CHAPTER XIII.
For a time, the change produced on the domestic affairs of Monsieur deVillardin, by his retirement from Paris, was a great improvement. TheDuke seemed to feel himself more at ease in the country than thedescription of good Jerome Laborde permitted me to believe he had beenin the town; and Madame de Villardin, like a wise woman, making up hermind to what she could not avoid, seemed determined to dedicateherself wholly to rural occupations and to the wife's first task ofmaking his home comfortable and tranquil to her husband. Matters thussoon assumed a new aspect. Monsieur de Villardin, who was naturally ofa warm and affectionate disposition, gave way fully to all the betterfeelings of his heart; and I have never seen a more happy householdthan that which, for the month that followed, was presented by thech?teau of the Pr?s Vall?e, although Madame de Villardin herself hadbecome far more grave and matronly than she had appeared in Paris. TheDuke, with the natural eagerness and activity of his disposition, was,of course, obliged to find himself constant employment; but to a manso fond of field sports as he was, the country around us presented anunfailing source of amusement. Now it was a fishing party, now it wasan expedition against the stags, the boars, or the wolves; now it wasa walk to bring home a chevreuil, which furnished us with the day'sentertainment; and, on most of these occasions, I was glad to findthat Madame de Villardin, at her own request, accompanied her husband.
For my part, the whole was joy and satisfaction to me; for it wasevident, that all those whose affections I coveted were daily growingmore fond of me: the Duke was never tired of praising my method ofconducting their sports; Madame de Villardin seemed to take a delightin seeing me play with her little girl; the servants, who were sure tomeet all good offices and no evil ones from my hands, found a greatdifference between myself and such pages as they were accustomed toencounter, with whom the ordinary domestics of a house are generallyin a state of open warfare. The two younger pages themselves were mypets and my prot?g?s; and the only one who hated me, with a tolerabledegree of malevolence, was my first enemy, Master Gaspard deBelleville, whose fear was the only restraint upon his animosity.Certain it is, that his dislike was not particularly diminished duringour stay at the Pr?s Vall?e. The increasing regard and confidence ofour mutual lord towards myself, the frequent rebukes andmortifications that his awkwardness and inactivity in all our fieldsports called upon himself, as well as the total disregard with whichI treated him, all served to increase and cultivate his originaldistaste towards me. It is true he never dared to show his hatred insuch a manner as to give me an excuse for resenting it; but it peepedout in a thousand little words and actions, amongst which, one of thepettiest, but one which first showed his feelings, was a habit whichhe had of never calling me by my name when speaking of me to others,but always designating me--l'Anglais--l'Etranger,--the Englishman--theForeigner. For all this I was very easily consoled, and indeedscarcely noticed it at all. Monsieur de Villardin, however, himselftook notice of the latter circumstance I have mentioned, and one daysharply reproved him for not speaking of me by my name. "Call him,sir," he said, "by his proper appellation,--Monsieur Hall; andremember that he is better born, as well as better educated, thanyourself."
Of another, and far more serious trait of his ill will towards myself,I received, about this time, proofs quite sufficient to satisfymyself, though perhaps they were not quite irrefragable.
Shortly after the arrival of the family at the Pr?s Vall?e, the Duketook me out with him alone; and causing me to walk by his side, mademe give him a far more full and detailed account of all my adventureson the road than I had been able to do by letter. When I had done, heasked me if I had been imprudent enough, before quitting Paris, toacknowledge to any one but himself the share I had had in theliberation of Jacques Marlot.
"To no one, I assure you, my lord," I replied; "even to his own uncle,Jerome Laborde, I never mentioned the facts; merely telling him--toquiet the old man's mind--that I had heard his nephew had beenliberated, without adding one word which could induce him to believethat I had any share in the transaction."
"It is very extraordinary, indeed," said the Duke in reply; "but it isan undoubted fact, that between the time of your aiding to rescue theprisoner and my visit to the Hotel de Bouillon that night, the policehad obtained the most perfect account of your person, appearance,dress, and situation. Can you remember," he added, "whether there wasany one present when you related the circumstances to me?"
"No one, my lord," I replied, "as you may remember, but Gaspard deBelleville."
Monsieur de Villardin shook his head. "Indeed!" he said; "Indeed! YetI cannot believe the boy would be either so base or so foolish as tobetray such a conversation. However," he added, changing the subjectabruptly, "of course, as you have suffered robbery while engaged in myservice, I shall not allow you to lose by anything of the kind. Thesum which was taken from you shall be repaid to you as soon as wereturn home; and, in the meantime, do not let any suspicion of Gaspardappear in your behaviour towards him."
