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

  CHAPTER THIRTY THREE.

  LEONI'S PUPIL.

  "How dare you!" cried Denis.

  "Oh, I'll soon show you how I dare, my lad," cried Sir Robert Garstang."Here, you fellow, who gave you orders to get those horses ready?"

  "This gentleman, sir," said the groom.

  "What, this Comte de la Seine's page, or whatever he is? And what righthas he to instruct you to get horses out at this time of night?"

  "I don't know, Sir Robert. We were told to get them ready," said theman humbly.

  "Ah, but this must be inquired into. There's something wrong here, Ifeel sure."

  "Take no notice of this man," cried Denis, forgetting in his excitementthat he must speak in English, however bad, if he wished the grooms tounderstand, and addressing them excitedly in French.

  "Bah!" cried Sir Robert, in his most bullying tones. "Take no notice ofthe fellow's jabber. I order you not to let these horses go without thepermission of the chamberlain or the King's Master of the Horse."

  "But they are the gentlemen's own horses, Sir Robert," said the manquietly, "and not the King's."

  "I don't care," cried the officer. "The rules are, as I know well, thatno horses shall leave here without special orders after dark."

  Denis grasped every word that was said, and stood literally tremblingwith excitement, anticipating as he did that at any moment his friendsmight arrive, when there would be a discovery of the attempted flight,and all would be over.

  In his desperation, just as his heart seemed sinking to the lowest ebb,Leoni's words recurred to him. He had used the gold, while now, as thedoctor had told him, he had his sword; and at this thought he drew inhis breath through his teeth with a sharp low hiss.

  "You hear!" cried Sir Robert sharply. "These horses are not to leavethe stable till I return with some one in authority who shall decidewhat is to be done. You understand me? On your lives, obey!"

  He swung round to stride out of the building, and then started withsurprise, for the young esquire's rapier flashed out sharply in the dulllight of the lanterns, as he drew and cried sternly:

  "On your life, sir, stand back, and cease to interfere! I have thehighest of commands for what I do."

  "What!" cried Sir Robert. "Why, I have been waiting for this, to payyou back the smart you gave me--insolent French puppy that you are!Give up your sword, sir. Do you know that it is a crime to draw in theprecincts of the castle? This you have done, and it is my duty as oneof his Majesty's officers to arrest you on the spot. Give up yoursword, sir, at once. You are my prisoner."

  "Take my sword," cried Denis sharply, "and make me your prisoner,insolent boor, if you dare or can."

  "On your head be it then," cried Sir Robert, loosening his cloak,twisting it quickly round his left arm, and drawing his sword, while thechief groom, startled by the danger in which the young esquire stood,whispered quickly to a couple of his underlings to hurry for the guard.

  "Stop!" cried Sir Robert fiercely. "Let no man stir if he value hisskin. I know what you would do, and that I'll do myself when I havecorrected this springald here.--Now, boy," he roared, "your sword!"

  "Now, Master Leoni," whispered the boy between his teeth, as he rapidlyplaced himself on guard and made a feint at the burly captain's chest."Take it, insolent bully!" he said sharply; and the officer in hisastonishment at the suddenness of the attack, fell back a pace; butrecovering himself on the instant, he crossed swords with his youngadversary. Then, to the excitement and delight of the grooms, whoraised their lanterns to the full extent of their arms that thecombatants might see, the triangular-bladed weapons began to give forththat peculiar harsh gritting sound of two steel edges rasping together.

  The encounter was but short, for, relying upon the superior strength ofhis arm, and determined to punish his slight young adversary in revengefor the past, the captain pressed hard upon him, lunging rapidly withall the vigour he could command, his intention being to drive hisantagonist backward against one or other of the walls and pin him there.But he had reckoned without his host, for though Denis was nolong-practised swordsman, Leoni's lessons had not been without theireffect, and as thrust after thrust was lightly turned aside, the youngesquire firmly stood his ground, merely stepping sideways and lettinghis adversary's baffled blade glide by his slight form, while refrainingfrom thrusting again and again when the burly captain had laid himselfso open that he was quite at the lad's mercy.

  "Oh," growled the captain at the end of a couple of minutes' encounter,and he drew back to rest. "That is your play, is it? You refuse to bedisarmed when I have mercifully shown myself disposed to let you offwithout a scratch."

  "Your tongue is sharper than your sword, sir," said the boy scornfully;"and it is worse. It is poisoned, for every word you have spoken is alie."

  "What!" cried the captain, enraged by the low murmur uttered by thegrooms as if endorsing the young esquire's words. "More insolent thanever! Give up your sword, or, by Heaven, I'll send you back to thecastle upon a litter."

  "Send me, then," said the lad contemptuously, "or be prepared to goyourself."

  "Bah! No more words. Come on," cried the captain; and he prepared toattack once more.

  "My turn now," whispered the boy to himself, "and it is time;" for inhis excitement he fancied that he could hear steps approaching. Butthere was not a sound save the gritting of the rapiers and the captain'shoarse panting breath as he uttered a loud expiration at every thrust.

  For in his turn, in spite of his determination to make this secondencounter an attack, and force his young adversary to remain entirely onhis guard, the retort had begun, and before a minute had elapsed heuttered a sharp ejaculation as he felt the sharp pain caused by thelad's keen point ripping open his muscular right arm. Stung now withrage, hatred, and the determination to have revenge, he literally rushedat the lad, to force him down, with the natural result that he threwhimself open to the point of his more skilful enemy, who chose hismoment, and made one quick thrust which darted like lightning throughthe captain's bull-like neck, making him utter a low, deep growl as hissword flew from his hand, and he staggered backwards into the arms of acouple of the grooms, who lowered him to the ground.

  "Hah!" ejaculated Denis, whose heart was beating fast, and steppingforward he stooped over his fallen adversary, raised a portion of hiscloak and drew his blade through it twice over. "Stop!" he criedquickly. "What are you going to do?" His loud question was addressedto the chief groom. "No," cried the boy sternly; "lift him in yonder,"and he pointed with his blade towards the saddle-room. "Lay him there;tear strips off his cloak, and bind up his arm and neck. The greatesthelp you can give him now is to stop the bleeding."

  There was a tone of command in the boy's uttered words which had thenatural effect, and the men busied themselves at once with their task,taking with them their lanterns and doing at once as they had been told,while they were so intent upon their task that they did not notice thatDenis had followed them, to draw to the door and slip the two bolts withwhich it was furnished into their sockets.

  Then sheathing his sword, he turned quickly to the stable, where thefour chargers stood untethered, and caught his own by the bridle, tobegin leading it to the door.

  He trusted to the nature of the horses for the result, old stablecompanions as they were, and it was as he expected, for the intelligentanimals followed their leader quietly enough, to stand together in theentry waiting, like their master, for what might come.