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 ROSE D'ALBRET; 
 
 TROUBLOUS TIMES. 
 
 VOL. I.
 
 ROSE D'ALBRET; 
 
 OB 
 
 TROUBLOUS TIMES. 
 
 A ROMANCE. 
 
 BY G. P. R. JAMES, ESQ. 
 
 AUTHOR OF 
 
 DARNLEY," " DE L'ORME," "THE FALSE HEIR, 
 " ARABELLA STUART," &c. 
 
 IN THREE VOLUMES. 
 VOL. L 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET, 
 
 1^44.
 
 Lo.vdok: 
 Printed by S. & J. Bestley, Wilson, and Fley 
 Bangor House, Shoe Lane.
 
 ^^3 
 -J es ruo 
 
 1/ I 
 
 ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 No lengthened preface is necessary to the fol- 
 lowing pages. The scene in which the events 
 of the tale take place, and the time of action, 
 are both extremely circumscribed ; the former 
 only extending over about forty square miles, 
 the latter not comprising more than eight days. 
 The work is therefore more like a drama than 
 a romance; but I am inclined to believe that 
 ^ this will be found no disadvantage, where the 
 ^circumstances naturally lead to the adoption 
 : of such a plan. 
 ^ I doubt not that many of my readers, and 
 ^ amongst them some of the most amiable, will 
 r^ inquire, " Were there peo})le ever so wicked 
 3 VOL. I. a 'S
 
 Vi ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 as they are here represented ? " Nor will they 
 be the most ignorant who put this question; 
 for, in this country especially, a great defect 
 exists in historical writing. We have histories 
 of wars and battles and political institutions ; 
 but we have few if any histories of society. 
 We have histories of inventions, we have his- 
 tories of arts; but we have no accurate tracing 
 of the influence of institutions, discoveries, re- 
 volutions, and struggles upon the general mind 
 and character of nations. Such a history, 
 though it would be one of the most interest- 
 ing, as well as the most instructive, still re- 
 mains to be written in our language. 
 
 If the reader, however, will take the trouble 
 of looking into the memoirs of the times 
 spoken of in these pages, he will find that 
 the men and women of that epoch were worse 
 — far worse than any of the persons here de- 
 picted — that corruption was more general, vice 
 more daring, selfishness even less restrained. 
 The only incidents in the story which may
 
 ADVERTISEMENT. vii 
 
 be called romantic, are facts upon record. 
 That with which the work opens is well 
 known ; and, in regard to the means em- 
 ployed to force an innocent girl into a mar- 
 riage with a man whom she detested, I need 
 only say, that the same were adopted in 
 a noble family of the south of France, 
 towards the year 1587, with circumstances of 
 violence and licentiousness which I have not 
 thought fit to introduce into this tale, and 
 unhappily with success. 
 
 The work has been written a long time ; 
 and in reading it over, after having had oc- 
 casion to study the subject deeply for other 
 objects, I feel that I can safely put it forth 
 as a tolerably correct picture of the state of 
 society, in the country and the period to which 
 it refers.
 
 ROSE D'ALBRET; 
 
 OR 
 
 TROUBLOUS TIMES. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Whatever effect the institution of Chivalry 
 miufht have upon the manners and customs of 
 the people of Europe ; however much it might 
 mitigate the rudeness of the middle ages, and 
 soften the character of nations just emerging 
 from barbarism, there was one point which it^ 
 left untouched by its softening influence, and 
 which remained, till within a few years of the 
 present period, as a case of great hardship upon 
 those who are supposed to have benefited more 
 particularly by the rise of chivalrous feeling. 
 Women, to whose defence the knights of old 
 devoted their swords : women, for whose honour 
 and renown so many a gallant champion has 
 shed his blood : women, for whose love so many 
 
 VOL. I. B
 
 2 ROSE D'ALBRET. 
 
 wars have been kindled and so many deeds 
 done, were, till within a short period of the 
 present day, mere slaves in those matters where 
 their own happiness was concerned. Their 
 influence, it is true, might be great over the 
 heart and mind, but in person, at least till after 
 their marriage, they were simply bondswomen ; 
 they ruled without power even over themselves, 
 and had no authority whatsoever in those trans- 
 actions which were of the most importance to 
 them. 
 
 Where parents were living — although even 
 then it was thought scarcely necessary to con- 
 sult a young woman upon the disposal of her 
 own hand, — yet we may suppose that parental 
 affection might occasionally enable her to ex- 
 ercise some influence, however small, in the 
 acceptance or rejection of a lover. But where 
 the parents were dead, she had for many cen- 
 turies, especially in France, no voice whatever 
 in the matter, and was consigned, often against 
 her inclination, to the arms of one whom per- 
 haps she had never seen^ whom she often re- 
 garded with indifference, and often with hate.
 
 ROSE d'albret. 3 
 
 It is little to be wondered at that such a state 
 of thiugs produced gross immorality. The 
 first act of a young woman's life, the act alone 
 by which she obtained comparative freedom, 
 being one by which all the fine and delicate 
 sensibilities, planted by God in the female heart, 
 were violated at once, — it is little to be wonder- 
 ed at, I say, that the vows by which men endea- 
 voured to supply the place of principles, should 
 be violated likewise at the voice of inclination. 
 
 The fault, however, was in the feudal system ; 
 and the manner in which lands were first ac- 
 quired in Europe, produced regulations for their 
 transmission which generated the greatest social 
 evils, — from the consequences of which indeed 
 we are not yet altogether free. Each feof was 
 required to be held by a man who could do ser- 
 vice to his sovereign in the field ; and, conse- 
 quently, when any vassal or vavasour died, leav- 
 ing behind him one or more daughters, the law 
 required that the feof should be managed by 
 a guardian till such time as, by marriage, the 
 heiress or heiresses could present men to do 
 homage for their lands, and perform military 
 
 B 2
 
 4 ROSE DALBRET. 
 
 service to the superior lord. Thus, an heiress 
 could not marry without her lord's approbation ; 
 and by the constitutions of St. Louis it was 
 enacted, that, even where a daughter was left 
 under the care of her mother, the lord might 
 require security that she should not form an 
 alliance without his consent ; and the good 
 king, in the rule which he lays down for the 
 choice of a husband for a ward, directs the 
 guardian simply, if there be two or three who 
 offer, to take the richest. 
 
 As the feudal system declined in France, 
 however, the power of the lord over his vassals 
 of course diminished, and long before the end 
 of the sixteenth century it was but little exer- 
 cised by one nobleman over another. In cases 
 where large inheritance fell to daughters, their 
 marriages were made up in their own families; 
 and though they themselves had, in general, as 
 little choice allowed them as ever, yet their 
 own relations were the persons who selected the 
 future companions of their life. Thus fathers, 
 brothers, cousins, uncles, aunts, had all far more
 
 ROSE D'ALBRET. 5 
 
 to do with the marriage than the person whose 
 weal or woe was to be affected by it. 
 
 When a father died, however, leaving his 
 daughter to the care of a guardian, he transmitted 
 to him the great power he himself possessed ; and 
 if the young lady were the heiress of great wealth, 
 it generally happened that the person selected 
 for her husband was a son or near relation of 
 her guardian. Very often, indeed, her hand was 
 made a matter of merchandise and sold to the 
 best bidder, so that the guardianship of an 
 heiress was not unfrequently a profitable specu- 
 lation. 
 
