M ET H UEN s S IXPENNY BO OKSA l b an es i . E . M ar laL O VE AND L O U ISA .

I KNOW A M A l lmx .

A nstey, F .

A F R O M BENGAL.

A uste n , J an eP R I M . A N D I ’ lt l’ l b D I OE.

Bagot . R ic h a rd

A R OWA N M YST ERY .

CAS T ING OF N E I S.

DONNA DIANABa l fou r , A nd rewBY STROKE OF S WORD .

Bar i ng - Go u l d . S .

F U RZE BLOOM .

CHEAP J ACK Z I'

l‘

A .

KITTY A LON E .

U R ITH .

TH E B ROOM SQ U I RE.

“

I N T H E ROAR OF TH E S EA .

NoEM L

A BOOK OF FA IRY TA L ES . I llustrated

LI TTLE TU’

PENNY .

WIN EERED .

) ~TH

'

EFfiOBPS’HE'Z}TH E QUEEN

‘ OF V i}.

AR M I NELL.

Barr . R O DGYt

J ENN IE BAXTFIR , J O U RNAL I ST .

IN TH E MID ST OF A LARMS .

TH E COUNTE S S T EKLATH E MUTA B LE M ANY .

Be nson , E . F .

DODO .

TH E V I NTAGE

B l o unde l le - Bu rton , J .

ACRO S S TH E S ALT S EAS .

B ro nte , Ch ar lotteS H IRL EY .

B row ne l l . C . L .

T H E HEA RT OF J APAN .

Caffyn , M rs . ( I o t a )

ANNE M A U I .EV ER ER .

Capes ,B ern ard

TH E LAKE O F W INE.

C l l ffo rd , M rs . W . K .

A FLASH OF S UMM ER .

M R S K E ITH ’ S C R IM ECorb ett , J u l i anA H US INES S IN GREAT WATERS .

Cro c k ett , S . R .

LOCH INVAR.

Cro k e r . M P8 . B . M .

PEGGY OF TH E BARTON S .

A STAT E S ECRET .

A NG EL .

J O HANNA

D ant e , A l igh ieriT H E V IS I O N OF DANT E (CA RY ) .

D oy le , A . Co n anROUN D TH E R ED LAM P

D u n c an , S ara J ean netteA V OYAGE OF CONSOLAT IONTH OS l-J DEL IGHTFUL A M ER LCANS .

E I IO t , Geo rgeTH E M ILL ON TH E F LOSS .

F l n d l at er , J an e H .

T H E G R EEN GRAVES O F BA LGOWR I E

Ga l l o n , To m

R I CKER BY’

S FOLLY .

Gas k e l l , M rs .

CRAN FO R D .

M ARY BARTON .

NORTH AN D SOUTH.

Gerard , D o roth eaHOLY MA

'FH lM ONY .

T H E (JONQUES L‘ OF LON DON.

MADE OF MONEY .

G is s l ng, Geo rgeTH E TOWN TRAV E LLE R.

TH E OR OWN OF L IFE .

G lanv i l le . ErnestTH E I NCA’S TREASURE.

T H E KLOOF B RID E .

G le lg, Ch ar lesBUNTER ’ S CRUISE.

G r im m , T h e B roth ersGR IMM 'S FA IRY TALES . I l lustrated.

H ope , A nth onyA M AN OF MARK .

A CH ANGE OF A IR.

TH E C HRON I CLES OF COUN I‘ ANTON I O .

PH ROSO.

TH E DOLLY D IALOGUES .

H o rn u ng , E . W .

DEAD MEN TELL NO TA LES .

l ngrah am . J . H .

T H E TH RONE OF DAVIDLe Q ueux , W m .

TH E H U NCH BACK O F‘ WESTMI N ST E R

Levett - Yeat S , S . K .

TH E TRA ITOR ’ S WAY.

OR R A I N.

L l n t o n , E . Lyn nTH E T R UE H I ST O RY OF‘ J O S H UA DAV I D

LyaH , Ed n a

DE R R I CK VA UGHA N , NO V EM S T

TH E NO VELS O F A LEXAND R

QUEEN M A RGOT

NEWLY TRANS LATED I§Y

A LF R ED A LL I N S O N

PART I

T H E GREAT MA S S ACR E

METHUEN CO.

36 E S S EX S T R EET W.C.

LONDON

[copi ng/l l : al l rzg/zt: reserved!

LONDON :

INTED BY WI LLI AM CLOWES AYD S ONS , LI M I TED ,

T , S TAM FORD S TREET , S .E. , AND GREAT WINDM I LL S TRE T , W.

INTROD UCT ION

UMAS,who invented so much , claims to have invented the roman -feuil leton .

This he did as early in his career as 1836 . The occasion was the foundingof the journal la Presse, his contribution to i t being the historical romance LaComtesse de S al isbury. The other papers quickly adopted this plan of publishingnovels in instalments , and by 1843 , when Sue

’ s Mysteries of Paris was appearingin the J ournal des D ébats, the populari ty of the system had become immense .Then commenced a great struggle among the rival editors

,a struggle which

resul ted in al l the leading novelists being pressed into the service of the feuil leton.

Dumas wrote The Musketeers, M onte- Crista, and several other romances simultaneously.

On December 3rd, 1844, la Presse, which was owned by Emile de Girardin ,published the first chapter of Balzac ’s novel , The Peasants. To it was prefixed adedication

,which cont ained this sentence : “ During eight years I have a hundred

times quitted , a hundred times resumed this book , the most important of those Ihave resolved to write ."

Three days later the following announcement was inserted : “ La Presse

commenced on Tuesday, December 3rd, the publication of The Peasants, scenesof country life by M . de B alzac . In the course of the month , and immediatelyafter the first part of The Peasants, la Presse will publish la R eine M argot , byM . Alexandre Dumas .

The P easants, in fact , far from being read with interest , had brought to theeditor ’s letter - box expressions of disapproval , nay , even threats to drop subscript ions . And Girardin , afraid to face the dreaded December 3 rst , on which day , itmust be observed , subscriptions for the ensuing year fell due, had had to promisea romance by the author of M onte- Crista, and not on ly this, but to publish beforethe close of the year the first chapter, breaking his contract with Balzac by so

doing.The first instalment of la R eine M argot duly appeared on Christmas Day,

and the bored readers of The Peasants, which had stopped a few days before,seized the paper with joy and renewed their subscriptions .

Emile de Girardin was saved , but Balzac was humiliated , and a crowd ofli tt le men immediately attacked him , ridiculing The Peasants and the fiftycharacters already introduced . Dumas , who possessed a most generous heart ,must have been greatly disturbed by all this , but he had sold the serial rights andwas powerless to interfere . Balzac was no admirer of Dumas

’ work , and at timesspoke of it contemptuously , the fact being that, in B alzac ’s eyes, i ts enormouspopularity was its defect. One day , the two authors having met at an eveningparty given by Madame de Girardin , Balzac , when leaving , said as he passedDumas, “When I can do nothing else , I shal l write some plays .

” “ Begin at oncethen ,

” promptly said the popular dramatist, and no reply occurring to B alzac , hestraightway departed . After Bal zac ’ s death Dumas never wrote of him but inthe highest terms, though he rather naively confessed that he was unable toappreciate all the Comédie H umaine, as Bal zac called his complete works .Was B alzac too angry with Girardin to read la Presse ? No ; we feel that

great was his curiosity to see what “ the Negro , as he cal led Dumas, would makeof the sixteenth century, of Catherine de Medicis and Charles IX ., of QueenM argot and Henri of Navarre . Dumas had been happy in inventing his Countof Monte - Cristo, extraordinarily fortunate in coming across Athos, Porthos , Aramis,and D

’

Artagnan in a forgotten book of memoirs—such luck could not last , thetale of the Massacre of St. Bartholomew was a thrice - told one, his heroine , Margot,was the best - known of any queen , for had not stories innumerable been written ofand round about her ? “What would Dumas be able to do ? ” Balzac must haveasked himself as he read the announcements .I t was soon seen that Dumas had been fortunate once again . He had found

~

V i INTRODUCTION

tn the Memoirs of the time two men whose tragic history , alluded to rather thanrelated

,strangely attracted him . The Wizard of the South read all that he or

Maquet could find concern ing these, and then , closing his books , allowed hisimagi nation to lead him where it pleased . Presently he had ceased to live in thenineteenth century . I t was August 18th , 1 572 , the n ight of the marriage ofMarguerite de Valois and Henri of Navarre ; the clock of Saint Germain - I

’

Auxerrois

has struck midnight , the crowd is surging about the streets adjacent to the brilliantlylighted Louvre

,and with the crowd Dumas imagines himself moving. To Dumas

‘ the il lusion is perfect , and when he takes his pen he immediately communicates i t“to the reader The opening chapters are quickly written , and as quickly is thereader placed in possession of all the history he need know to enjoy the breathlessstory that follows .

Presently Dumas is not content to be a mere witness of what passes ; hebecomes one or even two of the chief characters , and henceforward it is not astory that he is tell ing , but his own adventures—all the characters are real menand women whom he j ests with , quarrels with , loves , admires , execrates , despises ,or kil ls . He knows them al l perfectly, he has assimilated all knowledge necessaryfor his purpose , he rehearses every scene before he puts it on paper, but oncethere be changes nothing , and nothing stops him unti l he reaches the word F inis

Emile de G irardin was not only saved but enriched . Queen -M argot was readby every one in la P resse, and before the concluding chapter was reached it was ,by universal consent, considered one of the best of historical romances . I t was seento be better constructed than The Three M usketeers, and , on the whole , betterwritten , but it was not found to possess the irresistible charm of that immortal book .

Difficult as i t is to lay aside Queen M argot on a first reading, the gentle reader, whenhis eye falls upon it among a number of Dumas ’ books on a subsequent occasion ,may find his recollection of rivers of blood , torture - chambers , poisons , fierce hates andas fierce loves

,too strong ; he may choose one of the others . The force with which

Dumas grips his reader is in fact tremendous ; that he never relaxes it , is at once thecause of his success and of his comparative failure to charm . Nearly every otherof our author’ s most popular books contains a chapter or two which , althoughnecessary to the story , seem to have been developed beyond its actual needs.Every one remembers the visit of the Count of Monte - Cristo to the worker of thetelegraph . The exigencies of the plot required the visit to be made, but much ofthe delicious description of the garden , the dormice , and the peaches is embroidery.One feels that Dumas allowed his imagination the refreshment of resting in thatgarden

,and one rests there too and is thankful . But in Queen M argot there can

be no rest for author or reader—the time was a terrible one , and terrible it mustbe made ; as it was experienced by 1a Mole and Coconnas, so must it be experiencedby the reader.La Mole and Coconnas ! Those were the names of the two men which Dumas

found written in history , and of which he made two heroes after his own kind ofheroes . Had he not discovered them , he would stil l have Written an excellentromance, but wi th two such men to mould and fashion in - his own image he becomesimmense , titanic . I t is the superhuman , elemental force that Dumas possesses ,when genuinely inspired , that places him above al l other romancers and,

makesD . G . Rossetti call him “ the one great and supreme man , the sole descendant b fShakespeare ." High praise this for Balzac ’s Negro ”

I 3.

And The Peasants—what of i t ? Alas ! B alzac , though he worked furtherupon i t at various times , never completed it. After his death his widow did herbest to piece together many fragments , and The Peasants, as i t exists to - day, 1is!herwork as well as his.

La R eine Al argot was published in 1845 by Garnier freres (Paris?in six volumes .

Subsequently Dumas and Maquet dramatised the romance , an the play wasproduced at the Theatre H i storique on February roth , 1847 . After the secondpart of Queen M argot , we shall publ ish The Lady of M onsoreau, in which manyof the characters of the former story reappear. .

CONTENTS

1 TH E D UC DE GU I SE ’ S L AT I N

I I THE Q UEEN O F NAVARRE ’ S B EDCH AM RE I

I I I A POET KI NG

I V TH E E VEN I NG OR TH E TWENTY - FO U RTH O F AU GU ST,1 572

V O E V I RTU E I N GENERAL AN D O F T H E L OUVRE I N PART ICU LAR

V I TH E D E BT PA I D

V I I THE N IGHT OF TH E TW ENTY - FO U RTH O F A U GU ST,1 572

VI I I TH E V ICT IMS

TH E A S SAS S I N S

X D EATH , MAS S , OR B AST ILLE

XI THE M I RACU LOUS HAWTH ORN I N TH E CEMETE RY OF TH E H OLY

I NNOCE NT S

X I I M UTUAL CON F IDE N CE S

XI I I KEYS M AY SOMET IMES OPEN D OORS FOR WH ICH THEY WERE

NEVER I NTENDED

XI V S ECON D N IGHT AFTER TH E W EDD I NG

XV W HAT W OMAN W ILL S , GOD W I LLS

A D EAD E NEMY H As AYE A PLEASANT S AVOUR

XVI I A R IVAL To MASTER AMB RO I SE PARE

XVI I I RE SU RRECT I ON

X IX MASTER RENE , PER FUME R To TH E QU EEN - MOTHER

XX TH E TWO B LACK HEN S .

XXI I N MADAME DE S AUV E ’

s APARTME NT S

XXII “ S I RE , YOU W ILL B E KI NG

XXI I I A CONVERT

XXIV TH E RU E TIZON AN D TH E R U E CLOCH EPER CEE

XXV TH E RED CLOAK

XXVI MARGAR ITA

XXVI I TH E H AND OF GOD

XXVI I I THE L ETTER FROM ROME

XXIX HARKAWAY I

XXX M AUREV EL

XXXI THE B OAR H UNT

QUEEN M A RGOT

CHAPTER I

THE DUC DE GU I SE ’S LAT I N

N Monday , the 18th of August,

1 572 , there were great doings atthe Louvre the windows of the ancientRoyal Palace , usually so gloomy, werebril liantly il luminated the neighbouringsquares and streets , generally so desertedso soon as the clock of Saint - Germainl’

Auxerrois had struck nine,were this

evening thronged with people, al thoughit was now midnight . This menacing

,

pushing , clamorous crowd resembledsome dark and angry sea with its roaringwaves ; this surging tide of humani typouring out over the quay and overflowing the Rue des Fossés - Saint - Germainand the Rue de l ’Astruce

,beat against

the walls of the Louvre and ebbed backagainst the base of the H Otel de Bourbon

,

which rose opposite to the Palace . Inspite of the Royal fete , or , rather, perhapsbecause of i t, the attitude of the populacewas somewhat threatening , since it didnotsuspect that this solemnity, at which it wasacting the part of an uninvited Spectator

,

was but the prelude to another entertainment postponed to a week later, to whichit wouldbe invited , and at which i t woulddelight itself to its heart’ s content .The Court was engaged in celebratingthe marriage of Marguerite de Valois

,

daughter of King Henri I I . and sister ofKing Charles IX .,with Henri de B ourbon ,King of Navarre . In point of fact

,the

Cardinal de B ourbon had that samemorning united the bride and bridegroom

,

with the ceremonial customary at theweddings of Princesses of France , upona stage erected at the porch of NotreDame.This marriage had amazed everybody

,

and had given much food for reflectionto sundry who were more clear - sighted

than the rest . This drawing togt thcr

between two factions so antagomst Ic aswere the Protestant and Catholic part IeSat the present moment , was not easy tounderstand ; people wondered how the

youngPrince de Condé could forgive theDuc d’

Anjou, the King’s brother, for

the death of his father , who had beenmurdered at Jarnac by Montesquiou .

They asked how the young Duc de Guisecould pardon Admiral de Coligny for thedeath of his own father , who had beenassassinated at Orlean s by Poltrot deMere. More than this : Jeanne deNavarre

,the courageous wife of the

weak Antoine de Bourbon , who hadbrought her son Henri to Paris in orderto settle the terms of the Royal alliance ,had died barely two months ago , andsingular rumours were abroad respectingher sudden decease . Everywhere i t waswhispered , and sometimes even assertedopenly , that she had discovered someterrible secret , and that Catherine de

’

Medici,fearing the revelation of this

secret,had poisoned her with some per

fumed gloves,prepared by one R éné , a

Florentine , who was an expert in mattersof this nature. Additional confirmationhad been given to this report by the factthat, after the death of this great queen ,two physicians, one of whom was thecelebrated Ambroise Pare, had beeninstructed

,at the request of her two

sons,to open and examine the body , with

the exception of the brain . Now , as

Jeanne de Navarre had been poisoned bythe perfume

,i t was the brain , the only

part of the body excluded from the

autopsy,and the brain alone , which could

furnish proof of the crime . We saycrime advisedly , for none doubted that acrime had been perpetrated .Nor was this all . King Charles , inparticular , had shown a persistenceamounting to obstinacy in bringing about

2 QUEEN MARGOT

this marriage, which would not merelyrestore peace to his realm , but wouldlikewise attract to Paris all the leadersof the Huguenot faction . Inasmuch asone of the two parties to the marriagebelonged to the Catholic , and the otherto the Reformed Religion , it had beennecessary to apply for a dispensation toGregory XI I I .

,who at that time occupiedthe Papal throne . The dispensation wasslow in coming , and this delay had causedgreat anxiety to the late Queen of

Navarre , who one day expressed toCharles IX . her fears that i t would not

arrive at al l, to which the King hadrepliedDo not be uneasy , my good aunt ; I

honour you more than I do the Pope ,and I love my sister more than I fearhim . I am not a Huguenot , but nei theram I a fool , and , shou ld the Pope proveunmanageable , I will myself take Margotby the hand and give her in marriage toyour son before the whole Church .

”

This speech had spread from theLouvre through the ci ty , and , whilecausing great rejoicing to the Huguenots ,had given much food for thought to theCatholics , who inquired of one anotherin undertones whether the King was

really betraying them , or whether he wasnot rather playing some comedy whichwould result some fine day In an unexpectedde

’

noiiement .Especially inexplicable did the conduct

of Charles IX . appear to Admiral deColigny

,who for five or six years had

maintained a determined struggle againstthe King . After having set a price uponhis head of one hundred and fiftythousand gold crowns, Charles nowswore by him alone , styling him his“ father,

" and declaring openly that hewould henceforth confide the conduct ofthe War to none but the Admiral . Sofar did he go , indeed , that Catherine de

’

Medici , who had hitherto controlled theactions and even the wishes and desiresof the young Prince , began to growseriously uneasy , and not without go odreason , for Charles , in a moment of

effusion , when speaking Of the War inFlanders , had remarked to the AdmiralMy father, there is one thing in this

matter of which we must be very careful,

and that is , that the Queen Mother, who ,as you know , l ikes to have her finger inevery pie, should know nothing of thisenterprism we must keep the affair so

secret that she does not get the sligh testinkling of it, for, mischief - maker as Iknow her to be , she would ruin thewhole concern .

Well , Coligny , wise and experiencedas he was , had been unable to hold histongue about the secret the King hadentrusted to him in such strict confidence ; and although he had arrived inParis ful l of suspicions , although at hisdeparture from Chatil lon a peasantwoman had thrown herself at his feet

,

exclaiming Oh ! sir, our good master ,do not go to Paris, for i f you do, youwill perish , you and all who go withyou —yet these suspicions had graduallyfaded from his breast, and from that ofTé ligny, his son- in - law, towards whomalso the King professed a . great friendship , styling him brother as he styledthe Admiral “ father , and conversingwith him on as familiar terms as he didwith his most intimate and part Icular

friends .Accordingly the Huguenots , with theexception of some of the more gloomyand distrustful spirits , were completelyreassured the Queen of Navarre ’s deathwas set down as having been caused bypleurisy , and the vast saloons of theLouvre were thronged by all the worthyProtestants to whom the marriage of

their young chief Henri promised analtogether unhoped - forchange of fortune .Admiral de Coligny , La Rochefoucau ld ,the young Prince de Condé , Té ligny, allthe leaders of the Party, in Short

,

triumphed at seeing all - powerful at theLouvre , and so welcome in Paris , thosevery persons whom three months previously King Charles and QueenCatherine would fain have hanged on

gallows higher than those of murderers .The Marshal de Montmorency alonewas missing from this i l lustriousfraternity . Incapable either of beingseduced by promises , or deceived byappearances , he had remained in retirement at his Castle of I sle - Adam , allegingas excuse for his absence the griefwhich he stil l fel t at the death of h is

father, who had been slain by a pistolshot at the battle of Saint - Denis , byRobert Stuart. But as this event hadhappened more than three years back ,and as depth of feeling was a virtuequite out of fashion at this period , hehad not won the credi t which he wou ldhave Wished to gain for this mourning ,

QUEEN MARGOT 3

so inordinately prolonged . Everythingbesides seemed to decide against theMarshal de Montmorency ; the King ,the Queen , the D ue d

’

Anjou, and theDuc d’

A lenqon,were wonderfully graciousto everyone at the royal reception .

The Duc d'

Anjou received from theHuguenots themselves well - earned com

pliments in respect to the two battles of

Lamac and Moncontour, victories gainedy him before he had attained the age ofeighteen , eclipsing by this precocity bothCaesar and Alexander, to whom theycompared him , maintaining , of course ,his decided superiority over thevictors of I ssus and Pharsalia ; the D ued

’

A lencon l istened to these complimentswith a fawning , yet insincere expression ;Queen Catherine beamed with delight ,and , with an ai r of utmost graciousness ,congratulated Prince Henri de Condé onhis recent marriage with Marie deCleves ; lastly , the Messieurs de Guisethemselves smiled upon the formidableenemies of their house, while the Ducde Mayenne discoursed with MonsieurTavannes and the Admiral about thecoming war , which it was now morethan ever a question of declaring againstPhilip I I .Amid these groups there passed backwards and forwards, with head slightlyinclined and ears open to all topics ofconversation , a young man of nineteen ,with keen eyes, black hair cut extremelyshort , bushy eyebrows, nose curved likean eagle ’s beak , an artful smile , andbeard and moustache - j ust sprouting .

This young man , who had done nothingto distinguish himself until the battle ofArnay - le- Duc , where he had risked hislife with much gallantry , and who wasnow receiving numerous complimentsthereon , was the much - loved pupil ofColigny and the hero of the day. Threemonths ago , that is to say , while hismother was sti l l al ive , he had beenstyled the Prince de B éarn ; now hist itle was King ofNavarre

,until the time

came for him to be called Henri IV .

Occasionally a dark cloud would passswiftly over his brow ; he was doubtlessrecalling the fact that it was less thantwo months since his mother’ s death

,

and he , more strongly than anybody ,suspected that she had been poisoned .

But the cloud was a passing one, anddIsappeared like a floating shadow ; forthose who were congratulating him and

earth until the last of theshould be exterminated . I t was nor, therefore , without profound astonishment that .

this Prince , usually so faith ful to hisword , was seen to offer his hand to those! :

whom he had sworn to regard as eternal;foes, and chatting familiarly with the !

son - ih - law of the very man whose death 1

he had promised his dying father that hewould compass .

rubbing Shoulders with him were thevery men who had assassinated thecourageous j eanne d

’

Albret .

At a short distance from the King ofNavarre , and almost as pensive andanxious as the latter affected to be gayand frank , the young D ue de Guise waschatting with T é ligny. More fortunatethan the B éarnaIs, at the age of

two and twenty his reputation hadalmost equalled that of his father , thegreat Francois de Guise . A noblemanof handsome appearance, tall stature ,proud and haughty mien , he was endowedwith that natural majesty which caused

f

men to say that,when he passed by , the

other Princes appeared but as common ~

place people in comparison with him .

Young as he was , the Catholics saw in ,

him the leader of their party , j ust as theHuguenots saw their leader in t he young ‘

Henri de Navarre,whose appearance we

have just depicted . At an earlier datehe had borne the title of Prince de j oinville, and had made his de

'

but at the"

siege of Orleans, under the command ofhis father, who had died in his arms,pointing out to him Admiral Coligny ashis slayer. Whereupon the young Duke,like Hannibal , had sworn a solemn oath

“

that he would be revenged for his father’9death upon the Ad mi ral and his family ,and that he would hunt the Protestantsdown without rest or truce, vowing to

God to be His Destroying Angel uponHeretics

But, as we have said , this was an evening of surprises .In point of fact , had he posessed that

'

knowledge of the future which is happi lylacking to men , together with that powerof reading the heart which unhappily belongs to God alone ,observer who might have been allowedto take part in this reception would certainly have enjoyed one of the mostcurious spectaclesannals of the mournful comedy of humanafi

'

airs.

the privileged

furnished by the

But this imaginary observer, who had

Q UEEN MARGOT

10 place in the inner corridors of theLouvre, continued to gaze in the streetwi th his fierce eyes, and to growl withhis menacing voice ; this observer was ,in fact, the populace , which , with its marvellons instinct sharpened by hatred ,followed from a distance the shadows ofits implacable enemies , and translated itsimpressions into words as frankly as aninquisit ive person in front of the windowsof a ball - room hermetically closed cando . The music intoxicates the dancer ashe moves to its melodious rhythm , whilethe curious spectator, seeing nothing butthe movement, and not hearing themusic , laughs at the apparently objectless gestures of the puppets .The music which intoxicated theHuguenots was the voice of their pride.The flames which danced in the eyes

of the Parisians were the l ightningflashes of their hatred shedding theirlurid light upon the future .Within the Palace , however, everything wore a smiling face ; nay , at thisvery moment a murmur more sweet andflattering than any that had preceded itwas circulating through the Louvre , tothe effect that the young bride , havinglaid aside her cloak of state and her longwedding - veil , had j ust returned to theball - room , accompanied by the beautifulDuchesse de Nevers

,her bosom friend ,

and escorted by her brother , Charles IX . ,

who was presenting to her the chief Ofhis guests .This bride was the daughter of HenriI I ., the pearl of the crown of France ,Margueritede Valois ,whom King CharlesIX .

, in his tender affection for her, neveraddressed but as Sister Margot.”

Certainly no reception , ofhowever flattering a nature , was ever more deservedthan that which was at th is momentbeing accorded to the new Queen of

Navarre . Marguerite had scarcelyreached her twentieth year , yet she wasalready the obj ect of the encomiums of allthe poets , some of whom compared herwith Aurora , others with Venus . Shewas, in truth , the peerless beauty of thatCourt , where Catherine de

’ Medici hadassembled , to play the part of her Si rens ,all the loveliest women she could find .

Marguerite had dark hai r , a brill ian tcomplexion , a voluptuous eye , veiled bydark lashes , a well cut and rosy mouth ,a graceful neck , a ful l and supple bust ,and

, lost in i ts satin slipper , the foot o f a

child . The French , to whom she be

longed , were proud to see so magnificenta flower blossom on their soil , whileforeigners passing through France re

turned from it dazzled by her beauty , ifthey had merely seen her ; amazed ather learning , i f they had conversed withher. Marguerite was not only the mostbeautiful , but also the best - read womanof her time , and people quoted the sayingof an I talian scholar who had been presented to her , and who , after talking withher for an hour in I talian , Span ish ,Greek , and Latin , had left her presencewith the enthusiastic remark To seethe Court without seeing Marguerite deValois is to see neither the Court norFrance itself."

Accordingly , there was no lack of

speeches made to King Charles IX . andto the Queen of Navarre the Huguenots ,as we know , were great at speeches .Many allusions to the past , many re

quests for the future, were adroitly conveyed to the King amid these orations ;but to all these allusions he replied withhis pale lips and crafty smileIn giving my sister Margot to Henri

de Navarre , I give my sister to al l theProtestants in the Kingdom.

This saying , while reassuring some ,made others smile, for it contained inreality two meanings : the one paternal

,

with which Charles IX . in all good conscience was unwilling to over - burden hismind ; the other , ofl

'

ensive to the bride,to her husband , and also to himself, sinceit recalled certain grave scandals wi thwhich the Court Chronicle had alreadyfound means to smirch the nuptial robeof Marguerite de Valois.However

,M . de Guise was chatting ,

as we have said , with T é ligny ; but hewas not so absorbed in the conversationas to prevent him from occasional lyturning to bestow a glance on the groupof ladies

,in the centre of which shone the

Queen of Navarre . I f at such momentsthe Queen ’s glance encountered that ofthe young Duke , a cloud seemed todarken that charming brow , on whichthe diamond stars formed a dancing halo

,

and some vague , half - formed purposemanifested itsel f in her impatien t anduneasy attitude .The Princess Claude , Marguerite

’seldes t sister , who had been now for someyears married to the Duc de Lorraine ,had noticed this uneasiness , and was

QUEEN

approaching her to ask the cause of it ,when , owing to the retirement of thewhole assembly before the Queenmother , who advanced , leaning on thearm of the young Prince de Condé , thePrincess found hersel f separated by somedistance from her sister. A generalmovement then occurred , of t ch theDuc de Guise availed himself to approachMadame de Nevers , his sister - ino law, and ,consequently , Marguerite

’s also . Madamede Lorraine , who had not taken her eyesoff the young Queen , then saw, insteadof the cloud which she had noticed on herbrow, a deep blush overspread her cheeks .The Duke , however, was stil l advancing ,andwhen he arrived W ithin two paces ofher, Marguerite , who seemed to feelrather than see his approach , turnedround with a violent effort to composeher features into indifference ; thereuponthe Duke bowed respectful ly before her ,and murmured sot to voce

Ipse at tul i.Which meant to say“I have brought him,

or , have broughtmyself.

”

Marguerite returned the young Duke ’ sbow , and , as she lifted her head again ,let fal l this rep ly :

Noctupro more.

Which S IgnifiedTo - night as usual .These softly - spoken words, swallowedup as in a speaking - trumpet by thePrincess ’s enormous starched collar, wereheard only by the person to whom theywere addressed but short as the dialoguehad been , it doubtless embraced all thatthe two young people had to say to eachother, for after exchanging these fivewords they separated , Marguerite with alook more dreamy than ever, and theDuke with an expression more radiantthan before they had met . This littlescene had occurred without the man whowas the most interested in it havingappeared to take the slightest notice ofit , for the King of Navarre, on his side,had eyes but for one person , aroundwhom was gathered a court almost asnumerous as that of Marguerite deValois ; this person was the beauti fulMadame de Sauve .Charlotte de Beaune - Semblancay ,grand - daughter of the unfortunate Semblanoay and wife of Simon de Fizes ,B aron de Sauve , was one of the ladies ofthe bedchamber to Catherine de’ Medici

,

MARGOT

and one of the most formidable auxiliariesof that Queen , who poured upon herenemies the philtre of love when shedared not employ the Florentine poisonagainst them ; smal l , j ai r, by turnssparkling with vivacity or languish ingwith me lancholy, ever) ready for loveand for in trigue , the two principal subjects which for the last fi fty years hadoccupied the Courts of three kings insuccession ; awoman in the ful l acceptation of the word and in all i ts charm ,

from the blue eyes which languished orblazed with fire down to the tiny feetbent rebelliously into their velvet slippers

,

Madame de Sauve had already for severalmonths entirely captivated the King ofNavarre , who was then making his debutin the career of love , as in that of politics .So much so that Marguerite de Navarre

,

with her splendid and regal beauty,had

not even moved her husband ’s heart toadmiration ; and , what was strange andsurprising to everybody , even on the partof that lover of darkness and mystery

,

the Queen - Mother, was that Catherinede Medici , while pursuing her scheme ofalliance between her daughter and theKing of Navarre, had not ceased tocountenance almost openly the intimacybetween the latter and Madame de Sauve .But , spite of this powerful aid and ofthe easy - going morals of the time

,the

fair Charlotte had hitherto resisted hisadvances ; and this resistance , so unexpected, so incredible, and so unheard - oi ,even more than her wit and beauty

,had

inflamed the heart of the Béarnais witha passion which , unable to find satisfaction , had fal len back upon itsel f and haddevoured in the young Monarch ’s heartthe timidity , the pride , and even theindifference , half philosophical , hal f idle ,which lay at the bottom of his character.Madame de Sauve had only enteredthe bal l - room a few minutes earlier .Whether from spite or from annoyance ,she had at first determined not to be awitness of her rival ’s triumph , and ,alleging indisposition as an excuse , hadallowed her husband , for five years one ofthe Secretaries of State , to come alone tothe Louvre . Catherine de ’ Medici , however

,on seeing theBaron wi thout hiswife,

had inquired the reason which kept herbeloved Charlotte away, and on hearingthat the indisposition was but sl ight,wrote a few lines requesting her presence,and wi th this request the young woman

6 QUEEN MARGOT

hadhastened to comply Henri , though atfirst q uI te woe - begone at her absence

,

had nevertheless breathed more freely onseeing M de Sauve enter by himself ;but at the moment when , having ceasedto expect her appearance , he moved off

with a sigh towards the lovely creaturewhom he was condemned , i f not to love ,at least to treat as his wife , he had seenMadame de Sauve emerging from theend of a corridor, and had remainedrooted to the spot with his eyes fixed on

this Circe , who enchained him to herselfas though with a magic bond

,and instead

of continuing his progress towards hiswife, with a movement of hesitationcaused far more by surprise than byalarm , he advanced towards Madame deSauveThe courti ers , for their part seeing thatthe King of Navarre , the condition ofwhose heart they already knew , wasmaking towards his fair Charlotte , hadnot the courage to prevent t heir meeting,but complacently made way, so that atthe same moment when Marguerite deValois and M . de Guise were exchangingthe

'

few words in Lat in which we havereported , Henri , who had now reachedMadame de Sauve, entered upon a muchless mysterious conversation with her inquite intel ligible French , though markedwith something of a Gascon accent .Ah my sweet said he , here you

are , come back , j ust as they were tel lingme that you were il l , and I had lost allhope of seeing you .

Would your Majesty pretend to makeme believe , answered Madame de Sauve ,“ that it cost you much to abandon thathope ? ”

Zounds ! I should think so , an

swered the Béarnais “ do you not knowthat you are my sun by day and my starby night ? Truly I thought mysel fplunged in the blackest darkness, whenyou appeared j ust now and of a suddenl I t up the world for me .”

“ Then I am doing you a bad turn ,Monseigneur."

H ow mean you ,Henri .I mean that , being lord of the fairest

woman in France , your sole desireshould be for the ligh t to give place todarkness

,since it i s the darkness which

brings us happiness .

sweet asked

full well , and she laughs at her poorHenri , and makes him her Spor t

Oh repl ied the Baronne , I shou ldhave thought for my part that , on the

contrary , I t was she who is the playthingand the laughing - stock of the K ing ofNavarre .

”

Henri was alarmed at her hosti leattitude . He reflected , however , thati t betokened pique , and that pique is butthe mask which concea ls love .

“ Truly, dear Charlotte ,” said he ,

“ you reproach me unj ustly, and I donot understand how so sweet a mouthcan be at the same time so c uel . D o

you imagine , then , i t was I who b roughtabout my marriage ? By the Lord !No , i t was not my doing .

Perhaps i t was mine ! replied theB aronne

,harshly, i f the voice of the

woman who loves you , and who reproachesyou with not loving her, can ever appearharsh .

“ Have you not seen farther withthose lovely eyes of yours , Baronne ?No

,no, i t is not Henri de Navarre who

weds Marguerite de Valois .And who , then PZounds it is the Reformed Religion

that is marrying the Pope , and nothingmore .

“ Nay,not so , Monseigneur , nor do I

understand your j ests : your Ma jestyloves the Lady Marguerite , and God

forbid I should reproach you for i t ; shei s beauti ful enough to be loved .

”

H enri reflected for an instant, andwhile he reflected , a smile . compressedthe corners of his l ips .Baronne

,said he , “ you are trying

to pick a quarrel with me , I fancy , andyet you have no right to do so ; whathave you done , I ask you , to preventme from marrying the Lady MargueriteNothing at all ; on the contrary , youhave always forbidden me to hope .”

“ And I was quite right in so doing ,M onseigneur l

” replied Madame deSauve .

H ow so

Certainly,since tod ay you have

wedded another.”“ Ah I have wedded her because youdo not love me .”

“ Had I loved you , si re , I must havedied within an hour !

“Within an hour ! H ow mean you ,That happiness

,cruel creature , l ies and ofwhat would you have died ?

in the hands of one alone , as you know O f j ealousy for within an hour

QUEEN MARGO'

I‘

I s that really and truly the thoughtwhich troubles you , my sweet ?I do not say that . I said that , if I

loved you , the thought would trouble mehorrib ly .

”

“ Well ! exclaimed Henri , overwhelmed with joy at hearing thisavowal

,the fi rst he had received

“ suppose the KIngof Navarre were notto dismiss his gentlemen to - night ?

“ Sire,

” said Madame de Sauve , re

garding the King with an astonishmentwhich this time was not assumed , you

talk of what is impossible, nay more ,incredible .”

What must I do to make you

beheve it ?“ You must give me the proof of i t ,and that proof you cannot give .”

“ Yes , Baronne , yes ; by St . Henri !I will give i t you , I will cried the King ,devouring the girl wi t h a burning lookof love.

Oh , your Majesty ! murmured thefair Charlotte, lowering her voice andher eyes. I do not understand.No , no ! i t is impossible that you shouldavoid the happiness awai tingyou .

"

There are four Henris in this room ,

my adored replied the King Henriof France, Henri of Condé , Henri ofGuise , but only one Henri of Navarre .

”

WellWell ! i f you have this Henri of

Navarre near you all thi s nightAll this nigh t ?Yes ; Wi ll you then feel certain that

he is with no other lady ?Ah if youdo that , sire exclaimed

Madame de Sauve .I will do i t, on the honour of a

gentleman .

Madame de Sauve raised her largeeyes moist with voluptuous promise

,and

smiled at the King , whose heart waselated with joy.

“ Come, replied Henri , “ what wouldyou say in that case ?

“ Oh ! in that case , answered Charlotte , “ I should say that your Majestyloved me really and truly.

Zounds ! then you shal l say i t,B aronne , for so it is .But how are we to act ? murmured

Madame de Sauve .Great heavens ! Baronne, you surely

have some waiting - woman about you ,some follower, some girl on whom you

can dependOh ! I have Dariole , a regular

treasure ; she is so devoted to me thatshe would lay down her life for mysake) ’

Zounds ! B aronne , tel l that girl thatI wil l make her fortune when I am Kingof France , as the astrologers predict Iam to be ."

Charlotte smiled , for the Gasconreputation of Henri in regard to hispromises was already well established .

Well ! She said , “ what do youwant Dariole to doNothing much for her, but every

thing for me“ Go on ? "

Your apartment is above mineYes .”

Let her wait behind the door. I willknock gently thrice ; she must open thedoor, and then you shall have the proofwhich I have offered you .

Madame de Sauve maintained asilence that lasted a few moments ; then ,looking round as though to ensure thather words would not be overheard , she

glanced for an instant at the group wherethe, Queen -mother was standing ; butthough only for an instant, i t was sufficient to enable Catherine and her lady ofthe bed - chamber to exchange glances .

“ Oh if I wished to catch yourMajesty in an untruth ,

” said Madame deSauve , in siren tones that wou ld havemelted the wax in Ulysses ’s earsTry me , my sweet, tryAh ! I confess that I am struggling

against the desire to do so .

“ Let yourself be conquered ; womenare never so strong as after their defeat .”

Sire , I hold you to your promise forDariole on the day that you are King ofFrance."

Henri uttered an exclamationof joy.I t was at the very moment that thisexclamation left his l ips that the Queenof Navarre replied to the Duc de Guise :

Noctupromore To - night, as usual .Upon which Henri left the side ofMadame Sauve with a delight equal tothat felt by the Duc de Guise as he leftthe side of Marguerite de Val ois .An hour after this two - fold incident ,which we have j ust related , King Charlesand the Queen - mother withdrew to thei rown apartments . Almost immediately

8 QUEEN

the rooms began to empty , and the basesof the marble co lumns in the corridorsbecame once more visible . The Admiraland the Prince de Condé were escortedhome by four hundred Huguenot gentlemen through the crowds which hootedthem as they passed . Presently Henride Gui se , accompanied by the Lorrainenoblemen and the Cathol ics , came out intheir turn andwere greeted by the popalace with shouts of joy and applause .As for Marguerite de Valois, Henri deNavarre , and Madame de Sauve, theywere lodged , as we know, in the Louvreitsel f.

CHAPTER I I

THE Q U EEN OF NAVARRE ’ S B EDCH AMBER

HE Duc de Guise escorted his

sister - in - law , the Duchesse deher house , wh ich was in

the Rue du Chaume , opposite t o the Ruede B rac , and after handing her over toher women , passed to his own apartments in order to Change his costume fora cloak suited to the night , and to armhimsel f with one of those short

,sharp

daggers which were nick - named “ Onthe word of a gentleman

,

" and werecarried without a sword ; but on taking itfrom the table on which he had laid i t

,he

perceived a smal l note wedged betweenthe blade and the sheath .

Opening this , he read as followsI earnestly hope that M . de Guise

wil l net return to the Louvre to - night,or

,

i f he does , that he will at least take theprecaution to arm himself with a goodcoat - oi - mail an d sword .

”

“ Aha ! ” said the Duke, turning to

wards his valet - de - chambre , “ here is acurious warning , Master Robin . Now begood enough to tel l me who are the persons who have go t in here during myabsence .

One person only , Monseigneur.And who is heM . du Gast .Ah ! j ust so : I rather fancied I re

cognised the hand . And you are surethat Du Gast came ? You saw him ?I did more , Monseigneur , I talked

w ith him .

MARGOT

Good ; then I wil l fol low his advice.My coat - of- mail and my sword .

”

The valet de chambre, well accustomedto these changes of costume , broughtthem both . The Duke thereupon put onhis j acket, composed of chains of mail sopliable that the texture of the steel washardly thicker than velvet ; next he drewon his long hose , and a doublet of greyand silver , his favourite colours , highboots , which came up to the middle of

his thighs , placing on his head a cap ofblack velvet , without either plume orjewels ,wrapped himself in a dark - Colouredcloak , fastened a dagger in his girdle , andplacing his sword in the hands of a page ,the sole escort that he desired to accompany him, took the road for the Louvre .

j ust as he crossed the threshold of hishouse the watchman at St . Germainl’

Auxerrois announced the hour of one inthe morning .

Though the night was so far advanced ,and the streets at this period far fromsafe, our adventurous Prince met with noaccident by the way , and arrived safeand sound in front of the huge mass ofthe

‘

ancient Louvre , all the lights ofwhichhad gradually been extinguished , andwhich loomed out darkly in the silence ofnight .In front of the Royal Palace extended a deep moat which was overlooked by most of the rooms of the princeswho were lodged in the Palace. Marguerite’ s apartments were situated on thefirst floor.B ut this fi rst floor , which would havebeen accessible had there been no moat ,was

,owing to its existence , raised about

thirty feet above the ground , and cousequently beyond the reach of lovers orburglars , although this fact did not deterthe Duke from descending resolutely intothe di tch .

At the same moment was heard thesound of a window on the ground - floor

being opened . This window was guardedby bars ; but a hand appeared , removedone of these bars which had been loosenedbeforehand

,and through this opening let

down a thread of silk .

I s i t you , Gillonne asked the Dukein a low tone .

“ Yes ,Monseigneur, replied a woman’

s

voice in a lower tone still .“ And Margueri te PShe is waiting foryou.

Good .

”

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

f o QUEEN MARGOT

because this letter is as dangerous to youas to herselfThey are al l yours , said the Duke ;select the one which you wish todestroy .

Marguerite searched the opened casketeagerly

,and with a trembling hand took

up, one after another , some dozen letters ,

contenting herself with merely looking attheir addresses

, as though this of itsel fwould recal l to her memory the contentsof the letters ; but after going throughthem all

, she looked at the Duke andsaid

,turning very pale the while

“ Nay, sir, the one I am looking for is

not there ; you haven’ t lost it by any

chance,for as to handing it over

“ Which letter are you looking for,MadameThe one in which I told you to get

married without delay.“ In order to excuse your unfaithfulness Marguerite shrugged her shoulders .

“ No,but to save your life . The

letter in which I told you that the K ing ,perceiving our mutual love , and theefforts I was making to break off yourunion with the I nfanta of Portugal , hadsummoned his brother , the B astard ofAngouleme, and, showing him two swords ,had said to him :

‘ Slay Henri de Guisewith this sword to night , or I will kil lhim with the other to - morrow.

’ Whereis that letter ?

Here,

” said the D uc de Guise , drawing it from his breast .Marguerite almost tore it from his

hands,opened it eagerly , assured herself

that it was the one she was in search of,uttered an exclamation of joy, and thrustit in to the candle . The flame im

mediately caught it and consumed it ,but Marguerite , as though fearing thateven its ashes might convey information ,crushed the charred remains beneath herfoot .The Duc de Guise had fol lowed with

his eyes the restless actions of hismistress .Well ! Margueri te , said he when she

had finished,are you satisfied now ?

“Yes ; for now that you have marriedthe Princesse de Porcian, my brother wil lforgive you for loving me ; while hewould not have forgiven me for revealingsuch a secret which , in my weakness foryou

,I should not have had the strength

to conceal from you.

”

True,said the Duke ; “ at that time

you loved me ."

And I love you st I ll Henri,as much

as , nay more than ever.Do you ?

“ Yes , I do ; for never more than to - daydid I need a true and devoted friend . Aqueen , I have no throne ; a woman , Ihave no husband .

”

The young Prince shook his headsadly.

But when I tell you , Henri , when Irepeat that my husband not only does notlove me , but that he hates and despisesme ; besides, I think the mere fact ofyour presence in the room where heought to be is good proof of this hatredand contempt .I t is still early, Madame , and the

King of Navarre has required time todismiss his gentlemen ; i f he has notcome yet, he will not be long in doing so.

”

And I tell you that he will not come,

cried Marguerite with increasing vexation .

Madame , said Gillonne, opening thedoor and raising the curtain

,

“ The Kingof Navarre is coming from his rooms .”

Oh I knew very well that he wouldcome exclaimed the Duc de Guise.

“ Henri ,” said Marguerite , in a peremp

tory tone, and seizing the Duke by thehand, you shall see i f I am a woman ofmyword , and if you can depend on mewhen I have once given a promise .Henri , go into that closet .

”

Madame , let me go away if there beyet time , for reflect that at the first signof affection he gives you , I come out ofthat closet, and then woe betide himYou are mad ! go in,go in , I tel l you ;

I will answer for everythtng.

”

And she pushed the Duke into thecloset .She was j ust in time . Scarcely hadthe door closed on the Duke, when theKing of Navarre, escorted by two pagesbearing eight wax candles in two candelabra, appeared smiling on the thresholdof the chamber.Marguerite concealed her uneasinessby making a profound reverence .You have not yet retired to bed

,

Madame ? " asked the B éarnais with afrank expression of pleasure on hiscountenance ; were you by chance expectingme ?No , sir,

” answered Marguerite,“ since

you told me but yesterday that you knewquite well that our marriage was apoli tical union , and that you would

QUEEN MARGOT

never force me to submit to yourembraces .”

Wel l and good ; but that is no reasonwhy we should no t converse together fora little while . Shut the door , Gil lonne,and leave us .Marguerite , who had sat down , roseand extended her hand as if to order thepages to remain .

Must I cal l your women ? asked theKing .

“ I wi l l do so if you insist uponi t

,though I must confess that , in view of

what I have to say to you , I shouldprefer that we were alone .And the King of Navarre stepped towards the closet .No ,

” cried Margaret , throwing herself impetuously in front of him ; “

no ,

i t is unnecessary , and I am ready tolisten to you.

The Béarnais had discovered what hewished to learn ; he threw a swift andsearching glance towards the closet , asthough desirous , in spite of the curtainwhich concealed i t, to penetrate i ts darkrecesses ; then , fixing his eyes upon hiswife , who was now pale with alarm

I n that case , Madame , said he , in aperfectly calm tone, let us have a littletalk together.”

“ As your Majesty pleases , said Marguerite , sinking rather than sitting downupon the chair indicated by her husbandThe Béarnais sat down beside her.Madame ,

” he continued , our marriage, whatever people may say of i t, i s ,I think , a good marriage . I am entirelyyours and you are mine .

”

But said Marguerite,in terror .

Consequently ,” the King went on,

without appearing to notice her hesitation , “ we ought to treat one another asgood allies since we have to - day swornalliance to each other before God . I snot that your opinionCertainly it is .”

I know , Madame , the greatness ofyour penetration I know

,also

,how the

ground of this Court is strewn withdangerous pitfalls ; well , I am young ,and , although I have never inj uredanybody, I have plenty of enemies . Int ch camp , Madame , am I to reckonher who bears my name

,and who has

sworn at the altar to love meOh , sir, could you imagineI Imagine nothing , Madame ; I hope ,

and I should like to be assured that myhope is well founded . I t is certain that

a"

I I

ourmarriage is either merely a pretext ora t rap .

”

Marguerite started , for the same ideahad possibly occurred to her mind .

Now , which O f the two i s it ? con

tinned Henri de Navarre . “ The Kinghates me , the Dukes of Anjou andAlencon hate me , Catherine de

' Medicihated my mother too much no t to hateme also .

Oh sir, what are you sayingThe truth

,Madame, rep l ied the

King,

“ and I shou ld wish that therewere someone here to hear my words , sothat I might not be thought to be thedupe of those who assassinated M . deMouy and poisoned my mother .”

“ But , sir,” said Marguerite , quickly ,

with the most calm and smiling expression she could command , “ you knowthere i s nobody here but we two .

”

That is j ust why I am speaking withsuch freedom , and why I dare to tell youthat I am not deceived either by the

blandishments of the French Court or

by those of the house of Lorraine .”

Sir ! sir ! cried Marguerite .Well ,what is the matter, sweet one

asked Henri,smiling in his turn .

The matter is, sir, that such speechesare very dangerous .”

“Not when we are quite alone,

replied the King . Wel l , I was tellingyouMarguerite was evidently sufferingtortures ; she would fain have arrestedthe words upon her husband ’s lips ; butHenri continued, with apparent un

concern“ I was telling you , then , that I amthreatened on al l sides : by the King , bythe Duc d’

A lencon, by the Duc d’

Anjou,by the Queen - Mother , by the Duc deGuise , by the Duc de Mayenne , by theCardinal de Lorraine—by everybody , inshort. You know , Madame , one feelsthese things instinctively. Well ! againstall these threats , which will not be longin developing into attacks , I can defendmyself with your help , since you are

be loved by all the persons who hate me.”

I said Marguerite .Yes , you ,

” rep l ied Henri de Navarre ,with perfect good humour ; “ yes

, you

are beloved by King Charles ; you arebeloved ” —he dwelt upon the word“ by the D ue d’

Alencon and by QueenCatherine ; and , lastly, you are belovedby the Duc de Guise .

1 2 QUEEN

“ Sir murmured Marguerite.Well ! is there anything surprising in

the fact that everyone loves you ? Allthose whom I have j ust named are eitheryour brothers or your relations , and tolove these is but to obey God ’ s commandment.”

But to what does all this tend , sirasked Marguerite, in a troubled tone .

“ I t tends to what I have al ready toldyou

,that wi th you for, I will not say my

friend , but my ally , I can brave everything ; while , on the other hand , with youfor my enemy, I am lost .

”

“ Oh ! sir, your enemy , never !”

Margueri te .“ But my friend, i f never any morethan that

Perhaps .And my allyCertainly .

”

And Marguerite turned and extendedher hand to the King .

Henri took it , kissed i t gracefully , andkeeping it within his own much morewith a desire of investigation than fromany sentiment of tendernessWell ! Madame, I believe you , said

he,

“ and accept you as my ally . Sothey have married us without our eitherknowing or loving one another ; withoutconsulting us who are chiefly concerned .

‘N e therefore owe each other nothing ashusband and wife . You see, Madame ,that I meet your wishes , and confirm today what I promised you yesterday. Butwe enter into this all iance freely , undercompulsion from nobody , as two loyalhearts that unite for mutual protection ;that is how you understand the matter, i sit not

“ Yes,sir , said Marguerite , trying to

withdraw her hand .

Well continued the B éarnais ,keeping his eyes stil l fixed on the door ofthe closet, since the first proof of afrank all iance is the most absolute confidence, I am going to acquaint you ,Madame, in its minutest detai ls , with thescheme that I have formed with a V iewof successfully combating this hostili ty .

”

“ Sir,” murmured Marguerite , in her

turn,involuntarily directing her eyes

towards the closet , while the Béarnais ,seeing the success of his ruse , smiled inhis sleeve.

This is what I intend to do , he cont inued. without seeming to notice heragi tation ; “ I intend

cried

MARGOT

Sir, cried Marguerite , ri sing abruptlyand grasping the King by the arm ,

“ letme have breath the emotion—the heatI am choking .

And , in point of fact, Marguerite waspale and trembling , as though about tofal l on the floor. Henri walked to awindow at the further end of the roomand opened it ; this window overlookedthe river.Marguerite followed him .

“ Silence ! silence ! sir, in pity for yourself, she murmured .

What ! Madame, said the Béarnaiswith his customary smile

,

“ did you notsay that we were alone ?

Yes, sir ; but have you not heardthat by means of an air - tube inserted ina wall or ceiling , all that passes can beoverheard ?

“ True , Madame , true, said theBéarnais , in a low tone. “ You do notlove me , i t is true ; but you are anhonourable woman .

”

What mean you , sirI mean that , were you capable of be

traying me, you. might have let me go onuntil I betrayed mysel f by my own

words . You stopped me . I know now

that someone is concealed here ; that youare an unfaithful wife , but a loyal ally,and at the present moment , added theBéarnais with a smi le , “ I stand ingreater need of fidelity in matters ofpolicy than in love

“ Sir,” murmured Margueri te

,

confusion .

“ There , there, we wil l talk of all thislater on, when we know each other better ,

”

said Henri .“ Yes , yes, murmured Marguerite.“ In that case I will not disturb youlonger. I owed you my respects andsome advances in the way of friendshipaccept them as they are offered , with al lmy heart. Go to rest then , and goodnight .”

Marguerite directed towards her husband a look beaming with gratitude

,

and , in her turn , extended her hand .

I t is settled ,” said she.

A political alliance , frank and loyalasked Henri .Frank andloyal , replied the Queen .

Upon this the Béarnais stepped towards the door, while Marguerite , asthough fascinated , followed him with hergaze . Then , when the curtain had fallen , and they had passed out of the

in

QUEEN

bed- chamber, Henri said quickly , in alow toneThank you

,Marguerite ; thank you

you are a true daughter of France . Igo away with my mind at ease . I n default of your love , your friendship , atleast

,will not fai l me . I rely upon you ,

as you may rely upon me . Adieu ,Madame ."

Henri kissed his wife ’s hand , andpressed it softly ; then went back at abrisk pace to his own apartments , sayingto himself softly as he passed along thecorridor ;Who the deuce is in there with her

I s it the King , the Duc d’

Anjou, theD ue d

’

A lenqon,the D ue de Guise, i s it

a brother or lover , or both ? I am real lyalmost sorry now that I made thatappointment with the Baronne : butsince I have given my word and Darioleis waiting for me never mind ; shewill be rather a sufferer, I fear , from thefact that I have passed through my wife ’sbed - chamber on my way to her, for, byGod, this Margot , as my brother - inlaw Charles cal ls her, is an adorablecreature ."

And with a step that betrayed a slighthesitation

,Henri de Navarre ascended

the staircase leading to the apartment ofMadame de Sauve .Marguerite had fol lowed him with hereyes until he disappeared , and hadthen returned to her room . She foundthe Duke at the door of the closet ; thesight of him inspired her with somethingakin to remorse .The Duke

,forhis part , looked serious ,

and his contracted brows betokened thathis thoughts were unpleasan t ly preoccupied .

Marguerite is neutral tod ay , saidhe “ in a week she will be hostile .Ah ! then you heard ? said

Marguerite .What did you expect I should do in

that closet“ And do you think I behaved otherwise than as became the Queen ofNazarre ?

“ No , but otherwise than as becomesthe mistress of the D ue de Guise .”

Sir,” replied the Queen , “ I cannot

love my husband , but no one has the rightto demand ofme that I should betray him .

Honestly , now ; would you betray thesecrets of your wife

,the Princesse de

Porc1an ?

MARGOT

Why,when I your lips would taste,

And fain would clasp your slenderwaist ,Andfeast upon youreyes so pure,Whydo you play the nun demure,Enclosed byCloisterwalls

Forwhom do you reserve your charms,Yourbosom , eyes, androundedarms ?

Think you Pluto’

s love to shareWhen Charon shal l have rowedyou thereIn his dark and silent hal ls ?

Down there, fair one, when you die,Upon a bed ofstraw you

'l l lieAndwhen I meet you there below,

I shal l no t to the S hades avowThat you were oncemysweet .

Therefore, while youth andbeauty last,Amendyour co ldness in thepastAnd to mysuit relentForwhen you

’

re dead, you wil l repentYou spurnedme from your feet.

Come , come , Madame , said theDuke, shaking his head , “ that is enough .

I see that you no longer love me as indays when you told me what the

King was plotting against me andmine .

“ The King was then the strong andyou the weak : Henri is now the weakand you the strong . You see that I sti l lplay the same part.

Only you have crossed from the onecamp to the other.

“ I have acquired the right to do so,

sir, by having saved your life .“ Very well , Madame ; and as, whenlovers part, they restore all that has beengiven them , I , in my turn , will save yourl ife i f the opportunity occurs

,and we

shall be quits.”

With these words the Duke bowedand withdrew without Marguerite making any movement to stop him .

In the ante - chamber he found Gillonne,who conducted him to the window on theground - floor, and in the moat he foundhis page , with whom he returned to theH Otel de Guise .Meanwhile Margueri te had gone to the

window ,and stood there wrapt in thought .What a wedding - night ! ” She mur

mured ; my husband shuns me and mylover deserts meAt this moment there passed on theother side of the moat, coming from theTour de Bois , and ascending towards theMou lin de la Monnaie, a student, withhis arms akimbo, singing lustily

I 4 QUEEN

Marguerite l istened to this ballad witha do leful smi le ; then , when the student

’svoice had died away in the distance ,she closed the window again , and summoned Gillonne to help her to preparefor bed.

CHAPTER I I I

A POET KING

HE next day and those that succeeded i t were spent in fétes,and tourneys .

The two parties continued to fraternisewith one another. The Huguenots weretreated with an attention and respectsufficient to turn the heads of the mostembittered among them . Pere Cottonhad been seen dining and making merrywith the Baron de Courtaumer, and theDuc de Guise had gone up the Seine withthe Prince de Condé in a barge

,attended

by a band of musicians .King Charles appeared to have laidaside his habitual melancholy , and to beunable to do without the company of hisbrother - in - law Henri . Lastly , the QueenMother was so cheerful and so taken upwith embroideries, j ewels and plumes ,as to lose her sleep .

The Huguenots , though but slightlymollifi ed by this new Capua, beganto don once more their silken doublets

,

to set up emblems, and to parade infront of certain balconies j ust as thoughthey were Cathol ics . On all sides therewas a reaction in favour of the ReformedReligion , such as to make people imaginethe entire Court was going to turnProtestant . The Admiral himself, spiteof his previous experience , allowed himsel f to be carried away like the rest

, and

became so excited that one evening heforgot for two whole hours to chew histooth - pick , an occupation to which heusually gave himself up the moment hisdinner was finished unti l eight o ’clockat night, when he sat down again tosupper .On the evening when the Admiral hadrelapsed into this incredible forgetfulnessof his usual habits , Charles IX . had

invited Henri de Navarre and the Ducde Guise to sup wi th him in private .

MARGOT

At the termination of the meal he tookthem into his cabinet , and was thereexplaining to them the ingeniousmechanism of a wolf - trap invented byhimself

,when

,breaking off suddenly, he

askedI sn ’ t the Admiral coming this even

ing .7 H asanyone seen him to day Can

anyone give me news of him ?I have seen him , said the King of

Nav,

arre “ and in case your Maj estyshould be anxious about his health I canset your mind at ease , for I saw him thismorning at six o ’clock, and again thisevening at seven .

”

Oh ! indeed ,” said the King , whose

eyes, momentarily distracted , now fixedthemselves with a piercing gaze uponhis brother - in - law,

“ You are up veryearly, Henriot, for a newly - marriedman !

Yes, sire, replied the King ofNavarre , “ I was anxious to learn fromthe Admiral , who knows everything ,whether some gentlemen whom I am stillexpecting are likely to arrive soon .

More gentlemen ! why , you had eighthundred on the day of your wedding ,and they stil l keep arriving every day.Do you want to invade us ?

” askedCharles , laughing .

The D ue de Guise frowned .

Sire,

” replied the B éarnais, there istalk of an expedition against Flanders,and I am collecting round me all thoseof my own country and the neighbouringdistricts whom I think likely to proveserviceable to your Majesty .

’

The Duke,recol lecting the scheme

of which the Béarnais had spoken toMarguerite on the wedding - day , l istenedmore attentively .

“ Good,good ! ” answered the King ,

with his deceitful smile , “ the more ofthem there are

,the better pleased we

shall be ; bring them up , Henri , bringthem up . B ut who are these gentlemenCourageous fellows , I trust ?I don ’ t know, sire , whether my men

are equal to your Maj esty ’s , or those ofthe D ue d’

Anjou, or the Duc de Guise ,but I know their worth , and am certainthey wil l do their best .

“ Are there many that you stillexpectSome ten or a dozen more .And their names ?

“ Sire,their names have escaped me,

and with the exception of one of them .

QUEEN MARGOT

recommended to me by Té ligny as anaccomplished gentleman , and called Dela Mole

,I could not tel l you.