"There exists so very little communication between us, my lord," Ireplied, "on any subject, that there is no fear of my betraying anysuch feeling; and certainly, more than ever, I shall take care toconceal it, since you desire me to do so."
The same evening, the Duke gave me an order upon his intendant for thefull sum which I had lost; and, as a still greater proof of hisregard, ordered an apartment in the immediate vicinity of his own,consisting of two very comfortable chambers, to be prepared for mysole use.
This state of things had continued about a month, when a rumour becameprevalent in our little world that the Duchess was again pregnant;and, about the same time, after a deep and fearful fit of gloom, ofwhich no one understood the cause, Monsieur de Villardin shut himselfup almost entirely in his library and his bedchamber, and was hardlyseen by anybody for several days. Madame de Villardin, too, wasobserved several times in tears, and everything appeared once more tobe going wrong in the family. At the end of a few days, however, achange was wrought in the Duke himself, apparently by the exhortationsof his confessor, who was frequently with him for several hours at atime. Of this excellent man I shall have occasion to speak morehereafter; and here it is only necessary to say, that the influence hepossessed over the mind of Monsieur de Villardin was at all timesextraordinary. His usual residence was at Rennes, and consequently hehad not seen the Duke for more than two years: but his authority didnot seem to have been at all shaken, nor the bold tone of his reproofat all softened by absence; for I remember once, on passing thelibrary door, which was ajar, having unwillingly overheard him myselftax his penitent with absolute madness. However that might be, theDuke very soon resumed his usual habits; and it appeared to me that heendeavoured, by increased kindness, to efface from the mind of theDuchess whatever effect any harshness he had shown her might haveproduced. Most gladly did she seem to catch at every renewed proof ofhis affection; and the happiness of the family was again apparentlyrestored for the time, when one morning, as we were about to set outto hunt in the neighbourhood, the young Count de Mesnil, who hadrescued the Duke out of the hands of the butchers in Paris, and whohad since been a frequent visiter at his house, rode up to the gates,and was received with a joyous welcome by both the Duke and his lady.He, like Monsieur de Villardin, had come into Brittany to spend sometime on his estates; and as his dwelling was within seven miles of thePr?s Vall?e, his visits soon became very nearly as frequent as theyhad been in Paris.
At first the natural bent of Madame de Villardin's disposition led herinto some of those little acts of gaiety and display from which ahabitual love of admiration rendered it almost impossible for her torefrain; but very soon, and somewhat suddenly, her manner towards theyoung Count assumed an air of great coldness; and I easily divined thecause both of this change and of the great affection which Monsieur deMesnil appeared to feel for the lord and family of the Pr?s Vall?e.
Strange to say, Monsieur de Villardin, awake to the slightest word inother instanc
es, and suspicious where there was no cause, was in thepresent case totally blind, long after Madame de Villardin herself hadbecome aware of the designs of their visiter. He had known the Countde Mesnil as a mere boy, and he still looked upon him as such. Thismight be one cause of his blindness; but, in truth, I believe, thereis also a sort of fatality in such cases, or rather a madness, which,to a suspicious mind, makes truth look like falsehood, and falsehoodappear to be truth. I felt very much for Madame de Villardin, whosesituation appeared to be painful in the extreme; and whose conducttowards the Count de Mesnil, as far, at least, as I could see, was nowfaultless; but, of course, I dared not say a word to open the eyes ofmy lord upon such a subject, without having some decided fact towarrant my interference.