 During the last half of the sixteenth century, 
 indeed, almost all these rules and regulations 
 were broken through, in the midst of the civil 
 contentions which then existed in France ; and 
 we find several instances, even in the highest 
 ranks of society, of children marrying against 
 the will of their parents, when an opportunity 
 was afforded them of escaping parental rule. 
 Such was the case with the daughter of the Duke 
 of Montpensier ; but in this, as in many other
 
 6 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 instances, religious diiFerences had their share, 
 and the principle of liberty, which rose with the 
 Protestant religion, affected even the relations 
 of domestic life. To guard against the oppor- 
 tunities thus afforded, by the troubles of the 
 times, for ladies to choose as they thought, fit, 
 many very violent and tyrannical acts were com- 
 mitted ; and, on the other hand, where power 
 could venture to outstep the law, shameful 
 breaches of right and justice took place to get 
 possession of the person of an heiress, who was 
 looked upon and treated by all parties merely as 
 the chief title-deed of the estate. Thus the 
 celebrated Duke of Mayenne himself carried off 
 by force out of Guyenne, from the care of her 
 own mother. Mademoiselle de Caumont in 
 order to marry her to one of his own sons, 
 though she had been already contracted to an- 
 other person from the very cradle. 
 
 Such a strange state of things was farther 
 complicated by the rights of the monarch to 
 certain privileges of guardianship, known by the 
 name of gardes nobles, by which he was entitled, 
 by himself or his officers, to take into his charge
 
 ROSE d'albret. 7 
 
 the estates and persons of certain orphans under 
 age ; and, according to the corrupt practices of 
 the times, the tutelage of the royal wards, in par- 
 ticular provinces, was often made a matter of 
 merchandise, and still more frequently was be- 
 stowed upon unworthy persons, and obtained by 
 the most corrupt means. 
 
 To all these complicated and evil arrange- 
 ments must be added another custom of those 
 times, which perhaps was devised for the pur- 
 pose of obviating some of the bad consequences 
 of the existing state of things. I allude to the 
 habit of affiancing at a very early period. 
 Sometimes this engagement between the children 
 of two noble houses was confirmed by every 
 ceremony which could render the act inviolable 
 in the eyes of the church and the eyes of the 
 law : sometimes, however, a less solemn com- 
 pact was entered into by the parents, subject to 
 certain conditions, and these were frequently 
 rescinded, changed, or modified, according to 
 circumstances. In many instances the heiress 
 of a noble house was left by a dying parent 
 to the guardianship of a friend, under con-
 
 8 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 tract to marry that friend's heir on arriving at 
 a fixed period of Hfe ; and in such circum- 
 stances, whatever might be her incHnation to 
 break this engagement, when her reason or her 
 heart led her towards another union, she would 
 have found it very difficult to escape from the 
 trammels imposed upon her, even to take 
 shelter within the walls of a convent. 
 
 It has seemed necessary to give these expla- 
 nations in this introductory chapter, that the 
 reader may clearly understand the circum- 
 stances of the parties in the following tale ; and 
 I shall only farther add, that at the time when 
 the history is supposed to commence, a long 
 period of strife and confusion had thrown the 
 country into a state of anarchy, in which law 
 was daily set at defiance, even for the pettiest 
 objects ; every evil passion found indulgence 
 under the shield of faction ; the most violent, 
 the most unjust, and the most criminal pro- 
 ceedings took place in every part of the realm ; 
 might made right throughout the country ; and 
 the bigoted priesthood were generally found 
 ready to assist in any dark plot or cunning
 
 ROSE d'albret. 9 
 
 scheme, where the interests of their patrons 
 might be served, or the objects of their own 
 order advanced. 
 
 At the same time, though tranquillity was in 
 no degree recovered, everything was tending to 
 its restoration. Henry III. who had sanc- 
 tioned, instigated, or committed every sort of 
 crime, had fallen under the knife of the as- 
 sassin. Henri Quatre was daily strengthening 
 his tottering throne by victory, clemency, and 
 policy. The battle of Arques had been fought 
 and won, and the king, with a small but veteran 
 and gallant army, had advanced towards the 
 capital and was besieging the town of Dreux.
 
 10 ROSE D'ALBRET. 
 
 CHAPTER 11. 
 
 On the confines of Normandy, towards that 
 part of Maine which joins the Orleanois, and 
 nearly on a straight line between Mortagne and 
 Orleans, lies a track of wild common land, unfit 
 for cultivation. It is now covered with low 
 bushes, stunted trees, gorse, fern, and brush- 
 wood, though often presenting patches of short 
 grass, which serve as pasture-ground for the 
 sheep and cattle of the neighbouring villages, 
 which are few and far between. 
 
 The extent of this somewhat dreary district 
 is about five miles in one direction and six in 
 another, and it is broken by hill and dale, deep 
 pits and quarries, rushy pools and swamps, 
 over which at night hovers the will-o'-the-wisp, 
 while every now and then a tall beech or wide 
 spreading oak attests the existence in former 
 days of an extensive forest, now only tradi-
 
 ROSE d'aLBRET. 11 
 
 tionaiy. On one of the hills towards Chartres 
 appear the ruins of an old castle, which, though 
 not referrible to any very remote period, must 
 have been a place of some strength ; and below 
 is a little hamlet, with a small church, contain- 
 ing several curious monuments, where knights 
 are seen stretched in well sculptured armour, 
 and leaguers, in starched ruffs and slashed pour- 
 points, lie recumbent in grey stone.- 
 
 Here, however, in times not very long gone, 
 stretched one of those forests for which France 
 was once famous, though the woods had been 
 cut down some years before the Revolution, and, 
 converted into gold, had furnished many a 
 luxurious banquet, or been spent in revelry and 
 ostentation. It never, indeed, was very exten- 
 sive, when compared with many of the forests 
 that surrounded it, but still, towards the end 
 of the sixteenth century, it possessed scenes of 
 wild beauty rarely to be met with, and some of 
 the finest trees in the country. Through a por- 
 tion of the wood ran one of the many windings 
 of the river Huisne ; and the ground being hilly, 
 as 1 have said, from the principal eminences the
 
 12 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 winding course of that stream might be discover- 
 ed for several smiles, while here and there many 
 a chateau, or maison forte, appeared in sight, 
 filled with branches of the families of Sourdis, 
 Estrees, Chazeul, de Harault, Liancourt, and 
 others. 
 
 One or two village spires also graced the 
 scene, but the eye could catch no town of any 
 great magnitude, which was probably one of 
 the reasons why that district had suffered less 
 severely during the wars of the League than 
 almost any other in France. Several causes, 
 however, had combined to obtain for it this 
 happy immunity. No Protestants were to be 
 found in the immediate neighbourhood, and 
 though all the gentlemen possessing property on 
 the banks of the river were steady Catholics, 
 yet they were in general attached to the cause 
 of order and loyalty, and, while withheld by 
 a feeling of bigotry from supporting in arms 
 a monarch whom they considered a heretic, were 
 unwilling to give the slightest aid to a faction, 
 which they well knew had. anything at heart 
 but the maintenance of a religion which they 
 used as a pretext for rebellion.
 
 ROSE d'albret. 13 
 
 Thus the tide of war had rolled up the 
 valleys of the Seine and of the Loire ; Or- 
 leans had been a scene of strife and blood- 
 shed; Alen^on had been taken and retaken 
 more than once ; Dreux and Chartres had 
 seen armies frequently under their walls ; but 
 the tract I speak of, with the country round 
 for several miles, had escaped the scourge of 
 civil contention, and a truce, or convention, ex- 
 isted arnongst the noblemen of that part of the 
 country, by virtue of which each enjoyed his 
 own in peace with his neighbours, and feared 
 little the approach of hostile armies, as the 
 ground was unfavourable to military evolutions ; 
 and nothing was to be obtained by marching 
 through a country where no wealthy cities af- 
 forded an object either to cupidity or ambition. 
 
