An Enemy To The King

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"Ha!" laughed De Berquin, in answer to my words and movement. "So you
don't share Barbemouche's own opinion of his beauty?"

An unctuous guffaw from the fat rascal, and a grim chuckle from gaunt
Francois, indicated that Barbemouche's ugliness was a favorite subject of
mirth with his comrades.

"The opinion of a dead lackey does not amount to much," gutturally
observed Barbemouche. Doubtless I should have felt the point of his
rapier between my shoulders but that he waited on the will of De Berquin.

His tone showed that he really had the high regard for his looks that De
Berquin's words had implied. It afterward became evident to me that the
ugliness of this burly rascal was equalled only by his vanity.

"Nor is a dead lackey half as useful as a living one can be," I said,
looking De Berquin straight in the eyes.

"_Par dieu_! I admit that you have been very useful against me, and that
is why I am going to kill you," replied De Berquin.

"Would it not be more worthy of a man of intellect, like the Vicomte de
Berquin, if I have been useful against him, to make me pay for it by
being useful for him?" I said, quietly, without having yet the least idea
of what service I should propose doing him in return for my life.

"Most interesting of lackeys, how might you be useful to me?" inquired De
Berquin, continuing his mood of sinister jocularity.

How, indeed? I asked myself. Aloud I answered slowly, in order to have
the more time to think:

"In your present enterprise, monsieur."

"The devil! What do you know of my present enterprise?" he asked,
quickly.

I saw that I had at least awakened his interest in the idea that I might
be worth using alive.

"I will tell you," I answered, "if you will first ask this unpleasant
person behind me to step aside."

"Unpleasant person!" repeated Barbemouche, astonished at my audacity.
"You dog, do you speak in such terms of a gentleman?"

So he was under the delusion also that he possessed gentility.

"Stop, Gilles!" commanded De Berquin. "Go yonder, while I listen to this
amusing knave. Let him talk awhile before he dies."

Barbemouche sullenly went over to the side of Francois, and stood there
glowering at me. It was a relief to know that his sword-point was no
longer at my back.

"Now, rascal!" said De Berquin to me. "My present enterprise, and how you
can be useful to me in it?"

"In the first place, monsieur," I began, having no knowledge how I was to
finish, "you and your gallant company are doubtless tired, hungry, and
thirsty--"

An assenting grunt from the tall fellow, and a look of keen interest on
the faces of all, showed that I had not spoken amiss.

"You are quite lost in these woods," I went on. "You do not know how near
you may be to any road or to any habitation, where you might have roof,
food, and drink. Heaven, in giving me the pleasure of meeting you, has
also done you the kindness of sending one who can guide you to these
blessings. That is the first service I can do you."

"Very well, you shall do it. I can kill you as well afterwards."

"But I will not do it unless I have your promise, on your honor as
gentlemen, to give me both my life and my liberty immediately."

"My very modest lackey, you greatly undervalue both your life and your
liberty, if you think you can buy them from me at so small a cost. No;
you offer too little. The pleasure of killing you far exceeds that of
having your guidance. Now that we have happily met you, we know that
there must be shelter, food, and drink somewhere near at hand. We can
find them for ourselves in as short a time, perhaps, as it would require
you to take us there. We shall doubtless have the happiness of meeting
there your very gallant master and the lady whom he protects with your
arm and sword. Having robbed him of his means of guarding his lovely
charge, I shall in fairness relieve him of the charge."

I perceived here the opportunity of learning whether it was under the
governor's orders, received through Montignac, that De Berquin pursued
mademoiselle while he came in quest of the Sieur de la Tournoire, or
whether it was on his own account.

"Your infatuation for this lady must be very great," I said, in a tone
too low for his four followers to distinguish my words, "to lead you to
force your presence on her."

"_My_ infatuation!" he repeated, and then he laughed. "My very knowing
lackey, if you were better informed of my affairs, you would know that an
infatuation for Mlle. de Varion is a luxury that I cannot at present
afford. A man who has lost his estates, his money, his king's favor, and
who has fled from his creditors in Paris to prey on the provinces, thinks
not of love, but of how to refill his pockets."

"Then it is not for love that you pursue Mile, de Varion?" I said. I
now believed, as I had first thought, that the governor had changed his
mind after ordering mademoiselle to leave the province, had decided to
hold her in durance, and had commissioned De Berquin to detain her, as
well as to hunt down me. But I put the question in order to get further
time for thought.

