CHAPTER XLIV.
ORESTES AND PYLADES.
Henry of Anjou having departed, peace and happiness seemed to havereturned to the Louvre, among this family of the Atrides.
Charles, forgetting his melancholy, recovered his vigorous health,hunting with Henry, and on days when this was not possible discussinghunting affairs with him, and reproaching him for only one thing, hisindifference to hawking, declaring that he would be faultless if he knewhow to snare falcons, gerfalcons, and hawks as well as he knew how tohunt brocks and hounds.
Catharine had become a good mother again. Gentle to Charles andD'Alencon, affectionate to Henry and Marguerite, gracious to Madame deNevers and Madame de Sauve; and under the pretext that it was inobedience to an order from her that he had been wounded, she carried heramiabilities so far as to visit Maurevel twice during his convalescence,in his house in the Rue de la Cerisaie.
Marguerite continued to carry on her love affair after the Spanishfashion.
Every evening she opened her window and by gestures and notes kept upher correspondence with La Mole, while in each of his letters the youngman reminded his lovely queen of her promise of a few moments in the RueCloche Percee as a reward for his exile.
Only one person was lonely and unhappy in the now calm and peacefulLouvre.
This was our friend Count Annibal de Coconnas.
It was certainly something to know that La Mole was alive; it was muchto be the favorite of Madame de Nevers, the most charming and the mostwhimsical of women. But all the pleasure of a meeting granted him by thebeautiful duchess, all the consolation offered by Marguerite as to thefate of their common friend, did not compensate in the eyes of thePiedmontese for one hour spent with La Mole at their friend La Huriere'sbefore a bottle of light wine, or for one of those midnight ramblesthrough that part of Paris in which an honest man ran the risk ofreceiving rents in his flesh, his purse, or his clothes.
To the shame of humanity it must be said that Madame de Nevers bore withimpatience her rivalry with La Mole.
It was not that she hated the Provincial; on the contrary, carried awayby the irresistible instinct which, in spite of herself, makes everywoman a coquette with another woman's lover, especially when that womanis her friend, she had not spared La Mole the flashes of her emeraldeyes, and Coconnas might have envied the frank handclasps and theamiable acts done by the duchess in favor of his friend during thosedays in which the star of the Piedmontese seemed growing dim in the skyof his beautiful mistress; but Coconnas, who would have strangledfifteen persons for a single glance from his lady, was so little jealousof La Mole that he had often after some indiscretions of the duchesswhispered certain offers which had made the man from the Provincesblush.
At this stage of affairs it happened that Henriette, who by the absenceof La Mole was deprived of all the enjoyment she had had from thecompany of Coconnas, that is, his never-ending flow of spirits and fun,came to Marguerite one day to beg her to do her this three-fold favorwithout which the heart and the mind of Coconnas seemed to be slippingaway day by day.
Marguerite, always sympathetic and, besides, influenced by the prayersof La Mole and the wishes of her own heart, arranged a meeting withHenriette for the next day in the house with the double entrance, inorder to discuss these matters thoroughly and uninterruptedly.
Coconnas received with rather bad grace the note from Henriette, askinghim to be in the Rue Tizon at half-past nine.
Nevertheless he went to the place appointed, where he found Henriette,who was provoked at having arrived first.
"Fie, Monsieur!" she cried, "it is very bad to make--I will not say aprincess--but a lady--wait in this way."
"Wait?" said Coconnas, "what an idea! I'll wager, on the contrary, thatwe are ahead of time."
"I was."
"Well! and I too; it cannot be more than ten o'clock at the latest."
"Well! my note said half-past nine."
"Therefore I left the Louvre at nine o'clock. I am in the service ofMonsieur le Duc d'Alencon, be it said in passing, and for this reason Ishall be obliged to leave you in an hour."
"Which pleases you, no doubt?"
"No, indeed! considering the fact that Monsieur d'Alencon is anill-tempered and capricious master; moreover, if I am to be found faultwith, I prefer to have it done by pretty lips like yours rather than bysuch sullen ones as his."
"Ah!" said the duchess, "that is a little better. You say, then, thatyou left the Louvre at nine o'clock."
"Yes, and with every idea of coming directly here, when at the corner ofthe Rue de Grenelle I saw a man who looked like La Mole."
"Good! La Mole again."
"Always, with or without permission."
"Brutal man!"
"Ah!" said Coconnas, "we are going to begin our complimentary speechesagain."
"Not at all; but finish your story."
"I was not the one who wanted to tell it. It was you who asked me why Iwas late."
"Yes; was it my place to arrive first?"
"Well, you are not looking for any one."
"You are growing tiresome, my dear friend; but go on. At the corner ofthe Rue de Grenelle you saw a man who looked like La Mole--But what isthat on your doublet--blood?"
"Yes, and here is more which was probably sprinkled over me as he fell."
"You had a fight?"
"I should think so."
"On account of your La Mole?"
"On whose account do you think I would fight? For a woman?"
"I thank you!"
"So I followed this man who had the impudence to look like my friend. Ijoined him in the Rue Coquilliere, I overtook him, and stared into hisface under the light from a shop. But it was not La Mole."
