CHAPTER XVIII
THE SKYLIGHT IN THE TOISON D'OR
Once back in my room, I flung off my cloak and took a survey of my newquarters. The room was long and low, and situated in the topmost storyof the house. In one corner was a settle covered with a faded brocade,whilst on the other side there was a wardrobe and a few necessaries.The bed was placed at the extreme end of the room, and close to thewindow which overlooked the back of the house, and through which, fromwhere I stood, the blue sky alone was visible, there was a table and acouple of chairs. Between the table and the bed intervened a clearspace, about ten feet by six, covered with a coarse carpeting. If I amthus precise in my description, I would say I have done so in order toexplain clearly what follows.
So far things were satisfactory enough, and beyond what I had a rightto expect in such a locality. The one drawback was that I would becompelled to use the turret at the end of the passage for my watch,and thus run the risk of being observed from the other houses. In themeantime I determined to see exactly what could be effected from thewindow, and pushing the table aside, so as to get a better view,looked out. I then saw that the house I was in as well as the Toisond'Or were both built against the remains of the old walls of Paris.Below me there was a sheer drop of fifty or sixty feet, right into thebed of the abandoned fosse, which was covered by a thick undergrowthand full of _debris_, A little beyond the fosse was a portion of whatwas known as the new wall. This was perhaps in a more ruinouscondition than the fortification it was supposed to have replaced. Thebrushwood grew thick and high against it, and I could see the gapwhere a breach had been effected, probably during the last siege, whenthe Sixteen and Madame de Montpensier held Paris against the twokings. Beyond that stretched the open country, where, had I a mind tolinger on the view, I might have made out the windings of the river,the houses of Corneuve, and the woods of Dugny and Gonesse. But it wasnot of these I was thinking, for in that survey I had grasped the factthat de Gomeron could not have chosen a spot better suited for hispurposes than the Toison d'Or. It was a part of Paris as secure as ifit had been cut off from the city and set in some unknown island, suchas those who sail to the New World describe. I thought at first ofstopping any further concern with the window, but as I was turningaway I looked rather particularly at the wall below me, and saw that aledge ran along it about three feet below the window. Following itstrack with my eyes, I observed that it was carried along the face ofthe Toison d'Or, and in doing this I became aware that there was awindow open at the back of Babette's house, and that this was situatedon the same level as my room, but just about the middle instead of theextreme end, as mine was. When I considered the position of thiswindow, and that its look-out was on a place where never a soul seemedto come, I could not but think that if Madame were in the Toison d'Or,that in all probability her room was there, and I swore bitterly tomyself at the thought of how impossible it would be to reach her. Ithen craned out and looked upwards, and saw that my house was ahalf-story lower than the Toison d'Or, and that, whilst the latter hada high sloping roof, the portion of the building in which I wasappeared to be a long and narrow terrace with a low machicolatedparapet running along the edge. Thus if there were a door or window inthe Toison d'Or that opened on to my roof, it would be possible tostep out thereon; and then I drew back, my blood burning. If it waspossible to step out from the Toison d'Or on to the roof of the houseI occupied, it might be equally easy to get thence into the Toisond'Or. Taking my sword, I measured the distance of the ledge from thewindow-sill, and then, holding on to the mullions by one hand,stretched out as far as I could, and found I could just touch the topof the parapet with the point of my blade. In short, the position wasthis: that so hard and smooth was the outside of the wall, it wasimpossible for anything save a lizard to get along it to the windowbehind which I supposed Madame was prisoned; yet it was feasible, withthe aid of a rope thrown over the grinning head of the gargoyle alittle above me, or else over the low battlement of the parapet, toreach the roof, and the odds were in favour of there being some sortof a door or window that would give ingress thence into the Toisond'Or. I began after this to be a little more satisfied with myquarters, and determined to set about my explorations about the dinnerhour, when most people would be within, and the chance of discoveryreduced to a minimum. I did not feel justified in putting the matteroff until nightfall, as I have often observed that there was no timeso good as the one I had chosen for affairs which depended much fortheir results upon a surprise. I now stepped out of my room, and,walking along the passage, looked out from the little turret along theface of the street. It was more alive than I had ever seen it before,but the occupants were principally women and children, with a man orso here and there. I saw that whilst the sunlight fell in patchworkand long narrow stretches on the street, it was bright enough where Iwas, and I perceived I had a good excuse for spending such time as Iintended to behind the embrasures of the turret. And this excuse I hadto bring into play at once, for as I stood there I heard a footstep onthe passage, and, turning, observed the woman of the house.
'I see,' she began, 'you are already in your turret.'
'I like the sun, my good woman, and have had a long journey.'
Something in my tone made her look at me oddly, and I began to wish Iwere well away from the keen scrutiny of her eyes. She dropped the_tutoyer_ and asked:
'If monsieur is tired he would probably like his dinner earlier.'