De la Mole I replied the King ,who was well versed in genealogicalmatters , isn

’ t he one Lerac de la Mole ,a Proveneal ?The same , sire ; I gather recruits

even in Provence , as you see.

And I,said the Duc de Guise , with

a mocking smile , “ go even further thanhis Majesty the King of Navarre , for Iam going to hunt even in Piedmont forall the trusty Catholics I can find .

”

Catholics orProtestants ,” in terrupted

the King , “ i t matters little , providedthey are valiant .”

The King had assumed such a tone ofindiflerence in saying these words , whichseemed , from his point of view ,

to placeProtestants and Cathol ics upon an equalfooting , that even the Duc de Guise wasastonished .

Your Majesty is discussing theF lemish ? " said Admiral de Coligny , towhom the King some days earlier hadgranted the privilege of visi ting him un

announced , and who had heard the lastwords spoken by His Majesty.Ah here is my father , the Admiral ,

cried Charles IX .

, opening his arms ;“ we talk of war and gallant gentlemen

,

and he arrives like iron attracted by themagnet. My brother - in- law of Navarreand my cousin of Guise are expectingreinforcements for your army ; that iswhat we were discussing.

And these rein forcements are arriving,

” said the Admiral .“ Have you had any news

, sir ? askedthe B éarnais .

Yes, my son, more particularly withregard to M . de la Mole ; he was atOrleans yesterday , and will be in Paristo - morrow or the day after.

Plague take it ! The Admiral mustbe a wizard to know thus what is takingplace at thirty or forty leagues ’ distanceFor my own part , I should like to knowwi th equal certain ty what happened orhas happened before O rleans .”

Coligny remained impervious to thisdeadly thrust of the D ue de Guise , whichevidently bore reference to the death of

his father, Francois de Guise, who hadbeen slain at Orleans by Poltrot de Mere,not W ithout a suspicion that the Admiralhad suggested the deed .

“ Sir,”

he replied coldly and with

dignity , “ I am always a wizard when Iwish for positive information as to whatconcerns my own business or that of theKing. My messenger arrived fromO rleans an hour ago, and , thanks to hisrelays of horses , accomplished thirty tuoleagues within the day. M . de la Mole

,

who 15 riding his own horse , travels butten leagues a day , and wil l not arriveuntil the twenty - fourth . That is thewhole magic ."

“ B ravo ! my father ; well answered ,said Charles . “ Prove to these youngmen that i t is wisdom as well as old agethat has whitened your hair and yourbeard ; and now we will send them awayto talk of their tourneys and love affairs

,

while we remain together to discuss ourwars . Good advisers make good kings ,my father. Come , gentlemen , I wish totalk with the Admiral .”

The two young men went out, the

King of Navarre first, followed by theDuc de Guise ; once outside the door,however , each turned with a frigid bowin his own direction .

Coligny had followed them with his

eyes with some uneasiness, for he neversaw these two hostile spirits meet withoutfearing that some fresh explosion wouldfollow. Charles , comprehending whatwas passing in hismind , advanced to himand linking his arm in the Admiral ’s,observed

“ Make your mind easy, my father , Iam here to exact obedience and respectfrom everyone . I am veritably King

,

now that my mother is no longer Queen,

and that she has ceased to be, now . that

Coligny is my father.Oh . sire , said the Admiral , “ Queen

CatherineI s a mischief - maker. With her there

can be no peace . The I talian Catholicsare enraged , and wi ll hear of nothing butextermination . I , on the contrary , amnot only for pacific measures, but wouldeven wish to place power in the hands ofthose of the Reformed Religion . Theother Party are too dissolute, my father,and scandal ise me by their amours andirregularities . Look ! would you like me

to speak frankly,” continued Charles

,

waxing increasingly confidential , “ I mistrust all who surround me excep t mynew friends . I suspect the ambition of

the Tavannes . Vieillevi lle cares aboutnothing but good wine, and would be trayhis Sovereign for a cask of Malmsey.

I 6

Montmorency thinks of nought but hishunting , and spends his time between hishounds and his falcons. The Comte deRetz is a Spaniard , the Guises are Lorrainers . I don ’ t believe there are anytrue Frenchmen in France

, so help meGod ! except myself, my brother - ih - law

of Navarre , and you. But , formysel f, Iam tied to the throne and cannot leadarmies into the field . I t is as much asthey will do to let me hunt in peace atSaint - Germain and Rambouillet Mybrother - in ~ law of Navarre is too youngand inexperienced . B esides , he seems tome to take in every respect after hisfather, Antoine , of whom women wereever the ruin . There is no one left butyou , my father, who are at once asbrave as Julius Caesar and as wise asPlato . S O , really and truly , I don

’ tknow what I ought to do ; to keepyou here as my adviser or send youthere as general . I f you remaIn togive advice, who wil l lead thearmy ? I f you command , who wil ladvise me ?

“ Sire,” said Coligny , “ you must

conquer fi rst after the victory will comethe time for counsel .

“ That is your Opinion,my father ?

W el l ! be it so. Your advice shal l betaken . You shall start to - morrow forF landers , and I for Amboise .

”

Your Majesty leaves Paris ?Yes . I am tired of all this noise and

all these fétes. I am no man Of action,

but a dreamer. I was not born to be aKing but a poet . You shall form a sortof Council , who will manage affairs whileyou are at the Wars ; and provided mymother has no hand in it

,all wi ll go

well . I have already told Ronsard tocome and join me ; and there , farfrom al l uproar, far from the maddingcrowd and from evil - doers , we two ,beneath our spacious woods, on thebanks of the river, and to the accom

paniment of the murmur of the brooks ,wil l talk of the things of God, thesole compensation for human affairswhich this world contains . Come

,listen

to these l ines, in which I have invitedhim to join me ; I composed them thismorning .

”

Coligny smiled . Charles passed hishand across his forehead

,which was as

yellow and smooth as ivory , and recited

1

m a kind of sing - song the fol lowingInes

QUEEN MARGOT

R onsard, I know that , shouldyou seeme not,YourMonarch

’

s voice W i l l be byyou forgot,S o let me tel l you that I sti ll pursueThe art poet ic erst begun w ith youThis trifle, therefore, I desired to sendTo stir theambit ion ofmypoet friend.

Come, ceaseyour absorption inhouseho ldaffairs,The t ime isgone by forgardeningcaresTheKingsummons you, whom he loves of al l

men,For theversesso sweet which fal l from yourpen ;And know, shouldyoufail toAmboise to repair,A serious quarrel with meyou wil l share.

”

Bravo ! sire , bravo !” said Coligny

,

I know more ofwar than I do ofpoetry ,but these verses seem to me to equal thefinest of Ronsard , Dorat , and evenMichel de l

’

H ospital, Chancellor ofFrance .

“ Ah ! my father ! ” cried Charles ,“ how truly you speak ; for the title of

poet, mark you , i s the one that I desireabove all things ; and , as I said to mymaster in poetry a few days ago

“ Sire , said Coligny , I was wellaware that your Majesty conversed withthe Muses, but I had no notion you hadt aken them as your chief advisers .”

Next to you , my father , next to you ;and it i s in order that my relations withthem may not be disturbed that I wish toput you at the head of affairs . Listen ,then ; I must reply immediately to a newmadrigal sent me by my great and beloved poet so I cannot now giveyou all the documents necessary for acq uaintingyou with the great question onwhich Philip I I . and I are divided .

Moreover,there is a Zk ind of plan of

campaign sketched out by my Ministers .I will hunt up all these and hand them toyou to

- morrow morning .

”

“ At what hour , sire“ At ten o ’clock ; and i f I shouldhappen to be engaged with my verses andshut up in mylstudy wel l ! you can

The art poet ic (I’

m indignant at the thing)S houldsurerank higher than that ofbeingKingPoet and King, each wears a crown upon his

brow,

But I, theKing,receive it , you,

the bard, bestowYourspirit , k indledby celest ial flame,S hines of itself, I but bygreatness of myname ;While, from the gods, if I seek predilect ion,

R onsard their darl ingIs, 1, theirmere reflect ion.

Your lyre, enchant ingw ith its dulcet tone,Enthralsmen’

sm inds—I but their bodies ownMakes you their lord, and thusyouw in yourwayWhere proudest mO Iiarch net er yet heldsway.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 8 QUEEN

when the curtain was raised again togive admission to the man whom he wasexpecting .

This was a person of about forty,with

grey and shifty eyes , a nose hooked likea screech - owl 's , and proj ecting cheekbones ; his features endeavoured to

express respect, though his l ips , blanchedby terror, could only assume a hypocriticalsmile .Charles gently extended a hand behindhis back and grasped the butt of a newlyinvented pistol which was fired by meansof a fl int In contact wi th a wheel of steelinstead of by a match

,then fixed his dull

eye upon the new comer and scrutinisedhim narrowly , at the same time whistlingthe air of one of his favourite huntingsongs with remarkable accuracy andmelodiousness .After a few seconds , during which thestranger ’s countenance grew more andmore disconcerted

You are Francois de LouviersM aurevel .

7 asked the King.

“ The same , sire .Commander of the Petardiers .

Yes , sire.“ I wished to see you.

M aurevel bowed .

“ You know ,

” continued Charles,

dwelling on each word , “ that I love allmy subj ects equally .

”

I know ,

” stammered M aurevel ,“ that

your Majesty is the father of his people .”

And the Huguenots and the Catholicsare equally my children.

”

M aurevel remained dumb the tremor,

however, which shook his frame wasvisible to the King ’s piercing glance

,

although the man whom he addressedwas almost hidden In shadow .

“ That is disappointing to you, con

t inued the King , you who have wagedsuch stern war against the Huguenots . ’

M aurevel fel l upon his knees .Sire ,

” he stammered , “ believe me“ I believe ,

” continued Charles,fixing

more intensely on M aurevel a glancewhich , from being cold , became almostflashing , “ I believe that you wanted atMoncontour to kil l the Admiral who hasjust left me ; that you failed in yourobject

,and that you then joined the army

of my brother , the Duc d’

;Anjou thatyou went afterwards for the second timeto the Princes and took service in thecompany ofM . de Mouy de St . Phale

“ Oh ! sire l ”

MARGOT

said M aurevel , in abject

A brave nobleman of Picardy“ Sire , si re,

” cried M aurevel, do notcrush me ! ”

And a worthy officer,continued

Charles , on whose face an almostferocious crueltywas depicted as he wenton talking , who welcomed you as a son,lodged you, fed and clothed you.

”

M aurevel uttered a Sigh of despair.“ You cal led him your father , I believe ,the King continued mercilessly , and atender friendship bound you to youngDe Mouy , his sonM aurevel , stil l on his knees, bent tothe ground , more and more crushed - bythe words Of the King

,who stood over

him motionless,l ike a statue which the

lips alone endowed with li fe .

By- the - bye

,

” continued the King ,“ was it not ten thousand crowns thatyou were to receive from M . de Guise incase you killed the AdmiralThe assassin

,in his consternation ,

seemed to strike the very floor with hisforehead .

As for the lord of Mouy , your goodfather

,one day you accompanied him on

a reconnoitring party which he waspushing forwards towards Chevreux .

He let his whip fall , and dismounted topick it up . You were alone with him ;you then snatched a pistol from yourholsters and shot him in the back as hewas stooping when you saw that he wasdead—for you killed him with one Shotyou escaped upon the horse which hehad given you . That , I believe, is thestoryAnd as M aurevel met this accusation ,each detail of which was true, in silence ,Charles began to whistle the samehunting - song with the same accuracyand melodiousness as before .So now,

sir murderer ,” said he , after

an instant,do you know that I have a

great mind to hang youOh I your Majesty cried M aurevel .

The young De Mouy entreated me todo so but yesterday , and I really did notknow how to answer him ,

for his demandis perfectly j ust .”

M aurevel clasped his hands .All the more so because , as you said ,

I am the Father of my people , andbecause

,as I told you,

now that I havepatched up matters with the Huguenots ,they are as much my children as theCatholics .”

Sire .”

QUEEN MARGO'

l‘

despai r, “ my life is in your hands , dowith me as you will .

”

You are right, and I would not give

you a groat for it ."

But , sire , answered the assassin ,“ i s

there no way in which I can redeem mycrime ?I hardly think so . Still , i f I were in

your place,which , thank God , I am

not.“ Well , sire ! i f you were in myplace ? murmured M aurevel, hanging in suspense on Charles ’s lips .I think I should find a way of

extricating myself,” continued the King.

M aurevel raised himsel f on one knee ,and fixed his eyes on Charles to assurehimself that the King was no t j oking.

“ I like young De Mouy very much , ofcourse

,the King went on, but I l ike

my cousin of Guise much more, and i fthe latter were to beg the li fe of a manwhose death was demanded by the former

,I confess I should be much puzzled

how to act . However, from political aswell as from religious motives I ought todo what my cousin of Guise asks me, forDe Mouy , brave offi cer as he is , is ofsmall importance in comparison with aPrince of Lorraine.During these words M aurevel rosefrom the ground slowly, l ike a manreturning to life.W ell, the importan t thing for you ,

then , in your critical position , is to gainthe favour of my cousin of Guise, anddpropos I remember something he wastelling me yesterday.”

M aurevel came a step nearer.‘Just fancy , sire,

’ he said to me,“ ‘ thatevery morning at ten o ’clock my deadlyenemy passes through the Rue SaintGermain - I

’

Auxerrois on his return fromthe Louvre ; I see him go by from abarred window on the ground - floor, awindow belonging to the house of my oldtutor , the Abbé P ierre Piles, and everytime I see him go by, I utter a prayerthat the Devil might pitch him into hell .’

Now, master M aurevel,” continued

Charles , supposing you were the Devil ,or at least could take his place for amoment , perhaps my cousin of Guisemight be pleased.M aurevel recovered his S in ister smile

,

and his l ips, stil l white with fear, let fallthe wordsBut , Sire , I cannot send him to hell .You did so , however, If I remember

I 9

rightly , for the brave De Mouy. Afterthat , will you tel l me that with a pistolhaven ' t you got that p istol sti ll

Pardon me , sire , rep l ied Maurevel ,with somewhat more assurance

,but I

shoot better with the arquebus than thepistol .

Oh said Charles , “ p i stol or arquebus , it makes little difference , and I amsure my cousin of Guise will not wrangleover the choice ofweapons .

B ut ,” said M aurevel ,

“ I must havea weapon on whose accuracy I can rely

,

for perhaps I may have to shoot fromsome distance.I have ten arquebuses in this room

,

replied Charles , with which I can hit agold crown at a hundred and fi fty paces.Will you try one of them

Oh ! sire with the greatest pleasure,

cried M aurevel , going towards theweapon lying in a corner, and whichhad been brought to the King that very day.

No, not that one,” said the King ; “ I

reserve that for my own use. I am goingto have a great hunt one of these days

,

when I hope it wi ll prove useful ; buttake your choice of the others.”

M aurevel took down an arquebus froma stand .

Now, sire, this enemy, who is he ?’

asked the assassin .

How should I know that ? ” repliedthe King , crushing the wretch with alook of contempt.

“ Then I will ask M . de Guise,

stammered M aurevel .

The King shrugged his shoulders .Ask nothing,

” said he ; M . de Guisewil l not answer you . Do you thinkpeople get replies to such questions ? I tis the business of those who want toescape hanging to guess for themselves."

Still , how am I to recognise himI have told you that he passes the

Abbé ’ s window every morning at ten .

B ut a great many people go past thatwindow ; will your Maj esty deign to giveme some‘

slight hint POh ! that ’s easi ly done : to - morrow

,

for example , he will carry a red moroccoportfolio under his arm .

”

Sire,that is suffi cien t.

Have you still that fast horse whichM . de Mouy gave you

“ S ire,mymount is one of the swiftest.Oh ! I am not uneasy about you !

only , it is well you should know that theCloister has a door at the rear.”

20 QUEEN

Thanks , sire . Now , pray God speed

What ! pray the Devi l rather , for i ti s only by his protection that you canescape the halter.”

Adieu , sire ."

Adieu . Ah ! by the bye, Monsieurde M aurevel , you know that i f by anychance you should be heard of before teno ’clock to morrow, or i f you should notbe heard of after ten , there is a dungeonin the LouvreAnd Charles IX . started afresh towhistle his favourite air softly and mOremelodiously than ever.

CHAPTER IV

THE EVEN I NG OF THE TWENTY - FOURTHOF AUGU ST, 1 572 .

UR reader has not forgotten thatmention was made in the preced

mg chapter of a gentleman called LaMole, for whom Henri de Navarre waswaiting somewhat impatiently . Thisyoung gentleman , as the Admiral hadannounced , entered Paris by the PorteSaint - Marcel , towards the close of theday of the a4th of August

, 1 572 , andbestowing a somewhat contemptuousglance on the numerous hostelries displaying their picturesque signs to rightand left , rode his stil l - smoking horse intothe heart of the Ci ty , where, after crossing the P lace Maubert , the Peti t - Pont ,the Notre - Dame Bridge , and passingalong the quays , he stopped at the end ofthe Rue de B resec, turned byus at a laterdate into the Rue de l ’Arbre Sec , andwhich

,for the great e r convenience of our

readers, we shall allude to under itsmodern name .The name doubtless pleased him , for

he turned down the street, and , his attention being attrac ted by a fine piece of

metal creaking on its i ron support at hisleft hand , halted once more in order toread these words : A la B el le- Etoile

,

painted beneath a pictu re representing anobject most attractive to the hungrytraveller ; namely , a fowl roasting againsta dark sky, while a man in a red cloakwas extending towards thi s new sort ofstar, his arms, his purse, and his desires.

MARGOT

Here , said the rider to himsel f,

“ isan inn which promises well , and the hostwho keeps it must be an ingenious fellow

,

upon my word . I have always heard saythat the Rue de l ’Arbre Sec was near theLouvre , and provided the establishmentfulfi ls the promise of i ts sign - board

, I

Shall do capital ly here .While the newcomer was uttering thi ssoliloquy , another horseman , who hadentered the street from its Opposite end

,

that is to sayfrom the Rue Saint - Honoré ,also halted and remained in ecstasy beforethe sign of the B el le- Etoile.

The one of these horsemen whom weknow, at least by name , rode a whitehorse of Spanish breed , and was dressedin a black doublet trimmed with j et . H iscloak was of dark purple velvet he woreboots of black leather, and carried asword with a hil t of chased steel , and adagger similarly ornamented . Passingfrom his equipment to his face, we shal lremark that he was a man of four or fiveand twenty, of sunburnt complexion , withblue eyes , a slight moustache, and a rowofwhite teeth , which seemed to l ight uphis features when he Opened a perfectlyshaped mouth to give expression to asweet though melancholy smile .As for the second travel ler , he presen teda complete contrast to the first . Beneathhis hat

,with its turned - upbrim , appeared

a rich and curly crop of hair, red ratherthan fair ; beneath his hair were greyeyes

,which , at the slightest opposition ,

flashed with a fire so brilliant that youwould then have called them black .

The rest of his face consisted ofa ruddycomplexion , thin lips surmounted by afair moustache , and a splendid set ofteeth . In short , with his fair skin , his tallstature

,and his broad shoulders , he was

a very handsome cavalier in the ordinaryacceptation of the term , and for the pasthour

,during which he had been staring

up into every window on pretence oflooking for sign - boards , had attractedmuch attention on the part of the fai rsex as for the men , who at first perhapshad shown some inclination to laugh onseeing his scanty cloak , tigh t - fi ttinghose,and old- fashioned boots , they had endedthis laugh with a most gracious “ Godkeep you ! ” on a survey of th is countenance, which assumed ten differentexpressions in a minute

,with the one

exception,however , of that benevolent

and deprecating expression shich always

QUEEN MARGOT 2 1

distinguishes the face of the provincial | however, to the custom with suchvisitor when in a difficu l ty . persons , the wor thy proprietor appearedI t was he who first accosted the o ther to have taken no not ice of them

,being

gentleman who ,as we have said , was engaged in a very earnest conversation

thus inspecting the hostelry of the B el le W I th a tall fellow, with a wizened , yellowEtoile.

face , ensconced , like an owl among itsZounds ! sir,

” he observed,with that feathers , in a drab cloak .

dreadful mountain accent which , at his Our two friends were so close to thefirst word

,makes a man known for a host and the man in the cloak with

Piedmontese among a room fu l l of whom he was conversing , that Coconnas,strangers , “ are we no t somewhere near annoyed at the neglect shown to himsel fthe Louvre ? At any rate , you seem to and ms companion , pu l led the landlordhave the same taste as myse l f, which is by the sleeve . The latter appeared toflattering to my dignity .

” rouse himsel f with a start , and took leave“ Sir

,replied the other with a Pro of ms Interlocutor with the words

vencal accent in no way lessmarked than Au reVO Ir. Come again soon,and

the Piedmontese accent ofhis companion , mind you keep me informed how thingsI fancy that , in poin t of fact , this inn is are going .

near the Louvre . I am , however , still Here , you rascal !” said Coconnas,

asking mysel f whether I shall have the “ don ’ t you see that we have businesshonour of agreeing with your opinion ; I with youam debating the question in my mind .

” Ah I beg pardon , messieurs , saidYou have not yet decided , sir The the host : “ I did not see you.

”

house,however , looks attractive , and in Zounds ! you ought to have seen us ;

addition I have perhaps al lowed myself and now that you have done so ,instead

to be influenced by your presence . You of saying ‘ monsieur ’ in that abruptw il l allow , at any rate, that the sign is a fashion , say Monsieur le Comte ,

’ if youtempting one ? please .”

Oh ! no doubt ; but it i s exactly that La Mole stood in the rear,letting

which makes me doubt whether the Coconnas, who seemed to have taken thereality wil l come up to i t . Paris is full of affair into his own hands , do the talking .

swindlers I have been told , and you can I t was easy , however , to see by the frowncheat by means of a sign - board as well as on his brow that he was prepared to

with anything else .” come to his aid when the moment for“ Zounds

, sir, replied the P iedmontese , action Should arrive .I don ’ t bother my head about trickery , Well what is your will

,Monsieur Is

and should the host serve me up a fow l Comte asked the land lord in a moreless wel l roasted than that on the sign , subdued tone .I ’ l l put him on the spit himse lf , and not Good ; that

’s bet ter already , is i tleave him until he is browned to a nicety . not said Coconnas, turning to LaLet us go in , sir. Mole, who nodded his head . M . le

“ You have decided me , said the Pro Comte and myself, being attracted byvencal , laughing

“ so lead the way , sir, your sign - board , desire to find supper andI beg of you.

” lodging in your hostelry.“ Upon my soul , sir , I will do nothing Gentlemen , said the landlord , “ I

of the kind , for I am but your humb le am exceedingly sorry , but I have onlyservant , Comte Hannibal de Coconnas.

”one room , and I am afraid that it will not

“ And I , sir , am but Comte Joseph be suitable for you .

”

Hyacinthe Boniface de Let ac de la Mole , Oh well , so much the better, saidat your service .” La Mole ; “ we wil l go and lodge elseIn that case

,sir

,let us take arms and where.”

enter together . “ No , no , said Coconnas. I wi llThe result of this conciliatory proposal stay , at any rate ; my horse is worn out.was that the two young men , dismounting I wil l have the room ,

then , since you dofrom their horses and throwing their not want it .reins to an ostler , took each other by the Ah that ’ s quite another matter,arm , and settl ing their swords , made for answered the landlord , sti l l maintainingthe door of the inn , on the threshold of the same imperturbability .

“ I f there iswhich stood the land lord . Con t rary, only one of you I can ’ t put you up at al l .”

22 QUEEN MARGOT

Zounds cried Coconnas, a prettyfellow

,upon my word . J ust now we

were two too many, and now we are notenough by one ! You don ’ t want to takeus in , then , you rascalUpon my word , gentlemen , since you

take that tone, I will give you a straightanswer.

“ Answer, then , and be quick about it .! Vel l , then , I prefer not to have the

honour of entertaining you.

”

“ Because ? asked Coconnas,growing white with rage .Because you have no grooms, and

therefore , for one gentleman’ s room

occupied , I should have two grooms’

chambers empty. Now , i f I give you thegentleman ’s room , I run the risk of notletting the

,others .”

Monsieur de la Mole , said Coconnas,turn ing round

,don ’ t you agree with me

that we must teach this fellow a lesson“ I t seems justifiable ,

” said La Mole ,preparing , like his companion , to belabourthe landlord with his whip .

B ut in spite of this double demonstration

,somewhat alarming on the part of

two gentlemen who appeared so determined , the innkeeper showed no surprise,and merely retreated a step within thedoorway.

“ I t is easy to see, he remarked in aj eering tone , “ that these gentlemen hailfrom the country. In Paris the fashionof butchering innkeepers for refusing tolet their rooms is obsolete. I t is thegreat lords , and not the citizens , who getbutchered , and if you make much disturbance I shal l cal l in my neighbours

,

and it is you who wil l get the thrashing ,a punishment quite beneath the dignityof two gentlemen .

Zounds he is laughing at us , criedCoconnas, with rising wrath .

Gregoire ! my arquebus, said thelandlord , addressmg his drawer, in thesame tone that he might have said , aseat for these gentlemen .

By the Pope ! roared Coconnas,drawing his sword ; “ come

,warm up

,

Monsieur de La Mole l“ Not so , an it please you ; for whilewe are getting warm , our supper will begetting cold.”

What ! you mean to say?Coconnas.

I mean that mine host of the B el leEtoile has right on his side ; only hedoesn ’ t know how to deal wi th travel lers ,

especially when those travel lers are

gentlemen . Instead of saying to usuncivilly : ‘ Gent lemen, I don

’ t want tohave anything to do with you,

’

he wouldhave done better to have said politelyEnter, gentlemen ,

’ being free to put inhis bil l . Gent leman

’

3 room, so much ,

lackey’

s room, so much seeing that,though we have no lackeys at present,we expect to have some .”

Saying this , La Mole gently pushedaside the innkeper, who was alreadyextending his hand towards his arquebus

,

made Coconnas pass in , and entered thehouse behind him.

Never mind ,” said Coconnas, it

’

s asmuch as I can do to replace my sword inthe sheath without satisfying myself thatit pricks as sharply aS 'thIS rogue ’s lardingneedles do .”

Patience , my dear comrade, said LaMole

,

“ patience ! All the inns are ful lof gentlemen attracted to Paris by themarriage festivi t ies , or for the approaching war with Flanders , and we shouldn

’ tfind any other quarters mayhap , too, i tis the custom in Paris to receive strangersin this way on their arrival .Zounds ! you are patien t, and no mis

take ! muttered Coconnas, twisting hisred moustache with fury , and pulverisingthe innkeeper with his glance . B ut letthe rascal look to himself if his cookingis bad

,if his beds are hard , i f his wine is

not three years in bottle , i f his drawer isnot as supple as a rushThere, there , my gentleman , said

the host , sharpening his knife on a grindstone

,make your mind easy ; you are

in the country where things are to be hadfor the asking .

”

Then with a shake of the head , hemuttered sot to voceI t is some Huguenot the traitors

have become so insolent since the marriage of their B éarnais wi th MistressMargot !Upon which he added , with a smilewhich would have made his guestsshudder had they seen i t :

“ Ha ! ha ! i t would be amusing ifHuguenots had chanced to tumble inhere—and ifLook here ! can we have oursupper ?

asked Coconnas, sharply, interruptinghis host ’s asides.

“Why,j ust as you please , S Ir, t e

pl ied the latter , mollified no doubt by thethought that had j ust occurred to him.

t mgue'

slarding.

QUEEN

Well ! we do please , and quick’s the

word ,” answered Coconnas.

Then , turning to La Mole“ Come

,Monsieur le Comte , said he ,

whi le they are preparing our room , tellme, does Paris happen to strike you as agay city

“ My word ! no , said La Mole ; “ Iseem to have come across nothing butscared or crabbed faces . Perhaps theParisians are in fear of a storm . Lookhow black the sky is , and how oppressivethe atmosphere .

“ Tell me, Count , you are looking forthe Louvre , are you no t

And you, too , I bel ieve , Monsieur deCoconnas.

”

Well , we will look for it together , i fyou like .

”

“ Eh ! isn ’ t it rather late to go out ?”Widthahla said La Mole .“mum “ Late or not , I must go ; my orderswPan

'

sbythe are peremptory—make for Paris asWtheapproach. quickly as possible , and communicate“washoddn

’

t with the Duc de Guise the instant youmayhap, too,itreceivestrangersa.

ant,andnomisustwistinghis

It! Ifhismeis

ll tnsdraweris

airman,”

saidtnIt“onagrind

arrive .”

On hearing the Duc’s name mentioned,

the landlord approached and listenedattentively .

“ I fancy this rascal is listening to us,said Coconnas, who , being a Piedmon

tese, was rather spiteful , and could notforgive the host of the B el le Etoile forthe unceremonious fashion in which hehad welcomed them.

“ Yes , gentlemen , said the landlord ,touching his cap , “ I am listening

,but

only in order to serve you . I heard thegreat Duc de Guise mentioned

,and so I

hurried forward . In what way can Ioblige you, gentlemenHa ! that name apparently is magical

in its effects , for, from being insolent ,you have become obsequious . Zounds !master—master—what is your name ?Master La H uriere, replied the

I landlord , with a bow.

Well Master La H uriere, do youfancy that my arm is less heavy than theDuc de Guise’s , who has the privilege ofmaking you so polite ?No, Monsieur le Comte, but it is not

so long ,” replied La H uriere.

“ B esides,

”

added he, I must tell you that thisgreat Henri is idolised by us Parisians .”

Which Henri ? asked La Mole .I imagine there is only one

,

” saidInnkeeper.

“ Pardon me. my friend. there is

MARGOT

n

93

another Henri , of whom I would adviseyou to say no harm , and that is Henri deNavarre , not to mention Henri de Condé ,who is al so an excellent prince .I know nothing about them,

answered the host .“ Yes , but I do , said La Mole , “ andas my business is with King Henri deNavarre , I recommend you not to abusehim in my presence .”

The host , without replying to M . dela Mole

,contented himself with sligh tly

touching his cap , and continuing to gazeat Coconnas with admiration , observed :

“ So you are going to speak with thegreat Duc de Guise ? You are veryfortunate

, and no doubt you have comehere forFor what ? asked Coconnas.

“ For the fete,” answered the host ,

with a curious smile .You should say rather for the fetes ,

for Paris is glutted with them , I am toldat least , people talk of nothing but balls ,banquets , and carousals . There is

plenty of amusement in Paris , eh !A fair amount so far , sir ; but we are

going to have an abundance , I hope .”

“ At any rate , the marriage of HisMajesty , the King ofNavarre , has drawnplenty of people to the city,

” said LaMole.

“ P len ty of Huguenots , yes , S Ir, t e

plied La H uriere, sharply ; then , recovering himself : “ I beg your pardon , saidhe, “ perhaps you gentlemen belong to

Religion ?“ To the Religion ! ” cried Coconnas,

“not I ! I am as Catholic as the HolyFather himself.”

La H uriere turned to La Mole as i f toquestion him ; but La Mole either didnot understand his look , or thought itbetter not to reply except by anotherquestion .

“ I f you don ’ t know His Majesty , theKing of Navarre, Master La H uriére.

perhaps you know the Admiral I haveheard that he enj oys some measure offavour at the Court ; and as I have beenrecommended to him

,I should be glad

to know where he resides, i f i t wil l notburn your mouth to mention his

address .”

He was residing in the Rue de

Bethisy , to the right here , sir,” answered

the host,with an inward satisfaction

which he was unable to disguise in hisoutward manner.

QUEEN MARGOT

Was residing ? asked La Molehas he removed , thenYes

, out c f this world , very l ikely.

What does he say exclaimed thetwo gentlemen simultaneously ; theAdmiral removed from this world .

“ Why ! Monsieur de Coconnas, wenton the host with a cunning smile , youare of the party of Guise and don ’ t knowthatWhat do you meanWhy, that the day before yesterday ,

as he was going through the P lace SaintGermain - I

’

Auxerrois, the Admiral wasshot by an arquebus j ust in front of thehouse of the Canon Pierre Pi les.

”

And was he killed cried La Mole .No , he only had his arm and two

fingers smashed , but it is hoped that thebullets were poisoned .

What, you wretch hopedI mean to say, believed ,

” replied thehost . Don ’ t let us quarrel about a wordmy tongue tripped .

”

And La H uriere, turning his back onLa Mole

,thrust out his tongue in the

most j eering fashion , accompanying thisgesture with a wink at Coconnas.

Really and truly, said Coconnas,beaming.

Really and truly murmured LaMole , with mournful stupefaction .

I t 13 j ust as I have the honour to tell

you, gentlemen , replied the host .In that case , said La Mole , “ I must

go to the Louvre without a moment ’3delay . Shal l I find King Henri there ? ”

I t is possible , for he is lodged there .“ And I also must go to the Louvre ,said Coconnas.

“ Shal l I find the Ducde Guise there

“ Most probably , for I saw him passby a short time ago with two hundredgentlemen .

Come, then , Monsieur de Coconnas,said La Mole.

I will follow you , sir, said Coconnas.

B ut your supper, gentlemen askedLa H uriere.

“ Ah said La Mole , “ perhaps I shal lhave supper with the King ofNavarre .”

“ And I with the Duc de Guise,said

Coconnas.

And I , said the host , as he lookedafter the two gentlemen who took theroad to the Louvre , will polish up myhelmet , prime my arquebus , and sharpenmy. halberd. One never knows whatmayhappen .

CHAPTER V

OF V IRTUE IN GENE RAL AND OF T H E

LOUV RE IN PART ICU LAR

two gentlemen , directed by theme across , tookthe Rue Saint

Germain l ’Auxerrois, and presently foundthemselves in front of the Louvre , thetowers of which were beginning to fadeinto the darkness of evening .

What is the matter with you ?asked Coconnas of La Mole , who ,stopping at the sight of the ancientcastle

,was gazing with reverence at its

drawbridges , i ts narrow windows , and itspointed turrets , which suddenly presentedthemselves to his view .

‘

Upon my word , I hardly know, saidLa Mole

,but my heart is beating. I

am no more timid than other people, yetsomehow this palace strikes me as gloomyand , shall I say , terrifying !Well

, for my part ,” said Coconnas,

I don ’ t know what has come to me, butI feel unusually cheerful . My dress ,however

,is somewhat untidy ,

” continuedhe

,running over his travelling - costume

with his eyes ; but no matter , i t is suitedto a cavalier. B esides , my orders enjoinpromptitude

,so I shal l be welcome.”

And the two young men , each disturbed by the sentiments which he hadexpressed

,continued their road .

The Louvre was wel l guarded ; all thesentries appeared to be doubled . Ourtwo travel lers therefore were at first insomewhat of a difficulty. But Coconnas,who had remarked that the name of theD ue de Guise acted on the Parisians asa sort of charm

,approached a sentry , and ,

employing that all - powerful name , askedif

,by virtue of it , he might be admitted

to the Louvre.The name appeared to produce on thesoldier its usual effect ; he asked Coconnas, however, if he could not give thewatchword .

Coconnaswas obliged to admit that hecould no t .

Then keep off, my friend said thesoldier.At this moment a manwho was talkingwi th an officer of the guard , and hadheard Coconnas req uest admission to theLouvre

,broke off his conversation , and ,

advancinor towards him , asked

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

no QUEEN

the Louvre , replied De Mouy, Only I

fear that the King of Navarre is toobusy at this hour to receive you. But ,never mind , i f you l ike to follow me Iwi l l‘ take youto his apartments ; the restdepends on yourself .”

A thousand thanks .Come , sir,

” said De Mouy.De Mouy dismounted from his horse ,threw the bridle to his lackey

,approached

the door and spoke to the sen try,then

passed La Mole through into the castle ,and, opening the door of the King ’sapartments , observed :

“ Enter , sir,‘ and make enquiries for

yourself.And , bowing to La Mole , he withdrew .

La Mole , left alone, lookedaround him .

The ante - chamber was empty,and one

of the inner doors was open .

He took a few steps and found himself in a passage .He knocked and called , but withoutgetting any answer : the most profound

MARGOT

could you not , in his absence tel l theQueenYes , Madame , no doubt , re lied La

Mole , “ i f anyone would be kindp enoughto conduct me to her presence.”

You are in it , sir.

What ! cried La Mole .I am the Queen of Navarre

,

Marguerite .La Mole made a sudden movement ofastonishment and fear, which made theQueen smile .

“ Speak quickly , sir, said she,“ for

the Queen - Mother is waiting for me .Oh Madame , in that case , al low me

to go away , for I could not possiblyspeak to you j ust now. I cannot col lectmy thoughts ; the sight of you has confused me and I cannot think ; I can onlyadmire .”

Marguerite advanced in al l her graceful beauty towards this young fellow

,

who , all unconsciously , had acted thepart of the practised courtier.Compose yourself, sir,

” said she ; I

said

silence reigned in this quarter of the will stay , and they must wait for me.

Louvre . Oh ! forgive me , Madame, for not“ Who was i t who told me

,thought hayingat once greeted your Majesty with

he , of the severe etiquette of the all the respect that you have the right topalace Why , you can come and go a look for from one of your most humblethough you werein a public square. servants , butAnd he called again , with no better B ut ,

” continued Marguerite,you

result . took me for one ofmy ladies .”“ Well , thought he , “ I wil l go straight No , Madame, but for the shade ofahead ; I must end by meeting some the fair Diane de Poitiers I am told thatbody.

” she haunts the Louvre .”

And he advanced down the passage,

Come , sir,”saidMarguerite , I see I

which became darker and darker. need not be uneasy about you , you willSuddenly a door opposite to the one soon win your way at the Court. Youby which he had entered was opened

,and said you had a letter for the King : i t was

two pages appeared carrying flambeaux ,quite unnecessary , but never mind , where

and escorting a woman of imposing is i t ? I wil l give it to him butstature, maj estic mien

,and Striking make haste, I beseech you .

beauty. La Mole promptly Opened the folds ofThe light flashed full upon La Mole

,his doublet , and drew from his breast a

who remained motionless . letter enclosed in a silk envelope.The woman , On her part, stopped , just Marguerite took the letter and lookedas La Mole had done . at the writing .

What are you wanting , sir ? S he Are you not Monsieur de la Mole ?asked the young man in tones that she asked .sounded like sweet music to his ears . Can I indeed be so fortunate that

Oh Madame , said La Mole , lower your Maj esty should know m name ?inghis eyes, forgive me , I beg of you . I have heard my husban the King ,I have j ust left M . de Mouy

,who was mention i t

,and also my brother , the D ue

k ind enough to Show me the way here,d

’

A lencon : I know that you have beenand I was looking for the King of expected .

”

Navarre .” And she slipped in to the body of her“ His Majesty is not here

, sir ; he is, I dress, al l stiff with embroidery and diabel ieve, wi th his brother - in - law . But monds , this letter, which had been taken

Mole 's eyes followed Marguerite’

s movements greedily.

Now, sir, she said , “

go down to thecorridor below

,and wait until someone

comes to you from the King of Navarreor the D ue d

’

Alencon : one of my pageswil l conduct you.

”

With these words Marguerite movedaway . La Mole stood back against thewall . But the passage was so narrow ,

and the Queen of Navarre ’s farthingalewas so wide , that her si lk robe brushedagainst the young man ’ s coat , and hewas conscious of a delightful perfume asshe passed him .

La Mole quivered through his wholeframe

,and feeling as though he were

going to fall,leaned against the wall for

support.Marguerite disappeared like a vision .

Are you coming , sir said the page,who had been hidden to conduct him tothe lower corridor.

Oh yes,yes

,cried La Mole ex

citedly ; for, as the page was pointingin the direction in which Marguerite hadgone

,he hoped that he might catch sight

of her again if he made haste .And in point Of fact , on reaching thetop of the staircase he perceived her onthe landing below

,and whether by chance

or because she heard the sound of hissteps

,Marguerite raised her head and he

was able to see her Once more .Oh said he , as he followed the

page, she is not a mortal but a goddess ;and, as Virgil says

Et vera incessu patuit dea.

Well ? asked the page.Here I am ; I beg your pardon , said

La Mole.The page preceded La Mole, descendedto the floor below, Opened a first door

,

and then a second , and stopping on thethreshold , observed

“ This is the place where you will haveto waI t .La Mole entered the corridor, .and thedoor was closed behind him .

The corridor was empty with the except Ion of a gentleman who was walkingup and down , and who seemed , l ike LaMole, to be waiting.The evening was already beginning to

cast deep shadows from the vaulted roof,

and although the two men were scarcely

.

27

twenty paces from each other , they couldnot distinguish each other's faces. LaMole approached him .

“ Great heavens ! ” he murmured,°

as

he came closer, why, i t is the Comte deCoconnas.

”

The P iedmontese had already turnedround on hearing his step , and was looking at La Mole with equal surprise .

“ Zounds ! ” cried he , “ i t is M . de laMole , or the devil take me ! Ouf ! Whatam I saying ? I am swearing in theKing ’s own palace

,but there , i t appears

that the King swears a deal harder thanever I do ,

and even in Church . Soyouhavefound your way into the Louvre ' then

“ Yes,as you see. Did M . de B esme

introduce you“ Yes

,he is a delightful German , i s

M . de Besme. And who acted as yourguide?M .

_de Mouy I told you that theHuguenots didn ’ t stand . badly at theCourt at present ; and have you metM . de Guise ? ”

No ,not yet ; and you , did you Obi

tain your audience from the King ‘

of

NavarreNo but it cannot be long delayed .

I was brought here , and told to wait .”

You will see that it is a question ofsome grand banquet , and that you and Iwill sit side by side at the feast . Truly,what asingular chance ! Fate has weddedus for the last two hours ; but what isthe matter with you ? You seem preoccupied .

I .I said La Mole q II ickly, with a

start,for, In point of fact, he remained

sti ll dazzled by the vis ion he had seen,

no,but the place In which we are gives

birth in my mind to a whole host ofreflections .”

Philosophic ones , no doubt , i t i s thesame with mysel f. Just when you camein

, al l my tutor ’s instr'

uctions wererecurring to my mind . Monsieur leComte , do you know Plutarch .

Why , of course,” said La Mole ,

smiling , he is one of my favouriteauthors .Well , continued Coconnas, seriously,

“ that great writer seems to me not tohave been mistaken when he comparesthe gifts of Nature to bright

,

bu tephemeral flowers , while he regardsVirtue as a balsamic p lant with an imperishable perfume , and as a sovereignremedy for the healing ofwounds.”

28 QUEEN MARGOT

Do you know Greek , Monsieur deCoconnas ? said La Mole, lookingfixedly at his interlocutor.

“ No ,but my tutor did , and strongly

recommended me to discourse on v irtue ,in case I ever found myself at Court ; i tlooks well

,he said . S O I warn you that

I am ready armed for the subj ect . Bythe - bye

,do you feel hungry

NO .

I thought , however, that you hankered after the roast fowl of the B el leEtoile ; for my own part , I am dying ofstarvation .

”

“ We l l,then , here is a fine opportu

nity for utilising your arguments on

virtue, and proving your admirationfor P lutarch , for that great writer sayssomewhere or other . I Ipe

'

rrov e’

o n 7 7‘

i pier

t/fvxiyv obvrg, TOV 86 yao re'

pa AIpt tp dO'

Ketv

’

t is well to inure the mind to grief andthe stomach to hunger.”

Why ! you know Greek , then ? criedCoconnas, with astonishment.My word , yes . answered La Mole ,

my tutor taught it me.’

Zounds ! Comte , in that case yourfortune Is assured you will write poetrywith King Charles IX ., and talk Greekwith Queen Marguerite.

Not to mention ,” added La Mole ,

laughing , “ that I can also talk Gasconesewith the King ofNavarre .”

At this moment the door of the corridor, which was next to the King

’sapartments , opened , a step resounded ,and a shadowy figure approached in thedarkness . I t proved to be that ofM . deB esme .He peered into the young men ’s facesin order to find which of the two men hewanted , and then motioned to Coconnasto follow him .

Coconnas waved his hand to LaMole .De B esme led Coconnas to the end ofthe corridor, opened a door, and theyfound themselves at the top of a staircase .Here De Besme stopped , and , lookingal l round him , both above and below,

askedM onsir de Gogonnas, where are you

lodging“ At the B el le-Etoile, Rue de l

’

Arbre

Goot l goot i t i s only two steps fromhere—go back guickly to your inn, andto - nightH e looked round again .

Well , to - night ? asked Coconnas.

Well , come back here to - night witha white cross fastened in your hat. Depass - word will be Gouise. Hush ! nod aword .

”

At what hour am I to come ?When you hear de dogz in.

”

The dogz in asked CoconnasYes, de dogz in : ding , ding !Oh the tocsinYes , dat is what I said .

All right ; I will be there , saidCoconnas.

And , bowing to De Besme, he wentaway , saying to himsel f

“ What the devil does he mean,and

what are they going to sound the tocsinfor ? Never mind ! I stick to my opinionthat M . de Besme is a charming Teuton .

Shall I wait for the Comte de La Moleno ; he will probably sup with the

King ofNavarre .And Coconnas made off towards theRue de l ’Arbre Sec

,whither the Sign of

the B el le-Etoile drew him like a magnet.Meanwhile a door in the corridor leadingfrom the apartments of the King ofNavarre opened , and a page advancedtowards M . de lLa Mole .Are you the Comte de La Mole ?

said he.I am .

Where are you lodging ?Rue de l ’Arbre Sec , at the B el le

Etoi le.

Good ! I t is at the gate of the Louvre .Listen his Maj esty sends wordthat he cannot receive you at this moment ; he will perhaps send for you tonight . In any case , i f you do not hearfrom him before to - morrow morning ,come to the Louvre .”

B ut i f the sentry refuses meadmission ?Ah ! true the pass - word is

Navarre ; give this word , and all doorswill open to you .

Thanks .Wait

, sir ; I have orders to conductyou to the gate for fear you should loseyour way in the Louvre .

By- the - bye , what about Coconnas

said La Mole when he found himself outside the palace. Oh he will stay tosupper with the Duc de Guise .”

But on entering the inn , the fi rst pet sthat he saw was Coconnas seated attable with an enormous fried omelette infron t of him .

EHMMV

QUEEN

Ha ! ha ! exclaimed Coconnas, witha burst of laughter , “

you don’ t seem to

have supped with the King of Navarreanymore than I have with M . de Guise ."

No , indeed .

And do you feel hungry yet ?I should think so .

”

“ I n spite ofPlutarch ?Monsieur le Comte , said La Mole ,

laughing , Plutarch observes in anotherplace : He who has , should share withhim who has no t .’ Will you,

for thesake of Plutarch , share your omelettewith me , and we will talk of virtue whil ewe are eating it.”

Not I , indeed ,” said Coconnas,

“ virtue is all very well when one is atthe Louvre and afraid ofbeing overheard ,and on an empty stomach . Sit downthere and have your

“ Come , I see that Fate has decidedthat we are to be inseparable . Shall yousleep here ?

“ I don ’ t know.

Nor I either.At any rate , I know where I shall

spend the night .”

Where is that ?In the same place where you spend it

yourself that is inevitable .And both began to laugh as thevturned their best attention to Master LaH urIere

’

s omelette.

CHAPTER V I

TH E DEBT PA ID

ND now, i f the reader is curious toknow why La Mole had not been

rece ed by the King of Navarre,why

Coconnas had not been able to see M . deGu ise , and why both of them

,instead of

suppmg at the Louvre on pheasants ,partrIdges, and venison , supped at theB el le-Etoile on fried omelette

,he must

be good enough to go back with us to theold Royal Palace

,and follow Queen

Marguerite , whom La Mo le had lostS Ight of at the entrance to the grandcorridor.While Marguerite was descending the

staIrcase, the Duc de Guise,whom

had not set eyes on since the night ofwedding, was in the King

’ s closet,from

MARGOT

which another corridor led to the apartments of the Queen -Mother.Catherine de ’ Medici was alone , seated

near a table , her elbow resting on a halfopened Book ofHours , her head reclin ingon a hand still remarkably beautiful

,

thanks to the cosmetics supplied to herby the Florentine , R éné , who combinedthe functions of perfumer and poisonerto the Queen -Mother.Henri I I .

’

S widow was attired in themourning which she had no t laid asidesince her husband ’s death . She was nowa woman of about two or three and fi fty

,

who , thanks to the freshness of her fu l lround figure , stil l preserved the marks ofher early beauty . Her apartments , l ikeher dress , were those of a widow : everything , upholstery , walls , furn iture , was ofa severe character, with the exceptionthat , above a kind of canopy covering achair of State , in which there was now

lying asleep her little pet greyhound,

which had been given her by her son - in

law , Henri de Navarre , and had receivedthe mythological name of Phoebe, therewas painted in its natural colours a rainbow surrounded by a Greek devicesuggested to her by King Francois I

(DGI ; qSe'

pet Kai 019a

which may be thus translated :R adiance it brings andekeserenity.

Suddenly , and at the moment whenthe Queen - Mother seemed to be plungedin thought—thought which brought aS low and hesitating smile to her Carminetinted lips , the door opened , the curtainwas raised , and a man appeared with apale, haggard face , and said

Everyt hing is going wrong .

Catherine raised her head,and recog

nised the Duc de Guise .“ Going wrong ! ” she cried. Whatdo you mean , Henri

“ I mean that the King is more thanever infatuated with his cursedHuguenots , and that i f we wait forhis leave to execute the great undertaking, we shall wai t a long timeperhaps for ever.

“ What has happened, then ? askedCatherine, maintaining her habitualcalmness of expression , to which , however, she knew so well how to give adifferent appearanc e when occasionrequired .

“ Why, j ust now , for the twentiethtime, I asked his Majesty the question

30 QUEEN MARGOT

whether he would continue to put upwith the bravado in which the Protestantshave indulged since their Admiral waswounded ."

And what did my son reply askedCatherine .He replied You , Duc , cannot help

being suspected by the people as theinstigator of the murder of my secondfather , the Admiral ; defend yourself asyou please. For myself, I shal l knowhow to protect mysel f if I am insulted .

’

And with that he turned his back on mein order to feed his dogs .

“ And you did not attempt to detainhim

Yes, but he answered me with thatvoice of his which you know so well ,looking at me with that expression whichonly he can assume : ‘ Duke , my dogsare hungry, and I will not keep themwaiting for any man .

’ And so I cameto warn you .

”

“ You were quite right, said theQueen - Mother.

“ But how are we to act PWe must make a final effort .And who will undertake itI . will . I s the King alone ?No ; M . de Tavannes is with him .

Wait for me here,then ; or, rather,

follow me presently .

”

Catherine at once rose and proceededto the King

’s rooms , where his favouritegreyhounds were reposing on Turkeycarpets and velvet cushions. Uponperches fastened to the wall were two orthree choice falcons and a little shrike

,

with which Charles amused himself bycatching small birds in the gardens of

the Louvre or of the Tuileries, thebuilding ofwhich had j ust begun .

On her way the Queen - mother hcontrived to impart an expressiongrief to her countenance

,down which

trickled a las t , or rather a first , tear.Noiselessly she approached Charles

,

who was giving his dogs pieces of cakecut into equal portions .My son I” said Catherine

,in trembling

tones , so well assumed that they madethe King‘

start . C.

“ What is the matter , Madame ? beasked , turning quickly.

“ I wish,

to ask your permission , myson, to retire to one , of your Castles ; itmatters little which

,provided it be a long

way from Paris .”

“ And for what reason , ,Madame ?

asked Charles , fixing on his mother thatdull eye which at times became sopiercing.

Because I receive fresh insults dailyfrom those of the Religion , because evento - day I have heard you threatened bythe Protestants in your own palace, andI don ’ t wish to stand by and witness suchthings ."

“ But , mother , said Charles , with anair of conviction , there has been anattempt to kil l their Admiral . PoorpeOple ! an infamous murderer hadalready assassinated thei r brave M . deMouy. Death of my li fe , mother ! j usticemust be done in my kingdom .

”

Oh make your mind easy,my son ;

justice will not be wanting , for , i f yourefuse it to them , they wi ll exact it aftertheir fashion from M . de Guise to - day ,from me to - morrow, from you lateron .

”

Do you think so , Madame ? saidCharles , a tone of hesitation for the firsttime showing itself in his voice .Don ’ t you know ,

'

my son , repliedCatherine , abandoning li

'

erself enti rely tothe violence of her th oughts , don

’ t youknow . that it is no longer a question ofthe deaths of Francois de Guise or theAdmiral , a question of the Protestan t orthe Catholic religions ; but merely of thesubstitution of the son of Antoine deB ourbon for the son of Henri I I .Come , come , mother, you are re

lapsing into your usual exaggeration,

”

said the King .

What do you advise , then , my son ?That we should wait , mother. All

human wisdom is comprised in that word .

The greatest , the bravest , and above allthe cleverest man , i s he who knows howto wait .”

You may wait , then ; but I cannot .With these words Catherine bowed ,and began to move towards the door.Charles stopped her.Well

,then , mother, what is to be

done said he , for before everythiI am j ust , and I should like everyonebe satisfied with my conduct.”

Catherine went up to him.

Come here , Comte ," said she

Tavannes,who was caressing the K

shrike , “ and tell the King what yoadvise .Does your Majesty ' permi t me ?

asked the Comte .Speak, Tavannes, speak

QUEEN”MARGOT

“What does your Majesty dohunting when the boar chargesZounds ! sir, I wait for h im with

feet firmly plan ted ,’ said Charles , and

drive my spear into his throat."

Merely to preven t him from woundingyou,

added Catherine .And to amuse mysel f, said the King ,

with a sigh which denoted a couragepushed to ferocity ; “ but I should not

amuse mysel f by kil ling my subjects , for,after all

,the Huguenots are my subj ects

just as much as the Catholics . ’“ Then

,sire ,

” said Catherine , “ yoursubjects the Huguenots wi l l act l ike theboar whose throat has not been piercedbythe spear ; they will rip up the throne .

Bah ! Madame , do you really thinkso said the King , in a tone that impliedthat he did not place great faith in hismother ’s predictions .But have you not seen M . de Mouy

and his fellows this very dayYes , for they have only

‘

just left mebut has he asked me anything that i s notj ust ? He demanded of me the death of

the murderer of his father and of theAdmiral . Did we not punish Montgommery for the death of your husband ,my father, though i t was a mere accidentVery well , sire ,

” said Catherine , in atone of vexation ; “ let us say no more .Your Majesty is under an Almightyprotection which will give you strength

,

wisdom , and confidence ; while 1, poorwoman , forsaken by God, on account ,doubtless , of my sins, I fear and I giveway.

’

With these words Catherine bowedonce more, motioning to the

.

D ue deGuise , who had come in meanwhile, tostay andmake one final attempt .Charles followed his mother with hiseyes , but this time made no attempt torecall her ; then whistling his huntingsong , began to fondle his hounds.Suddenly he broke off.“ My mother has a regal spirit

,said

he ; truly she sticks at nothing . Come,

now, deliberately to kil l a few scoreHuguenots for coming to demandj tl

i

l

s

tice l Was i t not their righ t, after

a H

A few score ! muttered the D ue deGuise .

“ Ah ! you are there , sir ? said theKing , affecting to see him for the firsttime ; “ yes , a few score , no very greatloss, truly ! Ah ! if some one were to

3 1

come and say to me : Sire , you shal l berid of al l your enemies at a blow

,and

there shal l not one of them be left bythis time to - morrow to reproach youwith the death of the rest ,

’ ah ! in thatcase , I don

’ t say what I might do IWell , sire ? 1

Tavannes , interrupted the King,

“ You are annoying Margot , put herback on her perch . There is no reasonwhy everyone should fondle her , becauseshe bears my sister ’ s name .Tavannes put back the shrike on

her perch , and amused himsel f withtwisting the ears of a greyhound .

“ But , sire ,” replied the D uc de Guise

,

“ supposing anyone were to say‘ Your

Maj esty shall be rid of all your enemiesto - morrow

“ By - the'

intercession of what Saintcould that miracle be accompl ished

“ Sire , to - day is the twenty - fourth ofAugust, the feast of Saint Bartholomew .

“ A fine Saint ,” said the King

,

“ whoallowed himsel f to be roasted alive

“ So much the better ; the greater hi ssufferings , the greater his wrath againsthis executioners .”

And i t is you , cousin , who , with yourpretty little gold - hi lted sword , will kil lten thousand Huguenots here tomorrow ! Death of my life ! Monsieurde Guise , you are mighty amusing .

”

And the King burst into a loud laugh—but a laugh so hollow that the roomre- echoed i t in mournful tones .Sire, allow me one

' single word,

pursued the Duke, shuddering involuntarily at the sound of that scarcelyhuman laughter. “ A sign from you

,

and all is in readiness . I have the SwissGuard , I have eleven hundred gentlemen ,the light cavalry , the citizens ; yourMajesty, on your side , has your guards ,your friends, your Catholic noblesWe are twenty to

'

one .“ Well , cousin , since you are so strong ,why the devil do you come and din thisinto my ears P Do it without meAnd the King turned again to hishounds .At this moment the curtain was raised ,and Catherine reappeared .

All goes well ,” said she to the Duke

,

press him and he will yield .

”

And the curtain fell again without theKing having seen , or at least havingshown that he had seen , his mot her.

But at least ,” said the D ue de Guise ,

32 QUEEN

“ I must know that in carrying out mydesire I shall be doing what i s pleasingto your Majesty.

Truly,cousin Henri , you hold your

kn i fe to my throat, but I shal l standfirm ; zounds . am I not King ?No

,sire

,not yet ; but you shal l be i f

you choose , to morrow .

’

“ Ah . continued Charles , “ you wouldkil l the King of Navarre then as well ,and the Prince de Condé in myPalace of the Louvre !Then he added in a scarcely articulatevoice :

“ I do not say but that . outside

the Palace“ Sire

,

” exclaimed the Duke , “ theyare goingout this evening to a revel withyour brother

,the Duc d’

Alencon.

”

“ Tavannes,said the King , with

admirably acted impatience , “ don ’ t yousee that you are teasing my hound !Come , Actaeon , come here .And Charles went out without choosingto hear any more , and returned to hisch 'amber , leaving Tavannes and the D uede Guise in almost as great uncertaintyas before .A scene , however , of a different kind

was passing in the presence of Catherine ,who ,

aft er counselling the Duc de Guiseto stand firm ,

had retired to her room ,

where: she found assembled the personsWho usually assisted her in disrobing forbed .

Catherine ’s face , upon her return , wasas

'

j oyous as i t had been melancholywhen she left

'

her room . One by one

she dismissed her ladies and courtierswi th the .most gracious air ; presentlynone remained with her except . Marguerite , who , seated on a chest near theopen window , was gazing at the sky ,absorbed m her own thoughts.On finding herself alone with herdaughter, the Queen Mother opened hermouth two or three times as i f about tospeak , but each time some gloomythought checked the words she was on

the poin t of uttering .

Presently the curtain was raised,and

Henri de Navarre appeared .

The lit tle greyhound , which wasasleep in the chair, sprang ,

up andrushed to him .

“ You here , my son ! said Catherine ,starting , “ are you Supping , then , at theLouvre ?

No , Madame , we are going to scour

MARGOT

the town this evening with Messieursd

’

A lencon and De Condé . I thought Ishould find them here paying their courtto you .

Catherine smiled .

Oh you gentlemen said sheMen are very lucky in being able togad about like that ; don

’ t you think so ,daughter ?

“ True , answered Marguerite ; “ freedom is very sweet .”

Does that mean that I curtail yours ,Madame ? said Henri

,bowing to his

wife .No , sir ; I am not pitying mysel f,

but the cond1t1on of women in general .Perhaps you will go and see the

Admiral , my son ?” said Catherine .

“ Yes , possibly.

Do so ; i t wil l look well , and tomorrow you can give me news of him .

”

“ I will go , then , Madame , since youapprove of such a step ’

I .7 said Catherine , “ I approve of

nothing . B ut who is that ? Goand see, wil l you ?Henri stepped towards the door toexecute Catherine ’ s order , but at thesame moment the hangings were raisedand Madame de Sauve showed her fairhead .

“ Madame,said she , “ i t is R éné the

perfumer,whom your Maj esty sent for.

Catherine flashed a glance at Henride NavarreThe young Prince blushed slightlyand almost immediately became alarminglypale . The name of his mother

’smurderer had j ust been pronounced , andfeeling that his face betrayed hisemotion , he went and leaned out of thewindow.

The li ttle greyhound gave a howl .At the same moment two . persons

entered,

one of whom had . beenannounced

,while the other did not

require that ceremony.

The first was R éné , the perfumer , whoapproached Catherine with al l the obseq uious respect of Florentine tradesmen ;he opened a box which he had brought ,and all its compartments were seen to befi l led with jars and powders .The second person was M adame .de

Lorraine ,She camewhich ledhOping no

Cathe1 ine,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

34 QUEEN MARGOT .

her side , did not speak, but looked at hermother with her hands clasped .

Henri , who had his back turned , sawthe whole scene reflected in a mirror

,

pretending to be curling his moustacheswith a pomade given him by

'

Réné .

And you, Henri ,” said Catherine

,

“ do you stil l intend to goout ?“ Ah ! yes , true !

” cried the King of

Navarre . “ Upon my word , I forgotthat the D ue d ’Alencon and the Princede Condé are wai ting for me ; I thinkthese wonderful scents must have got into my head and made me losemy memory. Au revoir, Madame .

