Part 16 (1/2)

”We will leave it so, then. In the meantime, you may, perhaps, have a little commission to execute for me, or rather for the Queen. That will keep you employed until you finally decide. It may need using your sword. Does your wound trouble you?”

”It will be healed in less than a week.”

”Well, go now and rest. You are being lodged here, of course?”

”I have secured a lodging at the Elephant, monsieur.”

”Then to-morrow you must come here. I will see to that, for I like to lay hands on a man when I want him.” And with this he struck a gong, and the officer who had brought me in appeared.

”Sarlaboux,” said the General, ”let Monsieur Broussel be conducted safely to his inn, and see that no harm befalls him.”

I was about to take my leave when Montluc stopped me.

”A word!-- That little story of yours in connection with your wound, monsieur, has interested me. I will give it a place in my commentaries.” And he took up his pen as I retired, followed by Sarlaboux.

I may add that, many years after, it was my good fortune to see a copy of the old Marshal's commentaries, which had been made for his brother, Monseigneur the Bishop of Valence. By some strange chance, for he rarely forgot anything, he had omitted my story, nor was there any mention of the secret communication I made to him; and, perhaps, this was due to design. He was a great soldier and a great man, whose life may be summed up in the motto of his house: _Deo duce, ferro comite_.

CHAPTER XIII

THE TOUR DE L'OISEAU

”Thirty-three Henris, of which two are bad, these I have set aside--seven sols, and nine deniers, making in all thirty-one Henris, seven sols, and nine coppers of good money--and this is all, monsieur.”

It was touching the afternoon, and I was going over the present state of my affairs with Pierrebon. I looked at the small heaps of coin he had sorted out carefully on the table before me, and then rising walked to my window and gazed out. The storm of last night had pa.s.sed, and Poitiers lay before me, all wet and glistening in warm sunlight. I was not, however, interested in the landscape but in the hard fact that thirty-one Henris, in round figures, would not carry me far in what I had before me. After a minute or so I came back again, and looked at the money and then at Pierrebon. It was a hopeless sum.

”It is correct, monsieur,” he said; ”and, of course, we have the horses.”

”I know that; but what I am thinking of is that it is not enough. In short, I know not how long it will be before I can communicate with Olden Hoorn at Antwerp; and more money is needed, for there is work before us, Pierrebon.”

The honest fellow's eyes lit. ”How many times have I not said the good days would come back, monsieur? All the years can never be famine years, and we will have our hotel in the Rue de Bourgogne again, and twenty gentlemen at our heels when we go to the Louvre; and if money is needed now, monsieur, we have it.”

”Where? I do not see it.” And I laughed.

For answer Pierrebon unclasped his belt. Then taking his poniard he ripped up an inch or so of leather on the inner side and took therefrom a piece of paper carefully folded. This he handed to me, saying:

”Open it carefully, monsieur.”

I did so, and found I had in my hand a diamond of some value. I looked at it in astonishment, and then at Pierrebon. He read my glance, and began hastily:

”Do not refuse, monsieur, for it came to me from you, as all that I have has come. When we left Antwerp I had a hundred and fifty livres, ama.s.sed in your service. Thirty I brought away in cash, and with a hundred and twenty I purchased this stone from Olden Hoorn himself. It is worth a hundred, I dare say, and, as money is needed now, 'tis better to use our own than to go a-borrowing.”

It was impossible to refuse this faithful friend, and the diamond was transferred to me. I may mention that I had declined all offers of money made to me by the Queen and Le Brusquet, for I had a mind to work out my way without any such obligation. It was, however, a different matter with Pierrebon, and when the time came he lost nothing by his fidelity.

Matters being so far arranged we left the Elephant and betook ourselves to the priory of the Capuchins, as M. de Montluc wished. On arrival there I found that the General had set forth at dawn, with a hundred lances and the Light Horse, and that two or three days might elapse ere he returned. He had, however, left particular instructions about me, and I found myself comfortably enough lodged. My first task was to make arrangements for Ma.s.ses for the soul of the dead Olivet, and for the erection of a small cross to his memory in the Church of Ste.

Radegonde. Thus having fulfilled my promise to mademoiselle I spent the next day or so in resting my arm, which grew rapidly better, and in replacing sundry articles of apparel both for Pierrebon and myself.

All this made so considerable a gulf in the thirty-one Henris that I resolved to trans.m.u.te the diamond into gold.

I consulted Sarlaboux, who, to his disgust, had been left behind in Poitiers. He looked at the diamond, and said he would buy it for a hundred and twenty livres; but protested, with oaths, that he had but ten crowns in the world, and would, therefore, not be able to pay me at once. This I could not agree to; and I was very nearly involved in a quarrel, as he thought that a slight was being put upon his parole.

The affair, however, pa.s.sed off. Finally, I decided on the advice of a new acquaintance of mine--a Capuchin named Grigolet--to seek the Jews'