In this state of affairs, nearly two months more passed over ourheads, without any circumstance occurring to change my own situationor that of the other parties; Monsieur de Villardin continuingextremely partial to the society of his young neighbour, and theDuchess, on the contrary, treating him with a degree of coldhaughtiness which approached towards rudeness. At length, one morning,shortly after the Count de Mesnil, who had been upon a visit at thePr?s Vall?e, had left the house, in order, as it seemed, to returnhome, Monsieur de Villardin set out on horseback, intending to proceedto Rennes, accompanied by myself, Gaspard de Belleville, and one ortwo grooms. When we were about a mile and a half from the ch?teau,however, he suddenly remembered that a packet, referring to thebusiness which called him to the city, had been left on the table ofhis library; and, as it was of some importance, he directed me to rideback and bring it to him at Rennes. I accordingly lost no time inreturning to the Pr?s Vall?e; but was somewhat surprised, when abouthalf a mile from the house, to remark a horse, which I very wellrecognised as that of the Count de Mesnil, tied to one of the oldtrees which I have before described. I had taken a short cut acrossthe meadows, which deviation from the high road had led me through apart of the grounds that, lying at a distance from any of the ordinarypaths, was generally very lonely: but, in truth, when I beheld thissight, I wished that I had pursued any other way; for I apprehended,and not without cause, that I might soon be placed in one of the mostpainful situations that it is possible to conceive. I had, however,but one task to perform--to do the errand on which I was sent; but, inorder to see as little as possible, I rode to the back of the ch?teau,and, entering from the offices, went up by one of the back staircasesinto the library. That room, however, opened again into the smallsaloon, and the door by which I entered fronted the other, which wasunclosed, and exactly opposite to which, on the wall of the saloon,was hung a large Venetian mirror in a silver frame. The moment Ientered, I heard voices, and my eye involuntarily rested on themirror, in which I beheld the reflection of two figures; that of theDuchess with her back to the glass, so that I could not see theexpression of her countenance, and that of Monsieur de Mesnil,kneeling at her feet, and holding her hand with some degree of forcein his own, while he pressed his lips upon it.
Although, as I have said, I could not see the face of the Duchess, herwords, and the tone in which they were pronounced, were quitesufficient to show me that she was repelling indignantly the grossestinsult that woman can receive from man.
"If you do not instantly quit me, sir," she exclaimed in a loud andvehement voice, "I will call those who can and will protect me againstyour daring insolence. Rise, sir, rise: I do not know which is themost to be despised, your affectation of love for a woman you insult,or your hypocrisy in pretending friendship for the man you endeavourto wrong."
The Count was not without all those ordinary arguments on the subject,by which men furnish women, who are already inclined to degradethemselves, with excuses for so doing; I did not allow him time,however, to make much use of his oratory; but by oversetting one ofthe tables in the library, gave him intimation that some one was near.Immediate and not very dignified flight was his resource, and takinghis way through another door, he left the Duchess without any greatceremony in bidding her adieu. As I saw her approaching the library, Ialso made my escape by the back staircase as rapidly as if I had beenupon some furtive expedition. The truth is, that my mind, for thefirst time in my life, I believe, was not made up how to act; and Idid not wish to encounter Madame de Villardin until I had formed mydetermination. I had also obtained the packet for which I was sent, sothat I had no cause to stay longer; and, mounting again in the backcourt, I rode forward towards Rennes.
Although I knew that Monsieur de Villardin waited for the papers, mypace was slow I confess; for I was embarrassed with meditations, whichwere not easily brought to an end. Had I been sure that the Duchesswould have told her own story to her husband, I might have held mypeace, and suffered the matter to take its course; but I clearly sawthat the causeless jealousy of Monsieur de Villardin himself had sogreatly alarmed his wife, that it was very doubtful whether she wouldopen his eyes to the perfidy of his friend, not knowing what strangeand violent effect the communication might produce. At the same time Iremembered the promise I had made, never to see him wronged, withoutmaking him aware of the fact; but though this promise was decided, yetI felt afraid to perform it, and was long in considering how I mightdo so in such a manner as to fulfil my duty, and yet to guard againstthe slightest suspicion falling upon his innocent wife. It may bethought, indeed, that for this purpose, I had nothing to do but totell all that I had seen, precisely as I had seen it; but Monsieur deVillardin was not famous for hearing any one to an end, and Itherefore knew that the effect of the first part of my tale would,probably, be to prevent his attending to one word of its conclusion.Eventually, however, I both made up my mind to tell him what I hadwitnessed, and fixed upon the means of making him hear me out; and assoon as this was settled, I put my horse into a gallop, and neverstopped till I was in Rennes.
The business which had taken him to the provincial capital detainedhim for several hours, but was ultimately settled to his satisfaction,and he returned homeward in a happier mood than any I had latelywitnessed. He was more calm and placid than he had been for months,and met his wife with that confiding and affectionate air, which Ihoped might induce her to open her whole heart to her husband at once.Had she done so, what misery she would have saved him! but she was toomuch afraid of him to act in the only manner that could have rebukedsuspicion for ever. As I was almost constantly, on some excuse oranother, in the saloon or library, I had sufficient opportunity ofwatching my lord's countenance, and I scanned it eagerly during theevening, to see whether the tale had been told. He was so cheerful andso gay, that his face, like a summer sky, would, in a moment, havebetrayed the slightest cloud that came over him; but the day closedwithout any appearing, and it was clear that the Duchess, most weakly,had determined to conceal the insult offered to her by the Count deMesnil from her husband.
