CHAPTER LXXVI.
THE JOURNEY.
They set off. Aurilly affected the most perfect equality with Remy, andshowed to Diana the greatest respect. But this respect was veryinterested. Indeed, to hold the stirrup of a woman when she mounts ordismounts, to watch each of her movements with solicitude, to let slipno occasion of picking up her glove, is the role either of a lover, aservant, or a spy. In touching Diana's glove Aurilly saw her hand, inclasping her cloak he peeped under her mask, and always did his utmostto see that face which the duke had not been able to recognize, butwhich he doubted not he should be able to. But Aurilly had to deal withone as skillful as himself; Remy claimed to perform his ordinaryservices to Diana, and seemed jealous of Aurilly, while Diana herself,without appearing to have any suspicions, begged Aurilly not tointerfere with the services which her old attendant was accustomed torender to her. Aurilly was then reduced to hoping for rain or sun tomake her remove her mask; but neither rain nor sun had any effect, andwhenever they stopped Diana took her meals in her own room. Aurillytried to look through the keyholes, but Diana always sat with her backto the door. He tried to peep through the windows, but there were alwaysthick curtains drawn, or if none were there, cloaks were hung up tosupply their place. Neither questions, nor attempts at corruption,succeeded with Remy, who always declared that his mistress's will washis.
"But these precautions are, then, taken only on my account?" saidAurilly.
"No, for everybody."
"But M. d'Anjou saw her; she was not hidden then."
"Pure chance; but it is just because he did see her that she is morecareful than ever."
Days passed on, and they were nearing their destination, but Aurilly'scuriosity had not been gratified. Already Picardy appeared to the eyesof the travelers.
Aurilly began to lose patience, and the bad passions of his nature togain the ascendant. He began to suspect some secret under all thismystery. One day he remained a little behind with Remy, and renewed hisattempts at seduction, which Remy repulsed as usual.
"But," said Aurilly, "some day or other I must see your mistress."
"Doubtless," said Remy; "but that will be when she likes, and not whenyou like."
"But if I employ force."
"Try," said Remy, while a lightning glance, which he could not repress,shot from his eyes.
Aurilly tried to laugh. "What a fool I am!" said he; "what does itmatter to me who she is? She is the same person whom the duke saw."
"Certainly."
"And whom he told me to bring to Chateau-Thierry."
"Yes."
"Well! that is all that is necessary. It is not I who am in love withher, it is monseigneur; and provided that you do not seek to escape orfly--"
"Do we appear to wish to do so?"
"No."
"And she so little desires to do so, that were you not here we shouldcontinue our way to Chateau-Thierry; if the duke wishes to see us, wewish also to see him."
"That is capital," said Aurilly. "Would your mistress like to rest herea little while?" continued he, pointing to a hotel on the road.
"You know," said Remy, "that my mistress never stops but in towns."
"Well, I, who have made no such vow, will stop here a moment; ride on,and I will follow."
Remy rejoined Diana.
"What was he saying?" asked she.
"He expressed his constant desire--"
"To see me?"
"Yes."
Diana smiled.
"He is furious," continued Remy.
"He shall not see me; of that I am determined."
"But once we are at Chateau-Thierry, must he not see your face?"
"What matter, if the discovery come too late? Besides, the duke did notrecognize me."
"No, but his follower will. All these mysteries which have so annoyedAurilly for eight days had not existed for the prince; they had notexcited his curiosity or awakened his souvenirs, while for a weekAurilly has been seeking, imagining, suspecting. Your face will strikeon a memory fully awakened, and he will know you at once."
At this moment they were interrupted by Aurilly, who had taken across-road and come suddenly upon them, in the hope of surprising somewords of their conversation. The sudden silence which followed hisarrival proved to him that he was in the way, and he therefore rodebehind them.
He instinctively feared something, as Remy had said, but his floatingconjectures never for an instant approached the truth. From this momenthis plans were fixed, and in order to execute them the better he changedhis conduct, and showed himself the most accommodating and joyouscompanion possible during the rest of the day.
Remy remarked this change not without anxiety.
The next day they started early, and at noon were forced to stop to restthe horses. At two o'clock they set off again, and went on withoutstopping until four. A great forest, that of La Fere, was visible in thedistance; it had the somber and mysterious aspect of our northernforests, so imposing: to southern natures, to whom, beyond all things,heat and sunshine are necessary; but it was nothing to Remy and Diana,who were accustomed to the thick woods of Anjou and Sologne. It mighthave been about six o'clock in the evening when they entered the forest,and after half an hour's journey the sun began to go down. A high windwhirled about the leaves and carried them toward a lake, along the shoreof which the travelers were journeying. Diana rode in the middle,Aurilly on the right, and Remy on the left. No other human being wasvisible under the somber arches of the trees.
From the long extent of the road, one might have thought it one of thoseenchanted forests, under whose shade nothing can live, had it not beenfor the hoarse howling of the wolves waking up at the approach of night.All at once Diana felt that her saddle, which had been put on byAurilly, was slipping. She called Remy, who jumped down, and began totighten the girths. At this moment Aurilly approached Diana, and whileshe was occupied, cut the strings of silk which fastened her mask.Before she had divined the movement, or had time to put up her hand,Aurilly seized the mask and looked full at her. The eyes of these twopeople met with a look so terrible, that no one could have said whichlooked most pale and menacing. Aurilly let the mask and his dagger fall,and clasping his hands, cried, "Heavens and earth! Madame de Monsoreau!"
"It is a name which you shall repeat no more," cried Remy, seizing himby the girdle and dragging him from his horse. Both rolled on the groundtogether, and Aurilly stretched out his hand to reach his dagger.
"No, Aurilly, no," said Remy, placing his knee on his breast.
"Le Haudoin!" cried Aurilly; "oh, I am a dead man!"
"That is not yet true, but will be in a moment," cried Remy; and drawinghis knife, he plunged the whole blade into the throat of the musician.
Diana, with haggard eyes, half turned on her saddle, and leaning on thepommel, shuddering, but pitiless, had not turned her head away from thisterrible spectacle. However, when she saw the blood spurt out from thewound, she fell from her horse as though she were dead.
Remy did not occupy himself with her at that terrible moment, butsearched Aurilly, took from him the two rouleaux of gold, then tied astone to the neck of the corpse, and threw it into the lake. He thenwashed his hands in the water, took in his arms Diana, who was stillunconscious, and placed her again on her horse. That of Aurilly,frightened by the howling of the wolves, which began to draw nearer, hadfled into the woods.
When Diana recovered herself, she and Remy, without exchanging a singleword, continued their route toward Chateau-Thierry.