Part 12 (2/2)

I had not only been abominably frightened; I was shocked besides: my delicacy was in arms, like a lady to whom violence should have been offered by a similar monster. I plucked myself from his horrid contact, I s.n.a.t.c.hed the pistol-even discharged, it was a formidable weapon-and menaced him with the b.u.t.t. 'Spare you!' I cried, 'you beast!'

His voice died in his fat inwards, but his lips still vehemently framed the same words of supplication. My anger began to pa.s.s off, but not all my repugnance; the picture he made revolted me, and I was impatient to be spared the further view of it.

'Here,' said I, 'stop this performance: it sickens me. I am not going to kill you, do you hear? I have need of you.'

A look of relief, that I could almost have called beautiful, dawned on his countenance. 'Anything-anything you wish,' said he.

Anything is a big word, and his use of it brought me for a moment to a stand. 'Why, what do you mean?' I asked. 'Do you mean that you will blow the gaff on the whole business?'

He answered me Yes with eager a.s.severations.

'I know Monsieur de Saint-Yves is in it; it was through his papers we traced you,' I said. 'Do you consent to make a clean breast of the others?'

'I do-I will!' he cried. 'The 'ole crew of 'em; there's good names among 'em. I'll be king's evidence.'

'So that all shall hang except yourself? You d.a.m.ned villain!' I broke out. 'Understand at once that I am no spy or thief-taker. I am a kinsman of Monsieur de St. Yves-here in his interest. Upon my word, you have put your foot in it prettily, Mr. Burch.e.l.l Fenn! Come, stand up; don't grovel there. Stand up, you lump of iniquity!'

He scrambled to his feet. He was utterly unmanned, or it might have gone hard with me yet; and I considered him hesitating, as, indeed, there was cause. The man was a double-dyed traitor: he had tried to murder me, and I had first baffled his endeavours and then exposed and insulted him. Was it wise to place myself any longer at his mercy? With his help I should doubtless travel more quickly; doubtless also far less agreeably; and there was everything to show that it would be at a greater risk. In short, I should have washed my hands of him on the spot, but for the temptation of the French officers, whom I knew to be so near, and for whose society I felt so great and natural an impatience. If I was to see anything of my countrymen, it was clear I had first of all to make my peace with Mr. Fenn; and that was no easy matter. To make friends with any one implies concessions on both sides; and what could I concede? What could I say of him, but that he had proved himself a villain and a fool, and the worse man?

'Well,' said I, 'here has been rather a poor piece of business, which I dare say you can have no pleasure in calling to mind; and, to say truth, I would as readily forget it myself. Suppose we try. Take back your pistol, which smells very ill; put it in your pocket or wherever you had it concealed. There! Now let us meet for the first time.-Give you good morning, Mr. Fenn! I hope you do very well. I come on the recommendation of my kinsman, the Vicomte de St. Yves.'

'Do you mean it?' he cried. 'Do you mean you will pa.s.s over our little scrimmage?'

'Why, certainly!' said I. 'It shows you are a bold fellow, who may be trusted to forget the business when it comes to the point. There is nothing against you in the little scrimmage, unless that your courage is greater than your strength. You are not so young as you once were, that is all.'

'And I beg of you, sir, don't betray me to the Vis-count,' he pleaded. 'I'll not deny but what my 'eart failed me a trifle; but it was only a word, sir, what anybody might have said in the 'eat of the moment, and over with it.'

'Certainly,' said I. 'That is quite my own opinion.'

'The way I came to be anxious about the Vis-count,' he continued, 'is that I believe he might be induced to form an 'asty judgment. And the business, in a pecuniary point of view, is all that I could ask; only trying, sir-very trying. It's making an old man of me before my time. You might have observed yourself, sir, that I 'aven't got the knees I once 'ad. The knees and the breathing, there's where it takes me. But I'm very sure, sir, I address a gentleman as would be the last to make trouble between friends.'

'I am sure you do me no more than justice,' said I; 'and I shall think it quite unnecessary to dwell on any of these pa.s.sing circ.u.mstances in my report to the Vicomte.'

'Which you do favour him (if you'll excuse me being so bold as to mention it) exac'ly!' said he. 'I should have known you anywheres. May I offer you a pot of 'ome-brewed ale, sir? By your leave! This way, if you please. I am 'eartily grateful-'eartily pleased to be of any service to a gentleman like you, sir, which is related to the Vis-count, and really a fambly of which you might well be proud! Take care of the step, sir. You have good news of 'is 'ealth, I trust? as well as that of Monseer the Count?'

G.o.d forgive me! the horrible fellow was still puffing and panting with the fury of his a.s.sault, and already he had fallen into an obsequious, wheedling familiarity like that of an old servant,-already he was flattering me on my family connections!

I followed him through the house into the stable-yard, where I observed the driver was.h.i.+ng the cart in a shed. He must have heard the explosion of the pistol. He could not choose but hear it: the thing was shaped like a little blunderbuss, charged to the mouth, and made a report like a piece of field artillery. He had heard, he had paid no attention; and now, as we came forth by the back-door, he raised for a moment a pale and tell-tale face that was as direct as a confession. The rascal had expected to see Fenn come forth alone; he was waiting to be called on for that part of s.e.xton, which I had already allotted to him in fancy.

I need not detain the reader very long with any description of my visit to the back-kitchen; of how we mulled our ale there, and mulled it very well; nor of how we sat talking, Fenn like an old, faithful, affectionate dependant, and I-well! I myself fallen into a mere admiration of so much impudence, that transcended words, and had very soon conquered animosity. I took a fancy to the man, he was so vast a humbug. I began to see a kind of beauty in him, his aplomb was so majestic. I never knew a rogue to cut so fat; his villainy was ample, like his belly, and I could scarce find it in my heart to hold him responsible for either. He was good enough to drop into the autobiographical; telling me how the farm, in spite of the war and the high prices, had proved a disappointment; how there was 'a sight of cold, wet land as you come along the 'igh-road'; how the winds and rains and the seasons had been misdirected, it seemed 'o' purpose'; how Mrs. Fenn had died-'I lost her coming two year agone; a remarkable fine woman, my old girl, sir! if you'll excuse me,' he added, with a burst of humility. In short, he gave me an opportunity of studying John Bull, as I may say, stuffed naked-his greed, his usuriousness, his hypocrisy, his perfidy of the back-stairs, all swelled to the superlative-such as was well worth the little disarray and fl.u.s.ter of our pa.s.sage in the hall.

CHAPTER XIII-I MEET TWO OF MY COUNTRYMEN

As soon as I judged it safe, and that was not before Burch.e.l.l Fenn had talked himself back into his breath and a complete good humour, I proposed he should introduce me to the French officers, henceforth to become my fellow-pa.s.sengers. There were two of them, it appeared, and my heart beat as I approached the door. The specimen of Perfidious Albion whom I had just been studying gave me the stronger zest for my fellow-countrymen. I could have embraced them; I could have wept on their necks. And all the time I was going to a disappointment.

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