CHAPTER XXVIII.
We must give a glance beyond the waters. "What waters?" The reader mayask, "the waters of time?"
No, alas, that we cannot do. Let the eager eye stretch as it will,aided by whatever glass the ingenuity of man can devise, or hispresumption use, that wide horizon will never present any objectdistinctly. A mirage may raise the images which lie beyond the scopeof natural vision; but, after all, it is a fading picture, whereeverything is indistinct, uncertain, and confused.
No, the waters that I speak of are those which flow between the whitecliffs of England and the shores of France; and I leap over noparticle of time; for the day and hour were the same as those of whichI have just been speaking; and it is to keep up the perfectsynchronism of my narrative that I am obliged to change the scene, andtravel all the way to France, carrying the unwilling reader with me.
It was in a small room, lined with shadowy tapestry and ceiled withblack oak, carved in a strange and peculiar fashion--in the form ofpentagons, piled one upon the other, and each centred with a littlegilded star--that there was seated, towards the first hour of themorning, an elderly man of dignified though quiet aspect, habited inthe robes of a bishop. Near the door stood two ecclesiastics,with a boy of some fourteen years of age between them, apparentlyequipped for a journey.
"And you are sure you know every step of the way, my son?" said thebishop, fixing his eyes upon the boy, and speaking in French.
"As well as I know the steps to my mother's door, my lord," answeredthe boy.
The bishop mused, and motioned one of the ecclesiastics to comenearer. The good man approached, and bent down his head, till his earwas on a level with the prelate's lips; and then, in reply to awhispered question, which the other seemed to ask him, he exclaimed--
"Oh, I will be his surety, my lord; for he ran between the armies, inthe times of the late troubles with Britanny, and never betrayed histrust in a single instance."
"Well then, take him away for the present," said the bishop; "and Iwill write the letter at once; for there is no time to be lost,Entreat him kindly, and feed him well before he goes. I will call whenI want him."
The two priests and the boy retired; and, when left alone, the bishoptook some little time for thought.
"So far all is safe," he said to himself. "Once more I am upon thesehospitable shores of France; and my escape is well nigh a miracle. Itrust no evil has befallen those who were, under God, my kindpreservers. That dear child, I trust she got safely back to the armsof her good aunt, the abbess. 'Tis very strange, how often, by themerest seeming accidents, a kindness shown to a fellow creaturereturns to bless us after many years. Nor has man's gratitude anygreat share in it; for how rarely do we find anything like gratitude,especially amongst the high and noble. Often too, those whom we haveserved have gone away from earth, and cannot show gratitude, if theywould; yet still the good deed rises up, in after years, to shelterus, as a tree against a storm. Little did I think, when I entreatedfor St. Leger's life, and not only won it against all odds, butobtained that his estates should be not confiscated to the crown, buttransferred for life to his brother, with a provision reserved forhimself--little did I think that his sister would shelter me at theperil of all worldly good, and his daughter would guide me to escapein safety."
"Now for another act," he continued, drawing a sheet of paper towardshim. "I pray God this may be for the benefit of my country. Gratitude,in this instance, I want not, expect not, and shall not obtain. It isnot in his nature--well, if he turn not and rend me! It matters not;it is right and shall be done. Better a cold and greedy prince uponthe throne, than a murdering usurper. This man must labour for apeople's good, for his own interest's sake; and then a marriage withthe heiress of York will cure all divisions, and heal the wounds of mybleeding country."
He still seemed to hesitate, however; for although he had drawn asheet of paper to him, and taken pen in hand, he did not write forseveral minutes.
"It must be done," he said at length; and, when he began, his letterwas soon finished.
"There," he said, when it was completed. "Now he can act as he seesmeet. If he be wise, and occasion serves, he will say no word to thisweak duke of Britanny, even should he be in one of his lucid moments,but will fly at once to France, where, thanks to my efforts, all isprepared to give him friendly reception. If revenge get themastery--and he has no small share of it in his nature--he willendeavour to strike at Peter Landais, and be given bound into thehands of Richard. Then farewell to England. Stay, I will add a fewwords more of caution and advice; for I must needs enclose thedespatch obtained by my good friend, the woodman, to let him see theextent and nature of his danger."
