A PRIEST AND A WOMAN.
"He is my husband!"
The statement was made in the purest innocence; yet never, as may well be imagined, did words fall with more stunning force. Not one of us answered or, I believe, moved so much as a limb or an eyelid. We only stared, wanting time to take in the astonishing meaning of the words, and then more time to think what they meant to us in particular.
Louis de Pavannes' wife! Louis de Pavannes married! If the statement were true--and we could not doubt, looking in her face, that at least she thought she was telling the truth--it meant that we had been fooled indeed! That we had had this journey for nothing, and run this risk for a villain. It meant that the Louis de Pavannes who had won our boyish admiration was the meanest, the vilest of court-gallants. That Mademoiselle de Caylus had been his sport and plaything. And that we in trying to be beforehand with Bezers had been striving to save a scoundrel from his due. It meant all that, as soon as we grasped it in the least.
"Madame," said Croisette gravely, after a pause so prolonged that her smile faded pitifully from her face, scared by our strange looks. "Your husband has been some time away from you? He only returned, I think, a week or two ago?""That is so," she answered, naively, and our last hope vanished.
"But what of that? He was back with me again, and only yesterday--only yesterday!" she continued, clasping her hands, "we were so happy.""And now, madame?"
She looked at me, not comprehending.
"I mean," I hastened to explain, "we do not understand how you come to be here. And a prisoner." I was really thinking that her story might throw some light upon ours.
"I do not know, myself," she said. "Yesterday, in the afternoon, I paid a visit to the Abbess of the Ursulines.""Pardon me," Croisette interposed quickly, "but are you not of the new faith? A Huguenot?""Oh, yes," she answered eagerly. "But the Abbess is a very dear friend of mine, and no bigot. Oh, nothing of that kind, I assure you. When I am in Paris I visit her once a week. Yesterday, when I left her, she begged me to call here and deliver a message.""Then," I said, "you know this house?"
"Very well, indeed," she replied. "It is the sign of the 'Hand and Glove,' one door out of the Rue Platriere. I have been in Master Mirepoix's shop more than once before. I came here yesterday to deliver the message, leaving my maid in the street, and I was asked to come up stairs, and still up until I reached this room. Asked to wait a moment, I began to think it strange that I should be brought to so wretched a place, when I had merely a message for Mirepoix's ear about some gauntlets. Itried the door; I found it locked. Then I was terrified, and made a noise."We all nodded. We were busy building up theories--or it might be one and the same theory--to explain this. "Yes," I said, eagerly.
"Mirepoix came to me then. 'What does this mean?' I demanded.
He looked ashamed of himself, but he barred my way. 'Only this,' he said at last, 'that your ladyship must remain here a few hours--two days at most. No harm whatever is intended to you.
My wife will wait upon you, and when you leave us, all shall be explained.' He would say no more, and it was in vain I asked him if he did not take me for some one else; if he thought I was mad.
To all he answered, No. And when I dared him to detain me he threatened force. Then I succumbed. I have been here since, suspecting I know not what, but fearing everything.""That is ended, madame," I answered, my hand on my breast, my soul in arms for her. Here, unless I was mistaken, was one more unhappy and more deeply wronged even than Kit; one too who owed her misery to the same villain. "Were there nine glovers on the stairs," I declared roundly, "we would take you out and take you home! Where are your husband's apartments?""In the Rue de Saint Merri, close to the church. We have a house there.""M. de Pavannes," I suggested cunningly, "is doubtless distracted by your disappearance.""Oh, surely," she answered with earnest simplicity, while the tears sprang to her eyes. Her innocence--she had not the germ of a suspicion--made me grind my teeth with wrath. Oh, the base wretch! The miserable rascal! What did the women see, Iwondered--what had we all seen in this man, this Pavannes, that won for him our hearts, when he had only a stone to give in return?
I drew Croisette and Marie aside, apparently to consider how we might force the door. "What is the meaning of this?" I said softly, glancing at the unfortunate lady. "What do you think, Croisette?"I knew well what the answer would be.
"Think!" he cried with fiery impatience. "What can any one think except that that villain Pavannes has himself planned his wife's abduction? Of course it is so! His wife out of the way he is free to follow up his intrigues at Caylus. He may then marry Kit or--Curse him!""No," I said sternly, "cursing is no good. We must do something more. And yet--we have promised Kit, you see, that we would save him--we must keep our word. We must save him from Bezers at least."Marie groaned.
But Croisette took up the thought with ardour. "From Bezers?"he cried, his face aglow. "Ay, true! So we must! But then we will draw lots, who shall fight him and kill him."I extinguished him by a look. "We shall fight him in turn," Isaid, "until one of us kill him. There you are right. But your turn comes last. Lots indeed! We have no need of lots to learn which is the eldest."I was turning from him--having very properly crushed him--to look for something which we could use to force the door, when he held up his hand to arrest my attention. We listened, looking at one another. Through the window came unmistakeable sounds of voices.
"They have discovered our flight," I said, my heart sinking.
