Secret des Champdoce. English

  CHAPTER VII.

  AN UNLUCKY BLOW.

  The falling of a thunderbolt at his feet would have startled Norbertless than these words did. The Duke took, or affected to take, no noticeof his son's extreme agitation, and in a careless manner he continued,--

  "I suppose, my son, that it is hardly necessary for me to tell youthe young lady's name. Mademoiselle Marie de Puymandour cannot failto please you. She is excessively pretty, tall, dark, and with a finefigure. You saw her at Mass one day. What do you think of her?"

  "Think!" stammered Norbert. "Really I----"

  "Pshaw," replied the old gentleman; "I thought that you had begun to useyour eyes. And look here, Marquis, you must adopt a different style ofdress. You can go over with me to Poitiers to-morrow, and one of thetailors there will make you some clothes suitable to your rank, for Idon't suppose that you wish to alarm your future wife by the uncouthnessof your appearance."

  "But, father--"

  "Wait a moment, if you please. I shall have a suite of apartmentsreserved for you and your bride, and you can pass your honeymoon here.Take care you do not prolong it for too lengthened a period; and when itis all over, we can break the young woman into all our ways."

  "But," interrupted Norbert hastily, "suppose I do not fancy this younglady?"

  "Well, what then?"

  "Suppose I should beg you to save me from a marriage which will renderme most unhappy?"

  The Duke shrugged his shoulders. "Why this is mere childishness," saidhe. "The marriage is a most suitable one, and it is my desire that itshould take place."

  "But, father," again commenced Norbert.

  "What! Are you opposing my will?" asked his father angrily. "Pray, doyou hesitate?"

  "No," answered his son coldly, "I do not hesitate."

  "Very good, then. A man of no position can consult the dictates of hisheart when he takes a wife, but with a nobleman of rank and station itis certainly a different matter, for with the latter, marriage shouldbe looked upon as a mere business transaction. I have made excellentarrangements. Let me repeat to you the conditions. The Count will givetwo-thirds of his fortune, which is estimated at five millions--justthink of that!--and when we get that, we shall be able to screw andsave with better heart. Think of the restoration of our house, and thecolossal fortune that our descendants will one day inherit, and realizeall the beauties of a life of self-denial."

  While the Duke was uttering this string of incoherent sentences, he waspacing up and down the room, and now he halted immediately in front ofhis son. "You understand," said he; "to-morrow you will go to Poitiers,and on Sunday we will dine at the house of your future father-in-law."

  In this fearful crisis Norbert did not know what to say or how to act.

  "Father," he once more commenced, "I have no wish to go to Poitiersto-morrow."

  "What are you saying? What in heaven's name do you mean?"

  "I mean that as I shall never love Mademoiselle de Puymandour, she willnever be my wife."

  The Duke had never foreseen the chance of rebellion on the part of hisson, and he could not bring his mind to receive such an unlooked-forevent.

  "You are mad," said he at last, "and do not know what you are saying."

  "I know very well."

  "Think of what you are doing."

  "I have reflected."

  The Duke was making a violent effort to compose his ordinarily violenttemper.

  "Do you imagine," answered he disdainfully, "that I shall be satisfiedwith an answer of this kind? I hope that you will submit to my wishes,for I think that, as the head of the family, I have conceived a splendidplan for its future aggrandizement; and do you think that, for the merewhim of a boy, I will be turned aside from my fixed determination?"

  "No, father," answered Norbert, "it is no boyish whim that makes meoppose your wishes. Tell me, have I not ever been a dutiful son to you?Have I ever refused to do what I was ordered? No; I have obeyed youimplicitly. I am the son of the wealthiest man in Poitiers, and I havelived like a laborer's child. Whatever your mandates were, I have nevercomplained or murmured at them."

  "Well, and now I order you to marry Mademoiselle de Puymandour."

  "Anything but that; I do not love her, and I shall never do so. Doyou wish my whole life to be blighted? I entreat you to spare me thissacrifice!"

