CHAPTER X
ESCAPED
Before Robeckal had gone with Simon, he had hurried to Rolla and toldher that he was going to Remiremont now to get some policemen.
"Our score will be settled now on one board," he said, with a wink.
The fat woman had looked at him with swimming eyes, and in a maudlinvoice replied:
"That--is--right--all--must--suffer--Caillette--also!"
"Certainly, Caillette, too," replied Robeckal, inwardly vowing to followhis own ideas with respect to this last, and then he hurried after thesteward.
Caillette and Rolla slept in the same room; when the young girl enteredit she saw the Cannon Queen sitting in an intoxicated condition at thetable surrounded by empty bottles. The horrible woman greeted the younggirl with a coarse laugh, and as Caillette paid no attention to her,Rolla placed her arms upon the table, and threateningly exclaimed:
"Don't put on such airs, you tight-rope princess; what will you do whenthey take your Fanfaro away?"
"Take Fanfaro away? What do you mean?" asked Caillette, frightened,overcoming her repulsion, and looking at Rolla.
"Ha! ha! ha! Now the pigeon thaws--yes, there is nothing like love,"mocked the drunken woman. "Ah, the policemen won't let themselves bewaited for; Robeckal and the others will look out for that."
Caillette, horror-stricken, listened to the virago's words. Was sheright, and were her father and Fanfaro in danger?
"I am going to sleep now," said Rolla, "and when I wake up Fanfaro andGirdel will have been taken care of."
Leaning back heavily in the chair, the woman closed her eyes. Caillettewaited until loud snoring told her Rolla was fast asleep, and then shesilently slipped out of the room, locked it from the outside, andtremblingly hurried to wake her father.
As she reached Girdel's door, a dark form, which had been crouching nearthe threshold, arose.
"Who's there?" asked Caillette softly.
"I, little Caillette," replied Bobichel's voice. "I am watching, becauseI do not trust Robeckal."
"Oh, Bobichel, there is danger. I must waken father at once."
"What is the matter?"
"Go, wake father and tell him I must speak to him; do not lose aminute," urged Caillette.
The clown did not ask any more questions. He hurried to wake Girdel andFanfaro, and then called Caillette. The young girl hastily told what shehad heard. At first Girdel shook his head doubtingly, but he soon becamepensive, and when Caillette finally said Rolla even muttered in hersleep about an important conspiracy and papers, he could no longerdoubt.
"What shall we do?" he asked, turning to Fanfaro.
"Fly," said the young man quickly. "We owe our lives and our strength tothe fatherland and the good cause; to stay here would be to put themboth rashly at stake. Let us pray to God that it even now may not be toolate."
"So be it, let us fly. We can leave the wagon go, and take only thehorses. Is Robeckal at home?" asked Girdel, suddenly turning toBobichel.
"No, master, he has gone."
"Then forward," said the athlete firmly. "I will take Caillette on myhorse and you two, Fanfaro and Bobichel, mount the second animal."
"No, master, that won't do," remarked the clown, "you alone are almosttoo heavy for a horse; Fanfaro must take Caillette upon his and I shallgo on foot. Do not say otherwise. My limbs can stand a great deal, and Iwon't lose sight of you. Where are we going?"
"We must reach Paris as soon as possible," said Fanfaro. "Shall we wakethe landlord?"
"Not for any money," said Girdel; "we would only bring him intotrouble."
"You are right," replied Fanfaro; "we must not open the house dooreither, we must go by way of the window."
"That won't be very difficult for such veterans as we are," laughedGirdel. "Bobichel, get down at once and saddle the horses. You will findthe saddles in the large box in the wagon. But one minute--what willbecome of my wife?"
The others remained silent, only Fanfaro said:
"Her present condition is such that we cannot take her along; and,besides, there is no danger in store for her."
Girdel scratched his head in embarrassment.
"I will look after her," he finally said, and hurried out.
In about two minutes he returned.
"She is sleeping like a log," he said; "we must leave her here. Schwanwill take care of her."
In the meantime Bobichel had tied the bedclothes, opened the window, andfastened the clothes to the window hinges. He then whispered jovially:"Good-evening, ladies and gentlemen," and let himself slide down theimprovised rope. Caillette followed the clown, then came Girdel, andfinally Fanfaro.
"Let the clothes hang," ordered Girdel.
They all crept softly to the stable and in about five minutes were onthe street.
Bobichel ran alongside Girdel. Suddenly he stopped and hurriedly said:
"I hear the sound of horses' hoofs; we escaped just in time."
The noise Bobichel heard really came from the policemen, who had hurriedfrom Remiremont to Sainte-Ame and were now surrounding the Golden Sun.Robeckal and Simon were smart enough to keep in the background. Thebrigadier, a veteran soldier, knocked loudly at the house-door, and soonthe host appeared and asked what was the matter.
"Open in the name of the king," cried the brigadier impatiently.
"Policemen, oh my God!" groaned Schwan, more dead than alive. "Theremust be a mistake here."
"Haven't arrested any one yet who didn't say the same thing," growledthe brigadier. "Quick, open the door and deliver up the malefactors."
"Whom shall I deliver?" asked Schwan, terror-stricken.
"Two acrobats, named Girdel and Fanfaro," was the answer.
"Girdel and Fanfaro? Oh, Mr. Brigadier, you are mistaken. What are theyaccused of?"
"Treason! They are members of a secret organization, which is directedagainst the monarchy."
"Impossible; it cannot be!" groaned Schwan.
"I will conduct the gentlemen," said Robeckal, coming forward.
"Scoundrel!" muttered the host, while Robeckal preceded the policemen upthe stairs, and pointed to Girdel's room.
"Open!" cried the brigadier, knocking at the door with the hilt of hissword.
As no answer came, he burst open the door, and then uttered an oath.
"Confound them--they have fled!" exclaimed Robeckal.
"Yes, the nest is empty," said the brigadier; "look, there at thewindow, the bed-sheets are still hanging with which they made theirescape."
"You are right," growled Robeckal; "but they cannot be very far offyet."
"No; quick--to horse!" cried the brigadier to his men; and while theygot into the saddle, Robeckal looked in the stables and discovered theloss of the two horses. The tracks were soon found, and the pursuers,with Robeckal at the head, quickly gained the forest. But heresomething singular happened. The brigadier's horse stumbled and fell,the horse of the second policeman met with the same accident, and beforethe end of two seconds two more horses, together with their riders, layon the ground. All four raged and cried in a horrible manner; one ofthem had broken a leg, the brigadier's sword had run into his left side,and two horses were so badly hurt that they had to be killed on thespot.
"The devil take them!" cried Robeckal, who was looking about with hislantern to discover the cause of these accidents, "the scoundrels havedrawn a net of thin cords from one tree to the other."
"Yes, the scoundrels happened to be smarter than other people," came amocking voice from the branch of an oak-tree, and looking up, Robeckalsaw the clown, who, with the quickness of an ape, had now slid down thetree and disappeared in the bush.
"Villain!" exclaimed Robeckal, angrily, and taking a gun from one of thepolicemen he fired a shot at Bobichel.
Did the shot take effect?