Au revoz’

i’ : you w i l l bring me newsof the Admiral to - morrow , will younot ?I wil l take care to do so . Well ,

Phoebe, what ails you , lass ?Phoebé ! said the Queen Mother

impatiently ,Call her back , Madame , said the

B éarnais , “ for she won ’ t let me go out .The Queen rose , took the little dog bythe collar and held her , while Henri wentout with face as calm and smiling asthough he did not feel at the bottom ofhis heart that he was carrying his life inhis hand.

Directly the Queen Mother releasedthe dog , i t rushed to overtake him , butthe door was shut , and the little creaturecould only push its muzzle beneath thehangings

,uttering a prolonged and mourn

ful howl the while .Now

,Charlotte , said Catherine to

Madame de Sauve , “ go and fetch M . deGuise and Tavannes , who are in myoratory

,and when you have brought

them,you can look after the Duchesse de

Lorraine, who 13 suffering from hysterics .

”

CHAPTER V I I

TH E N IGHT or THE TWENTY - FOURTH OFAUGU ST , 1 572

HEN La Mole and Coconnas hadfinished their scanty meal—forls of the B el le- Etoile existed only

on the sign - board—Coconnas spun hischair round

,stretched out his legs , leaned

his elbow on the table , a n , tossing off afinal glass ofwine

,asked

Are you going to bed now at once,Monsieur de la M ole3

Upon my wo‘rd , -sir, I should l ike togo very well , for,

it is quite possible theywill come and rouse me in the n1ght .And me too ,

” said Coconnas ; “ butin that case it seems to me that insteadof going to bed and making those whocome to fetch us wait , i t would be betterto call for cards and have a game, andthen we should be all ready for themI would gladly accept your proposal ,

sir, but I have very li ttle money for play ,barely a hundred gold crowns in myvalise , and what is more , that i s all .Ihave in the world . I have go t to makemy fortune with that .A hundred crowns cried Coconnas,

“ and you grumble ! Zounds ! sir,1 pos

sess only six .

”

Oh ! come , replied La Mole , “ I sawdraw from your pocket a purse which

appeared to be not only full , but, one

might say, almost bursting.

”

“ Ah ! but that is to wipe out an old

debt that I have to settle with an o ldfriend of my father ’s whom I suspect tobe

,l ike yourself, a bit of a Huguenot .

Yes,there are a hundred rose nobles in it ,

continued Coconnas s lapping his pocket,but they belong to Master M ercandon

my personal fortune 1s l imited , as I havesaid , to s ix crowns.How can we play , then ?Why , that 13 just the reason why I

want to play ; besides, an idea has justcome into my head .

“ What is‘

that

We have both come to Paris with thesame obj ect ?Yes .”

We have each a powerful patron“ Yes .You can rely on yours , as I can upon

mineYes .Well ! i t occurred to me that we

might play first for our money, next forthe fi rst favour that comes to us, whetherfrom the Court or from ourmistress .A most bri lliant idea said La Mole

laughing but I confess I am not

enough of a gambler to risk my wholeli fe on a turn of the cards or the dice , forthe first favour which either ofus obtainswil l probably affect ourwhole lives .”

Well ! let us put aside then the firstfavour from the Court and play for thefi rst favour from our mistress .”

“ I see but one objection , said LaMole.

QUEEN

What is that ?That I don ’ t possess a mistress .Nor I

‘

; but I don' t expect to be long

before I do . I am not so ugly , thankGod,

‘ as to be without some . sort of attraction for women .

”

Oh you wi l l be al l righ t in that respect no doubt, Monsieur de

'

Coconnas ;but as I have not the same confidence inmy lucky star in matters oflove , I believethat to pit my stak e against yours wouldbe robbing you. So let us play to the extent of your six crowns , and . should youhavelthe misfortune to lose, and shouldwant . to continue the game , well , youare a gentleman

,and yourzword will be

good for the money.

”

All right ! cried Coconnas ; “ that isspeaking to the point ; you are right, sir ,the word of a gentleman is a guaranteefor the money

,~ especially 'when that

gentleman has credit at Court. So besure I shal l not be risking too much inplaying against you for the first favourI should happen to obtain .

“ Yes, you can lose, no doubt , but I

cannot win ; for, being of the party of theKing of Navarre

,I have nothing to .ex

pect from the Duc de Guise .Ah ! you heretic ! I scented you

out , muttered the landlord from where hesat polishing up his old helmet . And hebroke off his work to make the sign ofthecross .Ah evidently, then , replied Cocon

nas , shuffl ing the cards which the drawerhad j ust brought him, you . belongto ?To what ?To the Religion .

u I

1 Yes , you .

Wel l ! and suppose I do , said LaMole , smiling ;

' “ have you anything to

say against usOh no , thank God ; 1t s all one to

me. I have a profound hatred of Protestantism , but I do not hate the Protestants ;and besides, it is all the fashion now.

”

Yes, replied La Mole , laughing ,“ witness the shooting of the AdmiralShall we play at shooting as well“Just '

as you l ike ,” said Coconnas

so long as we play, i t matters l ittle .Play , said ,La) M ole, picking

up ,his .cards and ,sorting them in his

hand .

“ Yes, ,and play boldly ; for should I

lose a hundred gold crowns like yours ,

MARGOT 35

I should be able to pay up to -morrowmornmg.

Fortune wil l come to you,then

,while

you are asleepNo , I shall go in search of her.Where shall you go ? Tel l me , and

I wil l go with you.

"

To the Louvre .Are you returning there to night

“ Yes , I have a private appointmentwith the great Duc de Guise.While Coconnas had been talking of

going in search of fortune at the Louvre,

La H uriere had left off furbishing hishelmet, and had placed himself behindLa Mole ’s chair 1n such a way that onlyCoconnas could see him , and from therehe proceeded to make signs which theP iedmontese , absorbed 1n his play and hisconversation , did not observe .

“ Well ! that ’s very remarkable !said La Mole , and you were right whenyou said that we were both of us bornunder the same star. I , too , have anappointment at the Louvre to - night

, not

with the D ue de Guise, but with theKingof Navarre .”

Have you an order ?Yes .” f

A countersign ?No .”

Well , I have one ; mine i sAt these words La H uriére made agesture so expressive , j ust as the indiscrect Piedmontese raised his head

,that

Coconnas remained petrified far more bythis gesture than by the deal on which hehad just lost three crowns . Seeing theastonishment depicted on his opponent ’ sface, La Mole turned round , but saw

nothing except the landlord standingbehind him with his arms folded , andwearing the helmet which he had seenhim rubbing up a moment ibefore.

“ What is the matter ? ” he askedCoconnas.

Coconnas looked at his companionand at the landlord without replying , forhe understood nothing of the gestures

,

which La H uriere was now repeating .

La H uriere saw that he must come tohis rescue .s“ I t is only, said he quickly, “ that I

am .very fond of the game myself, andthat as .1 .was coming up

'

to look at t hehand with which you have j ust won ,Monsieur caught sight of me in mywar - g

,ear which , worn by a hut ch!

citizen,must have surprised him.

36

You do look fine , indeed exclaimedLa Mole, bursting out laughing .

“Why, sir, replied La H uriere, with

admirably simulated good humour , anda deprecating movement of his shouldersexpressive of in feriori ty, “ i t is true weare not very valorous , and have not asmart appearance . I t’s all very well forfine gent lemen l ike yourselves to pol ishyour gilded helmets and fine rapiers , andprovided that we mount our guardpunctuallyAh so you mount guard , do you

said La Mole, shuffl ing the cards in histurn .

Oh ! yes , Monsieur le Comte , Ishould think so ; I am sergeant in acompany of citizen mili tia.”

And when La Mole was busy dealingout the cards , La H uriere with thesewords withdrew

,putting his finger on

his l ips to impose discretion on Coconnas,who was more puzzled than ever.I t was this probably that caused himto lose the second deal almost as quicklyas he had lost the fi rst .Well ! ” said La Mole , “ that makes

exactly your six crowns ; would you liketo stake your revenge on your fortune tocomeWillingly

,said Coconnas.

But before pledging yourself furtherin advance

,did you not tel l me you had

an appointment with M . de GuiseCoconnas glanced towards the kitchen ,and saw La H uriere repeating the samesignal ofwarning .

Yes, said he but i t isn ’ t time yet .Besides , let us talk a bit about yoursel f,Monsieur de la Mole .

“ I think we should do better to talkabout the game , my dear Monsieur deCoconnas, for, i f I am not much mistaken , I stand to win another six crownsfrom you .

“ Zounds ! you are right. I alwaysheard that the Huguenots were lucky at ~

p lay . I should like to turn Huguenot,

devi l take me if I shouldn ’ t !La H uriere’s eyes flashed l ike coals

,

but Coconnas, absorbed in his game, didnot perceive it.Do so , Comte , do so, said La Mole,

“ and though the call has come to you insomewhat singular fashion , we wil l makeyou welcome among us.

”

Coconnas scratched his ear.I f I '

was sure that your l uck comesfrom that,

” said he, “ I warrant you

QUEEN MARGOT

for, to tell the truth , I don’ t hold so very

much by the Mass , and since the Kingdoesn ’t hold byi t either

“ And then it is such a beautiful faith,

said La Mole, so pure , so simple !“ And i t is so fashionable , said

Coconnas,“ and i t brings luck at

cards , for , deuce take it , you get all theaces in the pack , and yet I have watchedyou all the time and you play a straightgame ; you don

’ t cheat i t must bethe Religion

You owe me si x crowns more, saidLa M ole , quietly.

“ Ah ! how you tempt me ! said Coconnas,

“ and i f I should not be pleased ‘

with my reception by the D ue de Guiseto nightW ell ?Well to -morrow I/wil l ask you to

present me to the King of Navarre ; andmake

’

your mind at ease , if once I turnHuguenot . I shall be more Huguenotthan Luther , Calvin , M elancthon and allthe reformers 1n the world put together. ’

“ Hush said La Mole , you wi ll getinto trouble with our host .Ah ! t rue ,

” said Coconnas, turninghis eyes towards the kitchen .

“ But no ,he 13 not listening to us he is too busyj ust at this moment .”

“What is he about ? ” said La Mole ,who could not see him from ' the placewhere he sat.

“ He is talking tois heHe ! who ?Why , that sort of night - bird he was

talking to when we arrived—the manwith the yellow doublet and drab cloak .

Zounds ! how excited he is getting . Isay

,Master La H uriere, do you happen

to be discussing politics . ’

This time , however, La H uriere repliedby a gesture so energetic and imperativethat, spite of his love for the cards,Coconnas got up and went to him .

What is the matter ? asked La Mole .You want some wine , sir ? said La

H uriere, eagerly grasping Coconnas’

5

hand,

“ i t shall be brought. Gregoire ,some wine for these gentlemenThen he whispered inCoconnas’searSilence ! silence , on your li fe ! and

get rid of your companion .

La H uriere was so pale , and the yellowman so gloomy, that Coconnas felt a sortof shudder, and turning to La Mole,said

deuce takei t,‘ i t

QUEEN MARGOT

I begyou to excuse me , dear M on

sieur de La Mole ; that makes fi ftycrowns I have lost at a sitting . I amnot in the vein this evening , and I amafraid of getting into diffi culties .”

Very well, sir, very well , j ust as you

please,

” said La Mole . “Besides I shan ’ tbe sorry to turn in for a bit. MasterLa H uriere !Monsieur lo Comte ?I f anyone shou ld come for me from

the King ofNavarre,will you awake me .

I shal l be dressed and therefore readyin a moment."

Li ke mysel f,said Coconnas ; and in

order not to keep his Highness waiting asingle moment

,I will prepare my badge .

Master La H uriére, a pair of scissors andsome white paper.”

Gregoire shouted La H uriere,some white paper to write a letter , andscissors to cut an envelope for i t.”

Well for sure,something unusual i s

going on here,

” said Coconnas to himsel f.Good - night Monsieur de Coconnas,

said La Mole . And you, mine host, begood enough to show me to my room .

Good luck , my friend !La Mole disappeared up the windingstaircase, followed by La H uriere. I h

stant ly the mysterious man in his turnseized Coconnas by the arm , and , drawing him close to him

,said in rapid

tones“ Sir, you have been a hundred times

on the point of d isclosing a secret on

which depends the fate of a kingdom .

God willed that your mouth should beclosed j ust in time . A word more and Ishould have shot you dead . Now thatwe are happily alone

,l isten .

f‘ But who are you who speak to me in

thl s tone ofcommand askedCoconnas.

Do you happen to have heard of DeM aurevel

The assassin of the Admiral ?And of Captain de Mouy.

Yes, of course .”

Well , I am De M aurevel .

Oho said Coconnas.

Listen to me then .

”

Zounds l I should think I would .

Hush ! said De M aurevel , puttinghl S finger to his mouth .

At this moment the landlord washeard shutting the door of a room , afterwh1ch he closed and bolted the door - of

the corridor, and'

hurried back to his twocompamons.

9,

3 7

N

He then offered a chair to Coconnasand one to M aurevel , and taking a thirdchair for himsel f , remarkedAll i s made fast , Monsieur de Maur

ovel you can speak .

E leven o 'clock was striking fromSaint - Germain - l

’

Auxerrois. M aurevel

counted each stroke of the clock as i tsmelancholy clang resounded through thenight ; then when the last echo had diedawayS 1r, said he , turning to Coconnas,

whose hair almost stood on end at sightof the precautions taken by the two men ,“ are you a good Catholic P

“ W hy, I should think so, answeredCoconnas.

Are you devoted to the King con

tinned M aurevel .“ Heart and soul ; I think you insul tme , sir, by putting s tich a question .

”

We won ’ t quarrel about that ; only,you have got to follow us .

”

Where to .

”

That is not your concern ; you mustlet us lead you . I t is a question of yourfortune and perhaps your life .”

“ I warn you, sir, that at midnight Ihave business at the Louvre .”

That is j ust where we are going .

M . de Guise is expecting me .”

And us too .

”

But I have a private pass - word,

continued Coconnas, somewhat mortifiedat sharing with M . de M aurevel and LaH uriére the honour of an audience .So have we .But I have a badge of recognition .

M aurevel smiled , then drew from hisdoublet a handful of crosses of whitematerial , gave one to Coconnas, one toLa H uriere, and took one

. for himsel f.La H uriére fastened his to his helmet ,M aurevel placed his in his cap .

Oh then ,” said Coconnas in amaze

men t,

“ the appointment, the pass - word,

and the badge are for everybody“ Yes , sir ; forall good Catholics , that 18Then there 18 some fete, someRoyal

banquet at the Louvre,I suppose

,

exclaimed Coconnas, “ from which thosedogs of Huguenots are to be excluded ?

Good capital ! they ’ve beenshowing themselves off there quite longenough .

”

Oh ! yes, said M aurevel ,“ there 13 a ‘

fete at the Louvre , a Royal banquet , andthe Huguenots w il l be inv ited to i tNay, more, they will be the heroes of the

38 QUEEN MARGOT

fete, they wil l pay for the banquet ;and i f you will be on our s ide , wewi ll begin by going to invite theirprincipal champion—their Gideon , so tospeak .

The Admiral exclaimed Coconnas.

Yes, old Gaspard , whom , l ike a foo l ,I missed

,though I fired at him with one

of the King ’s own guns . ’

And that 13 why I have been rubbingup my helmet , grinding my sword , andsharpening up my knives , said LaH uriere, in a fierce , loud voice , thatmatched his warlike get up .

At these words Coconnas shudderedand turned pale he was beginning tounderstand .

“ What , really ! he cried , “ this fete,thi s banquet it is theyare going

You have been a long while inguessing i t , sir, said M aurevel , and i tis easy to see that you are not as tired aswe are of the insolence of these heretics .”

And you are taking upon yourself togo to the Admiral , and toM aurevel smiled , and drawing Cocon

nas to :the window , saidLook ; do you see in that small open

Square at the end of the,

street , behindthe Church , that body of men musteringsilently in the shadow

Yes.

The men who compose that bodywear a cross in their hats like you andme and Master La H uriere here .”

WellWell ! That 15 a company of Swiss

from the small cantons , commanded byToq uenot . You know that the gentlemenfrom the smal l cantons are the King ’scronies .’

Indeed ? said Coconnas.

Now, look at that troop of horsemenpass ing along the Quay ; do you recogn ise their leader

“ How could I possibly do so ? saidCoconnas, stil l shuddering I onlyarrived 1n Paris thi s evening.

’

Ah wel l, that I s the man with whomyou have the midnight appointment atthe Louvre. See, he is . going there towait foryou.

“ The D ue de Guise ?The same . Those escorting him are

Marcel , ex - provost of the merchan ts , andChoron , the present provost. The , two

l ast are going to muster their companiesof citizens ; and look, there is thefi aptain

of the Quarter entering the street ; watchcarefullywhat he 13 about to do .He 15 knocking at all the doors . But

what 13 that on the doors ?A white cross, young man ; a cross

l ike the one we wear in our hats . I nformer days it was left to God to dist inguish those who were His ; to day weare more civil ised , and save Him thetrouble .But each door that he knocks at is

opened , and armed citizens issue fromeach house .He will knock at ours as he has done

at the others , and we shall go out in ourturn .

’

But , said Coconnas, all this crowdof people agog to go and kil l one

‘

old

Huguenot ! Zounds ! . it is infamous !i t i s an affai r of cut - throats and not ofsoldiersYoung man , said Maurevel , “ i f you '

obj ect to oldmen , you can choose youngones : there will be plenty for al l tastes .I f you despise daggers , you can use thesword forg the Huguenots are not thepeople to let their throats be out withoutdefending themselves , and Huguenots,you know, young and old , die hard .

”

5 ‘ But you are going t o kil l them all ,then ?

a A ll . 1'

By the K ing’s order

Byorder ofthe King and M . de Guise .And when ?When you hear the bel l of Sain t

Germain l Auxerr01s“ Ah ! then that is why that amiabl eGerman who 1s with M . de Guisewhat ishis name 1

M . de B esmeExactly : that i s why M . de B esme

told me to hurry up at the first stroke ofthe tocsin ?Then you have seen M . de B esmeI have seen him and spoken with him .

Where was thatAt the Louvre . I t was he who got

me admitted , who gave me the pass - word ,who

Look .

Zounds ! i t is the man himsel f.Would you like to speak to himUpon my word , 1 shouldn

’t mind.M aurevel opened the windov

’

vl softly.B esme was just passing by with somescore of men. i .1

GuiseandLorraine . said M aurevell l

B esme turned hishead,andseeing that

l

QUEEN

their business was with him , came -up tothe window .

Ah it is you,M onsir de M aurevel .

“ Yes, i t is I ; what are you lookingforI am looking for the hostelry of the

B el le-Etoile, to warn a. certain M onsir

Gogonnas.

"

“ Here I am , M ons1eur de B esme !said the young man .

“ Ah ! goot l you are ready ?Yes ; what am I to doWhat M onsir de M aurefel tells you

he is a goot Catholic .“ You hear ? said M aurevel.

Yes,answered Coconnas. But

you,Monsieur de Besme, where are you

going ?I said De B esme, laughing .

Yes , youOh ! I am going to haf one leetle

word wid the Admiral .“ Tel l him two , i f necessary , said

M aurevel , and say that , this time , i f herecovers from the first shot , he won

’ t fromthe second .

“ B e easy , M onsir de ‘M aurefel , beeasy , and instruct dat young man well inhis duties .”

Yes, yes , never fear ; the Coconnas’

are fine sleuth - hounds ; i t runs in theblood .

”

“ Farewell .Come on .

And you“ You put up the game, and we shallbe in at the death , I warrant .

”

De Besme went off, and M aurevel

shut the window.

“ You hear , young man ? saidM aurevel ,

“ i f you have any privateenemy , even if he is not precisely aHuguenot, put him down on your l ist ,and he W 111 pass muster with theCoconnas, more astonished than everby all he had seen and heard

,looked in

turns at his host , who was strik lng a'

series of formidable attitudes , and atM aurevel , who was quietly drawing apaper from his pocket .Here is my

,l ist, said be,

“ threehundred of them . Let

_every, good

Catholic do to - night the tenth part of thework that I shal l do

,and by to - morrow

there won t be a single Heretic left in theKingdom .

Hush said La H uriere.

What is i t ? ” exclaimed CoconnasandM aurevel, together.

MARGOT

said the

‘

39

P iedmontese ,

The fi rst stroke was heard from the

bel fry of Saint Germain l ’Auxerro is.l

The signal l cried M aurevel . “ Theyhave fixed the time earlier , then I t wasnot to be til l midnight, I was toldSo much the better ! when i t is a question of the glory ofGod and of the King ,clocks that are too fast are better thanthose that are too slow .

The mournful note of the church bellcontinued . Presently a fi rst shot resounded , and almost immediately thegleam of torches i lluminated the Rue del’

Arbre- Sec like a flash of l ightning .

Coconnas wiped the perspiration fromhis forehead with his hand .

I t has begun ,” cried -M aurevel ,

ForwardOne moment , one moment said

the landlord . Before we begin the

campaign ," le t us see to the

'

safety of thehouse I don ’ t want my wife andchildren to have their throats cut while Iam away. There IS a

'

Huguenot here .’

M . de la Mole ! cried Coconnas, witha start .Yes ! the s1l

n

ly heretic has rushed intothe wolf ’s jaws.

”

What ” cried Cuconnas, you wouldattack your guestI have sharpened my rapier with that

special obj ect ”

Oho !frowning .

“ I have never killed anything but myrabbits and ducks and fowls , so I don

’ tquite know how to set to work to kil l a‘

man . Well ; I will practise on this one,and , i f I am a bit clumsy , at any ratethere will be nobody there to laugh atme .

’

Zounds . but it ’s cruel hard , ob:

jectedCoconnas. M . de la Mole is mycompanion ; he has supped

"

with me ,played cards with me 1

Yes ! but M . de la Mole 1s a heretic ,said M aurevel ; he 18condemned , and i fwe do not kil l him , others wil l .

Not to mention that he has won fiftycrowns from you ,

” said the landlord .

That i s true, but he has .won themfairly , I am sure of i t, said Coconnas.

Fairly or not , you have got to'

payhim all the same

,while, i f I kill him , you

get ofCome , come , sirs let us make haste ,

cried M aurevel . I “ Let us have “ athim with a

'

gun ,‘ a rapier

, a h ammer, apoker—anything you please ; - but get

40

done with it i f you wish to arrive 1n t imeto give a hand to M . de Guise with theAdmiral , as you promised you would .

Coconnas gave a sigh .

I ’11 run and do it, cried La H uriére,wait for me . ’

Zounds ! ” cried Coconnas, “ he willmake that poor fellow suffer torments ,and perhaps rob him . I should like to bethere to finish him off i f necessary , andprevent him from being robbed of hismoney.

And under the influence of this brightidea Coconnas mounted the stairs behind La H uriere, whom he soon overtook ; for the higher he mounted , theslower did La H uriere go , doubtless asthe result ofmore mature reflection .

As he reached the door , still . fol lowedby Coconnas, several shots resounded inthe street . They heard La Mole j ump atonce from his bed , and the floor creakbeneath his weight .

“ Deuce take it ! ” said La H uriere insome anxiety , I believe he is awake .

”

I t looks l ike it ,” said Coconnas.

And going to defend himsel fQuite likely. I say, Master La

H ur1ere, i f he were to kill you, i t wouldbe funny

”

Hem ! hem ! ” said the landlord .

Knowing himself, however , to bearmed with a good arquebus , he gatheredhis courage together , and burst in thedoor with a vigorous kick .

La Mole was then seen , fully dressed ,though without his hat , in trenched behind his bed , his sword between his teeth ,and his pistols in his hand .

Ho ! ho ! said Coconnas, dilatinghis nostrils , l ike an animal that scentsblood , “ this promises to become interesting , Master La H uriere. Come, come ,forwardAh ! I am to be murdered , i t appears ,

and by you , you scoundrel ! ” cried LaMole , with blazing eyes .La H uriere’

s sole reply to this addresswas to lower his gun and take aim . B ut

La Mole had observed the action , andstooping at the moment when the gunwent off, the bul let passed ovor his head .

“ Help , help , Monsieur de Coconnas !cried La Mole .Help , help , Monsieur de M aurevel !

criedLa H uriere.

Upon my word ! Monsieur de laMole ,

" said Coconnas, “ all that I can doin this business is to remain neutral . I t

QUEEN MARGOT

Bah ! ” said Coconnas,

“ I am amountaineer

,and accustomed to climb’

over glaciers. Besides , when a man hasonce 1nsultedme

,I will climb to the sky

or go down into hell after him whateverroad he takes . Let me alone .

appears that the Huguenots are to bekil led to - night by the King ’s order. You

must get out of it as best you can .

“ Traitors ! Murderers ! I s that i t ?Well , wait thenAnd La Mole , taking aim in his turn ,

fi red one of his pi stols . La H uriere, whohad kept his eye on him

,had time to

throw himself to one side ; but Coconnas,not expecting this smart reply

,stood

firm , and the ball grazed his shoulder . ‘

Sdeath he cried , grinding his teeth ,“ you have hit me ; now it

’s betwixt ' ustwo , as you will have it so .

”

And,drawing his rapier

,he rushed

upon La Mole .Had he been alone , La Mole would nodoubt have waited his attack

,but behind

him was La H uriere reloading his arquebus

,not to mention M aurevel , who was

mounting the stairs a t full speed inanswer to the landlord ’s summons . . LaMole therefore dashed into a closet

,bolt

ing the door behind him .

Ah ! wretch ! cried Coconnasfuriously

,beating the door with the hilt

of his rapier,

“ wait,wait . I wil l give you

as many sword - thrusts as you have woncrowns from me to - night. I came toprevent your being hacked to pieces andbeing robbed

,and you reward me by

putting a bullet through my shoulder.J ust wait , you rascal !Meanwhile La H uriére came up

,and

with a blow from the stock of his arquebus , dashed the door to pieces .Coconnas rushed into the closet

,nearly

knocking his head against the opposi tewall

,but the closet was empty and the

window open .

“ He must have thrown himself out,

said the landlord,and as we are on the

fourth floor,he is dead .

”

O r else he has escaped by the roof ofthe next house

,said Coconnas

,throwing

his legover the window - sill,and prepar

ing to follow him over the sloping andslippery surface .M aurevel and La H uriere threw themselves upon him

,and dragging him back

into the room,exclaimed both together :

“ Are you mad ? You will kill your

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

In a moment Coconnas,M aurevel

,and

La H uriere,recognisable from afar by

their white crosses , and received withshouts of welcome

,were in the centre of

this panting crowd,huddled close together

l ike a pack of bounds. Doubtless theywou ld not have been able to make theirWay through it, but that some of thecrowd recognised M aurevel and madeway for him . Coconnas and La H urieresl ipped through behind him

,and all three

succeeded'

in slippingwithin the courtyard .

I n the centre of this courtyard,the

three gates of which had been broken in ,a man , round whom the assassins re

spectfully left an empty space, wasstanding erect with an unsheathed rapierin his hand , and his eyes fixed on abalcony raised some fi fteen feet fromground , and extending in front of

chief windows of the house . This manwas stamping impatiently , and occasionally turning round to question thosenearest to him .

“ Nothing yet , he muttered .

“ Nobodyhe must have been warned and

has fled . What do you think , Du Gast .

“ Impossible,Monseigneur .

Why not ? Didn ’ t you tel l me , amoment before we arrived , that a manwithout any hat , with a drawn sword inhi s hand , and running as though he werebeing pursued , had knocked at the doorand had been admitted

Yes, Monseigneur ; but M . de Besmearrived almost directly , and the doorswere broken in and the house surrounded .

The man went in , sure enough ,but he

certainly can ’

t have got out .”

“ Hallo ! ” said Coconnas to LaH uriere,

“ am I mistaken, or isn

’ t thatM . de Guise whom I see thereThe same

,my friend ; yes, i t is the

great Henri de Guise ln person,waiting

,

doubtless,for the Admiral to come out ,

that he may treat the Admiral as thelatter treated his father . Everybody getshis turn , my friend , and i t is our turnto day

,God be praised !

QUEEN MARGOT

The D uke made a movement as i f torush into the house .Monseigneur, Monseigneur, said Du

Gast , com ing up and checking him ,

your rank bids you stay here and wait .You are right , Du Gast ; thank you ,wil l wait ; but , in truth , I am dyingwith impatience and uneasiness . Ah ! i fhe should escape me !Suddenly the sound of steps was heardapproaching oncemore the windows of the first floor were lighted up asthough the house were on fi re .The window to which the Duke hadraised his eyes so often was opened

,or

,

’

rather,was shat tered into fragments ;

and a man appeared on the balcony witha pale face and a white neck splashedwith crimson blood - stains .

“ Besme ! ” cried the Duke,last ! well ?Dere he is ! ” answered the German

coolly,stooping down and immediately

rising as he lifted what seemed to be a"

considerable weight .But the others

,where are they ?

asked the Duke impatiently.

De others,dey are polishing off the

rest of them ”

And you , what have you doneYou shal l zee ; stand back a leedle.

The Duke stepped back a pace or two .’

At this moment the obj ect could bestinguishedwhich B esme was draggingtoward him with such powerful effort.I t was the body of an old man .

He lifted it above the edge of the balcony

,balanced it a moment in the air and

threw it at his master ’s feet .The dull thud of the fall ing body andthe streams of blood that spirted fromit sprinkling the pavement far and wide ,struck even the Duke himself with horror

,but this feeling was of short duration ,

and curiosity made everyone step forward

,while the light of a torch fl ickered ‘

over the victim .

Then could be seen a white heard, avenerable face

,and hands stiffened in

‘ you at

Hallo ! B esme . cried the powerful death .

voice of the Duke,

“ i sn ’ t i t finished yet ? ” “ The Admiral ! shouted twentyAnd with the point of his sword

,as voices at once, relapsing instantly into

impatient as its owner,he struck sparks silence .

from the paving - stones . “ Yes, the Admiral : i t is he , sureAt this moment were heard shouts enough , said the Duke , approachingthe

wi thin the house,followed by shots

,then corpse to contemplate i t with silen t joy.

a loud movement of feet and a sound of’

I he Admiral ! the Admiral l repeatedclashing weapons

,succeeded by a fresh in awed tones al l the witnesses of this

eflence. terrible scene, pressing closely agaihst

QUEEN MARGOT

one another as they timidly approachedth is grand old hero now laid low.

“ Ah ! there you lie , then , Gaspard !said the Duke de Guise triumphan tly ;“

you were my father’s murderer ; he is

now avenged .

”

And he had the audacity to place hisfoot upon the breast of the heroic Protestant .But at this act of sacrilege the eyes ofthe dying man immediately opened withan effort ; his bleeding and mangled handcontracted for the last time , and the Admiral

,in sepulchral tones , uttered these

wordsHenri de Guise , one day you too

shal l feel on your breast the foot of theassassin . I t was not I who slew yourfather. W ith my dying breath I curseou.

”

yThe Duke

,pale and trembling in spite

of himself, fel t an icy shudder runthrough his whole frame ; he passed hishand across his brow as though to avertthe dismal spectacle ; when he let i t fal lagain and ventured to turn his eyes on

the Admiral once more,he saw that his

eyes were closed , his fingers had relaxed ,and a dark stream of blood had flowedover his white beard from the mouth thathad j ust uttered these terrible words .The Duke raised his sword with a gesture at once of determination and despair.

“ Well ! M onsir, said B esme , “ areyou sadisfied

“ Yes , my friend , yes , replied Henri ,“ for you have avengeDe Duc Francois , have I not ?The Religion , replied Henri , in a

hollow voice . And now ,

” he continued,

turning to the Swiss , and the soldiersand citizens who were blocking up thecourtyard and the street , “ now

,my

friends , to workAh ! good day , Monsieur de Besme ,

Coconnnas now observed,approaching

with a certain:admiration the German ,who , still standing on the balcony , wascalmly wiping his sword .

“ I t was you , then , who finished himoff cried La H uriere in an ecstacy of

delight ; and how did you manage it, myWorthy gentleman

Oh ! quite z imply, quite z imply; on

hearmgde noise he_

obened his door , andI ran him drough the body wid my rapier .But dat is not ' all , I pelief T é ligny i swounded ; I hear him crying out .”

43

At this moment, indeed , cries of distress , proceeding apparently from a

female voice , were heard , and a red glarei l luminated one of the wings of the house,while two men were seen rushing in headlong fligh t, and pursued by a long line ofassassins . O ne of the two was shot downby an arq uebus ; the other , finding anopen window in his path , leapt boldlyin to the courtyard , without consideringthe height , or taking any notice of thefoes who awai ted him below.

Kill him ki l l him ! shouted theassassins on seeing their victim about toescape .The man rose from the ground andpicked up his sword , which , in hi s fall ,had escaped from his hands

,lowered his

head and charged through the crowd,

upsetting three or four of them , and running one through with his sword then

,

amid pistol shots and imprecations fromthe soldiers

,furious at having missed

him , he passed l ike lightning in front ofCoconnas, who , with a dagger in hishand , was waiting for him at the gate .Wounded ! cried the

stabbing him through the arm with hissharp - pointed blade .Coward ! replied the fug1t 1ve, slash

ing the face of his enemy with the edge ofhis sword in default of space to - piercehim with its point.Ten thousand devils ! yelled

Coconnas,i t is Monsieur de la Mole

Monsieur de la Mole repeated La'

H uriere andM aurevel : 1

I t was he who warned the Admiral !shouted several of the soldiers.Kill him ! kil l him resounded from

all sides.Coconnas

,La H uriere

,and some ten

soldiers dashed off in pursuit of La Mole;

who, covered with blood and'

urged tothat pitch of excitement w hich supp l iesthe last reserve to human strength

,sprang

along the streets with no other guide,

save the . instinct of self- preservat ion .

The feet of his foes behind him,and their

shouts , spurred him on and seemed tolend him wings . At times a

"

bullet

whist led past his ear,causing him sud

denly to urge his slackening steps to a.fresh rapidity . He no longer breathed ,or even panted ; his

‘ heaving chestemitted a dull hoarse roar that was.

almost a death - rattle . Mingled bloodand sweat trickled from : h is hair over his '

face . Presently his doublet grew too

44

tight for the convulsive beating of hisheart, and he tore i t open ; his swordgrew too heavy for his hand , and hethrew it away. At times he seemed tobe gaining ground , and escaping fromhis murderers

,but at the shouts of the

latter,other assassins who found them

selves near him , quitted their bloodywork elsewhere and joined in the pursui t.Suddenly he perceived the river flowingsilen tly on his left ; i t seemed to him that,l ike the stag at bay, i t would be an un

speakable j oy to plunge into i ts depths,

and the supreme voice of reason alonechecked him from doing so . On his rightloomed the Louvre , sombre and motionless , but alive with il l - omened noises .Helmets and cuirasses , crossing thedraw - bridges , coldly reflected the rays ofthe moon . La Mole thought of the KingofNavarre as he had thought of Coligny ;theywere his two sole protectors . Summoning up al l his strength

,he looked at the

skywith an inward vow to abjure i f heescaped being massacred , made a détouuwhich gained him thirty yards on thepursuing pack , struck straight for theLouvre , dashed upon the bridge amid thesoldiers , received a fresh dagger - thrust,which glanced along his ribs , and , spiteof the shouts of“ Kil l him ! kil l him ! ”

which resounded behind and around him,

spite of the threatening attitude of thesentries , flew like an arrow into the courty

'

ard , sprang towards the entrance - hall,

cleared the stai r - case , mounted two floors ,recognised a door, and fel l against it,beating at i t with hands and feet .Who is there ? ” murmured a

woman ’s voice.“ Oh ! God ! God! ” cried La Mole

,

.they are coming I hear themthere they are I see themI l I !Who are you replied the voice.La Mole remembered the pass - word .

Navarre ! Navarre ! he cried .The door opened immediately. LaMole , without seeing or thankingGillonne, burst into a vestibule , rushedthrough a corridor and two or threerooms , and finally reached a chamberl ighted by a lamp suspended from theceiling.

In a bed '

of carved oak , behind velvetcurtains embroidered with gold fleurs - delys, a woman , half - undressed , was leaningon her arm , openingwide eyes of terrorand astonishment.

QUEEN MARGOT

La Mole rushed towards her.Madame ! he cried , the Huguenots

are being butchered ; I , too , am beinghunted down , and they want to butcherme . Ah ! you are the Queen saveme .And he threw himsel f at her feet

,

leaving a broad track of blood on thecarpet.Seeing this man kneeling before her

,so

pale and so exhausted , the Queen ofNavarre rose in amazement

,concealing

her face in her hands , and crying out forhelpMadame ! ” said La Mole

,with an

effort to rise , “ in heaven’s name do not

call , for should any one hear you,I am

lost ! Murderers are in pursuit of me ;they are mounting the stair3 ° I hearthem there they are there theyare

“ Help ! repeated the Queen ofNavarre , who was beside herself withterror , help

“ Ah ! it is you who have kil led me ! ”

cried La Mole, in despair. “ I could nothave thought it possible to die by so

beautiful a voice, or so fair a hand !At the same instant the door opened

,

and a pack of men , panting and furious,their faces stained with blood and powder

,

and armed with arquebuses , swords, andhalberds , rushed into the room.

At their head was Coconnas, his redhair bristling , his pale blue eyes inordih ately dilated , his cheek gashed by LaMole ’s sword , which had traced its bloodstained furrow on the flesh ; the Piedmontese , in his disfigurement , was a terriblesight to behold .

“ Zounds ! ” cried he, “ there he is !Ah ! we have got him this time !La Mole looked round him for aweapon , but could find none. He glancedat the Queen and saw the deepest pitydepicted in her countenance, and real isingthat she alone could save him , rushedtowards her and folded her in his arms.‘

Coconnas stepped forward and , withthe poin t of his long rapier , pierced hisenemy ’s shoulder once more , and somedrops of warm red blood bedewed Marguerite ’s white and scented sheets .Marguerite , seeing the blood flow

, andfeeling a shudder pass through theframe which clasped her, threw her.

sel f, together with La Mole , into thepassage on the opposite side of

'

the bed ;barely in time, for La Mole, whose

a ,QUEEN MARGOT

M C

o a”

strength was q u1te exhausted , was incapable o i escaping or offering any defence . His livid face rested against theQueen ’s shoulder, his fingers clutchedand tore the delicate embroidered cambric ,which covered Marguerite ’s body withbillows of gauze .

“ Ah ! Madame , save me ! he murmured in a dying voice .I t was all that he could say; a death lymist darkened his eyes , his head sankheavily backward , his arms relaxed theirhold

,his legs gave way beneath him , and

be rolled to the floor in his own blood ,dragging down the Queen with him .

Coconnas, excited by the shouts andthe scent of blood , maddened by his

furious chase , extended his arm towardsthe recess ; a moment more , and hissword would have pierced La Mole tothe heart and probably Margueri te at

the same time .At the sight of the naked steel , andperhaps even more at the sight of thisbrutal insolence , the Daughter of Kingsraised hersel f to her ful l height anduttered such a cry of terror, rage , and ihdignation

,that the P iedmontese remained

petrified by some unknown emotion ; i tis true that , had this scene been prolongedand confined to the same actors , thisemotion would soon have melted l ikesnow in an Apri l sun .

But suddenly a young lad of sixteenor seventeen , dressed in black , his facepale and his hair in disorder, rushedthrough a door concealed in the wall .Wait , my sister, wait,

” he cried , Iam here !

“ Francois ! Francois ! help !Marguerite .The Duc d’

Alencon !” muttered La

H uriére, lowering his arquebus .“ Zounds ! a Son of France ! ” grumbled Coconnas, retreating astep.

The Duc d’

Alencon glanced roundhim. He saw Marguerite with disbevelled hai r and lovelier than ever ,crouching against the wal l and surrounded by men with fury in their eyes

,sweat

upon their foreheads , and foaming at themouth .

‘ f Scoundrels he cried .

“

'

Save me, brother, they will murdermeAn angry gleam flashed over the Duke’ spale face .Though he was unarmed

,yet

, sus

tained doubtless by the consciousness of

4 S

the name he bore , be advanced withclenched fists against Coconnas and hiscompanions

,who retreated in terror be

fore the anger that flamed in his eyes.Wou ld you assassinate a son of

France , then ?Then , as they continued to retire before him

“ Captain of the Guard , come hitherand hang me these brigands .”

More alarmed at the sight of this uharmed young prince than he would havebeen at the sight of a squadron of

cavalry, Coconnas had already gainedthe door. La H uriere flew down thestairs with the agility of a deer

,the

soldiers hustled and tumbled over oneanother in their eagerness to escape

,and

found the door narrow in comparisonwith their desire to get outside it.Meanwhile Marguerite had , with analmost mechanical impulse , thrown herdamask counterpane over the uncon

scious La Mole, and had moved awayfrom him .

When the last of the assassins had disappeared , the D ue d

’

A lencon turnedround .

“ Sister, he cried , on seeing“

M ar

guerite stained with blood , ,

“ are youwounded ? ”

And he advanced towards her with asolicitude that would have done honourto his affection , had not that affectionbeen accused of being greater than wasbecoming in a brother.No , I think not, or i f I am,

i t is but .

slightly.

B ut this blood , said the Duke, running his trembling hands over Marguerite’ s body , “ where does it comefromI don ’ t know. One of those wretches

laid hands on me ; perhaps he waswounded .

”

Laid hands on my sister ! cried theDuke . “ Oh ! i f you had but pointedhim out to me , had you told me which hewas , had I known where to findhim !Hush ! said Marguerite.B ut why ? said Francois .B ecause i f anyone should see you in

my chamber at thi s hour.M ay not a brother V 15 1t his sister,

Marguerite ?The Queen bestowed on the D ue

d’

A lencon such a threatening glance, thatthe young man stepped backwards.

46 QUEEN MARGOT

Yes, yes , Marguerite , said he , youare right I will go back . But you cannot remain alone this terrible night.Would you l ike me to summonGillonne?

”

“ No,no

,nobody ; go , Francois, go

back by the same way by which youcame.The young prince obeyed , and had

scarcely disappeared when Marguerite,hearing a sigh from behind the bed ,rushed to the door of the secret passage

,

and bolted it , then ran to the other door,which she fastened in the same manner,j ust as a body of archers and soldiers ,who were in pursuit of other Huguenots

,

quartered in the Louvre , swept by like ahurricane at the end of the corridor .Then

,after looking carefully round to

see that she,

was really alone , she wentback to the passage by the bed , l i fted thedamask counterpane which had con

c’

ealedLa Mole from the eyes of the Ducd”A lencon, drew the inert mass withgreat difficulty into the centre of theroom

,and

,seeing that the unfortunate

man stil l breathed,she sat down , sup

porting his head on her knees , anddashed water in his face to restore him toconsciousness .

' Not unti l then , when the water hadremoved the mask of dust and bloodand powder which concealed the woundedman ’s face , did

'

Marguerite recognise in him the handsome gentlemanwho, full ! of l i fe and hope , had comethree or four hours previously to ask protect ion from the King of Navarre , andhad quitted her

,dazzled by her beauty ,

while his own appearance had not ' failedto leave an impression on the mind of theQueen .

Marguerite uttered a cry of alarm ,for

now she not only pitied,but was inter

ested in the wounded man , who , in pointof fact , was no longer a mere stranger inher eyes , but almost a friend . Shewashed the remaining blood - stains fromhis handsome face , now pale , however,and languid from suffering ; almost aspale as himself

,she placed herhand upon

his heart and found that it stil l beat . Shethen took a bottle of sal ts from a tableand made him inhale i t.LaM ole opened his eyes.“ Great God! he faltered ,

“ wheream ISaved , saved ! fear nothing , said

Marguerite .La Mole, with an effort, glanced at the

Queen , devoured her for an instant withhis eyes

,and stammered

How lovely you are !And , as though dazzled , he closed hiseyes with a sigh .

Marguerite gave a slight cry . Theyoung man had turned paler , i f possible ,than before, and for a moment shethought that sigh had been his last .

“ Oh ! God,” said she,

“ have pity onhim .

At this moment there was a loudknocking at the door of the corridor.Marguerite half rose , supporting LaMole with her hands placed beneath hisarms .Who IS there ? she cried .

Madame , i t i s I , the Duchesse deNevers .”

Henriette cried Marguerite . “,Oh !

there is no danger ; i t isa friend . Doyouhear , sirLa Mole , with an effort, rose

’on one

knee.“ Try to support yourself while I goand open thedoor , said the Queen .

La Mole put his hand to the ground ,and succeeded in maintaining his balance .Marguerite took a step towards the

.

door, but stopped suddenly, shuddering

with alarm .

Ah ! you are not alone ? she'

cried,hearing a sound of weapons .No , I have twelve guardswith me ,

sent by my brother 1n law, the D ue deGuise .M . de Guise ! murmured La Mole!

Oh ! the murderer !Hush , hush ! not a word,

”'

said'

Marguerite .And she looked all round to see where '

she could conceal the wounded man .

A dagger, a sword ? murmured LaMole .

To defend yoursel f - it would be ‘

useless ; did you not hear ? They aretwelve and you are alone .

”

Not to defend myself‘, but to prevent

my falling into their hands aliye .”

No ,no

,I will "save you,

’

Marguerite . Ah . this closet ,' Hcome .

La Mole made an effort , and , supported by Marguerite , reached the closet .Marguerite locked the door, and thrustingthe key into her box , whispered to himthrough the panelling

“ Not a sound , not a groan or a sigh,and you are saved . 1

QUEEN MARGOT 47

Then , throwing a cloak over her i t would be a pity i f any accident hasshoulders , she went and opened her door happened to him , for he was doing veryto her friend

,who rushed into her arms . well .”

Ah ! said she , “no harm has

happened to you , Madame ?No

,none

,

”said M arguerite, drawing

the cloak together so as to hide thestains of blood upon her dressing - gown .

“ So much the better ; but in anycase

,as the D ue de Guise has given me

twelve guards to escort me home , and asI do not need so large a company , Ihave left six for your Majesty . Half - adozen of the Duke ’ s soldiers are worthas much to - night as a whole regimen t ofthe King ’s guards .”

Marguerite did not venture to refuse :she ins talled her six guards in thecorridor, and embraced the Duchess ,who , with the other six , returned to thePalace of the Duc de Guise , in whichshe was living during the absence of herhusband.

CHAPTER IX

T H E ASSASS IN S

OCONNA S had not fled , he hadmerely retreated . La H uriere had

not fled,he had merely rushed away .

The one had disappeared in tiger - fashionthe other in wolf - fashion .

Consequently La H uriére had alreadyreached the P lace Saint - Germainl’

Auxerrois when Coconnas was only P lague take it ! you scuttled off too

coming out of the Louvre . fast for that , and besides , I went a l ittleLa H uriere, finding himself alone out of my direct road in order to throwwith his arquebus amid the persons who into the river a wretched brat that waswere rushing past , the whistling bullets shouting : Down with the Papists , longand the corpses which were falling from l ive the Admiral ! ’ Unfortunately , Ithe windows—some of them whole , believe the little scamp knew how toothers in fragments —began to be swim . I f you want to drown these con

alarmed , and to endeavour to get back founded heretics , you must pitch’em

discreetly to his hostel ry ; but just as he into the water like kittens , before theywas turning out of the Rue de l ’Arbre can see.

”

Sec by the Rue d’

Averon, he fell in with “ You say you have come from thea

.

band of Swiss and light horse—the Louvre ; did your Huguenot friendtroop ofwhich M aurevel was the leader . take refuge there asked M aurevel .

the latter , who had “ Yes, he did , confound hif.christened himself by the name of the “ I shot at him j ust as he vas pickingK1ng

’

s'

Butcher, have you finished up his sword in the Admiral’s court

al ready ? w .You are going home,my yard and I don’

t‘

, know how ever itfriend , - and .what the deuce have you happened , but I missed him .

”

done with our P iedmon tese gentleman ? Ah ! but I didn’ t miss him, said

I think he is quite safe ,” said La

H uriere,“ and I expect he wil l j oin us

again presently .

“ Where have you come from ?From the Louvre

,where I must tell

you we were received rather rudely.”

Bywhom ?Why , the D ue d

’

A lencon ; isn’t he

takingpart in this businessMonseigneur the D ue d

’

A lencon

takes part in nothing that doesn ’ t affecthim personally ; propose to him to treathis two elder brothers as Huguenots , andhe wil l join in , always provided that thebusiness can be settled without com

promising himself. But aren ’ t yougoingalong with these good people

,Master

la H uriere ?

Where are they going ?To the Rue M ontorgueil ; a H ugue

not minister of my acquaintance livesthere with a wife and six children i t i spassing strange how these hereticsbreed .

”

And where are you going yoursel fOh ! I have a bit of private

business .“ Don ’ t go without me then , said avoice that made M aurevel start ; “ youknow the best places, and I should liketo have a hand in the work .

Ah ! i t is our P iedmontese friend !said M aurevel .

“ I t is M . de Coconnas, said LaH uriére ; I thought you were followingme 7 ,

48 QUEEN MARGOT

Coconnas ;“ I stuck my blade nearly

six inches in to his back . Besides , I sawhim fall into the arms of Margueritezounds ! a fine woman that. I confess,however , I shou ld be g lad to be quitecertain that he i s dead , because thefellow seems to me to be of a veryvindictive disposition , and he might bearme a grudge for the rest of his l ife .B ut didn ’ t you say you were goingsomewhere or other

“ Are you anxious to come with methen ? ”

“ ’Sdeath ! I don ’ t want to remainwhere I am for ever . I have only killedthree or four as yet , and when I get co ldmy shoulder pains me

, so let us get on.

”

Captain ! ” said M aurevel to theleader of the troop

,

“ give me three of

your men , and go and settle your ministerwith the rest .Three Swiss detached themselves fromthe main body and j oined M aurevel . Thetwo parties , however , marched side byside until they were opposite the RueT irechappe ; there the Swiss and thelight horse took the Rue de la Tonnellerie, while M aurevel , Coconnas, LaH uriere, and the three soldiers followedthe Rue de la Ferronnerie , went down theRue Trousse - Vache , and reached the RueSainte Avoye.

“ Where the devil are you taking usto ? said Coconnas, who was beginningto ti re of this long tramp without anyresults .

“ I am taking you on an expedition atonce bri l lian t and useful . Next after theA dmiral , T é ligny, and the Huguenotprinces

,I could offer you nothing better ,

so be patien t . Our business lies in theRue du Chaume , and we shall be there ina rnonun n.

Tell me , asked Coconnas, “ isn ’ t theRue du Chaume near the Temple

Yes ; why ?Because there is a certain Lambert

M ercandon,an oldcreditor ofmy family ,

to whom my father has commissionedme to repay a hundred rose nobles ,which I am carrying in my pocket forthat purpose.”

said M aurevel ,“ here is a

fine opportunity for getting out of hisdebt ”

H ow do you meanW hy, t0 day is the day for settling

old scores . I s your friend M ercandon aI I uguenot ?

Oho ! I understand, said Coconnas;yes , ten to one he is.

Hush ! we are there .What 1s yonder great house

,w ith its

wing abutting on the street ?The Hotel de Guise .I could really hardly have missed ’

coming here,

” said Coconnas, since - I

have come to Paris under the patronageof the great Henri . But , my dear fel low,

everything is perfectly quiet in this neigh - a

bourhood, you can hardly distinguish thesound of firing. You might imagine youwere in the country. Deuce take it, i feverybody isn ’ t asleep .

In point of fact , the palace of the Ducde Guise presented as peaceful an aspec tas on ordinary occasions . All t he windows were closed , and a single light shonebehind the blind of the chief window of

the proj ecting wing , which had at tracted ’

Coconnas’

s attention on entering thestreet .M aurevel stopped a l ittle way beyondthe Duke’s palace ; that is to say , at thecorner of the Rue du Petit - Chantier, andthe Rue des Quatre - F ils .This is the house of the man we are

lookingfor,” said he .

The man you are looking for, youmean said La H uriere.

We are looking for him , as you havecome with me .”

What ! this house which seems to be ‘

slee ing so peaceful ly 1

“Exactly ! You, La H uriere, are to’

utilise that honest face with ’which .

Heaven has endowed you in mistake,

by knocking at the door. Hand yourarquebus to M . de Coconnas, I can see .

he has had his eye on i t for the last hour. .I f you are admitted , you will ask i f youcan speak to M . de Mouy .

”

“ Ha ! ha ! said Coconnas, “ I understand ; i t appears that you, too , have

;

a creditor in the neighbourhood of the.Temple .”

“ Exactly,continued M aurevel . “ You

will go upstairs in the capacity of aHuguenot

, and inform De Mouy of allthat 18 going on ; he is a brave man , hewill come downAnd once he has come down ?

asked La H uriere.

Once he has come down , I shall beghim to measure swords with me .’

A brave fellow, upon my soulsaid Coconnas, “ and I will do exactlythe same with Lambert M ercandon

O

0

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

50

in the act of tak ing aim , suddenly reflected that the Huguenot’s bullets had nofurther to travel to reach the street thanhis own had to reach the balcony.

“ Truly,” said he to himself, I may

ki l l this gentleman , but on the other handthe gent leman may k i l l me at the samemoment .”

Well , as La H uriere, after all , wasa landlord by trade and a soldier onlyby accident , this reflection determinedhim to retreat and seek shelter in anangle Of the Rue de Braque , at such adistance that it would have been alnost

impossible for him to be sure , especiallyat night , of the exact direction his bul letought to take , so as to hit De Mouy .

De Mouy glanced round him and advanced, though making himself as smal las possible, l ike a man preparing fora duel but seeing that no shot was fi red ,he remarkedI t seems to me , you, sir, who brought

me this news , that you have forgottenyour arquebus at my door. Here 1 am ,

what do you want ?Ha that ’s what I call a brave fellow ,

said Coconnas.

“ Well ! ” continued De Mouy, “ friendsor foes, whichever you be, don

’ t you see

I am waitingM aurevel , La H uriere, and the Swiss ,all maintained an embarrassed silence.Coconnas waited a moment then , seeing that nobody would maintain the conversation begun by La H uriére and continued by De Mouy , he quitted his placeand stepped into the middle of the streetthen

,ho lding his hat in his hand

“ Sir ,” said he, “ we are not here to

QUEEN MARGOT

had escorted the Duchesse de Nevershome , came out , together with three orfour gentlemen followed by their pages

,

and advanced towards the house OfyoungDe Mony ’s mistress .A second shot , fired into the middle ofthe band , killed the soldier who wasnearest to M aurevel ; after which D e

Mouy, being without weapons , or atleast his weapons being useless , inasmuch as he had discharged his pistols ,and his foes were beyond the reach of hissword , took shelter behind the railings ofthe balcony.The windows of the neighbouringhouses , however , now began to beopened here and there , and , according tothe peaceful or warlike humour of theirinhabitants , were either closed again or

bristled wi th muskets and arquebuses .Help ! my worthy M ercandon !

cried De Mouy , making signalsto an oldman who , from a window that had j ustbeen opened Opposite to the H Otel deGuise , was trying to discover the causeOf all this disturbance .Did you call , S ire de Mouy ? cried the

Old man , “ is it you they are attacking ?They are attacking me, you , and all

the Pro testants, and , look , there is theproof of i t .De Mouy had , in fact , at this momentseen La H uriere in the act Of pointinghis arquebus at him . The shot was fired ,but the young man had time to duck,and the bullet smashed a pane

'

of glassabove.his head .

“ M ercandon !” cried Coconnas, who

was so delighted at the sight'

of th is fray,that he had forgotten his creditor, but

commit murder,as you might imagine

,was now reminded Of him by De Mony ’s

but to arrange a duel . I have accom words ; M ercandon, Rue de ' Chaume,panied an enemy Of yours who wants to yes , that

’s i t ! S O that is where he l ives .have an encounter with you , so as to

,Good ! we shall each have .our own man

settle an Old dispute in gallant fashion . to deal with now.

’Sdeath ! Monsieur de M aurevel , come And while the people from the Hotel.forward then , instead Of turning your de Guise were breaking in the doors ofback ; the gentleman accepts your chal De Mony

’s house ; while M aurevel waslenge .

Maurevel ! cried De Mouy ; Maurevel

,my father’ s murderer ! Maurevel ,

the King ’s butcher ! Zounds ! yes, Iaccept .”

And taking aim at Maurevel , who wasabout to knock at the H etel de Guise , toask for reinforcements, he pierced hishat with a ball .Hearing the report Of the pistol and

the cries of Maurevel, the guards who

trying to set fi re to the building with atorch ; while , once the doors had givenway

,a terrible confl ict ensued against a

single man,who , with each stroke of his

rapier,accounted for one Of his foes

Coconnas was tr ing , by means Of a

paving - stone, to reak in M ercandon’

s

door,who

,without payingany heed to

this sol itary effort, was fi rmg out of hiswindow as fast as he could re- load hisweapon .

QUEEN MARGOT

The whole neighbourhood , hitherto sodark and deserted , became lighted up as

though it were broad daylight , andthronged as though it were the inside ofan ant - hil l ; for six or eight gentlemenwith their friends and servants , i ssuingfrom the H Otel de Montmorency , hadj ust made a furious charge , and , withthe support Of the firing from thewindows

,were beginning to make

M aurevel and his men , as well as thosefrom the H Otel de Guise , retreat , andended by driving them to bay at thehouse from which they had come out .

Coconnas, who had not yet succeededin bursting in M ercandon

’

s door , thoughhe went at i t wi th al l his might, wasdriven back along with the rest. Henow set his back against the wall ,grasped his sword , and began , notmerely to defend himself, but also . toattack

,with cries so terrible , that his

voice dominated the whole mele’

e. Hethrust about him to right and left , strikingboth friends and foes , unti l he hadcleared a wide space all round him . Inproportion as h1s rapier pierced breastafter breast , and the warm blood be

Spattered his hands and face, so did he ,with flashing eyes , dilated nostri ls andclenched teeth , regain the lost ground, andapproach the besieged house.De Mouy , after a terrible struggle onthe stairs and in the hall , had fought hisway

,in truly heroic fashion , out of his

burning house . Amid a l l the strife hehad not ceased to shout : “ M aurevel !

M aurevel ! here ! where are you ?

hurling at him all the while the mostinsulting and abusive epithets! At lasthe appeared in the street

,holding in

his arms his mistress , half - dressedand almost unconscious , and with adagger between his teeth . H 1s swordflashed as i t whirled about his head ,describing white or red circles , accordingas the moon silvered its blade or a torchillumined the blood which stained it .M aurevel had fled . La H uriere, drivenback by De Mouy into the arms ofCoconnas, who , not recognising him ,

received him on the point Of his sword,

demanded quarter from both sides . Atthis moment M ercandon perceived him

,

and recognised him by his white scarf asone Of t he assassins .The

'

shot was fired . La H uriere,flinging up his arms

,dropped his arque

bus, and after tryingvainly to grasp the

wal l for support, fel l face forward on theground .

De Mouy profi ting by this opportunity ,dashed in to the Rue de Paradis anddisappeared .The resistance made by the Huguenotshad been so vigorous , that the peoplefrom the H Otel de Guise , finding themselves d riven back , had returned to thepalace and closed the doors , fearing thehouse might be attacked and taken byassault .Coconnas, excited by the blood andthe uproar, and having reached the pitchwhen,

,

with Southerners especial ly , courage is transformed into frenzy, hadneither seen nor heard anything . Hemerely noticed that the din in his earsgrew less , that his hands and face weredrying a littl e, and , lowering the point Ofhis sword , saw nothing near him but aman stretched on the ground his facedeluged by a red stream , and the housesaround him in flames.The truce was of short duration , forj ust as he was approaching the man ,whom he thought he recognised as LaH uriere, the door of the house which hehad vainly endeavoured to burst inopened , and O ld M ercandon, followed byhis son and two nephews , rushed out

upon the P iedmontese, who was j ustrecovering his breath .

“ There he is ! there he is ! theyall shouted simultaneously.

Coconnas was in the middle of thestreet , and , fearing he might

’

be surrounded and attacked by al l four at once

,

sprang backwards with the agility Of thechamois which he had so often hunted inthe mountains , and set his back againstthe wall Of the Hotel de G

'

uise . Hism ind once easy against surprise, he stoodon guard and began to j eer at ‘ hisassai lants .Halloa ! Father M ercandon,

he , “ don ’ t you recognise me ?“ On the contrary, I recognise youonly too well , you scoundrel cried theOld Huguenot. You want to do me amischief—me, your father ’s friend andcomrade ! ”

And his creditor, aren’ t you ?

“ Yes , his creditor, since you mentionit yourself.”

“ Well ! exactly so, answeredCoconnas.

“ I have come to ‘

settleour account .

f

Let us seize and bind him,(said the

52 QUEEN MARGOT

Old man to the others , who , in Obedience cross and white scarf, threw a flower - potto his suggestion , rushed towards the at him , which struck him above the knee .wall . Good said Coconnas, one throws

One moment, sa1d Coconnas, me flowers , and the other , pots . I f thislaughing .

“ In order to arrest me you goes on they will empty the houses .req u1re a warrant , and you have forgottento apply to the Provost for one.

”

With these words he turned his sword

“ Thanks , mother, thanks, shouted theyoung man .

GO on , wife , go on ! said Old Meragainst the young man nearest to him , candon , but take care youdon

’ t hit us !”

and at the first disengagement cut Open Wait , Monsieur de Coconnas, wait,his wrist . The unhappy

. young fel low said the lady of the H Otel de Guise ,“ I

retreated with a ye ll of pain .

That ’s one Of them ! said Coconnas.

