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

  CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.

  WHAT DENIS THOUGHT.

  "Sir Robert! Gentlemen!" cried the officer in command of thehalberdiers. "What does this mean?"

  "Can't you see?" growled Sir Robert angrily. "Fighting. Chastising apack of insolent musicians, dancing masters, or whatever they are, whoinsulted us."

  "It is not true!" cried Denis angrily; and as he spoke Carrbroke, whohad received warning from one of the inn servants of the fight that wasgoing on, shouldered his way in through the halberdiers. "These men,whoever they are--they cannot be gentlemen--"

  "What!" roared Sir Robert.

  "--insulted my master and these members of his suite," continued Denis,gazing defiantly at the English captain. "We were standing on ourdefence."

  "The boy lies," cried Sir Robert.

  "No: Sir Robert lies," cried Carrbroke hotly. "Captain Bowman, thesegentlemen were my father's guests last night--yes, Sir Robert, myfather's guests, and you must have insulted them, or they would not havedrawn."

  "This is insufferable," cried Sir Robert.

  "Yes," said the captain of the escort coldly; "quite; and I am afraid,Sir Robert, that when his Majesty hears of the treatment which hisguests, whom I have been ordered to escort into the palace, havereceived, I shall have another duty to perform."

  "What do you mean?" cried Sir Robert insolently.

  "Your arrest, sir, and that of your friends. I am afraid his Majesty isgetting tired of your brawling and overbearing ways."

  "What!" cried Sir Robert fiercely, as he clapped his hand again to thedagger he had sheathed.

  "I see you have lost your sword," said the officer contemptuously, "andspared me the trouble of disarming you for drawing within the precinctsof the Court. Take my advice, sir--not that of a friend, but of one whohas his duty to do towards keeping order here. Take your friends awayand consult with them as to what steps you should take before hisMajesty hears of this outrage. Monsieur le Comte," he continued,turning to Francis, "in his Majesty's name, let me apologise for whatmust have been a grievous mistake on the part of one of the King'sofficers. I am commanded to escort you and your followers into thepalace, where his Majesty will receive you at once."

  Francis bowed, and the halberdiers formed up ready for the visitors topass between their ranks, while Leoni, who looked calm and saturnine asever, bent forward and whispered a word or two to the King.

  "My faith, yes!" he cried, and he turned to the Captain of the Guard."But, as you see, we are travel-stained and hot with this encounter; weought to have some minutes to prepare."

  "His Majesty knows that you have been travelling, sir, and will notnotice that you have been making some passes in your defence. Mymaster, sir, is impatient, and as he expects you, if I might advise Iwould say, let me lead you there at once."

  The King bowed and stepped forward directly, closely followed by hissuite, and passed out to the front of the hostelry, where a little crowdhad gathered, attracted by the exciting incident that had taken place.

  The next minute, with about a dozen of the halberdiers to clear the way,the rest behind, the order was loudly given, and the little processionmoved towards the great gate of the castle on the hill, the Captain ofthe Guard marching with drawn sword respectfully by the travellers'side.

  Rather breathless still, the King remained silent, while Denis could notrefrain from glancing back, to see his late adversary standing at theinn-door in the act of taking a wine-cup from the hands of the host.

  The next moment the figures of the halberdiers shut him from sight,while the boy heard his royal master's next words, uttered in a low toneto Leoni.

  "It's wonderfully like being prisoners, doctor," he whispered; "and mindthis, if we do not get free again you'll have to pay the forfeit. Ah,there you are, my young esquire! I'd half forgotten you. Well andbravely fought. Yesterday, as it were, I looked upon you as a page; youare now my esquire indeed. By my sword, the fighting we have hadalready on this English soil has made quite a fire-eater of you. Why,Leoni, I feel as ready as can be now to enter into the lion's den. Notget out again! Tchah! With followers like these, who's going to standagainst us? _Vive la France_!"

  "_Vive la France, Monsieur le Comte_," said Leoni, in a low meaningtone. "If I might say so, I should think his Majesty King Francis wouldfeel proud of the bearer of his letter, if he could know how bravely oneof his nobles kept up the credit of his court of braves."

  "I hope he would, Leoni," said the King, laughing to himself, and helooked sharply upward as the halberdiers' footsteps echoed from the greystone walls of the arched entrance to the courtyard. "A noble-lookingcastle. May I ask, monsieur the captain, what building that is to ourleft--the chapel of the palace?"

  "Yes, sir, and the great hall," replied the Captain of the Guard.

  Then uttering a sharp order, the advance-guard bore off to the left.

  "His Majesty awaits you, sir, in the ante-chamber. We turn in here foryour reception in the hall."

  "Hah!" said Francis, and he looked at Denis as he spoke. "Well, boy,"he said, in a low tone, "are you wondering what Henry of England willthink when he sees the Comte?"

  "No, sir," replied the boy sharply.

  "What then?"

  "Will the Comte excuse me saying?" said the boy, turning furiously red.

  "No, he will not," said the King sharply. "Out with it at once! Whatwere you thinking?"

  The boy hesitated, but the King's eyes were fixed upon him fiercely, andwith a desperate effort he blurted out:

  "I thought you were playing a very dangerous game."