The task then lay with me; and when Madame de Villardin had retiredfor the night, I entreated the Duke to grant me a few minute'saudience. He first heard my request with a smile, and asked whetherto-morrow would not do as well; but the next moment his demon wokesuddenly up, a cloud came over his brow, and I could see thatsuspicion and distrust were once more alive. Starting up, he took oneof the tapers, and beckoning me into the library, which was moreretired and secure than the saloon, he shut the door, and castinghimself into an arm chair, exclaimed, almost fiercely, "Now! boy! Now!What is it you have to say?"
I saw that he was dreadfully agitated, even by his own imaginations,for as yet I had not said one word to cause the slightest emotion: butstill, as I have said, he was moved in an extraordinary degree; and Iknew, that unless I took the means on which I had before resolved togain an uninterrupted hearing, my story would be cut short in themidst. Advancing, therefore, as near as I well could, I knelt downbefore him, and said, "My lord, I have something to tell you; but youare so quick, that I am afraid of your not hearing it all. If you willgive me your word of honour that you will hear every word I have tosay without interrupting me, I will go on; but if you will not, I willhold my tongue, and, o
n my life, nothing shall ever make me open mylips."
He repaid me with a fierce glance for the conditions that I made; butas he knew that I was one to keep my word, he promised most solemnlyto hear me to an end.
"Well then, my lord," I said, "I shall only farther claim, that as yougive credit to one part of my story, so you shall give credit to theother; for every word that I am about to speak is equally true."
I then proceeded to recount all that I had seen in the morning afterhe had sent me back for the papers; and never did I see a moreterrific struggle take place in a human being than that which agitatedhim during the recital. When I first spoke of Monsieur de Mesnil'shorse tied to the tree, he had nearly broke forth; and when I came torelate the scene that first met my eye in the library, he started upfrom off his chair with every muscle of his face working underexcessive emotion. He remembered his promise, however; and sittingdown again, covered his eyes with his hand while I proceeded; but as Iconcluded with the words which his wife had uttered, he caught me bythe arm, and gazed eagerly in my face, exclaiming--"Ha! did she saythat?"
"On my honour! On my soul, she did," I replied; "as I hope in heaven!"
"Boy, you have saved me!" he exclaimed, sinking back in the chair; andto my astonishment, I saw a tear rise up in his eye and roll over hischeek. He brushed it hastily away, and then laying his hand kindlyupon my shoulder, said, "John Marston, you have done your duty welland nobly, and by taking the means you have to make me hear you out,you have conferred an obligation on your lord that must never beforgotten. To a boy of your age I cannot speak as I might to others,of the vice and evil that reigns amongst our highest dames in Paris;but let it suffice, that a woman who so degrades herself becomes, tomy mind, a thing of loathing and abhorrence; and if you can conceivewhat it is to love with the deepest intensity, you may understand whatit would be to behold the beloved object suddenly change from thedearest jewel of your heart to the foulest object that earth canpresent to your eyes. It is worse, a thousand times, than to see theblighting change from life to death, but you have saved me; for thevery suspicion of such a thing would be madness.--But you have savedme; and, after that noble speech, I shall never henceforth entertain adoubt or a fear."
How deeply, how sadly, he deceived himself, may easily be divined; forwhere was there yet a suspicious man that--ever laid aside hissuspicions?
"As to the Count de Mesnil," he added, his lip curling both with scornand anger, "I look upon him but as a worm: he is one of the many whothink it honourable, and gay, and brilliant, to act, as she justlysaid, the hypocrite and the villain; and is contemptible.Nevertheless, he must not go unpunished, and must be cared for. On hisaccount I will speak with you to-morrow; but in the meantime repeatonce more what your lady replied."
I did as he bade me, and he marked every syllable attentively.
"You vary not a word," he said; "and I well know that your honour andyour memory never fail. You have saved me from torments not to betold, and perhaps from deeds that might have brought greater tormentsstill; you have acted wisely and nobly, and henceforth I treat you asmy son. Now, leave me, my good boy, and to-morrow by six of the clockbe here in the library, when we will speak of what farther steps areto be taken in this affair."