'_Morbleu!_ The very thing, madame, and as long a bottle of Beaugencyas you can get with it.'
'It shall be done, monsieur,' and she turned to go.
It struck me as a little odd that she should have come up in thisaimless manner; but reflecting that perhaps, after all, it was due tonothing more than a desire to gratify feminine curiosity by spyingwhat I was about, I dismissed the matter.
After allowing a little time to elapse I descended to the shop andbegan carelessly running my eyes over the miscellaneous collection ofarticles therein. The fence followed me about, now recommending thisthing and now that. At last I saw what looked to be a ball of ropelying in a corner and covered with dust.
'What is that?' I inquired, touching it with the point of my sword.
The man stooped without a word and, picking it up, dusted itcarefully, then he unrolled a ladder of silken cord, about twelve orfifteen feet in length.
'This, captain,' he said, swinging it backwards and forwards,'belonged, not so long ago, to M. de Bellievre, though you may notbelieve me.'
'I have no doubt you are speaking the truth, but it seems ratherweak.'
'On the contrary, monsieur, will you test it and see?'
We managed to do this, by means of two hooks that were slung from abeam above us, in a manner to satisfy me that the ladder wassufficient to bear double my weight, and then, as if content withthis, I flung it aside.
'Will not monsieur take it?' asked the man; 'it is cheap.'
'It is good enough,' I answered, 'if I had a business on hand, but atpresent I am waiting.'
'If monsieur has leisure I might be able to give him a hint that wouldbe worth something in crowns.'
'I am lazy when in luck, _compere_. No, I will not take the ladder.'
'It may come in useful, though, and will occupy but a small space inmonsieur's room'--and seeing that I appeared to waver--'shall I takeit up, I will let it go for ten crowns?'
'Five crowns or nothing,' I said firmly. 'But it is of the finestsilk!'
'I do not want to buy--you can take my price or leave it.'
'Very well then, monsieur, thanks, and I will take it up myself.'
'You need not trouble, I am going up and will take it with me.'
With these words I took the ladder, folded in long loops, in my handand went back to the turret. There I spent a good hour or so inre-examining it, and splicing one or two parts that seemed a trifleweak, at the same time keeping a wary eye on who passed and repassedthe street, without, however, discoverin
g anything to attractattention. Finally, the woman brought up my dinner, and I managed toeat, after a fashion, but made more play with the Beaugency, which wasmild and of a good vintage. When the table was cleared, I sat stillfor about half an hour or so, playing with my glass, and then rising,saw that my door was securely fastened in such a manner that no onecould effect an entrance, except by bursting the lock. This being doneI removed my boots and unslung my sword, keeping my pistols, however,in my belt, and after a good look round, to see that no one wasobserving me, managed to loop the ladder round the gargoyle, and thentested it once more with a long pull. The silk held well enough, butthe stonework of the gargoyle gave and fell with a heavy crash intothe fosse below. It was a narrow business, and it was well I had triedthe strength of the cord again. I looked out from the windowcautiously to see if the noise had attracted any attention, and foundto my satisfaction that it had not. After allowing a little time toelapse, so as to be on the safe side, I attempted to throw the loopedend I had made to the ladder so that it might fall over the parapet,between two embrasures, but discovered, after half a dozen casts, thatthis was not feasible from where I stood. Then I bethought me of myboyhood's training amongst the cliffs that overhung the bay of Auriac,and, stepping out on to the ledge of the window, managed with aneffort to hold on to the stump of the gargoyle with one hand, and,balancing myself carefully, for a slip meant instant death, flung theloop once more, and had the satisfaction of seeing it fall as Idesired. Without any further hesitation I put my foot on the rungs,and in a minute more was lying on my face behind the parapet, andthanking God I had made the effort, for before me was a largeskylight, half open, from which I could command a view of the interiorof one room at least of the Toison d'Or, and by which it might bepossible to effect an easy entrance. Before going any further,however, I glanced round me to see how the land lay, and was delightedto find that I could not be observed from the opposite side of thestreet, as the portion of the house I was on was concealed from viewby the gabled roof that rose about ten feet from me, leaving me in asort of long balcony. Now that I think of it, this roof must have beenan after-thought on the part of the builders; then I was but toothankful to find it existed, and had no time for reflections. Byturning my head I could see, too, that the high wall that shut in themouth of the passage was evidently raised as a barrier between thestreet and the fosse, which took a bend and ran immediately below thewall. After lying perfectly still for a little, I slowly pushed myselfforwards until at last I was beneath the skylight, and then, raisingmyself cautiously, peeped in. I saw a room of moderate size, and wellbut plainly furnished. In the centre was an oblong table covered witha dark cloth, and round about it were set a number of chairs. Theskylight alone admitted light, and from this to the floor of the roomwas a matter of twelve feet or so. The chamber was empty, and I hadmore than half a mind to risk the descent, when the door was openedand Babette stepped in. I shrank back as low as possible, and observedthat she was making arrangements for some one, for she placed a coupleof decanters with glasses on the table, arranged the chairs, and then,after taking a look round, went out once more. I made up my mind towait, and, settling myself under the skylight, began to exercise mypatience. After an hour or so had passed I heard the door openedagain, and then the sound of voices. Presently some one called out,'We had better shut the skylight,' and then another voice, this timeLafin's, said, 'No, it is no use, and we will want light to see.'
