The King's Esquires; Or, The Jewel of France

  CHAPTER TEN.

  HOW LEONI LOST HIS EYE.

  The meal was ended, and the King in the best of tempers, in thatcondition of mind which a good digestion produces, and ready to befriends with all the world.

  "It is absurd," he said, "to let a scrap of paper which may meannothing, and the curiosity of some country idiot who wanted to get apeep at me, interfere with our enjoying a comfortable rest in thisexcellent inn, and then going on fresh and well in the morning."

  "Then you mean to stay here to-night, sir?" said Denis anxiously.

  "Of course, boy."

  Saint Simon shook his head as if in dissent, and the King glared at him.

  "Did you hear me, sir?" he cried. "I said I mean to stay hereto-night."

  Saint Simon drew back respectfully, and the King, apparently mollified,continued:

  "An excellent dinner. I suppose it was having such a bad night, andtossing about. It has made me feel quite drowsy." And as he spoke hesettled himself down in a big chair and closed his eyes, while those ofthe two young men met in a wondering glance, and had they dared, as theythought of the night they too had spent, they would have burst into aroar of laughter.

  But they contented themselves with just raising their brows, and thensat there for a time silent and thoughtful. They could not converse forfear of disturbing their lord and master, who now began to breatherather heavily. And then a curious thing happened to each: Saint Simonbegan to think of the frightfully wearying night he had passed, and inan instant the wind was whistling and shrieking through the rigging, thesea rising with a heavy splash against the vessel's bows, to now andthen deluge the deck, and the shivering horses in turn were strainingtheir muzzles towards him in the darkness as if appealing to be relievedfrom their miserable state.

  With Denis it was on this wise. He sat back in his chair watching theKing for a few minutes, before fixing his eyes upon the wall just to hisleft. Then he too as if in a moment was down in the dark cabin with thedim lamp swinging to and fro, and the King sleeping heavily and givingforth that deep breathing sound, while a panel seemed to have formeditself in the bulkhead of the ship, where it began gliding sideways tillthere was room for a hand to appear, holding a tiny scrap of paper.This was passed through very slowly, to be followed by wrist, elbow, andthen the whole of an arm so long that it stretched out like aspear-shaft, and the fingers reached the King's plate and thrust thepaper underneath.

  Then it gradually shrank back and grew shorter and shorter till it hadall passed through the panel, which next closed of itself with a softdull roar. Then Denis's eyes opened and he sat up with a start,realising the fact that he had been fast asleep and that the closing ofthe panel was only the King's deep snore.

  "Having no sleep last night," the lad said to himself. "Enough to makeanyone drowsy; that and the long ride. Why, Saint Simon's worse than Iwas. Nice pair of guards we make! Suppose instead of an arm a spearwere thrust through that panel, an enemy might reach his heart."

  Making an effort to shake off his lethargy, the boy stepped to whereSaint Simon lay back sleeping soundly, and then, buckling on his swordthe while, he bent over him, took his sword-belt from where it hung overa corner of the chair back, and thrust the cold hilt into the heavysleeper's hand.

  "Quiet, my boy," muttered Saint Simon, "and keep your nasty cold wetmuzzle out of my hand. We shall get there some time," he addedmurmuringly, "and you are all right. I am not going away."

  "Pst! Pst! Saint Simon! Rouse up, man! Don't go to sleep."

  "Is it nearly morning, skipper?" grumbled the sleeper.

  "No, and it isn't night," whispered Denis, with his lips close to theother's ear. "Quiet, or you'll wake the King."

  "The King--the King! Vive le roi!" muttered Saint Simon.

  "Stupid!" whispered Denis, laying one hand lightly over Saint Simon'slips and shaking him softly with the other. "Wake up. You're asleep."

  "I kiss your Majesty's hand," babbled the sleeper softly.--"Eh? Asleep?Nonsense! Who's asleep?"

  Then coming suddenly to himself, his hand closed tightly upon the hiltof his sword, and dashing away the fingers upon his lips he sprangfiercely to his feet, gazing wonderingly at his companion.

  "Pst! The King!" whispered Denis.

  "Eh? The King?" said Saint Simon, lowering his voice and glancing atthe slumbering monarch. "I say, I haven't been asleep, have I?"

  "Sound as a dormouse in December."

  "Oh, horrible! Suppose he had woke up. But he would have found you onthe watch."

  "He wouldn't," said Denis, laughing silently, "for I went off as soundas you; and no wonder after such a night. What with that and thedinner, and this hot room, a weasel couldn't have kept awake. Here,let's go outside into the open air. I want to see if the horses havebeen well fed."