"Good! that was well done."
"Yes, but he did not think so. 'Monsieur,' said I to him, 'you are anass to take it upon yourself to resemble from afar my friend Monsieur dela Mole, who is an accomplished cavalier; while on nearer view one caneasily perceive that you are nothing but a vagrant.' Whereupon he drewhis sword, and I mine. At the third pass he fell down, sprinkling mewith his blood."
"But you assisted him at least?"
"I was about to do so when a horseman rode by. Ah! this time, duchess, Iwas sure that it was La Mole. Unfortunately he was galloping. I ranafter him as hard as I could, and those who collected around to see thefight ran behind me. Now as I might easily have been mistaken for athief, followed as I was by all that rabble shouting at my heels, I wasobliged to turn back to scatter them, which made me lose a little time.In the meanwhile the rider disappeared; I followed, inquired of everyone, gave the color of the horse; but it was useless; no one had noticedhim. At last, tired out from the chase, I came here."
"Tired of the chase!" said the duchess. "How flattering you are!"
"Listen, dear friend," said Coconnas, turning nonchalantly in his chair."You are going to bother me again on account of poor La Mole. Now, youare wrong, for friendship, you see,--I wish I had his wit or knowledge,I would then find some comparison which would make you understand how Ifeel--friendship, you see, is a star, while love--love--wait! I haveit!--love is only a candle. You will tell me there are severalvarieties"--
"Of love?"
"No! of candles, and that some are better than others. The rose, forinstance, is the best; but rose as it is, the candle burns out, whilethe star shines forever. You will answer this by saying that when thecandle is burned out, another is put in its place."
"Monsieur de Coconnas, you are a goose."
"Indeed!"
"Monsieur de Coconnas, you are impertinent."
"Ah?"
"Monsieur de Coconnas, you are a scoundrel."
"Madame, I warn you that you will make me trebly regret La Mole."
"You no longer love me."
"On the contrary, duchess, you do not know it, but I idolize you. But Ican love and cherish and idolize you, and yet in my spare moments praisemy friend."
"So you call the time spent with me spare mo
ments, do you?"
"What can you expect? Poor La Mole is constantly in my thoughts."
"You prefer him to me; that is shameful! and I detest you, Annibal! Whynot be frank, and tell me you prefer him to me? Annibal, I warn you ofone thing: if you prefer anything in the world to me"--
"Henriette, the loveliest of duchesses! For your own peace of mind,believe me, do not ask such unwise questions. I love you more than anywoman, and I love La Mole more than any man."
"Well answered!" said a strange voice suddenly. A damask curtain wasraised in front of a great panel, which, sliding back into the wall,opened a passage between the two rooms, and showed La Mole in thedoorway, like one of Titian's fine portraits in its gilded frame.
"La Mole!" exclaimed Coconnas, without paying any attention toMarguerite or taking the time to thank her for the surprise she hadarranged for him; "La Mole, my friend, my dear La Mole!" and he rushedinto the arms of his friend, upsetting the armchair in which he had beensitting and the table that stood in his way.
La Mole returned his embrace with effusion; then, turning to theDuchesse de Nevers:
"Pardon me, madame, if the mention of my name has sometimes disturbedyour happiness." "Certainly," he added, glancing at Marguerite with alook of ineffable tenderness, "it has not been my fault that I have notseen you sooner."
"You see, Henriette," said Marguerite, "I have kept my word; here heis!"
"Is it, then, to the prayers of Madame la Duchesse that I owe thishappiness?" asked La Mole.
"To her prayers alone," replied Marguerite.
Then, turning to La Mole, she continued:
"La Mole, I will allow you not to believe one word of what I say."
Meanwhile Coconnas pressed his friend to his heart over and over again,walked round him a dozen times, and even held a candelabrum to his facethe better to see him; then suddenly turning, he knelt down beforeMarguerite and kissed the hem of her robe.
"Ah! that is pleasant!" said the Duchesse de Nevers. "I suppose now youwill find me bearable."
"By Heaven!" cried Coconnas, "I shall find you as adorable as ever; onlynow I can tell you so with a lighter heart, and were there any number ofPoles, Sarmatians, and other hyperborean barbarians present I shouldmake them all admit that you were the queen of beauties."
"Gently, gently, Coconnas," said La Mole, "Madame Marguerite is here!"
"Oh! I cannot help that," cried Coconnas, with the half-comic air whichbelonged to him alone, "I still assert that Madame Henriette is thequeen of beauties and Madame Marguerite is the beauty of queens."
But whatever he might say or do, the Piedmontese, completely carriedaway by the joy of having found his dear La Mole, had neither eyes norears for any one but him.
"Come, my beautiful queen," said Madame de Nevers, "come, let us leavethese dear friends to chat awhile alone. They have a thousand things tosay to each other which would be interrupted by our conversation. It ishard for us, but it is the only way, I am sure, to make Monsieur Annibalperfectly sane. Do this for me, my queen! since I am foolish enough tolove this worthless fellow, as his friend La Mole calls him."
Marguerite whispered a few words to La Mole, who, anxious as he had beento see his friend, would have been glad had the affection of Coconnasfor him been less exacting. Meanwhile Coconnas was endeavoring to bringback a smile and a gentle word to Henriette's lips, a result which waseasily attained. Then the two women passed into the next room, wheresupper was awaiting them.
The young men were alone. The first questions Coconnas asked his friendwere about that fatal evening which had almost cost him his life. As LaMole proceeded in his story the Piedmontese, who, however, was noteasily moved, trembled in every limb.
"But why," said he, "instead of running about the country as you havedone, and causing me such uneasiness, did you not seek refuge with ourmaster? The duke who had defended you would have hidden you. I shouldhave been near you and my grief, although feigned, would neverthelesshave disturbed every simpleton at court."
"Our master!" said La Mole, in a low voice, "the Duc d'Alencon?"
"Yes. According to what he told me, I supposed it was to him you owedyour life."
"I owe my life to the King of Navarre," replied La Mole.
"Oh!" exclaimed Coconnas, "are you sure?"
"Beyond a doubt."
"Oh! what a good, kind king! But what part did the Duc d'Alencon play init all?"
"He held the rope to strangle me."
"By Heaven!" cried Coconnas, "are you sure of what you say, La Mole?What! this pale-faced, pitiful-looking cur strangle my friend! Ah! byHeaven, by to-morrow I will let him know what I think of him."
"Are you mad?"
"That is true, he would begin again. But what does it matter? Thingscannot go on like this."
"Come, come, Coconnas, calm yourself and try and remember that it ishalf-past eleven o'clock and that you are on duty to-night."
"What do I care about my duty to him! Bah! Let him wait! My attendance!I serve a man who has held a rope? You are joking! No! This isprovidential; it is said that I should find you to leave you no more. Ishall stay here."
"Why, man alive, think what you are saying. You are not drunk, I hope."
"No, fortunately; if I were I would set fire to the Louvre."
"Come, Annibal," said La Mole, "be reasonable. Return to your duties.Service is a sacred thing."
"Will you return with me?"
"Impossible."
"Are they still thinking of killing you?"
"I think not. I am of too little importance for them to have any plot onhand about me. For an instant they wanted to kill me, but that was all.The princes were on a frolic that night."
"What are you going to do, then?"
"Nothing; wander about or take a walk."
"Well, I will walk, too, and wander with you. That will be charming.Then, if you are attacked, there will be two of us, and we will givethem no end of trouble. Let him come, your duke! I will pin him to thewall like a butterfly!"
"But, at least, say that you are going to leave his service!"
"Yes, I am."
"In that case, tell him so."
"Well, that seems only right. I will do so. I will write to him."
"Write to him! That would be discourteous, Coconnas, to a prince of theblood."
"Yes, of the blood! of the blood of my friend. Take care," criedCoconnas, rolling his large, tragic eyes, "lest I trifle with points ofetiquette!"
"Probably," said La Mole to himself, "in a few days he will need neitherthe prince nor any one else, for if he wants to come with us, we willtake him."
Thereupon Coconnas took the pen without further opposition from hisfriend and hastily composed the following specimen of eloquence:
"_Monseigneur: There can be no doubt but that your highness, versed as you are in the writings of all authors of antiquity, must know the touching story of Orestes and Pylades, who were two heroes celebrated for their misfortunes and their friendship. My friend La Mole is no less unfortunate than was Orestes, while I am no less tender than Pylades. At present he has affairs of importance which demand my aid. It is therefore impossible for me to leave him. So with the consent of your highness I will take a short vacation, determined as I am to attach myself to my friend's fortune, whithersoever it may lead me. It is with the deepest grief that I tear myself away from the service of your highness, but for this I trust I may obtain your pardon. I venture to subscribe myself with respect, my lord,_
"_Your highness's very humble and very obedient servant_,
"_ANNIBAL, COMTE DE COCONNAS_,
"_The inseparable friend of Monsieur de la Mole._"
This masterpiece finished, Coconnas read it aloud to La Mole, who merelyshrugged his shoulders.
"Well! what do you say to it?" asked Coconnas, who had not seen theshrug, or who had pretended not to see it.
"I say," replied
La Mole, "that Monsieur d'Alencon will laugh at us."
"At us?"
"Both of us."
"That will be better, it seems to me, than to strangle each of usseparately."
"Bah!" said La Mole, laughing, "the one will not necessarily prevent theother."
"Well! so much the worse. Come what may, I will send the letterto-morrow morning. Where shall we sleep when we leave here?"
"At Maitre la Huriere's, in that little room in which you tried to stabme before we were Orestes and Pylades!"
"Very well, I will send my letter to the Louvre by our host."
Just then the panel moved.
"Well!" asked both princesses at once, "where are Orestes and Pylades?"
"By Heaven! madame," replied Coconnas, "Pylades and Orestes are dying ofhunger and love."
It was Maitre la Huriere himself who, at nine o'clock the followingmorning, carried to the Louvre the respectful missive of Count Annibalde Coconnas.