At the same moment the window be

neath which Coconnas had soughtshelter opened with a creaking noise .

Coconnas gave a j ump , fearing an attackfrom that quarter ; but, instead Of anenemy , be perceived a woman —insteadof the murderous weapon that 'he waspreparing to encounter, a bouquet Offlowers rolled at his feet .Zounds a woman said he.He saluted the lady with his sword ,and stooped to pick up the bouquet .Look out , brave Catholic , look out,

cried the lady.

Coconnas rose , but not quickly enoughto prevent the second nephew ’s daggerfrom piercing his cloak and grazing theother shoulder .The lady gave a piercing shriek .Coconnas thanked her , and reassuredher with the same gesture , then dashedupon the second nephew, who brokeaway ; but at the second pass hisfoot sl ipped in the blood . Coconnas

Sprang upon him with the swiftness of atiger, and drove his sword through hischest.

“ Bravo , bravo ! cried the lady,

“ Iwill send you help .

“ You need not trouble to do that ,Madame

,

” said Coconnas. j ust watchuntil the end , i f the affair interests you,and you will see how Comte Hannibalde Coconnas serves the Huguenots .”

At this moment the son Of o ld Mercandon fi red a pistol at close range, andCoconnas dropped on one knee .The lady at the window uttered a cry ,

but Coconnas got up again ; he haddropped only to avoid the bullet , whichstruck the wall two feet from the fairspectator,Almost at the same instant a cry of

rage came from thewindowOfM ercandon’

s

house,and an Old woman who recog

n1sed Coconnas for a Catholic by his

am going to get my folks to fi re at theirwindows .Halloa ! 1t s a pandemonium Of

women , some Of whom are for me , andsome against ! said Coconnas.

“ Deathof my life let us get done with i t .The face , indeed , of things had g

' reatlychanged , and matters were evidentlydrawing to a conclusion . TO cope withCoconnas, wounded , h i s true , but in allthe vigour Of his four - and - twenty years,skil led in the use of weapons , i rritatedrather than weakened by the three or fourscratches he had received , there now re

mained only M ercandon and his son . Mer icandon , was an Old man between sixty andseventy ; his son, a youth Of from sixteento eighteen , pale , fair, and fragile , hadthrown away his now useless , becauseunloaded , pistol , and was flourishing withtrembling hand a sword but half thelength Of that of the Piedmontese ;

‘ thefather, armed only with a dagger and an

'

empty arquebus , was calling for succour.An O ldwoman at the w indow opposi te,the young man ’s mother , held in her handa piece of marble , which she was preparing to throw. F inally Coconnas, exci ted on the one side by threats , and onthe other by encouragements , proud ofhis double victory , in toxicated with the

smell Of blood and powder , his facelighted up by the flames of the burninghouse , elated by the thought that he wasfighting beneath the eyes Of a womanwhose beauty appeared to him as sur

zpassing as her rank seemed incontestable—Coconnas, l ike the last Of the Horatii ,had felt his strength increase two - fo ld

,

and,seeing the young man hesitating,

sprang towards him and crossed his lit tle'

sword with his own terrible and bloodstained rapier. Two passes were enoughto send i t flying from the lad ’s hands.

’

Seeing th is , M ercandon tried to drive'

Coconnas back so that the proj ectileshurled from the window might be moresure Of strikinghim . Coconnas, however,

QUEEN MARGOT

In order to paralyse this double attackfrom the Old M ercandon, who was trying to pierce him with his dagger, andfrom the Old woman , who was trying to

smash his head with the piece ofmarble ,seized his adversary in his arms , and ,choking him in h1s herculean embrace

,

presented him to al l blows l ike a shie ld .

Help ! help ! ” cried the young man ,he is crushing me to death .

And his voice began to be lost in achoking gurgle .Hereupon M ercandon changed fromthreats to entreaties .

“ Spare him ! spare him ! Monsieur deCoconnas, he is my only child .

”

My son my son cried the mother ,the hope Of our o ld age ; do not ki l lhim , sir.

”

Don ’ t kil l him,indeed ! said Cocon

nas,bursting out laughing ; “ what was

he going to do to me, then , with hissword and pistol ?

“ Sir,” continued M ercandon, clasping

his hands , I have in the house a bondsigned by your father, I will give it youback ; I have ten thousand gold crowns ,you shall have them all ; you shall haveour family j ewels , but do not kill himAnd I have my love ,

” said the ladyOf the H Otel de Guise in a low tone,and I promise it to you.

”

Coconnas reflected a moment, thensuddenly asked the young manAre you a HuguenotI am

,

” murmured the youth .

In that case , you must die ! repliedCoconnas, with a frown .

“ Die ! my poor child ! cried theoldman .

And a cry rang from the mother of

such grief and despai r , that i t shook fora moment the fierce determination of thePiedmontese .

“ Oh ! Madame la Duchesse ! ” criedthe father, turning towards the lady ,“ intercede for us , and your name shallbe included in our prayers night andmornmg.

”

“ Let him change his Faith , then ;said the lady Of the Hotel de Guise .

“ I am a Protestant, insisted theyouth .

“ Then die, said Coconnas, raising hisdagger, “ since you wi l l not take the lifeoffered you by that fair mouth .

”

M ercandon and his wife saw theterrible blade flash like lightning abovetheir son ’s head.

53

My son, my O l ivier, shrieked themother , abj ure abj ureAbj ure

,dear child ! cried Mercan

don , ro l l ing at Coconnas'

s feet, do notleave us alone in the world .

“ Abjure , all of you together ! criedCoconnas ;

“ three souls and one l ife fora CredoI agree , said the young man.

Agreed , cried M ercandon and hiswife .

“ On your knees , then ! said Coconnas , and let your son sayword by wordwhat I shall dictate to him .

The father was the first to obey .

“ I am ready,” said the youth , kneeling

in his turn .

Coconnas then began to dictate thewords Of the Creed in Latin . Whetherby chance or by design , however , theyoung O l ivier had knel t down close to thespot where his sword had fallen . Scarcely had he spied this weapon within reachOf his hand than , without ceasing torepeat the words after Coconnas, be

stretched out his arm to grasp i t . Coconnas saw the movement though he pretended not to . But , j ust as the youngman touched the hil t of the weapon withhis fingers

, Coconnas dashed at him androlled him over.Ah ! you treacherous young hound !

said he.And be buried his dagger in his throat .The youth gave a cry , rose convulsive

ly on one knee and fel l back dead .

“ Ah ! you butcher ! ” roared Mercandon , you are killing us in order to rob

us Of the hundred rose nobles which youowe us.

”

Od ’ s l ife ! no , said Coconnas, “ andthe proofAs he said this Coconnas threw at the

Oldman ’s feet the purse which his fath erhad given him on his departure in orderto settle the debt with his creditor.And the proof, he continued , “ i s

that there is your money.

”

“ And here is your death ! shoutedthe mother from the window.

1

Have a care , Monsieur de Coconnashave a care,

” said the lady of the H Otelde Guise .But before Coconnas could t urn hishead a heavy mass , hurled through theair

,fel l right upon the head of the P ied

montese, break ing his sword in his hand

and stretching him senseless on the pavemen t

,unable to hear the two - fo ld cry of

54 QUEEN MARGOT

j oy and distress which answered eachother to right and left.M ercandon rushed immediately , daggerin hand , upon the unconscious Coconnas.

But at this moment the door of the H Otelde Guise opened , and the Old man madeOff, seeing the gleam Of swords and part isans ; while the lady whom he hadaddressed as Madame la Duchesse

,her

wondrous beauty lighted up by the flamesOf the conflagrat ion, and blazing withdiamonds and j ewellery, leaned half out

Of the window to cry to the men whorushed up , as she pointed to Coconnas

“ There ! there ! j ust opposite me ; agentleman dressed in a red doublet .That ’ s the man, yes, yes, that

’s theman !

CHAPTER X

DEATH , MASS , OR B AST ILLE

ARGUER ITE , as we have said ,had closed her door and return

her room . As she entered it, herheart still beating violently , she sawGillonne, who was gazing in terror towards the door Of the closet , scrutinisingthe marks of blood sprinkled over thebed

,the furniture , and the carpet.Oh ! Madame ! ” she cried on per

ceivingthe Queen , i s he dead , then“ Silence ! Gillonne,

” said Margueritein a tone Of urgency that indicated theimportance Of the inj unction , and Gillonne was effectually silenced .

Thereupon Marguerite took from her

casket a small gold key, opened the doorof the closet and pointed with her fingerto the young man inside .La Mole had succeeded in getting upand going to the window . He had discovered a small dagger , such as werecarried by women at that time , and hadsnatched i t up on hearing the door Open .

“ Fear nothing,Monsieur,

” said Mar

gueri te ; I give you my word , you aretn safety.

La Mole fel l upon his knees.Madame

,he cried , “ You are more

to me than a queen , you are a goddess .”

“ D O not agitate yoursel f thus , sir,

cried Marguerite , “ the blood is still

flowing from your woundsGillonne, look how pale he is .

“ Come , let us see, where are youwoundedMadame , said La Mole, trying to

locate the chief sources of the pain whichhe felt in all parts of his body , I thinkI have received one dagger - wound in theshoulder and another in the breast ; theothers are not worth troubling about.That we shal l see, said Marguerite ;

“ bring me my casket of balsams,

Gillonne.

”

Gillonne obeyed , and returned holdingin one hand the casket and in the other asilver gilt ewer and some fine Dutchlinen .

Help me to lift him , Gillonne, saidthe Queen “ the poor man has exhaustedhis strength in getting up .

”

But , Madame,” saidLa Mole

,I am

quite ashamed ; I really cannot allowyou

n

Sir, you must do as I bid you, saidMarguerite ; “ i t would be a crime to letyourself die when we can save you .

Oh ! cried La Mole, I wouldrather die than see you, you , the Queen ,soil your hands with my unworthy blood

never ! never ! ”

And he drew back respectfully .

Your blood , my gentleman , repliedGillonne with a smile, why , you havn

’

t

scrupled to soil her Maj esty ’s bed andbed chamber finely with it already.

Marguerite drew her cloak across her

cambric dressing - gown bespattered withlittle red spots . This gesture, full Offeminine modesty, recalled to La Molethe fact that he had held in his arms andclasped to his breast this Queen

, so

beautiful and so beloved , and a fugitiveblush mantled on his pale cheeks at thethoughtMadame, he stammered. can

’ t youhand me over to the care of a surgeonA Cathol ic surgeon , I suppose ?

asked the Queen in a tone which,La

Mole understood and which made himstart .Don ’ t youknow, confined the Queen

in a tone and with a smile of ineffablesweetness , that we Daughters Of France .

are brought up to know the value ofherbs and to compose balsams Ourduty , from all time , both as women andas queens , has lain in soothing pain ; andso we are as good as the best surgeons inthe world , so, at least, our flatterers say.

QUEEN

H m my fame in this respect neverreached your ears ? Come , Gillonne, letus get to work .

”

La Mole still tried to resist ; be re

peated once more that he would ratherdie than impose upon the Queen a taskwhich

,begun from pity , might end in dis

gusting her. This contest merely re

sulted in exhausting his strength . Hestaggered

,c losed his eyes , and fel l with

his head backwards , swooning away forthe second time .Then Marguerite , seizing the daggerwhich he had dropped , quick ly cut thestrings of his doublet , while Gillonne,with another blade , ripped up , or rathercut Off his sleeves .Then Gillonne, with a rag soaked inclean water , stanched the blood whichwas trickling from his breast and shoulder

,while Marguerite , with a gold , round

pointed needle , probed the wounds withas much ski l l and delicacy as MasterAmbroise Paré himself could have displayed in similar circumstances .The wound in the shoulder was deep ,but that in the breast had merely grazedthe ribs and entered the flesh ; neither Ofthem had penetrated the cavities of thatnatural fortress which protects the heartand lungs.

“A severe wound , but not dangerousAcew imum humeri vulnus

,non autem

lethale,” murmured the fair and learned

surgeon pass me the balsam and get thelint ready , Gillonne.

Gillonne, to whom the Queenhad j ustgiven this fresh order, had already wipedand perfumed the young man ’s breast, aswell as his finely moulded arms, hisshoulders so gracefully set back , and hismuscular neck , which seemed to belongrather to a statue Of Parian marble thanto the mangled body Of a dying man .

Poor young fellow,

” murmuredGillonne, looking not so much at theresult of her work as at the person onwhom it had been bestowed .

Isn’ t he handsome ? ” said Margueritew1th queenly outspokenness .Yes , Madame, but I think that instead

Of letting him lie on the ground l ike thiswe ought to lift him up and place him on

th is couch against which he is merelyleaning.”

Yes , you are right , said Marguerite .And the two women

,stooping down

,

MARGOT 55

with a carved back which extended infront Of the window, which they Openedhal f - way so as to give him air .The movement aroused La Mole , whosighed and opened his eyes . He wasbeginning to experience that feeling Of

unspeakable comfort which accompaniesthe sensations of the wounded man who

,

on return ing to consciousness , finds coo lness instead Of raging fever, and the

scent of balsam instead Of the warm andnauseous odour Of blood .

He murmured some incoherent words,to which Marguerite answered by a smileand by placing her finger on his mouth .

At this moment were heard severalknocks given at a door.

“ Someone is knocking at the secretpassage , said Marguerite .Why ,who can be coming , Madame ?

said Gillonne in alarm .

I will go and see , said Marguerite .“ Stay here and don ’ t leave him for aninstant.Marguerite en tered her chamber ,locked the door Of the closet , and went toOpen the door of the passage leading tothe apartments Of the King and theQueen - Mother .Madame de Sauve she exclaimed ,

starting back abruptly and with anexpression denoting, if not terror , at leasthatred so true is it that a woman neverforgives another for taking from her evena husband who does not love her“ Madame de SauveYes, your M ajestyl

” she repl ied ,clasping her hands .

“ You here , Madame, (continuedMarguerite with increasing astonishmentand in a more imperious tone .Charlotte fell on her knees . Forgiveme , Madame,

” said she ; “ I realise to whatextent I have sinned against you , but i fyou only knew I am not entirely toblame, and an express command fromQueen - Mother.Rise

,

” said Marguerite, “ and as Idon ’ t suppose you have come in the hopeOf j ustifying yourself in my eyes, tel l mewhy you are here .

”

I have come,M adame, said Charlottestil l on her knees , and with an expressionof alarm on her face, “ I have come toask i f he is here.Here ? who whom are you speak

ing of,Madame ? I real ly do

with their united strength li fted La Mole not understand .

”

and placed him on a sort Of large divan “ O f the King !

56 QUEEN MARGOT

The King ! you actually pursue himinto my prescnce ! though you knowvery we l l that he does not come here.”

Ah , Madame ! ” continued theBaronne de Sauve , without replying to

this taunt or even appearing to notice it .Ah ! would to God he were here ! ”

WhyMy God, Madame , because they are

butchering the Huguenots , and becausethe King of Navarre is their chief.”

“ Oh ! cried Marguerite , seizingMadame de Sauve by the hand andforcing her to get up , “ I had forgottenit ! Besides , I did not dream that a kingcould run the same risk as the others .”

“ Greater , Madame , a thousand timesgreater ,

” cried Charlotte .Madame de Lorraine had warned me ,

as i t happens . I told him not to go out .D id he go ?

“ NO , no , he is in the Louvre . Hecannot be found ; and if he is not

here .He is not here .Oh ! ” cried Madame de Sauve , with

an outburst Of grief, “ then it i s all overwith him , for the Queen - Mother hassworn his death .

“ His death ! ” said Marguerite,

“

you

astound me I t is impossible !Madame , repl ied D eSauve , with that

earnestness which passion alone imparts,

“ I tell you that the King of Navarrecannot be found .

”

And the Queen - Mother, where isshe ? ”

The Queen - Mother sent me to fetchM . de Guise and M . de Tavannes

, who

were in her oratory, and then dismissedme . I went upstairs to my roomand there—forgive me , Madame , i f I hurtyou—I waited as usual .For my husband , I suppose ? said

Marguerite .He did not come , Madame , so I

looked for him in al l directions and inquired Of everybody. One soldier toldme he thought he had seen him a shortwhile before the massacre began

,escorted

by a guard of soldiers with drawnswords , but that is more than an hourago .

”

“ Thank you, Madame , said Marguerite ; “ I thank you, even though theanxiety you have shown be perhaps afresh insult to me.”

“ Oh ! Madame , i f so , pardon me , and

I shall return to my own room cheered by

your forgiveness ; for I shall not ventureto follow you, even at a distance .

”

Marguerite Offered her hand to her.I wil l go and find Queen Catherine ,

”

said she ;“ return to your room . The

King Of Navarre is under my protection ;I have promised to be his ally , and I wil lbe faithful to my promise .”

But if you cannot gain admittance tothe Queen - Mother , Madame

“ Then I will go to my brother Charles,who cannot refuse me an interview.

”

GO then , go , M adame,”saidCharlotte ,

stepping back to let Marguerite pass,“ and God speed your Maj esty .

”

Marguerite sped down the corridor , butbefore she reached the further end she

turned to make sure that Madame deSauve was not lingering behind , and sawthat she was following h er.

The Queen Of Nava’rre saw her ascende stairs leading to her apartments , anden continued her way to the chamberof the Queen - Mother .A great transformation had taken placethere instead Of the usual crowd Ofcourtiers opening thei r ranks for herwith respectful salutations , Margueriteencountered nothing but guards withblood - stained partisans and garmentssmeared with blood , or gent lemen intorn cloaks

,their faces blackened by

powder , carrying orders and despatches ,coming and going

,and by their hurrying

to and fro causing an immense commotion in the corridors .Marguerite nevertheless persevered ,and succeeded in reaching the antechamber

,only to find it guarded by two

lines Of soldiers , who allowed no one topass but those who brought a certaincountersign .

Marguerite tried in vain to cross thishuman barrier . She saw the door openand shut several times , and each timethrough the open space she perceivedCatherine,

'

rejuvenated by action , withal l the energy of a woman Of twenty ,writing letters , receiving and unseal ingdespatches , giving orders , addressing aword to these

,bestowing a smile on those ,

the men who received the most cordialsmile being those who were most begrimed with blood and powder.Amid this tumult with which theLouvre resounded , and which fi l led i t withalarming rumours , could be heard anever - ceasing rattle of musketry in thestreet.

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58

H uguenots surrounded the young P rinceand

o

refused to leave him , feeling a presentiment Of coming danger in regard tothat fatal nigh t . They had remainedtogether thus without anyone attemptingto disturb them . At the first stroke,however

, of the bel l Of Saint,

Germainl’

Auxerrois, which struck upon theirhearts as a funeral knel l , Tavannes em

tered and announced to Henri , amid adeath l ike silence , that King Charleswished to speak with him.

Nobody attempted or so much asthought of resistance . The floors andgalleries and corridors Of the Louvrecreaked beneath the tread Of so 1diers,

who had been mustered , to the numberOf some two thousand , iii the courtyardswithout and the apartments within .

Henri,after taking leave of his friends ,

whom he was not to see again , followedTavannes

, who conducted him to a smal lgal lery near the King ’s apartments ,where he left him alone , without weaponsand a prey to the deepest misgiv ings .The King of Navarre counted twomortal hours thus , minute by minute ,listening with increasing terror to thesound Of the tocsin and the reports Of thearquebuses ; seeing , through a glazedgrating , by the l ight of conflagrat ion

and the flaming of torches , the fugit ives and the assassins rushing past ;understanding nothing Of these murderous shouts and cries of distress ; entertaining no susp icion

,in short, spite Of all

he knew of Charles IX ., Of the Queen

Mother and the Duc de Guise , as to thehorrible tragedy that was being enactedat that very momemt .

Henri possessed not so much physicalcourage as , what is higher stil l , moral .strength ; though he feared danger, hefaced i t smiling but it was the danger ofthe battle field , danger in the open - airand m broad daylight , under the eyes Ofal l

,the danger that i s accompanied by

the shril l music of trumpets and the lnspiriting rol l Of drums Buthere , he was without weapons , shut upall alone in almost total darkness , inwhich he could scarely discern either thefoe who m ight creep up steal thily

, or thesteel that might treacherously pierce hisbreast .

spent .j ust as the tumult was at i ts height ,

These two hours were , perhaps , torn mattress,the most terrible that he had ever the Admiral ’s son in law , your

QUEEN MARGOT

in al l probabil ity i t was a case of organised and premeditated massacre, a Captain came to fetch him , and conductedhim along a corridor to the King ’s apartments . On their approach the" dooropened and then closed behind them , asi f by magic . The Captain then tookHenri to the King, ,who was now in hisarmoury . When they entered , the Kingwas seated in , a great chair , his handsresting on the arms

,and his head sunk on

his breast . At the sound Of their approach Charles raised his gloomy brow,

on which Henri saw“ the perspirationstanding in heavy drops .Good evening , Henriot , said the

King roughly “ leave us, La Chastre .”

The Captain obeyed . i

There was a moment of sombre silence ,during which Henri glanced round um

easily and saw that he.was alone withthe King

,1

Charles IX . suddenly rose. 1“ Od ’s

life ! said he, tossing back his fair hairwi th a rapid gesture and wip ing his browat the same time , “

you are glad to findyourself with me, are younot so , Henri ?Certainly I am , sire ,

’ ’ answered theKing Of Navarre “ i t i s always~ a

pleasure to be with your Majesty ’

Better than being down there , eh ?replied Charles , following up his ownthoughts rather than replying to Henri ’scompliment .I do not understand , sire .Look

,then , and youwill understand.

W ith a rapid movement Charles.

w ,alked or rather , sprang to the window.

Dragging after him h is more and moreastounded brother 1n law , he pointed outto him the terrible picture of , t theassassins , who , on the planking ,

Of abarge , were butchering and drowning asuccession Of fresh victims brought tothem every minute .

B ut , in heaven’

3 name , what rs goingon to night asked Henri , turningpale .

“ To night , Monsieur,” said Charles ,

“ they are ridding me of the H uguenotsLook yonder, do you see above the H6telde B ourbon that smoke and flame ?That i s the Admiral ’s house which isblazing . You see that body which our

good Cathol ics are dragging along on ai t i s the bod of

rieno

T é ligny.

"

.i l

“ Oh ! what does i t mean?”

crieo

and Henri was beginning to realise that the King of Navarre , searching vainly

QUEEN MARGOT

for the hil t of his dagger andwith shame and rage , for hehe was being mocked andboth at once .ns,

” cried Charles , with suddenwhite

,that

ueno ts rounden t i ? Am I

There , do you understand me now,

Henriot ? ”

V‘ I understand you, sire .Well ? ”

Well ! sire , I do not see why theKing Of Navarre should do what so

many gentlemen and poorer fo lk havenot done . For I presume that i f al lthese unhappy peop le are dying , i t isbecause the same proposal has been madeto them that your Majesty makes to me

,

and that they have declined it.Charles seized the young Prince ’ sarm , and fastened upon him

’ a g lanceWhich gradually changed from one of

heavy dulness to the gleam of a wildbeast ’5 eye .Ah ! so you suppose , said he , “ that

I have taken the trouble to Offer the Massto those who are being slaughtered downthere ?

“ Sire , said Henri , disengaging hisarm , shal l not you die ln the religion ofyour forefathers ?

’Slife . yes , arid you ? a

“ I shal l do the same,Sire, replied

l’H enri.

Charles uttered a bellow Of rage, andWi th tr

'

emb l ing hands snatched up his

arq uebus , which was lying’

on the table.

Henri , pinned agains t the tapestry, thesweat of anguish on hi s brow

,yet

,thanks

to his power of sel f control , apparentlycalm , watched every movement of themgry King l ike a bird fascinated by asnake .Charles loaded his arquebus

,and

stamping wi th bl ind fury :“Will youhave the Mass ? he shouted ,

flashing the fatal weapon before theo ther 8 eyes but Henri remained dumb.

Charles made the . vau l ted roofs of

the Louvre ring with the most fearfu loath ever uttered by l ips of man

, and

from palegorréw l ivid .

Death , Mass , or Bastil le ! he cried ,taking aim at the King of Navarre .

“ Oh ! sire ! ” criedb

Henri,Wi l l you

kil l me , your own brother .7

Henri , with that incomparable adroitness which distingui shed him

, had

evaded the answer demanded by theKing ; for without a doubt , had thatanswer been in the negative

,he wou ld

have been a dead man .

After any violent ebullition of rage areaction almost immediately sets in

,and

Char les did not repeat his question,and

,

after a moment Of uncertainty,in which

he gave vent to a low growl,he turned

to the open window and took aim at aman who was running along the quayOpposite .

I must kil l some one, screamedCharles , l ivid as a corpse , and his eyessuffused with blood , and pu l l ing thetrigger , he brought down the man whowas running . Henri groaned aloud .

Then , animated by a dreadful zeal ,Charles loaded

. and fired his arquebuswithout intermission , uttering a shout ofde l ight each time the shot proved fatal .

“ I t is all up with me,

’ ’ said the Kingof Na

'

var ‘re to himself, “ when he findsnobody else to kil l , he wi l l k i l l me .

”

Well is i t done ? suddenly asked avoice behind the two men .

I t was Catherine de ’ Medici , who hadentered during the reverberation Of thelast shot, w i thout being heard .

N o ,a thousand thunders of hell !

roared Charles , throwing his arquebus tothe other end of the room . No , theobstinate fool he refuses !Catherine made no rep ly . She slowlyturned her gaze towards the part of theroo’

m where Henri stood as motion less asone of the figures of the tapestry againstwhich he was leaning . Then she turned

60

an eye on Charles , as much as to sayThen why is he still alive ?He is al ive he is alive

stammered Charles , who understood thelook perfectly

,and answered it with a

hesitating voice,he is alive because he

is my kinsman .

”

Catherine smiled . Henri saw thesmi le

,and recognised that it was

Catherine , more than any one else , whomhe had to fear.Madame ,

” he said to her , “ I seeclearly that this is all your work , and notthat Of my brother - in - law , Charles . I twas you who conceived the idea Of drawing me into a snare

,and of making your

daughter the bai t which should destroyus all . I t is you who have separated mefrom my wife , so that she might bespared the annoyance of seeing me killedbefore her eyes .

“ Yes, but i t shall not be so !” cried

another breathless and passionate voice,which Henri recognised in an instant,and which made Charles start with sur

prise,and Catherine with anger.Marguerite ! cried Henri .Margot ! said Charles .My daughter ! fal tered Catherine .Monsieur , said Marguerite to Henri ,your last words were an accusationagainst me , and in using them you wereat once both right and wrong right

, be

cause , in fact , I am the tool that hasbeen employed to destroy you all ; wrong ,because , I was ignoran t that you weregoing to your death . For myself, Monsieur , I owe my li fe to chance, to the forgetfulness Of my mother, possibly ; butthe moment I learned your danger

,I re

membered my duty . Well , the duty of awife is to share her husband ’s fortunes .Let them

'

banish you , Monsieur ; I followyou into banishment let them imprison

you,I go to prison , too ; let them kill you ,

I die with you .

”

And she held out her hand , which herhusband grasped , i f not with love , atleast with grati tude.Ah ! my poor Margot , said Charles ,

“ you would have done much better totel l him to become a Catholic .

“ Sire, replied Marguerite with thatlofty dignity which was natural to her

,

“ for your own credit do not demand anact of cowardice from a Prince of yourown house .”

Catherine bestowed a significantglance on Charles.

QUEEN MARGOT

Reflect , my brother, cried Marguerite , who understood Catherine ’sterrible meaningas clearly as did Charles ,“ refl ect that you have made him myhusband .

Charles IX . , caught between theimperious glance of Catherine and thesupp l iant look Of Margueri te , remainedfor a moment undecided , but, at last, hi sgood genius carried the day.

I ’ faith , Madame , said he , stoopingto whisper into Catherine ’ s ear

,Margot

i s right , and Henri is my brother - in - law.

"

“ Yes ,” replied Catherine

,whispering

in her turn to her son, “ yes,

but ifhe were not

CHAPTER XI

THE M IRACU LO U S HAWTHORN 111 THE

CEMETERY OF THE HOLY 1NNOCENTs

Charles IX . ,and which had had the

effect of settling that terrible question oflife or death under debate at the moment

.

She spent a part of the morning intendingLa M ole , and the rest in tryingto solve the puzzle which her mind wasunable to fathom .

The King of Navarre was a prisonerin the Louvre. The Huguenots werebeing hunted down with ever increasingactivity . That terrible night had beensucceeded by a day of stil l more hideousmassacre . The bells no longer soundedthe tocsin , but pealed for Te D eums, andtheir j oyous note , resounding amid fireand slaughter, produced 1 sadder impression perhaps in broad daylight than thatof their fatal knel ling in the darkness ofthe preceding night. Nor was this all a

strange portent had occurred ; - a haw

thorn , which had bloomed in spring andshed , as usual , its scented blossoms in themonth of j une , had burst again intoflower during the night , and the Catholics ,seeing in that occurrence a miracle which

,

to the popular mind , showed that Godwas on their side , were going in procession , headed by crosses and banners , tothe Cemetery of the Innocents , wherethe thorn tree hadblossomed. This sign

QUEEN

'Of the approval of heaven bestowed on

the massacre which was being perpetratedhad redoubled the ardour of the murderers.

And while each street and crossroads and square of Paris presented ascene of desolation , the Louvre hadalready served as a common tomb for allthe Protestants who were found with inits walls when the signal was given . TheKing of Navarre , th

b

e Prince de Condé ,and

0

La Mo le were the only Huguenots mit who survived .

Reassured with respect to La Mole ,whose wounds

,as sh e h ad declared the

evening before , were dangerous , but notmortal

,Marguerite was now pre occupied

with one thought only , namely , to saveher husband ’s l i fe , which continued to bethreatened . NO doubt the first feelingthat had engrossed the wife was one of

pityfor the man to whom , as the Bearnais himself had said , she had j ust swornalliance

,i f not love . But , following upon

this sentiment , another of a less innocentnature had penetrated the Queen ’s heart ,Marguerite was ambitious , and in hermarriage with Henri de Bourbon she hadseen an almost certain prospect Of sharing a throne with him . Navarre , tornon the one side by the Kings Of France ,on the other by the Kings of Spain , whohad succeeded in fi lching away , bit bybit

,half of its territory , Navarre could , i f

Henri de Bourbon fulfi l led the hopesaroused by his courageous behaviour on

the rare occasions on which he haddrawn the sword , become a genuinekingdom with the French Huguenots fori ts subj ects . Marguerite , thanks to herpenetrating and wel l - inst ructed mind

,had

foreseen and calcu lated al l this . Inlosing Henri , therefore, she would belosing , not only a husband , but a throne .

- She was absorbed in these reflections'

when she heard a knock at the door of

the secret corridor . She started , forthree persons only made use of that door

,

namely , the King , the Queen - Mother,and

t he D uc d’

A lengon . She opened the door'

Of the closet a little way, motioned withher finger to Gillonne and La Mole to besi lent , and then went to admit her visitor .1I t was the Duc d ’Alencon .

The young Prince had disappearedsince the previous evening . At one mo

ment Marguerite had entertained theidea of begging his intercession on be

half of the King Of Navarre,but a dread

ful thought that occurred to her mind had

MARGOT

checked her. The marriage had been arranged contrary to his wishes

.Francois

detested Henri , and had only maintainedhis neutrali ty in respect to him becausehe fel t convinced that Henri and his wi fehad practically remained s trangers toeach other. Any sign of interest in herhusband shown by Marguerite migh ttherefore bring closer to his breast

,in

stead of averting from it , one of the threedaggers which threatened him . SoMarguerite shuddered on seeing theyoung Prince more than she would havedone had her visitor been King Char lesIX , or the Queen Mother hersel f. j udg .

ing from his appearance,

one wou ldnot have imagined that anything unusualwas taking place in the city or at theLouvre. ~ H e was dressed with his customary elegance ; his clothes and linenwere fragrant with those scents whichCharles IX . despised , but of which heand the Duc d’

Anjoumade such constantuse . A trained eye such as Marguerite ’s

,

however , could observe that , spite of hisbeing paler than usual , and the fact thathis hands , which were as beauti ful andwel l - tended as a woman ’s , trembledslightly , his inward being was animatedby a feeling of j oy.

,

He entered in his customary fashion,

and approached his sister to embrace her .But Marguerite , instead ofi holding outher cheek to him , as she would havedone to King Charles or the D ue

d’

Anjou, bent her head and presented herforehead to him .

The Duc d’

A lengon sighed as he pu this pale lips to her forehead .

Then , seating himself, he began to t e

late to his sister the story of that night ofhorror ; the slow and terrible death ofthe Admiral ; the instantaneous death of

T é ligny, pierced to the heart by a bullet .He dwelt on all the sanguinary details ofthe scene with that; love of blood whichwas characteristic Of h im and his twobrothers . Marguerite let him talk on.

At last,his story told to the end , he fel l

silent .“ You have not come here merely totel l me this , have you, brother ?The Duke smiled .

You have something else to sayNo , replied the Duke , “ I am

wai t ing .

F or whatDidn ’ t you tell me , dearest Mar

guerite,

” replied the Duke, bringing his

5 : QUEEN 1'MARGOT

chair closer to his sister’ s , “ that yourmarriage with the King of Navarre wasagainst your own inclination

“ Yes, no doubt : I knew no thing ofthe Prince de B éarn when he was proposed as my husband .

”

“ And since you have known him,have

you not declared to me that you felt nolove for himI told you so , i t is true .Was it not your Opinion that this

marriage would bring you unhappiness P”

My dear Frangois,” said Marguerite

,

“ when a marriage is not the height of

happiness, i t i s generally the height of

m l sery.

”

“ Well , my dear Marguerite , I amwaiting , as I said before .

”

But what are you waiting forFor you to show tokens of your

delight.”

What have I to be delighted at ?Why

,at the unexpected opportunity

which presents i tsel f of regaining yourfreedom .

”

My freedom replied Marguerite,who wished to force the P rince to speakout his thoughts without reserve .

“ Why,of course , your freedom ; you

and the King Of Navarre will beseparated .

“ Separated ! ” said Marguerite , fixingher eyes upon the Duke .The ' Duc d’

A lengon tried to meet hissister ’s glance firmly , but presently withdrew his eyes in embarrassment .Separated ! repeated Marguerite ;

“ let us look into this closely , brother , forI am very glad that you are making mesift the matter thoroughly ; and how dothey expect to separate usWhy ? Henri i s a Huguenot, mut

tered the Duke .No doubt but he made no secret Of

his religion , and that fact was knownwhen the marriage was arranged .

“ Yes, but how has Henri acted sinceyour marriage

,sister ? said the Duke ,

involuntarily allowing,a ray Of j oy to

brighten his features.Why, you ought to know that better

than anyone else , Frangois, since he hasspent his days nearly always in yourcompany , either hunting or at mall ortennis .”

“ Yes , his days no doubt , replied theDuke ; but what about his n ights ?Margueri te was silent , and i t was nowher turn to drop her eyes .

What about his nights ? continuedthe Duc d’

Alencon.

“ Well ? asked Marguerite,feeling

that i t was incumbent upon her to makesome reply.

“ We l l , he has spent them withMadame de Sauve .

“ How do you know that ? criedMarguerite .

“ I know i t because I had an interestin knowing i t , replied the young Prince,turning pale and plucking at the embroidery of his sleeves .

’

Marguerite now began to understandwhat it was that Catherine had whispered to Charles IX .

, but sheprofessed toremain in 1gnorance.

Why do you tell me this , brother ?she replied , with an air of sadness adm irably assumed ; “ is i t to remind methat nobody here loves me or cares aboutme, neither my natural protector nor theman whom the Church has given me forhusband ?

“ You are unjust , said the D ucd

’

A lengon eagerly , drawing his .chairsti l l closer to his sister ; “ I love andprotect you.

”

“ Brother , said Marguerite , fixing herglance upon him ,

“ you have somethingto tell me from the Queen - Mother

.

”

“ I you are mistaken , sister, Iswear it ; what can make you thinkthat ? ”

What makes me think it , i s that youhave broken off the friendship whichattached you to my husband , and havedeserted his cause .”

“ Deserted his cause ! repl ied theDuke , in great confusion .

Yes , undoubtedly . Come , Frangois,speak candidly . You have admitted i ta dozen times , you two can only raiseyourselves or even maintain your positionsby mutual support . This all iance

H as become impossible , sister,” inter

rupted the Duke.Why soB ecause the King has designs against

your husband—I beg pardon , I amwrong in saying your husband—againstHenri de Navarre , I mean . Our motherhas divined everything . I joined myselfto the Huguenots because I thoughtthey were in favour. B ut now the

Huguenots are being massacred , and ina week there won ’ t be fi fty Of them leftalive in all the Kingdom . I held out thehand of friendsh1p to the King of

QUEEN MARGOT

Navarre because he was yourhusband . B ut now he is your husbandno longer. What have you to say tothat

,you who are not only the most

beauti ful woman in France , but also themost vigorous mind in the Kingdom

“ I have this to say ,” rep lied Mar

guerite,

“ that I know our brotherCharles

.I saw him yesterday in one Of

those fi ts of frenzy , each one of whichshortens his l i fe by ten years ; theseattacks are now , unfortunately, of veryfrequent occurrence , with the probableresult that our brother Charles has notvery long to l ive . Final ly , the King OfPoland is j ust dead, and the question Ofelecting a Prince of the royal house ofFrance is much debated ; such thenbeing the present circumstances , this i snot the moment for deserting allies who ,

when the struggle comes , can support usby the co - operation of a Nation and thehelp of a Kingdom .

But,

” cried the Duke , are not youguilty Of a greater desertion towards mein preferring a stranger to your ownbrother ? ”

“ Explain yourself, Frangois ; howhave I deserted you

“ You asked the King yesterday tospare the li fe of the King of Navarre .

“ Well ? ” asked Marguerite , with assumed simplicity.The Duke rose abruptly , took two or

three turns round the room with a bewildered air , and then came and tookhold of Marguerite’ s hand . I t was stiffand cold .

Adieu , sister, said he , “ you havechosen not to understand me , so you

must blame only yourself for the misfortunes which may happen to you.

Marguerite turned pale, but remainedmotionless in her place . She al lowedthe Duke to go without making anyeffort to recall him , but hardly had hedisappeared from sight down the corridor ere he retraced his steps

“ Listen , Marguerite ,” said he ; “ I

have forgotten to tell you one thing,

namely , that at this hour to - morrow theKing Of Navarre will be dead .

”

Marguerite uttered a cry, for thethought that she was the instrument of amurder caused her an insurmountablehorror.

“ And you will not prevent it saidshe ;

“ you will not save your best andmost trusty ally ?

Since yesterday my all iance has beenno longer with the King of Navarre!"

With whom , then“ With M . de Guise. In destroyingthe Huguenots

,they have made M . de

Guise King Of the Catholics .“ And it is the son of Henri I I . who

acknowledges a Duc de Lorraine for hissovereign !

“ I t i s one of your bad days , Marguerite , and you refuse to understandanything .

”

“ I confess I am trying in vain to readyour thoughts.”

Sister, you belong to as great ahouse as does the Princess de Porcian,

and Guise is no more immortal than theKing of Navarre . Well ! Marguerite ,suppose now - three things , al l of themwithin

’

the range of possibili ty : the fi rstis , that Monsieur should be elected Kingof Poland ; the second , that you loved meas I love you. Well ! I am King ofFrance , and you and youQueen of the Catholics .Marguerite hid her face in her hands,amazed at the depth of insight in thisyoung man , whom nobody at the Courtever dreamed of calling a very intelligentperson .

“ B ut , she asked , after a moment’ s

silence, “ you are not j ealous , then , of theDuc de Guise as you are of the King ofNavarreWhat is done is done , said the D ue

d'

Alencon, in a hollow voice ; “ and if Ihave had cause to be j ealous of the Ducde Guise , well , I have been j ealous .

”

There is only one thing that hindersthe success of this fine scheme .”

What is i tThat I no longer love the Duc de

Guise .”

Andwhom do you love, thenNobody .

”

The Duc d’

A lengon looked at Marguerite with the astonishment Of onewho ,in his turn

,i s at a loss , and quitted the

apartment with a sigh , pressing a coldhand upon his forehead, which seemedas i f it would burst .Marguerite remained alone in thought .The situation began to be clearly outl inedto her eyes . The King had sanctionedthe massacre , Queen Catherine and the

Duc de Guise had put it into execution .

The two Dukes , De Guise and B’

A lenq on,were going to combine in order to makethe best they cou ld out of it . The death

64 QUEEN MARGOT

Of the King of Navarre would be anatural consequence Of that great catastrophe. She herself would then be left awidow, throneless and powerless , with noother prospect than that Of the cloister ,where she would not even have the sad

consolation Of lamenting a husband—whoha" never been her husband .

She had reached this poin t when shereceived a message from Queen Catherineasking if she would not j oin in an expedition which was to be made by the wholeCourt to visit the miraculous hawthornin the Cemetery Of the Innocents .Her first inclination was to refuse totake part in this p ilgrimage ; but thethought that the expedition might perhaps supply her with an opportunity oflearning something fresh in regard to thefate of the K ing of Navarre decided her .She replied , therefore , that , i f a horsewere reserved for her , shewould wil linglyaccompany their Maj esties .F ive minutes later . a page came andannounced that , i f shewould come down ,the cavalcade was ready to start . Margueri te commended the wounded man tothe care of Gillonne, and descended .

The King , the Queen - Mother, Tavannes , and the principal Catholics werealready on their horses . Margueritethrew a rapid glance over this group ,which was composed Of about twentypersons . The King of Navarre was notamong them .

Madame de Sauve , however , was there ;they exchanged glances , and Margueriteunderstood that her husband ’s mistresshad something which she wished to sayto her.

The cavalcade started , and reached theRue Saint - Honoré by way of the Ruede l ’Astruce. At sight of the King,Queen Catherine , and the leaders of theCatholic party , the people rushed together ,following the coyt é 6 l ike a rising tidew i th shouts of “Long live the King !hurrah for the Mass ! death to theHuguenots !These cries were accompanied by thebrandishing Of reddened swords andsmoking arq uebuses,which clearly pointedto the share which each individual hadtaken in the sin ister event that had j ustbeen accomplished .

On arriving opposite the Rue de Prouvelles , they met some men dragging alonga headless corpse. I t was that of theAdmiral , and they were going to hang i t

up by the feet from the great gallows atMontfaucon .

The cavalcade entered the cemetery ofthe Holy Innocents by the gate Oppo siteto the Rue des Chaps, called to day theRue des D échargeurs. The clergy, whohad been warned of the visi t of the Kingand the Queen Mother , were awaitingtheir Maj esties in order to deliver anaddress.Madame de Sauve took advantage of

the moment when Catherine was l isteningto the complimentary speech addressedto her , and approached the Queen ofNavarre , asking permission to kiss herhand . Marguerite held out her hand ,and Madame de Sauve , as she kissed i t ,slipped into her sleeve a smal l piece ofpaper folded up .

Quick and artfu l as Madame deSauve ’s withdrawal had been , i t had notescaped the notice Of Catherine , whoturned round j ust as her Maid of Honourwas kissing the Queen ’s hand .

The two women encountered thatpenetrating gaze without betraying anyemotion . Presently Madame de Sauveleft Marguerite ’s side and resumed herplace near Catherine .After replying to the address in herhonour

,Catherine smilingly beckoned the

Queen of Navarre to her side .“ Well , my child , said the QueenMother , in her I talian patois, you appearto be on very friendly terms with Madamede SauveMarguerite smiled , the most bitter lookof which her beautiful face was capabledisfiguring her countenance .

Yes, mother ,”

she answered , theserpent came and hit my hand .

”

Ha ! ha ! ” said Catherine , with asmile , I believe you are j ealous .

”

You are mistaken , Madame ,” replied

Margueri te . I am no more j ealous of

the King Of Navarre than he is in lovewith me only I know how to distinguishmy friends from my enemies , and I lovethose who love me , but hate those whohate me . Should I be your daughter

,

Madame,i f I did not

Catherine smiled in such a manner asto give Marguerite to understand that , i fshe had entertained any suspicion , thishad now been entirely dissipated .

At that moment , too , the attention ofthe august assemblage was attracted bysome fresh arrivals . The Duc de

'

Guise

rode up , escorted by a troop of gentlemen,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

66 QUEEN MAR GOT

muttered Margueri te to herself andthepoor woman is the t ool they mean toemploy for the ruin of us all . But weshall see we shal l see i f they can

make Queen Margot , as my brotherCharles calls me , into a nun so easi ly.

“Who is your letter from asked theDuchesse de Nevers , pointing to thepaper which Margueri te had j ust readthrough repeatedly with such raptattention .

“ Ah ! Duchess ; I have a whole hostof things to tel l you ,

” answered Marguerite, tearing the note in to a thousandnieces.

CHAPTER XI Il

M UTUAL CONF IDENCE S

ND , fi rst yof all , where are we

asked Marguerite . NotM euniers, I fancy ?

I have seen enough of that sort of worksince yesterday !I am taking the liberty of bringing

your Majesty“ In the fi rst place , before everythingelse, my Maj esty wishes you to forget‘ your Maj esty . Youare bringing me.

you say .

“ To the Hotel de Guise, unless youdecide otherwise .

“ Oh ! no , Henriette ; let us go to yourhouse .

'

l he D uc de Guise is not there,

noryour husband ?NO , indeed cried the Duchess

,w ith

a del ight which made her beautiful eyesshine

ti

like emeralds ; “ no ! neither mybrother 1n law, nor my husband , nor

anybody ! I am free,free as the air , as

the bird , as the cloud Free,

your Majesty , do you hear ? Do yourealise what happiness is comprised inthat word ‘ free ’ I come and I go andI give my orders . Ah my poor Queen ,you are not free, and that is why yousigh

“ You come and go and give yourorders ! I s that al l , then ? I s freedomuseful for nothing else but that

'

? Come ,you are too j oyfu l for a person who hasgot no more than freedom .

"

“ Your Maj esty prom ised to take thelead m the exchange of con lideuces.

" n'

‘ You'

r M ajesty’

again ! Come, I shallget angry , Henriette ; have you forgottenour agreementNO , that I shou ld be your respectful

servan t in public,your fool1sh confidante

in private ; that was the agreement , wasi t not , MargueriteYes, yes ,

” said the Queen , smi ling.

That we should have neither rivalriesof houses nor treachery in love - affairs :that all should be frank and above - boardan alliance, in short, both defensive andoffensive , for the sole purpose of finding ,and if we find it , of steal ing thatephemeral thing called happiness ."

Yes , Duchess , that is i t, and , in .

order to renew the compact,kiss me .”

And the two charming heads,the one

pale and clouded with sadness , the otherfair and frolicsome

, met gracefully and .

j oined their l ips as they had j oined the1rthoughts .There is something fresh then

asked the Duchess,fixing on Marguerite

an eager and inquisitive glance .I sn ’ t everything fresh for the last

two daysOh ! I am talking of love and not of

politics . When we are your motherCatherine’ s age we can begin to be iaterested in political matters ; but beingonly twenty , my fair Queen , let us talkof something else. Come

,are you mar

ried in actual fact ?“To whom ? ” said Marguerite, laughing.

Ah ! you quite reassure meWell ! Henriette , what reassures you

alarms me. Duchess,I must give my

husband his rights .”“ When

' TO -morrow .

“ Really , my poor friend ! And it isnecessaryAbsolutely so .’

S death ! as an aq uaintance of minesays , this is very sad .

"

“ D O you know somebodv who.

says’

S death, asked Marguerite laughing .

Yes .And who is that somebody

“ You are asking all the questions,when you ough t to be answering . Finish ,and then I w1ll begin .

”

“ Here i t is then in two words : . theKing of Navarre is in love and doesn

’ twant me . I am not in love , but I don

’ twant him . However , we must bothal ter our m inds , or seem to dotween now and to - morrow.

QUEEN MARGOT

Wel l , alter your mind then ! and youmay be sure that he wil l do the same .”

That is j ust where the impossib1lityl ies ; for I am less disposed than ever tochange my mind .

”

In respect to your husband only, Ihope 1

I have a scruple , Henriette ..A scruple about whatA rel1gious one. D O you make any

difference between Huguenots 1 andCatholics

“ In pol1tical matters ?Yes.

”

O f cOurse I do .But in love ? ”

My dear friend , we women are suchpagans that , as regards sects , we embracethem all and as regards gods , we ac

knowledge several .”

O r rather , a single one , do you notYes,

” said the D uchess , w1th a glancesparkling with pure paganism ; yes , theone called Eros, Cupido , Amor ; yes , thegod with the quiver, with wings andbandaged eyes ’

S death !’ tis

the god for me !“ You have a way of praying that isa trifle exclusive , my dear .

”

We must do right , come whatmay Ah Marguerite , how

the best ideas , l ike the noblest actions ,get disguised in passing through themouths of the vulgar !The vulgar ! B ut i t was my

brother Charles, I fancy, who congratulated youYour brother Charles , Marguerite , is

a great sportsman who blows the huntinghorn al l day , which makes him very thin

I decline him and all his blandishments. Besides, I answered yourbrother Charles Didn ’

t youhear my answer ?NO , you spoke so low.

So much the better,I shall have al l

the more to tell you, Come,Marguerite ,

let me hear the end of your confidences.

”

“ I t is that thatWellThat

,i f you real ly threw the stone ,

said the Queen laughing , Of which mybrother spoke, I had better refrain fromtel l ing you .

”

“ Good ! you have chosen a H uguenot , cried Henriette . “Well ! makeyour mind easy ! TO re- assure your conscience , I promise to choose one also onthe first opportunity

.

”

O q o more so

this poor

Ah ! then you have taken a Catholicth is time , i t seems .

’

S death I replied the Duchess.Al l right , I understand .

“ And who is our Huguenot ?I have not chosen him ; this young

man is nothing to : me, and probablynever wi l l be.

”

“ But , anyhow , who i s he ? that doesnot prevent your tell ing me , you knowhow inquisitive I am .

”

A poor young fellow as handsome asthe N isus of Benvenuto Cel liniwho came to take refuge in my room.

“ Oh ! and I’

suppose you didn’ t

invite him to do soPoor lad I don ’ t laugh like that

,Hen

riette, for he is hovering between li fe anddeath at this moment.”

“ I s he ill , thenHe is severely wounded .

But that is very tiresome awounded

Huguenot ! at this time especially. Andwhat are you doing with this woundedHuguenot , who is nothing to you andnever wil l be anything ?He is in my closet ; I am hiding him ,

and I want to save him .

He is young , handsome , and wounded .

You are hiding him in your closet youwant to save him ; this Huguenot will bevery ungrateful , i f he doesn

’ t become toograteful .He is already , I fear

than I could wish .

”

And he interests youyoung man ?From humanity merely.

Ah ! humanity, mypoor Queen thatis always the virtue which is the undoingof us women .

”

“ Yes , and you understand that as atanymoment the King , the Duc d

’

A lengon,

my mother , my husband even mayenter my room

“ You want to ask me to keep yourlittle Huguenot , i sn

’ t that i t, as long ,as

he is ill, on condition that I give him back

to you when he recovers“ You are laughing at me, said Marguerite. No, I swear that I am notlooking forward so far. Only , i f youcould find some means of concealing thepoor fellow

,i f you could preserve the

life which I have saved—well ! I shouldbe really grateful to you. You are freeat the Hotel de Guise ; you have neitherbrother - in - law nor husband to watch on

or Oppose you , and, what is more, ear

68

Henriette , you have a large closet l ikemine behind your room , where nobody ,l uckily for you, has the right to enter.Well ! lend me this closet for myHuguenot

,and when he is well , you shall

open his cage and he wil l fly away .

“ There is only one difficul ty,dear

Queen , and that is that the cage isalready occupied .

“ What ! then you have also savedsomeone ? ”

“ That is just what I answered yourbrother.”

“ Ah ! I understand ; that is whyyou

spoke so low that I didn 't hear you.

’

Listen , Marguerite , to my story ,which is most interesting and no lessromantic than your own. After leavingyou six of my guards , I had returnedwith the remaining six to the Hotel deGuise , and was watching the sacking andburning of a house , which is o nly

QUEEN

separated from my brother ’s palace by ’

the Rue des Quatre - Fils,‘

when suddenlyI heard a sound Of women screaming andmen swearing . I stepped on to the balcony

,and the first thing which I '

see i s asword , the fi re from wh1ch seems of itselfto light up the whole scene. I admirethis furious blade , being a lover Ofheroic deeds ; then I natural ly try todistinguish the arm that wields it , andthe body to which this arm belongs . Atlas t , amid the blows and cries , I perceivethe figure of a man , and I see ahero , a Telamonian Ajax

”

, I hear a voice ,the voice of a Stentor . I am aroused toenthusiasm . I remain palp i tating withexcitement, starting at each thrust thatthreatens him , at each pass that hemakes i t was such a quarter of an hour

,

you see, my Queen , as I had neverexperienced , such an exciting quarter ofan hour as I could not have believedpossible . So there I stood , silent , inbreathless suspense , when suddenly myhero disappeared .

”

H ow was that ?Beneath a stone hurled at him by an

old woman , whereupon , like Cyrus,'

I

recovered my voice , and cried : Help !help ! ’ Our guards rushed out andraised him up

,and eventually carried

him to the room which you are askingme to give to your protégé.

”

“ Ah ! dear Henriette , I understandthis story the better, since it i s almost thesameas my own.

”

W ith this difference, my Queen , that

MARGOT

So my prot égé i s refused at the'

Hotel de Guise I am sorry , because it i sthe very last place to which they wouldcome to search for a Huguenot .”

Refused ! not a bit of it ; I will havehim brought here this evening ; the one

shall l ie in the corner to the right, theother in the corner to the

“ But they will recognise one another '

as Catholic and Protestant, and eat eachother up.

”

“ Oh ! there is no danger . M . deCoconnas has received a blow in the face ,which prevents him seeing clearly ; yourHuguenot has received a wound in thebreast

,which almost prevents him from

stirring and then , besides , you wil l ‘

caution him to be silent with respect toreligion

,and everything wil l go off

capitally .

”1

Very well ; be it so .

Agreed, let us go in .

Thank you ,’ ’ said Marguerite ,pressing

her friend ’s hand .

“ Here , Madame , you become ‘ herMaj esty ’ again ; allow me , then , to doyou the honours of the Hotel de Guise asbefi ts the Queen ofNavarre .And the Duchess , descending from ,

the l itter , almost knel t in order to help:Margueri te to descend in her turn ; then",pointing with her finger to the door Ofthe palace , which was guarded by two

!

sentries,arquebus in hand , she fol lowed

at some distance behind the Queen , whop

walked majestically in front, maintaining

in order to serve my King and myreligion , I shall not need to send M .

Hannibal de Coconnas away .

H is name is Hannibal de Coconnasreplied Marguerite, with a burst oflaughter.

“ A dreadful name , isn’t i t ? said

Henriette . Well ! the man who bearsit is worthy of it . ’

S death ! what achampion ! And what torrents of bloodhe set flowing ! 1 Put on your mask , my

‘

Queen , here we are at the palace .”

Why must I put on my mask ?Because I want to show you my

herof’

I s he handsomeHe seemed to me glorious while he

was fighting . I t is true that was at ?night by the light of the '

flames. I con:

fess that this morning/ by daylight , hedidn ’ t strike me quite so much . H ow

ever I think you will be pleased withhim

QUEEN MARGOT 69

her attitude Of respect so long as they Oh ! Henriette , how lucky he did not seewere under Observation . On reaching meher chamber the Duchess shut the door ,and summoning her bedchamber woman ,a brisk I talian girl from Sicily :Mica

,

”she said to her, in I talian ,

how is M . le Comte nowHe gets better and better , she replied .

And what is he doingAt this moment , Madame , I believe

he is taking some refreshment.”

Good,

” said Marguerite ; “ i t is a goodsign when the appetite returns .”

Ah true : I forgot that you are apupil ofAmbroise Paré . Go , Mica .

”

You are sending her awaySo that she may keep watch for us.Mica went out .Now ,

” said the Duchess , will yougo in to him , or shal l 1 bring him hereNeither ; I want to see him without

being seen .

”

What does it matter, since you haveyour maskHe may recognise me by my hair,

my hands , some j ewel .Oh ! how prudent my fair Queen has

grown since her marriageMarguerite smiled .

“ Well I see only one way , continuedthe Duchess.What is thatTo look through the key - hole .Very well ; take me there.

”

The Duchess took Marguerite by thehand , led her to a door over which fell acurtain , knelt on one knee and

, put hereye to the opening left by the absentkey.

Yes, she said ; he is at table , andhas his face turned towards us . Come .Marguerite took her friend ’s place , and

in her turn put her eye to the key - hole .Coconnas, as the Duchess had said , wasseated at a table well supplied with food ,to which his wounds did not prevent himfrom doing full j ustice .Good heavens ! cried Marguerite,

starting back.

What is i t ? asked the Duchess , inastonishment.Impossible ! NO ! Yes ! Oh ! on my

soul , i t is he himselfWho himselfHush ! said Marguerite

,getting up

and seizing the Duchess ’s hand , “ i t isthe man who tried to kil l my Huguenot ,who pursued him into my bedroom , whoS truck him when he was in my auns.

Well , then , since you saw him atwork

,didn ’ t you think him handsomeI don ’ t know , said Marguerite , for

I was looking at the man whom he waspursuing .

“ And what is the name of the manwhom he was pursuing

Youwill not mention it before himNo , I promise you .

”

Lerac de La Mo le .“ And what do you think Of him now

O f M . de La Mole ?No , of M . de Coconnas.

Upon my word ,” said Marguerite, “ I

confess I think.

She paused .

“ Come , come , said the Duchess , “ Isee you are angry with him for havingwounded your Huguenot.”

But it seems to me ,” said Marguerite ,

laughing , “ that my Huguenot owes himnothing , and that the gash with which hehas underlined his eyeThey are quits , then , and we can

patch up their quarrels. Send me yourwounded man .

NO , not yet ; later on.

WhenWhen you have lent your man another

room .

”

Which roomMarguerite looked at her friend , who ,after a moment ’s silence, looked at heralso and began to laugh .

“ Well,be it so !

” said the Duchess.

“ And so,all iance between us , closer than

ever .“ Sincere friendship always , repliedthe Queen .

And the password , the sign of recognifion , if we shou ld want one another ?The triple name of your triple divinity

—Eros - Cupido - Amor.And the two women separat ed , afterembracing each other for the second timeand shaking hands for the twentieth time.

79 QUEEN “ MARGOT

CHAPTER XI I I

KEYS MAY SOMET IME S OPEN D OORS FOR

WH ICH THEY WERE NEV ER INTENDED

HE Queen of Navarre , on her returnto the Louvre , found GillOnne in a

state of great excitement . During theQueen ’s absence Madame de Sauve hadcome , bringing a key which had beenhanded to her by the 'Queen - Mother .This key belonged to the room in whichHenri was confined . I t was clear that

,

for some reason or other,the Queen

Mother wished the P rince de Bearn tospend the night w i th -Madame de Sauve .Marguerite took the key and turned itover and over in her hands . She‘ recalledevery word spoken by Madame de S auve ,weighed it letter by letter in her mind

,

and thought she understood Catherine ’sdesign .

Taking pen and ink, she wrote on apiece of paper

Instead of going to - night to Madamede Sauve

,come to the Queen ofNavarre .

MARGUER ITE .

”

Then she rolled up the paper,placed it in

the hollow of the key, and ordered Gillonne to slip the key under the prisoner ’ sdoor as soon as i t was dark .

This fi rst care accomplished,Mar

guerite thought of thewounded man ; sheclosed all the doors , entered the closet

,

and to her great astonishment found LaMole dressed again in h1s clothes , whichwere sti ll al l torn and blood - stained

.

On seeing her he tried to rise ; butstaggered and was unable to stand

,and

fel l back upon the sofa which had beenconverted into a bed.

Why, sir, what has happened ?asked Marguerite , “ and why are you so

disobedient to your doctor ’s orders Iordered you rest , and instead Of obeyingme you are doing j ust the opposite !

“ Oh ! Madame '” said Gillonne, “ i ti s not my fault : I implored Monsieurle Comte not to be so foolish , but hedeclared that nothing would keep himany longer at the Louvre .”

Youwant to leave the Louvre saidMarguerite , looking in astonishment atthe young man , who lowered his eyes ;“ why, i t is impossible. You cannotwalk ; you are pale and wi thout strength ;

I can see your knees shake. The woundin your shoulder bled again t hismorn ing .

Madame , answered the young'

man,earnestly as I thank your Majesty forhaving given

.

me shelter yesterday evening , I ask you as earnestly to be goodenough to let me go away to - dayBut ,

” said Marguerite in amazement,

“ I know not how to describe such a maddetermination ; i t is worse than ingratitude .”

Oh ! Madame cried La Mole,

’

clasping his hands , “ be l ieve me that,far from being ungrateful

,I havea feeling '

of gratitude in my heart that wil l 'last allmy life .”

I t,will not last long then ‘said

Marguerite , stirred by his tone , which leftno doubt of the '

sincerity of his words ;“ for, either your wounds will reopen andyou will die from loss of blood , or you

'

will be recognised as a Huguenot and bekil led before you have gone a hundred“.yards down the street .”

“ I must leave the Louvre nevertheless , murmured La Mole .