 When any great event was imminent, indeed, 
 and the fortunes of France seemed to hang 
 upon the result of an approaching battle, small 
 bands of armed men hurrying up to join this 
 force or that, would cross the district, carefully 
 watched by the retainers of the different lords 
 in the vicinity of the forest in order to prevent
 
 14 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 any outrage, and often the little village church 
 would be thronged with soldiery, who in a few 
 days after left their bones upon some bloody 
 field ; or at other times the wild hymns of the 
 Huguenots would rise up at nightfall from the 
 woodlands, in a strain of strange and scarcely 
 earthly harmony. Then too, in the open field, 
 the Calvinistic preacher would harangue his stern 
 and determined brethren in language full of fiery 
 enthusiasm, and often the Roman Catholic pea- 
 sant would pause to listen, and go away almost 
 convinced that the traditions to which he had 
 so long clung were false and superstitious. 
 
 Few acts of violence, however, were heard of ; 
 and when any of the many bands of plunderers, 
 who taking advantage of the anarchy of the 
 times, scoured the country, pillaging and oppress- 
 ing both parties alike, appeared in the woods 
 and fields, the gentry, making common cause 
 against them, soon drove them out to carry on 
 their lawless trade elsewhere. Some severe 
 acts of retribution too had been practised on 
 those who were taken, and sometimes for weeks 
 the old oaks were decorated with the acorns of
 
 ROSE d'aLBRET. 15 
 
 Tristan the Hermit, as a warning to others of 
 the same class to avoid the dangerous vicinity. 
 
 It was not wonderful, therefore, that, on a 
 cold clear day, of the frosty spring of the year 
 159-, a stout, homely man, about forty years 
 of age, dressed in a plain brown peasant's coat, 
 with a black cloak and large riding boots, should 
 ride along upon a strong bay horse, apparently 
 quite at his ease, though night was not far 
 distant. His dress and his whole appearance 
 bespoke him a farmer well to do in the world ; 
 but farmers in those days were not above any 
 of the acts required by their calling ; and over 
 the crupper of the horse was thrown a large 
 sack of corn, either for sale or for provender. 
 
 I have said that the good peasant appeared 
 quite at his ease, and so indeed he was, utterly 
 unconscious of danger ; but that did not imply 
 that he went unprepared for defence, for those 
 were times when such precautions had become 
 habitual with all men. The very labourer went 
 to the field with pike, or large knife, or arque- 
 buse, if he could get it, and the good man we 
 speak of had a long, broad, straight sword,
 
 16 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 with iron hilt and clasps, by his side, and two 
 pistols at his saddle-bow. He was a strong, and 
 seemingly an active man, too, though of no 
 very bulky proportions, and somewhat short in 
 stature ; and there was an air of determination 
 and vigour about him which would have made 
 a single opponent think twice before he attacked 
 him. Moreover, his countenance displayed a 
 good deal of cool self-possessed nonchalance, if I 
 may be permitted for once to use a foreign word, 
 which showed that he was not one to sell 
 either his corn or his life very cheap, and he 
 rode his horse like one well accustomed to its 
 back, and who found no difficulty in managing 
 it at his will. 
 
 The evening, though, as I have said, very cold, 
 was beautifully clear ; the western sky was all 
 gold and sunshine, the blades of grass, and the 
 leaves that still hung upon the branches — which, 
 like the ungrateful world, had cast off so many 
 of their green companions in the dull moment 
 of adversity — were all white with frost, and the 
 road, though somewhat sandy in its materials, 
 was as hard as adamant.
 
 17 
 
 With a quick habitual motion of the eyes, 
 the farmer glanced from right to left, marking 
 everything around him as he advanced, and 
 once, where the scene was more oj3en and un- 
 encumbered with trees, halted for an instant 
 and looked round. He still showed the care- 
 less confidence of his heart by humming from 
 time to time snatches of a common song of the 
 day,- and once or twice laughed lightly at some 
 thoughts which were passing in his own mind. 
 His features were good, though somewhat too 
 strongly marked, his eyes bright, and clear, his 
 complexion ruddy with health and exposure, 
 and his limbs well knit and strong from labour 
 and hard exercise. 
 
 At length the worthy man, trotting on at no 
 very quick pace, began to descend the side of one 
 of the hills of the forest and entered a sort of 
 wild dell, where small broken spots of turf were 
 interspersed with clumps of younger trees, prin- 
 cipally ashes and elms, while the older tenants 
 of the wood hung upon the slopes higher up. 
 At the bottom was a small stream of very clear 
 water, flowing on towards the Huisne, through
 
 18 ROSE D ALBRET. 
 
 water-cresses and other plants of the brook, 
 but now nearly frozen over, though towards the 
 mid-course the quickness of the current, and 
 perhaps the depth from which the fountain rose 
 at no great distance, kept the water free from 
 ice. A little wooden bridge spanned it over, 
 leaving room for two horses abreast, but the 
 old and congealed ruts at the side showed that 
 the carts, which occasionally came along the 
 road, passed through the stream itself ; and some 
 vehicle which had traversed the valley not long 
 before had so far broken away the frozen sur- 
 face of the rivulet, that the traveller had clear 
 space to let his horse drink, before he crossed 
 the bridge. 
 
 As he paused to do so, however, and slackened 
 his rein for that purpose, he gazed round, and 
 his eyes were quickly attracted by the sight of 
 some objects not very pleasant to contemplate 
 for a wayfarer in those days. About two hun- 
 dred yards farther down the stream sat a party 
 of some eight or nine men, with their horses tied 
 by the foot, and feeding on the frosty grass as 
 well as they could. Though the number was so
 
 ROSE d'albret. 19 
 
 small, a cornet, or ensign of a troop of cavalry, 
 rested against a tree, for the ground was too 
 hard to plant it in the earth in the usual man- 
 ner ; and the steel caps, corslets, and arms which 
 each man bore, plainly showed the farmer that 
 one of the v/andering bands of soldiery, who 
 were constantly marching hither and thither, 
 to plunder or to fight, as the case might be, 
 was now before him. 
 
 From the force they seemed to muster, the 
 good farmer at once concluded that such an 
 inefiicient body was more likely to be engaged 
 in a marauding expedition than in a march 
 to join either the army of the King or the 
 Duke of Mayenne ; but the green and red 
 scarfs which they wore evinced that, when en- 
 gaged in regular military operations, it was to 
 the party of the latter they were attached, 
 though the district in which they now were gene- 
 rally favoured the Royal cause. 
 
 However, as he himself, whatever his private 
 opinions might be, bore no distinctive signs of 
 either faction about him the traveller hoped that 
 he might be suffered to pass unmolested, especi-
 
 20 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 ally as his dress and appearance offered no great 
 show of wealth ; and, therefore, without dis- 
 playing the slightest concern or apprehension, 
 he suffered his horse to conclude his draught, and 
 then was preparing to resume his journey, when, 
 after a brief consultation, one of the soldiers 
 advanced at a quick pace on foot, and planted 
 himself on the opposite side of the bridge, while 
 another ran higher up the hill, and the rest 
 rose slowly from the ground, and began to 
 untie their horses. 
 
