Chapter 76
1853 Words
"With a suite?"
"No, sire, alone."
"Then you must receive him doubly well, Henri, for he is a brave fellow."
"Well," said the king, very pale, but trying to look calm, "let all my court assemble in the great hall."
CHAPTER LXXV.
WHICH IS ONLY THE END OF THE PRECEDING ONE.
Henri sat on his throne in the great hall, and around him was grouped an eager crowd. He looked pale and frowning.
"Sire," said Quelus to the king, "do you know the name of the ambassador?"
"No; but what does it matter?"
"Sire, it is M. de Bussy; the insult is doubled."
"I see no insult," said the king, with affected sang-froid.
"Let him enter," continued he. Bussy, with his hat in his hand, and his head erect, advanced straight to the king, and waited, with his usual look of pride, to be interrogated.
"You here, M. de Bussy!" said the king; "I thought you were in Anjou."
"Sire, I was, but you see I have quitted it."
"And what brings you here?"
"The desire of presenting my humble respects to your majesty."
The king and courtiers looked astonished; they expected a different answer.
"And nothing else?" said the king.
"I will add, sire, the orders I received from the Duc d'Anjou to join his respects to mine."
"And the duke said nothing else?"
"Only that he was on the point of returning with the queen-mother, and wished me to apprise your majesty of the return of one of your most faithful subjects."
The king was choked with surprise.
"Good morning, M. de Bussy," said Chicot.
Bussy turned, astonished to find a friend in that place.
"Good day, M. Chicot; I am delighted to see you."
"Is that all you have to say, M. de Bussy?" asked the king.
"Yes, sire; anything that remains to be said, will be said by the duke himself."
The king rose and went away, and Bussy continued to converse with Chicot, until the king called to him. As soon as Bussy was alone, Quelus approached him.
"Good morning, M. Quelus," said Bussy graciously; "may I have the honor of asking how you are?"
"Very bad."
"Oh, mon Dieu! what is the matter?"
"Something annoys me infinitely."
"Something! And are you not powerful enough to get rid of it?"
"It is not something, but some one, that M. Quelus means," said Maugiron, advancing.
"And whom I advise him to get rid of," said Schomberg, coming forward on the other side.
"Ah, M. de Schomberg! I did not recognize you."
"Perhaps not; is my face still blue?"
"Not so; you are very pale. Are you not well?"
"Yes, it is with anger."
"Oh I then you have also some one who annoys you?"
"Yes, monsieur."
"And I also," said Maugiron.
"Really, gentlemen, you all look very gloomy."
"You forget me," said D'Epernon, planting himself before Bussy.
"Pardon me, M. d'Epernon, you were behind the others, as usual, and I have so little the pleasure of knowing you, that it was not for me to speak first."
It was strange to see Bussy smiling and calm among those four furious faces, whose eyes spoke with so terrible an eloquence, that he must have been blind or stupid not to have understood their language.
But Bussy never lost his smile.
"It seems to me that there is an echo in this room," said he quietly.
"Look, gentlemen," said Quelus, "how provincial M. de Bussy has become; he has a beard, and no knot to his sword; he has black boots and a gray hat."
"It is an observation that I was just making to myself, my dear sir; seeing you so well dressed, I said to myself, 'How much harm a few weeks' absence does to a man; here am I, Louis de Clermont, forced to take a little Gascon gentleman as a model of taste.' But let me pass; you are so near to me that you tread on my feet, and I feel it in spite of my boots."
And turning away, he advanced towards St. Luc, whom he saw approaching.
"Incredible!" cried all the young men, "we insulted him; he took no notice."
"There is something in it," said Quelus.
"Well!" said the king, advancing, "what were you and M. de Bussy saying?"
"Do you wish to know what M. de Bussy said, sire?"
"Yes, I am curious."
"Well, I trod on his foot, and insulted him, and he said nothing."
"What, gentlemen," cried Henri, feigning anger, "you dared to insult a gentleman in the Louvre!"
"Alas! yes, sire, and he said nothing."
"Well! I am going to the queen."
As the king went out of the great door, St. Luc reentered by a side one, and advanced towards the four gentlemen.
"Pardon, M. Quelus," said he, "but do you still live in the Rue St. Honor é ?"
"Yes, my dear friend; why do you ask?"
"I have two words to say to you."
"Ah!"
"And you, M. de Schomberg?"
"Rue B é thisy," said Schomberg, astonished.
"D'Epernon's address I know."
"Rue de Grenelle."
"You are my neighbor. And you, Maugiron?"
"Near the Louvre. But I begin to understand; you come from M. de Bussy."
"Never mind from whom I come; I have to speak to you, that is all."
"To all four of us?"
"Yes."
"Then if you cannot speak here, let us all go to Schomberg's; it is close by."
"So be it."
And the five gentlemen went out of the Louvre arm in arm.
CHAPTER LXXVI.
HOW M. DE ST. LUC ACQUITTED HIMSELF OF THE COMMISSION GIVEN TO HIM BY BUSSY.
Let us leave St. Luc a little while in Schomberg's room, and see what had passed between him and Bussy.