The postscript to his letter was soon written, the paper, which thewoodman had given him, enclosed, the letter tied with the silk, andsealed; and the boy was then recalled and charged with the packet.Manifold were the directions given him, as to how he was to concealthe dangerous despatch; and the youth, who seemed quick and active,retired furnished with a packet of ordinary letters, addressed to theMarquis Dorset, and several other English noblemen then living inexile at the court of Britanny.
His weight was light, the horse prepared for him strong and active;and, mounting in the court-yard, he set out upon his way, passingthrough the heart of Normandy in perfect security. S?ez, Alen?on werereached; and, shortly after, the peril of the enterprise began; but heknew all the roads well, and, after sleeping at a small village on theconfines of Normandy, he rose some hours before daylight, and made hisway through narrow lanes into the duchy of Britanny, under cover ofthe darkness.
It is rare that a journey is performed with so little difficulty, evenwhen there are much fewer dangers; but the messenger met with noimpediment till he reached the town of Rennes, where his horse wasdetained for several hours, on the pretence that so fine an animalcould not fairly belong to a youth of his appearance. But the lettershe produced, addressed to the Marquis Dorset, accounted for hispossession of the animal; and, though there was not wantinginclination on the part of Landais' officers to seize it, for theirown or their master's use, they did not venture to do so; for it was apart of the treacherous minister's policy to lull the English exilesinto security by seeming kindness, till he could deliver them into thehands of Richard.
The letters, however, were strictly examined, and, when returned tothe boy, had evidently been opened; but the secret despatches,concealed in the large wooden boot which he wore, passed undiscovered.The contents of the letters, which had been read, only served toconvince Landais that his meditated treachery was unknown to thefriends of the exiles in England.
Hastening on with all speed from Rennes to Vannes, the boy nearlyaccomplished the distance of more than twenty leagues in one day; buthe arrived at night, and was forced to remain till morning at a smallinn in the suburb, on the right bank of the river Marle. He theregathered intelligence, however, of some importance. A strong body ofarchers, he learned, had entered Vannes the day before, and the earlof Richmond, with many of his chief friends and followers, had soughthospitality at the fine old abbey of St. Gildas, situated on a littlepeninsula in the neighbourhood. Thither then, on the followingmorning, he took his way; but he did not arrive in the court of theabbey till the earl and his companions were just mounting their horsesto set out upon some early expedition. The boy's shrewd eyes instantlydetected, amongst those present, several who were not Englishmen; and,with the keen good sense for which he had been selected for thatmission, he determined at once upon his course. The earl of Richmondhe had never seen; but, perceiving that to one particular person therepresent, a spare but somewhat forbidding-looking man, all the otherspaid much reverence, he walked up to him with a letter in his hand,and asked if he were the Marquis Dorset.
"No," answered Richmond, who had his foot in the stirrup, to mount."Yonder he stands. Is that letter for him?"
"Yes, my lord," replied the boy; "but I have several others fromEngland."
"Have you any for me, the earl of Richm
ond?" asked the other; and,dropping his voice to a low tone, the boy replied:
"I have a word for the earl of Richmond's private ear."
"Deliver your letters, and then come back to me," said Richmond, inthe same low tone; and then he added, aloud, "Here is a little courierfrom England, my lords and gentlemen, with letters from home, for mostof you, but none for me. Take them and read them. We can well affordto put off our ride for half an hour. In the mean time, I willquestion the boy as to the news of our native land--Here, Bernard,hold my horse. Boy, give them their letters, and then come with me."
"Why, this has been opened," cried the marquis of Dorset, looking atthe epistle which he received from the boy's hands.
"I know it has, noble sir," answered the boy aloud. "All my letterswere taken from me at Rennes, and, when they were returned, I couldsee they had been read."
"Out, young cur," cried one of the Landais' officers, who was present."Say you the people of the duke of Britanny would open your letters?Doubtless you opened them yourself."
"Not so, noble sir," answered the lad; "for, alas, I cannot read."
"Well, well, come with me," said Richmond, seeing that the noblescrowding round him had taken the packet, which the boy had held in hishand, and were distributing them amongst themselves, according to thesuperscription. "This way, lad--permit the boy to pass, reverendfather;" and entering the abbey by a small door, at which appeared anold monk, he walked onward, followed closely by the boy, till hereached his bed-chamber.
"Now, what have you to say to me?" he exclaimed eagerly.
But the boy, before he answered, closed the door behind him, andpushed the bolt.
"I have a packet for you, noble lord," replied the boy; "but I wasordered to deliver it to your own hand in private, and I have kept itconcealed from all eyes, here in my boot."