 All these movements were remarked by the 
 traveller; but still he maintained his air of 
 easy carelessness, till the soldier who had placed 
 himself opposite advanced a step or two tow- 
 ards him, exclaiming, in an impatient tone, as 
 if irritated by his apathy, " Qui vive V 
 
 The farmer was not without his reply, how- 
 ever, though, to say " Long live the king," which 
 he might be inclined to do, would have been a 
 dangerous experiment, and he therefore replied, 
 without the least hesitation, " Vive, la France /" 
 
 '' Come, come, master peasant, that will not 
 do," exclaimed the other, advancing upon him,
 
 ROSE d'ALBRET. 21 
 
 pistol in hand ; " thou art some accursed Po- 
 litic ! Are you for the Holy Union or Henry 
 of Bourbon ?'' 
 
 " Nay, good sir, do not be angry," replied 
 the farmer ; "I am a poor man of no party. 
 I have nothing to do with these matters at 
 present, and mind only my own concerns.'" 
 
 " If thou art of no party," said the soldier, 
 *' thou art an enemy to both. So, get off thy 
 horse ; I have a fancy for him." 
 
 " Nay, I pray you," cried the other, " do not 
 take my beast. How am I to carry my corn ?" 
 " We will save you that trouble," rejoined 
 the soldier, with the courtesy usual on such 
 occasions ; " and if you have any weight of gold 
 upon you, we will deliver you of that burden 
 also. So, get off at once. Master What Vyour- 
 name, or I will send you off with a pistol-shot." 
 " My name is Chasseron," answered the pea- 
 sant, " and a name well known for wronging no 
 man ; but if I must get off and part with my 
 poor beast, I pray you help me down with the 
 corn, for I cannot dismount till it is away. — But 
 if you will leave me the nag," he added, " I
 
 22 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 will pay you his full value, if you will come to 
 my place. He and I have been old friends, 
 and I would fain not part with him." 
 
 " Get down ! get down !" cried the soldier 
 impatiently. " Clumsy boor, can't you dis- 
 mount with a sack behind you ?•' and at the 
 same moment he came nearer and laid his hand 
 upon the load. 
 
 The instant he did so, the farmer thrust his 
 strong hand between his cuirass and his neck, 
 half strangling him with his large knuckles ; and 
 with his right drawing a pistol from his saddle- 
 bow, he brought the muzzle close to his ear, 
 exclaiming, " Now, master, I see you have 
 some command, by your scarf. So if the way 
 be not cleared very speedily, you shall go up 
 or down as the case may be, without any brains 
 in your skull. I Ve got one life under my fist, 
 and they can but take one in return, so now we 
 shall see how they love you. Don't struggle, 
 or you shall soon struggle no more ; but turn 
 round, tell them to get out of the way, and 
 then march on with me to the top of the hill." 
 
 "I can't turn," said the soldier, in a rueful 
 tone.
 
 ROSE d'albret. 23 
 
 "Oh, then, I'll turn you,*" answered Chas- 
 seron with a laugh ; and without quitting his 
 hold, he whirled his adversary round with pro- 
 digious strength, lifting him nearly oiF the 
 ground as he did so. " Now drop your pistol," 
 he continued. " Drop it this instant !" 
 
 The man did so ; and, touching his horse 
 gently with his heel, the stout farmer put him 
 into a slow walk, while several of the marauders 
 ran forward to see what was going on. 
 
 " Bid them back !" cried Chasseron, jogging 
 his companion's head with the muzzle of his 
 weapon. " Bid them back, or you are a dead 
 man, without shrift." 
 
 " Keep off ! keep off, Beauvois," cried his 
 adversary. " Keep off, La Motte, or by the 
 Holy Virgin he will kill me !" 
 
 " That I will," muttered Chasseron heartily ; 
 and the soldiers halted for an instant as if to con- 
 sult. But your good companion of those days 
 was not very careful of a comrade's life ; and it 
 seemed to be soon agreed that the insolence of 
 the farmer was not to be tolerated out of any 
 consideration for the gentleman in his hands.
 
 24 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 There was, therefore, some cocking of pistols 
 and looking at pans, with various other indica- 
 tions of coming strife. 
 
 Chasseron, however, continued to advance, 
 dragging his captive along, and keeping a 
 watchful eye upon all the proceedings of the 
 enemy, while the poor fellow in his hands 
 shouted again and again to the hard ears of his 
 companions to hold back for God's sake. They 
 on their part paid little attention to his peti- 
 tions ; and, in a moment or two, several of 
 the soldiers began to creep closer, in order to 
 get within pistol-shot, while the rest mounted 
 their horses as if to make an attack on the rear 
 of the enemy. No sooner had the foremost 
 of those on foot reached a fitting distance, than 
 he began to take a deliberate aim at the 
 horseman ; but the latter, muttering to himself, 
 " This is unpleasant, Pardie ! "" turned sud- 
 denly towards him, withdrew the pistol from 
 the ear of the fellow whom he held, levelled it 
 at the other, and fired. The man went down 
 in a moment, his weapon discharging itself in 
 the air as he fell. .
 
 ROSE d'albret. 25 
 
 At the same time the captive struggled hard 
 in the hands of Chasseron, and, by a sudden 
 effort, grasped his dagger to stab him before 
 he could resist. But the farmer was still 
 quicker in his movements, his other pistol 
 was drawn in an instant and once more at 
 his friend's head, and while two shots from 
 the enemy passed close to him, one grazing 
 his arm, the other going through his hat, he 
 exclaimed, " Throw down the dague^ or you 
 are a dead man ! ""* 
 
 The order was obeyed in an instant; but 
 it was repeated with regard to the sword, which 
 was also cast to the ground at a word; and 
 then to the surprise of the Leaguer, he was 
 instantly set free. 
 
 " Now," cried Chasseron, " I give you your 
 life. Run back as hard as you can to your 
 comrades ; and, if you have any command 
 over them, bid them leave off attacking a man 
 who never did them any harm." 
 
 His prisoner required not two biddings to 
 take to his heels ; and the good farmer, setting 
 spurs to his horse, galloped up the hill as 
 
 VOL. I. C
 
 26 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 hard as he eould go, while the men who had 
 mounted pursued him, at full speed, firing at 
 him as he went, and the soldier, who had at 
 first ran on upon the road, cast himself in 
 the way, prepared to stop his advance. 
 
 As it was now a flight and pursuit, one 
 moment was a matter of life and death to the 
 farmer ; and as he rode on upon the enemy 
 before him, he levelled his remaining pistol 
 and fired. Though now at full speed, his aim 
 was not less true than before; but the ball 
 striking his adversary's steel cap in an oblique 
 direction, glanced olF without wounding him, 
 and the soldier fired in turn without eff*ect. 
 Drawing his sword, the farmer galloped on; 
 but he had to do with a resolute and powerful 
 opponent in the man who barred the way ; the 
 others were coming up at a furious pace, and 
 the life of poor Master Chasseron was in no 
 light peril, when suddenly a party of four 
 horsemen, well mounted and armed, appeared 
 on the top of the hill, riding quickly, as if 
 attracted by the report of the firearms. 
 
 Now they might be friends, or they might
 
 ROSE d'albret. 27 
 
 be enemies ; but Chasseron determined to look 
 upon them as the former, till they proved 
 themselves otherwise ; and, waving his hand 
 towards them, he cried, " Help ! help ! Hur- 
 rah !" and, as his antagonist in front turned 
 to see who they were, he let fall a blow on 
 his cap, which brought him on his knee. The 
 farmer was obliged instantly to wheel, how- 
 ever, to defend himself against those who fol- 
 lowed ; and with wonderful strength and agility 
 he crossed swords with one, threw his dis- 
 charged pistol at the face of another, knocking 
 out some of his front teeth, and watched a 
 third, who was somewhat behind. 
 