  "My orders are given, and you must comply with them."

  "No," answered Norbert quietly, "I will not comply with them."

  A purple flush passed across the Duke's face, then it faded away,leaving every feature of a livid whiteness.

  "Great heavens!" said he in a voice before which Norbert, at one time,would have quailed. "Whence comes the audacity that makes you venture todispute my orders?"

  "From the feeling that I am acting rightly."

  "How long is it that it has been right for children to disobey theirparents' commands?"

  "Ever since parents began to issue unjust commands."

  This speech put the finishing stroke to the Duke's rage. He made a stepacross the room, towards his son, raising the stick that he usuallycarried high in the air. For a moment he stood thus, and then, castingit aside, he exclaimed,--

  "No, I cannot strike a Champdoce."

  Perhaps it was Norbert's intrepid attitude that restrained the Duke'sfrenzy, for he had not moved a muscle, but stood still, with his armsfolded, and his head thrown haughtily back.

  "No, this is an act of disobedience that I will not put up with,"exclaimed the old man in a voice of thunder, and, springing upon hisson, he grasped him by the collar and dragged him up to a room on thesecond floor, and thrust him violently through the doorway.

  "You have twenty-four hours in which to reflect whether you will bewilling to accept the wife that I have chosen for you," said he.

  "I have already decided on that point," answered Norbert quietly.

  The Duke made no reply, but slammed the door, which was of massive oak,and secured by a lock of enormous proportions.

  Norbert gazed round; the only other exit from the room was by means of awindow some forty feet from the ground. The young man, however, imaginedthat some one would surely come to make up his bed for the night; thatwould give him two sheets; these he could knot together and thus securea means of escape. He might not be able to see Diana at once, but hecould easily send her a message by Daumon, warning her of what had takenplace. Having arranged his plans, he threw himself into an armchairwith a more easy mind than he had experienced for many months past. Thedecisive step had been taken, and the relations between his father andhimself clearly defined, and thus he naturally considered great progresshad been made, and the task before him seemed as nothing to what he hadalready performed.

  "My father," thought he, "must be half mad with passion."

  And Norbert was not wrong in his opinion. When the Duke, as usual, tookhis place at the table, at which the farm laborers ate their meals, notone of them had the courage to make a single observation. Every one knewwhat a serious altercation had taken place between father and son, andeach one was devoured by the pangs of ungratified curiosity.

  As soon as the meal was concluded, the Duke called an old andtrustworthy servant, who had been in his employment for over thirtyyears.

  "Jean," said he, "your young master is locked in the yellow room. Hereis the key. Take him something to eat."

  "Very good, your Grace."

  "Wait a little. You will spend the night in his room and keep a strictwatch upon him. He may design to make his escape. If he attempts it,restrain him, if necessary, by physical force. Should he prove toostrong for you, call to me; I shall be near, and will come to your aid."

  This unexpected precaution upon the Duke's part upset all Norbert'splans of escape. He endeavored to persuade Jean to allow him to go outfor a couple of hours, giving his word of honor that he would returnat the expiration of that time. Prayers and menaces, however, had noeffect. Had the young man gazed from the window, he would have seenhis father striding m
oodily up and down the courtyard, with the thoughtgnawing at his heart that perhaps after all these many years of waitinghis plans might yet be frustrated.

  "There is a woman at the bottom of all this," said he to himself. "Itis only woman's wiles that in this brief space of time would effect socomplete a change in a young man's disposition. Besides, he would nothave so obstinately declined to listen to the proposal I made him hadnot his affections been engaged elsewhere. Who can she be? and by whatmeans shall I find her out?"

  It would be absurd to question Norbert, and the Duke was excessivelyunwilling to institute any regular inquiry into the matter. He passedthe whole night in gloomy indecision, but towards morning an inspirationcame to him which he looked upon as a special interposition ofProvidence.