  "Yes, of course. We ought to have thought of that before," whisperedSaint Simon; and together they crossed softly to the door, passed out,and closed it behind them without a sound; and then, with a softpleasant air greeting their cheeks, they passed along the open hall,caught sight of their hostess, who smiled a reply to their salute, andentered the great inn-yard, going to the far end and the big range ofstables where they had left their steeds.

  "Yes," said Saint Simon thoughtfully, in response to his own thoughts,"we must look after the horses, or else the chief will be wishing againthat he had brought the old physic-monger. Nice time we should have ofit if he were here! He always makes me uncomfortable with those eyes ofhis. I should like to catch him asleep some time."

  "Why? What for?"

  "To put it to the test. But you never catch a weasel asleep, and Ibelieve old Leoni always snoozes with one eye open."

  "I daresay; and I wonder which. But what do you mean about putting itto the test?"

  "Whether he can see with that fixed eye of his."

  "Whether he can see? Why shouldn't he?"

  "Why, you know, of course?"

  "Not I. Why, of course he can."

  "Do you mean to say that you have been all this time at Court and don'tknow about that?"

  "About what?"

  "About that eye of his."

  "I only know that it's precious ugly, and used to make me veryuncomfortable, because I always felt as if I must look at it instead ofat the other or at both at once."

  "But don't you know what they say?"

  "Who do you mean by `they'?"

  "Well, _on_; everybody. That he had the point of a sword jabbed into itonce when he was fencing."

  "Oh, I never heard that," cried Denis. "Then that accounts for itsqueer fixed look."

  "Queer fixed look? It's horrible! I don't think that I am quite acoward; but old Leoni, when he fixes me with that eye of his, quitegives me the creeps."

  "Well, he does look queer sometimes. But I say, this is refreshingafter that hot room," said Denis. "There's a great garden yonder, andopen fields. I should like to have a wander there for an hour or two."

  "So should I," said Saint Simon; "but we must get back, in case hislordship wakes."

  "Yes. It won't do for us to forget ourselves. Esquires ought never towant to sleep," said Denis; and then quickly, "nor grooms nor hostlersneither. Here, look at these two red-faced pigs."

  He pointed on to the two men who had taken charge of and rubbed downtheir chargers upon their arrival, and who were now lying in a heap ofstraw, eyes shut, mouth open, and with their heavy faces looking swollenand red, breathing stertorously.

  "Why, the brutes are drunk," said Saint Simon. "If their mistress knew,I fancy their stay here would be short, for she seems a thoroughbusiness soul."

  "Sim!" cried Denis excitedly, gripping him by the shoulder.

  "What's the matter, lad? Can you see a ghost or a nightmare in the darkcorner there?"

  "No, nor can I see our horses. They were haltered yonder. Where arethey now?"

  "Ah!" yelled Saint Simon, and snatching out his sword he made as if toprick the two sleeping grooms in
to wakefulness; but Denis flung his armacross his chest and cried angrily:

  "Never mind them! The horses, man, the horses--the horses! They may beonly in the field, led there to graze."

  "You are mad!" cried Saint Simon angrily. "But yes; go on out throughthat farther door."

  Denis was already making for an opening at the far end of the long lowbuilding, through which the afternoon sunshine streamed. Passing out,they found themselves in an inner yard, and beyond that there was a longopen meadow, surrounded by a high hedge. But for the moment all wasblank, and a feeling of despair made the young men's hearts sink as theymentally saw at a glance that their beautiful chargers had not excitedattention for nothing--that they had been followed, horse-thieves hadbeen at work, and that their noble steeds were gone.

  "How shall we dare to face the King?" thought Denis, and the nextinstant he grasped the fact that there must be a lane beyond the distanthedge, for he just caught sight of the head of a man whose coveringseemed familiar gliding along above the fencing, now seen, nowdisappearing, as if he were mounted on a walking-horse.

  "Look! Not too late, Sim," he whispered. "They're over yonder. Wemust make for that lane. I'll go this way to cut that fellow off; yougo to the left there, to meet him if I turn him back."

  "Think the horses are there?" whispered Saint Simon hoarsely.

  "Think!" cried Denis, in a low, harsh voice that he did not know as hisown. "No: I am sure."

  No further words passed, for, separating at once, Denis dashed off tothe right to make for the far corner of the field, in the faint hope ofreaching it and getting through into the lane in time, while Saint Simonran swiftly to the left to get into the horse-track there and follow themarauders up.