 However imequal might be the combat, he 
 maintained it gallantly, while the appearance 
 of the fresh party, now galloping down at full 
 speed, made his enemies hesitate in their oper- 
 ations. Nor was the cry of "Vive le Roi!" 
 which came from the advancing cavaliers, nor 
 the sight of the white scarfs with which they 
 were decorated, calculated to reassure the 
 Leaguers. The men who had remained below 
 on foot, however, now rushed up; and, with- 
 
 c 2
 
 82 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 drawing from the attack upon the farmer to 
 meet the more honourable adversaries who were 
 by this time close upon them, they attempted 
 to give some little array to their front, and 
 to recharge their pistols. 
 
 But before this could be done, the new 
 comers were amongst them ; Chasseron turned 
 to give his powerful aid ; white scarfs and 
 green were mingled together in a moment ; 
 and, after a brief struggle, the Leaguers w^ere 
 driven down into the valley with the loss of 
 two of their number. After attempting to make 
 a stand at the bridge they were put to flight ; 
 and springing from their horses, the men who 
 had mounted followed the example of those 
 on foot, and took refuge in the wood, whither 
 the victors did not think fit to pursue them. 
 As soon as it was clear that resistance had 
 ceased, the successful party halted by the 
 stream, surrounding the good peasant with 
 whom the strife began ; while he, on his part, 
 hat in hand, thanked them heartily for his 
 deliverance. 
 
 " Parbleu!*' he exclaimed, "if you had not
 
 ROSE d'albret. 29 
 
 come up, Monsieur, I should have lost my 
 wheat and my money too. I had killed one 
 of them, and might have got the better of 
 two more ; but I do not think I could have 
 managed all the seven." 
 
 These words were addressed to a young gen- 
 tleman apparently not more than one or two 
 and twenty years of age. His complexion was 
 pale, but clear ; his eyes dark and thoughtful ; 
 his deep brown hair waving from under his hat, 
 for he wore no defensive arms, and his short 
 beard curling round his mouth and chin. All 
 the features of his face were remarkably fine 
 and delicate, but the forehead was broad and 
 high, and the eyebrows strongly marked. His 
 whole air, and the expression of his counte- 
 nance, were grave and thoughtful; and al- 
 though he had led the others in their charge 
 with gallant determination, yet it had been 
 with calm coolness which displayed not the 
 slightest sign of vehemence or emotion. The 
 quick-eyed farmer had remarked also that he 
 had contented himself with driving back the 
 enemy, and defending his own person, without
 
 30 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 striking at any one or using the pistols with 
 which his saddlebow was garnished. In per- 
 son he was tall and well made, though neither 
 much above the ordinary height, nor appa- 
 rently particularly robust. His carriage, how- 
 ever, was graceful; and he sat his horse with 
 ease and power, managing it during the com- 
 bat as if well accustomed to the tilt-yard if not 
 to the battle field, and drawing it suddenly up 
 by the side of the stream when he saw that 
 the other party had betaken themselves to 
 the wood. 
 
 To the address of the good countryman he 
 replied briefly, saying, " You are very welcome, 
 my good sir ; though I am not fond of such 
 affairs, nor much habituated to them. Neither 
 are you, I should suppose ; and yet you seem 
 to have defended yourself skilfully and vigor- 
 ously. — Are you not hurt ?*' 
 
 " Not a whit !"" answered the farmer; *' and 
 as to defending myselfl, that 's an old trade 
 of mine ; I have borne arms in my day, though 
 I have given that occupation up for the pre- 
 sent; but there is many a man in the army
 
 ROSE d'albret. 31 
 
 remembers Michael Chasseron. I did not wish 
 to hurt any one, if they would have let me 
 pass quietly ; so what they have got is their 
 own fault. And now we may as well see to 
 their baggage: there may be curious things 
 amongst it." 
 
 " That you may do if you like/' replied the 
 young gentleman ; " neither I nor my servants 
 can have anything to do with plunder." 
 
 " Nor I either," answered the farmer ; *« I am 
 always content with my own, if I could but get 
 it ; but these good men may have other things 
 upon them besides gold and silver. Papers, 
 young gentleman, papers which may be service- 
 able to the King ; and for those, by your good 
 leave, I will look, begging you to stand by me 
 for a minute or two, lest our friends come out 
 from their hiding-holes again.'* 
 
 " Willingly, willingly," said his companion, 
 "that is a laudable object, and in that we will 
 help you." Thus saying he dismounted him- 
 self, and bidding two of his servants do the 
 same, proceeded with Chasseron to search the 
 bodies of those who had fallen, three horses
 
 32 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 which remained tied to a tree, and some bag- 
 gage which had been left on the ground where 
 the Leaguers had been sitting. 
 
 In a small leather bag buckled on the back 
 of one of the chargers was found a packet of 
 letters and papers regarding the movements of 
 various bodies of men, which the good farmer 
 examined with a curious eye. He then handed 
 them to the young gentleman, who had come 
 down to his assistance, saying, '^You had 
 better take them to the King, sir.'* 
 
 " Nay," replied the stranger, " take them 
 yourself, my good friend ; I am not going to the 
 camp ; and if this intelligence be of importance 
 you may get rewarded." 
 
 The farmer shook his head, laughing. " His 
 Majesty," he said, " has scarcely money, I hear, 
 to buy himself a dinner. But I will take them, 
 for if I don't go myself, I will ensure that he 
 gets them ; and now let us look at that fellow I 
 cut over the head upon the hill, if we leave him 
 there, he will be frozen to death to-night, and 
 that would be scarce christian." 
 
 On approaching the spot where the man lay,
 
 ROSE DALBRET. 33 
 
 they found him still alive, though bleeding and 
 stunned by the blow he had received. After 
 some consultation they took him up and placed 
 him across one of the Leaguers' horses; and 
 Chasseron then laid his hand upon his brow, 
 saying thoughtfully, " Where shall we take 
 him? The nearest place is Marzay, M. de 
 Liancourt's chateau ; but I don't rightly know 
 whether they will give me shelter there for the 
 night ; and this business has stopped me so, that 
 I shall not be able to get to Marolles before 
 dark." 
 
 " Oh I will answer for your welcome, my good 
 friend," replied the young gentleman, "I am 
 going to Marzay myself; M. de Liancourt is my 
 uncle." 
 
 " Well then, we will come along," replied 
 the farmer, mounting his horse again ; and, 
 the wounded man being given into the charge of 
 one of the gentleman's servants, they rode on 
 up the hill, Chasseron keeping in front with the 
 leader of the party. 
 
 After they had gone about two hundred yards 
 at a slow pace, the farmer turned towards his 
 
 c 5
 
 34 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 companion, who had fallen into a silent reverie, 
 and looking in his face for a moment he said, 
 " I could almost swear I have seen you some- 
 where before ; but yet I know that can't be, 
 for it is some fifteen years ago." 
 
 " I must have been a child then," replied 
 the cavalier, " for I have yet to see three-and- 
 twenty." 
 
 ''It was your father, I suppose," continued 
 Chasseron, " he was then a young man, and you 
 are as like him as one leaf on a tree is to 
 another." 
 
 '' What m^-ght be his name ?" asked the 
 stranger, with a faint smile; "give me that, 
 and I will soon tell you if it was my father.'* 
 
 "That is easily done," replied the farmer; 
 "his name was Louis de la Grange, Baron de 
 Montigni. He was a good soldier, and a 
 good man." 
 