“ You must ! said M arguerite,'

lookingat him with a clear and ' penetratingglance ; then , turning slightly pale O h

yes , I understand , I beg your pardon ,Monsieur doubtless there is somepersonoutside the Louvre to whom your absencecauses cruel uneasiness . Quite rightand natural , Monsieur de la Mole , and Iunderstand perfectly . Why did you notsay so at once , or rather, why did I not

'

think of i t myself ? I t is a duty , whenone shows hosp itali ty , to protect theaffections

‘

of your guest as well as todress his wounds , and to look after

‘ hisheart as wel l as his body .

”

“ Alas ! Madame , answered La Mole ,’

you are strangely' in error. I

‘ amearly

'

alone in the world and quite alonein Paris , where

‘ nobody knows me. Myassassin is the first man that I

!spoke to'

in th is ci ty, and your Majesty is the fi rstwoman who has spoken to me .”

“ In that. case ,” said ' Marguerite ln

surprise , why do you want to go1

awayBecause , said La Mole , last night

your Maj esty had no rest, andIto

ightMargueri te blushed . j“ Gillonne,

” said she, i t i s' 'getting

late , I think i t is time you'

took the key."

Gillonne smiled andwithdrew.

QUEEN MARGOT 7 1

But , continued Marguerite , “ if you your husband . He wil l come in his turn ,are alone in Paris and friendless , what as the Duc d

’

Alenqon and Madame dewi l l you do Sauve have come . He wi l l confide hisMadame

,I shall find friends ; for, as secrets to you . Well ! I ough t not to

I was being pursued , I thought of my hear these secrets ; I might be indiscreetmother

, who was a Catholic I seemed to'

see her glide before me on my way to theLouvre

,with a cross in her hand , and I

vowed that,should God preserve my li fe ,

I would embrace my mother ’ s religion .

God has done more than preserve myli fe

,Madame ; He has sent me one of

H is angels to make me love her.But you cannot walk ; you will

fain t before you have gone a hundredyards .Madame

,I made trial of myself

yesterday in the nex t room ; I walkslowly and with difficulty , i t is true , butlet me only reach the P lace du Louvre ;once t here

,I will wait on events .

Marguerite leaned her head on herhand and pondered deep ly .

And the King of Navarre , she saidwith intention ,

“

you no longer speak ofhim to me . Have you , in changing yourre l igion , lost the desire to enter h isservice

“ Madame,replied La Mole , turning

pale,

“ you have j ust touched upon"

the

true reason for my departure .know that the King of Navarre i s inimminent danger

,and that your majesty ’

3

whole influence as a Daughter Of Francewi l l scarcely avail to save his

’

head .

”

What do you mean , sir ?” asked

Marguerite, “ and of what dangers areyou speaking ?Madame ,

’

replied La “ Mole , withsome hesitation , everything can beheard from that closet .”

True,

” murmured Marguerite to hersel f “ M . de Guise had already told me

so .

Thenshe added aloud :Wel l , what have you heard .

Why , in the first p lace , the con l

versation whichyour M aj esty had withyour brother this morn ing ’

W 1th Frango1s . cried Margueriteblushing.

1

‘N ith the Duc d

’

A lencon, yes ,Madame ; and then afterwards , the con :versation of Mademoiselle Gillonne withMadame deAnd it is these two conversa

tions" r

“ Yes, Madame . You have been

rnarried for barely a week , and you love

and I can’ t - I oughtabove all , I zw il l not benot

that !The tone in which La Mole utteredthese last words , the agitation in hisvoice and the confusion on his counten

ance , conveyed the truth to Margueritewi th a sudden flash .

Ah ! said she , you heard from thatcloset all that has been said in this roomup t 1l l now r

Yes , Madame .The words were hardly audible .And “you want to go away this even

ing , so that you may hear no more ?”

This very instant , Madame , i f i tplease your Majesty to give . me permisSion .

”

Poor fellow ! said Marguerite,in an

unmistakeable tone of pity.

Astonished at such a gentle answerwhen he was expecting a sharp r

'

eply , LaMole raised his head timidly ; his lookmet Marguerite’s , and remained rivettedby some magnetic power on the clear andpenetrating gaze of the Queen .

You think yoursel f incapable of keep :ing a secret then , M . de la Mole ? saidMarguerite softly .

She was rec l ining against the back of

her chair,half ' concealed by the shadow

of a thick curtain,and thus enjoyed the

happiness of reading the young man ’smind completely

,whi le her own feelings

remained unfathomable .1 “ Madame,

” said De la Mole , I havean unfortunate disposition I distrustmysel f

,and to see the happiness Of an

other gives me pain .

Whose happ iness ? said Marguerite ,with asmile . Ah ! yes , the happiness ofthe King

'

of Navarre ! Poor Henri !You see how happy he is, Madame !

cried La Mole quicklyHappy 1

Yes,since your Majesty p1t1es him .

Marguerite crumpled the silk of heralms - bag, unravel ling the golden fringe .Then you refuse to see the King of

avarre she said , your mind is madeup on that point

“ I shrink from being importunate tohis Majesty at this moment .

B ut mybrother, theDuc d’

A lengon

72 QUEEN MARGOT

Oh,Madame cried La Mole, “ the heard them , Madame ! on my knees I

Duc d’

A lenqon ! No , no ; even less wouldI solicit the Duc d’

A lengon than theKing Of Navarre .”

Because asked Marguerite ,with an emotion betokened by thetrembl ing Of her voice .

“ Because , though I am already toohalf - hearted a Huguenot to be a devotedservant to his Maj esty the King of

Navarre, I am not yet a good enoughCatho l ic to be friendly with M . d

’

Alengon

and M . de Guise .”

I t was now Marguerite’s turn to droopher eyes and to feel her inmost heartvibrate ; she could not have said whetherLa Mole’s words pleased her or gave herpain .

At this moment Gillonne returned .

Marguerite questioned her with a glance ;Gillonne

’

s answer, also conveyed by aglance , was in the affirmative . She hadsucceeded in conveying the key to theKing Of Navarre .Marguerite turned her eyes once moreupon La Mole , who remained in an attitude Of indecision , his head drooping onhis breast , and pale as a man who issuffering at once in mind and body .

Monsieur de la Mole is proud , she

said , “ and I hesitate to make a proposalto him which he wil l doubtless rej ect .La Mole rose , took a step towardsMarguerite , and would have bowedbefore her in token that he was at herorders ; but a deep , sharp , burning paindrew tears from his eyes , and feel ing thathe was going to fall , he caught hold of acurtain to support himsel f.

“ There,you see , cried Marguerite ,

running to him and holding him in herarms , you see, sir, that you still needmy help .

”

La Mole s l ips barely moved.

“ Yes , yes, he murmured ,“ I need

you as the air I breathe, as the light Isee.

At thi s moment a knock , thrice re

peated, was heard at Marguerite’s door .

entreat you , let me go , yes , al ive or dead.Have pity on me ! You do not answer.Well ! I will speak ! and when I havespoken , then you will drive me away, Ihopef

’

Be silent , unfortunate man ! saidMarguerite , who felt an unspeakablecharm in listening to his reproaches ; besilen t , wil l youMadame ,

” replied La Mole , whodoubtless did not consider Marguerite’stone as stern as he had expected , “ Irepeat that everything can be heard fromthis closet. D O not condemn me to dieby a worse death than the most cruelexecutioners could devise .”

Hush ! hush said Marguerite .Oh ! Madame , you are piti less , you

will not listen . But understand that Ilove you

“ Hush , I tell you interrupted M ar

guerite , laying her warm ,scented hand

over the mouth of the young man , whoseized it in his hands and pressed it to hislips .

“ But murmured La Mole .Be silent , child ! Who is this rebel

who will not obey his QueenThen , stepping quickly from the closet ,she closed the door. and supporting herself against the wal l , as with one hand shetried to sti ll the violent beating Of herheart

Open , Gillonne, she said .

Gillonne left the room , and a momentlater the curtain was li fted by the King OfNavarre.

You sent for me, Madame ?to Marguerite .Yes , sire, your Majesty received my

letterNot without some surprise , I confess ,

said Henri , looking round him with asuspicion which soon vanished .

And not without some uneasiness. Ifancy

,Monsieur,

” added Marguerite .“ I admit it

,Madame. Yet, though

surrounded by relentless enemies , and

said be

“ Do youhear,M adame ?”saidGillonne by friends who are even more dan

in alarm .

Al ready ! murmeren Margueri te.

Must I open the door 1

gerous than my enemies, I rememberedlthat on a certain evening I had seen yourl eyes beam with a sentiment Of generosi ty

Wait ; i t is the King o r Navarre —it was the day of our wedding—andperhaps . that on another day I had seen in those

“ Oh ! Madame ! ’ cried La M ule re eyes the flash of courage, and that

covering hisstrength at thesewords,which

the Queen had uttered in so low a t onethat she hoped that Gillonne only had

was yesterday , the day xed for mydeath .

"

“Well. sir ? said Marguerite , smiling,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

74

inflicts none of this misery upon them ,

for true love 18 ambition as we l l .

QUEEN MARGOT

courageous entry into'

the K ing’sarmoury ? I n truth , Madame , you came

Your M ajesty,”saidMarguerite, w1th j ust in time , I cannot deny i t, and de

a kind of bantering scorn , “ has not muchconfidence

,methinks, in the star that

shines above every monarch ’s brow ?Ah ! ” said Henri , “ i t i s because I

have searched for mine at this momental l in vain , concealed as it is by thestorm which now roars over my head .

“ What if a woman’

s l breath were todispel this storm and make the star shineas bright ly as beforeI t would be very diffi cult

,said Henri .

D O you deny the existence Of thiswoman , sire ? 1 0 1

NO , I only denyher power.Her willingness , you mean ?I said her power , and I repeat

‘ the

word : A woman is only really powerfulwhen she combines within her both loveand interest i n equal degree ; should one

only of these two sentiments fi ll herthough ts , then l ike Achil les she is vulner

in the case of this woman ,unless I mistake , I cannot reckon on herlove .”

Marguerite was silent .

’

“ Listen ,” continued Henri , at the

last stroke of the hell of Saint Germainl’

Auxerrois you ought to have thought ofregaining your liberty , which had beenpawned for the purpose Of destroyingthose of my party , while I ought (to havethought of sav ing my li fe. : That was thething most urgent . Thereby welose Navarre , I know well , but Navarreis a trifle in comparison of the freedomgranted you of being able to speak aloudin your own room , a thing which you didnot venture to do when you had someonein that closet l istening to you .

’

Although at the height Of her preoccupation , Marguerite could not forbeara smile . As for the King Of Navarre

,he

had already risen in order to retu’rn to hisapartment s, for i t was already past eleven ,

’

and the Louvre 'was asleep, or at any

rate, seemed to be asleep.‘

1

Henri took three steps towards thedoor ; then suddenly stopped as thoughhe had only at that moment rememberedthe reason that had brought him to theQueen. 1

By the bye , Madame, said he , “ haveyou not some communication to make tome ; or did you only .wish to giveme theopportunity Of 1thanking you for thereprieve afforded me yesterday by your

scended on the scene l ike some goddessof Old , j ust in the nick of time to save mylife .Unhappyman ! cried Marguerite in

a hollow voice, seizing her husband byarm .

“ D on’ t you see, then , that , on

the contrary , nothing is saved , neitheryour freedom , your crown , nor your life !Poor blind fool ! You saw in my letternothing but an appointment ? Youthought that Marguerite

,i ‘nc’ensed by

your coldness , desired a reparation ?But

,Madame,

” cried Henri in astonishment , “ I confessMarguerite shrugged her shoulderswith an expression impossible to describe.At the same instant a strange sound ,like a sharp , eager scratching , was heardat the small concealed door .f Marguerite dragged the Kin

'g in thedirection of the door.

1

Listen ,” she said .

“ The Queen Mother is coming out ,said a voice rendered tremulous by terror ,which Henri : immediately recognised asthat of Madame de Sauve .

“ And where is she going ? askedMarguerite .She 1s coming to your Majesty.”The rustling of a silken robe growingfainter in the distance

,showed that

Madame de Sauve had run away .

Oh ! oh ! cried Henri .I was certainof it , said Marguerite.And I feared as

'

much,said Henri ,

“ and here is the proofUpon which , with a rapid movement,he opened his black velvet doublet , anddisclosed to Marguerite a ‘

fine tunic ‘

Of

steel,covering his breast , and a long

Milanese dagger, which gleamed in hishand like a snake 1n the sun.

We have something else to th ink of

here besides ' steel and cuirass ! ” criedMarguerite . “ Come

,sire , hide that

dagger,i t is the Queen Mother, true ;

but the Queen Mother alone and“un

attended .

“ Still“ Silence ! she is here, I hear her.And

' stooping to Henri”s ear, - shewhispered some words which the Kingl istened to wi th attention m ingled withastonishmentHenri at Once concealed himsel fbehind the cur tains of the bed.

t.

QUEEN MARGOT

Marguerite - on her side , sprang withthe agil ity of a panther towards thecloset where La ~ Mole was waiting , andgrasping his hand in the darkness :Silence ! said she to him , coming so

close that he fel t her warm , perfumedbreath like a moist vapour on his face ,SilenceThen , returning to her room andshutting the door , she un fastened herhead - gear , cut al l the strings of herdress with her dagger

,and threw herself

into bed .

She was j ust in time,the key was

turning in the lock .

Catherine had pass - keys for all the doorsin the Louvre .

Q

Who is there ? cried Marguerite,while Catherine stationed at the door aguard Of four gentlemen who aecompanied her .And , as though alarmed at this abruptinvasion Of her chamber

,Marguerite

,

issuing from behind the curtains in awhite dressing - gown , sprang from thebed , and on recognising Catherine cameto kiss her hand with such well - feignedsurprise that even the Florentine wastaken in by it.

CHAPTER XIV

* S ECOND N IGHT AFTER T H E WEDD ING

Queen -Mother surveyed thene with marvellous rapidity .

of the bed ,Marguerite ’s garments scattered on thechairs , the rubbing of her eyes as thoughshe had been fast asleep—all these signsconvinced Catherine that she hadaroused her daughter from sleep .

Thereupon she smiled as a womanwho has been successful in her schemes ,and drawing up a ‘chairLet us si t down , Marguerite , she

said , “ and have a chat .I am listening to you, Madame .I t is t ime , my . daughter

,

” saidCatherine , closing her eyes in that slowway peculiar to people who are reflectingor dissimulating deep ly

,

“.it is time .that

you should understand how greatly yourbrother and I desire to mak e you happy.”

75

The exord ium was an alarmingone to .

anybody who knew Catherine well .What is she going to tell me P " 1

thought Margueri te .I n arranging this marriage

,con

tinned the Florentine , we have certain lyaccomplished one of those acts of policywhich weighty considerations enjoin onthose who govern . But i t must be confessed , my poor child , we did not dreamthat the King of Navarre ’ s aversion to

you , young , beautiful , and attractive asyou are, would be persisted in up to thispoin t .”

Marguerite rose,and , drawing together

the folds of her nightdress , made .hermother a ceremonious curtsey.

“ I t is only this evening that I havelearnt ,

” said Catherine,—“ otherwise . I

should have come to see you sooner—thatyour husband is far from showing you .

those attentions which are due, not onlyto a pretty woman , but also to a Daughter

'

of France .”

Marguerite sighed , and Catherine , eucouraged by this mute token of .agree

ment , continuedThat the King Of Navarre should , in

point Of fact , .carry on an open intimacywith one Ofmy maids of honour, whoseconduct towards him amounts to ascandal

,that this infatuation should lead .

him f to despise the wife whom we have .

been pleased to assign to him , is .a misfortune which cannot be remediedoby us ,prior creatures who hold this , .exaltedrank

,but which the humblest gentleman;

in our Kingdom would avenge bychallenging his son - ih - law, either himsel f,or . through one of his sons . ,

1

Marguerite drooped her hea‘d. ,

I have seen for some time, mydaughter

,

” continued Catherine , ‘

fbyyour red eyes and your bitter outburstsagainst Madame de Sauve , that thewound in your heart cannot always, SpiteOf your efforts , bleedi nwardly.”Marguerite started ; a

'

slight movement had shaken the curtains, but happilyCatherine did not notice it.This wound

,my child , she said“

increasing her affectionate sweetness , “ i tis for the hand of a mother to heal . Thosewho arranged yourmarriage , thinking topromote your happiness ; and ,who,: intheirs olicitude on your. account, remarkthat Henri de; Navarre is absent fromyour apartment every night ; those whocannot tolerate that a puppet - Kingsuch

QUEEN

as he is should Offer a continual insult toa woman of your beauty , rank , and worthby his contempt Of your person and hisindifference as to posterity ; those

'

who

see, in short, that at'

the fi rst breath of

wind which he deems favourable , thisfooli sh and insolent creature will turnagainst our family and drive you fromhis house—have not they the right toprovide for your future , by annullingyour connection with him , in a mannermore worthy both of yourself and yourposition

“ And yet ,

prompted by your maternal affection , andwhich fi l l me with j oy and pride, I ambo ld enough to represent to your Majestythat the King Of Navarre is my husband .

Catherine made an angry movement ,and coming closer to Marguerite

“ H e your husband ! ” she said .

“ I sthe blessing of the Church , then , sufficientto make you husband and wife , and doesthe consecration of marriage consist

MARGOT

You see , Madame , said Marguerite,“ that you were wrongly informed .

”

Catherine glanced at Marguerite,then

at Henri . Her active brain connectedthe sight of that pale

,moist brow

,and

those eyes surrounded by a faint ring of.

bistre , with Marguerite’s smile

, and shehit her thin lips in silen t rage . e

Marguerite allowed her mother amoment in which to contemplate this .picture , which produced on her the effectOf the Medusa’s head . Then she dropped

Madame , replied Marguerite , “ in spite of these Observations ,

the curtain , and , walking on tiptoe, cameback to Catherine, and , resuming herseat, Observed :You were saying

,Madame

The Florentine tried for some momentsto fathom the girl ’s simplicity ; then , asthough her keen glance had been dulledby Marguerite ’s calm denieanour :Nothing , she said .

And she quitted the apartment withhasty steps .As soon as the sound of her feet haddied away in the distance of the corridor

,

solely in the words Of the priest . Your the curtain of the bed was Opened again ;husband

,indeed ! Why , my girl , if you

were Madame de Sauve you might giveme that answer. But , contrary to whatwe expected of him , since the day thatyou gave Henri de Navarre the honourof calling you his wife , he has surrenderedyour marriage rights to another , and atthis moment

,

” said Catherine , raising hervoice

,

“ i f you come with me—this keyOpens the door Of Madame de Sauve ’sapartment—you shall see for yourself.

”

“ Oh ! Madame , please do not speakso loud , said Marguerite , “ for not onlyare you mistaken , but you will alsoWellWell you wil l awake my husband .

At these words Marguerite rose withvoluptuous grace , and letting her nightdress float hal f open , the short sleeves ofwhich left exposed her beautifully roundedarm and truly royal hand , she held ataper Of pink wax to the bed , and raisingthe curtain

,smilingly pointed out to her

mother the“proud profile , the dark hair,

and the half - opened mouth of the Kingof Navarre, who seemed to be in a calm

aid deep sleep upon the disorderedd .Pale , with haggard eyes , crouchingbackwards as though a gulf had yawned

and Henri , with sparkling eyes , oppressedbreathing , and trembling hands , cameand knelt before Margueri te. H e wasdressed only in his hose and coat of mail

,

and Marguerite , seeing him in thisridiculous costume , while grasping hishand heartily , could not help burstingout into laughter .

“ Ah ! Margueri te , he cried,

“ howshall I ever repay my debt to youAnd be covered her hand with kisses

,

which mounted up insensibly from herhand to her arm .

“ Sire,”she said , drawing back quite

gen tly , “ do you forget that at thismoment an unhappy woman

,to whom

you owe your l ife , is pining at yourabsence Madame de Sauve

,

”she added

,

in a low tone , has sacrificed her j ealousyby sending you to me , and perhaps , aftersacrificing her jealousy , she will sacrificeher life foryou, for you know —none better—that my mother ’s wrath i s terrible .”Henri shuddered , and rising from hisknees , made as though he would go out .

Oh ! but after all , said M rrguerite,with admirable coquetry , “ I am comforted on reflection . The key was given

you without indication of how it was

'

t o)

e used , and you will be deemed to havebeneath her feet , Catherine uttered a shown me the preference this evening.

”

sound that was more l ike the hoarse “ And I do Show It you. Marguerite ; .

bel low of a wild beast than a woman ’s cry . consent only to forget

QUEEN MARGOT 77

“ Speak lower, sire, Speak lower , re

plied the Queen , mimicking the wordsshe had used to her mother ten minutesearlier ; “

you can be heard from thecloset

,and as I am not yet quite at

liberty, I will ask you not to speak so

loud .

Oh said Henri , hal f laugh1ng, halfannoyed

,

“ i t is true ; I forgot that i t wasprobably no t I who was destined to playthe last scene of this interesting comedy .

This closetLet us go in , sire , said Marguerite ,

“ for I wish to have the honour of presenting to your Maj esty a brave gentleman who was wounded during themassacre

,as he was coming to the

Louvre to warn your Maj esty of thedanger you were in .

”

The Queen , followed by H enri , wenttowards the door.The door opened , and great was theastonishment of Henri on seeing a manin this closet destined to afford so manysurprises .But greater stil l was the astonishmentof La Mole on finding himself unexpectedly face to face with the King ofNavarre . Henri looked at Margueritewith a glance of irony , which she metwith perfect composure.

“ Sire ,” said Marguerite , “ I have

reason to fear that this gentleman , whoi s devoted to your Majesty ’s service , mayyet be ki lled even here in my apartment , and therefore I commit him toyour protection .

”

“ Sire,” said the young man , “ I am

the Comte Let ac de La Mole , whom yourMajesty was expecting , and who was

recommended to you by the unfortunateM . de T é ligny, who was killed fightingby my side .

“ Ah ! ” said Henri , “ the Queen , infact, handed me his letter ; but had younot also a letter from the Governor of

Languedoc ?Yes , sire , with instructions to give it

to your Majesty directly I arrived .

Why did you not do so“ Sire , I came to the Louvre yesterdayevening , but your Majesty was so busythat you were unable to receive me .

“ True ,” said the King

,but I think

you might have sent the letter in tome.

”

“ I had orders from M . d’

Auriac togive it to no one but your Majesty , sinceit contained , as he assured me, news of

such importance that he dared not confideit to an ordinary messenger.I n poin t of fact ,

” said the King,tak

ing the letter and reading i t , he advisedme to leave the Court and retire to Bearn .

M . d’

Auriac, though a Catholic , was atrue friend ofmine , and had probably , asgovernor of the province , go t wind of

wnat was going on. Zounds, sir ! why

not have handed me this letter three daysago , instead Of giving i t to me to - day

“ Because , as I have had the honourto inform your Majesty , in spite Of al lmy diligence , I was unable to arri veun til yesterday .

“ I t is most annoying , muttered theKing , “ for we might by now have been insafety , ei ther at La Rochel le , or on somegood plain - with two or three thousandhorse round us .Sire ,

” said Marguerite sot to voce,“ what is done is done , and instead of.

wasting time in recriminations as regardst he past, the question is how to derive thegreatest advantage for the future .”

Were you in my place ,” said Hen ri

,

with his questioning glance,should you

still entertain hope,Madame

Yes , certainly , I should regard thegame as consisting of three poin ts

,of

which I had lost but the fi rst deal .”

Ah Madame ,” said Henri

,in a low

tone , “ i f I could feel sure that you weremy partner in the gameHad I wanted to go over to your

opponents , answered Margueri te , Ithink I should no t have waited so long.

True ,” said Henri ; I am ungrateful ,

and , as you say, all may yet be repairedeven to - day.

”

“ Alas ! sire, replied La Mole, Iwish your Majesty all success

,but today

we have the Admiral no longer wi th us .Henri smiled that cunning smile of

which the meaning was not understoodat the Court until the day that he becameKing of France .But , Madame, he replied , wi th a

significant glance at La Mole,

“ thisgentleman cannot remain here withoutputting you to great inconvenience

,and

being exposed to annoying surprises.

What shal l you do with himWhy , sire ,

” said Marguerite,cannot

we get him out of the Louvre,for I agree

,

entirely with what you say.”

I t would be diffi cul t.”“ Cannot M . de La Mole find a placein your Majesty ’s household ?

78 QUEEN MARGOT

3 “ Alas ! Madame,'

yOu treat .me asthough I were sti ll King of the H uguenots

'

and rulei' of a people. You knowq uite well that I am hal f a Catholic, andhave now no following at al l .”

Any other but Marguerite would havehastened to reply “ La Mole is aCatholic l ikewise ! But Margueritewished that Henri should ask her forwhat she desired to obtain . As for LaMole, seeing the caution observed by hisprotectress , and not knowing yet whereto plant his foot on the slippery groundofa Court so dangerous as that of France ,he remained silent likewise.But ,

” resumed Henri , reading thelet ter once more , why does theGovernorof Provence tel l me that your mother wasa Catholic , and that this accounts for hisfriendship towards you ?And what was i t you were saying to

me, Monsieur le Comte,” said Marguerite ,

“ about - a vow which you had made inregard to a change of rel igion Myideas are confused on that point ; so helpme , Monsieur de La Mole . Wasn

’ t therea question

'

Of your taking some suchst ep as the King appears to desireAlas yes, but your Majesty received

my explanations on this point so coldlythat I did not venture .

B ecause , sir , the matter did not affectme . ‘Make your explanations to ‘ theKing.

Well what was this vow“ Sire

,said La Mole , “ when I was

"c ing pursued by the assassins , weaponapss, almost dying from my two wounds ,I. seemed to see my mother with a crosstn her hand guiding me towards theLouvre . Then I vowed , were my lifespared

,to adopt the creed of my mother ,

who had been allowed by God to leaveher grave to act as my guide during thatterrible night. God led me hither , sire.I see myself here beneath the doubleprotection of a Daughter of France andof the oKing of Navarre . My life hasbeen miraculously preserved it onlyremains for me to fulfi l my vow. I amready to become a Cathol ic .”

Henri frowned : sceptical as he was ,he understood an abjuration from motivesof self - interest , but was l i ttle incl ined tobelieve in abj uration on religious grounds .The King is not willing to undertake

my prot égé,” thought Marguerite .

In presence of these two opposingwil ls, La Mole

’s a t t i tude was one of

constraint and timidity. He felt,without

explaining it to himself, the absurdity ofhis position . I t was Marguerite who

,

with feminine delicacy,extricated him

from his unpleasant situation.

“ Sire,”

she said , “ we are forgettingthat the poor wounded man needs rest

. .

I am tumbling Off to sleep mysel f. Why,

lookLa Mole was indeed turning pale , buthis paleness was caused by Marguerite ’slast words , which he had heard andunderstood .

Well ,Madame , said Henri , “ nothingmore easy ; cannot we leave M . de LaMole to take his restThe young man directed a supplicatingglance towards Marguerite , and , spite of

their Majesties’ presence , fell back into achair , overcome by pain and fatigue.Marguerite understood both the love

conveyed in . the look and the despairdenoted by the weakness .

“ Sire , said she,“ this young gentle

man has risked his li fe for his King,

since he ran here , after he had beenwounded , to announce to you the deathsof “ the Admiral and Té ligny, and i tbehoves your Majesty to do him anhonour for which he will be grateful al lhis li fe .What is that , Madame ? said Henricommand me I am ready to obey.

”

M . de La Mole will sleep to - night atthe feet Of your Maj esty , who will lie onthis couch . As for mysel f,

” added Margueri te , with a smile, “ with my augusthusband ’s permission I shall call Gillonneand retire to rest ; for I swear to you,

sire, that I am not the one Of us threewho stands least in need of repose .”

Henri was possessed of plenty of spiri t—perhaps Of even too much Of it—bothfriends and foes reproached him with thislater on. But he realised that she whothus banished him from the conj ugalcouch had acquired the right to do so

,by

the very indifference which he had displayed towards her ; besides , Margueritehad avenged hersel f for this indifferenceby saving his l i fe . His answer , therefore ,conveyed no suggestion of .wounded sel festeem .

Madame,said he, were M . de La

Mole in a condition to reach my apartment, I would offer him my own bed .

"

Yes ,” replied Marguerite ; but your

apartment at the present moment,can

pro tect nei ther of you,‘

and prudence,

QUEEN

requires that your Majesty should remainhere unti l to -morrow.

"

And without waiting for the King ’sreply she summoned Gillonne, placedcushions for the King upon the couch

,

and also at the foot of the couch for LaMole , who seemed so happy and con

tented with this honour that you wouldhave sworn his wounds no longer painedhim.

As for Marguerite,after dropping a

ceremonious curtsey to the King , she

returned to her room,and

,after seeing

that al l the doors were wel l bolted,lay

down on her bed .Now, said Marguerite to herself,M . de La Mole must have a protectorat the Louvre to - morrow

,and he who

turned a deaf ear to - night will to -morrowbe sorry for it .”

Then she signed to Gillonne, who waswaiting to receive her final instructions .

Gil lonne,”she said , in low tones, “ i t

is necessary that, under some pretext orother, my brother, the D ue d

’

A lencon,

should be seized with a wish to come hereto - morrow morning before eight O ’clock .

”

Two O’

clock struck at the Louvre .La Mole talked a few moments

,as

discretion demanded , with the King , whogradually went Off to sleep

,and was

presently snoring loudly , as though hehad been lying on his own rough couchin his native Bearn .

La Mole possibly slept soundly,like

the King ; but there was no sleep forMarguerite, who tossed on her bed fromside to side , disturbing by her restlessnessthe young man ’s thoughts and sleep

.

He is very young,

” murmured Marguerite, as she lay awake ; he is veryshy, and perhaps even a little ridiculous ;but he has nice eyes

,a good figure, and

many attractive points but supposesuppose he should turn out to be a coward

,

after al l ! He was running away whenhe received his wound and now heis abj uring it is annoying

,for the

dream was beginning well comelet me drop this subj ect and turn to

the trip le god of that foolish Henriette.

And towards the early morning Marguerite succeeded at length in fal lingasleep

, murmuring to hersel f, Eros

Cubicle- 1411107 .

MARGOT 79

CH APTER/ XV

WHAT WOMAN WILLS , GOD WILL S

GUERITE was not wrong ;excited in Catherine ’sin which she per

to alter its dénodement , was bound todescend upon somebody. Instead ofreturning to her apartments , the QueenMother went straight up to the room Of

her lady of the bedchamber. 1 1.

Madame de Sauve was expecting twovisi ts ; that of Henri shewas hoping for,that Of

' the Queen Mother she was

dreading . As she lay in bed , hal f - o

dressed , while Dariole kept watch 1n theante - chamber

, she heard a key turn in thelock , and then the approach of slowsteps , which would also have ) been loudand heavy , had they not been deadenedby the thickness of the carpet . Shecould not recognise in these steps the

’

light and eager tread of Henri ; she sus

pected that someone was preventingDariole from coming to warn her, and '

leaning on one elbow, with eyes and earson the alert , shewaited .

The curtain was raised , and with a

shudder the young woman saw Catherinede ’ Medici appear before her.Catherine was outwardly calm ; butMadame de Sauve

,accustomed to study;

her for the last two years , knew how

much stern purpose, and perhaps cruelvengeance , lay concealed beneath that

’

apparent calmness .Madame de Sauve woul d have j umped

out of bed on perceiving Catherine , butthe Queen raised her finger to forbid this

,

and poor Charlotte remained rooted tothe spot , trying

,

to summon up all her'

courage in order to face the storm which'

was si lently brewing.Did you convey the key to the King

of Navarre ? asked Catherine , the toneof her voice indicating no change of

manner ; her lips , however , grew paler asshe spoke the words .

“ Yes , Madame in a tonewhich she vainly tried to make as confident as Catherine’ s .And you saw himS aw whomThe King of NavarreNo, Madame , but I am expect ing

so QUEEN MARGOT

him ; indeed , when I heard the key turnin the door, I thought it was he who wascoming .

”

At this reply, which was either one of

perfect truth , or else the height of dissimulation , Catherine could not restrain aslight shudder. She clenched her plump

,

broad band.

And yet, Carlotta , you knew perfectlywell ,

”she observed , with her evi l

smile , that the King of Navarre wouldnot come to - night."

“ I , Madame , I knew that ! criedCharlotte , with an admirably - feignedaccent of surprise .Yes , you knew it .Not to come means that he must be

dead replied the young woman , shuddering at the me re supposition .

What gave Charlotte the courage tobrazen i t out thus was the certainty sheentertained of a terrible punishment incase her small act of treachery werediscovered .

You didn ’ t write , then , to the King ofNavarre , Carlotta mia asked Cat herine ,with the same silent and cruel laugh .

No , Madame ,” answered Charlotte ,

in a tone of admirable simplicity , yourMajesty didn ’ t tell me to , I believe .A short silence ensued , during which

Catherine gazed at Madame de Sauvemuch as the snake gazes at the birdwhich it wishes to fascinate .

“ You think yourself beautiful andclever , do you not ? Catherine presentlywent on.

NO , Madame , answered Charlotte ;I know only that your Majesty hasbeen exceedingly indulgent to me whenthere was any question of my clevernessand beauty.”

Well , said Catherine , becominganimated , “ you were mistaken if youbelieved that , and I lied if I told you so ;you are only an ugly fool compared withmy daughter Margot .That is quite true , Madame , said

Charlotte , “ and I shal l not attempt todeny it , to you especial ly .

”

Accordin ly,” continued Catherine

,

“ the King ofNavarre much prefers mydaughter to you , and that is not what youwanted, I imagine , nor i s i t what we hadarranged .

”

“ Alas ! Madame, said Charlotte , thistime bursting in to sobs which were not inthe least counterfei ted , “ i f that be so Iam very unhappy.

”

I t is so , said Catherine , transfi xingMadame de Sauve with the glance of hereyes , l ike a double dagger - thrust .But what can make you think so ?

asked Charlotte.Go down to the Queen of Navarre ,

fool ! and you will find your lover there .”

Oh said Madame de Sauve.Catherine shrugged her shoulders.“ Are you j ealous , by any chance ?asked the Queen - Mother.

“ I ? ” said Madame de Sauve , summoningup her strength , which seemed onthe poin t of deserting her.Yes , you ! I am curious to see what

the j ealousy of a Frenchwoman is like .But,

” said Madame de Sauve , howwould you expect me to have any otherfeel ing than that of wounded self - prideI love the King of Navarre only so faras is necessary in order for me to serveyour Majesty.

Catherine looked at her for a momentwith pensive eyes .

“ What you tel l me may possibly , onthe whole

,be true , she murmured .

Your Majesty reads my heart .And that heart is entirely devoted to

meCommand me , Madame , and you

shal l j udge .”

Well,then , Carlotta, since you

sacrifice yourself in my service , you mustcontinue

,stil l in the same interest , to be

very much smitten wt th the King ofNavarre

,and above al l to be very

j ealous - j ealous as an I talian womanwould be.”

But,Madame , asked Catherine ,

how does an I talian show her j ealousyI wil l tel l you , replied Catherine,and

after two or three movements of her headup and down , she went out slowly andsilently , as she had come in .

Charlotte,troubled by the penetrating .

glance of those eyes , dilated like those of .

the cat or the panther—though thisdi lation did not take anything from thedepth of the glance—Charlotte , I say,allowed her to go away without saying aword

,hardly daring to breathe until she

had heard the door close behind theQueen

,and Dariole had come to tel l her

that the dread apparition had reallyvanished .

Dariole, she then remarked , “ bring

a chair close to my bed and sleep thereto - n ight , I beg of you, for I dare no t belef t alone .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

82 QUEEN MARGOT

vexation,

“ I know what you mean ,M adame. I assure you I regret that I amnot more free in the matter . But i f Iam unable to lshow M . de La Mole aho spital ity which could afford him anysecuri ty , I can nevertheless j oin myrecommendation with your own to mybrother of A lengon on behalf of the

$7 501: in whom you are interested.

erhaps, added he—to give even moreemphasis to the words which we havej ust underlined perhaps my brotherwi ll even hit on some idea which willpermit you to keep M . de La Mole .

here close to you whichwould be better stil l , would it not,Madame ?

“ COme, come , said Marguerite tohersel f,

_

between the two 1 of t hem Ishall get that done which neither of thetwo would do by himself.”

And she Opened the door of the closetand made the wounded man come out

,

after saying to her husband .

“ I t is for you,Monsieur , to explain to

my brother the grounds on which we feelan interest in M . de La Mole .Henri , thus driven into a corner, related in two words to M . d ’A leneon,

whowas half a Protestant through the spiritof opposition , j ust as Henri was half aCatholic from motives of. prudence—thearrival of La Mole in Paris

,and how

the young man hadbeen wounded incoming to deliver him a letter from M .

d ’Auriac .When the Duke turned round

,La

Mole was standing before him .

Frangois, on seeing himso handsomeand so pale—doubly attractive

,therefore

,

both by his beauty and his paleness—feltthe birthwith in hisbreast of a new sourceof alarm . Marguerite would work uponhim both through his jealousy and hissel f love.1 My brother, said she,

“ I guaranteethat this young gentleman will be usefulto

,anyone who employs him . Should

you accept his services , he will find inyou a powerful master , and you in him

.

a

devoted servan t. I n these times i t iswell tO be , surrounded with faithful followers , especially ," she added , loweringher voice so that only the D ue d ’Alangoncould hear, “ when one is ambitiousand has the misfortune to be but thethird Son of France .She laid her finger on her mouth to

intimate to Frangois that, in spite of th is

opening , shewas stil l reserving an important part of her thoughts.Then she addedPerhaps you wi l l think qui te differ

ently from Henri , that it i s not seemlythat this young man should reside quiteso close to my apartment.Sister ,

” said Frang01s eagerly , Monsieur de La Mole , i f it is quite convenientto you , sha l l be installed Within half anhour in my apartments , where I believehe will have nothing to fear. Let himlove me , and I will lo

've him .

Francois spoke' falsely

,for at the

bottom of his heart he already detestedLa Mole.

“ Good I was not mistakenthen ,

” murmured Marguerite , as she sawthe King of Navarre frown .

“ Ah ! tolead the two of you , I see that I mustlead one by means of the other.Then , completing her thought“ Come ,

” she continued,well done

,

Marguerite,as Henriette would say.

’

In point of fact , half an hour later, LaMole , after being seriously given his cueby Marguerite, kissed the border of herrobe and ascended , fairly briskly for onewho was wounded , the staircase leadingto the quarters of M . d ’Alencon .

Two or three days elapsed , duringwhich the agreement between Henri andhis wife appeared to become more firmlyestablished . I t had been conceded thatHenri should not make a public abj uration , but he recanted privately to theKing ’s Confessor, and attended Massevery morning at the Louvre . In theevening he went ostensibly to his wife’ sapartment , entered by the principal door,talked with her for a few minutes , thenwent out by the small secret door, andwent up to Madame de Sauve , who hadnot failed to inform him of Catherine ’svisit

,and of the undoubted danger that

threatened him. Henri accordingly , thusin formed on these two points, was moresuspicious than ever of the QueenMother

,and with al l the more reason

since Catherine’ s countenance insensiblybegan to smoothe , unti l one morn ing akind smile even dawned on her pale lips .That day he found the greatest difficultyin deciding to eat anything except theeggs which he had got cooked for himself Or to drink anything but the waterwhich he had seen drawn from the Seineunder his own eyes.The massacres continued , but in

QUEEN

diminishing quanti ty ; there had beensuch a great slaughter of the Huguenotsthat their numbers had been greatlyreduced . The majority were dead ,several had escaped

,some had remained

in hiding .

Occasionally a loud clamour wouldarise in one or other quarter of thecity

,when one of these latter was dis

covered . The execution was then privateor public , according as the unhappyvictim had been driven to bay in a placewhence there was no escape or was ableto flee . In the latter case , i t was anamusement for the whole district wherethe event took place ; for instead of

growing calmer by the extinction of theirenemies, the Cathol ics became increasingly ferocious ; and the fewer of themthere were left , the more outrageous wastheir fury against this unfortunateremnant.Charles IX . had taken great delight inhunting down the Huguenots , and whenhe had been unable to continue the chasehimself, he enj oyed the sound of thepursuit being carried on by others .One day , on returning from a game of

mall,which , with hunting and tennis , was

his favourite amusement , he came in tohis mother with beamlng face , followedby his usual company of courtiers .

“ Mother,” said he, embracing the

Florentine , who , remarking his delight ,had already tried to conjecture its cause ,Good news ! What do you think ?The illustrous carcase of the Admiral

,

which we thought lost, has been discovered

“ Indeed , said Catherine.“ By the Lord ! yes . You thought asI did, mother , d1dyou not,that the dogshad made their wedding breakfast of it

,

but nothing of the sort. My people,my

good , kind peop le , had an idea ; theyhave strung up the Admiral on the greatgibbet at Montfaucon .

”

Upon theground they threw h im dowmAndnow they

've strungh1m up !

Well ? said Catherine.Well , my good mother, replied

Char les , “ I have always wished to seethe dear man again since I learnt that hewas dead . I t is a fine day ; the air isrefreshing and the scent of flowers seemseverywhere ; I feel in the very best of

MARGOT

heal th ; i f you will , mother , we wi ll go onhorseback to Montfaucon .

"

I would gladly go , my son , . saidCatherine , “ had I not an appointmentwhich I cannot miss ; besides , she added .

“ we ought to invite the whole Court for a.visit paid to a man of such importance asthe Admiral : i t wil l be an opportunityfor those who watch to make someinteresting observations . We shall seewho come and who stop away.Upon my soul , mother , you are right

i t will be much better to have the affairto -morrow, so issue your invitations andI will issue mine , or rather, we wi l l invitenobody ; we wil l merely saywe are going ,and then people wi ll be free togo or not ,as they please . Adieu , mother, I amgoing to blow the horn .

”

You will tire yourself,Charles !

Ambroise Paré is always warning you,

and quite rightly , that i t i s too violent anexercise for you .

’

“ Bah . said Charles , “ I should liketo be certain of dying from no othercause but that , in which case I shouldbury everybody here , even includingHenriot , who is destined one day to succeed al l of us , according to whatNostradamus declares .Catherine frowned .

“ Son , son ,” said she,

“ mistrust . es

pecial ly such things as seem impossible,and , meanwhile , take care of yourself.

“ Just a flourish or two to amuse myhounds , who are weary to death , poorbeasts ! I ought to have let them looseon the Huguenots ; that would havepleased them .

”

And Charles left his mother ’s room,

entered his Armoury , took down a hornand blew it with a vigour that would havedone credi t to Roland himself . Thewonder was that such a blast could beproduced by that weak and sickly bodyand those pallid lips .Catherine was really wa1t1ngfor someone , as she’ had told her son. As soon ashe had gone out , one of her women cameand spoke to her m a low tone . Catherinesmiled and rose , bowed to the assembledcourtiers , and fol lowed the messenger.The Florentine R éné , theman to whomthe King of Navarre had given so diplomatic a reception on the vigil of St.Bartholomew, had j ust entered her

oratory.“ Ah ! R éne, 1t is you, said Catherine,I waswaiting for youwith impat ience."

84QUEEN MARGOT

R éné bowed.

“ You received the l ine I wrote to you

yesterday ?I had that honour .Have you made a fresh trial , as I

told you to do , of the horoscope drawnby Ruggieri

,and which accords so well

with that prophecy of Nostradamus , tothe effect that my three sons shal l allcome to the throne ? For somedays past

, R éné , events have been muchmodified , and I have thought it poss1blethat destiny might have become lessthreatening .

Madame,repl ied R éné , shaking his

head,your Majesty is well aware that

events cannot alter destiny ; i t is destiny ,on the contrary , that rules events .

”

“ You have,however , repeated the

sacrifice , have you not ?“Yes

,Madame

,

” answered R éné , smeeto obey you is my first duty .

Well,what is the resul t ?

The same as before , Madame ?What the black lamb still uttered

its th ree cries ?I t did , Madame .Foreshadowing three cruel deaths in

my family ! ” faltered Catherine .Alas

,yes ! said R éné .

And afterwardsAfterwards

,Madame

,I found in i ts

entrails that strange displacement of thel iver which we had already noticed in thefirst two victims—that it pointed in theopposite direction , I mean .

A change of dynasty . Stil l , still ?muttered Catherine . We must fightagainst i t however , Rene,

” continued she .R éné shook his head .

I have told your Maj esty , he replied ,“ that Fate rules all things .That is your Opinion ? said Catherine .Yes

,Madame.”

“ Do you remember the horoscope of

j eanne d’

A lbret

Yes , Madame .

j ust repeat i t , for I have forgotten it .”

Vives honorata, morieris reformidata,regina ampl ificabere.

"

Which means,I believe : You w il l

l ive honoured,’ and she lacked the

necessaries of li fe,poor woman l You

w il l diefeared,’ and we made a laughing

stock of her ! You w i l l begreater even

than on were as Queen,’ and she is dead,

and er grandeur rests m a grave towhich we have forgotten so much as toput her name !

Madame , you are wrong in yourinterpretation of vives honorata. TheQueen of Navarre did

,in point of fact

,

l ive honoured,for she enj oyed

,during

l ife,the love of her chi ldren and the

respect of her adherents,a love and

respect all the more sincere,inasmuch as

she was poor.Yes

,said Catherine

,

“ I wil l allowyou the vines honorata, but the morieris

rejormidata, come, how wil l you explainthat ? ”

Explain it ! nothing easier : You willdie feared .

’

W el l,did she die feared ?

So much so,Madame

,that she would

not now be dead,had not your Maj es ty

feared her. Lastly,the final part

,

“As

Queenyou w il l grow great , or begreaterthan you were as Queen ; that again istrue , Madame, for, in exchange for thecorruptible crown , she now enjoys

,i t

may well be , as queen and martyr , theheavenly crown , and in addition to that ,who yet knows the earthly future thatmay be in store forher posterity ? ”

Catherine was superstitious to excess.She was alarmed even more perhaps atR éné

’

s coolness than at the persistence ofthe omens ; and , as in her case , a falsestep was always an opportunity for surmounting the si tuation boldly , she t e

marked abruptly to R éné , with notransition except the si lent working of

her thoughtsHave the perfumes from I taly

arrivedYes

,Madame.

“ You wi l l send me a box of them ?O f whichThe last

,those

Catherine paused ..

Those which the Queen of Navarrewas so pleased wi th

Exactly.

”

There is no need to prepare them,is

there,Madame for your Majesty is now

as skil ful as I am .

You think so said Catherine ; “ atany rate they are successful .”

“ Your Majesty has nothing more tosay to me asked the perfumer .No , no , replied Catherine , thought

fully ; I think not , at least . Shouldanything fresh occur in the sacrifices ,let me know. By the bye , let us give uplambs , and let us try hens .

”

“ Alas ! Madame , I fear that changingthe victims will no t al ter the omens."

QUEEN MARGOT

Do as I bid you .

”

R éné bowed , and wen t out .Catherine sat for a moment buried inthought

,then rose and entered her bed

room,where her ladies were waiting for

her, and where she announced the expodition on the morrow to Montfaucon .

The news of this pleasure party wasthe talk of the Palace and the whole ci tythat evening . The ladies had their mostelegant costumes prepared , the gentlementheir weapons and horses of state . Themerchan ts closed their shops and warehouses

,and the loungers of the streets

killed a few Huguenots here and there inhonour of the occasion , in order to beable to give a fi tting accompaniment tothe corpse of the Admiral .There was a great hubbub throughoutthe evening and a great part of thenight .La Mole had spent a most miserableday in succession to three or four othersno less wretched .

M . d’

A lencon , in order to comply withMarguerite ’s wishes

,had installed him in

his apartments,but had not seen him

since . He felt himself, l ike some poorforsaken child

,suddenly deprived of the

tender,delicate , and charming attentions

of two women , of one of whom themere remembrance incessantly devouredhis thoughts. True , he had bad news ofher through Ambroise Paré , the surgeon , whom she had sent to visit him ;but this news , transmitted through a manof fi fty , who ignored or affected to ignorethe interest taken by La Mole in theslightest detail that concerned Marguerite

,

was very incomplete and unsatisfying .

I t is true that Gillonne had come onceon her own account , of course—to learnhow the patient was going on. Thisvisit had produced the effect of a ray oflight in a dungeon , and La Mole hadremained dazzled by i t, in constan texpectation

'

oi a second appearance ,which , however , though two days hadelapsed since the fi rst

,failed to come .

Accordingly, when the news of thissplendid gathering of the whole Courtthe morrow reached the convalescent

,he

sent a request to M . d’

Alencon,that he

might be al lowed to attend him .

'

The Duke did not even ask i f LaMole was in a condition to bear thefatigue , but merely rep l ied :

“ By al l means ; let him have one ofmy horses.

”

85

That was al l La Mole wantedAmbroise Paré came , as usual , to dresshis wounds . La Mole explained to himthe necessity for his mounting on horseback , and asked him to take extra care inputting on the bandages . The twowounds had now closed, and that in theshou lder alone gave him pain . B othwere red , as wounds in process of healingshould be . Master Ambroise Pare

covered them with a gummed courtp laster, much in vogue at that period forsuch cases , and promised La Mole thatall would go well , provided he did notexert himselfundulyduring the expedition .

La Mole was fi l led with j oy . Apartfrom a certain weakness owing to loss o fblood , and a slight giddiness due to thesame cause , he felt as well as possible.Marguerite , besides , would doubtless formone of the cavalcade , and he would seeher once more , and when he reflected howmuch good the sight of Gillonne haddone him , he did no t doubt that to seeher mistress would prove more effi caciousstill .He therefore employed part of themoney which he had received on leavinghis family in buying the most handsometunic of white satin and the mostrichly - embroidered cloak which a fashionable tai lor could procure for him . Thesame man also supplied him with bootsof scented leather, such as were worn atthis date . These were al l brought to himin the morning , only half an hour afterthe time at which La Mole had orderedthem to be sent, so that he had no causefor complaint . H e dressed quickly

,

looked at himsel f in the glass , and waswell satisfied with his dress and generalappearance , and fi nally assuredh imsel fby taking several turns quickly round hisroom that , although he sti l l fel t Considerable pain , his mental happiness wouldsilence his bodily indisposition .

A cherry - coloured cloak , of his own

suggestion , cut somewhat longer’

thanthey were then worn , suited him

“particularlywell .While this scene was passing at theLouvre, another of the same kind wastaking place at the Hotel de Guise.~ - A

tal l , red - haired gentleman was examiningin the glass a reddish line which crossedhis face in an unpleasant manner, wascombing and perfuming his moustaches ,and spreading a triple layer of white andred powder on that unfortunat e line

86 QUEEN MARGOT

which , spite of all the cosmetics in use

at that period , persisted in reappearing.

When all these applications proved 1n

suffi cient , an idea occurred to him ; ablazing August sun was pouring its rayson the courtyard ; he therefore wentdown and walked up and down in i t forten minutes

,his hat in his hand , his nose

in the ai r, and his eyes closed , exposinghimself voluntarily to the

,sun ’s fierce

beams .This exposure soon produced a complexion so bri l l iant that the red l ine wasnow too pale to be in harmony with therest of his face , and appeared yellow bycontrast Our gentleman appeared nonethe less satisfied with this rainbow effect ,and , thanks to a layer of vermilionspreadover the scar, he made i t match its surroundings very fairly well . After this hedonned a magnificent coat , which a tailorhad placed in his room before he had somuch as asked for a tailor .Thus adorned , scented , and armedfrom head to foot , he went down for thesecond time into the courtyard and beganto caress a large black horse , whosebeauty would have been peerless but fora. smal l scar, resembling that of his rider,which he had received from a cavalryman ’s sabre in one of the battles of the

. late Civil WarEqually delighted , however , with his CHAPTER XV Ihorse as he was with himself, this gentleman

,whom our readers have doubtless A DEAD EN EMY HAS AYE A PLEASANT

recognised without difficulty , was in the SAV O U Rsaddl e a quarter of an hour before anyoneelse

,and made the courtyard of the Hote l

de Guise resound with his courser ’sneighs

,responded to , in proportion as

he gained control over it, .by exclamat ions of S death ! uttered in varioustones.

After a few moments the horse,rcompletely subdued , recognised by readyobedience the lawful authority of its,rider ; but this victory had not beenachieved without noise , and this noiseas ourgentleman hadprobably calculatedupon—had attracted to the window alady whom our' tamer of steeds salutedwith a deep reverence , and who smiledupon him in most gracious fashion .

.( F ive minutes laterMadame de Neversisummoned her steward .

Monsieur, she asked , has theComte H annibal de Coconnas breaklfaS tedwell 2 '

p

Yes,Madame, answered the steward ;

“ he has even eaten this'

morning . withbetter appeti te than usual .1 3 Good , sir, said the Duchess .Then , turning to her chief gentlemanMonsieur d’

Arguz on,

”she said , “ let

us start for the Louvre , and keep an eye ,I beg you , on the Comte Hannibal deCoconnas, as he is wounded , and consequently weak , and I would not for al l theworld have him take any harm

,since

that would excite the ridicule of theHuguenots , who hear him ill - will sincethat fortunate Eve of St . Bartholomew.

"

And Madame de Nevers,in her turn

,

mounting her horse , started with . rad iantface for the Louvre , which was fixed asthe general place of meeting .

I t was two o ’clock in the afternoonwhen a long cavalcade on horseback ,glittering with gold , j ewels, and splendidrobes , appeared in the Rue Saint - Denis ,debouching at the turning to the Cemeteryofthe Innocents, and windingbeneaththe sun ’s rays between the rows of gloomyhouses on either side like some enormousreptile with gleaming coils

O procession of modern times , however splendid , can convey any ideamagnificence of this spectacle .

The rich and gorgeous robes o f silk , theuse of which on State ' occasions washanded d own . by Francois I : to his successors, had not yet been superseded bythe scanty and sombre garments in voguein the reign of i H enri I l I . ; consequentlythe costume of Charles IX. ,

i less sumptuons

,but perhaps ' more elegant than

those of the periods preceding , glittered inall i ts perfect harmony. No comparisonwith such ’a cavalcade i s possible in '

our

own day , since we have to fall back uponsymmetry and uniformity when we wishto make any

'

magnifi cent display.Pages , esquires , gentlemen of in feriorrank

,dogs . and horses , .walking' at the

sides and in the rear of this royal procession , rswelle

'

d i t .into a veritable ' army.B ehind this army came the people or

QUEEN ' MARGOT

rather, to be more accurate , the people

were everywhere .They followed, theywalked by the ads

and in the front ; they shou ted simultaneously Noel and H aro

,for in this

cort égewere to be seen several Huguenots ,who were j eered ,

at by the mal1c1ousmob .

In the mornmg,111 the presence of

Catherine and theDuc de Guise, Charleshad spoken before Henri de Navarre , asthough i t were quite a natural thing. to

do,of going to inspect the gibbet of

Montfaucon , or rather , the mutilatedbody of the Admiral which was suspendedthere . Henri ’s first impulse had been toexcuse

'

himself from taking part in theexpedition . That was what Catherinewas waiting for. At the first words inwhich he expressed his repugnance tothe proposal

, she exchanged a g lance anda smile with the Duc de Guise . Henriintercepted both the glance and the smile ,and understood their meaning , whereupon

,suddenly correcting himsel f, he

exclaimed :Why .should I not go, after al l ? I

am a Catholic , and I owe it to mynewreligion to do so .

”

Then , addressing Charles IXYour Majesty may reckon upon

said he ; “ I shall be always.glad to

accompany you wherever you go .

And he glanced rapidly round him to.see how many frowned ,

Accordingly , among this whole cavalcade

,the person who was perhaps the

obj ect of the greatest curiosi ty was thismotherless son , this King without

“

ak ingdom , this Huguenot who had turnedCatholic . His long , characteristic face ,his rather common figure, his familiaritytowards his inferiors—a familiarity bredof themountaineering habits of his youth ,and which he preserved to the end of hisl i fe—all these things marked him out tothe spectators , some ofwhom shouted

“.To Mass, Henriot , to Mass .To which Henri repliedI was there yesterday

, I -was thereto - day , and I , shal l , be there to - morrow.

Egod i t seems to me that’s

As for- Marguerite, she was on horseback , looking so beautiful , so fresh andelegantnthat round her rose a

’chorus ofadmirat iony some notes ofwhich , i t ; mustbe admitted , were addressed ,

to her compan1on,

.

the Duchesse de Nevers , who hadl ust jowed her, and,

whose white steed

shook his head violently, as though proudof the burden which he bore.Well

,Duchess, what

the Queen ofNavarre .“ None that I know of, Madame,said the Duchess , aloud .Then

,in a lower tone

W hat has become ofyourH uguenot ?she asked .

“ I have found him a place of safety ,answered Marguerite . “ And what haveyou done with your friend who killed so

many people ?He

. .insisted on taking part in thisperformance he 1s riding my husband ’

5

charger,a horse as big as an elephant .

He is an astounding horseman . I allowedhim to come because I thought yourHuguenot would be prudent enough tokeep his room

,and so there would be no

fear of his meeting him .

“ Oh ! as to that ,” said Margueri te ,

with a smile,

“ even if he were herewhich ‘

hé is not—I don’

t . think theywould fight . My Huguenot is ' '

a hand .some lad , but .nothing.1more—a pigeon ,not a kite—he coos

,he does not bite .

After al l ,” said she in an indescribable

tone,and with a . sl ight shrug of her

shoulders,

“ after all , perhaps we thoughthim a «H uguenot whi le all the time he ISa B rahmin , and his religion forbids himto shed blood .

”

“ But where is the Duc d’

Alencon ?asked Henriette , “ I don’ t see him .

He will j oin us ; he had a pain 1n hiseyes this morning

,and wanted not to

come ; but as i t is known that , in orderto take a '

different line from his brothersCharles and Henri , he leans .towards theHugueno ts. i t was represented : to himthat the King would take. his absence lnbad part , and so bedetermined to come.

“

Why,see

,they are shouting down there;

i t must be he just coming through thePo1 te Montmartre ."

“ Yes , i t is , I recognisehim ,

" saidMarguerite . “ H ow smart he looks today : he has been taking great painswithhis appearance for some time ; h e mustbe 1n love . S ee how nice it i s to be aPrince of the blood ; he gallops intoeverybody , and they all clear - out . of hiswayLook out ! he is going to ride us down

as well , said Marguerite , laughing.Make your ' gentleman move aside,Duchess , for there is one of them whowil l get 'killed if he doesn ’ t move ’

1

88 QUEEN MARGOT

Why! i t is my intrepid hero criedthe Duchess , “ j ust look .

Coconnas had , in point of fact , left hisrank in order to get close to Madame deevers ; but at the very moment whenhis horse was crossing the kind of outerboulevard separating the

'

Rue SaintDenis from the Faubourg of the samename, ahorseman in the train of the Ducd

’

A lencon, vain ly endeavouring to checkhis horse , charged full against Coconnas.

Theshock caused Coconnas to totter onhis colossal steed , his hat nearly cameoff, but hemanaged to save it , and turnedround with fury .

“ Why , Lord ! i t is M . de la Mole !said Marguerite , stooping to her friend

’sear.

“ That pale, handsome young fellowcried the Duchess , unable to overcomeher fi rst impress1on.

Yes , yes ! the very man who nearlyupset your Piedmontese .”

Oh ! but something terrible willhappen , said the Duchess ; “ they areglaring at one another ; they recogniseeach otherCoconnas, on turning round , hadindeed recognised the features of : LaMole , and in his surprise had let go of hisbridle , for he thought that he had certainly kil led his former companion , or at.least completely disabled him . La Mole ,on

'

his side, recognised Coconnas, andfelt his face begin tc

'

) burn . During afew seconds , which sufficed to express al lthe emotions fel t by the two men

,they

exchanged glances which .made the twowomen shudder. After which

,La Mole

,

looking all round him and realising,no

doubt , that the opportunity was not

favourable for an explanation , set spursto his horse and rejoined the Ducd

’

A lencon. Coconnas remained for amoment furiously twisting hismoustachesto a poin t, after which , seeing that LaMole had gone offwithout saying aword,he , too , continued his march .

“ Ah l said Marguerite , with contemptuous regret,

“ I was not mistaken ,then this time i t was quite evidentthat he lacks courage .”

And she bit her lips unti l the blood came .He is very good - looking

,answered

the Duchess , pityingly.The Duc d’

A lencon bad .by now j ustreached his place behind the King andthe Queen - Mother, and his gen t lemen , inorder to keep with him , were obliged to

pass in front of Marguerite and theDuchesse de Nevers . When it came toLa Mole ’s turn to pass the two princesses ,he raised his hat , saluted the Queen ‘ bybowing to his horse ’s neck , remainingbare - headed until her Maj esty shou ldhonour him by a look .

Marguerite , however, proudly turnedher head away .

La Mole doubtless read the expressionof disdain upon the Queen ’s face

,for,

from being pale , he became livid , andwas even obliged to grasp his horse’smane to save himself from falling .

“ See what you have done , you cruelwoman said Henriette to the Queenwhy, he is going to be il lThat is al l that was required to com

plete the exhibition ,” said the Queen ,

with a crushing smile Have youany smelling - salts ? ”

But Madame de Nevers was wrong .

La M ole,who had staggered , recoveredh is strength

,and , once more reseating

himself firmly in the saddle , resumed hisplace behind the Duc d’

Alencon.