I left him without reply, and went to bed, satisfied with my ownconduct, and gratified by the result. The next morning I was in thelibrary as the clock struck the hour that he had named; but Monsieurde Villardin was down before me, and had probably been so some time,as there were several sheets of parchment before him, and he had justconcluded the writing of a paper of some length as I entered. Helooked up with a smile when he perceived me, and said, "General St.Maur, or, as I believe I ought to call him, Lord Langleigh, informedme that he and Lord Masterton had, in recompence for the services youhad rendered them, assigned you a sufficient revenue from one of theirfarms to maintain you at ease in the station which you are destined tofill. Pray how much did they thus grant you?"
"A thousand crowns per annum, my lord," replied I; "and, indeed, inyour house I do not know what to do with it."
"Oh, time will teach you plenty of uses for it," answered the Duke;"and for the service you have rendered me, I am about to add nearlydouble what you already possess. There is a small farm, which I boughtlately, near my estates at Dumont, which produces about eighteenhundred crowns; and besides the farm-house, there is upon it thedwelling of the former proprietor, whose family is now extinct. It iscalled Juvigny. I give it to you for ever, holding only the right ofguardianship over you and it, till you are of age by law to use ityourself. There are the papers, together with my directions to anotary in regard to the cession. Bid a groom take them to Rennes, andbring back the deed drawn up this evening, when I will sign it."
Warmly, most warmly, did I express my gratitude, fancying myself nowricher than princes; for the sum of three thousand crowns per annumwent far beyond any dreams which I yet had of expense. Monsieur deVillardin smiled at the enthusiasm with which I poured forth thethanks, and at the ideas I seemed to entertain of the boundlessness ofmy wealth.
"Well, well," he said, "you will learn to appreciate it more justly intime. Go now and give the groom the papers, with particular orders tobring back the deed to-night, for no one can tell what to-morrow maybring forth. Return to me as soon as you have given him yourdirections."
I immediately obeyed, and choosing one of the grooms who was my moreespecial favourite in the family, I gave him the papers, withinjunctions to use all speed and diligence. I then returned to thelibrary, and found that the Duke had just concluded a billet, on whichhe wrote the address of the Count de Mesnil; and after drawing a smallcord of floss silk across the folds, he sealed the ligature at bothends, and put the note into my hands:--"You will take that," he said,with a calm smile, "to our good friend the Count de Mesnil; but do notgo till after breakfast, nor let it seem by your manner that there isanything extraordinary in your mission; for, to my taste, things ofthis kind had better always be conducted as quietly as possible.Deliver it into the Count's own hand, when you have reached hisdwelling, and bring me back his reply."
Of course I very well understood that I was charged with one of thosecartels of mortal defiance which were then so common in every countryof Europe. The matter certainly was nothing new to me, for many a verytrifling dispute had I seen brought to the arbitrement of the swordwhen I followed the camp of the Cavaliers; but it did seem strange tome that the Duke so far departed from the general customs of the dayas to send his defiance by a page, instead of by some man equal inrank and station to the person for whom it was intended. I foundafterwards, however, that his irritable fear of ridicule, which wasthe next prominent characteristic of his mind to its susceptibility ofthe slightest suspicion, was the cause of anything that appearedirregular in his method of proceeding. However that might be, ofcourse I did not object to the task, though it seemed to me doubtfulhow Monsieur de Mesnil would receive such a cartel from a page, andwhat might be his treatment of the bearer. Personal risk seldomentered into my calculation in these matters, and I ordered my horseto be ready after breakfast, and a groom to be prepared to accompanyme, as gaily as if I had been going upon an errand of pleasure. Beforesetting out, however, I had an opportunity of seeing the behaviour ofthe Duke towards his wife, and it, I confess, was the first thing thatgave me any pain in the business. It was so gentle, so affectionate,so different from what it had been on former occasions, that, as thethought flashed across my mind, that the first day of such tendernessmight be the last of his life, I would have given more than all I hadin the world to have prevented the proposed encounter from takingplace. To do so was, of course, impossible; and accordingly afterbreakfast I mounted my horse, and rode away for Mesnil Moray, thedwelling of Monsieur de Villardin's adversary.
Though I was a little gloomy when I set out, old habits soon got thebetter of new feelings, and I readily brought myself to look upon theaffair altogether as one of those matters which every man mustundertake, at least, a hundred tim
es in the course of his life."Monsieur de Villardin," I thought, "will fight fifty more, I hope,before he has done with the sword," and with this consolatoryreflection, I cantered on as fast as I could. Somewhat less than anhour brought me to the gates of the ch?teau; and, on demanding to seeMonsieur de Mesnil, I was instantly admitted to his presence. Ithought he turned rather pale when he saw me, but it might be merelyimaginary; and certainly, throughout the whole, he behaved like a manof honour and courage. He took the billet, and, cutting the silk, readit attentively, with a slight frown knitting his brows. He then askedme in a calm tone, "Do you know the contents of this note, young man?"
