The King's Esquires Part 34

"Carrbroke, M. le Comte. This is the way to his Majesty's private apartments. You cannot pa.s.s here."

In an instant Leoni had glided alongside, to lay his hand softly on the youth's arm.

"My dear young friend," he said, "you do not recognise who it is speaking. It is the King's friend, the Comte de la Seine. The ballroom was hot, and these corridors calm, cool, and refres.h.i.+ng. The Comte is only going round this way to reach his apartment. We can reach it down this pa.s.sage, can we not?"

"No, sir," said Carrbroke quietly. "I am sorry to have to turn you back, but you must seek some other way. I am on guard here, and it is his Majesty's commands that no one shall pa.s.s this private corridor by night--and no wonder," thought the lad, as he recalled his discovery of the private doorway not far from where they stood.

Francis uttered an impatient growl.

"Tell him," he said angrily in French, to Leoni--"tell him I object to being treated like a prisoner"--words which Leoni translated, in the belief that they were not understood.

"The Comte de la Seine says, Monsieur Carrbroke, that surely his Majesty would make an exception in favour of his friend."

"I regret it much," was the reply, "but unless the King gives me such orders in contradiction of those which I have received, I cannot let you pa.s.s. Once more, gentlemen, it is impossible, and you must return. Did you hear me, M. Saint Simon? Ah, sir, you--" He said no more, for Saint Simon had pa.s.sed onward, as if to go on in spite of all that had been said, but only to turn quickly and seize his arms from behind, while at the same moment his speech was cut short by Leoni's hand--the subtle Franco-Italian having literally glided at him to clap a strongly smelling hand, moist with some pungent fluid, across his mouth.

The action seemed to the lad as instantaneous as its effect. He made a bold brave struggle, uttering a groaning half-stifled sound, and he vainly strove to free himself from the pinioning hands of Saint Simon; while, as if through a misty dream, he saw with starting eyes the dim figure of his master's guest straight before him, and pointing a stiletto at his throat.

The next minute Saint Simon, in obedience to the whispered orders of Leoni, had raised the helpless lad in his arms.

"Is there to be no end to this black night's work?" muttered Francis angrily. "I don't know how it is. I don't think I took too much of my brother Henry's wine, for I wanted to dance; but my head is all confused and strange."

"It was the heat of the room, perhaps, sir," said Leoni.

"Perhaps so. The place was hot and stifling," said Francis. "There are moments when my brain seems to whirl, and things go round. Did I go to sleep?"

"Yes, sir; you were certainly insensible to all that pa.s.sed for a time."

"Of course I was," said the King angrily, "if I was asleep; but why don't you say so? Here, I don't know what's the matter with me. I must have dreamed that you took me by the wrist and led me along one of these dark galleries, to stop and lean against some great piece of furniture while something was going on. Then all was dark and strange again, and I seemed to be going for ever along dark pa.s.sages, till I felt the fresh air coming in through an open window looking out upon the terrace.

Well, come, Saint Simon; that was not dreaming."

"No, sir," said the young courtier drily.

"You were suffering from excitement, sir," said Leoni quietly. "A touch of vertigo. You have been doing too much of late. But you feel better now?"

"Oh yes, better now--and worse, for I am not certain but what this rough dealing with that boy is not part of another dream."

"That is no dream, sir," said Leoni meaningly; "but be silent and let me guide. We are on our way to make our escape."

"Escape!" whispered back the King excitedly. "Then--then--oh, it's coming back quite clearly. You have tried and failed?"

"Hist! Silence, Comte!" whispered Leoni, in a commanding tone, as he turned upon the speaker, but without taking his hand from Carrbroke's lips. "Our task is nearly at an end, sir, and I will answer to you later on.--Now, Saint Simon, lay the boy quickly on that couch."

"Have you killed him?" whispered Francis.

"No, sir; only plunged him into a deep sleep.--That's right, Saint Simon." And then in a mocking tone, "I am afraid that the faithful sentinel will be in trouble when they find him here asleep. I didn't think to find him here. Now, quick, before we are interrupted again."

And he moved a few steps down the gallery, pa.s.sing his hand along the hangings which veiled the panelled wall. "Somewhere here," he muttered; "somewhere here. I seem to know the place so well."

"Leoni," growled the King, "this night will end in our disgrace, and if it does--"

"Hist, sir! there is a way out here," whispered Leoni. "You hinder and confuse me, and at a time like this, when everything points to success, you--ah, here it is!" For his hand had at last come in contact with the boss, which he turned quickly, pressed hard, making the concealed door swing back, and then stooped in the gloom to raise the arras. "Now, sir; through here--quick!"

