Chapter XXIII
The Rendezvous at the Forge
Beside the forge-fire stood Grul. On his left arm was perched Philip,half wrapped in the black-and-yellow cloak, and playing with Grul'swhite wand. At the back of the forge, fettered to the wall, and withhis hands bound behind him, stood the black form of our adversary.Grul was heaving upon the bellows, and in the fierce white glow of thecoal stuck a number of irons heating. These he turned and twisted withfantastic energy, now and then drawing one forth and brandishing itwith a kind of mad glee, so as best to show the intensity of itscolour; and whenever he did so little Philip shouted with delight.
The joy that surged through my breast as I took in all this astonishingturn of affairs, was something which I have no words to tell of.
"Mary, Mother of Heaven, be praised for this!" I cried fervently.
"What will he do with irons?" queried Big Etienne, with a curiouslystartled note in his voice.
Indeed, what now followed was sufficiently startling. Grul had caughtsight of us. Immediately he set the child down, heaved twice or thricemightily upon the bellows, and then drew from the fire two white-hotrods of iron. With these, one in each hand, he approached the BlackAbbe, treading swiftly and sinuously like a panther. I darted forward,chilled with sudden horror. A short scream of mortal fear came fromthe wretched captive's lips.
"Stop! stop!" I shouted, as those terrible brands went circling hitherand thither about the cringing form. The next instant, and ere I couldreach the scene to interfere, the Abbe gave a huge bound, reached thedoor, and plunged out into the snow, pursued by a peal of wild laughterfrom Grul's lips. This most whimsical of madmen had befooled hiscaptive, in much the same fashion as once before on the cliff besidethe des Saumons. He had used the deadly iron merely to free him fromhis bonds, and again held in reserve his full vengeance.
Fetching a huge breath of relief, I joined in Grul's mocking laughter;while Big Etienne gave a grunt of manifest dissatisfaction. As for theBlack Abbe, though the sweat of his terror stood in beads upon hisforehead, he recovered his composure marvellously. Having run somedozen paces he stopped, turned, and gazed steadily upon Grul forperhaps the space of a full minute. Then, sweeping a scornful glanceacross the child, the Indian, and myself, he half opened his lips tospeak. But if he judged himself not then best ready to speak withdignity,--let no one marvel at that. He changed his purpose, foldedhis arms across his breast, and strode off slowly and in silence alongthe track toward Grand Pre.
I thought his shadow, as it fell long and sinister across the snow, layblacker than was the common wont of shadows.
Big Etienne was already within, and Philip in his arms. As I enteredthe forge door Grul cried solemnly, as if to extenuate his act infreeing the prisoner:--
"His cup is not yet full."
Seizing both his hands in mine, I tried with stammering lips to thankhim; but, something to my chagrin, he cut me short most ungraciously.Snatching his hands away, he stepped outside the door, and raised histhrilling, bell-like chant:--
"Woe, woe to Acadie the Fair, for the day of her desolation cometh."
Beyond all words though my gratitude was, I could not refrain fromshrugging my shoulders at this fantastic mummery, as I turned toembrace little Philip. My heart was rioting with joy and hope, and Icould not trouble my wits with these mad whimsies of Grul's. When hehad quit prophesying and come again within the forge, I tried to drawfrom him some account of how he had so achieved the child's rescue andthe Black Abbe's utter discomfiture. But he wandered from the matter,whether wilfully or not I could by no means decide; and presently,catching a ghost of a smile on the face of Big Etienne, I gave up andrested thankful for what I had got. As for Philip, he was amiablygracious to both Big Etienne and myself, but it was manifest that allhis little heart had gone out to Grul; and the two were presentlyplaying together in a corner of the forge, at some game which none butthemselves could understand.
It wanted yet an hour of noon, when, as I stood in the door consumingmy heart with impatience, yet unwilling to go and meet Mizpah and somar the climax which I had plotted for, I caught sight of two figuresapproaching. I needed not eyes to tell me one was Mizpah, for theblood shook in all my veins at sight of her. The other was FatherFafard.
"Marc," said I to myself, "is not yet strong enough to venture so far;and the maid Prudence has stayed with him. But Mizpah is here--Mizpahis here!"
With eyes of delight I dwelt upon her tall, slim form, in its gown ofblue woollen cloth which set off so rarely the red-gold enchantment ofher hair. But when she was come near enough for me to mark the eagerwelcome in her eyes and on her lips, I waved at her, clumsily enough,and turned within to catch at a little self-possession. Not having mysnow-shoes on, I could not be expected to go and meet her; and thatwaiting in the doorway was too much for me to endure.
"Keep Philip behind the chimney, out of sight," I whispered eagerly toGrul; and somewhat to my wonder he obeyed.
On the next instant Mizpah stood in the door, smiling upon me, her faceall aglow with expectation and greeting; and I found myself claspingboth of her white hands. But my tongue refused to speak,--deeming,perchance, that my eyes were usurping its office.
Finding at length a word of welcome for the good priest, I wrung hishand fervently, then turned again to Mizpah.
But my first speech was stupid,--so stupid that I wished most heartilythat I had held my tongue.
"Comrade," said I, "this is a glad day for me."
Her face fell, and her eyes reproached me.
"Because you have defeated and slain my people?" she asked.
My face grew hot for the flat ineptitude of my words.
"No! no! Not for that!" I cried passionately, "but for _this_!"
And I turned to snatch Philip from his corner behind the chimney.
But Grul was too quick for me. He could play no second part at anytime, he. Evading my hands, he slipped past me, and himself placed thechild in Mizpah's arms.
I cursed inwardly at his abruptness, though in truth he had done justwhat I was intending to do myself. As Mizpah, with a gasping cry,crushed the little one to her bosom, she went white as a ghost andtottered against the anvil. I sprang to support her, but withheld myarm ere it touched her waist, for even on the instant she had recoveredherself. With wordless mother-cries she kissed Philip's lips and hair,and buried her face in his neck, he the while clinging to her as ifnever again for a moment could he let her go.
Presently, while I waited in great hunger for a word, she turned to BigEtienne and Grul.
"My friends!" she cried, in a shaken voice which faithfully uttered herheart, "my true and loyal friends!" Whereupon she wrung their hands,and wrung them, and would have spoken further but that her voice failedher.
Then, after a moment or two, she turned to me,--yet not wholly.
The paleness had by this well vanished, and her eyes, those greatsea-coloured eyes, which she would not lift to mine, were running overwith tears. Philip took one sturdy little arm from her neck, andstretched out his hand to me; but I ignored the invitation.
"And what--what have you got for me, Mizpah?" I asked, in a very lowvoice, indeed--a voice perhaps not just as steady as that of a notedbush-fighter is supposed to be at a crisis.
The flush grew, deepening down along the clear whiteness of her neck,and she half put out one hand to me.
"Do you want thanks?" she asked softly.
"You _know_ what I want,--what I have wanted above all else in lifefrom the moment my eyes fell upon you!" I cried with a great passion,grown suddenly forgetful of Grul and Big Etienne, who doubtless foundmy emotion more or less interesting.
For a second or two Mizpah made no answer. Then she lifted her face,gave me one swift look straight in the eyes,--a look that told me all Ilonged to know,--and suddenly, with a little laugh that was mostly asob, put Philip into my arms.
Suddenly, with a little laugh that was mostly a sob, putPhilip into my arms.]
"There!" she whispered, dropping her eyes.
And by some means it so came about that, as I took the child, my armsheld Mizpah also.
THE END
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