Part 28 (1/2)
”The Hotel de Guise.”
”Truly,” returned Coconnas, ”I should not have failed to come here, as I am under the patronage of the great Henry. But, by Heaven! all is so very quiet in this quarter, we scarcely hear any firing, and we might fancy ourselves in the country. The devil fetch me but every one is asleep!”
And indeed the Hotel de Guise seemed as quiet as in ordinary times. All the windows were closed, and a solitary light was burning behind the blind of the princ.i.p.al window over the entrance which had attracted Coconnas's attention as soon as they entered the street.
Just beyond the Hotel de Guise, in other words, at the corner of the Rue du Pet.i.t Chantier and the Rue des Quatre Fils, Maurevel halted.
”Here is the house of the man we want,” said he.
”Of the man you want--that is to say”--observed La Huriere.
”Since you are with me we want him.”
”What! that house which seems so sound asleep”--
”Exactly! La Huriere, now go and make practical use of the plausible face which heaven, by some blunder, gave you, and knock at that house.
Hand your arquebuse to M. de Coconnas, who has been ogling it this last half hour. If you are admitted, you must ask to speak to Seigneur de Mouy.”
”Aha!” exclaimed Coconnas, ”now I understand--you also have a creditor in the quarter of the Temple, it would seem.”
”Exactly so!” responded Maurevel. ”You will go up to him pretending to be a Huguenot, and inform De Mouy of all that has taken place; he is brave, and will come down.”
”And once down?” asked La Huriere.
”Once down, I will beg of him to cross swords with me.”
”On my soul, 'tis a fine gentleman's,” said Coconnas, ”and I propose to do exactly the same thing with Lambert Mercandon; and if he is too old to respond, I will try it with one of his sons or nephews.”
La Huriere, without making any reply, went and knocked at the door, and the sounds echoing in the silence of the night caused the doors of the Hotel de Guise to open, and several heads to make their appearance from out them; it was evident that the hotel was quiet after the manner of citadels, that is to say, because it was filled with soldiers.
The heads were almost instantly withdrawn, as doubtless an inkling of the matter in hand was divined.
”Does your Monsieur de Mouy live here?” inquired Coconnas, pointing to the house at which La Huriere was still knocking.
”No, but his mistress does.”
”By Heaven! how gallant you are, to give him an occasion to draw sword in the presence of his lady-love! We shall be the judges of the field.
However, I should like very well to fight myself--my shoulder burns.”
”And your face,” added Maurevel, ”is considerably damaged.”
Coconnas uttered a kind of growl.
”By Heaven!” he said, ”I hope he is dead; if I thought not, I would return to the Louvre and finish him.”
La Huriere still kept knocking.
Soon the window on the first floor opened, and a man appeared in the balcony, in a nightcap and drawers, and unarmed.
”Who's there?” cried he.