which even his shabby dress could not conceal. Bythe quick perception which many women possess, she dived into Norbert'sinmost soul; she felt that he had suffered, and her sympathy for himbrought with it the dawn of love, and by the time she had left thechapel she had registered a solemn vow that she would one day beNorbert's wife. But she did not acquaint her parents with thisdetermination on her part, preferring to carry out her plans withoutany aid or advice. Mademoiselle Diana was shrewd and practical, and notlikely to err from want of judgment. The frank and open expression ofher features concealed a mind of superior calibre, and one which wellknew how to weigh the advantages of social rank and position. Sheaffected a sudden sympathy with the poor, and visited them constantly,and might be frequently met in the lanes carrying soup and othercomforts to them. Her father declared, with a laugh, that she oughtto have been a Sister of Charity, and did not notice the fact that allDiana's pensioners resided in the vicinity of Champdoce. But it wasin vain that she wandered about, continually changing the hour of hervisits. The "Savage of Champdoce" was not to be seen, nor was he evena regular attendant at Mass. At last a mere trifle changed the wholecurrent of the young man's existence; for, a week after the conversationin which the Duke had laid bare his scheme to his son, he again referredto it, after their dinner, which they had partaken of at the same tablewith forty laborers, who had been hired to get in the harvest.
"You need not, my son," began the old gentleman, "go back with thelaborers to-day."
"But, sir--"
"Allow me to continue, if you please. My confidential conversation withyou the other night was merely a preliminary to my telling you thatfor the future I did not expect you to toil as hard as you had hithertodone, for I wish you to perform a duty less laborious, but moreresponsible; you will for the future act as farm-bailiff."
Norbert looked up suddenly into his father's face.
"For I wish you to become accustomed to independent action, so that atmy death your sudden liberty may not intoxicate you."
The Duke then rose from his seat, and took a highly finished gun from acupboard.
"I have been very much pleased with you for some time past," said he,"and this is a sign of my satisfaction. The gamekeeper has brought in athoroughly trained dog, which will also be yours. Shoot as much as youlike, and, as you cannot go about without money in your pocket, takethis, but be careful of it; for remember that extravagance on your partwill procrastinate the day upon which our descendants will resume theirproper station in the world."
The Duke spoke for some time longer, but his son paid no heed to hiswords, and was too much astonished to accept the six five-franc pieceswhich his father tendered to him.
"I suppose," said the Duke at last in angry accents, "that you will havethe grace to thank me."
"You will find that I am not ungrateful," stammered Norbert, aroused bythis reproach.
The Duke turned away impatiently.
"What has the boy got into his head now?" muttered he.
It was owing to the advice of the priest of Bevron that the Duke hadacted as he had done; but this indulgence came too late, for Norbert'sdetestation of his tyrant was too deeply buried in his heart to beeasily eradicated.
A gun was not such a wonderful present after all--a matter of afew francs, perhaps. Had the Duke offered him the means of a bettereducation, it would be a different matter; but as it was, he would stillremain the "Young Savage of Champdoce."
However, Norbert took advantage of the permission accorded to him, andrambled daily over the estate with his gun and his dog Bruno, to whichhe had become very much attached. His thoughts often wandered to Daumon;but he had made inquiries, and had heard that the Counsellor was a mostdangerous man, who would stick at nothing; but for all that, he hadmade up his mind to go back to him again for further advice, though hisbetter nature warned him of the precipice on the brink of which he wasstanding.