Chapter 5: The Fencing School.
It was with no small trepidation that Rupert Holliday ascended thesteps of the Earl of Marlborough's residence in Pall Mall. Hughaccompanied him thus far and stopped at the door, outside which, inthe courtyard and in the hall, were standing many lackeys who hadattended their masters. Rupert felt very young, and the somewhatsurprised looks of the servants in the hall at his appearance addedto his feeling of youth. He was shown into an antechamber, where anumber of officers of all ranks, of courtiers, and politicians,were assembled, talking in groups. Rupert felt alone anduncomfortable among this crowd of distinguished men, none of whomdid he know, and no one paid the smallest attention to him. He hadon entering written his name down in a book in the hall, whence itwould be taken in with others to the great man.
Presently an officer in general's uniform came out from an innerroom, and an instant afterwards the earl himself appeared. Not onlywas John Churchill one of the most handsome men in Europe, but hewas the most courtly and winning in manner; and Rupert, shrinkingback from observation, watched with admiration as he moved roundthe room, stopping to say a few words here, shaking hands there,listening to a short urgent person, giving an answer to a petition,before presented, by another, giving pleasure and satisfactionwherever he moved.
Rupert saw, however, that even while speaking his eye was wanderinground the room, and directly he perceived him he walked straighttowards him, those standing between falling back as he advanced.
"Ah, my young friend," he said warmly, holding out his hand toRupert, "I was expecting you.
"Sir John Loveday, Lord Fairholm," he said, turning to two younggentlemen near, "let me present to you Master Rupert Holliday,grandson of Colonel Holliday, one of the bravest of our cavaliers,and who I can guarantee has inherited the skill and courage of hisgrandfather. He will make the campaign in Holland with you,gentlemen, for his commission has been made out today in herMajesty's fifth regiment of dragoons.
"I will speak to you more, presently, Rupert."
So saying, the earl moved away among his visitors, leaving Rupertflushed with pleasure and confusion. The young gentlemen to whomthe earl had introduced him, much surprised at the flatteringmanner in which the great general had spoken of the lad beforethem, at once entered into conversation with him, and hearing thathe was but newly come to London, offered to show him the variousplaces where men of fashion resorted, and begged him to considerthem at his disposal. Rupert, who had been carefully instructed byhis grandfather in courtly expression and manner, returned manythanks to the gentlemen for their obliging offers, of which, afterhe had again spoken to the earl, and knew what commands he wouldlay upon him, he would thankfully avail himself.
It was nearly an hour before the Earl of Marlborough had made theround of the antechamber, but the time passed quickly to Rupert.The room was full of men whose names were prominent in the historyof the time, and these Sir John Loveday, and Lord Fairholm, whowere lively young men, twenty-two or twenty-three years old,pointed out to him, often telling him a merry story or some drolljest regarding them. There was Saint John, handsome, but delicatelooking, with a half sneer on his face, and dressed in theextremity of fashion, with a coat of peach-coloured velvet withimmense cuffs, crimson leather shoes with diamond buckles; hissword was also diamond hilted, his hands were almost hidden in laceruffles, and he wore his hair in ringlets of some twenty inches inlength, tied behind with a red ribbon. The tall man, with a haughtybut irritable face, in the scarlet uniform of a general officer,was the Earl of Peterborough. There too were Godolphin and Orford,both leading members of the cabinet; the Earl of Sutherland, theDukes of Devonshire and Newcastle, Lord Nottingham, and manyothers.
At last the audience was over, and the minister, bowing to all,withdrew, and the visitors began to leave. A lackey came up toRupert and requested him to follow him; and bidding adieu to hisnew friends, who both gave him their addresses and begged him tocall up on them, he followed the servant into the hall and upstairsinto a cosy room, such as would now be called a boudoir. Therestood the Earl of Marlborough, by the chair in which a lady ofgreat beauty and commanding air was sitting.
"Sarah," he said, "this is my young friend, Rupert Holliday, who asyou know did me good service in the midlands."