The procession continued to advanceuntil the gloomy outline of the greatgallows erected by Enguerrand deMarigny came in sight. Never had itbeen so well furn ished as at the presentmoment .The ushers and guards marched infront

,and formed a large circle round

the enclosure . At their approach the

ravens perched upon the gibbet flew off

with croaks of disappointment.On ordinary occasions the gibbet ofMontfaucon furnished a shelter behindits columns to the dogs attracted by afrequent prey

,and to philosophic thieves

who came to meditate upon the sad

vicissitudes of fortune.But to day there were at Montfaucon ,apparently at ' least , neither dogs

' northieves . ‘ The ushers and the guards haddriven away the former at the same timeas the ravens

,while the latter

'

hadmingled with the crowd in order to carryout some of those good strokes of businesswhich form the pleasant vicissitudes oftheir profession .

The procession advanced ; the Kingand Catherine were the first to arrive ,followed in succession by the Duc d’

A ti

j ou,the Duc d’

Alencon, the King ofNavarre

,M . de Guise , and their gentle

men ; next came M argueritefl' the

Duchesse do Nevers , and all the ladies

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

g'

o'

QUEEN

M . de Coconnas, as we have said , wasat that moment standing in ecstasy beforethe masterpiece of Enguerrand deMarigny .

But this woman was not the only person who was looking for M . de Coconnas.

Another gentleman , conspicuous in hiswhite satin doublet and sp lendid plumes ,after looking 1n front and at the sides ofthe procession , bethought himself to lookbehind

,and saw the tall ' stature of

Coconnas and his giant steed sharplyoutlined against the sky, reddened by thelast reflections of the setting sun.

Hereupon the gentleman in the whitesatin doublet left the road taken bytherest of the cavalcade , struck

'

off down asmal l path s and reached the gibbet by acircuitous course .Almost ; immediately, the lady whomwe have recognised for the Duchesse deNevers , as we recognised the tall gentleman -

xwith ithe'

black horse for Coconnas,approached -Marguerite and said to her :We were both mistaken , Marguerite,

for the P iedmontese has stayed behind ,andM . de La xM ole has gone after him.

”

-Od’

s li fe ! something will happenthen ,

”said'M arguerite laughing . Up‘on

my word , I confess that I‘

,shall not besorry to have. to go back on hisaccount ’

Marguerite turned round j ust in timeto see La Mole turn back along the path .

I t was now the turn of the two princesses to desert the cavalcade : the opportunity for doingsowas most favourable ,as they were j ust winding round at 'a

place where the road was j oined by apath . This path , which .was bordered byhigh hedges , was an ascending one, andpassed within thirty yards of the gibbet .Madame de Nevers whispered a word toher captain , M arguerite signed to Gillonne , and al l four turned up this pathand concealed themselves beh ind thethicket nearest to the spot where thescene of which they wished to be spectators w uld takep lace . Here

,as we have

said , t eywere about thirty yards fromwhere Coconnas was gesticulating inecstasy in front of the Admiral ’s deadbodyAll dismounted , theCaptain holding

the bridles of the four horses . The thickturf afforded the three ladies a seat suchas princesses often demand in vain .

An Open space al lowed them not tolose a single’ detail of the scene .

MARGOT

l

La Mole had made his détour. H e

Wa lked his horse up to Coconnas'

from

behind and tapped him on ‘ the shoulder.The Piedmontese turned round .

1

Oh .l said he , “ i t was not a dream

then , and you are stil l alive .”

1

Yes , sir, I am stil l al ive, thoughthrough no fault of yours . '

1

’Sdeath . replied Coconnas, I t ecognise you, very well , in spite ofyour palelooks . You . were redder than that . the

last time we met .”

“ And I ,” said .La recognise

you , too , in spi te , of that yellow lineacross your face ; you were paler than

you are now when I made it .Coconnas bit his l ips , but determiningapparently to maintain the conversationin ironical style , he continued 1

“ I t is strange, 1M onsieur lde La1.M ole,is it h ot , especially for a Huguenot , to beable to look at the Admiral suspendedfrom that iron hook , and yet ? that j thereshould . be . found people who exaggerateso much as to accuse us of having kil ledthem 1

,all down ' to the l ittle children rat

the breastComte

,

’ lgsaid La Mole, bowing, ff

am no longer a Huguenot,I have the

good fortune to be a Cathol icBah ! cried Coconnas, with a burst

of,laughter,

“ you have become converted ,sir ; that is very - clever -o i you !

continued La Mole as

seriously and politely as before , “I ,hadvowed to abj ure i f I escapedq beingmassacred . 1 . 1 1 1 1

Comte , replied the P iedmontese, “ i twas a very prudent vow, and I

'

congratu

late you upon i t ; have you made anyother vows ? ”

1 1“ 1

vi : 1

Yes, sir , I have made a second vciw ,

”

replied La Mole , caressing the hilt of hissword with perfect calmness .What Is i t ? asked Coconnas.To hang you up there , look you , on

that small hook beneath M onsieuru de

Coligny, whichwseems to be waiting foryou .

"

What ! said Coconnas, al l alive, asI am now ? 1

No,sir.. after I have run my sword

through your body“

Coconnas grew purple and his eyesdarted flames. 1 . lTo that nail said he , m a bantering

tone .“ Yes , replied La Mole, “to that

0

QUEEN MARGOT

You are not tal l enough for that, mylittle fellow I” said CoconnasThen I wil l mount upon your horse ,

my big kil ler of men ! ” answered LaMole . “ Ah ! you fancy , my dear Monsieur Hannibal de Coconnas, that youcan assassinate people with impunity onthe loyal and honourable pretext that youare a hundred to one. Not so ;

‘

therecomes a daywhen man meets man , andthat day, I believe , has arrived . I shouldmuch have liked to crack your ugly skul lwith a pistol shot , but I should aimbadly

, for my hand stil l tremb les fromthe wounds you dealt me in such a dastardly fashion .

My ugly skull roared Coconnas,l eaping from his horse . “ Down withyou

,Monsieur le Comte , and let us draw.

And he grasped his sword .

“ I believe your Huguenot said ‘ uglyskull

,whispered the Duchesse de Nevers

to Marguerite do you think him ugly ? ”

He is delightful ! ” said Marguerite ,l aughing , “ and I am obliged to admitthat M . de La Mole ’s anger makes himunj ust ; but , hush ! let us look !La Mole had , in point of fact , dismounted as rapidly as Coconnas haddone ; 1 he had unfastened his cherrycoloured cloak and laid it on the ground

,

and,drawing his sword , was standing on

guard .

Oh dear ! he cried , as he extendedhis arm.

Oh ! growled Coconnas, as hestretched out his . Both of them , be itremembered , were wounded in theshoulder , and any sudden movementcaused them pain .

A burst of il l - checked laughter camefrom the thicket . The Princesses hadnot been able entirely to restrain themselves on seeing the two championsrubbing their shoulder blades with painedgrimaces . This laughter reached theears of the two gentlemen , who wereignorant that there were any witnessesof the scene , and who , .on turning round

,

recognised their ladies .La Mole resumed his guard , firm as anautomaton , and Coconnas crossed theo ther ’s sword with a most emphaticallypronounced ’

S death !“Why ! but they are going at 1t 1n goodearnest , and there will be murder doneunless we put a stop to it we have hadenough of joking . H o ! there, gentlemen cried Marguerite.

“ Let them alone ! said Henriette,

who , having seen Coconnas at work,

hoped at the bottom of her heart that hewou ld make as short work of La Moleas he had done of M ercandon

’

s son andnephews .

Oh ! the really look splendid likethat , said arguerite ;

“ j ust look ; ' youwou ld say they were breathing fi re .”

I n point of fact , the combat , begunwith j eers of provocation

,had become a

silent one the moment that the championshad crossed swords . Each man 'mistrusted his strength , and each wasobliged , after every quick movemen

’t,to

repress a shudder of pain aroused by hiso ld wounds.

" La Mole,however

,.with

eyes fixed and blazing , with lips partedand teeth clenched

,was advancing

‘

withfi rm , quick steps upon his opponent, who ,recognisingin him a master in the use ofweapons , gave way, step by step , but stillgave way. The two

’

combatants arrivedin this way at the edge of the ditch , onthe other side of Which were the' ‘ spectators. There, j ust as though his retreathad been purposely arranged so as tobring him close to his lady

, Coconnasstopped , and La Mole, disengaging hi sweapon at somewhat too wide a distance

,

delivered a direct thrust with the rapidityof lightning , and at the same -momentLa Mole ’s white satin tunic was S oakedwith a red stain , which continued to growlarger and larger.

“ Courage ! ” cried the Duchesse deNevers .

“ Ah ! poor La Mole l ” . exclaimedMarguerite , with a cry of grief. 1

La Mole heard this cry,threw at the

Queen one of those glances which penetrate the heart more deeply than thepoint of the sword , and

'

lunged‘ to his ful l

extent.This time both women, uttereda simul

taneous cry. The bleeding -point of LaMole ’s rapier had appeared at Coconnas ’s back .

Neither of them, however,’

had fallen ;both remained on their ’ feet, looking at

one another open -mouthed,'

each feelingthat the slightest movement

'

on his partwould make him lose his balance . Atlast the P iedmontese, more dangerouslywounded than his opponent , and fee lingthat his strength was escap ing with hisb lood , let himse l f

'

fall" upon La Mole,c lasping him withb ne arm ,

whi le withthe other he tried to draw his dagger.

92 QUEEN

La Mole , on his side , summoned all hisstrength , raised his hand , and broughtdown the hilt of his sword full in theface of Coconnas, who fell , stunned bythe blow ; in fal l ing , however, he draggedhis opponent down with him , and both ofthem rolled into the ditch .

Marguerite and the Duchesse deNevers

,seeing that even in their dying

state they were sti l l endeavouring to killeach other, rushed towards them , aidedby the Captain of the Guard . But beforethey had reached them , their handsrelaxed their grasp , their eyes closed , andeach of the combatants, , let ting fal l hisweapon , stiffened in a supreme convul

sion . A large pool of blood surroundedeach .

Oh ! brave , brave La Mole !” cried

Marguerite, incapable of restraining heradmiration any longer. “ Ah ! forgiveme

,I beg your pardon a thousand times

for having suspected you . And her eyesfi l led with tears .Alas ! alas ! valorous Hannibal

murmured the Duchess . Tell me ,Madame , did you ever see two moreintrepid lions And she burst into sobs .Zounds ! shrewd strokes these said

the Captain , trying to stanch the blood ,which flowed in torrents . Ho ! there ,you who are coming yonder, be quick, bequick !As he spoke , a man , seated in the forepart of a kind of tumbri l painted red ,appeared through the evening mist ,chanting this old ballad , which themiraculous occurrence at the Cemeteryof the Innocents had doubtless recalled tohis memory

Bel aubespin fieurissant ,Verdissan t,

Le longde cc beau rivage,Tu es vetu, jusq u

’

au bas,Des longbras

D'

une lambrusche sauvage.

Le chantre rossignolet ,Nouvelet ,

Courtisant sa bien - aimée,

Pour ses amours al léger,V ient loger

Tous les ans sous ta ramée.

Or, vis, gentil aubespin,V is sans fin

V is, sans q ue jamais tonnerre,Ou la cognée, ou les vents,

Ou le tempsTepuissent ruerpar terre.

MARGOT

Thou wh ite hawthorn , in mantlegreen,S hadingthis bank w ith leafy screen,

The wi ldvine clo thes thee to thy roo tsWi th tender, twining, trailingshoo ts.

The night ingale that woos hismate,Makinghis orisons so late,To easewith songhis love- sick breast,Yearlybeneath thyboughs doth rest.

CHAPTER XVI I

A R IVAL TO MA S TER AMB RO I SE PAm’:

tumbril in which Coconnas andMole had been placed

, now

turned back again on the road to Paris,

following in the darkness the group ofcourtiers which led the way. On reaching the Louvre, the driver was given a.

lavish reward . The two wounded menwere carried to the quarters of the Ducd

'

Alengon, and a messenger despatchedfor Master Ambroise Paré . Neither ofthe two wounded men had recovered

Live on, l ive on , thou beauteous tree,

Live on to al l eternity;Nor stormyblast , norwoodman

’

s blow,

Nor t ime’

s rude hand, e’

er lay thee low.

Halloa, there repeated the Captain,

“ why don ’ t you come when you ’ re called !Don ’ t you see that these gentlemen needhelpThe man in the cart

,whose forbidding

exterior and coarse face formed a strangecontrast with the sweet, idyllic song j ustquoted , stopped his horse at this , gotdown from the cart

,and stooping over

the two bodiesThose are fine wounds , said he ,but I have made some better ones .Who are you , then asked Mar

guerite, feeling involuntari ly a certainterror which she had not the strength toovercome .Madame, replied the man , bowing

to the ground , I am Master Caboche ,executioner to the Provost of Paris , andI have come to hang on this gibbet somecompanions for the Admiral yonder ."

“ Well ! I am the Queen of Navarrethrow your corpses down there

,spread

the saddle - cloths of our horses in thebottom of your cart, and drive these twogentlemen gently back to the Louvre

,

while we go on in front.

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94 Q UEEN MARGOT

exhausted hisa

own strength in the ever:lasting endeavour to unravel this mystery—the ghost of La Mole, growing moreand more active , took two or threethoughtful turns round the room ; thenpresently , after arranging its cloak

,

girding on i ts sword , and placing on i tshead a wide brimmed fel t hat

,Opened the

door and went out .Coconnas breathed more freely hebelieved himsel f rid of his phantom . F or

two or three hours his blood flowed morecalmly through his veins and at a lowertemperature than i t ‘ had yet done sincethe moment of the duel , i f La Mole hadbut kept away for a whole day

,Coconnas

would have become conscious ; an ah

sence of a week might,perhaps , have

cured him ; but, unfortunately, La Molereturned after two hours . 1

His return was a veritable daggerthrust to the P iedmontese

,and although

La Mole did not come in unaccompanied ,Coconnas did not bestow so much as aglance on his companion .

And yet the man who accompaniedLa Mole was wel l worth looking at .He was a man of about forty,short ,th ick - set , and powerful , with black hairthat came down to his eyebrows,and .

a

dark beard which , contrary to the fashionof the day , covered the whole of thelower part of his face ; the new comer,however , appeared to pay but l ittle regardto fashion . He wore a kind of leathertunic stained with brown spots , red hoseand belt

,great leather ankle boots , a cap

of the same colour as his hose , while hiswaist !was encircled by a broad girdlefromwhich hung a knife hidden in itssheath .

1 This strange character , whose presencein the Louvre seemed to be an anomaly ,threw his brown cloak on a chair andwalked abruptly up to the bed of

'

Co

connas, whose eyes, as though by somecurious fascination, remained fixed on

La Mole, who stood at some distance .The new comer looked at the patient andthen shook his head .

“ Youhave waited a very long time, mygentleman , said he .I was not able to go out sooner, said

La Mole.Egod! then you should have sent for

Bywhat messenger, I should l ike toknow

“ Ah ! true ! I was ' forgettin'

g where

we are . I told those ladies, but theywouldn ’ t l isten to me . I f my orders hadbeen followed instead of those of that assAmbroise Paré , youwould long ago havebeen m a condition either to go on

tD

adven

tures together, or to have had anotherfight with each other i f you wanted to doso . However , we shall see. I s yourfr1end consc1ous .

7’

Not completely .

Put out your tongue , my gentleman .

Coconnas put out his tongue at LaMole with such a fearful grimace thatthe doctor shook his head a second time .Ah ! he murmured , “ spasmodic

contract ion of the muscles ; there is notime to lose. I wil l send you this eveninga draugh t ready prepared , which you mustmake him take three times , at intervalsof an hour ; once at midnight, and againat two and three o ’clock .

”

Very well .”

But who will give him this draught PI will .

“ You yourselfYes .You promise ?On the word ofagentleman .

And supposing some doctor should_wish to take away a smal l portion inorder to analyse i t and see of what in :

gredients i t is composedI will pour out every drop of it .Also on the word of a gentleman

“ I swear it.”

By whom shall I send you the

draught .

‘

j By anyone you choose .But my messengerW ell ?H ow will he reach you .

I have thought of that . He wil l saythat he comes from M . R éné the’ perfumer.”

The F lorentine who lives on the’PontSaint Michel .

Exactly . he has the entrée to theLouvre both by day and night .’

The man smiled .

That is certainly the least theQueenMother owes him . Very well , themessenger shall come from Master R énéthe perfumer : there is no harmin mytaking his name for once ; he has exercisedmy trade often enough , without having alicence for i t .”

I can relyupon you, then‘

? said LaMole .

“ You can .

F

QUEEN MARGOT

As regards paymentOh ! I will settle that t h the gentle

man himself when he gets about again .

"

“ And makeyour mind easy , I believehe wil l be in a condition to reward youhandsomely.”

“ I believe so , too . B ut , he added ,with a peculiar smile , “ as i t is not thecustom for people who do business withme to be grateful , i t wil l not surprise mei f

,once upon his legs again , he shou ld

forget,or rather not care to remember

me .”

Ha ! ha ! said La Mole, smiling inhis turn ; “ in that case I shal l be

,there

to refresh his memory .

”

“ Well,be i t so ! In two hours you

shall have the draught.”

Au revoir .What did you say ?Au revoir.The man smiled .I t is mycustom always to say adieu,

he replied .

“ Adieu , then , Monsieur deLa Mole ; you shal l have the draught intwo hours . You understand , i t must betaken at midnight 1n three dosesone every hour.”

With these .words be‘

went,

out , leavingLa Mole alone with Coconnas.

Coconnas rhad 1 heard the whole conversation without inthe leas tunderstandingi ts meaning : nothingbut an emptyj ingle of, words had reached his ear. Ofthe whole

.

conversation he had graspedbut one word—midnight.

. H e continued , therefore ,gazing eagerlyat La Mole , who remained in the roomwalking to and fro .burie

'

d‘

in thought.“ The unknown doctor kept his promise,and at the appointed hour sent thedraught, which La Mole placed on asmall ,

chafing- dish . . Having taken this

precaution , he lay down to rest .This action on La Mole’s partgavea little rest to Coconnas, who triedin his turn to close his eyes , but hisfeverish drowsiness was merely a cont inuation of his waking delirium .

same phantom which pursued him byday

'

haunted him by night ; through hisd

'

ry eyelids he‘continued to see La Mole

'

everl’

menacing'

him thenavoicerepeated1n

'

hls, ear : Midnight midnightH e wassuddenly aroused by the sound

of the clock striking twelve. Coconnas

opened his feverish eyes ; the hot breathfrom 1118 chest was devouring his parched

95

l ips ; an unquenchable thirst consumedll l S burning throat ; the l it tle lamp burnedas usual

,i ts faint light making a thousand

phantoms dance before Coconnas'

s uh

certain glance.

Hereupon he saw ,to his consternation ,

La Mole get offhis bed and , after takinga turn or two round the room—as thehawk which fascinates a bird—approachhim with outstretched fi st . Coconnas

reached his hand t owards his dagger,grasped it by the hand le , and prepared toplunge it into his enemy. La Mole camenearer and nearer.Coconnas muttered feeblyAh ! i t is you , stil l you ! Come on.

Ah ! you threaten me, you shake yourfi st , you smile ! Come on ! Ah ! youstil l approach stealthily, step by step ;come on, so that I may kil l you.

. And uniting the action with the threat,Coconnas did in fact , j ust as La Molewas stooping over hini, draw the daggerfrom beneath his sheets , but the effortmade by the P iedmontese to raise i texhausted his strength ; the arm extendedtowards La Mole dropped hal f - way , thedagger fell from his flaccid hand , and hefell back m a dying state upon the pil low.

“ Come, come ,” murmured La Mole,

ing him gently and puttinga cup tolips , “ drink this, my poor fellow, you

are burning .

”

I t was this cup which 1 Coconnas 'hadmistaken for the threatening fist createdby the fancy of his disordered brain .

A t the contact, however , with the velvety potion which moistened his lips andcooled his breast , Coconnas recoveredhis reason , or rather his instinct ; he fel ta sense of comfort st ealing over him suchas he had. never experienced before ; hethrew a look of intel ligence 1at La Mole

,

who,was holding him in his arms and

smiling at him , and from his eye, butlately . contracted with gloomy rage , a

smal l tear trickled down his hot cheek .

Sdeath murmured Coconnas, sinking back upon the pillow, if I get overthis , Monsieur de La Mole, you shal l bemy friend .

”

“ And you w1ll get over it ,my comrade,

” said La Mo le , “ i f you wil l drinktwo more cups like that which I havej ust g iven you, and dream no more baddreams . ’

, An hour later, La Mole , sel f appoin tedas sick nurse, and punctually obeying theorders of the unknown doctor, got up a

96 QUEEN MARGOT

second time, poured a second portion ofthe liquor into a cup , and brought i t toCoconnas! But this time the P iedmontese ,instead of await ing him dagger in hand ,welcomed him with open arms andswal lowed the beverage with delight ,after which , for the fi rst time, he enjoyeda peaceful sleep .

The third cup'

produced a no less wonderful effect . The patient began ‘ tobreathe regularly , though somewhatrapidly. His rigid limbs relaxed , a gentlemoisture spread over the surface of his

parched skin , and when Master AmbroiseParé visited the invalid next morning

,he

smiled with satisfaction and saidI will now answer for the safety of

M . de Coconnas, and i t wil l be one of thebest cases I havecured .

”

The result of this scene—half tragic,

half comic—which was not,however

,

without a. certain affecting romance,regard being had to the ferocious dispositiou of Coconnas, was that the friendship between these two , begun at the innof the B el le- Etoile and violently interrupted by the events of the night of St .B artholomew , was resumed henceforthwi th fresh vigour , and ' soon surpassedthat of O restes and Pylades by a matterof five sword thrusts and one pistolshot distributed between their twobodies .Be it as i t may , their wounds , old1

as

well as new, severe as' well as trifl ing ,

were now at last in a fair way’

of becoming healed . La Mole

,faithful to his

mission as nurse, refused to leave Coconnas

’

s room unti l he was completelycured . He lifted him in bed so long asweakness confined him to i t , helped himto walk as soon as he was capable ofthat exertion , in short, paid him al l thatattention t o which his gentle and lovingnature prompted him

,and which

,backed

up by the vigorous constitution of theP iedmontese , brought about a recoverymore rapid than could reasonably havebeen looked for.The two young men were tortured ,however, by one and the same thought :each , during his delirious fever, imaginedhe had seen the lady who fi l led his wholeheart approach him ; but i t was quitecertain that, since the time that each hadbecome conscious

,neither Marguerite nor

Madame de Nevers had entered the room .

Besides, the reason of this was obviouscould these women—the one the wife of

CHAPTER XVI I I

RESURRECT ION

the King of Navarre,the other the sister

in- law of the Duc de Guise—show to theeyes of all so public a mark of interest intwo simple gent lemen No : that clearlywas the answer wh ich La Mole andCoconnas must give to such a question .

None the less was their absence , whichmight possibly be due to total forgetfulness , a cause of grief.I t i s true that the Captain , who hadassisted at the combat , had come fromtime to time , and, as though on his owninitiative , to inquire how the two woundedmen were going on. I t i s true thatGillonne, on her own

‘ account , had donethe same ; but La

'Molehad not venturedto speak of Marguerite to the one, norhad Coconnas ventured

"

to speak ofMadame de Nevers to the other.

OR some time each of the twoyoung men 'kept his secret locked

in his breast . At last , becoming oneday unusuallyconfidential , the thoughtwith which each

'

was‘ wholly taken upburst the barrier of

‘ their l ips,and theycemented their friendship by that lastproof

,without which there is no trUe

friendship,that is to say , by an entire

exchange of confidence .Both were distractedly” in love, onewith a Princess , the other with a Queen .

There was something appall ing to thetwo poor lovers in the almost impassabledistance which separated them from theobj ects of their

‘

desire. Yet ' hope i s asentiment so deeply rooted in the humanbreast

,that

,spite of the folly of thei r

hope,they yet hoped .

q

Both of them , besides , as they‘

grewstronger

,began to pay great attentibn

'

totheir personal appearance

,Every

'

man—even the most indifferent to physicaladvantages—in certain circumstances ,holds silent

'

conversations with .

his

mirror and exchanges glances of intelligence with i t , after which he almostalways goes off well satisfied with hisinterview . Well , our two young friendswere no t of those whose mirrors werelikely to give them unpleasant news.

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98

wheel , divided in the middle so as toadmit within the hollows cut for thatpurpose, the head and hands of the condemmed criminal or criminals who wereexposed to view at one or more of theseeight apertures . This strange e rection

,

which bore no resemblance to any of thesurrounding buildings, was cal led thePil lory.A house, shapeless, hunch - backed

,

tumble - down , lame , and one- eyed, its

,

low - browed roof speckled with moss l ikethe skin of a leper , had grown like somesort of ugly toadstool at the foot

.

of thistower - l ike erection . I t was the house ofthe public executioner

.

A man was , on the present occasion ,exposed to V iew, and was putting out histongue at the passers - by ; he was one of

the thieves who had operated at thegibbet of Montfaucon , and had had thei ll luck to

.

be caught in the act of exer

cising his trade .Coconnas thought that i t was thiscu rious sight which his friend had broughth im to see, and he mingled with the cr

'

owdof gazers , who responded to the exposedman

’

s grimaces by shouts and hooting .

Coconnas was naturally cruel,and thi s

spectacle amused him greatly ; only hewould have preferred that

,instead of

shouts and boots, stones should have beenthrown at this criminal

,who was '

so inso lent as to put out his tongue at noblelords who did him the honour to visit him .

Accordingly , when the moving lanternturned on its base to delight another sideof the square wi th a sight of the culprit

,

and the crowd followed the movement ofthe lantern , Coconnas wanted to fol lowthe crowd , but La Mole stopped him andsaid sot to new

“ This isn ’ t what we have come here

Why,

have we come then ? askedCoconnas.

“ You shall see,”answered La Mole .

'

S o speaking , he led C'

oconnas straightto the li ttle window of the house whichrested against the tower. A man wasleaning with his elbow on theWindow - sill .

“ Ah ! gentlemen , i t is you !” '

said be,

raising'

his' red cap and baring his headw ith i ts dark thick hair descending to hiseyebrows , you are welcome .

”

“Who is this fellow ?”asked Coconnas,trying to

,recal l the past

,for he fancied

he had seen - this head at somemoment ofhis delirium . 1

QUEEN MARGOT

said Coconnas,’ with

ou are'

unwi ll ing to do , so I have,

myassistants to do the'

rough work and despatch the rascals, Only , when I happen to

The man who saved your l i fe, mydear friend ,

” said La Mo le , “ the manwho brought to the Louvre that refreshing draught which did you so much good .

Oh ! said Coconnas, in that case,my friendAnd be extended h is hand to ~him 7

B ut ~the man , instead of responding tothis advance by putting out his own

hand,drew himself up .

“S ir,

” said he, to Coconnas; “ thank

you for the honour you wish to conferupon me , but i f you knew who I am ,

youwould probably refrain .

”

Upon my word , said Coconnas, “.

I

declare that , were you the Devil , - I shouldconsider myself under an obligation toyou; for but for you I should be dead a tthis moment .” f

I am not the Devil exactly , answeredthe man with the red cap , “ but ‘manypeoplewould often rather

'

see the 1Deviltha’n see me.

“'

Who are you , then ? askedCoconnas.

Sir ,” replied the man

,

“ I amMasterCaboche, executioner to the Provost ofParis .”

Ah !drawing his hand

“There,you see!” said Maste

'

r Caboche .No ! I w i l l touch your hand Dev i

take me i f I don ’t. ‘ Hold it out ' i

Really ?Wide open .

There ! ”

, Wider stil l that ’s righ t !’

1

And Coconnas drew from his pocket, the

handful of gold prepared for his anonymous doctor, and placed i t in th

'

e

ex'

ecutioner ’s hand .

“ I should hav e preferred your handwithout anything in it said Caboche ,shaking his head

,for I have no lack of

gold ; but of hands to touch mine , onthecontrary , I stand much 1n need . Nevermind ! God bless you, my gentleman .

So then , my friend , said Coconfias,looking with curiosity at the executioner,i t i s you who administer torture‘, whob r eak on the wheel , who quarter bodiesand cut offheads , arid break bones . AhI em ' very pleased to make your ‘ac

uaintance.

QUEEN MARGOT

have to deal with gentlemen—l ike you andyour companion

,for example—then i t is

qu ite another matter, and I do mysel f anhonour in carrying out

personally al l the

detai lsof the execution rom fi rs t to last ,fromprel1m1uaryquest1on todecap1tat10nCoconnas felt an involuntary shudderpass through his veins , as though thebrutal screw were crushing his legs andthe stee l edge grazing his neck ; LaMole

,without examining the cause ,

experienced a S imilar sensation .

Coconnas, however , mastered thisemotion , of which he felt ashamed , andwishing to take leave of Caboche with afinal j est :

“ Well,master ! said he , “ I have

your word that when my t urn comes tomount the gal lows of Enguerrand deMarigny or the scaffold of M . deNemours , nobody but yourself shalltouch me .I give you my promise.This time ,

” said Coconnas, “ here ismy hand in token that I accept yourpromise .And he extended to the executionerhis hand , which the latter timidly touched ,though it was evident that he had a greatdesire to grasp it hearti ly.At the mere contact, Coconnas turnedslightly pale , but the same smile remained on his l ips ; while La Mole, whowas ill at ease , seeing the crowd turningalong with the lantern and approachingthem

,pulled him by the cloak .

Coconnas, who , at bottom , was asanx ious as La Mole to end this scene ,into which , through the natura l bent ofhis disposition , he had plunged furtherthan he cared about

,nodded his head and

moved away .

“ Myword !” said La Mole , when .he

and his companion had reached the Croixdu Trahoir,

“ agree with me that youbreathe ‘ more freely here than in theP lace des HallesI admit it ,

” said Coconnas, “ but al lthe same I am very glad to have madethe acquaintance of Master Caboche i tis as well to have friends everywhere .

Even at the sign of the B el le Etoz'

le,said La Mole , laughing.

“ Oh ! as for poor La H uriére, saidCoconnas, he

’

s dead and no mistake . Isaw the flash of the arquebus

,I heard

the bullet resound as though it hadstruck the great hel l of Notre Dame, andI left himlying in the gutter wi th the

99

blood streaming from his nose andmouth . S upposmg him to be a friend,he is a friend whom we possess in thenext world .

"

Chatting thus , the two young menentered the R ue

O

de l’

Arbre- Sec and madetheir way towards the sign of the B el leE to ile, which stil l creaked in the samep lace

,offering to the traveller i ts gas

tronomic hearth and appetising legend .

Coconnas and La Mole expected tofind the house in gloom , the widow inmourning , and the scullions with craperound their arms ; but , to their greatastonishment , the household was in fullswing . Madame La H uriere quiteresplendent, and the drawers blither thanever.

“ Why ! the fa1thless creature musthave married again ! said La Mole .Then , addressing this new ArtemisMadame ,

” said he, we are two gent lemen who were acquainted with poorM . La H uriere. We left two horses andtwo valises here, which we have come toclaim .

”

Gentlemen ,” answered the landlady

,

after a vain attempt to recall them to hermind , “ as I have not the honour of

knowing you I will call my husband , i fyou please , Gregoire, call yourmaster hereGregoire passed from the outerkitchen , which was, so to speak

,the

general pandemonium , into the innerroom , which was the , laboratory in whichwere composed the dishes

‘which -LaH uriere, during his l ife - time

,deemed

worthy of being prepared by h1s ownskilled hand .

“ Deuce take i t , muttered Coconnas,but it makes me sorry to see this house

so gay when it should be sad. Poor LaH uriere !

He tried to kil l me , said La Mole ,but I forgive him with all my heart .”

La Mole had hardly uttered thesewords , when a man appeared holding inhis hand a saucepan in which he wascooking some onions , which he stirredwith a wooden spoon .

La Mole and Coconnas uttered a cryof' surprise .

‘ At this cry the man raised hiS'

head,

and with a simi lar cry of surprise let fal lhis

' saucepan , retaining nothing in hishand but his wooden spoon .

“I n nomine said the ' man,

waving his spoon as though it had been a

roo QUEEN MARGOT

holy water sprinkler, et F i l ii,

et

Spirit fis S anct z’

What then ?I thought I was wrong, I see

“ Master La H uriere !” cried the it now.

young men .

Messieurs de Coconnas and de LaMole ! said La H uriére.

“ You are not dead , then ?Coconnas.

Why , you are both stil l aliveasked the host .

“ I saw you fall , all the same, saidCoconnas.

“ I heard the sound of thebullet smashing something about you—Idon ’ t know what. I left you lying in thegutter with the blood flowing from yournose , mouth , and

‘even from your eyes .”

All as true as gospel , Monsieur deCoconnas. But the noise that you heardwas the bullet striking my helmet

,against

which i t was flattened , fortunately ; butthe blow was none the less severe , as aproof of which ,

” added La H uriere,l i fting his cap , and showing a head asbald as a knee, you see I haven

’ t a hairleftf

’

The two young men burst out laughingat the sight of his grotesque face .Ah you are laughing said La

H uriére, somewhat reassured ; “ then youhaven ’ t come with hostile intentionsAnd you, Master La H uriere, are you

cured of your warlike propensitiesYes , my word , yes, gentlemen ; and

now“ Wel l ? nowNow I have taken a vow to see no

other fi re than that of my kitchen .

”

Bravo , said Coconnas, a veryprudent resolve. Now —added theP iedmontese we left two horses inyour stables and two valises in yourbedrooms.”

Oh the devil said the host,

scratching his earWellTwo horses, you sayYes, in the stable .

”

And two valises ?“ Yes, in the bedroom .

Look here, it’

s l ike thisthought I was dead

,didn ’ t you

Certainly.

”

You admit that , as you made a m istake , I , for my part , could make one also .

”

I n thinkingus to be dead also i youwere quite at l 1berty to do so .

”

Wel l you see that, inasmuch as youdied in testate continued LaH uriere.

What didyou think , come“ I thought I might be your heir ."

Oh indeed ! said the two young

I am none the less delighted thatyou are alive , gentlemen .

So that you have sold our horses, Isuppose said Coconnas.

Alas yes.And ourvalises continued La Mole .Oh the valises no cried La

H uriere ; merely their contents .”

“ I say, La Mole ,” replied Coconnas,

here is an impudent rascal . Shall werip him up PThis threat appeared to produce agreat effect on La H uriere, who venturedto say:But , gentlemen , the matter .can be

arranged , i t seems to me .”

Listen , said La Mole ; it i s I whohave the chief ground of complaintagainst you .

”

Certainly, M onsieur le Comte , for Iremember that in a moment of folly Ihad the audacity to threaten you .

“ Yes , with a bullet ' that passed twoinches above my head .”

You think so P“ I am sure of i t.I f you are sure of i t , Monsieur de La

Mole,” said La H uriere, picking up his

saucepan with an air of innocence,I

am too much your servant to contradictyou .

”

Wel l , said La Mole , “ for my ownpart , I make no claim against you .What, sirUnless i t be

“ Yes , yes said La H uriere.

Unless i t be a dinner for mysel f andmy friends whenever I find myself inyour neighbourhood .”

What cried La H uriére, withdelight I am at your orders

,my

gentleman .

That is agreed upon , thenWith al l my heart. And you

,

Monsieur de Coconnas, continued thehost

,do you subscribe to the bargain

Yes ; but , l ike my friend, I add a

smal l condition .

What is it ? 1

That you pay M . de La Mole thefi fty crowns I owe him , and which Ientrusted to you .”

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102 QUEEN

spite,however , of the fact that they were

empty and deserted,some be lated passers

by had seen rays of l ight shining throughtheir closed ~ shut ters, and affi rmed thatthey had heard sounds resembling groans ,which proved that these two houses werefrequented by beings of some kind orother

,though whether these beings be

longed to this world or the other, wasnot known .

‘The resul t was that the tenants of thehouses on either side of the two desertedones occasionally asked themselves thequestion whether i t would not be Wise forthem to adopt the same course whichtheir neighbours had taken .

I t was doubtless to the terror which hehad publicly inspired that Master Renéowed the

_privilege of being the only

person all owed to burn ' lights after thepermitted hour. Besides , neither patrolnor night - watch had ventured to interferewi th one who '

was doubly dear to HerMaj esty in his capacity of fellowcountryman and perfumer .

“

As we assume that the reader , fortifiedby the philosophy of the eighteenthcentury

,no longer . believes either in

magic or magicians , we shall invite himto enter with us this dwell ing , which , atthat

"

period of credulous supersti tion ,diffused such profound terror in itsneighbourhood .

The shop on the ground floor is silentand deserted after eight in the evening ,at which , hour i t closes , not to openagain unti l some time next morning ; i tis there that the daily sale of perfumes ,ointments ,.cosmetics , and all articles retailed by a fi rst - class chemist , is conducted .

Two apprentices assist in this retai lbusiness ; they do not .sleep in the house ,but in the Rue de la Calandre . In theevening they ' leave j ust before closingtime ; in the morning they walk up anddown until the shop is Opened .

I n this shop , whi ch is fairly wide , andextends a good way back , are two doors ,each opening upon ,a staircase . One of

the staircases is at the side , and bui ltinside the wal l i tsel f ; the other is an

exterior staircase, «visib1e from the quay ,called at the present day the Quai desAugustins

,and from the part of the bank

now called the 'Quai des Orfévres.

Both of these stai rcases lead to the

room on the fi rst floor :This room is of the same size as thehop below. A curtain, however,

MARGOT

stretches l ike a bridge across the room,

dividing it into two parts . At the end ofthe fi rst

'

compartment i s the door opening upon the outer staircase . In theside of the second compartment v is t he

door from the secret staircase ; this door,however , is invisible , being hidden by acarved cupboard , fastened .to i t by ironclamps , so that when the door opens , thecupboard moves with i t . Catherinealone shares with R éné the secret of thisdoor , and goes up and comes down byit ; i t is by putting her eye or.her ear tothis cupboard , in which holes have beencontrived , that she sees and hears whatgoes on in the room .

There are also two other doors freefrom any concealment in the sides of thissecond compartment. ,The one opensinto a little room lighted from the roof

,

and its only furniture i s a large stove,

together with some retorts , alembics , andcrucibles ; this is the alchemist

’s labora4tory . The other opens upon a little cellmore curious than the rest of the apartment , for it is not l ighted at all , hasneither carpet nor furniture, but merely a.kind of stone al tar ;I ts floor is of flag - stones sloping :fromthe centre to the edges , and round theseedges at the‘

bottom of the walls runs a.l ittle gutter communicating with a funnel

,

through the mouth of which can be seenflowing the dark water . of the Seine .From nai ls fastened in the wall are hungstrangely - shaped instruments, all :eitherpointed or with a sharp edge—the pointsas sharp as a needle , the edges as sharpas a razor ; some shine like mirrors , theothers

,on the contrary, are of a dull grey

or a dark blue colour.In a corner, two black hens tied together by the feet are struggling : this i sthe sanctuary of the augur.Let us come back to the middle room

,

the one with the two compartments .I t i s to this . room that ordinary

’

c0n.

sul tants are admitted ° i t containsEgyptian ibises , mummies with gildedfi llets

,a gaping crocodile, skulls with

shaking teeth , musty folios gnawed byrats

,affording to the eye of the visitor a

miscellaneous medley producing variousemotions which deflect the thoughts fromtheir natural current. Behind the curtainare phials, strange looking boxes , j ars . of

sin ister aspect ; the whole i lluminated bytwo smal l si lver lamps exactly al ike

,look

ing as though they had been stolen from

QUEEN MARGOT 103

some altar of Santa - Maria - Novella orfromthe Church of the Dei - Servi at Florence ,and which

,burning with perfumed oil ,

throw their yellow light from the darkceiling , from which each hangs by threeblack chains .René

,alone and with arms crossed ,

IS striding up and down the second compartment of the midd le room , shaking hishead . After long and gloomy meditationhe stopped in front of an hour- glass .Ah ! ” said he, “ I for ot to turn i t ,

and al l the sand has profiably run out

long ago .Then

,looking at the moon , which was

struggling to emerge from behind a darkcloud which seemed to rest on thesummit of the steeple of Notre - Dame

“ Nine o ’clock,

” said he.'

“ I f she

comes, she wi l l come as usual in an houror an honr- and - a- half ; there wil l eventhen be time for al l .At this moment a noise was heard on

the bridge . René applied his ear to themouth of a long tube

,the other end of

which proj ected into the street in theshape of a snake ’s head .

“ NO , said he , “ i t is' neither she nor

they. Those are the steps of men ; theyare stopping before my door ; they .are

coming here .”

At, the same moment three sharp

knocks resounded .

Who is there asked Master René .

H f

Must we give our names ? ” asked a 1 t

voice .. 1

“ I t is absolu tely necessary, repliedRené . 1 .

k

“ In that case , ' my name is_

ComteHannibal de Coconnas,

” said the voicethat had alreadyspoken.

“ And mine , the Comte 'Lerac de LaMole ,

” said another voice,mak ing itself

heard for the first time . W

Wait , wait , gentlemen , I am at yourservice .”

And at the same time 'René drew backthe bolts , raised the bars , and opened thedoor to the young men

,contenting him

self with merely turning the key afterthey had passedthrough ; then , conducting them by way of the .outer staircase

,

he introduced them into the second compartment .

La Mole , on entering it, crossed himsel f beneath ,his cloak ; he was pale andunable to controh the shaking of . hishands .Coconnas examined the different

conten ts of the room one after another , andfinding himsel f

,in the midd le . of his

inspection,at the door of the cell, . he

wanted to Open i t.“ Excuse me , sir, said René ' in his

grave voice,and laying his hand on that

of Coconnas, the visitors who do me thehonour of coming here are only admi ttedto this part of the room .

“ Ah ! no matter,” re

'

plied Coconnas ;“ and besides , I feel as i f I want t0

'

sit

down .1

And he sat down m a chair.A profound silence ensued ; Renéwaited until one or other of them shouldexplain the obj ect of their visi t. Thesilence was only broken by the labouredbreathing of Coconnas, who was not yetquite convalescent .

“ Master René, said he at last , “,you

are a clever man , tell me therefore i f Ishal l continue to feel the effects of mywound , that is

'

to say i f I shall alwayssuffer from this shortness of breath whichprevents me . from riding , fencing , andeating fried omelettes .”

René put his ear to Coconnas’

s chest,and listened attentively to the pla

y‘ of

his lungs .“ NO , . Monsieur 1 le Comte

, said he,you will get over it .

”

Really and truly ?I guarantee it .You delight me .Another*

silence followed.Don ’ t you want to learn anything

else , Monsieur le Comte ?Yes ,

” said Coconnas ; I want J toknow if I am' really in love.

”u 1’

You’ said R ené fi

H ow do you know ?The fact of your asking the

questionproves it.“ ’Sdeath ! I believe you ar

u

eright'

. But

W l th whom ?1With the ladywho now on

'

al l occasions employs the oath .you have ! j ustuttered .

”r

Upon my word , Master R ene, youare a clever fellow ,

” said Coconnas, inl

astonishment “ Now, La Mole, i t i syour tu .rn ’ ILa Moleblushed , and‘ remained em

barrassedfll

Eh ! what thedeuce 7 speak up,”

said Coconnas.

Go on ,

” said the Florentine . .V

I don’

t wish to ask yon ' i f I adj“inlove, Monsieur stammered La‘

104 QUEEN

Mole , whose voice was gradual ly gainingconfidence , for I know that I am , anddo not conceal i t from myself ; but tellme if I shal l be loved in return , for intruth everything that at fi rst gave meground for hope seems now to point inthe opposite direction .

”

“Perhaps you have not done al l thatyou should do .

”

What can I do , sir, but prove by myrespect and devotion to the lady of myheart that she i s truly and deeplybeloved

“ You are aware , said René , “ thatthese proofs are sometimes very insignifi cant .

”

Must I despair, then ?No, you must have recourse to

science . There are in human natureantipathies that may be overcome , sym

pathies that may be forced . The iron isnot the magnet , but i f you magnetise it,i t in its turn attracts iron .

”

No doubt , no doubt ,” murmured La

Mole , “ but I dislike all this dabbling inmagic .Ah ! i f you dislike it , said R éné ,

“ you ought not to have come .”

Come , come ,” said Coconnas, “ are

you going to play the child now ? Monsieur René, can you conj ure up thedevilNo , Monsieur le Comte.I am sorry for that I had a word or

two to say to him , and that , perhaps,would have encouraged La Mole .”

Very well ,‘

be i t said La Mole ;“ let us tackle the question frankly. Ihave heard of forms modelled in wax toresemble the beloved obj ect. I s that ameans i‘

“ An infall ible one.And there is nothing in this experi

ment which can cause injury to the lifeor health of the person whom one loves?”

MARGOT

that R enealone heard the sound,doubt

less because he was expecting it .Without affecting to do so , and puttingin the meanwhile some trifl ing questionsto La Mole, he put his ear to the tubeand heard the sound of some voices,which appeared to determine him .

Sum up , then , your desire now , saidhe, and call the person whom youlove .La Mole knelt as though he had beenspeaking to a goddess , and René , passinginto the first compartment , sl ipped noiselessly down the ontside staircase ; amoment later light steps were heard onthe floor of the shop .La Mole , on rising, saw Master Renéin front of him ; the F lorentine held inhis hand a little figure of wax of ratherslumsyworkmanship ; it wore a crownand a robe .

“ Do you stil l desire to be loved byyour Royal mistress ? asked the perfumer.

Yes, if i t costs me my li fe, if I losemy soul ,

” answered La Mole .Very well ,

” said the F lorentine ,taking with the tips of his fingers somedrops of water from a ewer and shakingthem over the head of the figure, as heuttered some words in Latin .

La Mole shuddered ; he reali sed thatsome act of sacrilege was being performed .

What are you doing ? he asked .

I am baptising this l ittle figure bythe name ofMarguerite.”

But with what obj ect ?To establish sympathy .

La Mole was opening his lips to prevent him from proceeding further , but a

'

mocking glance from Coconnas checkedhis words.René

, who had seen the movement,waited.

Nothing.

”You must surrender your wil l fully

Let us try i t , then . and entirely,” said he .

W ould you l ik e me to begin ? said Go on,answered La Mole.

Coconnas. René traced some cabalistic charactersNo, said La Mole

,

“ and since I on a rol l of red paper, placed them on ahave embarked upon i t

,I wil l

through with the matter to the end .

Do you desire intensely and ardentlyto know how to set about i t, Monsieurde La Mole ? asked the F lorentine .

Oh cried La Mole,

“ I am dying toknow, Master René. ound i t , and dried up the drop of blood .At that same moment there wasagentle

“ In the same way ,” said René , b

knocking at the street door, so gentle the force of sympathy, your love wi 1

go steel needle,and with this needle pierced

the l ittle statue to the heart.At the mouth of the wound , strange toy,a smal l drop of blood appeared ; he

en set fire to the paper.The heat of the needle melted the wax

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106 QUEEN MARGOT

body a soul consumed by the flame ofyour eyes , a thousand times more con

suming than the fi res of hell . Havesome pi ty , then , on t his poor soul ; bestowa litt le love on what was the handsomeLa Mole

, and i f you cannot speak , give asign , a smile . My friend ’s is a veryintelligent soul , and it will understandeverything.

’Sdeath , smile , I say or Iwil l run my sword through the body ofR éné , because he—byv irtue of the powerhe possesses over spiri ts—is compellingyours , which he has a lready conj ured upso seasonably, to act in a way that i l lbefits an honest spiri t such as you appearto me to be . ’

At this peroration of Coconnas, whohad clapped himself down 1n front of theQueen l ike !Eneas descending to theinfernal regions , Marguerite could no t

restrain a loud peal of laughter , and, sti l lpreserving the silence befitting a Royalshade on such an occasion

, she extendedher hand to Coconnas.

The latter took it gingerly in his own,

cal ling out at the same time to La Mole .Shade ofmy friend , cried he , “ come

here this instant.La Mole, astonished and trembling ,obeyed .

That ’s right, said Coconnas, takinghim by the back ofthe head

,

“ now put theshadow of your handsome brown face tothis white and shadowy hand which yousee here .”

AndCoconnas, uniting the gesture tohis words , j oined this delicate hand to LaMole ’s l ips , and held them thus togetherfor a moment , without the hand trying tofree itsel f from the gentle pressure .Marguerite had not ceased to smile , butthere was no smile on the lips of Madamede Nevers , who was still trembling fromthe unexpected appearance of the twogentlemen Her uneasiness was increasedby a sensation of rising j ealousy

,for she

thought that Coconnas should not haveforgot ten his own affairs for those of

another.,La Mole observed the contraction ofh

'

er brow, and the menacing flash of hereyes , and , in spite of the intoxicatingemotion to which his rapture urged himto abandon himself

,he realised the risk

his friend was running, and guessed inwhat way he must endeavour to extricatehim from it.Rising , therefore , and leaving Margueri te’ 3 hand in that of Coconnas, he

went and took the hand of the Duchessede Nevers , and , falling on one kneeFairest and most adorable ofwomen ,

said he,—“ I speak of l iving women andnot of shades —and he looked .with asmile at Marguerite permit a . spiritdisembodied from its envelope of clay toatone for the absence of a body quiteabsorbed by a material friendship . M .

de Coconnas, you s ee, is but a man , abrave and well - built man

,a p iece of flesh

pleasant to look at, perhaps , but perishablel ike all flesh—Omnis caro fenum al lflesh is grass .’ Although this gentlemanutters from morning to night the mostsuppliant prayers touching yoursel f,although you have seen him distributing.

the hardest blows that were ever given inFrance

,yet this champion , so bold in his

eloquence when addressing a shade , darenot speak to a woman . That is thereason why he addressed himself to theshade of the Queen , charging me to speakto your beauti ful body, to tel l you that

'helays at your feet his heart and his s ;oulthat he asks your divine eyes to look on

him with pity, your warm pink fingers to

cal l him by a sign , your melodious voiceto utter some of those words which one

never forgets should you refuse , heasks me one thing more , namely , in casehe cannot melt you, for the second .timeto run my sword , which Is a real bladeswords are not shadows , save in the sunlight—to run my sword , I say, throughhis body for the second time , since hecannot live unless you bid him live foryou alone .The animation and buffoonerywhich

Coconnas had put into his discourse wereequalled by the tenderness , rthe impassioned force , and the coaxing humili tyj ust displayed 1n the petition of La Mole .Henriette ’5 eyes now turned from .LaMole

,to whom she had listened all the

time he had been speaking , and weredirected towards Coconnas, to see i f theexpression of his face was in harmonywith the amorous oration of his friend .

She appeared to be satisfied with whatshe saw,

for she blushed , her bosomheaved

,and

,as though confessing herself

vanquished,she said to Coconnas, with a

smile which disclosed a double 10W ofpearls encased 1n co ral

1 3I s this true

w“ ’Sdeath 0’ my life ! cried Coconnas,fascinated by this look , and glowing witha responsive flame. I t IS true !

QUEEN MARGOT

Oh ! yes , Madame , i t is true , true uponyour life , true upon my death !Come

,then ! said Henriette , giving

hini her hand , with a surrender betrayedby the languor of her eyes .Coconnas threw his velvet cap into the

air, and sprang to her side , while LaMole

,summoned by a gesture from Mar

guerite,performed an amorous “ set to

partners with his friend .

At that moment René appeared at thedoor.

“ Silence ! he cried , in a tone whichextinguished al l this amorous flameSilence !They heard the grating of a key in thelock , and the sound of a door turning on

its hinges .But

,said Marguerite haughti ly , “ I

imagine no one has the right to enterwhen we are here !Not even the Queen - Mother ?

whispered René .Marguerite disappeared instantly downthe outer staircase , dragging La Moleafter her ; Henriette and Ceconnas, hal fentwined in each other ’ s arms , followedin their steps , all four of them flying off,just as the graceful birds that you haveseen billing on a flowering branch fly awayat the first sound of alarm.

CHAPTER XX

TH E TWO B LACK HEN S

HE two couples had vanished j ustin time. Catherine was putting

doorat the moment when Coconnas andMadame de Nevers made their way outbelow

,and, as she entered , she

'

could hearthe steps of the fugitives hurrying downthe stairway . She cast an inquiringglance around , and presently , fix ing hersuspicious eyes on René, who stood bowingbefore herWho was there ? she asked .

Some lovers who were satisfied withmy word when I assured them that theywere really in love .”

No matter for that,said Catherine

,

shrugging her shoulders “ is there anyone here now ?

1 07

No one except your Majesty andmyse l f .Have you done what I bade you ?About the black hens

“ Yes ."

They are ready,Madame .

Ah if only you were a Jew ! murmured Catherine .

A j ew ; Madame ,why ?

Because then you would be able toread the precious treatises on sacrifices

,

written by the Hebrews . I have had oneof them translated , and I see that i t wasneither in the heart nor the l iver that theHebrews sought for omens

, as theRomans did , but rather in the arrangement of the brain , and in the shapes ofthe letters traced thereon by the al lpowerful hand of destiny .

”

“ Yes, Madame, I , have heard as

much from an old Rabbi,a friend of

mine .“ There are marks thus delineatedwhich disclose a whole train ofprophecyonly, the Chaldean wise men recommendRecommend what ” asked

René, seeing that the Queen hesi tated togo on .

“ That the experiment should be conducted wi th human brains, as being morehighly developed and more sympatheticto the will of him who consults them .

”

Alas ! Madame ,” said René , “ your

Maj esty is well aware that to do thatwould be impossible .”

“ I t would be difficul t, at least , saidCatherine ; “ had we known this on St.B artholomew’s Day eh ! René

,

what a rich collection ! The fi rstcondemned criminal I wil l remember that . Meanwhile, we must confineourselves within the limits of the possible .

I s the sacrificial chamber prepared ? ”“ Yes, Madame .

”

Let us go in .

”

R ene l ighted a candle composed ofstrange substances, of which the odour,now subtle and penetrating , now nauseousand smoky, revealed the presence ofseveral different ingredients then

,show

ing the light for Catherine , he precededher into the cel l .Catherine herself selected from amongthe various sacrificial instruments a knifeof bluish steel , while René went to fetchone of the two fowls which were rollingtheir eyes uneasily in a corner.

H ow shall we proceed

108 QUEEN MARGOT

We will examine the liver of one andthe brain of the Other. I f the two experiments yield the same results , we shal l beforced to believe , especially if thoseresults coincide with those we haveobtained previously.”

Which shal l we begin wi thWith the

'

experiment of the l iver.“ Very well ,

” said R éné , fastening thefowl to the altar by means of two rings ,placed at the two ends in such a mannerthat , when turned upon its back , i t couldon ly struggle without beingable to movefrom the spot .Catherine severed its breast wi th one

stroke of the knife. The fowl utteredthree cries , and expired after strugglingfor a short while.

“ Still the three cries , murmuredCatherine

,

“ three death - signals .” Nextshe proceeded to open the body.

“ And the liver hanging to the leftside

,she continued , “ sti l l at the left ,

denoting a triple death , followed by anescheat . René , i t is terrible !We must see, Madame , i f the presages

of the second victim agree with those of

the fi rst.”

R ene untied the body of the fowl ,and threw it into a corner then he wentto the other fowl , which , anticipating itsfate by that of its companion , endeavoured to avoid it by rushing round thecell

,and at last , finding itself penned in a

corner,flew over René ’s head , and , in i ts

flight,extinguished the magic candle

which Catherine washolding in her hand .

You see, René ,” said the Queen .

Thus will our race be extinguished .

Death wil l blow upon i t , and it will disappear from the face of the earth. Threesons

,however , three sons ! she

murmured , sorrowfully.Rene took the candle from her, andwent and lighted it in the other room .

When he came back he saw the fowl ,which had buried its head in the funnel .This time ,

” said Catherine , we willhave no cries

,for I wil l cut off i ts head at

one stroke .”

Catherine was as good as her word ,and when the fowl had been fasteneddown

, she severed its head at a blow .

The fowl,however , in its expiring con

vulsion,opened its beak three times, and

then lay sti ll .“ Look ! ” said Catherine , in alarm ,

“ instead of three cries , three sighsthree

,ever three . All my three sons wil l

perish All these victims , before yieldingup the1r l ives , count up to the numberthree . Now let us look at the signs inthe head .

”

Catherine next held down the fowl ’spale comb , opened the skull carefully ,and separating the parts so as to leavethe lobes of the brain exposed

,tried to

trace the shape of some letter of thealphabet in the bleeding curves markedby the division of the cerebral pulp .

Still , sti ll !”

she cried , beating herhands together , “ and this time the prognosticat ion is clearer than ever. Comeand look .

”

R eneapproached .What letter is that ? asked

Catherine , pointing to a mark .

An H , answered René .H ow many times repeated ?René counted .Four times , he said .

I s it so , indeed ? I see i t ; it standsfor Henri IV . Oh she groaned as shethrew away the knife , I am accursed inmy posterity.I t was a terrible sight to see the franticwoman , pale as a corpse in the gloom of

the dark chamber , clenching and umclenching her bloody fingers .He will reign , he will reign said

she, with a sigh of despair.He wil l reign ,

” repeated René ,plunged in deep meditation .

The gloomy expression on Catherine ’sfeatures , however, was presently lightenedby a brighter thought, to which her brainseemed to give birth .

R ene,” said she, extending her hand

towards the Florentine , but keeping herhead buried in her breast René

,is

there not a terrible s tory of a doctor ofPerugia who poisoned his daughter andhis daughter ’s lover at one strokeAnd that lover was continued

Catherine , in a pensive tone .I t was King Ladislas , Madame .Ah ! yes, true,

” she murmured .

“ Haveyou any detail s of the story

“ I have an old book which gives anaccoun t of i t ,

” answered René .Well , let us go into the other room ;

you shall lend i t to me .”

They both left the cell , René closingthe door behind him .

Has your Majesty any orders to giveme in regard to fresh sacrifices ? askedthe Florentine .

“ No , René, no ; I am sufficiently

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1 10 QUEEN MARGOT

careless tone ; “ what paste does sheuse ?For her handsYes, for her hands in the first place .Heliotrope paste .And for her lips

“ For her lips she is going to use a newpreparation which I have inven ted , a boxofwhich I was intending to bring to yourM aj esty at the same time as I broughtMadame de Sauve ’s .”

Catherine remained for a moment inthoughtShe is a beautiful creature , certainly,

she said , stil l in response to her secretthoughts

,and there is nothing surpris

ing in the Prince of B éarn ’

s passion forher.”

And she is especial ly devoted to yourMajesty—so I believe at least ,

” said René .Catherine smiled and shrugged hershoulders .When a woman is in love , she said ,

“ i s she ever devoted to anyone but herlover You have made her some philtreor other,René.

"

I swear to you , Madame , I have not .Very well

,no more of it . Show me

the preparation ofwhich youwere speaking

,which gives freshness and rosiness

to the lips .”

René went to a shelf and showedCatherine six smal l round si lver boxesranged

'

side by side .That is the only philtre for which she

has asked me,said René ; i t is true, as

your Maj esty says , that I have composedi t expressly for Madame de Sauve , as herlips are so del icate and tender that theyare chapped by sun and wind alike .Catherine opened one of the boxes ,which contained a most delicious carmine

paste .René

, sa1d she,“ give me some of

the paste for my hands ; I wil l take i twith me .René disappeared with the candle tofetch from a special compartment whatthe Queen desired . He did not , however,return so quickly but that he fancied hesaw that Catherine , with a hasty movement

,had j ust seized one of the boxes

and concealed i t beneath her mantle . Hewas too familiar with the surreptitiousacts of the Queen - Mother to be so clumsyas to appear to have noticed

“

i t . So ,p lacing the required paste in a bag of

paper ornamented with fleurs - de - l is :Here i t i s

,Madame , said he .

Thank you,René,

" replied Catherine .

CHAPTER xx 1

1N MADAME DE S AUV E’

s APARTMENTS

Then , after a moment’s silence : “ D o

not take this stuff to Madame de Sauvefor a week or so , I should lik e to be thefirst to try it .”

She prepared to depart.Shal l I escort your Majesty home ?

said René.Only to the end of the bridge

,

’

answered Catherine ; my gentlemen arewaiting for me there with my litter.They both went out and reached thecorner of the Rue de la Barillerie, wherefour gentlemen on horseback and a litterwithout armorial bearings awaitedCatherine .On returning to his house

,René ’s first

care was to count his bottles of opiate.One of them was missing.

ATHERINE was'

not mistaken inher suspicions . Henri had re

sumed his former habits and repairedevery evening to visit Madame de Sauve .At fi rst he had conducted these

,visits

with the greatest secrecy, then his distrusthad gradually diminished and he hadneglected to take precautions , so much sothat Catherine had no trouble 1n assuringherself that the Queen of Navarre continned to be , in name Marguerite, in factMadame de Sauve .We mentioned Madame de Sauve’sapartment at the beginningof this story ;but the door opened by Dariole’ to theKing of Navarre has always closed tight ‘

behind him , so that this apartment , thescene of the mysterious amours of t liéPrince de B éarn, 1s quite unknown to us.This lodging, of the nature of thosesupplied by princes to thei r retainers inthe palaces which they inhabi t

,in order

that they may be at their beck and call,

was certainly smal ler and less com fortable than any lodging in the city of Pariswould have been . I t was situated , as wealready know , on the second floor almost 'directly over that of Henri

,and the door

opened on a corridor , the extremity of

which was lighted by a pointed Gothicwindow with smal l leaded panes

,which

,

even on the brightest days, admittedl

but

QUEEN

a feeble light. On winter afternoons i tbecame necessary to i lluminate this cor

ridor by a lamp which , containing onlythe same quantity of oil in winter as insummer

,went out at about ten in the

evening,thus affording, since the winter

days had nowarrived, thegreatest possiblesecurity to the two lovers .A smal l ante - chamber , hungwith si lkdamask adorned with largeyel low flowers ,a reception-room hung w ith b lue velvet ,a sleeping - chamber , of which the bed ,with its twisted p il lars and curtains of

cherry- coloured satin , was placed in analcove adorned with a silver mirror andtwo pictures representing the loves of

Venus and Adonis such was the lodging—the nest we should say to - day—of thecharming lady of the bedchamber toQueen Catherine de’ Medici .