"Then the people at Rennes did not find it?" asked Richmond, sharply.
"No one has ever seen it, from the moment I received it," answered theboy. "That I will swear to; for I have slept in my boots; and, when Itook them off for ease, I kept them always in my sight."
The boots of an unarmed courier or post of that day were of a kind, Ibelieve, now utterly banished from use, but which might still be seenin France, amongst postilions, at the end of the last war. Theyconsisted of an inner covering of leather, with large andrudely-shaped pieces of light wood, fastened round them with straps ofleather, to guard the leg against any blow or accident. Out of thesecumbrous appendages, the boy had withdrawn his feet while he wasspeaking; and now, unbuckling the wooden cases from the leather, heopened a little sliding lid in one of the former, and drew forth thepacket which Morton had entrusted to him. Richmond took it eagerly;but, with his usual cool observing spirit, before he opened it, helooked carefully at the silk and the seal, to ascertain that it hadnot been examined previously. Satisfied on that point, he cut thefastening, broke the seal, and read the contents. His countenance,though the boy's eye fixed upon it while he read, gave no indicationof what was passing in his mind. It was cold, quiet, resolute. When hehad done, he thought in silence for a moment or two; and then lookingat the lad, he said--
"Thou hast performed thy task well. There is gold for thee. Were Iricher it should be more. Now tell me how it came that they chose oneso young to carry tidings of some import?"
"Because I knew every inch of the country well," replied the boy;"because I had carried many letters between the armies in the time ofthe war, and because my mother, and father Julien, said that I washonest."
"Good reasons," said Richmond; "knowledge, experience, honesty. Ithink you deserved your character. Do you know the country betweenthis and Tours well?"
"Every part of it," replied the boy.
"And between this and Angers?" asked Richmond again.
"As well as the other," answered the boy.
"Well, then," said Richmond, "open the door and call one of my valets.I retain you in my service, if you are free."
"Oh yes, my lord, I am free and willing," replied the boy; for therewas that in the manner of the future king of England which, though dryand cold, and somewhat stern, inspired respect; and the boy'scharacter was peculiar too. The man who knows how to command willalways find those who are willing to obey; and the attachmentsinspired by the strong-minded and the stern are often more rapid,generally more permanent, than the affection excited by the weak andgentle.
The boy's nature was brief and laconic; and, as soon as he had madehis answer, he went out into the passage, and sought one of theattendants of the earl, with whom he returned to his presence.
"Take care of that boy," said Richmond, to the man, "and bring him tome as soon as I return. Treat him well, and let him have whatever hewants; for he has rendered me service."
"Thus saying, he walked out into the court again, assuming a moody andsomewhat discontented air. The reading of his letters and hisconversation with the boy had not occupied five minutes; and some ofthe English gentlemen were still studying the epistles they hadreceived in the court."
"You have been very brief, my lord," said the Marquis Dorset,thrusting his letter into his pocket. "What news did the boy give you?I have little or none."
"I have none at all," answered Richmond. "The boy only came fromRouen, I find. The English messenger stopped there. So I must wait foranother long tedious fortnight before I get intelligence. I am glad tohear from Rennes, however, my Lord of Morlaix," he added, addressingone of the Breton gentlemen, who had been placed with him more as aguard than an attendant, "that your noble duke is perfectly recovered,and gone towards Maine for better air, to give him strength again."
"Indeed, my lord. I had not heard it," answered the gentleman headdressed.
"It is true, notwithstanding," answered Richmond. "Come, gentlemen,let us mount;" and, springing on his horse, he rode forth, followed byhis whole train.
As he went, he continued to talk of the duke of Britanny's recovery,in a public and open manner, addressing some of his observations tothe Bretons who accompanied him.
"I fear," he said at length, "that his highness may think me somewhatremiss if I do not go to compliment him on his recovery."
He remarked a slight frown come upon the face of Morlaix, as he spoke;and that gentleman ventured to say--
"Perhaps, my lord the earl, it might be better to send a messengerfirst, giving some intimation of your purpose; for his highness, ifyou recollect--"
"I know what you would say," replied Richmond, as he paused andhesitated. "His highness assigned me my residence at Vannes; and I amwell aware that observance of a prince's wishes is of more importancethan any mere point of ceremony. You, Dorset, are in the same case;but, in this instance, happily we can do both; remain at the spotassigned us, and yet show our gladness at our princely friend'srecovery. We will send every man, not tied down to this spot as weare, to offer our sincere congratulations, and to show that we do notcome ourselves solely front respect for his commands."