The countess held out her hand kindly to Rupert, and he bent overit and touched it with his lips.
"You must remember you are my friend as well as my husband's," shesaid. "He tells me you saved his life; and although I can scarcecredit the tale, seeing how young you are, yet courage and skilldwell not necessarily in great bodies. Truly, Master Holliday, I amdeeply indebted to you; and Sarah Churchill is true in herfriendships."
"As in her hates, eh?" laughed the earl.
Between the Earl of Marlborough and his wife there existed nocommon affection. They were passionately attached to each other;and the earl's letters show that at all times, even when in thefield surrounded by difficulties, harassed by opposition, menacedwith destruction by superior forces, his thoughts were turnedaffectionately towards her, and he was ever wishing that the warwould end that he might return to her side. She on her part wasequally attached to him, but much as she strove to add to his powerand to forward his plans, her haughty and violent temper was themain cause of the unmerited disgrace into which he fell with hisroyal mistress, who owed so much to him personally, and whose reignhe did so much to render a brilliant and successful one. At thepresent time, however, she stood upon the footing of the closestintimacy and affection with Queen Anne.
The earl then introduced Rupert to those other ladies who werepresent; the eldest, his daughter Lady Harriet, recently married toMr. Godolphin; the second, Anne, married to Lord Spencer; and thetwo daughters still unmarried, aged sixteen and seventeenrespectively.
Rupert was so confused with the earl's kindness that he haddifficulty in finding words, but he made a great effort, andexpressed in proper set terms his thankfulness to the countess forher great kindness to him, and of his own want of deserts.
"There," the countess said, "that will do very nicely and prettily;and now put it aside until we are in public, and talk in your ownnatural way. So you have been fighting again, have you, andwell-nigh killing young Master Brownlow?"
Rupert was completely astounded at this address; and the earl said,laughing:
"I told you that I expected you. The worthy colonel yourgrandfather wrote me a letter, which I received this morning,telling me the incident which had taken place, and your suddendisappearance, stating that he doubted not you had made for London,and begging--which indeed was in no way necessary--my protection onyour behalf."
"Did my grandfather say, sir," Rupert asked anxiously, "aught ofthe state of Master Brownlow?"
"Yes; he said that the leech had strong hopes that he wouldrecover."
"I am indeed glad of that," Rupert said; "for I had no ill will tohim."
"We must be careful of you, Master Holliday," the countess said;"for if you go on like this you will much diminish the number ofthe queen's subjects."
"I can assure your grace," Rupert said earnestly, "that I am nobrawler, and am not quarrelsome by nature, and that the thought ofshedding blood, except of the foes of my country in battle, painsme much."
"I'll warrant me you are the mildest-tempered boy alive," the earlsaid. "Now tell me frankly: you have been in London someforty-eight hours; have you passed that time without getting into afray or quarrel of any kind?"
Rupert turned scarlet with confusion.
"His looks betray him," the earl laughed. "Look, girls, at themild-tempered young gentleman.
"Now, out with it. How was it?"
Thus exhorted, Rupert very stammeringly gave an account of the frayin which he had been engaged.
"Von Duyk!" the earl said. "She must be a daughter of the greatmerchant of Dort--a useful friend to have made, maybe, MasterHolliday; and it may be that your adventure may even be of serviceto the state. Never speak now, Master Rupert, of your peacefulintentions
. You take after your namesake, the Prince, and are averitable knight errant of adventure. The sooner I have you over inHolland fighting the queen's enemies, and not the queen's subjects,the better.
"Now tell me, where have you taken up your abode?"
"At the Bell, at Bishopsgate Street," Rupert answered.
"And your follower, for I know one accompanied you; where is he?"
"He waits without, sir."
The earl touched a hand bell.
"Fetch in Master Holliday's retainer; you will find him without.Make him at home in the servant's hall. Send a messenger down tothe Bell at Bishopsgate, fetch hither the mails of Master Holliday;he will remain as my guest at present."