"For love, yes; but not for mine!" was the answer.

This startled me. "For that of M. de la Chatre?" I asked, quickly.

"You seem to be curious on this point," said De Berquin, derisively.

"If I am to die," I replied, "you can lose nothing by gratifying my
curiosity. If I am to live, I may be the better able to serve you if you
gratify it."

"I am not one to refuse the request of a man about to die," he said, with
a self-amused look. "It is not La Chatre, the superb, whose _amour_ I
have come into this cursed wilderness to serve."

"Then who--?" But I stopped at the beginning of the question, as a new
thought came to me. "The secretary!" I said.

"Montignac, the modest and meditative," replied De Berquin.

I might have thought it. What man of his age, however given to deep
study and secret ambition, could have been insensible to her beauty, her
grace, her gentleness? Such a youth as Montignac would pass a thousand
women indifferently, and at last perceive in Mlle. de Varion at first
glance the perfections that distinguished her from others of her sex.
Doubtless, to him, as to me, she embodied an ideal, a dream, of which he
had scarcely dared hope to find the realization. Seeing her at the inn,
he had been warmed by her charms at once. He had resolved to avail
himself of his power and of her helplessness. Her father in prison,
herself an exile without one powerful friend, she would be at his mercy.
Forbidden by his duties to leave the governor's side, he could charge De
Berquin, in giving the latter the governor's orders concerning myself,
with the additional task of securing the person of mademoiselle, that he
might woo her at his leisure and in his own way. The governor, ready
enough to frighten into an unwarranted exile a woman whose entreaties he
feared, would yet not be so ungallant as to give her to his secretary
for the asking. But Montignac might safely hold her prisoner, the
governor would think that she had left the province, there would be none
to rescue her. Such were the acts, designs, and thoughts that I
attributed to the reticent, far-seeing, resolute secretary. All passed
through my mind in a moment.

And now I feared for mademoiselle as I had not feared before. I never
feared a man, or two men at a time, who came with sword in hand; but how
is one to meet or even to perceive the blows aimed by men of thought and
power? Such as Montignac, inscrutable, patient, ingenious, strong enough
to conceal their own passions, which themselves are more intense and far
more lasting than the passions of a mere man of fighting, are not easily
turned aside from the quest of any object on which they have put their
desires. One against whom they have set themselves is never safe from
them while they live. Years do not make them either give up or forget.
Montignac, by reason of his influence over the governor, had vast
resources to employ. He could turn the machinery of government to his own
ends, and the trustful governor not suspect. In that slim youth,
smooth-faced, pale, repressed, grave, not always taking the trouble to
erase from his features the signs of his scorn for ordinary minds, a
scorn mingled with a sense of his own power and with a kind of derisive
mirth,--in this quiet student I beheld an antagonist more formidable than
any against whom I had ever been pitted. In thinking of him, I came at
once to regard De Berquin, who still stood facing me with ready sword,
and on his face the intention of killing me plainly written, as a very
inconsiderable opponent, even when backed by his four ruffians with
their varied collection of weapons.

If I was to save Mlle. de Varion from the designs of the far-reaching
secretary, it was time that I eluded the danger immediately
confronting me.

For a few moments after De Berquin uttered the speech last recorded, I
stood silent, my eyes meeting his.

"Come," he said, presently, impatiently giving several turns of his wrist
so that his sword-point described arcs in the air before my eyes. "We
wander from the subject. What service can you do me? Don't think you can
keep me talking until your party happens to come up. I intend to kill you
when I shall have counted twenty, unless before that time you make it
appear worth my while to let you live. One, two, three--"

His look showed that he had ceased to be amused at my situation. Alive, I
had begun to bore him. It was time to make sure of his vengeance. His men
stood on all sides to prevent my flight. At my least movement, he would
thrust his rapier deep into my body. He went on counting. What could I
offer him to make him stay his hand? Was there anything in the world that
he might desire which it would appear to be in my power to give him?

"Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen," he counted, taking exact note of the
distance between us.

As in a flash the idea came to me.

"Monsieur," I said, loudly, so as to be plainly heard above his own
voice, "let me go and I will deliver to you the Sieur de la Tournoire!"

