Part 28 (1/2)

The little Marquis said, ”Claire, this gentleman informs us that you married him yesterday.”

Tranquilly she inspected her claimant. ”I did not see Monsieur Bulmer at all yesterday, so far as I remember. Why, surely, Louis, you did not take my nonsense of last night in earnest?” she demanded, and gave a mellow ripple of laughter. ”Yes, you actually believed it; you actually believed that I walked into the forest and married the first man I met there, and that this is he. As it happens I did not; so please let Monsieur Bulmer go at once, and put away that absurd pistol--at once, Louis, do you hear?”

The d.u.c.h.ess shook her head. ”She is lying, Monsieur de Soyecourt, and undoubtedly this is the man.”

John Bulmer went to the girl and took her hand. ”You are trying to save me, I know. But need I warn you that the reward of Ananias was never a synonym for felicity?”

”Jean Bulmer! Jean Bulmer!” the girl asked, and her voice was tender; ”why did you return to Bellegarde, Jean Bulmer?”

”I came,” he answered, ”for the absurd reason that I cannot live without you.”

They stood thus for a while, both her hands clasped in his, ”I believe you,” she said at last, ”even though I do not understand at all, Jean Bulmer.” And then she wheeled upon the Marquis, ”Yes, yes!” Claire said; ”the man is my husband. And I will not have him harmed. Do you comprehend?--you shall not touch him, because you are not fit to touch him, Louis, and also because I do not wish it.”

De Soyecourt looked toward the d.u.c.h.ess as if for advice. ”It is a nuisance, but evidently she cannot marry Milor Ormskirk so long as Mr. Bulmer is alive. I suppose it would be better to hang him out-of-hand?”

”Monsieur de Puysange would prefer it, I imagine,” said the d.u.c.h.ess; ”nevertheless, it appears a great pity.”

”In nature,” the Marquis a.s.sented, ”we deplore the loss of Mr. Bulmer's company. Yet as matters stand--”

”But they are in love with each other,” the d.u.c.h.ess pointed out, with a sorry little laugh. ”Can you not see that, my friend?”

”Hein?” said the Marquis; ”why, then, it is doubly important that Mr.

Bulmer be hanged as soon as possible.” He reached for the gong, but Claire had begun to speak.

”I am not at all in love with him! You are of a profound imbecility, Helene. I think he is a detestable person, because he always looks at you as if he saw something extremely ridiculous, but was too polite to notice it. He is invariably making me suspect I have a s.m.u.t on my nose. But in spite of that, I consider him a very pleasant old gentleman, and I will not have him hanged!” With which ultimatum she stamped her foot.

”Yes, madame,” said the Marquis, critically; ”after all, she is in love with him. That is unfortunate, is it not, for Milor Ormskirk,--and even for Achille Cazaio,” he added, with a shrug.

”I fail to see,” a dignified young lady stated, ”what Cazaio, at least, has to do with your galimatias.”

”Simply that I received this morning a letter demanding you be surrendered to Cazaio,” de Soyecourt answered as he sounded the gong. ”Otherwise, our amiable friend of the Taunenfels announces he will attack Bellegarde. I, of course, hanged his herald and despatched messengers to Gaston, whom I look for to-morrow. If Gaston indeed arrive to-morrow morning, Mr. Bulmer, I shall relinquish you to him; in other circ.u.mstances will be laid upon me the deplorable necessity of summoning a Protestant minister from Manneville, and, after your spiritual affairs are put in order, of hanging you--suppose we say at noon?”

”The hour suits me,” said John Bulmer, ”as well as another. But no better.

And I warn you it will not suit the Duke of Ormskirk, either, whose relative--whose very near relative--” He posed for the astounding revelation.

But little de Soyecourt had drawn closer to him. ”Mr. Bulmer, I have somehow omitted to mention that two years ago I was at Aix-la-Chapelle, when the treaty was in progress, and there saw your great kinsman. I cut no particular figure at the convocation, and it is unlikely he recalls my features; but I remember his quite clearly.”

”Indeed?” said John Bulmer, courteously; ”it appears, then, that monsieur is a physiognomist?”

”You flatter me,” the Marquis returned. ”My skill in that science enabled me to deduce only the veriest truisms--such as that the man who for fifteen years had beaten France, had hoodwinked France, would in France be not oversafe could we conceive him fool enough to hazard a trip into this country.”

”Especially alone?” said John Bulmer.

”Especially,” the Marquis a.s.sented, ”if he came alone. But, ma foi! I am discourteous. You were about to say--?”

”That a comic subject declines to be set forth in tragic verse,” John Bulmer answered, ”and afterward to inquire the way to my dungeon.”

X

But John Bulmer escaped a dungeon after all; for at parting de Soyecourt graciously offered to accept Mr. Bulmer's parole, which he gave willingly enough, and thereby obtained the liberty of a tiny enclosed garden, whence a stairway led to his new apartment on the second floor of what had been known as the Constable's Tower, since du Guesclin held it for six weeks against Sir Robert Knollys. This was a part of the ancient fortress in which, they say, Poictesme's most famous hero, Dom Manuel, dwelt and performed such wonders, a long while before Bellegarde was remodeled by Duke Florian.