"What!" said Francis sharply. "Go through there into what may be a trap?"

Leoni made no reply, but turned to Saint Simon.

"Through with you," he whispered, with a contemptuous ring in his voice.

"I would lead, but I must come last to close the way, for they must not know the route we have taken in our flight."

The young officer pa.s.sed through without a word, and, half ashamed of his hesitation, Francis followed, to have his hand seized in the darkness by Saint Simon, who led him for a few yards along the dark pa.s.sage, where they stopped listening, to hear Leoni close the door with a faint, half-smothered click.

Leoni joined them the next moment, "Let me pa.s.s now and go first," he whispered. "The pa.s.sage is very narrow, and dark as dark. Thanks, Saint Simon," he continued, as he squeezed by him; and then, as if to himself, but loud enough for Francis to hear, "and then if there is any trap or pitfall in the way I shall be the sufferer, and they will hear me and escape. Ah," he continued to himself, "the way seems easy, and what did the lad say?--that it led after several turns to some stairs which descended to the ground floor, and finally to a door which opened upon a bosky portion of the terrace, and from there led on through various alleys to the river, a flight of steps, and a boat. Ah, a good way to escape; but we must have our horses, and trust to them. Well, once within the grounds--I have not been here all these days for nothing--and it will go hard if I do not find my way to the stabling, where Denis should be waiting with the ready saddled steeds, if he has done his duty as I bade."

As he thought this over to himself, breaking it up, as it were, into sentences between which were whispered words of encouragement to those who followed, bidding them come on, telling them that all was clear, and to beware of "this angle," and the like, he pa.s.sed on and on with outstretched hands in front, his fingers gliding on either side over smooth stone walls, till at last he was suddenly checked by a blank.

"Ah!" he muttered, as he felt about cautiously. "This should be the top of the steps." And so it proved; for, proceeding carefully from the angle along to his left, his advanced foot, as he glided it over the floor, rested on an edge.

"The topmost stair," he muttered.

Making certain that it was, Leoni uttered fresh warnings, and then began to descend, followed slowly by his companions. At the bottom they proceeded for a while upon the level, when he was brought up short by his fingers encountering on one side the great iron pintle of a hinge, while the other touched the edge of a stone rebate, into which a heavy door was sunk.

"Hah!" he uttered, with a sigh of relief. "Here is the way out of this kingly fox-burrow." And his hand glided down the edge of the door till it came in contact with a huge lock, about which for a few moments his fingers played, while a chill ran through him, filling him with despair, for the truth had come upon him like a flash: there was no key in the lock; the door was fast; and just in this hour of triumph they were as much prisoners as if they were in a cell.

"Well, Leoni," whispered Francis, "why are you stopping? This place makes me feel as if I could not breathe."

"I am not stopping, sir," said the doctor bitterly; "I have been stopped."

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.

CHECK!--QUERY, MATE?

Feeling that the crisis had come, no sooner did Denis hear the first strokes of the second chiming of the clock, which came so opportunely upon the King's discovery, than the lad dashed off along the pa.s.sage leading towards the staircase that he would have to descend to gain the inner court and the stabling.

But he had not proceeded many yards before he stopped short, startled by the thought that if he continued by this corridor he would come right upon some gentleman of the household, whose nightly duty it was to be on guard at the angle of the gallery which led towards the King's apartments.

"Oh," he muttered beneath his breath, "I had forgotten. Carrbroke told me he would be there to-night."

There was nothing for it but to retrace his steps, pa.s.s right round two-thirds of one of the lesser courts, and get back to the corridor again beyond the range of apartments sacred to the King.

Then reaching the end of the gallery, he began to hurry once more to make up for lost time, when feeling that, much as he desired to act, such hurried procedure would attract the attention of the first officer who was on guard, the lad checked his headlong steps, thrust his hands into his trunk hose, and began to walk carelessly along, catching up and humming the air which came softly from where the musicians were still playing.

It was well he did, for as he turned the next corner he came upon a couple of the King's guards upon the landing at the head of a staircase.

His face was familiar to the men as one of the King's guests, and it being right away from the royal apartments, they gave way for him to pa.s.s, and making a tremendous effort over himself, he descended very slowly and carelessly, the hardest part of all being to stop once or twice as if listening to the music, and then go on humming the air.

He breathed more freely as he pa.s.sed out into the courtyard and crossed it, fully expecting to encounter a guard at the archway which gave upon the next court.

As he expected, there were a couple of armed men here ready to challenge him; but before they could speak he stopped short to ask whether he would find men in attendance at the stables, adding carelessly in very fair English: