CHAPTER XVII
THE SAVING OF LA TOUR
Jude, who had the instincts of a Spanish Dominican, kept the closestwatch upon the judicial proceedings against the highwaymen. He waspromptly at the Chatelet at the time of their brief and summary trial,and procuring a _caleche_, sped Versaillesward to retail the news to theNoailles household. Having done so with considerable _eclat_ to herExcellency, he pictured to himself an entrancing dream--that of awakinga joyful sympathy between himself and Cyrene through this highlycongratulatory matter. She would smile upon him so divinely, so highlyapplaud his zeal, and begin to compare him favourably with that newbutterfly, Repentigny, whose day must thenceforth come to an end.
It was night before he discovered her whereabouts, for she was at aball, accompanying the Marechale de Noailles, chief lady of honour ofthe Queen. The Marechale was just then occupying the suite of apartmentsallotted to her in the Palace, and there Jude waited impatiently untilhalf-past three before the young widow arrived in her boudoiraccompanied by her maid.
"You did not expect me here, Madame Baroness," he said.
"In truth I did not, sir," she replied with cold surprise.
"I am the bearer of good news to you."
"Indeed!"
"Madame was robbed last month at Fontainebleau."
"And you bring back my jewels, good Abbe?" She began already to seemmore radiant to him than he had dreamed.
"Not that quite."
"You mystify me."
"Madame will remember that three of the villains were caught."
"And Monsieur de Repentigny has found the others?" she cried, hercountenance lighting again.
The Abbe's face fell.
"No, I have more agreeable news."
"You are too slow, as usual."
"Complete justice has been done!"
Her face suddenly turned to motionless marble.
"You mean on those three men?" she asked, with horror, which surprisedhim.
"Certainly."
"How?"
"Their legs will crack this very morning in Paris at eight o'clock."
"Those living beings whom I have seen, that cruel death!" she cried."Where is the Prime Minister? Christ help me!"
She took no heed of her flimsy, incongruous dress, her fatigue, her needof sleep. Her soul was overwhelmed with the Christian desire to save,and in her sudden energy the girl over-awed the reptile before her.
"Why do you wait, sir?" she exclaimed. "Conduct me to the Ministerinstantly!"
"What, at this hour? In this manner? Does my lady reflect what will besaid to-morrow throughout the town?" he ejaculated.
"You have my command," she answered him, motioning to her maid tofollow.
Sometimes leading, and sometimes instructed where to go, the Abbepreceded her through a long maze of chambers and passages, in each ofwhich sentinels were posted, until they came to the antechamber ofMonsieur de Calonne.
By good luck, the Minister, like herself, had not yet retired, but wassigning papers.
His astonishment was unbounded at both her appearance and her agitatedand remarkable request.
"Baroness," said he, "these men for whom you have such singular thoughmeritorious sympathy have flagrantly wronged yourself and the King. Howmuch better are they than the thousands who suffer the same fate everyyear under the well-weighed sentences of the bench?"
"What rends me, sir, is to see human beings die, into whose faces I havelooked."
"That speaks well for your heart, Madame; but what about the laws?"
"Are laws just under which three lives are set against a few trinkets?"
"Well, Baroness, that is the business not of you nor me, but of themagistrates. You admit at least the guilt of the criminals againstsociety?"
"What has society done for these creatures? What have we who live atease in Versailles done to make them good citizens? But I cease toargue, my lord, and know that in doing so I am presuming beyond anyrights I might have. Listen, then, with your good heart--for all Franceknows the good heart of Monsieur de Calonne--to the intercession of awoman for three of her dying, neglected, and miserable fellow-men."
"They have a fair and powerful advocate," he said, smiling agreeably.
Calonne no longer resisted her appeal, but wrote the necessary order.Putting profound gratitude as well as respect into her three partingcurtseys, she flew with it to her chamber.
"Get me an _enrage_," she exclaimed to Jude. An _enrage_ was one ofthose lean post-horses specially used for quick travel to and fromParis, a distance they could make in a couple of hours.
She would trust no one with the Minister's order, but rapidly threw on acloak and cap during the absence of the Abbe.
_Enrages_ were generally to be had on short notice day or night, butthis night it seemed as if there were none in all Versailles; heranxiety and impatience increased, and she paced the room in agony ofmind. At last Jude returned, and announced the vehicle.
Descending hastily, she stepped into it, still commanding theAbbe to accompany her. As it rattled forward, she kept her eyesfixed impatiently upon the face of her watch. Half-pastsix--three-quarters--seven--the quarter--the half--at length they werechecked at the Chatelet by the crowd surging and swaying around them,with the wave-like confusion of the riot, heard the musketry, andlearned from a guard who ran to protect her the cause of the trouble,and that the execution was about to take place on the Place de Greve.
Jude, in cowardly terror, fell back in a stupor, but the coachman was ofthat Parisian type to whom popular danger was like champagne, and on thepromise of a louis he lashed his foaming horse to the Place de Greve.The shrieks of the second victim and the shouts and drums informedCyrene only too well what was passing. She leaped from the cabriolet,and rushed for the platform.
The strange sight of a beautiful Court lady in ball dress, pushing herway forward in such agitation, had an instantaneous effect on the crowd,and they opened a way to the centre. Stumbling past them, she threw outthe paper she carried towards the officer-in-command, and fell faintingat his feet. Hugues de la Tour thus escaped execution.