  "Bruno," he exclaimed with a mighty oath. "The dog will show me theplace that his master frequents and perhaps lead me to the very womanwho had bewitched him."

  The brilliant idea soothed him a great deal, and at one o'clock he tookhis seat as usual at the head of the table, and ordered food to be takenup to Norbert, but that none of the measures for his safe custody wereto be relaxed.

  When he thought the moment was a favorable one, he whistled to Bruno,and, though the dog rarely followed him, yet in the absence of hismaster, he condescended to accompany the Duke down the avenue to thefront gates. Three roads branched off from here, but the dog did nothesitate for a moment, and took the one to the left, like an animal whoknew his destination perfectly well. Bruno went ahead for nearly halfan hour, until he reached the exact spot where Diana had met with heraccident. He made a cast round, but finding nothing, sat down, clearlysaying,--

  "Let us wait."

  "This, then," muttered the Duke, "is the place where the lovers havebeen in the habit of meeting each other."

  The place was a very lonely one, and, standing on the rising ground,commanded a view of the country for a long way round.

  The Duke noticed this, and took up a position where the trunk of agiant oak almost concealed him from observation. He was delighted at hissagacity, and was almost in a good humor; for now that he had reflected,the danger did not seem by any means so great, for to whom could Norberthave lost his heart? To some little peasant girl, perhaps, who, thinkingthat the lad was an easy dupe, had tried to induce him to marry her.As these thoughts passed through the Duke's brain, Bruno gave a joyousbark.

  "Here she is,' muttered he, as he emerged from his hiding place, and atthat moment Diana de Laurebourg made her appearance; but as soon as shesaw the Duke she uttered a faint cry of alarm. She was inclined to turnand fly, but her strength failed her, and, extending her hands, shegrasped the boughs of a slender birch tree that grew close by, toprevent herself from falling. The Duke was quite as much astonished asthe young lady. He had expected to see a peasant girl, and here wasthe daughter of the Marquis de Laurebourg. But anger soon succeeded tosurprise; for though he might have had nothing to fear from the peasant,the daughter of the Marquis de Laurebourg was an utterly differentantagonist. He could not rely upon aid from her family, as, for all heknew, they might be aiding and abetting her.

  "Well, my child," began he, "you do not seem very glad to see me."

  "Your Grace."

  "Yes, when you come out to meet the son, it is annoying to meet thefather; but do not blame poor Norbert, for I assure you he is not infault."

  Though Mademoiselle de Laurebourg had been startled at first, shewas possessed of too strong a will to give in, and soon recovered herself-possession.

  She never thought to screen herself by a denial of her reasons for beingon the spot, for such a course she would have looked on as an act oftreacherous cowardice.

  "You are quite right," answered she. "I came here to meet your son, andtherefore you will pardon me if I take my leave of you."

  With a deep courtesy she was about to move away, when the Duke laid arestraining grip upon her arm.

  "Permit me, my child," said he, endeavoring to put on a kind andpaternal tone,--"let me say a few words to you. Do you know why Norbertdid not come to meet you?"

  "He has doubtless some very good reason."

  "My son is locked up in a room, and my servants have my orders toprevent his making his escape by force, if necessary."

  "Poor fellow! He deserves the deepest commiseration."

  The Duke was much surprised at this piece of impertinence, as heconsidered it.

  "I will tell you," returned he in tones of rising anger, "how it comesthat I treat my son, the heir to my rank and fortune, in this manner."

  He looked savagely angry as he spoke, but Diana answered negligently,"Pray go on; you quite interest me."

  "Well then, listen to me. I have chosen a wife for Norbert; she is asyoung as you are--beautiful, clever, and wealthy."

  "And of noble birth, of course."

  The sarcasm conveyed in this reply roused the Duke to fury.

  "Fifteen hundred thousand francs as a marriage portion will outweigh acoat of arms, even though it should be a tower argent on a field azure."The Duke paused as he made this allusion to the Laurebourg arms, andthen continued, "In addition to this, she has great expectations; andyet my son is mad enough to refuse the hand of this wealthy heiress."