"That, my lord, is indeed obviating all difficulties," said Morlaix,with a smile; "and doubtless," he added hypocritically, "you will soonreceive an invitation to the court, to receive the honours due to yourstation."
Richmond's face expressed no satisfaction at this answer; and, turningto the rest of the English exiles, he merely said--
"Well, gentlemen, we will not ride far or fast to-day, as you willneed your horses for a longer journey to-morrow. I will write a letterof compliment to his highness, which you shall deliver for me, andexplain that I only regret I could not be my own messenger. Monsieurde Morlaix, if you will do me the honour of breaking your fast withme, at an early hour to-morrow, we will see these gentlemen depart."
The other bowed with all due reverence, and, with much satisfaction,seeing that the arrest of the earl of Richmond, and his delivery intothe hands of Richard's emissaries, which he knew was meditated byLandais, would be much more easily effected, during the absence of solarge a body of the earl's friends and followers, than it could bewhile they so
closely surrounded his person. It was necessary howeverfor the Breton to obtain distinct directions as to how he should act;and, as soon as he returned to the abbey of St. Gildas, he despatchedletters to Landais, informing him of the proposed movements ofRichmond's friends, and requiring orders for his guidance.
While he was thus occupied, the young messenger from the bishop of Elywas again brought into the earl's presence, and the door closed andbolted. Richmond eyed him for a moment attentively, and then said--
"What do you know, lad, of the contents of the packet you brought me?"
"Nothing, my lord," replied the boy.
"What do you guess?" demanded Richmond, who seemed to comprehend andbe comprehended at once.
"That your lordship is in peril from something," replied the other.
"Why do you guess that?" asked Richmond.
"Because I was told to be secret and swift," answered the boy, "todestroy the packet if there was danger of its being taken, and to findmeans of telling you, if I should be prevented from delivering it, tobe upon your guard against enemies. Moreover, I heard last night thatthree hundred archers had marched into Vannes in the morning."
"Ha!" said the earl. "I heard not of that. They are rapid, it wouldseem. Now, young man, are you willing to serve me well?"
"Right willing," replied the boy.
"Can you guide me, by the shortest and most secret ways, hence to thetown of Angers?" demanded Richmond.
"None better," said the boy.
"Well then, you shall do it," said Richmond; "but be silent andsecret. Utter no word of what I say to you, even to those who seem mydearest friends. I have an expedition to make to Angers, to takecounsel with persons much in my interest there; but none must know ofmy going. That is all. Stay, a word or two more," he continued,thoughtfully. "It were as well that none should remark your stayinghere, or know that we hold private conference together. It may seem asif the news you brought from Rouen was of sufficient import to justifysuspicion. I will send you into Vannes. Stay there at the suburb atthe Golden Dolphin, and mind you chatter not."
"I chatter little, my lord," said the boy.
"I trust so and believe it, my good lad," replied Richmond; "but itsometimes happens that youths like you, when speaking to persons ofsuperior station, are silent and discreet enough, and yet find a noisyand loquacious tongue when with their fellows. But I will not doubtyou. You must have been proved, ere Morton trusted you. Only remember,that if you are not now discreet, you may lose a good master, who willmake your fortune should you prove worthy."
"I will not lose him," said the boy.
"To-morrow night I will speak with you more," said Richmond; "do youknow a place near Vannes called Carnac?"
"What, where the great stones lie?" asked the lad. "Many a time I haveplayed amongst those stones, when I was eight years old."
"Then meet me there with your horse, just at the hour of sunset,to-morrow evening," the earl replied. "Set off upon the road toRennes. Turn round by the great fish-ponds, and wait between the firstand second line of stones till I arrive--though I may tarry a little,still wait."
"I will, my lord," replied the boy, and left the earl's presence.
He kept his word to the letter; for, though he laughed, and jested,and talked with the people of the little cabaret where he put up, thename of the earl of Richmond never escaped his lips. He talked of thelong journey he had had, and of how tired his horse was, andcomplained a little that the Marquis Dorset had not paid him for hisservices.
"Doubtless you are well paid before," said the landlord of the inn, towhom he spoke. "You seem a sharp boy, and not one to go withoutpayment."