He had reached nineteen in his count. He stopped there and stared at me.

"The Sieur de la Tournoire," he repeated, as if the idea of his taking
the Sieur de la Tournoire were a new one.

"You speak, monsieur," said I, quietly, "as if you had not come to these
hills for the purpose of catching him."

He looked at me with a kind of surprise, but said nothing in reply to my
remark. "It is natural," thought I, "for him not to disclose his purpose,
even when there is no use for him to conceal it."

"I take La Tournoire?" he said, presently, half to himself. He stood
thinking for a time, during which I supposed that he was considering the
propriety of his personally making the capture, in view of the plan that
I had overheard Montignac suggest to the governor, namely, that the spy
should merely lure La Tournoire into an ambush where the governor's
soldiers should make the seizure. The spy had doubtless received orders
strictly in accordance with this plan, La Tournoire being considered too
great game to be bagged by anything less than a company of soldiers.

"Why not?" said I. "Whoever does so will receive a good price in
addition to the gratitude of M. de la Chatre and that of the Duke of
Guise. Indeed, the feat might even win you back the King's favor, which
you say you have lost."

"But suppose Montignac has other plans for the capture of this highly
valued rebel?" said he.

"If he had," said I, thinking of the arrangement as to the ambush, "they
were made in the belief that La Tournoire was not to be taken by one man
with a few hired knaves. The captor of La Tournoire can afford to earn
Montignac's displeasure by deviating from his orders. Should you take
this Huguenot, you would be in a position to snap your fingers at
Montignac."

"But if it is in your power to give up La Tournoire, why do you not take
him and get the reward? Why have you not done so already?"

"For the very fact which puts it in my power to do so. I am of his party.
I am his trusted counsellor, lackey that I pretend to be."

"I have, from the first, thought you a most exceptional lackey. But if
you are of his party, and in his secrets, you must be a vile traitor to
give him up. That being the case, you would not hesitate to lie to me.
Indeed, even if it were not the case, you would not hesitate to lie to
me, to save yourself or to gain time."

"As to my being a vile traitor, a man will descend to much in order to
save his life. As to my readiness to lie to you, it seems to me that,
in the present situation, you are the one man to whom I cannot now
afford to lie. With your sword at my throat, it is much easier for me
to be a vile traitor to La Tournoire than to lie to you. Besides, I
have my own reasons for disliking him, notwithstanding that my cause
and his are the same."

"And how do you propose to give him up to me?"

"By merely bringing him face to face with you."

"_Par dieu_! A charming proposition! How do I know that you will not, in
pretending to betray him to me, really betray me to him? Suppose you do
bring him face to face with me, and his men are all around?"

"Only one of his men shall be present," I said, thinking of Blaise. "He
will not come without this one man. As for the others of his band, not
one shall be within a league."

"Himself and one man," said De Berquin, musingly. "That is to say, two
very able fighters."

"There are five of you."

"But this Tournoire is doubtless worth three men in a fight, and his man
will probably be worth two more. I don't think your offer sufficiently
attractive. I think I would do better to kill you. Certainly, there are
many reasons why you should die. If you should escape me now, as you are
one of La Tournoire's people, you would immediately go to him and tell
him of my presence here. I do not choose that he shall know as much about
me as you do."

"Can you suggest any amendment to my offer, so that it might be more
attractive?"

"If you could bring La Tournoire unarmed--"

"I will do that," I said.

De Berquin looked at me steadily for some time. At last he shook his
head and said:

"It is a fair bargain, as it now stands, but I see no way of your
carrying out your part without putting me in danger of your betraying
me. To find La Tournoire, you would have to leave us. Once out of our
sight, you would be free to ignore the contract, laugh at me for being
so easily gulled, and set La Tournoire and his men on me, which would
entirely spoil my plans. Every minute I see more and more the necessity
of killing you."

"But I shall find La Tournoire without going out of your sight," I said.

De Berquin again became thoughtful. Then he laughed.

"You mean that you would lead us up to his very den, where we should be
at the mercy of his men," he said.

"I have already said that, with one exception, none of his men shall be
within a league of where you are to meet him."

"I do not see how you are going to bring him so far from his men, if you
do not go for him."

"Leave that to me. I shall take you to a place where he will present
himself unarmed. Excepting the man who will be with him, not one of his
company shall be within a league."

"Where is the place?" asked De Berquin, still smiling ironically.

"Not far from here. It is a place where you can get also wine and food."

"And how am I to know that this place is not a trap into which you wish
to lead me?"

"You shall walk behind me with drawn sword and dagger. At the slightest
suspicious movement or speech that I make, you can easily kill me."

"That is true. Yet I might lose my own life the next moment. Who knows
but that you are merely seeking to sell your life as dearly as possible,
or but that you are aiming to gain time in the hope of some unexpected
occurrence?"

"Monsieur," said I, "we both know that men cannot read the heart. You
cannot be sure whether or not I am lying. You indeed take the risk that I
wish to lead you where you will have to pay for my life with your own,
and that I am trying to gain time; but, at the same time, there is the
chance that I intend to keep my word, that I intend to present the Sieur
de la Tournoire unarmed, and a league away from all his men but one. Is
not that chance worth the risk? Have you not gambled, monsieur?"

From the shrug of De Berquin's shoulders, I knew that he had gambled, and
also that my argument had moved him. But another doubt darkened his face.

"And if you do bring an unarmed person before me, how shall I know that
it is La Tournoire?" said he.

"He shall tell you so himself."

"Excellent proof!"

"What man but La Tournoire would risk his life by declaring himself to be
that proscribed gentleman?"

"One of his followers might do so, if he thought that he might so throw
an enemy off La Tournoire's track."

"Then the possibility of my deceiving you on that point is but an
additional risk you run, in return for the chance of your bagging the
real game. Besides, I give you my word of honor that I will truly perform
all that I promise."

"The word of a lackey!" said De Berquin, derisively.

"Have you not yourself described me as an exceptional lackey?"

"Well, I love to take chances. And as you have given me your word, the
word of an exceptional lackey, I give you my word, the word of a
gentleman, that if you set La Tournoire unarmed before me, with but one
of his men at hand, I will give you your life and freedom. But stay! At
what time am I to have the pleasure of meeting him?"

"When we hear the stroke of eight from the tower of the church in
Clochonne. The wind this evening is from that direction. It is
agreed, then?"

"Agreed!" said De Berquin. "Jacques, give me your dagger. Now, Master
Lackey, lead the way. Follow, you rascals, and be ready to knock down any
person to whom I shall direct your attention."

And I turned and led the way to the road, followed closely by De Berquin,
who held his sword in one hand and the dagger in the other. I heard the
others fall in line, and tramp their way through the brush behind him.
Barbemouche must have been exceedingly surprised at his leader's
proceedings, for the conversation between De Berquin and myself had been
conducted in a tone too low for their ears.

When we reached the road, De Berquin ordered a halt. He then commanded
Barbemouche to walk at my left side, and Francois to walk at my right, De
Berquin retained his place behind me, and the other two rascals followed
him. In this order we proceeded towards the inn.

My object in leading my enemies to the inn was to set them drinking. As
long as the possibility of taking La Tournoire was before De Berquin,
there was little likelihood that he would seek to molest Mlle. de Varion.
In the first place, he could not take her from the vicinity while he
himself remained there awaiting the coming of La Tournoire. Secondly, he
would not court any violence during the time of waiting, lest he might
thereby risk his chance of taking La Tournoire. But it was necessary that
I should prevent his encountering Blaise or Hugo, for either one, on
seeing me conducted by him as I was, might make some demonstration that
would cause De Berquin to kill me immediately. I must contrive to keep my
enemies from entering the inn, and yet to have them plied with drink.
Therefore, I said, as we marched:

"Monsieur, we are approaching a kind of inn where there are to be
obtained the food and drink that I promised. But in the house are some
who are devoted to the Sieur de la Tournoire. They are not any of his
soldiers, nor such as are to be feared in a fight. But if they saw you
and your men, with me as a prisoner, they would certainly convey word to
La Tournoire or his band, and so it would be impossible for me to fulfil
my agreement. It is true that you would then kill me, but you would lose
La Tournoire, and have his followers soon on your heels. So it is best
that we stop at some distance from the inn. You and I can steal up to a
spot where I can quietly summon the hostess. She will do anything I ask.
She will, at my order, secretly bring food and wine to the place of
waiting, and will not betray our presence to those in the inn."