  "If you think that this marriage will cause your son's happiness, youare quite right in acting as you have done."

  "Happiness! What has that to do with the matter, as long as it adds tothe aggrandizement of our house and name? I have made up my mind thatNorbert shall marry this girl; I have sworn it, and I never break myoath. I told him this myself."

  Diana suffered acutely, but her pride supported her, whilst herconfidence in Norbert was so great that she had the boldness to inquire,"And what did he say to that?"

  "Norbert will become a dutiful son once more when he is removed from themalignant influence which has been so injurious to him," returned theDuke fiercely.

  "Indeed."

  "He will obey me, when I show him that though he may not value his nameand position, there are others who do so; and that many a woman wouldfight a brave battle for the honor of being the Duchess of Champdoce.Young lady, my son is a mere boy; but I have known the world, and when Iprove to the poor fool that it was only grasping ambition which assumedthe garb of love, he will renounce his folly and resume hisallegiance to me. I will tell him what I think of the poverty-strickenadventuresses of high birth, whose only weapons are their youth andbeauty, and with which they think that they can win a wealthy husband inthe battle of life."

  "Continue, sir," broke in Diana haughtily. "Insult a defenceless girlwith her poverty! It is a noble act, and one worthy of a high-borngentleman like yourself!"

  "I believed," said the Duke, "that I was addressing the woman whoseadvice had led my son to break into open rebellion against my authority.Am I right or wrong? You can prove me to be mistaken by urging uponNorbert the necessity for submission."

  She made no reply, but bent her head upon her bosom.

  "You see," continued the Duke, "that I am correct, and that if youcontinue to act as you have done, I shall be justified in retaliating inany manner that I may deem fit. You have now been warned. Carry on thisintrigue at your peril."

  He placed such an insulting emphasis upon the word "intrigue" thatDiana's anger rose to boiling point. At that instant, for the sake ofvengeance, she would have risked her honor, her ambition, her very lifeitself.

  Forgetting all prudence, she cast aside her mask of affectedindifference, and, with her eyes flashing angry gleams of fire, and hercheeks burning, she said,--

  "Listen to me. I, too, have sworn an oath, and it is that Norbertshall be my husband; and I tell you that he shall be so! Shut him up inprison, subject him to every indignity at the hands of your menials, butyou will never break his spirit, or make him go back from his plightedword. If I bid him, he will resist your will even unto the bitter end.He and I will never yield. Believe me when I tell you, that before youattack a young girl's honor, you had better pause; for one day she
willbe a member of your family. Farewell."

  Before the Duke could recover his senses, Diana was far down the pathon her way homewards; and then he burst into a wild storm of menaces,oaths, and insults. He fancied that he was alone, but he was mistaken;for the whole of that strange scene had a hidden witness, and thatwitness was Daumon. He had heard of the treatment of the young Marquisfrom one of his servants at the Chateau, and his first thought had beento acquaint Diana with it. Unfortunately he saw no means of doing this.He dared not go to Laurebourg, and he would have died sooner than putpen to paper. He was in a position of the deepest embarrassment when theidea struck him of going to the lovers' trysting place. The little crythat Diana had uttered upon perceiving the Duke had put him upon hisguard. Bruno had found him out; but, as he knew him, merely fawned uponhim. He was delighted at the fury of the Duke, whom he hated withcold and steady malignity; but the courage of Diana filled him withadmiration. Her sublime audacity won his warmest praises, and he longedfor her as an ally to aid him in his scheme of revenge. He knew that thegirl would find herself in a terribly embarrassing position, and thusshe would be sure to call upon him for advice before returning home.

  "Now," thought he, "if I wish to profit by her anger, I ought to strikewhile the iron is hot; and to do so, I should be at home to meet her."