 "You are right," said the young gentle- 
 man; "such was my father's name, and such 
 was his character; but he has been dead now 
 more than ten years." 
 
 " Ahj so I heard," answered Chasseron ; " we
 
 ROSE d'albret. 35 
 
 must all die, and the great reaper generally 
 takes the best ears, and leaves the worthless 
 ones standing. I am glad to see his son, how- 
 ever. — But how comes it, sir, that you are not 
 with the King? Many a man younger than 
 you fought at Arques, I believe." 
 
 " That is not improbable," rephed De Mon- 
 tigni; "but my uncle sent me to Padua to 
 study, and laid his injunctions on me to remain 
 there. Neither, to say the truth, did I feel 
 much inclination to take part in all this strife, 
 at least so long as the present King was in arms 
 against his sovereign.*" 
 
 '* Parbleu ! I do not see how he could help 
 it," cried Chasseron; "if he could not believe 
 the Catholic doctrines, and they held a dagger 
 to his throat and bade him swear he did believe 
 them, he had but one choice, either to tell a lie, 
 or knock the dagger out of their hands.*** 
 
 " I do not blame him," replied the young 
 nobleman, *' and for that very reason I felt un- 
 willing either to take arms for my King or 
 against him. Besides, I have friends on both 
 sides, am not very fond of shedding blood, and.
 
 36 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 to tell the truth, my friend, I found better so- 
 ciety amongst the dead than amongst the Uving. 
 I mean — " 
 
 " Oh, I understand what you mean," answer- 
 ed the farmer: "you mean you loved your 
 books better than hard blows." 
 
 The young gentleman's cheek grew somewhat 
 red ; " I am not afraid of blows," he said, " and I 
 think you have had no occasion to suppose so.*" 
 
 " Pardie, no ! '^ replied Chasseron frankly ; 
 " and I should not blame you if you were. I am 
 a very peaceable man myself, when men will let 
 me alone ; and 1 desire nothing but to enjoy my 
 own in tranquillity ; so if you could find peace 
 at Padua with Horace, and Cicero, and Virgil, 
 you were quite right to take it." 
 
 "You seem to know something of such 
 studies," said the young Baron de Montigni, 
 with a smile. 
 
 " Oh yes," replied Chasseron : " I see you 
 judge by externals alone, my young friend ; 
 and because I am here a poor cultivator of the 
 soil, you think that I am a mere peasant ; but 
 I am of gentle blood like yourself — hold my
 
 ROSE d'albret. 37 
 
 own land, what is left of it; and your friend 
 Virgil should have taught you that there is no 
 degradation in agriculture ; so that, though I 
 have for a time beaten my sword into a reaping- 
 hook, I am not a bit the worse gentleman for 
 that." 
 
 "Nay, God forbid," replied the young gentle- 
 man, " I hold it one of the most honourable 
 employments a man can follow ; but you must 
 not censure me for seeking occupation in my 
 books, as you say, while you seek occupation in 
 your fields." 
 
 '' There is some difference, however," replied 
 Chasseron ; " in living with the dead as you say, 
 you cut yourself off from doing good to the 
 living, which ought to be the great object of 
 each man's life. You may tell me, that amongst 
 those great men, those sages of antiquity, you 
 can best learn how to live, and gain precepts to 
 he applied to your future conduct ; but there is 
 a danger in being too long a learner; and, in 
 studying precepts all your life, you may forget 
 ever to apply them. Each man has duties, and 
 those of busy times like these are active ones.
 
 88 EOSE d'albret. 
 
 One's king, one's country, one's friends, one's 
 relations, one's fellow-citizens, all have claims 
 upon us which the dead have not; and the 
 exercise of our abilities affords lessons for our 
 conduct, to which all the maxims of philoso- 
 phers and morahsts are but bubbles/"* 
 
 " Methinks," replied De Montigni, ''that the 
 cultivator of the soil is not much more called 
 into active life than the cultivator of letters." 
 
 " Your pardon, your pardon, worthy sir," 
 answered the farmer ; " he is always mingling 
 with his fellow creatures ; he is ever ready to 
 take his part with the rest when need shall be ; 
 he is daily benefiting mankind, and not spend- 
 ing his life in studying how ; he is still learning 
 more, even while he is enacting much ; and, by 
 the practice of what is right, he learns to do it 
 well." 
 
 The young gentleman smiled gaily, but 
 changed the subject, saying, " Perhaps you are 
 right; but now tell me, as you seem to have 
 studied all these things deeply, and most likely 
 have lived with your eyes open to all that has 
 taken place, what has been doing here of late.
 
 ROSE d'albret. 39 
 
 and what is the real state of France ? for, but im- 
 perfect and maimed accounts reach us in foreign 
 lands, perverted by the prejudices of men, and 
 coloured by all the passions of the relaters. 
 Nor have I indeed paid much attention to vv^hat 
 I heard, till I was summoned back by my 
 uncle; for the only tidings that reached us, 
 came through the League, except once or twice, 
 when some Royalists passed by Venice." 
 
 " Your question is a wide one," replied Chas- 
 seron, " and I should have to write a history to 
 tell you. It is but needful to say, that France 
 is growing tired of the League ; men are recover- 
 ing from the fever which had driven them mad. 
 The King, nov>^ with many, now with few, is still 
 gaining ground on his enemies ; but his friends 
 are sometimes more mischievous to him than 
 his foes. Half the Catholics serve him coldly, 
 intrigue in his very camp, his court, and at his 
 table, because he is a heretic. The Huguenots 
 murmur and complain because he is obliged to 
 buy, bribe, and reward their adversaries. Both 
 fight well when there is a battle or a siege, but 
 both are well inclined to leave him when he is
 
 40 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 obliged to spend his time in those slow and 
 difficult movements, which are no less necessary 
 in a campaign than the combat or the storming 
 party. In the meanwhile, fed with foreign 
 gold, supported by foreign troops, confederated 
 with the implacable enemies of the land, and 
 slaughtering Frenchmen with the swords of the 
 Spaniard, the only hold which the League have 
 upon the people of France is the frail pretext 
 of religion, the almost incurable anarchy into 
 which they have thrown the country, and the 
 possession of a number of towns and fortresses, 
 lands, governments, and territories, which those 
 who have grasped them are unwiUing to resign, 
 and know they can only retain so long as 
 this great serpent of the League remains un- 
 crushed/' 
 
 " But let me hear," rejoined the young baron, 
 " if you can tell me, why, when the King had 
 Paris at his mercy, he did not make himself 
 master of it. If I have been informed aright, 
 he could have taken it in an hour ?" 
 
 " Perhaps he might," replied Chasseron, 
 "and yet he did not. I think it was very
 
 41 
 
 foolish of him, for my part; but still there 
 would have been terrible bloodshed, many thou- 
 sands of good citizens would have perished, the 
 capital would have been a scene of slaughter, 
 violence, and devastation, such as the world has 
 seldom witnessed. After all, perhaps it is as 
 well for a King not to do all that a king can 
 do; and yet the Parisians deserved no great 
 mercy at his hands. But he, poor foolish man, 
 chose rather to wander about fighting here and 
 fighting there, sleeping hard, sometimes half 
 starved, and working day and night, than take 
 their beds from under these rebelHous citizens, 
 or give their wives and daughters up to his 
 soldiers." 
 
 " And he was right," cried Montigni warmly, 
 " and God will bless him for it. If I am not 
 much mistaken, that act will set him firmly on 
 the throne of France." 
 