Rupert now entered upon a life very different to that which he hadled hitherto. He received a letter from Colonel Holliday, enclosingan order on a London banker for fifty pounds, and he was soonprovided with suits of clothes fit for balls and other occasions.Wherever the earl went, Rupert accompanied him as one of hispersonal followers; and the frank, straightforward manners of thelad pleased the ladies of the court, and thus "Little Holliday," ashe was called, soon became a great favourite.
It was about a fortnight after his arrival in town that, for thefirst time, he accompanied his friends Sir John Loveday and LordFairholm to the fencing school of Maitre Dalboy, the great fencingmaster of the day. Rupert had been looking forward much to thisvisit, as he was anxious to see what was the degree of proficiencyof the young court gallants in the art which he so much loved.
Maitre Dalboy's school was a fashionable lounge of the young men ofthe court and army. It was a large and lofty room, and some sixassistants were in the act of giving instructions to beginners, orof fencing with more advanced students, when the trio entered.Maitre Dalboy himself came up to greet them, for both Rupert'sfriends had been his pupils.
"You are strangers," he said reproachfully. "How are your musclesto keep in good order, and your eye true, if you do not practise?It is heart rending! I take every pains to turn out accomplishedswordsmen; and no sooner have my pupils learned something of thebusiness, than they begin to forget it."
"We shall begin to put your teaching into effect before long,Maitre Dalboy," Sir John Loveday said, with a smile, "for we aregoing over to join the army in Holland in a few weeks, and we shallthen have an opportunity of trying the utility of the parries youhave taught us."
"It is too bad," the Frenchman said, shrugging his shoulders, "thatmy pupils should use the science I have taught them against mycountrymen; but what would you have? It is the fortune of war. Isthis young gentleman a new pupil that you have brought me?"
"No, indeed," Lord Fairholm said; "this is Master Rupert Holliday,a cornet in the 5th regiment of dragoons, who is also about tostart for Holland."
"I have had the advantage of learning from a countryman of yours,Monsieur Dalboy," Rupert said, "a Monsieur Dessin, who is goodenough to teach the noble art in the town of Derby."
"Dessin! Dessin!" Maitre Dalboy said, thoughtfully "I do notremember the name among our maitres d'escrime."
"The Earl of Marlborough himself vouches for the skill of MasterHolliday with the sword. His grandfather, Colonel Holliday, was, Ibelieve, noted as one of the finest blades at the court of SaintGermains."
"I have heard of him," Monsieur Dalboy said, with interest. "Let methink; he wounded the Marquis de Beauchamp, who was considered oneof the best swordsmen in France. Yes, yes, his fame as a swordsmanis still remembered. And he is alive yet?"
"Alive and active," Rupert said; "and although, as he says himself,he has lost some of his quickness of reposte, there are, MonsieurDessin says, few fencers who could even now treat him lightly."
"And you have had the benefit of his instruction as well as that ofmy countryman?" Monsieur Dalboy asked.
"Yes," Rupert said, "my grandfather, although he cares not at hisage for prolonged exercise, has yet made a point of giving me for afew minutes each day the benefit of his skill."
"I should like to have a bout with you, Master Holliday," MonsieurDalboy said; "will you take a foil? I am curious to see what theunited teaching of my countryman and that noted swordsman ColonelHolliday may have done. To me, as a master, it is interesting todiscover what is possible with good teachers, when the science isbegun young. What may your age be, Master Holliday?"
"I am four months short of sixteen," Rupert said, "and I shall bevery proud of the honour of crossing swords with so famed a masteras yourself, if you think me worthy of so great a privilege."