  Without a moment's delay, he dashed through the woods, striving toget home without the young girl's perceiving him. His movements in theunderwood caught the Duke's eye.

  "Who is there?" exclaimed he, moving towards the spot from whence therustling came. There was no reply. Surely he had not been mistaken.Calling to Bruno, he strove to put him on the scent, but the dog showedno signs of eagerness. He sniffed about for a time, and seemed to lingernear one special spot. The Duke moved towards it, and distinctly saw theimpression of two knees upon the grass.

  "Some one has been eavesdropping," muttered he, much enraged at hisdiscovery. "Who can it be? Has Norbert escaped from his prison?"

  As he returned through the courtyard, he called one of the grooms tohim.

  "Where is my son?" asked he.

  "Upstairs, your Grace," was the answer.

  The Duke breathed more freely. Norbert was still in security, andtherefore could not have been the person who had been listening.

  "But," added the lad, "the young master is half frantic."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Well, he declared that he would not remain in his room an instantlonger; so old Jean called for help. He is awfully strong, and it tooksix of us to hold him. He said that if we would let him go, he wouldreturn in two hours, and that his honor and life were involved."

  The Duke listened with a sarcastic smile. He cared nothing about thefrantic struggles of his son, for his heart had grown cold and hard fromthe presence of the fixed idea which had actuated his conduct for somany years, and it was with the solemn face of a man who was fulfillinga sacred duty that he ascended to the room in which his son wasimprisoned. Jean threw open the door, and the Duke paused for a momenton the threshold. The furniture had been overturned, some of it broken,and there were evident signs of a furious struggle having taken place.

  A powerful laborer stood near the window, and Norbert was lying on thebed, with his face turned to the wall.

  "Leave us," said the Duke, and the man withdrew at once.

  "Get up, Norbert," he added; "I wish to speak to you."

  His son obeyed him. Any one but the Duke would have been alarmed by theexpression of the young man's face.

  "What is the meaning of all this?" asked the old nobleman in his mostsevere voice. "Are not my orders sufficient to insure obedience? I hearthat absolute force has had to be used towards you during my absence.Tell me, my son, what plans you have devised during these hours ofsolitude, and what hopes you still venture to cherish."

  "I intend to be free, and I will be so."

  The Duke affected not to hear the reply, uttered as it was in a tone ofderision.

  "It was very easy for me to discover, from your obstinacy, that somewoman had endeavored to entrap you, and by her insidious counselsinducing you to disobey your best friend."

  He paused, but there was no reply.

  "This woman--this dangerous woman--I have been in search of, and as youcan conceive, I easily found her. I went to the Forest of Bevron, andthere I need not tell you I found Mademoiselle de Laurebourg."

  "Did you speak to her?"

  "I did so, certainly. I told her my opinion of those manoeuvring womenwho fascinate the dupes they intend to take advantage of--"

  "Father!"

  "Can it be possible that you, simple boy even as you are, could havebeen deceived by the pretended love of this wily young woman? It is notyou, Marquis, that she loves, but our name and fortune; but _I_ know if_she_ does not that the law will imprison women who contrive to entrapyoung men who are under age."

  Norbert turned deadly pale.

  "Did you really say that to her?" asked he, in a low, hoarse voice,utterly unlike his own. "You dare to insult the woman I love, when youknew that I was far away and unable to protect her! Take care, or Ishall forget that you are my father."

  "He actually threatens me," said the Duke, "my son threatens me;" and,raising the heavy stick he held in his hand, he struck Norbert a violentblow. By a fortunate movement the unhappy boy drew back, and so avoidedthe full force of the stroke, but the end of the stick struck him acrossthe temple, inflicting a long though not a serious wound. In his blindrage Norbert was about to throw himself upon his father, when his eyescaught sight of the open door. Liberty and safety lay before him, and,with a bound, he was on the stairs, and before the Duke could shout foraid from the window, his son was tearing across the park with all theappearance and gesture of a madman.