"It seems a good idea," said De Berquin; "but if you attempt to make a
fool of me--"

"You will, of course, instantly make a corpse of me, for you will be at
my side, and will hear every word that I speak to the hostess."

"Very well," he replied.

Having at last reached a little clearing by the roadside quite near the
inn, but hidden from it by trees, I gave the word to stop. De Berquin
ordered his men to remain here, sheathed his sword, clutched me by the
arm, and walked forward with me, his dagger held ready to be plunged into
my heart at the slightest cause.

I led him to the back of the inn, and we stood near the door of the
kitchen, listening.

The gypsy was still playing, and every now and then there came an
exclamation of approval from Biaise. I peered through a corner of the
window. The clutch of De Berquin on my arm tightened as I did so. I saw
the gypsy man playing, Biaise and Hugo sitting with wine mugs before
them, aid Godeau by the fire asleep, the gypsy girl with her head on the
table, she also asleep, and Marianne removing platters from the table.
Jeannotte had doubtless gone up the ladder to her mistress.

Presently Marianne came out with some bones of a fowl, to throw
them away.

"Marianne," I called, softly. "Not a word! Come here and listen"

With some astonishment she obeyed. De Berquin now held his drawn dagger
under his cloak, and his clutch on my arm, though tight, might yet appear
to her that of a friend.

"Marianne," said I, "it is very important that no one within--no one,
remember--shall know that this gentleman is with me. I have a serious
matter to talk over with him at the clearing yonder, where four of his
people now wait. No one is to know of their presence any more than of
his. Bring plenty of wine to us there with what food you can get without
exciting the curiosity of those inside. Do you understand? But not a
word, even to me now."

She nodded her head, and went back into the kitchen. I knew that I could
rely on her. "Come, monsieur," I whispered to De Berquin, and we went
silently back to the clearing.

The four rascals were seated on the ground, conversing in low tones. De
Berquin and I sat down in the midst of the group. The fellows went on
talking, regardless of the presence of their leader, who gave no heed to
their babble, except occasionally by a gesture to caution Barbemouche to
lessen his volume of voice.

"I never knew an enterprise to run smoothly which had anything to do with
women," Barbemouche was saying. "Where men only are concerned, one knows
exactly what to do, and makes no mistakes."

"You have a prejudice against the sex," put in the foppish fellow.

"_Par dieu_! I ought not to have!" answered Barbemouche. "I owe them
too much for the many favors I've had from them. But they are
mystifying creatures. To mistake a maid for her mistress is nothing
remarkable. For that matter, I've known women of the lower orders who
had more airs than great ladies. I remember once, after having just
made an easy conquest of a countess, and become ennuied with her, I
turned my attention to the daughter of a pastry-cook in Paris. She dug
deep holes in my face for merely trying to kiss her. She had velvet
lips, that girl, but what claws!"

The gaunt rascal, whom they called Francois, heaved a pensive sigh, as if
this reminiscence awakened touching memories in him.

"And yet, to show the perversity of the sex," continued Barbemouche,
"that same day I saw another man kiss her, and she gave him back two
kisses for his one."

"Perhaps he was a handsome man," said the fat fellow, sagely.

"Yes," replied Barbemouche, ingenuously, "but no handsomer than I."

"At that time you were probably handsomer even than you are now," dryly
observed the gaunt man.

"You are right," said Barbemouche, "for I was young, and I did not have
this scar," and he thrust back the rim of his hat and laid his hand on
his forehead.

"In what fight with the watch did you get that?" inquired Francois.

"I got it as the Duke of Guise got his, fighting the enemies of the
church, though not in the same battle. I received mine that St.
Bartholomew's night when we made the streets of Paris flow with heretic
blood. A cursed Huguenot gave it me, but I gave him another to match
mine, and left him for the crowd to trample over."

I gave a start, recalling the incident of which I had so recently heard
the account, and which seemed the counterpart of this.

At this moment, Marianne appeared at the bend of the road. She carried
a huge wooden platter, on which were a bowl of mulled wine, some mugs,
and some cheese, bread, and scraps of cold meat. I afterward learned
that she had begun to prepare this wine some time before, thinking
that I and Blaise and the boys would want it after my return from my
search for Pierre. Knowing Blaise's capacity, she had made ready so
great a quantity.

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