Q

Opposite a dressing - table furnishedwith all its proper accessories , you might ,after careful search , have discovered asmall door opening upon a kind of

O ratory , in which stood a pw’

e- D ieu'

raised upon two - steps . On the wal lsof this Oratory were hung , as thoughto .serve as a corrective to the twomythological pictures above al luded to ,three or four paintings of a religiouscharacter. Between these paintings weresuspended from gilt nai ls some feminineweapons of offence for at this period ofmysterious intrig

'

ues , women as well - asmen carried weapons, and sometimesemployed them with equal effect .On the evening of the day succeedingthe one on which the incidents mentionedin the last chapter occurred at the houseof René, Madame de Sauve , seated in herbedroom on a couch , was relating toHenri both her fears and her love forhim , instancing in proof of both the devotion which she had shown ,

on thefamous night succeeding that of St .Bartholomew , that night which Henri ,as will be recollected

,had spent in his

wife ’s apartments .Henri , on his side, was expressing hisgrati tude to her . Madame de Sauve waslooking charming in her simple muslindressing

-

gown , and Henri was veryapprec1at1ve.

'

3Presently , H enri , who was really inlove , grew thoughtful ; while Madame deSauve also , .who , had ended by lovingwith all her heart the (

man . t0“

whomCatherine had ordered her merely topretend love , gazed attentivelyat Henri

MARGoT ,u

to see i f his looks accorded with hiswords .Come

,Henri

,be frank , Madame de

Sauve was saying , “ during that nightwhich you spent in the Queen

's closetwith M . de La Mole lying at your feet , didyou not regret that that worthy gentleman was between yourself and the Queen ’ sbedchamber ?I did

,indeed , my sweet, for I should

have had to pass through that room inorder to reach the one in which I am so

happy at this present moment.”

Madame de Sauve smiled .

And you have not been there sinceExcept at the times that I have told

You will never go there withouttell ing meNever.Would you swear that

“ Yes, .certainly , were I still 1a

Huguenot , butBut what ?The Catholic Religion , the doctrines

of which I am j ust learning , has taughtme that we should never swear.”

Oh ! '

you Gascon . said Madame deSauve , shaking her head.

B ut i f I were to question you , Charlotte , in your turn , would you answer myquestions

O f course , I would , replied theyoung woman . I have nothing toconceal from you .

“ Then tell me , Charlot te, . how i t i sthat

,after resisting me so de

'

terminedlybefore my

'marriage, you have‘

now be

come less cruel to me , who am a clumsyBéarnais , a ridiculous provincial , a princetoo poor, in short , to keep the j ewels ofhis crown bright .”

Henri , said Charlotte , you.ask .meto solve the enigma which the ' philosophers ofall countries for three thousandyears have tried to solve . 1N 'ever ask aawoman why she loves you, but 1be

satisfied with asking her if she lovesl

Do you love me, Charlotte ? askedfi enri

I do , replied Madame de Sauve witha

'

charm ing smile , and letting her beautiful hand s l ip into that of her lover. 1

Henri retained her hand .

But,” replied he, pursuing his

thoughts, suppose I guessed the key tothis enigma

,for which the philosophers

have sought in vain for three thousand

1 1 2 QUEEN MARGOT

years—guessed i t at least with regard toyoursel f, Charlotte .”

Madame de Sauve blushed .

You love me,” continued Henri

,

‘andtherefore I need ask you nothing else

,

and I think myself the happiest of mortals . Adam did not find himself perfectlyhappy in the Garden of Eden

,and he ate

the wretched apple which has implantedin us all that instinct of curiosity whichmakes everyone spend his li fe in thesearch for the unknown . Tell me

,my

love, that you may aidme in my search ,was i t not Queen Catherine who

,in the

first place , bade you to love meHenri , said Madame de Sauve

,

speak low when you mention the QueenMother.

Oh ! said Henri , with a freedom andconfidence which deceived even Madamede Sauve herself, “ there was good reasonto suspect her formerly

,when we were

on bad terms with one another ; but nowthat I am her daughter ’s husbandThe husband of Madame Mar

gueri te said Charlotte,reddening with

j ealousy.

I t is your turn to speak low,said

Henri . Now that I am her daughter ’shusband , we are the best friends in theworld . What did they want ? That Ishould turn Catholic , as it appears .Well ! grace has touched my heart

,and

by the intercession of St. B artholomew Ihave become a Catholic . We now livetogether as a happy family and like goodChristians .”

“ And Queen Marguerite ?She,

” said Henri, “ is the bond thatunites us all .”

But you told me , Henri , that theQueen of Navarre , in return formy devotion to her, had acted generously towardsme. I f you spoke truly

,if this generosity

,

for which I have vowed such gratitude toher, i s real , i t i s merely a conven tionalbond that can be easily broken . You

cannot then rely on this support, for you

have not deceived anybody by this pretended intimacy .

”

I do rely on i t, however, and i t i s thepillow on which I have reposed for thelast three months .Then you have deceived me

,Henri

,

cried Madame de Sauve,

“ and MadameMarguerite is your wife in the full senseof the word .

”

Henri smiled .

Stop, H enri ! said Madame de

Sauve,there is one of those smiles that

exasperate me and make me long , Kingthough you are , to tear out your eyes .

”

“ In that case , said Henri , “ I must

deny this pretended intimacy , since thereare moments when

,King though I am ,

you would like to tear my eyes outbecause you believe the intimacy exists .”

“ Henri ! Henri ! ” said Madame deSauve

,

“ I believe that not even Godhimself knows your thoughts .I fancy , my sweet ,

” said Henri , thatCatherine told you at fi rst to love me , thenthat your heart bade you do so , and that ,when these two voices speak to you ,you hear only that of your heart.Now , I also love you , and that w ithall my soul

,but for that very reason ,

i f I had any secrets , I should not confidethem to you , through fear of compromising you

,of course for the Queen ’s

friendship is changeable, i t is a motherin - law ’s friendship .

”

Charlotte had not reckoned upon this ;it seemed to her that the veil , whichspread thickly between herself and herlover whenever she tried to sound thedepths of his fathomless heart, was

assuming the consistency of a wall , andseparating them from one another. Atthis reply of her lover ’s , the tears startedto her eyes , and as at this moment theclock struck tenSire

,

”she said , “ this is my hour for

bed ; my duties summon me to the QueenMother very early to morrow morning .

”

Then you banish me this evening,mylove ? said Henri .

“ H enri , I am sad, and therefore youwould find me dull company , and wouldno longer love me ; you see , i t is muchbetter that you should go .

”

B e i t so ,” said Henri , 1 will with

draw if you insist upon i t , Charlotte ;only

, pardieu ! you must gran t me theprivilege of assisting at your toilet .”

“ But will you not be keeping QueenMarguerite waiting , sire ?

“ Charlotte,

” replied Henri , gravely,“ i t was arranged between us that wewould never speak of the Queen ofNavarre

,and thi s evening we seem to

have talked of nothing else .”

Madame de Sauve sighed as she sat

down at her dressing - table . Henri tooka chair

,drew it close to the one on which

his mistress was si tting , and crossing hisknees and leaning back

“ Come,my good little Charlotte, said

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

I 4

perfumer , I am waiting humbly til lyour Maj esty addresses me before I takeleave of the Baronne ."

Come, come ,” said Henri , with a

smile, “ i s i t necessary for me to tell youthat I am pleased to see youR éné glanced round him

,made a tour

of the chamber, as though with eyes andears to sound the doors and the hangingsthen , pausing and placing himse l f so as

embrace both_

Madame de Sauve andHenri in the same glanceI do not think .you are, said he .Henri realised , thanks to that wonderful instinct, which , l ike a sixth sense ,guided him during all the early part ofhis l i fe amid the dangers that surroundedhim , that some strange emotion in thenature of a struggle was passing in themind of the perfumer , and turned towardshim , the King sti ll remaining in shadow,

while the light fell upon the Florentine .

You here at this late hour, René .

said he .Am I so unfortunate as to

.annoyour Majesty by my, :presence . repl iethe perfumer, taking a step backwards .N0 only I want to know one th1ng .

What IS that, SireDid you expect to find me here .

7

“ I was sure of it "

You were lookingforme, thenAt any rate, I am glad to find you .

You have something to sayto me ?continued Henri .

Perhaps, Sire , answered René .

Charlotte blushed , for she trembledlest the communication which the perfumer appeared anxious to make shouldrefer to her past conduct towards Henri .accordingly she pretended that

,having

been absorbed in the details of her toilet ,she had heard nothing

,and

,interrupting

the conversationAh . René, she exclaimed

,as she

opened the box of salve , you are reallya charming man ; this paste has a wonderful colour , and as you are here , I shal lhonour you by experimenting on ,

the newproduction in your presence .And taking the box in one hand

, she

dipped a finger of the other in the pinkpaste , preparatory to putting i t on her lips.

René gave a start.The B aronne smilingly l i fted the pasteto her mouth .

QUEEN MARGOT

lost nothing either of Madame de Sauve’smovement or of René’s shudder.Charlotte ’5 finger was close to her l ipswhen René grasped her arm , j ust as Henrisprang up for the same purpose . TheKing sank back noiselessly upon thecouch .

“ One moment , Madame , sa1dRené ,with a forced smile you must not usethat paste without special directions .

“ And who wil l giveme those directions .

I will .’WhenAs soon as I have finished what I

have to say to his Maj esty the King ofNavarre .Charlotte opened her eyes in astonishment, understanding nothing of thismysterious language , and remained withthe box in her hand , looking at the tip ofher finger

,reddenedby the pink paste .

Henri rose,and moved by an . ideawhich , l ike all the young King ’s ideas,

had two aspects—one which appeared onthe surface and the other which lay buriedbeneath it—took Charlotte ’s hand andmade a movement to press i t , all redas i twas , to his lips .

One moment,said René , eagerly

“ be good enough ; Madame , to washthose fair hands

o

with this Neapolitansoap , which I forgot to send you with thepaste

,and which I have had the honour

to bring to you myself.And drawing from its si lver coveringa cake .of soap of a greenish colour, hep laced . it in a basin , poured some waterinto it , and presented it on one knee toMadame de Sauve .Why , really , Master René , I hardly

recognise you , said Henri ; “ your gallantry leaves al l the Court fops far in thelurch .

“ Oh ! what a delicious scent ! cri edMadame de Sauve , rubbing her beautifulhands in the lather produced by the perfumed tablet . ’

René carried out his duties to the full,and presented a towel of fine Dutch linento . Madame de Sauve , who wiped herhands with it. M

Now, said the F lorentine to Henri,do as you

'

p. lease , Monseigneur.”

Charlotte presented her hand to Henri ,who kissed i t, and whi le Charlotte turnedhal f round in her chair to hear what ‘René

b l

Henri , sti l l in the shadow , but wi th his was going to say, the King of Navarreeyes eagerly fixed on his companions

,resumed his p lace, more convinced than

QUEEN'

M ARGOT I I 5

ever that something extraordinar waspassing through the mind of the perfhmer.

“ Well asked Charlotte .The Florentine appeared to summonup all his reso lution , and turned towardsHenri .

CHAPTER XXI I

S IRE , YOU W ILL B E xxNo .

IRE , said René to Henri , “ I amgoing to speak to you of a matterh has been occupying my mind for

some time past .”

About perfumes ? said Henri , witha smile .

“W ell , S ire, yes about perfumes ,answered René

,with a curious gesture of

acquiescence .Speak , I am listening to you , and it

i s a subj ect which has at al l timesinterested me greatly .

1 René looked at Henri , in order to tryand read the thoughts which lay con

cealed behind his words ; but , finding theattempt entirely futile, he continued

“ A friend of mine , Sire , has arrivedfrom Florence who is much devoted toastrology.

”

Yes, interrupted Henri , I knowthat the Florentines have a passion forthe pursuit .”

He has , in conj unction with the firstprofessors ofthe art, drawn the horoscopesof the chief personages of Europe.”

Ah ! indeed , said Henri .And as the House of Bourbon stands

at the head of these i l lustrious fami l ies ,descending as it does from the Comte deClermont , fi fth son of St . Louis , yourMajesty may suppose that your horoscopehas not been overlooked .

”

Henri l istened with increased attention .

And you remember this horoscopesaid the King , with a smile , which heendeavoured to render one of indifference .

Oh ! ” replied René , with a shake ofthe head , your horoscope is not of theclass that is easily forgot ten.

”

Really ? ” said Henri , with an iron icalgesture .Yes , Sire , your Maj esty , according to

the terms of this horoscope , is called tothe most brilliant of destinies .”

The eyes of the'

young Prince flashedinvoluntari ly , but the next moment theydisplayed an expression of indifference .

“ All I tal ian oracles are flattering , ,

said Henri ; “ well,they who flatter

, lie.

Were there no t some which predictedthat I should command armies

'

And he burst into a peal of laughter ;but an observer less taken up wi th hisown thoughts than R éné was, wouldhave observed how forced this laughterwas.

“ Sire , said R éné , coldly , “ the horoscope announces better things than that .”

D oes i t predict that I shal l winbattles at the head of these armies ?Better even than that

,sire”

Come ,” said .Henri , . you wil l see

that I shall be a conqueror .Sire , you shall be King.

Eh by _ the Lord said Henri,

stifling the violent beating of his heart,

but am I not a King alreadySire , my friend knows what he is

promising ; not only will you be'

King ,but you will reign .

In that case ,” said Henri

,in the same

tone of irony , ‘ f your friend will expectten gold crowns , will he not, René ; for aprediction of that sort is a very ambitiousone , especially as things go at the presenttime ? 1 Come , René , as I am '

not rich , Iwill give your friend five of them on thespot, and the other five when the prediction is fulfi l led .

Sire ,” said Madame de Sauve

,don ’ t

forget that you are already pledged toDariole , and don

’ t overload yoursel f ‘withpromises .”

“ Madame , . said Henri , “ I hope thatfor the future I shal l be treated as aKing , and that everybody will be wel lsatisfied if I keep the half ofmypromises .Sire,

” resumed René , I wil l continne .

Oh is there more ? said Henri,

“ very wel l , i f I am to be Emperor, I“ wil l

give doubleMy friend , sire , has come from Flor

ence with this horoscope,which he repeatedin Paris always with the same resu lt

,and

he confided a secret to me .”“A secret which interests his Majesty ?asked Charlotte , eagerly .

“ I bel ieve so ,” said the Florentine.

He is trying to find words,

” ‘ thoughtHenri , without attempting to help himout ; “ the affair is a difli cult one to speakabout , apparently .

”

1 16 QUEEN

“ Come , speak , what is i t about ?resumed Madame de Sauve .

“ I t concerns ,” said the F lorentine ,

weighing each of his words , “ i t concernsal l these rumours of poisoning whichhave been going about the Court forsome time .”

A slight dilation of the King’s nostrilswas the only indication of his increasedattention at this sudden turn taken by theconversation .

And your Florentine friend , saidHenri

,

“ possesses some information onthe subject of these poisoningsYes , sire .How can you entrust to me a secret

which is not your own, René , especiallya secret of such importance saidHenri

,in the most natural tone that he

could assume.This friend desires to ask advice from

your Maj esty .

From meWhat is there astonishing in that ,

sire ? Remember the oldsoldier ofActium ,

who,when engaged in a law - suit, sought

advice from Augustus .”

Augustus was a lawyer, René , and Iam not.”

“ Sire,when my friend entrusted this

secret to me , your Maj esty stil l belongedto the Calvinistic party , of which youwere the chief leader, and M . de Condéthe second .

”

Well ? said Henri .This friend hoped that you would

use your all - powerful influence with thePrince de Condé to entreat the Prince notto be hostile to him .

”

You must explain that to me , René ,i f you wish me to

'

understand it , saidHenri

,without betraying the least change

in voice or features .Sire

,your Maj esty wil l understand

at the fi rst word ; this friend knows allthe particulars with respect to the attemptmade to poison the Prince de Condé .

”

There was an attempt to poison thePrince de Condé ? asked Henri , withwell - feigned astonishment ; “ indeed ! andwhen was thatRené fixed his glance upon the Kingand replied:A week ago , your Majesty .

By some enemy asked the King .

Yes,

” answered René , by an enemywhom your Majesty knows, and whoknows your Majesty .

“ As a matter of fact , I had heard i t

MARGOT

spoken of, said Henri , but I am ignorant of the details which your friend

,you

say, wishes to disclose to me .Well , a perfumed apple was offered to

the Prince de Condé , but , happily, hisdoctor happened to be there when it wasbrought to him . He took it from themessenger ’s hand and smel t it to test i tsfragrance and virtue . Two days later

,a

gangrenous swelling , an extravasation ofblood , and an open wound on the face

,

were the price paid for his devotion, or,

i f you prefer i t, the result of his imprudence .Unfortunately , answered Henri

,

“ being already half a Catholic,I have

lost a l l influence with M . de Condé yourfriend will be wrong in applying to me .”

“ I t was not only with the P rince deCondé that your Majesty ’s influencemight be of service to my friend

,but also

with the Prince de P0rcian,the brother

of the one who was poisoned .

Look here , R ene,” said Charlotte

,

do you know that your stories arerather blood - curdling . You make yourrequest at an unseasonable time . I t islate , and your conversation is creepy ingood sooth , sir, I would rather have yourperfumes .And Charlotte extended her hand againtowards the box of salve .Madame ,

” said René , “ instead of

trying that paste , as you are going to do ,li sten to the cruel results that wickedpeople are able to extract from

You are certainly funereal thi s evening , R ene,

” said the Baronne .Henri frowned , but he perceived thatRené wished to reach a goal of which as

yet he had but got a glimpse,and be

determined to pursue to the end thisconversation , which aroused in his mindsuch painful memories .And you know also , he resumed ,the details of the poison ing of the Princede PorcianYes ,

” said he . I t is known that i twas his habit to leave a lamp burning byhis bed - side every night poison wasmixed with the oil , and he was suffocatedby the fumes .”

Henri clasped his fingers,which were

moist with perspiration .

So then ,” he muttered

,

“ the manwhom you call your friend knows notonly al l the details of this poisoning

,but

the author as well .”“ Yes, and that i s why he wished to

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 i8 QUEEN

What do you want with me ?I must have a word with your

Majesty .

”

Don ’ t you know , said the King ,stepping closer to him ,

“ that unfortunatelyyou are risking your headI know it .”

WellWell , here I am .

Henri paled slightly, for he realisedthat he , too , shared the danger which thezealous De Mouy was incurring. He ,therefore, looked round uneasily , andstepped back once more

,no less quickly

than the first time.He had j ust caught sight of the D ue

d’

Alencon at a window.

Immediately altering his l ine of conduct , Henri took the musket from thehands of De Mouy , who , as we have said ,was acting as sentry , and pretending allthe time to be examining it

“ De Mouy ,” said he , you certainly

have not thrown yoursel f into the wolf ’sj aws in this way without some verypowerful motive ?

No ,sire

,and so I have been watching

you for the last week . I t was onlyyesterday that I learnt that your Majestywas to try this horse this morning , and Itook up my post at the gate of theLouvre .”

But how in this costume ?The captain of the company is a Pro

testant, and a friend of mine .”

Here 18 your musket , go back to yourduty. We are being watched . When Ireturn I will try and have a word with

you, but i f I do not speak , do not stopme . Farewell .”

De Mouy resumed his measured tread ,and Henri proceeded towards the horse .What pretty li ttle animal is that ? ”

asked the D ue d’

Alenoon from hiswindow .

I t i s a horse that I want to try thismorning ,

” answered Henri .B ut that is not a man ’s horse .No ,i t i s intended for a fair lady.

“ Take care , Henri , you are going tobe imprudent , for we shal l see this fairlady at the hunt ; and i f I do not knowwhose caval ier you are , I shal l at leastknow whose riding master yo

u are .No , egod ! you wil l not ,

” said Henri ,with his assumed good nature, for thelady cannot come out , being seriouslyindisposed this morning.

And he sprang in to the saddle.

MARGOT

“ Pooh ! said d ’Alencon , laughing ,poor Madame de Sauve !Francois ! Francois ! i t is you who

are imprudent .And what 18 the matter, then , with the

fair Charlotte ? resumed the D hed ’Alencon .

Why ,” con tinued Henri

,putting , his

horse to a gentle gal lop,and making him

describe a circle , “ a great heaviness inthe head , so Dariole tell s me, and a sortof numbness in her whole body

,together

with a general feeling of weakness.And wil l that prevent you from join !

ing us ? asked the Duke .Me ! why should it .

'

1’ replied Henri

,

you know that I am mad on him t ing,and that nothing would make memiss it .

“ You will miss it to day , however ,Henri ,

” said the Duke,after ’turning

round , and speaking for a moment tosomeone at the further end of the roomwho was invisible to Henri

,

“ for here ishis Majesty , who tells me that '

the huntcannot take p lace to - day .

”

Deuce take it said Henri,in a most

disappointed tone ; why is that ?“ Very important letters from M .

"deNevers , i t appears. There is a consultation between the King , the QueenMother , and my brother

,the D ue

d ’Anjou .

Ah ! ” said Henri to himself,

“ cannews have arrived from Poland Thenaloud

“ In that case , he continued , “ i t'

isuseless to risk myself any longer on this

'

slippery ground . Au revoir, brotherThen , stopping his horse 1n front of DeMouyMy friend , said he , call one ofyour

comrades to take your place . help thegroom to un - saddle this horse, put thesaddle on your head and carry i t 't0 1 the

Si lversmith ; he has a piece of si lver embroidery which he had not time to put ‘oni t . You will come to me and bring hisanswer.”

De Mouy hastened to obey , for the D ued

’

A lencon had disappeared from the

window , and i t was clear that 'he entertained some suspicion .

‘

In point of fact, he had hardly passedthe wicket when the Duke appeared .

A real Swiss occupied De Mouy’9p lace .The Duke looked narrowly '

at the newsentry

,then , turning towards Henri

J

QUEEN

That is not the man you were talkingto j ust now,

brother, i s i t ?No

,the other man belongs to my

house , and I have had him put into theSwiss Guard ; I have given him a com

mission which he has gone to execute .”Ah said the Duke , as though sat1s

fi edwith the explanation : “ and how isMargueriteI am going to ask her.Haven ’ t you seen her, then , since

yesterday“ No ; I went to her rooms last nightat about eleven , but Gillonne told me shewas tired

,and had gone to sleep .

Youwil l not find her in her room , shehas gone out ."

Yes,said Henri, i t is quite possible ;

she had to go to the Convent of theAnnunciation .

”

I t was impossible to continue the conversation , as Henri seemed determinedonly to give answers .The brothers - in - law accordinglyseparated

,the D ue d’

A leneon to go insearch of news , as he said ; the King ofNavarre to return to his apartments .Henri had hardly been there fiveminutes , when he heard a knock .

Who is there he asked .

“ Sire,

” answered a voice , which berecognised as De M ouy

’

s,“ i t is the

answer from the si lversmith .

”

Henri , with visible emotion , admittedthe young man , and closed the doorbehind him .

You, D e Mouy ! said he , I hopedthat you would reflect.Sire ,

” answered De Mouy, I havebeen reflecting for three months , andthat is long enough ; now is the time foraction .

Henri made a gesture of uneasiness .Fear noth ing , sire , we are alone , and

I am in a hurry, for time is preciousYour Majesty can restore, by a singleword , al l that has been lost to the causeof the Religion by the events of thisyear. Let us be explici t

,brief

,and

frank .

I am listening , my brave De Mouy ,answered H enri, .seeing that it was impossible toavoid an explanation .

I s it true thatyour Majesty has abj ured the Protestant religion ?

I t i s true ,” said Henri .

“ Yes , but with the l ips , or from theheart

“ A man is always grateful to God

MARGOT 1 19

when He saves his l i fe , answered Henri ,parrying the question as was h1s hab1t insimilar cases

,and God has clearly

spared me from this cruel danger .“ Sire

,

” resumed De Mouy, “ confessone thing .

"

What is that ?That your ab juration is no t a matter

of.convic tion , but of cal zo

'

ation. Youhave abj ured in order that . the Kingmight let you l1ve , and no t because Godhas spared your life .”

Be the cause of my conversion whatit may, De Mouy , I am none the less aCatholic .

”

“ Yes,but wil l you remain so always ?

wil l youo

not resume your liberty of li feand conscience at the first opportunitywhich offers ? W ell ! that opportunitypresents itself at this moment. LaRochelle —has r isen in insurrection ,R ousillon and Bearn await but a word tofollow suit ; Guienne is clamorous forwar . Only tell me that you are aCatholic under compulsion , and I willanswer to you as regards the future .A man of my rank is not forced , my

dear De Mouy ; what I haVe done, I havedone voluntarily.

B ut , sire ,”said the young man , hisheart sinking at this unexpected resistance , “ do you not think that in actingthus you are abandoning be

trayingus ?”

Henri remained unmoved by this appeal .Yes ,

” continued De Mouy , you arebetraying us, sire , for many of us havecome , at the peri l~ of our l ives , to saveyour honour and your liberty. We havemade all arrangements for giving ; you athrone ; do , you .understand , sire ? , not

mere ly liberty , but power ; a throne atyour own choice, for within two monthsyou may choose between Navarre andFrance .

De Mouy ,” said Henri , lowering his

eyes which , at this proposal , had flashedinvoluntarily, “ De Mouy , I am in safety,I am a Catholic , I am the husband ofMarguerite, I am the brother ‘

of KingCharles and the son ~ in ~ law of my goodmother Catherine .

_

I n assuming thesevarious relationships ; I have calculatedthe chances , but

'also the obligations .”

But , sire , rep lied De Mouy , whatare we to believe ? I am told that yourmarriage has no t been consummated ,that at the bottom of your heart you arefree , that the hatred of Catherine

1 20 QUEEN

Lies ! l ies ! interrupted Henrieagerly.

“ Yes , my friend , you have beenshamelessly imposed upon . Margueriteis in every sense my wife , Catharine mymother , King Charles the lord andmaster ofmy life andmy heart .”

De Mouy shuddered , and an almostcontemptuous smile crossed his lips . Sothen

,sire ,

” said he , letting his arms fal ldej ectedly , and trying to fathom the glanceof the impenetrable character confrontinghim ,

“ that is the answer that I am totake back to my comrades . I am to tel lthem that the King of Navarre gives hishand and his heart to those who havebutchered us

,that he has become the

sycophant of the Queen Mother,and the

friend of De M aurevel

My dear De Mouy , said Henri , “ theKing 13 about to qu it the counci l , and Imust go and find out from him thereasons that have caused the postponement of a t hing so important as ahunting - party. Farewell , my friend ,follow my example and leave politicsalone come back to the King and takethe Mass .”

And Henri led , or rather pushed backinto the ante - chamber the young man ,whose astonishment began to give placeto rage .Hardly had he closed the door than ,unable to resist the desire to wreak hisvengeance on some thing in default ofsome person , De Mouy crushed his hatbetween his hands , threw it on the ground ,and trampling i t under foot as thebull does the cloak of the matador :Zounds ! he cried , “ a contemptible

prince I should l ike to be killed on thespot , so as to stain him for ever with myblood .

Hush ! Mons ieur de Mouy ! saidthe voice of some one, sl ipping through ahal f- opened door. Hush ! for somebody besides myself might hear you .

”

De Mouy turned quickly , and perceivedthe D ue d'

A lengon, wrapped in a cloak ,and peering with his pale face into thecorridor to make certain that he and DeMouy were alone .The Duc d’

A lengon, exclaimed DeMouy, I am lost.

”

On the contrary , murmured thePrince , you have even perhaps discovered what you are in search of

, theproof of which is that I do not wish youto be kil led here , as you were intending .

B el ieve me , your blood can be better

MARGOT

employed than in reddening the doo rstepof the King of Navarre .”

And with these words the Duk e openedto its ful l extent the door which he hadheld half closed .

This room belongs to two of my gentlemen ,

” said the Duke . Nobody wil lcome here to hunt us out , so we can talkfreely . Come in , sir.

”

Here I am , Monseigneur , said theastonished conspirator.He entered the room

,and the Duke

closed the door behind him no lessquickly than the King of Navarre haddone .De Mouy had entered in a state offury and exasperation , but gradually thecold fixed gaze of the young D uc

Francois produced upon the Huguenotleader the effect of that enchanted mirrorwhich banishes intoxication .

Monseigneur,” said he , “ i f I under

stood rightly , your Highness wishes tospeak to me ?

“ Yes , Monsieur de Mouy. I thoughtthat I recognised you , spite of your disguise, and when you presented armS

‘

to

my brother H enri, I was certain that Iwas not mistaken . W ell ! De Mouy ,you are not pleased with the K ing ofNavarre ? ”

Monseigneur !Come

,talk to me frankly ; perhaps I

am your friend , though you do notsuspect i t .You , Monseigneur !Yes, I ; so speak out.I don ’ t know what to say to your

H ighness. What I had to discuss withthe King of Navarre touches interestswhich your Highness cannot understand .B esides ,

” added De Mouy, in a tonewhich he strove to render indifferent,“ the matter was a trifling one.”

Trifling said the Duke .Yes , Monseigneur.

”

A trifling matter for which youthought it your duty to risk your life byreturning to the Louvre where , as youknow

,your head is worth its weight 1n

gold, for nobody is ignorant of the fact

that you,together with the King of

Navarre and the Prince de Condé, arethe chief leaders of the Huguenots .”

“ I f you believe that , Monseigneur,deal with me as the brother of KingCharles and the son of Queen Catherineshould do .

”

“Why should I do that , when I have

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1 22 QUEEN MARGOT

protection over all his comrades , or his you will know that the leaders are inaccomplices , i f you please to call themso . Wel l , Monsieur de Mouy, what sayyou to this offer

“ I say that i t dazzles me, M on

seigneur.”

“ De Mouy , we shal l have manyobstacles to overcome , so do not showyoursel f from the very start so unreasonable and so hard to please to a son of aKing and a brother of a King, whocomes over to your side .”

Monseigneur , the matter would beal ready settled had I only myself toconsid er ; but we have a Council , andhowever bril liant the offer—perhaps evenon account of its bri lliancy—the Chiefsof the Party will not close with it exceptupon conditions .That is another matter , and your

answer is the answer of an honest heartand a prudent mind . From the way inwhich I have j ust acted , you , De Mouy,must have recognised my honesty. Treatme then on your side as a man whomyou respect , and not as a prince whomyou flatter . De Mouy, have I any chanceof success ?Upon my word , Monseigneur , since

your Highness wishes for my opinion ,your Highness has every chance sincetheKing of Navarre has refused the offerwhich I came to make him but I repeat ,Monseigneur, i t is indispensable that Ishould confer with my leaders .

“ Do so , sir, only when shal l I haveyour answerDe Mouy looked at the Duke in silence ;then , appearing to come to a determinationMonseigneur, said he , give me your

hand the hand of a Son of France musttouch mine to assure me that I shal l notbe betrayed .

”

The Duke not only extended his hand,

but took De M ouy’

s and pressed it .“ Now

,Monseigneur, my mind is at

rest. I f we are betrayed , I shal l say thatyou are not responsible otherwise , M on

seigneur,however little you might be

concerned in that betrayal , you would bedishonoured .

”

Why do you say thi s to me ,Mouy

,before

.

telling me when you willbring the answer from your leadersBecause , Monseigneur, by asking

when I shal l bring the answer, you askme at the same time where the leadersare ; and i f I should reply, ‘ this evening,

’

hiding in Paris .With these words , De Mouy, with anair of distrust , fastened his piercing gazeon the false and hesitating glance of theyoung Prince .Come , come , Monsieur de Mouy, you

are stil l suspicious . Still , I cannot claimyour entire confidence all at once ; lateron you will know me better. We aregoing to be united by a community ofinterests , which will rel ieve you of allsuspicion . You say this evening then ,Monsieur de Mouy

“ Yes, Monseigneur , for time presses.This evening. But where , please ?Here, at the Louvre, in this room ,

ifconvenient to you .

”

“ This room is occupied ? ” said Deouy , indicating by his glance the twods which stood opposite to each other.Yes , by two of my gentlemen .

For my part, Monseigneur, i t seemsimprudent for me to return to theLouvre .”

Why soBecause , i f you recognised me , others

may have as sharp eyes as your Highnessand recognise me also . I wil l returnhere, however , if you wil l grant what Iam about to ask .

What is that ?A safe - conduct .De Mouy , a safe - conduct from me

found upon you would ruin me andwould not protect you . I can do nothingfor you except on the condition that weare perfect strangers to one another in theeyes of all . The slightest discovery ofmy relations With you , i f proved to mymother or my brothers , would cost me mylife . You are safe - guarded , then , by myown interests , from the moment that Icompromise myself with the others as Iam compromising mysel f with you at thismoment . Free in my sphere of action ,powerful i f I am unsuspected , so long asI myself remain unfathomable , I canprotect all of you ; do not forget that.Make a fresh appeal then to your courage,rely on my word as you relied on that ofmy brother

,Henri , and come this evening

to the Louvre .”

B ut how do you mean me to comeI cannot venture into the apartments inthis costume i t was meant for the courtyard and the corridors My own

costume is more dangerous sti l l , foreverybody knows me here, and it

QUEEN MARGOT

does not disguise me in the slightestdegree .”

That is why I am looking , waitI think . . yesThe Duke

,in poin t of fact , had looked

al l round him , and his eyes had fastenedon the wardrobe of La Mole , which ,for the time being , was laid out upon thebed—namely , on the splendid cherrycoloured cloak embroidered with gold

,

which we have already mentioned , a hatadorned with a white feather, and surrounded by a string of gold and si lvermarguerites intermingled , and , lastly , agrey satin doublet .Do you see this cloak , hat , and

doublet,said the Duke , “ they belong to

M . de La Mole , one of my gentlemen ,and a fop of the fi rst water. This cloakhas made a sensation at the Court, andLa Mole can be recognised a hundredyards off when he wears it . I will giveyou the address of the tailor who suppliedhim with i t ; by paying him double whatit is worth you wil l get another l ike i tthis evening . You will remember thename of La Mole , won

’ t you ?The Duke had hardly completed hisinstructions

,when the sound of approach

ing steps was heard in the corridor, and akey turned in its lock.Who is there ? cried the Duke ,

rushing to the door and drawing the bolt.Egod replied a voice from out

side , that’s a strange question . Who

are you , yourself ? That’ s a good joke ;

when I want to enter my own room I amasked , Who is there ?I s i t you , Monsieur de La MoleO f course it is , but who are youWhile La Mole was expressing hisastonishment at finding his chamberOccupied , and was trying to discover whohis new fellow - lodger was, the D ue

d’

A leneon turned round quickly with one

hand on the bolt and the other on the lock .

Do you know M . de La Mole ? ” heasked De Mouy .

No , Monseigneur .Does he know you ?I don ’ t think so .”

I t is al l right, then besides, pretendto be looking out of the window .

De Mouy obeyed without rep lying,for

La Mole was becoming impatient,and

was knocking with al l h is might.The Duke took a final g lance at D e

Mouy , and seeing that his back was

turned , opened the doors .

1 23

I “ Monseigneur ! cried La Mole , . retreating in surprise , “ Oh ! pardon ,pardon , M onseigneur l

”

“ I t is al l right, sir ; I wanted' your

room to receive a visi tor in .

”

“ You are welcome , Monseigneurbut allow me

,I beg you, to take my hat

and cloak,which are on the bed ; for I

have lost both hat and cloak thi s evening on the Quai de La Greve , where Iwas attacked by thieves .Indeed , sir, said the Prince , with a

smile,giving La Mole with his own

hands the objects he had asked for,“ you appear to have been very badlytreated

,and to have encountered some

desperate ruffians.

”

The Duke handed the hat and cloakto La Mole

,who bowed and went out to

put them on in the ante chamber , withouttroubling himself in the least as to whatthe Duke was doing in his room , since itwas a common practice at the Louvre forthe apartments of the gentlemen to beemployed as reception rooms for visitorsof all kinds by the Princes in whoseservice they were employed .

De Mouy then advanced to the Duke,and both listened for the moment whenLa Mole should finish his toilet and goout ; however, when La Mole hadchanged his costume, he himsel f relievedthem from their difficulty by approachingthe door and saying 1

Pardon , Monseigneur, but yourHighness did not meet the Comte deCoconnas on your way ?No

,sir , I did not ; and yet he was on

duty this morning.

Then he must have been murdered,said La Mole to himself as he hurriedaway.

The Duke listened to the sound of hissteps as they grew less distinct , ; then ,opening the door, and drawing De Mouyafter himLook at him as he walks away, said

he , and try to copy his inimitableswagger.

“ I will do my best , answered DeMouy.

“ Unfortunately I am not a

popinjay, but a soldier.”

In any case I shall expect youin thiscorridor before midnight. I f my gent lemen

’

s room is at liberty, I will receiveyou there ; i f not, we will find another.

”

Yes, Monseigneur .”

This evening,then , before midnight.

This evening,before midnight .”

124 QUEEN

Ah ! by the bye , De Mouy , swingyour right arm well when you walk ; thatis a characteristic trick of M . de LaMole’s.”

CHAPTER XXIV

THE RUE T IZON AND THE R UE CLOCHEpER cEE.

A MOLE rushed out of the Louvreand began to scour Paris in

search of the unhappy Coconnas.

His first care was to betake himsel f tothe Rue de l ’Arbre- Sec , and visit Masterla H uriere, for La Mole rememberedhaving often quoted to the P iedmontese aLatin maxim tending to prove thatAmor, Bacchus , and Ceres were thethree divinities most necessary to man ,and he hoped to find Coconnas, inpursuance of that Latin aphorism ,

installed at the B el le- Et oile after a nightthat must have been no less busily employed than his own had been .

La Molegainednothingat LaH uriere’

s,

except that the latter remembered theobligation which he had undertaken , andwith a fairly good grace offered a mealwhich our gentleman accepted , and towhich , notwithstanding his anxiety , hedid ample j ustice.Having appeased his stomach , i f not

his mind , La Mole resumed his quest,walking alongside the Seine

,upstream .

On reaching the Quai de la Greve , herecognised the spot where , as he had toldM . d

’

Alengon, he had been stopped in thecourse of his nocturnal rambles three or

four hours earlier—a kind of incident byno means rare in a Paris older by ahundred years than that in which Boileauwas awakened by the sound of a bulletpiercing his shutters. A small piece ofthe feather of his hat had remained on thefield of battle. The love of possession isinnate in man . La Mole possessed tenfeathers , each finer than the other ; nonethe less did he stop to pick up this one,or

,rather, the only fragment of i t which

had survived , and was examining i t witha rueful countenance , when he heard thesound of heavy steps approaching him ,

and rude voices ordering him to makeway. La Mole looked up and saw a

MARGOT

litter, preceded by two pages , andescorted by an esquire .La Mole thought that he recognisedthe litter and hastened to move out ofthe way ; nor was he mistaken .

Monsieur de La Mole cried a sweetvoice from within the l itter , while a whitehand , soft as satin , parted the curtains .

“ Yes , Madame, i t is I , answered LaMole bowing .

Monsieur de La Mole with a featherin his hand continued the ladyin the litter ; “ are you in love then , sir,and are you fol lowing up the lady ’ s losttracks ?

“ Yes , Madame , answered La Mole ,and deeply in love ; but , for the moment ,i t i s my own tracks that I am fol lowing ,though it is not for them that I amsearching . Will your Maj esty permitme to ask how your health IS .

“ Excellent , s ir ; I have never feltbetter , I believe ; probab ly because Ispent the night in retirement.

“ Oh ! in retirement ,” said La Mole

,

regarding Marguerite curiously .

“ Well , yes ; what is there surprisingin that ?May I , without indiscretion , ask you

in what convent ?Certainly , sir, I make no mystery of

it ; at the Convent of the Annunciation .

But what are you doing here with thatscared appearance ?

“ Madame, I also passed the night inretirement and in the neighbourhood ofthe same convent ; this morning I amlooking for my friend , who has disappeared , and in looking for him I havefound this feather.Does it belong to him ? Truly you

alarm me on his account ; this place hasa bad reputation .

”

“ Let your Majesty be reassured , thefeather belongs to me ; I lost i t here atabout hal f - past five while escaping fromthe hands of four bandits who weredetermined , to the best of my belief atleast , to murder me .Marguerite repressed a hasty movement of alarm .

Oh ! tel l me about i t,said she.

Nothing easier, Madame . I t was , asI had the honour to tel l your Majesty

,

about hal f - past five in the morning“ And had you already gone out atthat early hour P interrupted Marguerite .Your Majesty wil l pardon me

,I had

not yet come in .

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1 26 QUEEN

another fi fty yards . '

1 did so , and’then

found myself in the Rue Saint - Antoine ,opposite the Rue de Jouy .

And thenThen

,Madame , I came back in

'

such

a state of happiness that I paid no attention

,to the four ruffians from whom I

escaped with such damage . Well ,Madame , when I discovered a scrap ofmy feather here , my heart leaped for j oy ,and I p icked i t up promising myself thatI would cherish it as a souvenir of thathappy night . But my happiness is dashedby one thing, namely , anxiety as to whatcan have become ofmy companion .

”

He has not returned to the Louvre,

then“ Alas ! no , Madame . I have searchedevery place where he

,might be—at theB el le- Etoile

,at the tennis - court , and a

number of other,

respectable placesbt

'

i t'

no ‘ Hannibal,and no Coconnas

eitherAs he said these words , accompanyingthem with a gesture of lamentation , LaMole extended his arms , thus Openinghis cloak and disclosing his doubletpierced in several places , through whichthe lining was protruding .

“ Why , you have been riddled !” said

Marguerite.Riddled is just the word , said La

Mole,not sorry

'

to make a merit of thedanger he 1 had run .

“ Look , Madame ,look ! ”

MARGOT

Nescio quid (I don’ t know what.)

Quocum (W'

i th whomCum ignoto. (W i th a stranger .)

“ I t is very odd,” said Marguerite .

So you could not find Coconnas shecontinued

,evidently not thinking of what

she was saying .

And so , Madame, as I have had thehonour to inform your Maj esty , I amdying of anxiety .

”

Well ! said Marguerite , with a sigh ,I must not delay you any longer fromyour task ; but I have an idea that hewil l find his way back by himsel f nevermind

,go on with your search .

”

The Queen laid a finger on her lips.Now ,

as the fair Marguerite had'

neitherconfided any secret nor made any confession to La Mole , the young manunderstood that this c harming gesture ,not being intended to enj oin silence uponhim

,must have some other meaning .

The litter resumed its j ourney , and LaMole

,still in pursuit of his investigation ,

continued walking along the Quay as faras the Rue du Long - Pont , which led intothe 1 Rue Saint - Antoine . Opposite theRue de j ouy he

'

stopped.

I t was there that on the previous evening the two duennas had blindfolded hiseyes and those of Coconnas. He hadturned to the left and had then countedtwenty paces he now went through thesame performance

,and found himsel f

opposite a house , or, rather, a wall behindH ow is it you didn

’ t change your which was a house ; in the middle of thisdoublet at the Louvre , since you wentback there ? asked the Queen .

wall was a door studded with great nai ls .The house was situated in the Rue

“ Ah !" said La M O16 ,

“ because there Cloche - Percée , a small ,’ 'narrow street

was someone in my chamber.”

What ! someone 1n your chambersaid Marguerite , whose eyes conveyedthe most lively aston ishment and who the place .was in your chamber, then

H is Highness .”

Hush interrupted Marguerite .The young man obeyed .

Qui ad lect icam meam stant

(Who are standing beside my litterD uopaeri et unus eques.

”

(Two pages and an esq u1re.)Opt ime, barbari D ie, M oles, quem

inveneris in cubiculo tuoP

(Good ! they are foreigners . Tell me ,

running from the Rue Saint - Antoine tothe Rue du Roi - de - S icile.

Od ’s truth said La Mole , “ this isI could swear' to i t .

When I stretched out my hand as I wascoming out

,I felt the nails on the gate ,

then I went down two steps . The manwho ran by shouting Help !

’ and Whowas ki lled in the Rue du Roi - de - S icile,was passing j ust as I set foot on the firststep . Let us see .”

La Mole went to the gate and knocked .

The door was opened by a kind ofporter

,who wore moustaches .

“ Was ist das ? (What is it) askedLa Mole

,whom did you find in your the porter .

roomFranciscum ducem.

Frane01s.)AgentemP (Doing

“ Ah ! ” said La Mole , “ a Swiss ,

(The Duke apparently.

”

My friend,he continued , with his

most insinuating air, I want my sword,

QUEEN

which 1 left at this house , where I passedthe night .”

I ch verstehe m’

cht , (I don’

t understand) replied the porter .My sword resumed La Mole .I ch verstehe nicht ,

" repeated theporter .Which I left. My sword , which

I left .

1c verstehe m'

cht“ In this house

,where I passed the

night .”

Gehe z um Teufel “ (Go to theDevi l .)And he slammed the door in his face .“ 'Sdeath ! said La Mole

,

“ i f I onlyhad that sword

,I would gladly run i t

through that rogue ’s body . But Ihaven ’ t got i t , and I shal l have to waitfor another day.

Whereupon La Mole went on as faras . the Rue du R oi de S icile, turned tothe right , took about fifty paces , turnedto the right once more, and found himsel fin the Rue Tizon

,a small street running

paral lel with the Rue Cloche - Percée , towhich it bore a very strong resemblance .

"

In addition t o this , he had scarcely takenthirty paces when he came upon anotherdoor with great nails , the two steps andthewall . You might really have thoughtthat the Rue Cloche - Percée had turnedround upon itself to watch him go by.La Mole hereupon reflected that hemight have mistaken his right for hisleft , and went to the door to make thesame request that he had made at theother. But this time his knocking wasin vain ; the door was not even opened tohim .

La Mole went over his ground two or

three times , and then arrived at the verynatural conclusion that the house had twoentrances ; one in the Cloche - Percée andthe other in the Rue Tizon .

But he neither recovered his sword nordiscovered the whereabouts of his friendby this conclusion

,however logical .

For a moment be entertained the ideaof buying another sword and ripping upthe wretched porter who persisted in

speaking nothing but German be re

flected, however, that i f this porter wasin Marguerite ’ 3 service, and if she hadchosen him on that account

,she had her

reasons for so doing , and would , perhaps ,be annoyed at being deprived of him ,

andLa Mole would not , forall the world , havewished to do anything displeasing to

MARGOT 1 27

Marguerite . Through fear, therefore,o f yielding to temptation , he made hisway back to the Louvre at about two inthe afternoon .

He was able this time to en ter hisapartment

,since i t was not engaged .

This was of urgent importance to him inregard to his doublet , at any rate , which ,as the Queen had remarked to him , hadbeen considerably damaged . He accordinglymade straight for his bed , in orderto subst ituteforit the handsome pearl - greydoublet. B ut to his great astonishment ,the first thing that he saw close to thegrey doublet was the famous sword whichhe had left in the Rue Cloche - Percée .La Mole seized it , and turned it over andover : there was no doubt about i t .Hallo ! said he , there must be some

magic connectedwith this . Ah ! i f onlypoor Coconnas could be found, as mysword has been found .

Two or three hours after La Mole'

hadceased prowling round the litt le housewith the double entranc

‘

e , the door inthe Rue Tizon opened . I t Was abou tfive in the even ing ; and consequentlyquite dark . A woman in a long furtrimmed mantle , accompanied by a maid ,issued from this door, which was heldopen by a duenna of about forty

,glided

swiftly as far as the Rue du Roi de S icile,knocked at a smal l door of the Hoteld ’Argenson, which was Opened to her,came out again by the principal door ofthe same house , which opened on to theVieil le - rue - du- Temp le , reached a smallpostern - gate in the H6 tel de Guise ,opened it wi th a key which she carried inher pocket, and disappeared . Half - anhour later , a young man with his eyesblindfolded came out by the same door ofthe same l ittle house , guided by a woman ,who led him to the corner of the RueGeoffrey - Lasnier and the Rue de laM ortellerie. Arrived there , she badehim walk fi fty paces and then removehis bandage . The young man scrupulouslycompl ied with his instructions , and at theagreed distance took off the handkerchiefwhich covered his eyes .

“ ’Sdeath he exclaimed , looking roundhim

,“ I ’ l l be hanged if I knowwhere I

am . Six o ’clock cried he , as he heardthe hel l of Notre - Dame strike the hour.And what can have become of poor LaMole ? I must run to the Louvre , andperhaps I shall get news of himSaying thus, Coconnas ran down the

1 28

Rue de la M ortellerie, and reached thegates of the Louvre in less time than anordinary horse would have taken

,hustling

and demolishing in his passage the moving hedge of worthy citizens who werepeacefully strol ling round the shops on

the Place de Baudoyer, and entered thepalace.There he questioned Swiss and sentry .

The Swiss was pretty sure that he hadseen M . de La Mole come in during themorn ing , but he had not seen him go out .The sentry had only been on duty for anhour and a hal f, and had seen nothing Ofhim . He ran to his chamber and hastilyOpened the door ; but he found nothingthere except La Mole’s doublet al l tornand slashed , which redoubled his anxiety.

Then he thought of La H uriére andrushed off to the worthy host of the

B el le-Etoz’

le. La H uriere had seen LaMole ; La Mole had dined at the inn .

Coconnas was accordingly completelyreassured , and , being very hungry , demanded a meal in his turn . He was intwo conditions requisite for supping wellh is mind was easy and his stomachempty ; he accordingly made such a goodmeal that i t lasted until eight o ’clock .

Then , fort ified by two bottles of an

QUEEN MARGOT

was disappearing l ike a ghost beneath thewicket as he returned the sentry

’s salute .The famous cherry - coloured mantle hadcreated such a universal sensation thatthere was no possibi li ty of mistakinghim .

cried Coconnas ; “ i t is bethis time ; there he is , going in . Hi hi !La Mole , hi my friend . P lague take it !I thought I had a pretty loud voice ; howi s i t that he didn ’ t hear me ? Luckilymy legs are as strong as my voice

,and I

can catch him up .

”

Sustained by this hOpe, Coconnas

rushed forward at full speed,and in a

moment reached the Louvre ; but spiteof al l his haste , the cherry - coloured cloak ,which appeared to be in an equal hurry ,disappeared beneath the vestibule j ust ashe entered the courtyard .

Hi ! La Mole ! ” cr ied Coconnas, stillrushing on , “ why don

’ t you wait for me ;i t is I , Coconnas ! What the devi l makesyou run like that Are you escapingfrom anyone ?I n point of fact , the red cloak , as thoughpossessed of wings , seemed to be flyingrather than climbing afoot to the secondfloor.

“ Ah ! you don ’ t want to hear me !Anjou wine of which he was very fond

,cried Coconnas.

“ You are angry withand which he tossed Ofi’ with a gusto that me Well , go to the devil , then !

’Sdeath !betrayed itself in sundry winks and I am quite exhausted .

”

smackings of the lips , he resumed his I t was at the foot of the staircase thatsearch for La Mole, accompanying this Coconnas hurled this reproach at thenew progress through the crowd by kicks fugitive whom he ceased to pursue withand blows with his fi st , proportioned to his legs , but whom his eyes continued tothat increasing friendliness inspired by follow through the well o f the staircase ,the comfortable feeling which always and who had now arrived opposite thefollows a good meal . apartment of Marguerite . Suddenly aFor a whole hour Coconnas paced the woman came out of this apartment andstreets adjoining the Quai de La Greve , grasped the arm of the man whomthe Port au Charbon , the Rue Saint Coconnas had been pursuing .

Antoine , the Rue Tizon , and the Rue “ Oho ! ” said Coconnas, “ that looks toCloche - Percée , to which last he thought me like Queen Marguerite . He washis friend might have gone back . At expected , then . That ’s quite anotherlast he bethought himself that there was state of things , and I understand why beone spot which La Mole could no t fai l didn ’ t answer me .”

to pass , namely , the wicket - gate at the And he leaned over the balustrade ,Louvre , and he resolved to station himsel f gazing up the Opening of the stalrcase.

there and await his return . After some words had been exchanged inH ewas not more than a hundred yards low tones , he saw the red cloak fol lowfrom the Louvre , and was picking up a the Queen into the room .

woman whose husband he had already “ Good ! that’s it,” said Coconnas ; “ I

upset,when in the distance he perceived was not mistaken : there are t imes

.

whenin fron t of him , by the dim light of a the presence of our best friend

O

1s 1ncon

large lantern suspended near the draw venient , and that is the case j ust nowbridge , the cherry - coloured mantle and with La Mole . And Coconnas, q metlywhite plume belonging to his friend , who ascending the stairs, sat down on a

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1 30 QUEEN MARGOT

cry which would betray him . He preferred

,therefore

,to let himsel f be led

into the apartments, since , once there ,he would be free to say to his fairconductress

“ S ilence in return for silence ,Madame .I n point of fact, Marguerite had gentlypressed the arm of him whom , 1n thesemi - darkness

,she had taken for La

Mole,and stooping to his ear, had said

to him in Latin :S ola sum introz

'

to, carissime.

(Come in , dearest ; I am alone .)De Mouy

,without replying , let himself

he led in ; but hardly had the doorc losed behind him , and he found himselfin the ante - chamber , which was betterl ighted than the staircase, when Margueri te perceived that i t was not La Mole .The little cry of surprise which theprudent Huguenot had expected escapedfrom Marguerite at this instant ; happilythere was no longer cause for fear .

“ Monsieur de Mouy said she, t e

treating backwards .The same , Madame, and I beg your

Maj esty to allow me to go on my waywithout mentioning my presence at theLouvre to anybody.

”

Oh ! Monsieur de Mouy, I was mistaken , then ,

” said Marguerite .Yes , I understand ,

” said De Mouy .

Your Maj esty took me for the King ofNavarre : I am the same height , have thesame white plume , and many , wishing toflatter me , no doubt , have said , the sameappearance .”

Marguerite looked hard at De Mouy .

D O you know, Latin , Monsieur deMouy she asked .

“ I did once, but I have forgotten it.Marguerite smiled .

“ Monsieur de Mouy , said she,“ you

may rely on my discretion . However, asI fancy that I know the name of theperson for whom you are looking at theLouvre , I wil l offer you my services andconduct you to him .

Pardon me, Madame ; I believe youare mistaken , and are completely inignorance . f

’

f‘

What cried Marguerite , are younot looking for the King of Navarre ?

.

Madame , said De Mouy , “ might I“ Alas ! Madame , I regret to have to venture to observe to your Majesty that ,

ask you to conceal the fact of my if the King of Navarre sees me in thepresence at the Louvre from the King Louvre at th is hour and in this dress, Iyour husband most especially .

“ Listen , Monsieur de Mouy , saidam lost .”

Marguerite seized De Mouy, and

Marguerite, with surprise ; “ I have dragging him to the famous closet :

looked upon you hitherto as one of thestaunchest leaders Of the Huguenot Party,as one of the most loyal adherents Of theKing my husband ; have I , then , beenmistaken

NO , Madame , for even down to thismorning I was all that you say.

”

And why have you changed sincethis morningMadame

,said De Mouy , bowing ,

be good enough to excuse me fromanswering

,and do me the favour to

accept my homage .”

And De Mouy,with firm but respect

ful demeanour,stepped towards the door

by which he had entered .

Marguerite stopped him .

However,Monsieur ,

” said she, “ i f Imight venture to ask for a word of explanation ; you can rely upon my word ,I thinkMadame

,answered De Mouy , “ I

am constrained to keep silence , and fromthe fact that I have not yet replied to

your Majesty you may infer how bindingis this duty .

However, sirYour Majesty can destroy me , but

you cannot req u1re me to betray my newfriends .”

“ B ut your Old friends, sir, have theyno claims upon youThose who have remained faithful ,

yes ; not so those who have not onlydeserted us, but also proved unfaithfulto themselves .”

Marguerite, who became thoughtfuland uneasy , was doubtless about to replyby a fresh question

,when Gillonne sud

denly rushed into the room .

“ The King ofNavarre ! ” she exclaimed.

Which way is he comingBy the secret corridor.”

Show this gentleman out by the otherdoorf

’

“ Impossible ,Madame . Do you hearSomeone is knockingYes, at that very door.Who is i tI don ’ t know .

GO and see, and come back and tell

QUEEN

Go in there, sir, said she.

“ Youwi ll be as wel l concea led and , what ismore , as safe as in your own house , foryou are there on the faith ofmy word .

”

De Mouy rushed in hastily , and thedoor had hardly closed behind him whenHenri appeared .

This time , Marguerite had no troub leto hide ; she was merely sad, and lovewas very far from her thoughts .As for Henri , he entered with thatsusp iciousness in regard to trifl es which

,

even in moments that were less dangerous,

made him take notice of the smallestdetails all the more, then , in the circumstances in which he found himsel f

, was

he profoundly observant .According ly , he instantly detected thecloud on Marguerite ’s brow .

You are busy , Madame said he .I yes, Sire , I was thinking .

”

And you are right , Madame ; thinking becomes you. I , too , was thinkingbut unl ike yourself , who seek solitude , Icame down expressly to share mythoughts with you.

”

Marguerite gave the King a gesture ofwelcome , and motioning him to an armchair , seated herself on a chair of carvedebony , as finely wrought and as strongas steel .A momentary si lence ensued

,which

Henri was the first to break .

“ I reco llected,M adame, that my dreamsas to the future had this in common withyour own, that , though separated ashusband and wife , we yet both desired tounite our fortunes .”

“’ I t is true , Sire .I think I understood also that

,in

any plans I might make for the elevationof us both , you told me that I shouldfind in you not merely a faithful , butalso an active al ly .

Yes , Sire , and all I ask is that , in settingabout the work , you should soon give methe Opportunity ofco - Operating with you.

”

I am happy to find you so disposed ,Madame , and I imagine that you havenot for a moment entertained the sus

picion that I shou ld lose sight of the p lanwhich I determined to carry out on thevery day when , thanks to your courageousintervention , I became reasonably certainthat my life would be saved .

”

Monsieur, I believe that with you indifference is but a mask , and I havefaith , not only in the predictions

'

Of theastrologers, but also in your own genius .

MARGOT 1 3 1

What should you say, then , Madame ,were somebody to thwart our plans andthreaten to reduce us , you and me, to aposition Of mediocri ty

“ I should say that I was prepared tostruggle with you, either secretly or

Open ly , against that somebody, whoeverhe might be .

“ Madame , continued Henri , “ i t i spossible for you, i s i t no t , to go this verymoment to your brother

,the Duc d ’

Alencon ? You have his confidence , andhe has a strong friendship for you.

Might I venture to ask you to find out

whether he is not at this very moment insecret conference with someoneMarguerite started .

W ith whom , Monsieur ? she asked .

With De Mouy .

”

Why should I do that , asked Marguerite , repressing her emotion .

“ Because , if i t be so , Madame , farewell to al l ourproj ects—to mine , at least .

”

“ S ire,speak low , said Marguerite ,

making signs at Once with her eyes andher lips

,and pointing with her finger to

the closet .Oh ! said Henri

,someone there

again Upon my word , this closet is sooften occupied that i t makes your roomuninhabitable .”

Marguerite smi led .

At least , tel l me, is i t still La Mole P”

asked Henri .No , Sire , it is M ..de Mouy.

He ? ” exclaimed Henri in surprise”mingled with j oy, “ then he is not withthe D ue d

’

A lencon ? Oh ! let h imcome here ; let me speak to himMarguerite ran to the closet , andopened it ; . then, taking De Mouy by thehand , brought him without further preamble to the King of Navarre .

“ Ah ! Madame , said the youngHuguenot, in a tone of reproach ratherthan of bitterness , you have betrayedme in spite of your promise . Whatshould you say i f I avenged mysel f bytel l ing .

”

You will not avengeyoursel f,De

Mouy , interrupted Henri , “ or, at least,you shal l l isten to me first . Madame ,see, I beg you, that no one overhears us .

’

Henrit !

had scarcely spoken the wordswhen Gillonne entered ' with a scaredface

,and whispered some words to Mar

guerite which made her spring from herchair. While she ran *to the antechamber with Gillonne, Henri , with out

1 32

troubl ing himself as to the cause whichtook her out of the room , inspected thebed

,the al cove , and the hangings , and

sounded the walls with his fingers .for De Mouy, terrified at all these prel iminaries, his first care was to assurehimsel f that his sword was loose to thescabbard .

Marguerite,on leaving her bedchamber ,

had hurried into the ante - room and foundherself confronted with La Mole , who ,spite Of al l Gillonne

’

s entreanes, hadinsisted on forcing his way in .

Coconnas was j ust behind him , readyto push him forward or to support hisretreat , as occasion demanded .