Once out of the hall, St. Luc had stopped, and looked anxiously at his friend.
"Are you ill?" said he, "you are so pale; you look as though you were about to faint."
"No, I am only choking with anger."
"You do not surely mind those fellows?"
"You shall see."
"Come, Bussy, be calm."
"You are charming, really; be calm, indeed! if you had had half said to you that I have had, some one would have been dead before this."
"Well, what do you want?"
"You are my friend; you have already given me a terrible proof of it."
"Ah! my dear friend," said St. Luc, who believed Monsoreau dead and buried, "do not thank me, it is not worth while; certainly the thrust was a good one, and succeeded admirably, but it was the king who showed it me, when he kept me here a prisoner at the Louvre."
"Dear friend."
"Never mind Monsoreau; tell me about Diana. Was she pleased at last? Does she pardon me? When will the wedding take place?"
"Oh! my dear friend, we must wait till Monsoreau is dead."
"What!" cried St. Luc, starting back as though he had put his foot on a pointed nail.
"Yes; poppies are not such dangerous plants as you thought; he did not die from his fall on them, but is alive and more furious than ever."
"Really?"
"Yes, and he talks of nothing but vengeance, and of killing you on the first occasion."
"And I have announced his death to everyone; he will find his heirs in mourning. But he shall not give me the lie; I shall meet him again, and if he escapes me a second time----"
"Calm yourself, my dear St. Luc; really, I am better off than you would think; it is the duke whom he suspects, and of whom he is jealous. I am his dear Bussy--his precious friend. That is only natural, for it was that fool of a R é my who cured him.
"What an i***t he must have been!"
"He has an idea that, as an honest man and a doctor, it is his duty to cure people. However, Monsoreau says he owes his life to me, and confides his wife to my care."
"Ah! I understand that this makes you wait more patiently for his death. However, I am quite thunderstruck at the news."
"But, now, my friend, let us leave Monsoreau."
"Yes, let us enjoy life while he is still ill; but once he is well, I shall order myself a suit of mail, have new locks put on my doors, and you must ask the Duc d'Anjou if his mother has not given him some antidote against poison. Meanwhile, let us amuse ourselves."
"Well, my dear friend, you see you have only rendered me half a service."
"Do you wish me to finish it?"
"Yes, in another way."
"Speak."
"Are you great friends with those four gentlemen?"
"Ma foi! we are something like cats and dogs in the sun; as long as we an get the heat, we agree, but if one of us took the warmth from another, then I do not answer for the consequences."
"Well, will you go for me to M. Quelus, first?"
"Ah!"
"And ask him what day it will please him that I should cut his throat, or he mine?"
"I will."
"You do not mind it?"
"Not the least in the world. I will go at once if you wish it."
"One moment; as you go, just call on M. Schomberg and make him the same proposal."
"Schomberg too? Diable, how you go on! Well, as you wish."
"Then, my dear St. Luc, as you are so amiable, go also to M. Maugiron, and ask him to join the party."
"What, three! Bussy, you cannot mean it. I hope that is all."
"No; from him go to D'Epernon."
"Four!"
"Even so, my dear friend; I need not recommend to a man like you to proceed with courtesy and politeness towards these gentlemen. Let the thing be done in gallant fashion."
"You shall be content, my friend. What are your conditions?"
"I make none; I accept theirs."
"Your arms?"
"What they like."
"The day, place, and hour?"
"Whatever suits them."
"But----"
"Oh! never mind such trifles, but do it quickly; I will walk in the little garden of the Luxembourg; you will find me there when you have executed your commission."
"You will wait, then?"
"Yes."
"It may be long."
"I have time."
We know how St. Luc found the four young men, and accompanied them to Schomberg's house. St. Luc remained in the ante-chamber, waiting until, according to the etiquette of the day, the four young men were installed in the saloon ready to receive him. Then an usher came and saluted St. Luc, who followed him to the threshold of the saloon, where he announced M. d'Espinay de St. Luc.
Schomberg then rose and saluted his visitor, who, to mark the character of the visit, instead of returning it, put on his hat. Schomberg then, turning towards Quelus, said,
"I have the honor to present to you M. Jacques de Levis, Comte de Quelus."
The two gentlemen bowed, and then the same ceremony was gone through with the others. This done, the four friends sat down, but St. Luc remained standing and said to Quelus,
"M. le Comte, you have insulted M. le Comte Louis de Clermont d'Amboise, Seigneur de Bussy, who presents to you his compliments, and calls you to single combat on any day and hour, and with such arms as may please you. Do you accept?"
"Certainly; M. de Bussy does me much honor."
"Your day and hour, M. le Comte?"
"To-morrow morning at seven o'clock."
"Your arms?"
"Rapier and dagger, if that suits M. de Bussy."
St. Luc bowed. Then he addressed the same questions to the others, and received the same answers.
"If we all choose the same day and hour, M. de Bussy will be rather embarrassed," said Schomberg.
"Certainly," replied St. Luc, "M. de Bussy may be embarrassed, but he says that the circumstance would not be new to him, as it has already happened at the Tournelles."
- Writer