The lad laughed, and said nothing, confirming the man's suspicions,that he had desired somewhat more than his due. Upon the pretence ofhis horse needing repose, he continued to linger where he was duringthe whole of that day and great part of the next, always talking ofgoing back to Rouen, till, at length, when evening approached, he paidhis score and departed. The landlord remarked, as he went away, "Ay,there goes a young truant, who will be scolded roundly, I willwarrant, for lingering so long, and yet will not want an excuse forhis tardiness."
Slowly jogging on his way, the boy rode even somewhat farther thanRichmond had directed him. But, to say the truth, he knew the countrybetter than the earl himself; and he knew also the habits of theplace, which brought to the point at which Richmond had told him toturn off, a considerable number of the country people, going intoVannes, at that hour, to hear the evening service, at the church ofSt. Paterne. Passing completely round the large tank or fish-pondthere, he approached the great Druidical temple of Carnac--the mostremarkable, perhaps, in the world--just as the sun was setting; and,dismounting from his horse, he stood and gazed forth at the brightsky, with interest very different from that which he might have felthad he known where he stood. The boy was ignorant indeed of all thehistorical associations connected with the place. He had never heardof Druids, or Celts, nor of any other religion but the Roman Catholic;but yet there was a curious sort of solemn grandeur in that scene,with the thousands and thousands of tall stones, most of them thenstanding upright in their five curious ranges, with the rosy colouredlight of the evening sky pouring in amongst them, which produced asensation almost akin to awe in his young though not very imaginativeheart.
"This is a strange place," he thought. "I wonder what it means? Thesestones must have been put here by somebody. Perhaps they intended tobuild a church here long long ago. But why should they spread them outso far and set them all on end. It can't have been for a churcheither. But they are all dead and gone, that's clear, and the stonesremain;" and his mind being then led on from point to point, by someprocess within himself, he said, "I wonder what will become of me. Itis very droll, one can never tell what is to happen to oneselfafterwards. That earl said he would make my fortune. What will thatfortune be, I wonder?"
The sun gradually sank, and all was darkness; but shortly after a palegleam, coming upon some clouds to the eastward, showed that some otherlight was coming; and the moon soared up in time, and shed her lightover the same scene. The boy looked round him somewhat timidly. Hebegan almost to fancy that ghosts of the dead might haunt those solemnplaces. All remained still and quiet, however, till at length he heardthe sound of horses' feet, and ventured to look out. The riders werenot near enough for him to see anything, however; for the night was sostill that he heard them afar. At length they came nearer and nearer;and, taking his stand at his horse's side, he gazed along the line ofstones till four horsemen rode in and approached him.
"Mount and come on," said the voice of Richmond; and the boy spranginto the saddle at once. The earl had not stopped to speak the words,and, ere the lad was mounted, he had ridden on some hundred yards, asit seems in a wrong direction, for he speedily heard a low voice,saying, "To the right, my lord. It is safer and shorter."
"But this is the road to La Roche Bernard," replied Richmond, turning,and eyeing him by the moonlight.
"But you must not go by La Roche," replied the lad, "but by Redon andNozay. We will cross the Villaine near Redon. Then there is nothing tostop you till you get to Nozay, neither towns nor castles, but sandytracks through the bushes. There is the castle of Furette, indeed; butit was burnt in the last war, and there is no one in it."
"Play me not false," said Richmond, in a threatening tone, but turninghis rein at the same time in the direction the boy pointed out. "Ridehere," he continued, "between me and this good lord. Now tell me, howfar is it to Angers by this road?"
"Some twenty-six leagues, my lord," replied the lad, "and by the othermore than thirty."
"You are right there," said the Marquis Dorset.
"And what will one find on the other side of Nozay?" asked the earl.
"Nothing to stop you, sir," said the boy; "between it and Angers thereis the little village of Conde, where you can bait your horses; andthere is a good road thence to Angers, with nothing but hamlets orscattered farm-houses, till you reach the
town. No one would be ableto take you from Redon to Nozay but myself--at least, nobody atVannes; but from Nozay to Angers you could go by yourself if youliked."
"You seem to know it well," said Richmond.
"I was born at Nozay," replied the boy.
There the conversation stopped; and they rode on in silence for sometime, going at a very quick pace, till at length the Earl said,
"We must spare our horses a little, or they will hardly bear us out.Twenty-six leagues; think you we can do it in one day, boy?"
