Les Quarante-cinq. English

  CHAPTER V.

  THE EXECUTION.

  The councilors entered.

  "Well, gentlemen," said the king, "is there anything new?"

  "Sire," replied the president, "we come to beg your majesty to promiselife to the criminal; he has revelations to make, which, on thispromise, we shall obtain."

  "But have we not obtained them?"

  "Yes, in part; is that enough for your majesty?"

  "No," said Catherine; "and the king has determined to postpone theexecution, if the culprit will sign a confession substantiating hisdepositions before the judge."

  "Yes," said Henri, "and you can let the prisoner know this."

  "Your majesty has nothing to add?"

  "Only that there must be no variation in the confessions, or I withdrawmy promise; they must be complete."

  "Yes, sire; with the names of the compromised parties."

  "With all the names."

  "Even if they are of high rank?"

  "If they were those of my nearest relations."

  "It shall be as your majesty wishes."

  "No misunderstanding, M. Brisson. Writing materials shall be brought tothe prisoner, and he will write his confessions; after that we shallsee."

  "But I may promise?"

  "Oh! yes, promise."

  M. Brisson and the councilors withdrew.

  "He will speak, sire," said the queen; "and your majesty will pardonhim. See the foam on his lips."

  "No," said Catherine; "he is seeking something. What is it?"

  "Parbleu!" said Henri; "he seeks M. le Duc de Guise, M. le Duc de Parma,and my brother, the very Catholic king. Yes, seek, wait; do you believethat there is more chance of rescue on the Place de Greve than on theroute from Flanders?"

  Salcede had seen the archers sent off for the horses, and he understoodthat the order for punishment was about to be given, and it was thenthat he bit his lips till they were covered with blood, as the queen hadremarked.

  "No one," murmured he; "not one of those who had promised me help.Cowards! cowards!"

  The horses were now seen making their way through the crowd, andcreating everywhere an opening which closed immediately behind them. Asthey passed the corner of the Rue St. Vannerie, a handsome young man,whom we have seen before, was pushed forward impatiently by a young lad,apparently about seventeen. It was the Vicomte Ernanton de Carmaingesand the mysterious page.

  "Quick!" cried the page; "throw yourself into the opening, there is nota moment to lose."

  "But we shall be stifled; you are mad, my little friend."

  "I must be near," cried the page, imperiously. "Keep close to thehorses, or we shall never arrive there."

  "But before we get there, you will be torn to pieces."

  "Never mind me, only go on."

  "The horses will kick."

  "Take hold of the tail of the last; a horse never kicks when you holdhim so."

  Ernanton gave way in spite of himself to the mysterious influence ofthis lad, and seized the tail of the horse, while the page clung to him.And thus, through the crowd, waving like the sea, leaving here a pieceof a cloak, and there a fragment of a doublet, they arrived with thehorses at a few steps from the scaffold.

  "Have we arrived?" asked the young man, panting.

  "Yes, happily!" answered Ernanton, "for I am exhausted."

  "I cannot see."

  "Come before me."

  "Oh, no! not yet. What are they doing?"

  "Making slip knots at the ends of the cords."

  "And he--what is he doing?"

  "Who?"

  "The condemned."

  "His eyes turn incessantly from side to side."

  The horses were near enough to enable the executioner to tie the feetand hands of the criminal to the harness. Salcede uttered a cry when hefelt the cord in contact with his flesh.

  "Monsieur," said the Lieutenant Tanchon to him politely, "will it pleaseyou to address the people?" and added in a whisper, "a confession willsave your life."

  Salcede looked earnestly at him, as though to read the truth in hiseyes.

  "You see," continued Tanchon, "they abandon you. There is no other hopein the world but what I offer you."

  "Well!" said Salcede, with a sigh, "I am ready to speak."

  "It is a written and signed confession that the king exacts."

  "Then untie my hands, and give me a pen and I will write it."

  They loosened the cords from his wrists, and an usher who stood nearwith writing materials placed them before him on the scaffold. "Now,"said Tanchon, "state everything."

  "Do not fear; I will not forget those who have forgotten me;" but as hespoke, he cast another glance around.

  While this was passing, the page, seizing the hand of Ernanton, cried,"Monsieur, take me in your arms, I beg you, and raise me above the headsof the people who prevent me from seeing."

  "Ah! you are insatiable, young man."

  "This one more service; I must see the condemned, indeed I must."