 " Perhaps so,*" said the farmer, " but old sol- 
 diers get hardened to such things, and men do 
 marvel and grumble too, that when he could 
 have terminated this long and desolating war by 
 one bold and severe stroke, he should have he-
 
 42 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 sitated for the sake of the most rebellious race 
 in France. There is much to be said on either 
 side, and I am inclined to think myself that the 
 King was wrong, though I was of a different 
 opinion at the time." 
 
 " Indeed !" exclaimed his young companion, 
 " what has made you change your views so 
 quickly then?" 
 
 " Thought," answered the farmer, " thought, 
 which may be as often the comrade of the sol- 
 dier in the camp or on the march, or of the 
 farmer in the field, if he likes to seek it, as of 
 the pale student over his book. No man need 
 be without thought; and the active man, the 
 man of life and movement, acquires often a 
 power of rapid but no less certain calculation, 
 which the slow ponderer of the cabinet can 
 never gain. I now believe. Monsieur de Mon- 
 tigni, upon farther consideration, that though 
 there might have been much bloodshed in the 
 streets of Paris, had it been taken when it was 
 besieged, though even the Catholic soldiers 
 would have been difficult to restrain, and the 
 Huguenots would have remembered St. Bar-
 
 ROSE d'albret. 43 
 
 tholomew, yet the amount of slaughter will be 
 greater, — nay, perhaps has been greater al- 
 ready, by the protraction of the war, than if 
 Henry had blown the gates open, and led his 
 army into the heart of the capital." 
 
 *' It was an amiable weakness, if it was one," 
 replied De Montigni ; ** but see, what a splendid 
 scene we are coming upon, while the evening 
 sun pours such a flood of purple over the grey 
 waves of the wintry forest." 
 
 " Ay, indeed, it is a lovely land, this 
 France," said Chasseron, and rich as it is 
 lovely, if men would but be content to enjoy 
 the bounties which God gives, without carving 
 out for themselves miseries and contentions 
 which frustrate all the benevolent purposes of 
 the Most High. Who that looks over such a 
 prospect as that would think that, in every 
 village and in every field, in the wood and in 
 the plain, is strife and bloodshed, anarchy and 
 crime, sown by the virulent passions and intole- 
 rant bigotry of those for whose especial blessing 
 such glories were created ? Out upon it ! it 
 almost makes one a misanthrope. However,
 
 44 ROSE d'aLBRET. 
 
 there stands Marzay, not half a mile distant, 
 with people walking on the ramparts. Who 
 may they be, I wonder?" 
 
 " I can divine without seeing their faces," 
 answered the young baron; " there are the 
 garments of a lady, and a priest's robes, and a 
 pourpoint, on the gold lace of which the sun's 
 setting rays are glistening. They are sweet 
 Rose d'Albret, daughter of the Count de Mar- 
 ennes, who was killed at Poictiers, and good 
 father Walter de la Tremblade ; and either my 
 uncle De Liancourt, or the good old com- 
 mander, or, more likely still, my cousin Cha- 
 zeul." 
 
 " Well," rejoined Chasseron, after a short 
 pause, " I trust to your warranty. Monsieur de 
 Montigni ; for I am not very sure that my hav- 
 ing killed a Leaguer or two will be my best re- 
 commendation ; no, nor, ventre saint gris, your 
 white scarf the surest passport to favour in 
 Marzay. Your uncle is one of those we call 
 Politics^ who are more afraid to espouse openly 
 a cause they know to be justj than the Leaguers 
 to uphold one they know to be unjust ; and, as
 
 ROSE d'ALBRET. 45 
 
 for Monsieur de Chazeul, why he is one of 
 the pillars of the Holy Union." 
 
 " I '11 be your surety,"** replied De Montigni, 
 who was beginning to take no slight pleasure 
 in the conversation of his frank companion. 
 " They shall give you a hearty welcome, or 
 I will hardly take one for myself, which they 
 would not like ; so never fear." 
 
 " Nay, I fear not,"' answered his companion 
 drily: and they accordingly rode on towards 
 the gates, which lay straight before them. 
 
 De Montigni, however, fell into a fit of deep 
 musing as they approached, and bent his eyes 
 steadfastly upon the ground, though the persons 
 who were walking on the ramparts above stop- 
 ped as he drew near, and a fair lady waved 
 her hand as if in welcome.
 
 46 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 By the reader's good leave, we must go 
 up for a moment or two to the ramparts of 
 the Chateau of Marzay, and introduce him to 
 the party there, before the new comers arrive. 
 Nay, more, we must return for nearly an hour, 
 and listen to the conversation which was taking 
 place while all the events we have just narrated 
 were occurring in the wood that lay beneath 
 the eyes of those upon the castle walls, though 
 it must be premised, that those events had 
 been completely hidden from their sight by the 
 thin veil of forest boughs ; as the various turns 
 of fate, upon which the fortunes of our whole 
 future life depend, are often going on close 
 by us, concealed from our gaze, whether anx- 
 ious or unconscious, by the ripple of an idle 
 current of trifling things that affect us not per- 
 manently in any way.
 
 ROSE d'albret. 47 
 
 The Baron de Montigni, though five or six 
 years had elapsed since he last saw any of the 
 party there assembled, had, by his previous 
 knowledge of the circumstances, divined aright 
 the names of the persons of which it was com- 
 posed. About an hour and a half before sun- 
 set, a very beautiful girl of eighteen or nine- 
 teen had come forth upon the walls for her 
 afternoon walk, having on one hand a gentle- 
 man dressed in the height of the extravagant 
 fashions of the day, with a high starched ruff, 
 or fraise, as it was called, which made his head 
 look like that of John the Baptist in a charger, 
 and with a slashed and laced pourpoint of yellow 
 velvet, stiffly embroidered with silver. His 
 shoes were of white satin, enriched with a 
 rosette of yellow; and in his girdle hung a 
 small dagger knife, with a fretted hilt of gold, 
 while far behind hung his sword, as if put out 
 of reach of his hand lest he should use it too 
 frequently. His beard was pointed, and neatly 
 trimmed ; his hair curled, and turned back 
 from his face ; and on the top of his head he 
 wore a small velvet toque, with a single long
 
 48 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 feather. In person he was tall, and not un- 
 graceful, though somewhat stiff; and his fea- 
 tures were all good, though there was certainly 
 something in the disposition of them which 
 gave a sinister and unpleasant expression to 
 his countenance. Perhaps this effect was pro- 
 duced by the closeness of the eyes and the 
 narrowness of the brows, which produced a 
 shrewd and confined look, though his face might 
 otherwise have been prepossessing. 
 
 Though dressed with such scrupulous care, 
 his air and manner was not that of a fop. It 
 was not easy and unrestrained, indeed, but it 
 was bold and confident; and if one might judge 
 — as we almost all do judge — from manner 
 and appearance, pride, rather than vanity, was 
 his prevailing folly ; shrewd ambition, rather 
 than levity, the characteristic vice. Yet, as we 
 shall see, he was not without lightness, too ; 
 but it was often used in those days as a means 
 to an end, and covered too frequently intense 
 selfishness under an air of idle indifference. 
 
 On the other side of the young lady walked, 
 to and fro with her upon the rampart, a man
 
 ROSE d'albret. 49 
 
 considerably passed the middle age, dressed in 
 the habit of the clergy. His hair was almost 
 white, though here and there a streak of a 
 darker hue showed that it had been once jet 
 black. His features were fine, though appa- 
 rently worn with care and thought; and the 
 expression of his countenance was grave, calm, 
 and almost stern. His large dark eyes were, 
 indeed, full of light, but it was not of that kind 
 which illuminates what is within for the gaze of 
 others, but it rather fell dazzling upon those who 
 were his companions for the time, searching 
 the secrets of their hearts, and displaying none 
 of his own. His lips were thin and pale ; his 
 cheek delicate and hollow, but with a slight 
 tinge of red, which by its varying intensity, 
 from time to time gave the only indication to 
 be obtained of strong emotions in his bosom. 
 