"Oh, yes, my lord," replied the boy, "if your beasts be strong andwilling. The night is fresh, and the ground soft; and we can afford tostop and feed the horses at Nozay, for, if any one comes after us, athousand to one they will take the other road."
"That is one recommendation to yours at all events," said Dorset,laughing; "and the ground is soft enough indeed, for it seems to me asif we were entering a morass."
"So we are," answered the boy, coolly. "We had better ride one by one.Then if I make a mistake, I shall be the first to pay for it."
Thus saying, he rode on boldly and rapidly, till, at the end of abouthalf a league, the swampy ground ceased, and the country began to risea little. Ascending by gradual slopes the road which they nowfollowed, and which was clearly enough defined by its sandy colour,gained a considerable elevation above the sea; and Richmond was justin the act of observing that they must have got at least eight milesfrom Vannes, when they heard the distant report of a cannon boom uponthe air, and Dorset exclaimed:
"What may that mean?"
"That they have found out you are gone," said the boy, laughing.
"Did it seem to come from Vannes?" demanded Richmond.
"To a certainty," answered the boy. "The wind sets this way; but it isour own fault if they catch us now."
No other indication of pursuit reached their ears as they pursuedtheir way, till at length the boy, pointing forward with his hand,said:
"There is Redon. You can either go through the town or by the ford.The ford is shortest."
"And safest too, in all probability," replied Richmond.
"I think they could hear that gun," said the boy, "if they could butmake out what it meant."
"Then take the ford, by all means," said Richmond; and, pursuing anarrow path to the left, which ran some way up the river, the lad ledthem to the bank of the stream, and passed safely through, though thewater rose to the horse's girths. The rest followed; and, turning overthe shoulder of the hill, at the end of a few miles, they entered awild and desolate track, where woods and bushes seemed scattered overa wide extent of shifting sand, amidst which all vestige of a roadseemed lost. Straight on went the boy, however, without pause orhesitation, appearing to be guided, in finding his way back to hisnative place, by the same sort of instinct which is possessed by dogsand some kinds of pigeons.
All seemed so dark--for the moon had by this time gone down--so wild,so trackless, that Richmond at length exclaimed, with anxioussternness:
"Are you sure you are right, boy?"
"Quite sure," replied the boy; and on he went, leading the way throughone wide patch of bushes, round the angle of a little wood, down alittle dell, across a rivulet, up a slope, into another track wilderthan before, as if not a tree had been cut down or a bush grubbed upsince last he was there.
"There comes morning," he said at length. "We shall reach Nosey justat break of day."
"And right glad will my horse be to get there," said Dorset; "for heis well nigh knocked up. He has been stumbling at every step for thelast hour."
"Food will set him up," said the boy, "and that he can soon have.There is Bohalard and its windmill, to the right, peeping through thedusk, like a great giant with his arms stretched out to catch us."
The sight of the windmill, and the boy's instant recognition of it,relieved Richmond a good deal; for he had not been able to divest hismind of some doubts as to his young guide's accuracy; for the countryhad been so wild and trackless, that it seemed impossible to him forany one accurately to remember every step of the way, and one mistakemust have been irretrievable in the darkness. A few minutes more sethim at rest completely; for as the air grew lighter every moment, heperceived at no great distance in advance a tower upon an elevatedspot, and a little beyond that again, but lower down, the spire of achurch.
"What is that tower, boy?" he asked, as they rode on.
"It is called Beauvais, my lord," replied the lad; "and that is thechurch of Nozay."
"Then let us slacken our pace a little," said Richmond, and, accordingto the boy's prediction, they rode into the small town just as the sunwas rising.
"Here, stop here," said the boy, drawing in his horse's rein before ahouse, which seemed somewhat like an inn of the second or third class;"this is not the best cabaret, but the landlord is the honestest man;"and, by thundering with his fists at the large gate, he soon broughtforth some of the inmates from their beds.
"Ah, petit!" cried the landlord, who was amongst the first; "is thatyou again, Pierre la Brousse? and so you have brought me some guests."
"Who must have food for themselves and horses, in a minute, father,"replied the boy, "for they want to be in Angers before mass."
"They'll hardly manage that," said the landlord, looking at thehorses; "however we must do what we can. Come in, come in. Jacquestend the horses. Come, in, Pierre."
"No, I must up to the top of the church," said the boy, "to see whocomes after; for Ma?tre Landais is no friend of mine, and, if hispeople catch me, I shall taste hemp. So keep my horse saddled while hefeeds. The gentlemen can do as they like, for they can find their waynow; but I'll be away as soon as I see any one coming over the_landes_."