There was quite a sensation in the fencing school, round which weregathered some forty or fifty of the young men of the day, whenMaitre Dalboy called for his plastron and foil, for it was seldomindeed, and then only with swordsmen of altogether exceptionalstrength, that Monsieur Dalboy condescended to fence, contentinghimself ordinarily with walking about the school and giving a hintnow and then to those fencing with his assistants, not, perhaps,more than once a week taking a foil in his hand to illustrate somethrust or guard which he was inculcating. At this call, therefore,there was a general silence; and everyone turned to see who was thefencer whom the great master thus signally deigned to honour.
Great was the astonishment when, as Monsieur Dalboy divestedhimself of his coat and vest, the lad who had entered with LordFairholm and Sir John Loveday was seen similarly to prepare for thecontest.
"Who is he? What singular freak is this of the maitre to take up afoil with a boy!" was the question which ran round the room.
Several of those present had met Rupert Holliday, and could givehis name; but none could account for the freak on the part of themaster.
Fortunately Rupert was unacquainted with the fact that what seemedto him a natural occurrence was an extraordinary event in the eyesof all assembled, and he therefore experienced no feeling ofnervousness whatever. He knew that Colonel Holliday was a master ofthe sword, and his grandfather had told him that Monsieur Dessinwas an altogether exceptional swordsman. As he knew himself to befully a match for the latter, he felt sure that, however perfect amaster Monsieur Dalboy might be, he need not fear discrediting hismaster, even if his present opponent should prove more than hismatch.
There was a dead silence of curiosity at the singularity of theaffair, as Rupert Holliday took his post face to face with themaster; but a murmur of surprise and admiration ran round the roomat the grace and perfection of accuracy with which Rupert wentthrough the various parades which were then customary before thecombatants crossed swords.
Rupert felt as calm and as steady as when fencing at home, anddetermined to use all his caution as well as all his skill; for notonly did he feel that his own strength was upon trial, but that thehonour of the teachers who had taken such pains with him wasconcerned in the result. The swords had scarcely crossed when anexpression of surprise passed across Maitre Dalboy's face. Thefirst few passes showed him that in this lad he had found anopponent of no ordinary character, and that all his skill would beneeded to obtain a victory over him.
For the first few minutes each fought cautiously, feeling eachother's strength rather than attempting to attack seriously. Thenthe master dropped his point.
"Ma foi! Young sir, you have done monsieur le colonel and mycompatriot justice. I offer you my congratulations."
"They are premature, sir," Rupert said, smiling; "you have not asyet begun."
The silence in the school was even more profound when the swordsagain crossed than it had been when the bout began, for wonder hadnow taken the place of amused curiosity. The struggle now commencedin earnest. Several times at first Rupert narrowly escaped beingtouched, for the master's play was new to him. The thrusts andfeints, the various attacks, were all familiar; but whereas ColonelHolliday had fought simply with his arm and his head, standingimmovably in one place, and Monsieur Dessin had, although quick toadvance and fall back, fought comparatively on the defensive, whilehe himself had been the assailant from his superior activity,Monsieur Dalboy was as quick and as active as himself, and therapidity o
f the attacks, the quick bounds, the swift rushes, atfirst almost bewildered him; but gradually, as he grew accustomedto the play, he steadied himself, and eluded the master's attackswith an activity as great as his own.
In vain Monsieur Dalboy employed every feint, every combination inhis repertoire. Rupert was always prepared, for from one or otherof his teachers he had learnt the defence to be employed againsteach; and at last, as the master, exhausted with his exertions,flagged a little, Rupert in turn took the offensive. Now MonsieurDalboy's skill stood him in equal stead to defend himself againstRupert's rapid attacks and lightning-like passes and thrusts; andalthough the combat had lasted without a second's interruption fornearly a quarter of an hour, neither combatant had touched theother.
At last Rupert saw by his opponent's eye that a new and specialcombination was about to be put into action against him, and heinstantly steadied himself to resist it. It came with the rapidityof thought, but Rupert recognized it by the first pass as the verylast combination which Monsieur Dessin had taught him, assuring himat the time that he would find it irresistible, for that there werenot three men in Europe acquainted with it. He met the attack thenwith the defence which Monsieur Dessin had showed him to be thesure escape, ending with a wrench which nearly tore the sword fromthe hand of his opponent.
Monsieur Dalboy sprang back on guard, with a look of profoundastonishment; and then throwing down his foil, he threw himself, inthe impetuous manner of his countrymen, on Rupert's neck, andembraced him.
"Mon dieu! mon dieu!" he exclaimed, "You are incroyable, you are amiracle.
"Gentlemen," he said, turning to those present, when the burst ofenthusiastic applause which greeted the conclusion of thisextraordinary contest subsided, "you see in this young gentlemanone of the finest swordsmen in Europe. I do not say the finest, forhe has not touched me, and having no idea of his force I extendedmyself rashly at first; but I may say he is my equal. Never butonce have I crossed swords with such a fencer, and I doubt if evenhe was as strong. His parry to my last attack was miraculous. Itwas a coup invented by myself, and brought to perfection with thatone I speak of. I believed no one else knew it, and have everreserved it for a last extremity; but his defence, even to the lastwrench, which would have disarmed any other man but myself, andeven me had I not known that it should have come then, was perfect;it was astounding.
"This maitre of yours--this Monsieur Dessin," he went on, turningto Rupert, "must be a wonder.
"Ah!" he said suddenly, and as if to himself; "c'est bien possible!What was he like, this Monsieur Dessin?"
"He is tall, and slight except as to his shoulders, where he isvery broad."
"And he has a little scar here, has he not?" the fencing mastersaid, pointing to his temple.
"Yes," Rupert said, surprised; "I have often noticed it."
"Then it is he," Monsieur Dalboy said, "the swordsman of whom Ispoke. No wonder you parried my coup. I had wondered what hadbecome of him. And you know him as Monsieur Dessin? And he teachesfencing?"
"Yes," Rupert said; "but my grandfather always said that MonsieurDessin was only an assumed name, and that he was undoubtedly ofnoble blood."
"Your grandfather was right," the master said. "Yes, you have hadwonderful masters; but unless I had seen it, I should not havebelieved that even the best masters in the world could have turnedout such a swordsman as you at your age."
By this time the various couples had begun fencing again, and theroom resounded with the talk of the numerous lookers on, who wereall discoursing on what appeared to them, as to Monsieur Dalboy,the almost miraculous occurrence of a lad under sixteen holding hisown against a man who had the reputation of being the finest maitrein Europe. Lord Fairholm, Sir John Loveday, and other gentlemen,now came round.
"I was rather thinking," Sir John said, with a laugh, "of takingyou under my protection, Master Holliday, and fighting your battlesfor you, as an old boy does for a young one at school; but it musteven be the other way. And by my faith, if any German Ritter orFrench swordsman should challenge the British dragoons to a trialof the sword, we shall put you forth as our David."
"I trust that that may not be," Rupert said; "for though in battleI hope that I shall not be found wanting, yet I trust that I shallhave nought to do in private quarrels, but be looked upon as one ofa peaceful disposition."
"Very peaceful, doubtless!" laughed Lord Fairholm. "Tell me, MasterRupert, honestly now, didst ever use in earnest that sword that youhave just shown that you know so well how to wield?"
Rupert flushed up crimson.
"Yes," he said, with a shame-faced look, "I have twice used mysword in self defence."
"Ha, ha! Our peaceful friend!" laughed Lord Fairholm. "And tell me,didst put an end to both unfortunates?"
Rupert coloured still more deeply.
"I had the misfortune to slay one, my lord; but there are goodhopes that the other will recover."
A general shout of laughter greeted the announcement, whichtogether with Rupert's evident shame-faced look, was altogether toomuch for their gravity.
Just at this moment a diversion was caused by a young man dressedin the extreme of fashion who entered the school. He had adissipated and jaded air.
"Fulke, where hast been?" one of the group standing round Rupertasked. "We have missed you these two weeks. Someone said you hadbeen roughly mauled, and had even lost some teeth. Is it so?"
