CHAPTER XXVII
A STROLL ON THE STRAND
"You are in a hurry, Monsieur Beppo?" arms akimbo, Nanette, standing inan embrasure of the rampart, called out to the Governor's man as hepassed by.
"Ah, Mistress Nanette," Beppo stopped readily enough, "I didn't see youat first."
"Because you have more important matters to think of," she laughed,showing her strong white teeth.
The fat old man looked pleased; a few days before, Nanette had flasheda radiant smile at him from her casement, and, ever since, he had beeninclined to regard her with favor.
"Not more important, but duties that must be attended to! The weddinghour draws near." The island girl half turned her head; a shadowseemed to pass over the bold, sunburned features. "And her ladyshipgives to-morrow a riding party for her guests--a last celebrationbefore she is led to the altar. I am on my way now to arrange aboutthe escort."
"A riding party!" Nanette spoke quickly. "You mean on horseback?"
"How else?" said Beppo. "It is a pastime her ladyship has always beenvery fond of, even as a child. In those days," not without an accentof self-importance, "it was my privilege--"
"Do they ride far?" interrupted Nanette with ill-suppressed eagerness.
"To the old Monastery St. Ranulphe; an imposing ruin of tenth centuryarchitecture, my dear," he added pompously.
"And where is it?"
"Off the Paris highway, some ten miles from the Mount."
"Ten miles? And the country is beautiful? Not open; sandy, like theshore?"
"It partakes of a rugged grandeur."
"With forests around?" quickly.
"Yes," indulgently. "You like forests, Mistress Nanette?"
"When they are thick and wild--"
"Then would you like these!"
The girl asked no further questions; yet still Beppo lingered, hisglance seeming loath to withdraw from this exuberant specimen ofvigorous young womanhood. "Which way were you going, good MistressNanette?" he asked finally. "On second thoughts, I have a little timeto spare and will walk along."
Nanette, looking down from the rampart toward the sands and the shore,did not answer, and, more insinuatingly, Beppo repeated his proposal.Nanette started.
"La, Monsieur Beppo! I--I'm afraid it wouldn't do. There's my aunt,"tossing her head, "that careful of me! Won't even let me go walking onthe beach alone! Do _you_ ever go walking on the beach, MonsieurBeppo?" she inquired suddenly, regarding him with an eloquent look.
"I--it has not been my custom," he murmured. "But," the fishy eyesgrowing brighter, "with you--if I might accompany you--"
"Oh, I didn't mean that! No; no! Of course not! And I couldn't thinkof it. My aunt--"
But when a few moments later, she turned, to walk quickly away, theround and shining face of Beppo, watching her disappear, wore not thelook of a man who had allowed himself to be rebuffed.
Out of his sight, Nanette's expression changed to one of somberthoughtfulness; it lingered as she entered the palace, with free swing,mounted the steps to her mistress' apartments; was still there, whenshe took a bit of embroidery from a table, and seating herself at thewindow of an antechamber, bent over her task. Soon, however, shestopped, to sweep abruptly cloth and colored silks from her lap to thefloor, and, leaning forward, her firm, brown hands clasped over herknees, she seemed to be asking herself questions, or weighing someproblem.
"Yes; it is our only chance." In her eyes a steady glow replaced thevarying lights, and, getting up with a sudden air of determination,Nanette crossed the room to where, near the door, stood a small desk.Glancing quickly around, she seated herself and, reaching for paper andpen, wrote carefully and somewhat laboriously a few words. She hadfinished and was contemplating the result of her eager efforts when ahand at the door caused her hurriedly to dash down the pen and springto her feet. As her aunt entered, Nanette took a few steps forward,and, bending to pick up her work from the floor, turned partly away andthrust the paper into the bosom of her gown.
"I came to tell you supper is ready," said Marie quietly.
At the table with her aunt the girl's manner was subdued anddeferential; she observed the nicest proprieties, and bestowed on theother's slightest word a meed of attention calculated to soften the oldwoman's attitude and suspicions. And possibly succeeded; or, it maybe, Marie's own conscience had begun to reproach her; for a number ofdays had passed and nothing had as yet occurred to justify the earlyapprehensions she had entertained. Under the circumstances the mealwas a little prolonged; the first shafts of twilight had entered thecourtyard and had begun to steal into the narrow chamber with darkeningeffect, ere of an accord the two women pushed back their chairs.