Ah it is you, M . de La Mole , criedthe Queen but what is the matter , andwhy are you so pale and tremblingMadame ,

” said Gillonne, M . de LaMole knocked so persistently that I wasobliged to open the door to him in spiteOf your Maj esty ’s orders .”

What is the meaning of th is P saidthe Queen severely.

“ I s what I am toldtrue

,Monsieur de La MoleMadame, I wished to warn your

Majesty that an unknown stranger , arobber possibly , had made his way intoyour rooms wearing my hat andcloak .

”

“ You are mad , sir, said Marguerite,“ for I seeyour cloak upon your shoulders ,and I believe I also see your hat uponyour head , though you are in the royalpresence .

Oh ! pardon , Madame, pardon !”

cried La Mole , hastily uncovering , “ i t isnot , however, Heaven be witness, becauseI am lacking in respect .No , but lacking in faith , are you

not said the Queen .

“ W hat would you have ?Mole , “when a man is with your Majesty ,

cried La

QUEEN MARGOT

recognised De Mouy at a glance ; both ofthem remained dumbfounded .“ ‘ Now that you are reassured

,as I

hope at least that you are ,” said Mar

guerite, “ station yourself at the door ofmy apartment , and on your l ife, dearLa Mole, let nobody enter. I f anybodyshould even approach the head of thestairs , give warning.

"

La Mole , weak and obedient as a

child , exchanged glances wi th Coconnas,and both of them found themselves outside before they had recovered from theirastonishment .De Mouy exclaimed Coconnas.Henri ! murmured La Mole.De Mouy in your hat and cloak

, andimitating the swing of your arm.

”

“ Yes , but since it i s no question of love , i t certainly means someAh ’Sdeath ! so now we are involved

in politics ,” grumbled Coconnas : “ hap

pily, I don’ t see that Madame de Nevers

has any connection with this affair .”

Marguerite returned and sat downnear the King and De Mouy ; her absencehad lasted but a minute and she hademployed the time wel l . The fact thatGil lonne was on guard at the secretpassage , while the two gentlemen wereposted at the chief entrance

,afforded her

a sense of safety.

Madame ,” said Henri , do you think

it i s possible for our conversa tion to beoverheard by any means whatever ?Monsieur

,

” said Marguerite, “ thewalls Of the room are padded , and adouble panelling guarantees that no

sound can penetrate .”“ I trust to you

,replied Henri, with

a smile .Then , turning to De Mouy“ Now , what are you doing here ?said the King , in a low tone , as if spite of

when he introduces himself under cover Margueri te ’s assurance, his fears wereOf my dress, and perhaps my name, whoknows

“A man said Marguerite , gently

not entirely removed .

Here 2 said De Mouy.“ Yes , here, in this room ,

repeatedpressing her unhappy lover ’s arm :

“A Henri .

You are under the mark ,manMonsieur de La Mole.

He did not come for anything , saidPut your head Marguerite

,

“ i t was I who brought himthrough the opening of the curtain and in .

”

you will see two men .

”

Marguerite partial ly

Mole recognised Henri in conversationwith the man in the red cloak Coconnas,as interested as though the matter concerned himself, al so looked

raised the velvetcurtain , embroidered with gold , and La

Then you had“ I have guessed all .You see, De Mouy , she can divine .

”

Monsieur De Mouy,” continued Mar

guerite , “ was with Duc Francois thismorning , in the chamber of two of his

and gentlemen .

”

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1 34: QUEEN

Yes , Sire .WhereIn the chamber belonging to his two

gentlemen .

At what hour PUp til l midnight .I t is not eleven yet , said Henri ;

“ come , De Mouy , no time has been lost .”

We have your word,

‘ sir,

” saidMarguerite .Come , Madame , said Henri , with

that confidence which he knew so wellhow to display towards certain persons

,

and in certain circumstances,in t he

case of M . de Mouy such guarantees arenot required .

”

“ You are right , Sire , answered theyoung man , but I req uire your word ,since I shall have to tell the chiefs of theParty that you have given it me . You

are not really a Cathol ic,are you

Henri shrugged his shoulders .You do not renounce the sovereignty

of Navarre ?1 I renounce no sovereignty, De Mouy ,only , I reserve to mysel f the choice of thehigher sovereignty , the one, that is to say ,that shall be most expedient for myselfand for you.

”

And if, meanwhile , your Majestyshould be arrested , you promise to revealnothing , even in case your royalMaj esty should be subj ected to torture ? ”

“ De Mouy , I swear it by God.

”

One word more, Sire ; how shall Isee you again P

You shal l have a key of my chamberto - morrow ; you shall come in , De Mouy ,as often as is necessary, and at what houryou please . I t wil l be the business of theD ue d

’

A lencon to answer for yourpresence in the Louvre . Meanwhile, goup by the small staircase ; I will act asyour guide . While I am doing so, theQueen wil l admit the man with the redcloak

,l ike your own, who was in the

ante - chamber j ust now . NO one mustknow that there is any difference between the two , and that you are two

separate persons , must they, De Mouy ?Must they, MadameHenri pronounced these last wordswith a laugh and a glance at Margueri te.

NO,

” said she, without betraying anyemotion ; “ for th is Monsieur de La Moleis in

’

the service of the Duke mybrother .”

W é ll ,Madame , tryto gain him over toourside,

” said Henri , with well - assumedgravity ; “ spare nei thergold nor promises .

MARGOT

CHAPTER XXV I

M ARGAR ITA

I place my whole wealth at his disposal .In that case,

’ ’ said Marguerite,with

one of those smiles characteristic on ly ofthe heroines of Boccaccio

,

“ since such isyour wish , I wil l do my best to further i t.

”

Good , Madame ; and you, De Mouy,go back to the Duke and run your swordthrough him.

’

HILE the above conversationwas taking place , La Mole and

nued to mount guard ; LaMole somewhat annoyed , Coconnas alittle uneasy .

La Mole had had time to reflect,and

Coconnas had greatly assisted him in sodoing .

What think you ofall this ,my friend PLa Mole had asked Coconnas.

I t hink ,” the P iedmontese had repl ied

,

“ that some Court intrigue is at thebottom Of i t al l .And , such being the case , are you

disposed to play a part in that intrigue ?My dear friend

,

” answered Coconnas,“ l isten attentively to what I am about tosay , and try to profi t by it . In all theseplots of princes , in all thesemachinationsof kings , we can only—we must only—beconsidered as shadows where the Kingof Navarre leaves behind a bit '

of his'

p lume , or the D ue d’

A lengon a flap of

his cloak , we must leave our l ives . TheQueen has a fancy for you , and you aliking for her—nothing more . Lose yourhead in love

,my dear fellow , but don

’ tlose it by meddling with politics .”

I t was sound advice . Accordingly , i twas listened to by La Mole with all thesadness Of a man who feels that , placedbetween reason and fol ly , he must followthe latter .

“ I have not a mere liking for theQueen

,Hannibal ; I am in love with her ;

and,fortunately or otherwise , I love her

with my whole soul . I t 13 fol ly , yOu willtell me . I admit i t ; I am mad . B ut

you, who are a wise man , Coconnas,ought not to suffer through my folly andmy misfortune . Go , thei efore, and find

QUEEN

our master,and do not compromise

yourself.”

Coconnas reflected for a moment then ,raising his head , he repl ied

“ My dear fellow, all that you say is

perfct ly true ; you are in love , so actaccordingly. For my own part, I amambitious

,and that being my disposition ,

I reckon l ife of greater value than awoman 's kisses . When I risk my life , Ishal l make my own conditions , and you ,poor lover , must try and do the same .

"

Whereupon Coconnas gave La Molehis hand

,and went away , after exchang

ing a last look and a last smile with hiscomrade .I t was about ten m lnutes after he hadquitted his post when the door Opened ,and Marguerite , appearing cautiously ,came and took La Mole by the hand , andwithout saying a word , drew him fromthe corridor into the innermost recessesof her apartment, with her own handsclosing the door with a caution whichbetokened the importance of the conference that was about to take place .Having reached the chamber, shestopped , sat down on the ebony chair ,and drawing La Mole towards her , tookboth his hands in her own and beganNow that we are alone, my dear

friend , let us talk seriouslySeriously , Madame PO r amorously. See , that suits you

better, does it not ? There are perhapsserious things in love, especially in thelove of a queen .

”

“ Let us talk , then of seriousthings,but on condition that your Maj estywil l not be angry at the foolish things Imay say to you .

“ I shal l only be angry at one thing ,La Mole, and that is at your calling meMadame ,

’

or your Majesty.

’ For you,

dear , I am only Marguerite.Yes , Marguerite Margarita my

pearl ! ” said the young man,devouring

the Queen with his gaze .That is better ,

” said Marguerite ;so you are jealous , are you PYes ; enough to drive me out of my

sensesfi’

“ Still !Enough to send me mad

,Marguerite .

“

J ealous ofwhom,come P

O f everybody.

”

But in particular PO f the King , in the first place .I thought that after what you have love me, you wish to stay near me P

MARGO'

I‘

1 35

The chiefest thing in your life, then ,is your love , dear La Mole PI t is the one and only thing , Madame .Well

,be it so ; I wil l make all the

rest on ly an accessory to that love . You

seen and heard you might be easy on

that score .“ O f De Mouy , whom I saw thismorning for the first time , and whom Ifind this evening so advanced in - his

intimacy with you.

O f M de Mouy ?“ Yes .“ And what has fi lled you with thissuspicion ofM . de Mouy PListen I recognised him by his

figure , by the colour of his hair , by aninstinctive feel ing of dislike—it i s hewho was with the D ue d

’

Alencon thismorning .

”

“Well , how does that affect me PM . de A lengon is your brother ; he is

said to love you dearly ; you musthave hinted to him a vague desire of

your heart , and he , according to thecustom of the Court, has favoured yourdesire by introducing De Mouy to yourpresence . Now, how arose the circumstance

, so luckyforme , that the King shouldfind himself there at the same time as DeMouy ? That is what I do not know ;but in any case, Madame , be frank withme ; in default of any other sentiment, alove like mine has every right to claimfrankness in return . See , I prostratemyself at your feet. I f what you haveevinced for me is but a momentarycaprice, I give you back your word , yourpromise, your love ; I restore to M .

d’

Alencon the favour he has shown meand my office of gentleman , and I willgo and get killed at the siege of LaRochelle , unless I die of a broken heartbefore I arrive there.”

Marguerite l istened wi th a smile tothese words so ful l of charm , and followedwith her eyes his gestures so full ofgracefulness ; then , resting her beautifulhead thoughtfully on her burning handYou love me P she said .

Oh ! Madame, more than my life ;more than my salvation ; more thaneverything ! but you you do loveme .”

Poor infatuate fool she murmured .

“ Yes , Madam ,

” cried La Mole , stillkneeling at her feet, “ I told you I wasthat ”

136

My one prayer to God is that Hemaynever send me from your side .

”

Well , you shal l not leave me ; I wantyou , La Mole .

”

“ You want me ? the sun n eeds theglow - worm PI f I tel l you that I love you , will you

be absolutely devoted to me PWhy , am I not so already, Madame,

entirely devoted to you PYes

,but you still mistrust me .

Oh ! I was wrong ; I am ungrateful ,or rather—as I told you, and you re

peated it—I am mad . B ut why was DeMouy with you this evening ? Why didI seehim this morning with M . d

’

AlengonPWhy that red cloak , that white plume,that imitation of my appearance .Ah ! Madame , i t i s not you whom Isuspect , but your brother.Unhappy man ! said Margueri te

,

“ to believe that my brother pushes hiscompliance to the point of introducing alover to his sister ! Senseless man

,who

says he is j ealous , and yet has not guessedthe truth D O you know , La Mole, thatthe Duc d’

Alengon would s lay you withhis own sword if he knew that you werehere this evening at my knees, and that,instead of spurning you from that position , I am saying to you : Stay whereyou are, La Mole, for I love you , do youhear, I love you ! Well , yes, I repeat, hewould kil l you .

”

Great God ! i s i t possible ? criedLa Mole, falling backwards and lookingat Marguerite in terror .

Everything is possible, my friend , inour days and at this Court. Now, butone word : i t was not on account ofme that De Mouy , dressed in your cloakand his face concealed beneath your hat ,came to the Louvre . I t was for M .

d’

Alencon. I brought him in here,

thinking that he was you . He is inpossession of our secret , La Mole, wemust treat h im gently .

I should prefer to kil l him , said LaMole , i t i s the shortest and safest way.

And I ,” said the Queen

,prefer that

he should l ive and that you should knowall , for his li fe is not only useful to us ,but necessary. Listen , and weigh wellyour words before replying : do you loveme sufficiently , La Mole , to rej oi ce i f Ibecame veritably Queen , that is to say,mistress of an actual kingdom ?

“ Alas ! Madame , I love you wellenough to l esire what you desire , were

QUEEN MARGOT

the realisation of that desire to rendermy whole l ife unhappy .

Well , will you help me to real ise thatdesire , which shall render you stil l morehappy ? ”

Oh ! Madame, I shall lose you !” cried

La Mole , burying his face in his hands .NO

,on the contrary ; instead of being

the first of my servants, you shal l become

the chief Of my subj ects ; that is al l thedifference .”

“ Oh ! i t i s not interest nor ambition , Madame, do not degrade thefeeling which I have for you it isdevotion , nothing but devotion .

You have a noble nature,

” said Marguerite ; well , yes, I accept your devotionand shal l know how to repay it .”

And she held out both her hands,which

La Mole covered with kisses.Well she said .Well , yes , answered La Mole . “Yes

,

Marguerite, I now begin to understandthat vague proj ect which was discussedamong us Huguenots before St . B artholomew

’

s Day , the proj ect for theexecution ofwhich I , l ike so many othersworthier than myself

,had been summoned

to Paris . You covet that actual sovereignty of Navarre which 1s to replacethe fictitious one ; King Henri i s urgingyou to this ; De Mouy is conspiring withyou, i s he not ? But the D ue d

’

A lencon,

what has he to do with all this ? Where i sthere a throne forhim in this enterprise P Icannot seeany.W el l , theD uc d

’

A lencon i ssufficiently your friend to aid you in al lthis , without making any claim in exchange for the danger which he incurs PThe Duke , my friend , i s conspiring on

hisown behal f. Letus leave him in h1serror,his 11fe ensures the safety of our l ives .”

B ut 1 , who am ln his service, can Ibetray him ?

‘ B etray him ? and how shall you bebetraymghim ? What has he confidedto you P I s i t not rather he who hasbetrayed you by giving De Mouy yourhat and cloak as a means of gainingadmission to his presence P You belongto h1m , say you ! Were you not minebefore you were his P Has he given you agreater proof of friendship than the proofofmy love which 1 have afforded you PLa Mole rose pale and as thoughthunderstruck .

Oh he murmured , Coconnas wasquite righ t ; intrigue is enveloping me inits folds—it will choke me.”

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1 38 QUEEN MARGOT

be seriously il l , and on no account admitanyone during the whole of to - morrow .

”

Charlotte obeyed without making anyquestion of the King ’s motive in givingher these directions : she was growingaccustomed to his eccentricities , as weshould term them nowadays—his whims

,

as they were then styled .

She knew , besides , that there werelocked in his breast secrets which hedisclosed to nobody, that his thoughtswere ful l of proj ects which he fearedhe might reveal even in his dreams ;accordingly she took care to comply withall hi s wishes , in the certainty that eventhe strangest of his ideas were directedtowards a purpose .The same even1ng, therefore , she complained to Dariole of a severe headache,accompanied by giddiness ; these beingthe symptoms which Henri had told herto feign . On the following day she pretended to want to get up ; but hardly hadshe set her foot to the ground ere she

complained of feel ing weak general ly,and went to bed again .

This il lness , already announced byHenrito the Duc d’

Alencon, was the first pieceof news given to Catherine upon her asking in an easy manner why Madame deSauve did not come as usual to dress her.

“ She is ill ,” answered Madame de

Lorraine , who was in the room.

I l l repeated Catherine , without amuscle of her face betraying her interestin the reply . Some fi t of laziness

,more

likely.

”

No , Madame , replied the Princess ;she complains Of violent headache anda weakness which prevents her fromwalking.

”

Catherine did not answer ; but , to hideher delight, no doubt, turned towards thewindow, and seeing Henri crossing thecourtyard after h is conversation with DeMouy , she got up in order to observe himmore closely , and prompted by thosestings of conscience which are ever felt ,though invisibly , in the hearts mosthardened to crime

“ Does not my son Henri , she askedthe captain Of the guards , “ look palerthan usual this morning PI t was not so in real ity ; Henri , although

uneasy in his mind , was perfectly well inbody.The persons who usually assisted at

the Queen ’ s toilet withdrew one by one ;three or four Of her more famil iar atten

dants still remained ; Catherine, in herimpatience , dismissed them , saying thatshe wished to be alone .When the last of the courtiers hadgone out , Catherine closed the doorbehind him , and going to a secret cupboard concealed behind one of the panelsof her chamber, slid back the door in agroove of the woodwork and took out abook , the crumpled leaves ofwhich denotedthe frequency of its use. She placed thebook on a table, Opened it at a page indicatedby a book - marker , rested her elbowon the table and her head upon her hand .

“ Yes , that is i t,”shemurmured , as she

read ; headache , general weakness, painsin the eyes , swelling of the palate . Onlythe headache and the weakness have beenmentioned as yet the other symptomswill not be long in showing themselves .”

She continuedNext inflammation seizes the throat,

extends to the stomach , envelopes theheart as with a circle of flame, and splitsthe brain like a thunderbolt .”

She read this in a lowvoice ; then shewenton again , but in still more subdued tonesFor the fever six hours , for the

general inflammation twelve hours , for themortifi cation twelve hours , for the deathagony six hours thirty - six hours in al l .”

“ Now, supposing that the process Ofabsorption takes place more slowly thanthat of deglutition , and that instead ofthirty - six hours we have forty , or eveneight - and - forty yes, forty - eight hoursought to be enough . But how is it thatHenri is sti l l up and about P Becausehe is a man , and ofa robust constitution , orperhaps he drank something after embracing her , and wiped his lips after drinking .

”

Catherine awaited the dinner - hour withimpatience . Henri dined every day atthe King ’s table . When he came

,he

complained in his turn of spasmodictwitchings in the head , ate nothing , andretired immediately after the meal , sayingthat as he had lain awake during thegreater part of the night , he felt an urgentdesire for sleep .

Catherine l istened as he retreated withtottering footsteps , and had him followed .

The report was brought back that theKing Of Navarre had gone in the direction Of Madame de Sauve ’s apartment.Henri , '

she said to hersel f, by goingto her this evening wil l complete thework Of

'

death which an unfortunateaccident has perhaps left unfinished

QUEEN MARGOT

In point Of fact , the King of Navarrehad gone to Madame de Sauve , but onlyto tel l her to continue to play her part.The next day Henri did not leave hisroom the who le morning , nor did he putin an appearance at dinner with the King .

Madame de Sauve was reported to begrowing worse , and the report ofHenri

’sil lness , circulated by Catherine herself,spread l ike one of those presentiments ,the origin Of which no man can accountfor, but which are disseminated insensiblythrough the air.Catherine applauded herself for thecourse which she had taken she hadsent away Ambroise Paré for the wholenight to go and visit one of her favouriteattendants at Saint - Germain . She musthave a man

,therefore , whom she could

summon to Madame de Sauve andHenri and this man would say onlywhat she wished him to say. I f, contrary to al l expectation , any other doctorfound himself mixed up in the business ,and if any assertion of poisoning were toalarm that Court where so many similarassertions had already been whispered , shereckoned confidently upon the rumourswhich were prevalent of Marguerite ’sj ealousy on account of her husband ’sintrigues . The reader will recollect that theQueen - Mother had spoken often of thisj ealousy,which had blazed forth on severaloccasions

,amongst others during the expe

dition of the Court to visit the miraculousH awthorn,whereshe hadsaid to herdaughter

,in the presence of severa l personsThen you are very j ealous, Mar

guerite PAccordingly, she waited with a com

posed countenance the moment when thedoor should open and some servantshould enter

,with pale and scared face,

exclaiming :Your Majesty, Madame ,

de Sauve isdead

,and the King of Navarre is dying

Four O ’clock struck . Catherine wasin the aviary crumbling biscuits for somerare birds which she fed with her ownhand . Though her face was, as usual ,calm and even gloomy , her heart beatviolently at the slightest sound .

Suddenly the door Opened .

Madame,said the captain of the

guard,

“ the King of Navarre isI ll ? interrupted Catherine eagerly.

NO,Madame

,thank God ! his Maj esty

appears extremely well .What were you going to say, then P

I 39

That the K ing of Navarre is here .

What does he want with me PHe has brought your Majesty a small

monkey , a very rare specimen .

”

At this moment Henri entered with abasket in his hand , caressing a littlechimpanzee monkey , which lay inside it .Henri smiled as he entered

,his atten

tion apparently being quite taken up withthe charming l i ttle creature which he wasbringing ; but for all hi s seeming preoccupation, he was able to bestow that fi rstscrutinising glance which sufficed for

him in diffi cult circumstances. As forCatherine , she was very pale

,and her

paleness increased in proportion as sheObserved the healthy rosiness in thecheeks of the young King .

The Queen - Mother was dazed by thisblow . She accepted Henri 's presentmechanically , became confused , complimontod him on his appearance

,and added :

“ I am the more p leased to see you

looking so well , my son, because I hadheard that you were ill , and because , i f Irecollect rightly , you comp lained in mypresence of indisposition but I see now ,

added she , with an attempt at a smile .“ that i t was merely an excuse to gainyour freedom .

”

“ As a matter of fact , Madame , I wasvery il l , answered Henri , but a remedywhich theyuse in ourmountains and whichwas given me bymymother , has cured me .You will give me the recipe

,won’

t

you , Henri ?” said Catherine

,this t im

with a genuine smile , the irony ofwhich ,however, she could not conceal .

“ Some antidote,

”she muttered ; “ we

must see about this . O r rather,no ; see

ing Madame de Sauve ill , behas suspected .

Verily , it makes one believe that the

protecting hand of God is extended overthis man .

Catherine awaited the night with impatience. Madame de Sauve did not

appear. When at cards , she 1nq uired

about her and was told that she wassuffering increased pain .

During thewhole evening Catherine wasrestless , and people anxiously asked themselveswhat troub led thoughts cou ld beagitating that usuallyimpassive countenance .Presently the company withdrew.

Catherine ’s ladies undressed her andassisted her to bed ; but , as soon as al lwas quiet in the

_

Louvre, she,got up

again,wrapped herself in a long black

dressing - gown,took up a lamp , selected

140 QUEEN

from a number of keys the one whichopened Madame de Sauve ’s door.andwentUpstairs to visit her maid - of- honour.Had Henri anticipated this visit ? washe occupied in his own room ? was heconcealed anywhere ? was the youngwoman alone P—such were the questionswhich agitated her mind .

Catherine opened the door cautiously ,crossed the ante - chamber , entered thedrawing - room , put down her lamp , for alight was burning near the patient, andglided like a ghost into the bedroom .

The bed was entirely closed in bycurtains . Dariole was fast asleep in alarge chair near the bed .

The breathing of the patient was solight that for a moment Catherine believed that i t had ceased .

Presently, however , she heard a faintbreath

,and went, with a malignant de

light,to raise the curtain in order to

j udge for herself of the effects of theterrible poison , shuddering in anticipationat the livid pal lor or the ravaging purpleof deadly fever which she expected tosee ; but , instead of any such sight , theyoung woman—her eyes gently closedunder their white lids , her mouth rosyand half opened , her moist cheek restingon one of her gracefully rounded arms ,while the other , fresh and pearly , layalong the counterpane Of crimson damask—was peacefully sleeping with a smileupon her lips

,the product , doubtless , of

some pleasant dream , while her cheekswere flushed with the colour that denotesan untroubled good health .

Catherine could not restrain anexclamation of surprise which partiallyawoke Dariole .The Queen - Mother drew back behindthe bed curtains .Dariole opened her eyes ; but , overcomeby slumber , the girl let her heavy lidsdroop and fel l asleep again without evenattempting to discover the cause that hadawakened her.Catherine now emerged from behindthe curtain

,and directing her glance to

the other parts of the room , saw on asmall table a flagon of Spanish wine ,fruit , sugared pastry , and a couple Ofglasses . I t was clear that Henri hadsupped with the Baronne , who evidentlywas j ust as wel l as he was.

Catherine stepped at once to the dressing - table and took from it the little silverbox, now one- third empty . I t was

MARGOT

exactly the same , or at any rate veryclosely resembled the one wh ich she hadsent to Charlotte . With the end of agolden needle she took out of i t somepaste about the size of a pearl , and re

turning to her own apartments gave it tothe li ttle monkey with which Henri hadpresented her that very evening. Theanimal , enticed by the fragrant odour,devoured it greedily , and curling itselfround in its basket , went to sleep again .

Catherinewaited foraq uarterofan hour.The half of what it has j ust eaten ,

”

said Catherine killed my dog Brutus inone minute. I have been tricked : i s i tRené ? R ene! impossible : then it mustbe Henri ! Oh ! fatal ity ! I t is clear : hecannot die, since he is destined to reign .

Perhaps ,however, it i s only that the poisonhas lost its strength . We wi l l make trialof the sword , and see what happens .

”

And Catherine went to bed evolving inher mind a new idea , which doubtlessreached maturity on the next day ; for,on the following morning , she called hercaptain Of the guard and handed him aletter

,bidding him carry it to its address

and give it into no other hands than hiswhose name it bore .The letter was addressed to Sire deLouviers de M aurevel , Captain of theKing ’ s P etardiers, Rue de la Cerisaie,near the Arsenal.

CHAPTER XXVI I I

T H E LETTER FROM ROME

OME days had elapsed Since theevents that have j ust been related ,one morning a li tter escorted by

several gentlemen wearing the livery ofM . de Guise entered the Louvre , and amessage was brought to the Queen ofNavarre that the Duchesse de Nevers ‘

requested the honour of paying her courtto her .Marguerite was at this moment receiving a visit from Madame de Sauve . I twas the fi rst time that the Baronne hadbeen out since her pretended il lness. Shehad heard that the Queen had expressedto her husband great anxiety in regard tothis illness

,which for a week had formed

the chief topic of conversation at Court,and came to thank her for her inquiries.Margueri te congratulated her on herconvalescence, and On her good fortune

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QUEEN

do . I f he is ever devoted to anything , itis to his ambition , nothing e lse . I s yourbrother a man to make him large promises, if so , wel l and good ; he wil l bedevoted to your brother ; but let yourbrother—S on of France though he betake care not to fail to keep any promiseshe may have made to him , otherwise,woe betide your brother !Really ?I t i s as I tell you . I n truth , Mar

guerite,there are moments when this

tiger that I have tamed frigh tens evenme . The other day I said to himHannibal , take care you don

’ t deceiveme

,for i f you did ! I said it ,

too ,with those emerald eyes of mine of

which Ronsard wrote :La duchesse deNevers

Aux yeux verts

Qui, sous leur paupi

‘

ere blonde,ancent sur nous plus d

’

éclairs

Queme font vingt J upitersDans les a1rs,

Lorsq ue la tempé te

Wel l PWell ! I thought he was going to

answer —I deceive you ! never , etc . , etc .Do you know what he did reply P

NO .

”

Well ! you may j udge of the manfrom thisAnd you, too ,

’ he answered , take care

you don’ t deceive me ; for , princess

though you are And , as hesaid it, he threatened me, not merely withhis eyes , but with his pointed finger ,which was furnished with a nail cut l 1kethe head of a spear , and which he almostthrust into my nose . I confess to youthat his face was so alarming at thatmoment that I started , though , as youknow

,I am not a coward .

“He dared to threaten you, Henriette ?“ Zounds ! but I threatened him well

too . After al l , he is right. Soyousee, he isdevoted up to a certain point , or rather , upto a certain point he is very uncertain .

”

We shal l see then ,” said Marguerite

absently,

“ I wil l speak to La Mole .Had yOu anything else to tell me P

“ Yes ; a most interesting thing , andwhich I came on purpose to tell you, but ,you see, you had even more in terestingthings to tell me . I have badnews .”

“ From Rome PYes, a messenger has come from my

husband ) ’

“More deadlyshafts flash from her emerald eyes

Than twentyj ovcs shoo t from tempestuous sk ies.

MARGOT

Well ! what about the Polish business ?

”

“ I t is going on capi tally , and in a fewdays you wi l l probably be rid of yourbrother of Anjou .

”

Has the Pope confirmed his election,

then P“ Yes , dear .And you didn

’ t tel l me ! cried Marguerite “ come , the details , quick , quick

“ Oh ! I don ’ t know anything more,

upon my word , than what I have toldyou : but wait , I will show you myhusband ’ s letter ; here it is . Oh ! no

,

those are some verses Of Hannibal ’s,

shocking verses , my dear Marguerite ; henever writes any decent ones . Oh hereit i s—no , not yet, that is a note of myown which I want you to get La Mole tdel iver . Ah ! this is i t , at last .

”

And Madame de Nevers handed theletter to the Queen . Marguerite openedit eagerly and glanced through it

,but

practical ly i t told her nothing more thanshe had already learned from the l ips ofher friend .

“ And how did th is letter reach you,

continued the Queen .

“ By a messenger from my husbandwho had orders to call at the H Otel deGuise before going to the Louvre and tohand me this letter before he deliveredthe King ’s . I knew the importance whichyou,

my Queen , attached to this news ,and I had written to M . de Nevers to tel lhim to do this . H e

, you see, obeyed me ;he is not like that monster Coconnas. Atthe present moment not a soul in Parisknows this news except the King and

, you

and me : un less the man who follovVedour messengerWhat man ?

“ I t ’s a dreadful employment ! Justfancy

,this unfortunate messenger arrived

exhausted and travel stained ; he hasridden day and night for a week , withouta moment ’s rest ."

“ But this man Of whom you werespeaking j ust now ?Wait a moment. Constantly pursued

by a man Of fierce appearanée who hadrelays of horses like himself and travelledthe four hundred leagues as q uick ly

'

as

he himsel f did , this unfortunate courierwas momentarily expecting a pistol - shotin his back . B oth arrived at the Barrierede Saint - Marcel at the very same moment,both galloped at ful l speed down the RueM ouffetard and across the Cité. B ut at

P

QUEEN MARGOT

the end of the Pon t Notre Dame ourmessenger turned to the right , while theother turned to the left by the Place duChatelet anddartedlikea bolt from a crossbow along the Quays ih the direction ofthe Louvre .

“ Thanks , my good Henriette , thanks ,exclaimed Marguerite : you are right ,this i s most interesting news . Whomwas the other messenger for ? Well ! Ishall find out . Leave me now. Thisevening , in the Rue Tizon , i s i t not ? andto - morrow at the hunt ; and above al lremember to take a very unmanageablehorse so that he may run away with youand that we may be by ourselves . I willtel l you this evening what you must tryto find out from your Coconnas.

“ You won ’ t forget to del iver myletter P said the Duchesse de Nevers .

“ No,no , make your mind easy, he

shal l have it and in time too .

”

Madame de Nevers went out andMargueri te immediately sent for Henri ,who quickly obeyed her summons ,whereupon she handed him the letterfrom the Duc de Nevers .

Oh ! ” said he.Marguerite then told him the incidentof the two couriers .

“ In fact,

” said Henri,

“ I saw himenter the Louvre .”

“PerhapshewasfortheQueen - Mother?No ; I am sure of i t , for I stationed

myself in the corridor,and I didn ’ t see

anyone pass .”

I n that case, said Marguerite , looking at her husband

,i t must be

For your brother,D

’

A lengon P saidHenri .Yes , but how are we to find out ?

“ Could we not asked Henri,care

lessly , send for oneof those two gentlemen

,and find out through himYou are right

,Sire ! ” said Mar

guerite, put at her ease by her husband’ s

proposal , “ I will send for M . de LaMole Gillonne ! Gillonne !

The girl appeared .

I must speak to M . de La Molethis instant, sai d the Queen .

“ Try andfind him and bring him here .Gillonne went away . Henri seatedhimself at a table on which lay a German book , with engravings by A lbertDurer

,which he began to examine with

so great attention that,when La Mole

appeared,he did not appear to hear him

,

and did not even raise his head.

143

Oh ! well ,

CHAPTER XXIX

HARKAWAY

The young man,forhis part , seeing the

King with Marguerite,stopped on the

threshold,dumb with surprise and pale

with uneasiness .Marguerite stepped towards him .

Monsieur de La Mole ," she asked ,

“ can you tel l me who is on duty withM . d

’

Alencon to- day P

Coconnas, Madame , said La Mole.Try to find out from him if he has

introduced to his master a man coveredwith mud , with the appearance of havingridden a long journey at ful l speed .

”

Ah ! Madame , I fear he wil l not tellme ; he has become very taciturn theselast few days .”

Really ! But i f you give him thisnote , I think you ought to ask for somethingin exchange .

”

“ From the Duchess !armed with this note , I wil l try.

“ And add , said Marguerite , loweringher voice , “ that this note will serve himas a safe - conduct this evening forentering the house that you know of.

”

And what safe - conduct shall I have?said La Mole , sot to voce.

Give your name,that will be enough .

Give me the note,Madame,

” said LaMole , trembling al l over W1th love, “ Iwill be answerable foreverything .

”

And he went off.We shall know to - morrow if the D ue

d’

Alengon i s posted in the Polish affair,”

said Marguerite,quietly

,as she turned to

her husband .

That M . de La Mole is truly anexcellent servant, said Henri , with hispeculiar smile , “ and by the Mass !I will make his fortune .

HEN next morning a gloriousred sun—but

,as is usual in the

0 halo ofdazzling rays—rose from behind the hillssurrounding Paris

,the courtyard of the

Louvre had already for two hours presented a scene of animated movement .A magnificent ‘ barb

,slim - buil t , yet

muscular, with slender legs like a stag’s,

on which the veins crossed and re

crossed like net - work,pawing the ground

,

pricking its ears and dilating its nostri ls,

was awaiting Charles IX . in the

144 QUEEN MARGOT

courtyard ; but the steed was even lessimpatient than i ts master, who was delayed by Catharine, the latter havingstopped him j ust as he was starting , inorder to Speak to him on, as she declared ,a matter of importance.Both were in the glass

- roofed gallery,Cathe rine cold , pale , impassable as ever,Charles quivering with impatience, bitinghis nai ls and whipping his two favouritehounds

,which were clothed in cuirasses

of mail to prevent their being gored bythe boar ’s tusks , and that they might facethe terrible animal with impunity . Asmall shield bearing the arms Of Francewas fastened to their chests , much in thesame fashion as on the breasts of thepages , who Often had occasion to envythe privileges of these fortunate pets .

Pay attention to this , Charles ,Catherine was saying . Nobody exceptyou and me yet knows of the approaching arrival of the Polish envoys , thoughthe King of Navarre is certainly actingas i f he knew of i t . I n spite of his ahj uration—Of which I have always beensuspicious—he is in communication withthe Huguenots . Have you noticed howOften he has been going out lately ?Again , he has money , he who was alwaysshort of i t ; he is buying horses andweapons, and on rainy days he exerciseshimself at fencing from morning til lnight .”

Good heavens ! mother, said Charles ,impatiently , do you imagine that hemeans to kil l me , or my brother of

Anjou ? I f so, he will need a goodmany lessons yet , for yesterday , with myfoil , I marked eleven button - holes on hisdoublet , though i t actually has but six .

And as for my brother Of Anj ou,youknow

that he fences even better than I do , or atleast as well , so hejdeclares at any rate .

”

Will you l isten , Charles ,” replied

Catherine , and not treat your mother’s

words so lightly. The ambassadors areabout to arrive ; well , you will see, oncethey reach Paris , Henri will do his utmostto engage their atten tion . He is cunningand insinuating ; not to mention that hiswife , who supports him—why , I knownot—will chatter to them i

n Latin ,Greek, Hungarian , and every otherknown or unknown language. I tell you,Charles—and you know that I am neverwrong—I tel l you something underhand1s gomgon .

”

At this moment the hour sounded , and

Charles ceased to listen to his mother inorder to count the strokes .Death Of my life ! seven o

’

clock l”

he cried . An hour to get there , that willbe eight ; an hour to reach the rendezvous

,and find the quarry ; we shall not

be able to begin the hunt till n ine O ’clock.Upon my word , mother, you are makingme lose a good deal of time . Down ,Risquetout ! death of my life !down , you rascalAnd with a vigorous blow of his whipacross the hound ’s loins , he drew fromthe poor animal , astonished at receiving athrashing instead of a caress , a sharphowl of anguish .

Charles,

” resumed Catherine, “ inGod ’s name listen to me , and do not leavethus to chance your own fortunes andthose of France . Your thoughts areentirely taken up with the/chase well ,well ! youwillhave plenty of time forsportwhen you lose your employment as King .

”

Come, come , mother said Charles ,pale with impatience , let us come to anunderstanding quickly , for I am boilingover upon my word , there are dayswhenI don ’ t understand you.

And he tapped his boot with the stockof his whip .

Catherine deemed that the opportunityhad arrived

,and that she must not let i t sl ip .

My son,

” said she , “ we have proofthat De Mouy has returned to Paris. M .

de M aurevel , whom you know well , hasseen him . He can only be here to seethe King Of Navarre . That, I shouldhope

,is enough to make him more sus

pected than ever.”

Come,you are after my poor Henriot

again ! You want me to have him killed ,do you not P

“ Oh ! no .Sent into exile , then P But don ’ t you

see that he becomes far more formidablein exile than he wil l ever be here, underour eyes , in the Louvre, where he can donothing without our knowing i t at once P

Yes, and therefore I don’ t want him

exfled)’

What do you want, then ? Speakquickly

“ I want you to have him kept in confinement while the Polish envoys arehere ; at the Bastille, for instance .

“ Not I , pardieu l” cried Charles . “We

are going boar - hunting this morning , andHenri is one ofmy best men ; the chasewil l be a dead failure without him.

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146

Saint - Honoré, reached the Rue SaintDenis , and then the suburbs of the town ;on arriving at the Rue Saint - Laurent thegi rths of the King of Navarre ’s horsebecame loose ; Orthon hastened up andeverythmgpassed as had been arrangedbetween him and his master

,who con

tinned to accompany the cavalcade alongthe Rue des Récol lets , while the trustyservant made for the Rue du Temple .When Henri overtook the King

,Charles

was engaged in such an interesting discussion with the Duc d’

A lencon as to theage ofthe boar which had been headed Off—one Of the kind known as a “ so l itary ”

or

rogue”—and as to the p lacewhere he hadmade his lair , that he did not notice, or pretended not to have done so , that Henri hadremained behind for a minute or two .

Meanwhile, Marguerite was Observingfrom a distance their different expressionsof countenance , and thought she detecteda certain embarrassment in her brother’ seyes whenever he looked at Henri .Madame de Nevers was giving herself upto uncontrol led merriment , for Coconnaspro

- eminently cheerful that day, was clOseto her and indulging in innumerable drolleries in order to make the ladies laugh .

As for La Mole, he had already foundtwo opportunities of kissing Marguerite ’swhite gold - fringed scarf without thataction , performed with the dexterity customary to lovers , being observed by morethan three or four persons .B ondy was reached at a quarter past

eight . The King ’s first care was to inquirewhether the boar still held his ground .

The boar was in his lair , and thepricker who had marked him downguaranteed that he would be found therewhen the time came .A repast was ready. The King dranka glass of Hungarian wine . Charlesinvited the ladies to be seated attable , and in his impatience went Off, inorder to occupy his time

,to visit his

kennels and perches , giving orders thathis horse should not be unsaddled , inasmuch as he had never , as he said ,mounted a better or stronger animal .While the King was making hisrounds the D ue de Guise arrived . Hewas armed rather for war than for thechase , and was accompanied by twentyor thirty gentlemen , all equipped l ikehimsel f. He at once inquired where theK ing was andwent to j oin him

,and the

two presently returned conversing together.

QUEEN MARGOT

At exactly nine o’clock the King himsel f gave the signal by sounding the harkaway , and the who le company mountedtheir horses and started for the rendezvous.On the way , Henri found an Oppor

i

tunity of speaking again to his wife .Well ,

” he asked , “ is there anyth ingfresh P

No , answered M arguer1te, exceptthat my brother Charles is looking atyou rather strangelyYes , I have noticed the fact,

ffea

Have you taken any precautions PI have my coat ofmail on , and I carry

at my side a good Spanish hunting knife,

sharp as a razor, pointed as a needle , thatI can drive through a pile of doubloons .”

God preserve you , then saidMarguerite .The pricker who was gu iding thecavalcade made a sign ; they had ai rtvedat the boar’s lair .

said

CHAPTER XXX

M AUREVEL.

H ILE all this cavalcade, gay andcareless , to all appearance at

ke a golden whirlwind along the road to B ondy , Catherine,after roll ing up the precious document towhich King Charles had j ust appended hissignature , was admitting to her roomtheman to whom her captain of the guard had ,a few days earlier, taken a letter addressedto the Rue de Cerisaie

,near the Arsenal .

A broad patch of plaster , l ike a mortuary seal , concealed one of this . man ’seyes, leaving only the other eye visible,and giving a glimpse of a vulture - l ikenose between two prominent cheek - bones ,while a greyish beard covered the lowerpart of his face . He wore at his side ,though it was not customary for peoplesummoned to the Court to do so , a longsword , an Old - fashioned , clumsy weapon ,with a basket hi l t . One Of his hands ,hidden beneath his cloak , tightly graspedthe handle of a long dagger.Ah ! here you are , sir, said the

Queen , seating hersel f ; “you know that Ipromised you , after St. Bartholomew

’sDay , when you rendered us such signalservice, not to leave you without employment. An opportuni ty presents itsel f, orrather, I have created the opportunity, soyou must thank me .”

QUEEN MARGOT

Madame , I humbly thank your Majesty,

”saidthe man with the black bandage ,

with a caution at once servile and insolent .A fine opportunity , sir

, such as wil lnot occur twice in your li fe , so make themost of it ."

I am waiting , Madame ; only , I fearthat after such a preamble

“ The commission is one of violence ?Are not those j ust the commissions ofwhich those who desire to advance theirfortunes are fond ? The one ofwhich Iam speaking would be envied by theTavannes and by the Guises themse lves .”

Ah Madame , be i t what it may , restassured that I am at your Majesty 'scommands .

I n'that case,read, said Catherine . Andshe handed him the parchment . The manglanced at the document and turned pale .What ! ” he cried , an order to arrest

the King Of Navarre !Wel l ! what is there so extraordinary

in that PBut a King , Madame ! In truth I

fear that my position is not high enough .

The confidence I repose in you makesyou the highest gentleman in my Court ,Monsieur de M aurevel ,

” said Catherine .

I thank your Majesty , said theassassin , with such emotion that heappeared to hesitate .You will obey then P

“ I s i t riot my duty to do so,i f your

Majesty orders it PYes , I order it .Then I wil l Obey .

H ow shall you set about i t ?Why , Madame , I hard ly know, and I

would fain be directed by your Majesty.

You dread the disturbance PI confess it.

“ Take a dozen trusty men , more i fnecessary .

“ I understand , of course. YourMajesty al lows me to take my precautions , and I am grateful but whereshal l I seize the King of Navarre P

“ In any p lace that you prefer.I n a place which , by the very august

ness Of its character, protects me , if thatbe

,Yes , I understand you, in one of theroyal palaces ; what should you say tothe Louvre , for instance P

”

“ Oh ! i f your Majesty permits it , i twould be a great favour.Then you shal l arrest him in the

Louvre .”

147

“ I n what part of the palace ?In his own chamber.M aurevel bowed .

“ And when , Madame ?This evening , or rather , to night.

“ Verywell ,Madame . Nowwil lyourMa

j esty deign to instruct me on one point ? ”

What i s i t ?O n the respect due to his rankRespect ! rank ! said

Catherine . Are you ignoran t, then ,sir, that the King of France owes norespect to any person whatsoever in hiskingdom

,since he recognises no one

whose rank 15 equal to his own PM aurevel bowed again .

“ There is a point , however , which Imust urge, i f your Majesty permits.

”

“ 1 permit it , sir.

I f the King should dispute the anthemticityof the order ; it is not l ikely , but sti l l .

On the contrary , sir , it is certain .

”

That he wil l dispute it PUndoubtedly so .And , consequently, refuse to obey ?I fear so .

“ And make resistance ?I t 1s probable .Oh ! the devil . said M aurevel ;

“andin that caseIn what case .

P ’ ’ said Catherine, looking fixedly at him .

In case he should resist , what must I

What do you usually do , Monsieur deM aurevel , when you are charged withan order from the King—when , that is tosay , you represent the King—and anyone offers resistance ?

“ Why , Madame, when I am honouredwith such an order , and that order concerns a simple gentleman , I ki ll him .

”

I have told you, sir, replied Catherine , and I should not have thought youcould have forgotten it already , that theKing of France recognises no rank withinhis kingdom ,

that is to say , that theKing of France alone is King , and thatcompared with him the highest in theland are but simple gentlemen .

”

M aurevel grew more pale, for he wasbeginning to understand .

Oh ! ” said he, “ to kill the King ofNavarre ?But who tells you to kil l him .

P

Where is the order to ki l l him P TheKing wants him brought to the Basti l le ,that 15 al l that the order contains . I f heallows himself to be seized , well and

148

good ; but as he will not do so, but willresist and try to ki l l youM aurevel turned paler still .You will defend yourself. I t is not

to be expected that a brave man likeyoursel f will allow himself to be killedwithout defending himself ; and in doingso, why , i f anything happens , i t must .You understand , do you no t PYes , Madame , but stil lI see youwant that after the words :

- Order to arrest,I should write : dead or

al iveP

I confess , Madame , that i t wouldremove my scruples .”

“ Well , I suppose I must do i t,‘

sinceyou think the commission cannot beexecuted in any other way.

”

And Catherine , with a shrug of hershoulders , unrolled the parchment withone hand and wrote with the other thewords dead or al ive.

There ,”she said , do you think the

order sufficiently in form now ?“ Yes, Madame ,

” answered M aurevel ,but I beg your Maj esty to leave to methe entire arrangement of the enterprise .”

“ I n what way do the instructions Ihave given you impede its execution PYour Majesty told me to take twelve

men P“ Yes ; to make more certainWell , I ask permission tOrtakeonly six .

”

Why so P“ Because, Madame , should any accident happen to the Prince , as is qui telikely, six men will more easily be excusedfor fearing lest the prisoner should escape ;while , on the other hand,nobodywould excuse a body of twelve guards fornot allowing half of their number to be slain beforelaying violent hands on his Maj esty.

Upon my faith , a fine Majesty thatdoes not possess a kingdom !Madame,

” said M aurevel , i t is not thekingdom thatmakesthek ing,but his birth .

”

Well , then , do as you please ,” said

Catherine. Only, I should tell you thatI do not wish you to quit the Louvre .

B ut ,M adame, Imust collect my men ?You, surely , have a sergean t of some

sort to whom you can entrust that task P”“ I have my lackey , who not only is atrusty knave , but who has sometimesaided me in enterprises of this kind .

”

“ Send for him,and arrange matters

with him . You know the King ’sArmoury , do you not ? Well , breakfastwill be served for you there , and you will

QUEEN MARGOT

CHAPTER XXX I

T H E B OAR H UNT

HE pricker,who had headed off the

boar,and had assured the King

quitted covert , wasnot mistaken . The blood - hound was nosooner put upon the scent than , heplunged into the underwood , and from adense clump of thorns routed out the boar,which

,as the huntsman had gathered from

its tracks,was a soli tary , or rogue ,

”

which means that he was a beast of thelargest size and most formidable courage .The boar dashed away in a stra1ght

l ine,and crossed the road at fifty yards

from the King,followed only by the blood

hound which had started him . A first relay Ofhounds was immediately uncoupled ,and some ten couples dashed off in pursui t.Charles was passionately fond of thechase

.Scarcely had the animal crossed

the road when he made after i t , soundingthe view - halloa

,and followed by the D ue

d’

Alencon and Henri , whom Margueritehadwarned by a gesture not to leave theKing ’ s side .

give your orders there. The atmosphereof the place W l ll restore your shakennerve . When my son ' returns fromhunting , you will go into my oratory, andthere await the time .”

But how are we to enter his chamber ?The King has , no doubt , some suspicion ,and wil l lock his door on the inside .”

I have duplicate keys of al l thedoors , said Catherine, and the boltshave been removed from Henri ’ s door.Good - bye , Monsieur de M aurevel , I shal lsee you anon . I will tel l them to conductyou to the King ’s Armoury . Ah by thebye , let me remind you that a king

’sorders must be executed at al l costs—thatno excuse is permissible—that a failure ,nay

,even an incomplete success , would

compromise the King ’s honour. Theaffair is serious .”

And Catherine , without leaving Maurevel t imeto reply,summonedM . de Nancey,captain of the guard , and bade him conduct M aurevel to the King’ s Armoury.

Od ’s death ! ” said M aurevel , as hefollowed his guide , “ I am rising in thescale of assassinations - from a simplegentleman to a captain , from a captain toan admiral

,from an admiral to a King

without a crown . Who knows but Ishall one day reach a crowned monarch P

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r50 QUEEN MARGOT

answered Henri . “ Are not you and Ipractical ly p risoners at the Court ofFrance , as hostages of our PartyDuc Francois started at these words ,and looked at Henri as though tochallenge him to a fuller explanationbut Henry had launched out further thanwas his wont , and relapsed into silence .

“What doyoumean ,Henri P asked theDuke , visibly annoyed that his brother - inlaw , by declining to fo llow up his remark ,left it to himself to begin the explanation .

I say, brother ,” answered Henri

,

that these men so fully armed, and whoappear to have beeninstructedno t to let usout oftheir sight , have all the appearance ofguards whowould take it upon themselvesto prevent two persons from escaping .

”

Escaping, how do you meanasked d

’

A lencon , with an admirablysimul ated air of innocent surprise.You have a fine jennet there ,

Francois , said Henri , fol lowing up histhought, while appearing to turn the conversation .

“ I am certain that he . could

do seven leagues an hour , and be twentyleagues from here by noon . Doesn ’ t thatnice road across there tempt you,Francois ? For my part , I am longingto use my spurs .”

Francois made no reply but turned redand pale successively : then he stretchedhis ear as though listen ing to the soundof the chase.The news from Poland has had its

effect,thought Henri , and my dear

brother - in - law has h is plan ; he wouldlike me to escape , but I will not escapeby mysel fThis reflection had hardly occurred tohim

,when several new converts, who

had returned to the Court in the last twoor three months, galloped up and greetedthe two Princes with engaging smiles .The Duc d’

A Iencon, thus challengedby the overtures made to him by Henri ,had but to speak a word or make a sign ,and it was clear that these thirty or fortyhorsemen

, who had gathered round themat this moment as though to offer opposi tiou to the horsemen of M . de Guise ,would have aided their escape, but theDuke turned his head away , and puttinghis horn to his mouth , sounded the rally .

The new - comers , however , as thoughbel ieving that the Duke

’s hesi tation wasdue to the presence of the Guisards , hadgradually slipped in between the latterand the two Princes , drawing themselves

up in échelon with a' strategic skill

which indicated their familiarity withmilitary tactics . O therwise , to reach theDuc d’

Alencon and the King of Navarre ,they would have been obliged to cross infront of them , whereas, in consequenceof their manoeuvre , the road in front ofthe two Princes lay perfectly open as faras one could see.

Suddenly , between the trees , at tenpaces from the King of Navarre

,there

appeared another gentleman whom thetwo Princes had not yet seen . Henri wastrying to surmise who he might be

,when

the gentleman , raising his hat , introducedhimself to H enrl as the Vicomte de Turenne , one of the leaders of the ProtestantParty who was thought to be in Poitou .

The Vicomte even hazarded a gesturewhich clearlyimplied: Are you comingHenri , however, after an inquiringglance at the impassive countenance andexpressionless ey e of the Duc d’

Alencon,twisted his head about two or three times

,

as though something inside the collar ofh is doublet was causing him discomfort . iThis betokened an answeri n the negative . The Vicomte understood the signal

,

rode away from the Princes, and disappeared into the wood .At the same instant the hounds wereheard approaching , the boar was seencrossing at the end of the path close onhis heels flew the pack , followed . byCharles , hatless , and blowing his horn soas almost to burst his lungs ; three.or

four of the huntsmen still kept up withhim . Tavannes had disappeared .

“ The King cried the D ue d’

A lenqon,dashing after him .

Henri , reassured by the presence ofhis friends , motioned to them not to 'leave

him , and advanced towards the ladies .Well ? said Marguerite

,riding ‘ a

few steps to meet him .

Well ! Madame,” said Henri

,we

are chasing the boar.I s that al lYes, the wind . has changed since

yesterday morning ; but I think I predictedto you that such would be the case .”

These'

changes ofwind are bad for thechase ,aretheynot , sir ?

" asked Marguerite.

Yes ," said Henri ; “ they often upset

al l the arrangements made , and someother

'

plan has to be formed .

”

1

At th is moment the baying of the packwas heard coming rapidly nearer , and akind of snorting breathing warned the

QUEEN

hunters to be on their guard . A ll raisedtheir heads and listened eagerly.

Almost instantly the boar dashed out ,

and,instead of plunging again into the

wood,headed straight along the path

towards the Opening in which stood theladies

,the gentlemen who were in attend

ance on them , and the hunters who hadbeen thrown out in the chase .Close on the heels of the boar camethirty or forty of the gamest hounds ;then , about twenty yards behind them ,

Charles , without hat or cloak , his clothesal l torn by brambles

,his face and hands

covered with blood . Only one on. twohuntsmen now remain‘ed with him .

The King,when he was not blowing

the horn , was encouraging his hounds ;for him the rest of the world had ceasedto exist . Had his steed failed him

,he

would have cried , l ike Richard the Third :“ A horse , a horse, my kingdom for ahorse ! ”

But the horse seemed as eager'

as hismaster : h is hoofs hardly touched theground , his nostrils breathed flames

H al lal i, hal lal i .

’ shouted the K ing ,as he passed , and pressed his horn to h I Sbleeding lips.A few paces behind him came the D ue

d’

Alencon and two huntsmen the horsesof the rest had either given up or were lost.Everyone started on the track , for i twas evident that the boar would soon bebrought to bay . Scarcely ten minutes

,

indeed , had elapsed before the boarq'

uitted the ride and plunged into thewood ;on reaching a glade, however , he turnedhis back to a rock and faced the hounds .At the shouts of Charles evervone

hurried to the spot.The most interesting moment of thechase had arrived The boar appeareddetermined to offer a resolute defence ;the bounds, excited by a pursuit whichhad lasted for more than three hours

,

attacked him with a fury which madethe King redouble his shouts and oaths .All the sportsmen ranged themselvesin a circle , the King a little in front ,having close behind him the Ducd

’

A lencon, who was armed with anarquebus , and Henri , who had merelyhis hunting - knife.The Duc d’

A lencon detached his arquebus from the crook and lighted the match .

Henri loosened the kni fe in its sheath .

The Duc de Guise,who was somewhat

contemptuous of everything connected

MARGOT 151

with the chase , remained at some distancewi th al l his attendants .The l ittle band of ladies groupedtogether formed a sort of appendage tothe company of the Duc de Guise . All

the lovers ofthe chase kept their eyes fixedon the boar in anxious expectation .

A short distance apart stood a huntsman , holding in with might and main theKing ’s two mastifl

'

s, clad in their coats o fmail , which , barking and bounding so

violently that you would have thoughtevery moment they must break thei rchains , were waiting for the moment toseize the boar by the ears .The animal displayed extraordinarycourage ; attacked by forty hounds atonce

,surrounding him like a roaring

tide,covering him like a striped carpet ,

endeavouring to grasp his wrinkled skinwith its bristly hai r , at each movementof his tusk he hurlec to the distance often feet a hound , which fell to the groundripped up , and immediately , with pro

truding entrails , rushed into the frayagain

,while Charles , his hai r stiff and

his eyes gleaming , lean ing over the neckof his streaming horse , sounded a fiercedeath - hal loo . I n less than ten minutestwenty of the hounds were disabled .

“ The mastiffs ! the mastiffs shoutedCharles .At this cry , the huntsman Opened theswivels of the slips , and the two dogsrushed into the midst of the fray , overturning all the hounds , and with theircoats of mail ploughing their road throughto the boar, which they seized each byan ear. The boar , feeling himself held ,ground his teeth with rage and pain .

“ Bravo ! D uredent ! B ravo ! Risquetout shouted Charles . “ Hold on ,dogs ! A spear ! a spear !Won ’ t you have my arquebus said

the D ue d’

A lencon.

NO , no , cried the King , there is nofun in that ; he won

’ t feel the bullet, buthe will the spear . A spear ! a spear !A boar -

,spear toughened in the furnace

and armed with an iron point, was handedto the King .

“ Have a care , brother !”

guerite .Don ’ t miss your stroke , sire ! cried

the Duchesse de Nevers ; give the brutea good one !Never fear , Duchess ! said Charles.And drawing back the spear, helaunched i t at the boar, which , held by

cried Mar

152

two dogs , could not evade the thrust. Atthe sight , however , of the gleaming steel ,he sprang to one side , and the weapon , instead ofp iercing hischest ,graz edhis shoulder and flattened its point against the rock .

Ten thousand devils ! shouted theKing , I have missed : a spear ! a spear !A huntsman stepped forward to handhim another. But at that instant the boar ,as though anticipating the fate that awaitedhim and trying to avoid i t, wrenched hismangled ears from the dogs ’ teeth , andwith blood - shot eyes , bristling, hideous ,snorting l ike the bellows Of a forge , andgrinding his teeth together , lowered hishead , and charged the King

’s horse .Charles was too good a sportsman not

to have foreseen this attack . He reinedin his horse, which reared ; but he hadpulled him so sharply that the animal

,

either owing to the pressure on the bit or,perhaps , in mere terror, fell Over backwards .The spectators , one and all , uttered acry of terror ; the horse had fallen andthe King ’s thigh was wedged beneath i t.Your hand , sire, g ive me your hand ,

said Henri .The King let go the bridle , grasped thesaddle with the left hand , endeavouringwith the right to draw his hunting - knife ;but the knife, crushed under the weightOf his body , refused to leave the sheath .

The boar ! the boar ! cried Charles .Help , d

’

A lencon ,help !

The horse, however, recovering himself,gave a spring , as though he realised theperil his master was in , and had alreadysucceeded in rising on his fore legs , whenHenri saw Francois turn frightfully paleat his brother ’ s appeal for help , and raisehis arquebus to his shoulder ; the bullet ,however , instead ofstriking the boar,whichwas not more than six feet from the King ,broke the horse ’s leg , and it fel l back , itshead resting on the ground . At the samemoment the boar ripped up the King ’s boot .

“ Oh murmured d’

A lengon,with

white lips, I veri ly believe the Ducd

’

Anjou i s King of France,and I am

King of Poland .

Theboarwas, indeed ,actuallylaceratingtheKing ’3 thigh

,whenCharlesperceived anarm raised above him and saw the gleamof a sharp blade plunging up to the handlein the hol low of the boar ’s shoulder, whilea steel gloved hand thrust aside the steaming snout on the point of burying itsel fin his thigh .

Charles, who, released by h is horse’s

QUEEN MARGOT

shifting,had succeeded in extricating his

leg, go t up s lowly , and , seeing the bloodstreaming over him , turned as pale as acorpse .Sire , said Henri ,who , sti ll onhis knees,

was holding the boar pierced to the heart ,sire

,i t is nothing . I guarded off his

tusks,and your Maj esty 1s not wounded .

He rose from his knees,dropping the

knife,and the boar fell to the ground , the

blood pouring from its throat even morecopious ly than from the wound .

Charles , surrounded by all this breathless assembly , whose cries Of terror mi ghtwell have shaken the strongest nerves,for a moment was on the point of fallingbeside the dying beast . But he recoveredhimself, and turning to the King ofNavarre

,grasped his hand with a glance

in which shone the first ray of feelingthat had quickened the pulses of h is

heart for four and twentyyears .Thank you , Henriot,

" he sa1dMy poor brother ! ” cried d’

Alencon,coming up to Charles .

“ A h ! i t i s you, said theKing .

“ Well ! you famous shot, whatbecame of your bullet

“ I t must have flattened itself againstthe boar ,

” said the DukeWhy ! good Heavens ! ” said Henri ,

with admirably - feigned surprise, see,

Francois , Your bullet has broken the legof hisMaj esty ’s horse ; how very strange .

Eh ! is that true ? said the King .

I t may be so.” said the Duke , 111 confusion , my hand trembled so .

’0

The fact 18 that , for a clever marksman , you made a very remarkable shor,

”

said Charles , with a frown .

“ Thank youonce again , Henriot . Gentlemen ,

” cont inued the King, “ we wil l return to Paris ;I have had enough of this ."

Marguerite came forward to congratulate Henri .

“ Ah by my troth , yes, Margot. saidCharles

,compliment him . and sincerely

too , for but for him the K1ng Of Francewould now be styled Henri I I I .”

“ Alas ! Madame, said the Béarnais ,“ the Duc d’

Anjou, who is already hostil eto me

,will bear me a grudge more than

ever. B ut what would you have ? a manmust do what he can ask the Ducd ’Alencon i f i s not so .

And stooping down , he drew his hunting - knife from beneath the carcase of theboar, and p lunged i t two or three timesinto the ground to clean i t from the blood .

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