Once more I raised myself and leaned against the edge of the opening,eyes and ears intent. There were three men in the room--Lafin, deGomeron, and another whom I did not know, but whom I judged to be anItalian from his manner of pronouncing our language. They were allthree seated round the table, poring over a number of documents andconversing in low tones. After a time it appeared to me that Lafin wasurging something on de Gomeron, and the free-lance, who was short oftemper, brought his clenched hand on the table in a manner to make theglasses ring, whilst he said with an oath--
'I will not--I have risked too much. I have told you before that I didnot come into this for the good of my health. My prize is my own. Ithas nothing to do with your affair, of which I am sick.'
The other man then cut in--
'I do not see, M. de Lafin, why we should drag this matter into ourdiscussion. If M. de Gomeron wants a wife, well--many a fair dame hashad a rougher wooing than the lady you speak of. But I--I have causefor complaint. I come here expecting to meet the Marshal--and I meetyou and monsieur here. I mean no offence, but I must tell you plainlymy master's instructions are that I should hear M. de Biron's promisesand take his demands from his own lips.
'And what about Epernon, Bouillon, and Tremouille, count?' asked deGomeron.
The dark eyes of the stranger flashed on him for a moment.
'My master, the Duke of Savoy, knows their views.'
'Personally?'
The Italian waved his hand with a laugh. 'Gentlemen, I have given youmy terms--it is for you to choose. As for my part, I would that mymaster dropped this business and trusted the day to his sword.'
'That is not wont to be M. de Savoye's way,' sneered Lafin, and theItalian rose.
'Very well, messieurs. I will then consider the issue is closed.'
'It matters not a rush to me,' exclaimed de Gomeron; but Lafin, whowas moodily plucking at his moustache, spoke again, and the tones ofhis voice were full of chagrin.
'As you wish--I undertake that the Marshal sees you.'
'Where and when? My time is precious.'
'Here, at ten o'clock to-night.'
'_Maledetto!_ This is not a place to come at that hour.'
'It is safe--and it would be safer still if you stayed here till then.The spies of the Master-General--curse him--are everywhere, and M. deGomeron will guarantee your protection here.'
'I am deeply grateful,' the count bowed slightly, a faint tone ofirony in his voice. 'Then you agree?'
'Yes.'
'This being so, perhaps you had better go over these notes that youmay be in a position to exactly understand what we can do. Our termsof course are as before, but we will require money, and that at once.'
'But large advances have already been made,' objected the Italian.
'They are gone,' said Lafin.
'How? Nothing has been done; and both Velasco and Savoy are unwillingto throw more money into the business unless some action is taken. Howhas the money gone?'
'It is gone, and there is an end of it,' exclaimed Lafin sullenly. 'Asfor the action you wish taken--you have asked to see the Marshal, andhe will inform you.'
'Very well! Until then, monsieur, we will not discuss this pointfurther.'
The voices dropped again after this, and they began to pore over thepapers and a map that the free-lance had spread before him, making anoccasional remark which I did not follow. But I had heard enough to beconvinced that the plot of Anet was still in full life. It was allimportant for me now to communicate what I knew at once to theMaster-General. With a little ordinary care the conspirators could betrapped to a man, and if by one stroke I could effect this, as well asfree Madame, anything was possible. Without further hesitation Itherefore crept slowly back, and descended to my chamber as softly asa cat. Leaving the ladder swinging where it was--for I could not undothe knot--I drew on my boots, and went to the turret to reconnoitrebefore venturing out into the street. Imagine my chagrin anddisappointment to see that three men were at the gate of the Toisond'Or, evidently on the watch, and in one of them I made out Ravaillac.I might have passed the others without discovery, but it would beimpossible to escape the lynx eyes of this villain, who, though youngin years, had all the craft of age, and who later on was to raisehimself to an eminence so bad that I know not whom to place besidehim, except perhaps those who were his aiders and abettors. I did notfear to run the gauntlet--that was an easy matter; but merely doing sowould make my birds take to wing, and I found myself compelled oncemore to hold patience by the tail until the coast was clear.