The question puzzled me a little, for though I strongly suspected thegeneral nature of what the billet contained, yet I knew none of theparticulars, and could not even be sure of that which I imagined. Ianswered, therefore, that "I did not;" and the Count rejoined,throwing the note into the fire, "Well, then, as Monsieur de Villardinhas been kind enough to send me an unceremonious request, I will sendhim an unceremonious reply. Tell him I will accept his invitation,with all its particulars, and that I am his very obedient servant. Youmay add, I would have written, but that I have a great deal to dobetween this and night."
Charged with this ambiguous message, I returned to the Pr?s Vall?e,and found Monsieur de Villardin playing with his little girl, whileMadame de Villardin was in her own chamber, preparing to go out withhim for a walk.
"Have you brought any note?" he asked me immediately, taking advantageof his wife's absence, to inquire the result of my embassy in private.I replied that I had only received a verbal answer: upon which heformed a pretext to send away the little girl, and made me give him adetailed account of all that had occurred.
"Well, well," he said, as I concluded, "it is all well. Be prepared togo out with me at six o'clock to-night, and get a spade and pick-axeprivately from the garden."
I did not well know what to anticipate from these directions, for itwas then in the early part of spring, and at six o'clock the eveningwas too far advanced to afford anything like sufficient light for afair single combat. Nevertheless, I had, of course, nothing but toobey; and, slipping out about half past five, I got the tools from thegarden; and after placing them in a spot where they were not likely tobe observed, I returned to the library, where I was very soon joinedby Monsieur de Villardin. His hat and cloak were already there, and Iwas just aiding him to put them on, when the groom, who had beendespatched to Rennes, returned with a notary and the papers preparedfor signature. By the calm way with which Monsieur de Villardin tookthis interruption, called for lights, heard the papers read, and wentthrough all the necessary formalities for investing me with theproperty which he had bestowed upon me, I easily divined that he hadno fixed appointment for that hour, and began to suspect the realobject of his expedition. When all was concluded, and the notary sentback under a safe escort, he bade me follow him. We thus issued forthin the dusk; and having furnished ourselves with the spade andpick-axe, proceeded a short distance on the road towards Rennes.
"Now, my young friend," he said, at length, "I must trust to yourguidance. I have heard that you never forgot spot, person, or thing,that you once have seen. Do you think you can now lead me to the tree,under which Monsieur de Mesnil's horse was tied, when you passedyesterday morning?"
"I think I can," I replied, "and, certainly, if not to the precisetree, I can lead you to the next one to it; for there were but two orthree together, and I know the clump well."
When we reached the neighbourhood of the spot, the various objectsaround at once recalled to my remembrance which was the tree I sought;and, having approached it, Monsieur de Villardin measured out a spaceof ground beneath its branches about six feet by three, and, causingme to remove the turf in one piece, we both set vigorously to work,and, with pick-axe and spade, soon hollowed out a sufficient trenchto contain the body of a man. "If I fall," he said, when we hadconcluded our work, "let it be remembered, that I wish this to bemy grave. If I survive I will direct you what to do."
Before leaving the spot, he caused me to carry about a dozenshovelfuls of the earth away, and cast them into the river, whichflowed at the distance of three or four hundred yards. We then placedthe tools in the grave, and returned to the ch?teau, Monsieur deVillardin directing me previously, to be up by five the next morning,to saddle his horse with my own hands, and, leaving it prepared in thestable, to go on to the spot where he had been working, and wait therefor his coming.
The coolness with which he set about all his proceedings, and myknowledge of his skill as a swordsman, made me feel very confidentthat the issue of the combat would be in his favour, although hisadversary was his junior by near twenty years. I had seen so much ofsuch affairs, too, that I could generally form a very good guess inregard to the result; and, from all I had observed of Monsieur deVillardin's conduct during the day, I went to bed with very littlefear for his safety the next morning. I was up at the time prescribed,saddled the horse as well as I could in utter darkness, and thenwalked away to the tree, which I reached just as the first faint grayof the morning began to mingle with the blackness of night.
When I had waited there about a quarter of an hour, I heard the soundof a horse's feet, and, a moment after, perceived Monsieur deVillardin, who sprang to the ground, and, giving me his rein to hold,only remarked that it was darker than he had expected; although, bythis time, the dawn had made considerable progress. In about fiveminutes after, which he spent in selecting a piece of firm dry turfunencumbered by trees, and fitted, as far as possible, for the sort ofmorning's amusement in which he was going to exercise himself, thesound of another horse's feet was heard, and we were soon joined bythe Count de Mesnil. He was quite alone; and, dismounting at a littledistance, he bowed coldly to Monsieur de Villardin, saying, "As yourequested, sir, I have come alone. You, I see, have brought yourpage."
"I did so, sir," replied the Duke, "in the first place, that he mighthold our horses; in the next, that he might aid the survivor infilling up yon trench," and he pointed to the grave. "He is a boy ofhonour and of birth," he added, "and you may trust him fully; but, ifyou desire it, I will order him to withdraw."
"Not on my account," replied Monsieur de Mesnil; "I am just as wellpleased that he should be present; though, I must say, that I shouldhave thought the Duke de Villardin might have found some fitter personthan a page to carry his cartel to the Count de Mesnil."
"I have chosen the method of proceeding I have followed, Monsieur deMesnil, not only because I think these things between brave men hadbetter always be done as quietly as possible, but also, because Ijudged it unnecessary that many witnesses should hear me tell you, asI now do, that I look upon you as a villain, a hypocrite, and atraitor, devoid of every good feeling but the brute quality ofcourage!"
"Enough, enough, sir," cried the Count de Mesnil: "the fewer of suchwords as well as the fewer witnesses the better. Where do you takeyour ground?"
He then gave me his horse's rein, and Monsieur de Villardin led him tothe spot which he had chosen, made him examine it accurately, to seethat there was no inequality or artifice, and then, drawing his sword,caused his adversary to measure it with the blade of his own,--whichproved to be nearly an inch longer. On perceiving this difference, theCount declared that he was perfectly willing to wait, if Monsieur deVillardin thought fit to send to the castle for a more equal weapon;but the Duke replied, that he was quite contented with the sword thathe had; and, throwing away his cloak, hat, and coat, took his ground,and put himself in a posture of defence.
The Count de Mesnil prepared for the combat more slowly. He certainlyevinced no fear; but there were two or three slight traits that Iremarked in his conduct, which induced me to believe that, either fromthe consciousness of having wronged his friend, or from feelinghimself inferior in skill and dexterity, he advanced not to theencounter with the same confidence as that which appeared in the wholedemeanour of Monsieur de Villardin. When the Duke had first referredto the grave which he had dug the night
before, and pointed it outwith his hand, the eye of the young Count strained eagerly upon it fora moment, and it was evident that the anticipations the sightnaturally called up were felt bitterly. He was pale, too, and thoughhe spoke firmly and calmly, I perceived that there was a difficulty inunfastening his cloak, and all the other little preparations, whichspoke a mind intensely occupied with other thoughts. I observed, also,and it seemed somewhat strange, that he in no degree referred to thecause of his present hostile opposition to a man who had been solately his friend; and indeed it seemed that the few short lines whichMonsieur de Villardin had written had been quite sufficient to explainall, and to make him feel that amity was changed for ever intounquenchable hate between them.
At length all was prepared, and the swords of the two combatantscrossed. After a few parades on either part, which served no purposebut to let each know the skill and peculiar mode of fencing of hisadversary, the assault assumed a more serious character; but still itappeared that both wished to maintain the defensive, and I plainly sawthat, more than once, the Duke could have wounded or disarmed hisopponent, had he thought fit. In a short time, however, the Count deMesnil, who was of a hasty and passionate disposition, and not so olda soldier as Monsieur de Villardin, became heated in the encounter,and pressed his antagonist hard, still keeping a wary hand and eye,but evidently becoming more and more vehement at each pass. At length,in a furious lunge, by not keeping his right foot quite straight, andprobably more accustomed to the salle d'armes than the green sward, heslipped, and came upon his knee, perfectly at the mercy of hisadversary. But Monsieur de Villardin, to my surprise, dropped thepoint of his sword, bidding him rise.
"I do not take advantage of an accident, sir," he said. The Countrose, with downcast eyes and a burning cheek, and replied, after amoment's pause, "I cannot, of course, after this act of generosity,think----"
"If, sir," said Monsieur de Villardin, cutting him short, "you arecontented to go forth into the world again, as one who bears the nameof villain, and hypocrite, and scoundrel--and, I shall then add,coward--mount your horse and begone:--if not, resume your place."