"It is," the newcomer said, with an angry scowl. "Any beauty I oncemay have had is gone forever. I have lost three of my upper teeth,and two of my lower, and I am learning now to speak with my lipsshut, so as to hide the gap."
"But how came it about?"
"I was walking down a side street off the Strand, when four mensprang out and held my hands to my side, another snatched my watchand purse, and as I gave a cry for the watch, he smote me with thepommel of his rapier in my mouth, then throwing me on the groundthe villains took to their heels together."
The exclamations of commiseration and indignation which arosearound, were abruptly checked by a loud laugh from Rupert.
There was a dead silence and Sir Richard Fulke, turning his eyeswith fury towards the lad who had dared to jeer at his misfortune,demanded why he laughed.
"I could not help but laugh," Rupert said, "although doubtless itwas unmannerly; but your worship's story reminded me somarvellously of the tale of the stout knight, Sir John Falstaff'sadventure with the men of buckram."
"What mean you?" thundered Sir Richard.
"I mean, sir," Rupert said quietly, "that your story has not oneword of truth in it. I came upon you in that side street off theStrand, as you were trying to carry off by force, aided by a rascalnamed Captain Copper, a lady, whose name shall not be mentionedhere. I had not my sword with me, but with a walking stick Itrounced your friend the captain, and then, with my stick againstyour rapier, I knocked out those teeth you regret, with a fairthrust.
"If my word is doubted, gentlemen, Alderman Hawkins, who heard thedetails of the matter from the young lady and her chairman, canvouch for it."
A cry of fury burst from Sir Richard Fulke; and drawing his swordhe would have sprung upon the lad, who had not only disfigured himfor life, but now made him the laughingstock of society, for thetale would, he knew, spread far and wide. Several of the gentlementhrew themselves between him and Rupert.
"I will have his life's blood!" he exclaimed, struggling in thearms of those who would hold him back. "I will kill the dog as hestands."
"Sir Richard Fulke," Lord Fairholm said, "Master Holliday is afriend of mine, and will give you an honourable meeting when youwill; but I should advise you to smother your choler. It seems heproved himself with a stick your superior, although armed with asword, and Master Dalboy will tell you that it is better to leavehim alone."
Master Dalboy was standing by, and going up to Sir Richard, hesaid:
"Sir, if you will take my poor advice you will go your way, andleave Master Holliday to himself. He has, as those here will tellyou,
proved himself fully my equal as a swordsman, and could killyou if only armed with a six-inch dagger against your sword. Itwould be safer for you to challenge the whole of those in thispresent company than to cross swords with him."
A few words from those standing round corroborated a statementwhich at first appeared fabulous; and then finding that an openencounter with Rupert would be the worst possible method ofobtaining satisfaction for the injuries he had received, SirRichard Fulke flung himself out of the school, muttering deep vowsof future vengeance.
"You have made a dangerous enemy," Lord Fairholm said, as the threefriends walked homeward. "He bears a bad character, and is areckless and ruined man. After what he has heard of your skill as aswordsman he will, we may be sure, take no open steps against you;but it is certain that he will scheme night and day for vengeance.When the report gets abroad of his cock-and-bull story, and thetrue history of the loss of his teeth, he will not be able to showhis face in public for some time; but he will be none the lessdangerous. Through that notorious ruffian, Captain Copper, he candispose of half the cutthroats about the town, and I should adviseyou not to go out after dark until you have put the seas betweenyou and him, and even then you had better be cautious for a time."
Rupert agreed with his friend's advice, and the next day begged hispatron to let him embark at once for Holland, in a ship that was tosail with troops from London Bridge. He urged as his reason fordesiring to go at once, his wish to learn something at least of hisduties before the campaign began.
As the earl had already heard a rumour of the scene in the fencingschool, he made no opposition to the plan, and the next day Rupert,accompanied by Hugh, sailed down the Thames, bound for Rotterdam.