Part 24 (1/2)
A litter was formed for de Lescure, for at present he found it impossible to bear the motion of riding, and Henri, the little Chevalier, Father Jerome and Chapeau, accompanied him on horseback. Many of the peasants had started from Saumur, before their party, and the whole road from that town through Dou and Vihiers to Durbelliere, was thronged with crowds of these successful warriors, returning to their families, anxious to tell to their wives and sweethearts the feats they had accomplished.
They were within a league of Durbelliere, and had reached a point where a cross-road led from the one they were on to the village of Echanbroignes, and at this place many of the cortege, which was now pretty numerous, turned off towards their own homes.
”M. Henri,” said Chapeau, riding up to his master, from among two or three peasants, who had been walking for some time by his horse's side, and anxiously talking to him, ”M. Henri?”
”Well, Jacques; what is it now?” said Henri.
”I have a favour to ask of Monsieur.”
”A favour, Chapeau; I suppose you want to go to Echanbroignes already, to tell Michael Stein's pretty daughter, of all the gallant things you did at Saumur.”
”Not till I have waited on you and M. de Lescure to the chateau. Momont would be dying if he had not some one to give him a true account of what has been done, and I do not know that any one could give him a much better history of it, than myself--of course not meaning such as you and M. de Lescure, who saw more of the fighting than any one else; but then you know, M. Henri, you will have too much to do, and too much to say to the Marquis, and to Mademoiselle, to be talking to an old man like Momont.”
”Never fear, Chapeau. You shall have Momont's ears all to yourself; but what is it you do want?”
”Why, nothing myself exactly, M. Henri; but there are two men from Echanbroignes here, who wish you to allow them to go on to Durbelliere, and stay a day or two there: they are two of our men, M. Henri; two of the red scarfs.”
”Two of the red scarfs!” said Henri.
”Yes, M. Henri, two of the men who went through the water, and took the town; we call ourselves red scarfs, just to distinguish ourselves from the rest of the army: your honour is a red scarf that is the chief of the red scarfs; and we expect to be especially under your honour's protection.”
”I am a red scarf, Henri;” said the little Chevalier. ”There are just two hundred of us, and we mean to be the most dare-devil set in the whole army; won't we make the cowardly blues afraid of the Durbelliere red scarfs!”
”And who are the two men, Jacques?” said Henri.
”Jean and Peter Stein,” said Jacques: ”you see, M. Henri, they ran away to the battle, just in direct opposition to old Michael's positive orders. You and the Cure must remember how I pledged my honour that they should be at Saumur, and so they were: but Michael Stein is an awful black man to deal with when his back is up: he thinks no more of giving a clout with his hammer, than another man does of a rap with his five knuckles.”
”But his sons are brave fellows,” said the little Chevalier, ”and dashed into the water among the very first. Michael Stein can't but be proud that his two sons should be both red scarfs: if so, he must be a republican.”
”He is no republican, Chevalier,” said Chapeau, ”that's quite certain, nor yet any of the family; but he is a very black man, and when once angered, not easy to be smoothed down again; and if M. Henri will allow Jean and Peter to come on to Durbelliere, I can, perhaps, manage to go back with them on Sunday, and Michael Stein will mind me more than he will them: I can knock into his thick head better than they can do, the high honour which has befallen the lads, in their chancing to have been among the red scarfs.”
”Well, Chapeau, let them come,” said Henri. ”No man that followed me gallantly into Saumur, shall be refused admittance when he wishes to follow me into Durbelliere.”
”We were cool enough, weren't we, Henri, when we marched into the town?”
said the Chevalier.
”We'll have a more comfortable reception at the old chateau,” said Henri; ”at any rate, we'll have no more cold water. I must say, Arthur, I thought the water of that moat had a peculiarly nasty taste.”
They were not long in reaching the chateau, and Henri soon found himself in his sister's arms. A confused account, first of the utter defeat of the Vendeans at Varin, and then of their complete victory at Saumur, had reached Durbelliere; and though the former account had made them as miserable, as the latter had made them happy, neither one nor the other was entirely believed. De Lescure had sent an express to Clisson immediately after the taking of the town, and Madame de Lescure had sent from Clisson to Durbelliere; but still it was delightful to have the good news corroborated by the conquerors themselves, and Agatha was supremely happy.
”My own dear, darling Henri,” she said, clinging round his neck, ”my own brave, gallant brother, and were you not wounded at all--are you sure you are not wounded?”
”Not a touch, not a scratch, Agatha, as deep as you might give me with your bodkin.”
”Thank G.o.d! I thank Him with all my heart and soul: and I know you were the first everywhere. Charles wrote but a word or too to Victorine, but he said you were the very first to set your foot in Saumur.”
”A mere accident, Agatha; while Charles had all the fighting--the real hard, up hill, hand to 'hand work--I and a few others walked into Saumur, or rather we swam in, and took possession of the town. The Chevalier here was beside me, and was over the breach as soon as I was.”
”My brave young Arthur!” said Agatha, in her enthusiasm, kissing the forehead of the blus.h.i.+ng Chevalier, ”you have won your spurs like a knight and a hero; you shall be my knight and my hero. And I will give you my glove to wear in your cap. But, tell me Arthur, why have you and Henri, those red handkerchiefs tied round your waist? Chapeau has one too, and those other men, below there.”