CHAPTER XX.
There were seven of us passengers, more than enough to fill onecompartment, so we did not travel together. My lord very liberallyprovided first-class tickets for the whole of the party, but theColonel took his own and paid for the gendarmes. He refused to travelin the same carriage with the noble Earl, saying openly and impudentlythat he preferred the society of honest old soldiers to such a crew asours. L'Echelle, still sitting on the hedge, as I fancied, got in withthe Colonel and his escort.
On reaching Aix-les-Bains, we found the omnibus that did the _servicede la ville_, but the Colonel refused to enter it, and declared hewould walk; he cared nothing for the degradation of appearing in thepublic streets as a prisoner marching between a couple of gendarmes.He gloried in it, he said; his desire was clearly to turn the wholething into ridicule, and the passers-by laughed aloud at thiswell-dressed gentleman, as he strutted along with his hat cocked, onehand on his hip, the other placed familiarly on the sergeant's arm.
He met some friends, too,--one was a person rather like himself, withthe same swaggering high-handed air, who accosted him as we werepassing the corner of the square just by the Hotel d'Aix.
"What ho! Basil my boy!" cried the stranger. "In chokey? Took up bythe police? What've you done? Robbed a church?"
"Come on with us and you'll soon know. No, really, come along, I maywant you. I'm going before the beak and may want a witness as tocharacter."
"Right oh! There are some more of us here from the old shop--JackTyrrell, Bobus Smith--all Mars and Neptune men. They'll speak for apal at a pinch. Where shall we come?"
"To the town hall, the _mairie_," replied the Colonel, after a briefreference to his escort. "I've got a particular appointment there withMonsieur le Commissaire, and the Right Honourable the Earl ofBlackadder."
"Oh! that noble sportsman? What's wrong with him? What's he beendoing to you or you to him?"
"I punched his head, that's all."
"No doubt he deserved it; anyhow, Charlie Forrester will be pleased.By-by, you'll see me again, and all the chaps I can pick up at theCercle and the hotels near."
Then our procession passed on, the Colonel and gendarmes leading,Tiler and I with l'Echelle close behind.
We found my lord awaiting us. He had driven on ahead in a _fiacre_ andwas standing alone at the entrance to the police office, which issituated on the ground floor of the Hotel de Ville, a prettyold-fashioned building of gray stone just facing the EtablissementThermale, the home of the far-famed baths from which _Aix-les-Bains_takes its name.
"In here?" asked my lord; and with a brief wave of his hand he wouldhave passed in first, but the officers of the law put him ratherrudely aside and claimed precedence for their prisoner.
But when M. le Commissaire, who was there, seated at a table oppositehis _greffier_, rose and bowed stiffly, inquiring our business, mylord pushed forward into the front and began very warmly, in passableFrench:
"I am an aggrieved person seeking justice on a wrong-doer. I--demandjustice of you--"
"_Pardon, monsieur, je vous prie._ We must proceed in order, and firstallow me to assure you that justice is always done in France. No oneneed claim it in the tone you have assumed."
The Commissary was a solemn person, full of the stiff formalityexhibited by members of the French magistracy, the juniors especially.He was dressed in discreet black, his clean-shaven, imperturbable faceshowed over a stiff collar, and he wore the conventional white tie ofthe French official.
"Allow me to ask--" he went on coldly.
"I will explain in a few words," began my lord, replying hurriedly.
"Stay, monsieur, it is not from you that I seek explanation. It is theduty of the officers of the law now present, and prepared, I presume,to make their report. Proceed, sergeant."
"But you must hear me, M. le Commissary; I call upon and require youto do so. I have been shamefully ill-used by that man there." Heshook his finger at the Colonel. "He has violently assaulted me. I amLord Blackadder, an English peer. I am entitled to your bestconsideration."
"Every individual, the poorest, meanest, is entitled to that inrepublican France. You shall have it, sir, but only as I see fit toaccord it. I must first hear the story from my own people. Go on,sergeant."
"I protest," persisted my lord. "You must attend to me--you shalllisten to me. I shall complain to your superiors--I shall bring thematter before the British ambassador. Do you realize who and what Iam?"
"You appear to be a gentleman with an uncontrollable temper, whoseconduct is most improper. I must ask you to behave yourself, torespect the _convenances_, or I shall be compelled to show you thedoor."
"I will not be put down in this way, I will speak; I--I--"
"Silence, monsieur. I call upon you, explicitly, to moderate your toneand pay proper deference to my authority." With this the commissarypulled out a drawer, extracted a tricolour sash and slowly buckled itround his waist, then once more turned interrogatively to thesergeant:
"It is nothing very serious, M. le Commissaire," said the treacherousgendarme. "A simple brawl--a blow struck, possibly returned--a mere_rixe_."
"Between gentlemen? _Fi donc!_ Why the commonest _voyous_, the_rodeurs_ of the _barriere_, could not do worse. It is not our Frenchway. Men of honour settle their disputes differently; they do not cometo the _police correctionnelle_."
"Pray do not think it is my desire," broke in the Colonel, with hiscustomary fierceness. "I have offered Lord Blackadder satisfaction asa gentleman, and am ready to meet him when and how he pleases."
"I cannot listen to you, sir. Duels are in contravention of the Code.But I recommend you to take your quarrels elsewhere, and not to wastemy time."
"This is quite unheard of," cried my lord, now thoroughly aroused."You are shamefully neglecting your duty, M. le Commissaire, and itcannot be tolerated."
"I am not responsible to you, sir, and will account for my action _aqui de droit_, to those who have the right to question me. The caseis dismissed. Gendarmes, release your prisoner, and let everyonewithdraw."
We all trooped out into the square, where a number of persons hadassembled, evidently the Colonel's friends, for they greeted himuproariously.
"The prisoner has left the court without a stain upon his character,"the Colonel shouted in answer to their noisy inquiries.
"But what was it? Why did they run you in?" they still asked.
"I refer you to this gentleman, Lord Blackadder. Perhaps some of youknow him. At any rate you've heard of him. We had a difference ofopinion, and I was compelled to administer chastisement." A lot ofimpudent chaff followed.
"Oh! really, pray introduce me to his lordship," said one. "Does yourlordship propose to make a long stay in Aix? Can we be of any use toyou?" "You mustn't mind Basil Annesley; he's always full of hisgames." "Hope he didn't hurt you. He didn't mean it really;" and Icould see that the Earl could hardly contain himself in his rage.
Then, suddenly muttering something about "bounders" and "cads," heforced his way through and hurried off, shouting his partinginstructions to us to join him as soon as possible at the HotelHautecombe on the hill.
We followed quickly, and were ushered at once into his privateapartment. It was essential to confer and decide upon some plan ofaction; but when I asked him what he proposed to do next, he receivedmy harmless request with a storm of invective and reproach.
"You miserable and incompetent fools! Don't expect me to tell you yourbusiness. Why do I pay you? Why indeed? Nothing you have done has beenof the very slightest use; on the contrary, through your beastlymismanagement I have been dragged into this degrading position, heldup to ridicule and contempt before all the world. And with it all, thewhole thing has failed. I sent you out to recover my child, and whathave you done? What has become of that abominable woman who stole itfrom under your very noses? Blackguards! Bunglers! Idiots! Fat-headedasses!"
"Nay, my lord," pleaded Tiler humbly, for I confess I was so muchannoyed by this undeserved reprimand
I could not bring myself tospeak civilly. "I think I can assure your lordship that matters willsoon mend. The situation is not hopeless, believe me. You may rely onus to regain touch with the fugitives without delay. I have a clue,and with your lordship's permission will follow it at once."
I saw clearly that he was set upon the absurd notion he had conceivedthat the lady had gone westward, and I felt it my duty to warn theEarl not to be misled by Tiler.
"There is nothing in his clue, my lord. It is pure assumption, withoutany good evidence to support it."
"Let me hear this precious clue," said his lordship. "I will decidewhat it is worth."
Then Tiler propounded his theory.
"It might be good enough," I interjected, "if I did not know the exactcontrary. The lady with her party was seen going in exactly theopposite direction. I know it for a fact."
"And I am equally positive of what I saw," said Tiler.
His lordship looked from one to the other, plainly perplexed and withincreasing anger.
"By the Lord Harry, it's pleasant to be served by a couple of suchuseless creatures who differ so entirely in their views that theycannot agree upon a common plan of action. How can I decide as to thebest course if you give me no help?"
"Perhaps your lordship will allow me to make a suggestion?" I saidgravely, and I flatter myself with some dignity, for I wished to showI was not pleased with the way he treated us.
"Whether the lady has gone north or south, east or west, may beuncertain; and although I am satisfied in my own mind as to thedirection she took, I am willing to await further developments beforeembarking on any further chase. To my mind the best clue, the real,the only clue, lies here, in our very hands. If we have only a littlepatience, this Colonel Annesley will act as a sign-post."
"You think that some communication will reach him from the fugitives?"
"Most decidedly I do. I firmly believe that the lady relies upon himgreatly, and will in all probability call him to her, or if not thatshe will wish to let him know how she has got on."
For the first time in this unpleasant interview his lordship lookedat me approvingly. He quite changed his tone and dropped hisaggressive manner.
"I believe you are entirely right, Falfani, and cordially agree withyour suggestion," he said with great heartiness. "Let it be adopted atonce. Take immediate steps, if you please, to set a close watch onthis pestilent villain Annesley; keep him continually under your eye."
"We've got to find him first," objected Tiler gruffly anddespondently.
"It ought not to be difficult, seeing that he was here half an hourago, and we can hunt up l'Echelle, who will surely know, and who Ihave reason to hope is on our side."
"Do it one way or another. I look to you for that, and let me know theresult without loss of time. Then we will confer again and arrangefurther. Leave me now."
I accepted my dismissal and moved towards the door, but Tiler hungbehind, and I heard him say timidly:
"May I crave your lordship's pardon--and I trust you rely on my entiredevotion to your lordship's service--but there is one thing I mostearnestly desire to do."
"Go on."
"And that is to follow my own clue, at least for a time. It is theright one I firmly believe, and I am satisfied it would be wrong,criminal even to neglect it. Will you allow me to absent myself ifonly for a few days? That should suffice to settle the point. If Ifail I will return with all speed. If, as I hope and believe, I strikethe scent, assuredly you will not regret it."
"There's something in what you say. At any rate that line ought to belooked up," said his lordship. "I am willing to wait a day or twountil you return or report, or unless something more definite turns upin the other direction. I suppose he can be spared, Falfani?"
"He will be no manner of use here, it will be better to let him go;let him run after his red herring, he'll precious soon find out hismistake."
"We shall see," said Tiler, elated and cocksure, and I freely confesswe did see that he was not quite the fool I thought him.