  Then, as Ernanton still hesitated, he cried, "For pity's sake, monsieur,I entreat you."

  Ernanton raised him in his arms at this last appeal, and was somewhatastonished at the delicacy of the body he held. Just as Salcede hadtaken the pen, and looked round as we have said, he saw this young ladabove the crowd, with two fingers placed on his lips. An indescribablejoy spread itself instantaneously over the face of the condemned man,for he recognized the signal so impatiently waited for, and whichannounced that aid was near. After a moment's hesitation, however, hetook the paper and began to write.

  "He writes!" cried the crowd.

  "He writes!" exclaimed Catherine.

  "He writes!" cried the king, "and I will pardon him."

  Suddenly Salcede stopped and looked again at the lad, who repeated thesignal. He wrote on, then stopped to look once more; the signal wasagain repeated.

  "Have you finished?" asked Tanchon.

  "Yes."--"Then sign."

  Salcede signed, with his eyes still fixed on the young man. "For theking alone," said he, and he gave the paper to the usher, though withhesitation.

  "If you have disclosed all," said Tanchon, "you are safe."

  A strange smile strayed over the lips of Salcede. Ernanton, who wasfatigued, wished now to put down the page, who made no opposition. Withhim disappeared all that had sustained the unfortunate man; he lookedround wildly and cried: "Well, come!"

  No one answered.

  "Quick! quick! the king holds the paper; he is reading!"

  Still there was no response.

  The king unfolded the paper.

  "Thousand devils!" cried Salcede, "if they have deceived me! Yet it wasshe--it was really she!"

  No sooner had the king read the first lines, than he called outindignantly, "Oh! the wretch!"

  "What is it, my son?"

  "He retracts all--he pretends that he confessed nothing; and he declaresthat the Guises are innocent of any plot!"

  "But," said Catherine, "if it be true?"

  "He lies!" cried the king.

  "How do you know, my son? Perhaps the Guises have been calumniated: thejudges, in their zeal, may have put false interpretation on thedepositions."

  "Oh! no, madame; I heard them myself!" cried Henri.

  "You, my son?"

  "Yes, I?"

  "How so?"

  "When the criminal was questioned, I was behind a curtain and heard allhe said."

  "Well, then, if he will have it, order the horses to pull."

  Henri, in anger, gave the sign. It was repeated, the cords wererefastened, four men jumped on the horses, which, urged by violentblows, started off in opposite directions. A horrible cracking, and aterrible cry was heard. The blood was seen to spout from the limbs ofthe unhappy man, whose face was no longer that of a man but of a demon.

  "Ah, heaven!" he cried; "I will speak, I will tell all. Ah! cursedduch--"

  The voice had been heard above everything, but suddenly it ceased.

&nbs
p; "Stop, stop," cried Catherine, "let him speak."

  But it was too late; the head of Salcede fell helplessly on one side, heglanced once more to where he had seen the page, and then expired.Tanchon gave some rapid orders to his archers, who plunged into thecrowd in the direction indicated by Salcede's glance.

  "I am discovered!" said the page to Ernanton. "For pity's sake, aid me!they come, they come!"

  "What do you want?"

  "To fly! Do you not see that it is me they want?"

  "But who are you, then?"

  "A woman. Oh, save me! protect me!"

  Ernanton turned pale; but generosity triumphed over fear. He placed hisprotegee before him, opened a path with blows, and pushed her toward thecorner of the Rue du Mouton, toward an open door. Into this door sheentered; and she seemed to have been expected, for it closed behind her.Ernanton had not even time to ask her name, or where he should find heragain; but in disappearing she had made a sign full of promise.

  Meanwhile, Catherine was standing up in her place, full of rage.

  "My son," said she, at last, "you would do well to change yourexecutioner; he is a leaguer."

  "What do you mean, mother?"

  "Salcede suffered only one draw, and he is dead."

  "Because he was too sensible to pain."

  "No; but because he has been strangled with a fine cord underneath thescaffold, just as he was about to accuse those who let him die. Let adoctor examine him, and I am certain that he will find round his neckthe circle that the cord has left."

  "You are right!" cried Henri, with flashing eyes; "my cousin of Guise isbetter served than I am!"

  "Hush, my son--no eclat; we shall only be laughed at, for once more wehave missed our aim."

  "Joyeuse did well to go and amuse himself elsewhere," said the king;"one can reckon on nothing in this world--not even on punishments. Come,ladies, let us go."