"It gets dark early," said the girl, "or time has passed quicker than Ithought. Perhaps it was what you were telling me of the former lady ofthe Mount. She must have been very beautiful!"
"She was," answered the woman; "and as good as beautiful!"
"Heigh-ho!" Nanette sighed; through the window watched the shadowsthat like dark, trailing figures seemed creeping up the ancient wall tocaress and linger on green leaves of vines, bright flowers and otherliving things. "But I suppose she had everything she wanted." Thegirl stirred restlessly. "What sort of a man is Monsieur Beppo, aunt?"
"Beppo?" Recalled as from a long train of recollections, the woman didnot seem to notice the abruptness of the inquiry. "Oh, he is an oldand faithful servant. For almost as many years as I have been here,"with an accent of pride, "has he served at the Mount!"
"And his moral character, aunt?" demurely.
"Monsieur Beppo has a reputation for piety, no doubt deserved!"returned the woman, with an accent of surprise. "At any rate, heseldom misses a mass. But why do you ask?"
"Because I met him to-day and he invited me to walk with him thisevening."
"He did?" Marie's mouth grew firmer. "And you?"
"I didn't exactly know how to refuse; he--looked so old andrespectable! I thought, too, you wouldn't mind and--I'm glad you thinkso well of him, aunt."
In the gathering gloom the listener's face seemed suddenly to growgraver; her eyes, which had returned to the girl's, expressed once moredoubt and misgiving. With her glance lifted upward, however, Nanettedid not seem to notice this quick change. A star--faint forerunner ofa multitude of waiting orbs--peeping timorously down from above thegray, gaunt mass of stone, alone absorbed the girl's gaze and attention.
"Where were you thinking of going?" after a silence of some length theolder woman asked.
"I don't recall that Monsieur Beppo mentioned," was the low-murmuredresponse. "But, of course, aunt, if you object--"
"I do not know that I do," said the other slowly. "Only," as if thethought had suddenly come to her, "what were you writing at herladyship's desk when I went to call you?"
"Writing?" Nanette regarded her blankly. "I don't understand you,aunt."
"Weren't you writing something that you hid in your dress when I came?"
"No!" The girl looked full at the other; denied point-blank theaccusation. "Now that you speak of it, I believe I did step to thedesk," she answered glibly, "to look at some ornament; but as forwriting, or daring to, I should not have presumed."
A low discreet rap at the door interrupted, and, with a whispered"There he is now!" Nanette cut short further argument by rising.
"She is not telling the truth!" For some time the woman stood lookingdown in gloomy thought after the two had gone. "What does it mean?"Moving to a peg, she took down a shawl. "What can it mean?" she askedherself again, and, wrapping the garment about her head and shoulders,left the room.
Half an hour later, at Beppo's side, on the beach, Nanette measured hersteps to his; listened to the old man's platitudes, and even turned anot unwilling ear to sundry hints and innuendos of a tenderer nature.The girl was in her most complaisant mood, and, in his role of discreetgallant to young and blooming womanhood, the fat factotum strove tomake the most of the opportuni
ty. He sighed; bethought him of asentimental tale, and carped of the beauty of the moon, then gildingthe edge of the Mount's high towers! She answered; looked; but soonher eloquent glance swerved to the sands, dotted by desultory seekersof cockles, or belated stragglers from the shore, and fastened itselfon a jutting point of the Mount.
Near it, before a large rock of peculiar shape, a man was engaged inthat common nocturnal labor of the locality, digging! As the coupledrew near, quickly he raised his gaze; almost at once let it fall;engrossed in his work, continued to toss the sand and stoop over itsearchingly. But when they had gone by, once more he straightened,and, at the same time, the girl looked back. Stalwart, black-bearded,a sailor by his dress, the fellow made a sign, and, apparently anydoubt as to who he was vanished from Nanette's mind; for from thefingers of the free hand she held behind her, something fluttered tothe beach.
Leaning to his implement, the man regarded the paper, but not until thegirl's low laugh was heard, as she and Master Beppo vanished in thedarkness, did he step forward and secure it.
"So! That was it!" Breathless, indignant, Marie, standing in theblack shade of one of the Mount's projections, watched the fellow readand regard carefully the message in his hand; then tearing it, crumplethe bits and thrust them toward his pocket as he walked off. "Brazenhuzzy! But her ladyship shall know; and if she doesn't pack you off,bag and baggage--Eh? What is that?" And springing forward, the womanpounced upon something that lay on the sand.