This was said aloud, and Richmond answered--
"No, no. We will go with thee, lad."
"Stay, stay; my son shall go up the steeple," cried the landlord; "heis quick enough in all conscience, and his eyes are good. You stay andfeed, Pierre."
Such was then the arrangement. The son of the landlord was sent up tothe top of the church to watch, while the whole party of travellershalted at the little inn, to rest, feed their horses, and partake ofwhat coarse refreshment the place afforded. The horse of the Marquisof Dorset, however, would not feed; but, by the mediation of Pierre laBrousse, that nobleman procured another very fair animal to carry himon, and the furniture of that which he had been riding was transferredto the back of the fresh steed. The other four horses took theirprovender willingly enough; and, having seen this most necessary pointsettled, Richmond and his companions entered the house, and soon hadsome eggs, meat, and wine set before them. They had time to make atolerable meal, but no more; for, just as they had finished, thelandlord's son came running in to say, that he saw a party of horsemencoming over the _landes_, at the distance of about three miles.
"How many are they?" demanded Richmond, in a calm tone.
"A good number, sir," replied the young man, "but I did not stay tocount them."
"How can they have tracked us?" cried the boy.
"They had something running before them which looked like a dog," saidthe landlord's son. "It was too far to see exactly what it was; but itmight be a blood-hound."
"My dog for an hundred angels!" said Richmond, in a low tone; "we mustto horse at once. Were they coming quick?"
"No, slow enough," answered the young man, following the strangers tothe courtyard.
"Thank Heaven, their horses must be as tired as ours," said Dorset;and, paying the reckoning, the party of fugitives mounted in haste todepart.
"There is a gold crown for thee, young man," said Richmond to thelandlord's son, before they set out; "and if thou and thy father cancontrive to delay those who come after for one hour, I promise, on theword of an English nobleman, you shall have ten such sent to you bysome means. If I reach Angers in safety, you may come and claim thereward. Now, on gentlemen, as fast as whip and spur will carry us."
On they went then; and, for fully twenty miles more, their horses
borethem up well; but evident symptoms of failing strength began tomanifest themselves about nine o'clock, and before ten it becameclearly necessary to seek some fresh beasts. The houses were now,however, beginning to appear more frequently; the boy Pierre knewevery place where a horse was likely to be obtained; and the fourwhich were wanted were at last procured, some being found at oneplace, and some at another. It was none too soon, however; for whileyet at the distance of some three miles from Angers, a largestag-hound with a silver collar bounded up to the side of the earl ofRichmond, and almost sprang upon his horse.
"Ah, my poor Taker," said Richmond. "Thou hast unwittingly betrayedme, I fear.--Look back, look back," he added to his followers; "theymust be near at hand now."
Nothing was to be seen, however; for the dog had outrun the pursuers;and, for a mile farther, they did not come in sight. Then, however,they were seen coming over a hill not very far off; and, from thatspot, the journey became in fact a race. Those who followed hadevidently hired fresh horses likewise; or rather, armed with theauthority at the duke of Britanny, they had taken them wherever theyfound them; and they gained perceptibly upon the fugitives. Now theywere lost sight of in a hollow, as the road rose up and down; now theycame in sight again, and each time nearer than before. At length,however, a glimpse of the winding Mayenne was obtained, and thentowers and steeples were seen over the trees.
"Angers, Angers!" cried the boy, with renewed hope.
On they dashed; and, when they reached the gates of the city, thehorsemen of the duke of Britanny were not three hundred yards behindthem.
There, however, both parties reined in their horses; and Richmondpresented his letters of safe conduct to the guard at the gates. Thepursuers did not venture to follow any farther, for they were alreadywithin the pale of France; and, wearied in frame, but relieved inmind, the earl rode on into the town.
As, now in security, Richmond cast off his clothes at the inn, andprepared to take some repose, his mind rested upon the events of theeight and forty hours just past; and his last thought, ere his eyesclosed in sleep, was--"It is strange that I should owe my escape fromimprisonment--ay, and from death, to a woodman in a distant part ofEngland." He might have said, "and that England should owe him aking;" but all the coming time was dim to the eyes of the earl; and heonly added--"I vow to the blessed Virgin Mary, if ever I should situpon the throne of England, as some men think likely, I will find outthat man and reward him."