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

  CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN.

  AN AWKWARD HALT.

  Meanwhile the strong medicament administered by Leoni had had itseffect, giving the sufferer temporary energy and to some extentrestoring the reeling senses, so that by the time the _al fresco_surgery was at an end, Francis began to speak with a fair amount ofcoherence.

  "Who's this?" he said. "You, Leoni? Thanks, man. How cool and freshthe night air feels! Have I been hurt? Yes, I remember. That caitiffdog of an Englishman struck me with his partisan, and I had no time toreach him and pay him back. Thanks, doctor. Yes, I am better now. Buton, on, on!" he panted, with a sudden return of the slight delirium fromwhich he had suffered. "An end to all this. Fontainebleau! Can wereach there to-night?"

  "No, sir," replied Leoni soothingly, as with his hand upon the King'srein he led his horse at a walk. "But we are well on the way for thepalace. That's right. That's right. I am weary of this playing Comte,and all it means. But we shall be late, Leoni; we shall be late. Theywill have laid the hounds upon the boar's track. He will have brokencover, and I shall not be there with my spear."

  "We will go faster soon, sir," said Leoni encouragingly; but he did notattempt to increase their speed, continuing at a walk and suddenlydrawing rein to speak to Denis.

  "Saint Simon," he said--"I had forgotten him."

  "Coming on about a hundred yards behind," whispered Denis. "He thinkswe are not followed."

  "Hah!" exclaimed Leoni. "You ride on first. I will follow with theComte. He will take up all my attention now."

  "Is he much hurt?" whispered Denis anxiously.

  "No; an ugly cut to the bone, but nothing to fear. Forward, boy, andkeep a sharp look-out for the first road that bears off to the left.That will be the way--anywhere will be right that takes us beyondpursuit."

  Denis obeyed and rode on, looking vainly for the road he sought, butfinding instead several leading in the opposite direction, while atevery turning he checked his horse to wait till the rest came up, fortheir progress was necessarily slow.

  The night glided drearily on, with the paces of the horses at a slowwalk growing monotonous in the extreme; and for some time past theexcitement of the flight had been giving place to the first approachesof a drowsiness that was rapidly becoming invincible, when with a faintcry of joy the lad noticed, as he looked off to his right, that thefaint soft light was beginning to appear in the east, becoming soon along, low pearly band which grew broader and broader, while the starsthat had brightened for a time when the moon went down began to pale.

  The patches of woodland back from the road, which had been black andsombre, began to turn grey, leaves grew distinct, and before longhigh-up in the zenith the sky was flecked with a few tiny clouds of asoft rosy orange which gradually brightened till they glowed like fire,and then died out, leaving nothing but the clear sky, darkened in thewest, but growing lighter till the eastern horizon was reached, where,plain to see, were the rapid advances of the coming day.

  The birds, too, were beginning to make their pipings heard, and all atonce, as if wakened by the footsteps of the horses, a lark sprang up, tobegin circling round higher and higher, carolling its joyous song, andwith it raising the spirits of the young esquire, as he felt that theywere free once more, and at all events taking the first steps homewardand backward to the sea, which still lay between him and the rest andpeace for which he longed.

  It was horrible, he felt, that the King should have been injured in thisill-starred expedition; but now it was to be at an end, and as the ladthought this in the dewy freshness and cool air of the hour beforesunrise, he began to enjoy the beauty of the pleasant woodland countrythrough which their horses paced. But he looked back from time to time,to see Francis more upright in his saddle, with Leoni riding knee toknee, and Saint Simon grave and silent fifty yards behind.

  Still they passed nothing but some foot-track or rugged lane--nothing inthe way of a high-road--and the lad was about to draw rein at last toseek counsel as to their further proceedings, when at a turn of the lanehe caught sight of a spreading clump of trees and what seemed to be avillage green, about which clustered a few humble cottages, and an innwhose sign projected from a tree trunk that overhung the road.

  Denis checked his horse now and waited till the others closed up.

  "Shall I see if the people are awake," said the lad, "and ask them ofour way?"

  "No," replied Leoni coldly. "Ask nothing; but go and summon the people.Ah, there is some one stirring there! Look--coming out from the door.Ride on and tell him we want rest and refreshment--a chamber, too, for agentleman who has had a fall from his horse. Denis, boy, we are in aperilous strait. I dare not let the King go further until he has hadsome hours of rest and sleep."