The Count's eyes flashed, and the combat was instantly renewed, butthis time with a different result. At the end of four or five passes,with a movement so rapid that I could scarcely see how it waseffected, though it may be believed I was an eager spectator, Monsieurde Villardin parried a lunge of his adversary in such a manner as toleave the whole of the Count's person open. He then lunged in return,and the next moment the Count de Mesnil was lying prostrate on theturf. At a sign from the Duke, I threw the bridles of the horses overa low bough, and ran up to the spot. The fallen man by that time hadraised himself upon one arm, and with the other hand seemed graspingat the blades of grass; but he spoke not, and his head, droopingforward, concealed his countenance. "Shall I bring water?" I said;but, ere time was given for an answer, the strength which had enabledhim to raise himself so far passed away, and with a single groan hefell back upon the ground and expired.
We stood and gazed upon his still, pale countenance for severalminutes; but it was very evident, from the first look, that his careerwas at an end; and, after a pause, the Duke bent over him and openedhis vest. Scarcely a drop of blood had flowed from the wound whichcaused his death, although, from the direction it had taken, it seemedto me that it must have pierced his heart.
"It is over!" said Monsieur de Villardin,--"it is over! yet, put yourhand upon his heart, my boy: see if it beats."
As I opened his shirt to do so, there dropped out a locket, which wassuspended from his neck by a blue riband, and which contained a singlelock of dark hair. As soon as he saw it, the Duke caught it up, andunfastening the riband, gazed upon the hair for a moment or two withan eager look. It was certainly the colour to a very shade, of that ofMadame de Villardin; and I instantly saw that the demon had takenpossession of her husband once more. After gazing at the locket forseveral minutes, he put it by, and then asked me, sternly, if the manwere dead.
I replied that he certainly was, as far as I could discover. "Then nowto our next task," said the Duke: "bring me yon mantle and coat."
I immediately obeyed, and bringing forward the clothes of the unhappyCount, I aided in wrapping the body therein; and then, taking thefeet, while the Duke raised the head, we bore the corpse to the gravethat we had dug, and laid it there, without prayer or benediction. Wenext placed the hat and sword of the deceased in the earth along withhim; and then, as fast as possible, filled up the pit with mould.Notwithstanding the quantity of earth I had removed the night before,there was still more than enough to fill up the grave to the level ofthe other ground, and I had four or five shovelfuls more to carry downand cast into the river. When that was done, however, and the lastspadeful had been disposed of, we laid the turf down again over thespot; and so carefully had it been removed, that, though the groundwas a little raised, it required some examination to discover wherethe aperture had been made.
"A few showers of rain," said the Duke, as he gazed upon the grave,"will remove every trace."
I replied nothing, but I thought that the rain of many years wouldnever remove the traces of that morning's work from his heart or frommy memory. In regard to the ground, however, I entertained noapprehension of its ever being discovered. The young Count himself, intying his horse to that tree when he came on his furtive and evilvisit to the dwelling of his friend, had of course selected one of themost retired spots that he could find; and it was only the accidentalcircumstance of my cutting across from the particular point of thehigh road where I had left Monsieur de Villardin on the way to Rennes,that had caused me to discover the charger in that situation. In thatspot, too, the turf was short, and the grass any thing but luxuriant;so that the shepherds were not likely to lead their flocks thither, atleast till the year was more advanced, by which time all traces of thegrave would be effaced. The only thing now to dispose of was thehorse; and after examining the ground carefully, in order to ascertainthat nothing of any kind had been dropped or forgotten, the Dukedirected me to lead the animal some distance in the way to the Count'sown dwelling, and then turn him loose.
I did as he bade me, leaving Monsieur de Villardin to return to thecastle alone; and, taking the horse by the bridle, I brought it to thevicinity of the road which led to Mesnil Moray, at a spot about half amile from the bridge which crosses the Vilaine. There I gave it therein; and, though it had followed as quietly as possible up to thatmoment, no sooner did it find itself free, than it darted away as ifit had suddenly become mad. It sprang at once over a fence, andcrossed the high road, taking the direction of its lord's dwelling,without any regard to path. I climbed up a neighbouring bank to watchits course for an instant; and, to my surprise, saw it plunge into theriver, and, after sinking down from the force with which it darted in,rise up again, swim the stream, spring up the bank, and gallop awayacross the fields.
There was something awful in the sight; and I could not help thinking,as the noble horse bounded away, that there was a living witness ofthe bloody scene in which I had just taken part, that, could he havefound voice, would have soon called the friends of his fallen lord toavenge his death.