 But we must speak of the lady, for truly 
 she deserves some notice, were it but for her 
 beauty. There were, however, other things 
 to be remarked in her besides the fine and 
 delicate features, the graceful and rounded 
 limbs, the bright complexion, the fair skin, the 
 
 VOL. I. D
 
 50 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 tangles of her luxuriant dark brown hair, the 
 heaving bosom, or the perfect symmetry of the 
 neck and shoulders. In the large, soft hazel 
 eyes, under their jetty fringes, on the warm 
 arching lips, and in the dimple of the cheek, 
 shone forth a gay and bright spirit, which, 
 perhaps, under some circumstances might have 
 been full of playful jest and light-hearted mer- 
 riment ; but, as it was, the light was subdued 
 and shaded almost to sad thoughtfulness. It 
 seemed as if cares and anxieties, if not sorrows 
 and misfortunes, had come upon her young : 
 or as if those with whom her early years had 
 been spent, had laboured to repress, rather 
 than moderate, the joyous buoyancy of youth, 
 and had brought a cloud over the sunshine of 
 girlhood. 
 
 It was not exactly so, indeed ; but living in 
 troublous times, when the mind became fami- 
 liar with great but tragic acts, and every day 
 brought some subject for deep and anxious 
 thought, and passing her life in comparative 
 seclusion with people older than herself, — not 
 very wise nor very considerate, though not ac-
 
 ROSE d'aLBRET. 51 
 
 tually domineering and austere, — her cheerful- 
 ness had been repressed, though not extin- 
 guished, and a shade of sadness brought over 
 her demeanour, rendering it various and change- 
 ful Hke an April day. Her dress was rich and 
 tasteful, according to the fashion of the times, 
 but more in the style of the fair and unhappy 
 queen of Scotland, than of the harsh and mascu- 
 line Elizabeth. There were no gaudy colours ; 
 indeed there was no great display of embroidery ; 
 but the lace which waved over her fair bosom 
 and rose round her snowy neck, was of the 
 finest and most costly kind ; and the black vel- 
 vet of her dress was here and there looped 
 with pearls. 
 
 When first she came forth, by a door that 
 led over a small bridge to the inner parts of 
 the dwelling, she paused at the edge of the 
 wall for a moment, and gazed over the scene 
 around. Youth is generally more fond of con- 
 templating nature's handiwork than age. Ma- 
 ture life is usually spent in dealing with man 
 and man's acts ; the face of nature comes upon 
 us then as an impression rather than a subject 
 
 D 2 
 
 y, .Ji ILL Ua
 
 52 ROSE d'aLBRET. 
 
 of contemplation. To the young, it is full of 
 interest and of wonder ; imagination robes it 
 in her own garmenture of light, peoples each 
 shady dell, fills the forest with her own crea- 
 tions, and calls up in each village or church 
 or tower a wild and agitated throng of feel- 
 ings and sensations, of hopes and fears, all the 
 beings of the fancy, ephemeral though bright, 
 confused though lively, impalpable though vivid. 
 Youth sees more than the landscape, — age sees 
 it as it is; the one has its own sun-shine, to 
 adorn all it looks upon ; the other views every- 
 thing under the shady cloud. 
 
 Rose d'Albret stopped to gaze; then, not- 
 withstanding the chilliness of the wintry air, 
 she turned her eyes to the east over the gray 
 lines, where the vanguard of the night was 
 marching forward over the sky, and then looked 
 round to the west, where the rear of day was 
 all glittering with golden light. What made 
 her sigh? what made her fix her eyes upon 
 a thin white film of mist that rose up from 
 the deeper parts of the forest, like the smoke 
 of a heath-burner's fire ? Who can say ? who
 
 ROSE d'albret. 5S 
 
 can trace along the magic chain of association, 
 link by link, and tell how the objects within 
 her sight connected themselves in her mind 
 with her own situation, and made her remem- 
 ber that she had much to regret ? 
 
 *' You are thoughtful to-night. Rose," said 
 the Marquis de Chazeul. 
 
 " And may a woman never be thoughtful, 
 Chazeul?" asked Rose d'Albret. " If such 
 be your creed, pray seek another wife, for you 
 will often find me so, I assure you.'* 
 
 " Nay," replied Chazeul, " I would not dis- 
 appoint you so for the world, sweet Rose ; it 
 would break your little heart if I were to take 
 you at your word." 
 
 " No, indeed," replied the young lady, with 
 perfect calmness ; " you are quite mistaken, 
 Chazeul, my heart is not so easily broken ; 
 and, as for disappointment, it would be none 
 at all; I am in that happy state, that, whatever 
 be the event, I can bear it with calmness." 
 
 " Or at all events, with affected indifference," 
 replied her companion, a Uttle nettled, " is it 
 not so. Rose ? "
 
 54 ROSE DALBRET. 
 
 " Not at all," she answered; " you never saw 
 me affect anything that I did not feel. Here is 
 father Walter, who has known me as long and 
 better than yourself, can witness for me. Did 
 you ever see me pretend to anything that is not 
 real, Monsieur de la Tremblade?" 
 
 " Never, my dear child," replied the priest ; 
 *' and I should think Monsieur de Chazeul 
 should be very well content to see you willing 
 to give your hand to him according to your 
 guardian's commands. In the first place, it 
 shows that obedient disposition, on which so 
 much of a husband's happiness depends; and 
 in the next place, it leaves him the sweet task 
 of teaching you to love him." 
 
 "That is, if he can," said Rose d'Albret, 
 with a smile ; " but do you know, my good 
 father," she continued, " I would draw another 
 inference from the facts, which is simply this, 
 that it would be better for Monsieur de Chazeul 
 to give me longer time to learn that same lesson 
 of love, and not to press forward this same mar- 
 riage so hastily." 
 
 "Nay, on my life," answered Chazeul, "it
 
 ROSE d'aLBRET, 55 
 
 is Monsieur de Liancourt's doing, not mine; 
 but I will acknowledge, sweet Rose, that my 
 eagerness to possess so fair a flower may 
 make me anxious to gather it without delay, 
 though my impatience may make me prick my 
 fingers with the thorns, as I have done just 
 now." 
 
 " Well, I am in the hands of others," said 
 Rose d'Albret; '*I have nothing to do but to 
 obey ; and doubtless, in hurrying this matter 
 forward, my guardian does what he thinks best 
 for me." 
 
 " He may have many reasons, dear daughter," 
 said the priest ; '' he is old ; times are trouble- 
 some and dangerous ; none can tell what a day 
 may bring forth ; and it is a part of his duty to 
 see you married and under the protection of a 
 younger and more active man than himself, 
 before he is called to quit this busy scene." 
 
 " Oh, 1 think, good father, I could protect 
 myself,'' replied Rose d'Albret. " Those thorns 
 my cousin De Chazeul talks of, would be quite 
 hedge enough, I should imagine, — but hark, 
 there are guns in the wood — and there again ! "
 
 56 
 
 All listened, and two or three more shots 
 were distinctly heard. 
 
 "I thought we had a truce here?" said Rose 
 d'Albret. 
 
 " True, amongst ourselves," answered the 
 Marquis de Chazeul ; " but we cannot get 
 others always to observe it ; and 'tis not unlikely 
 that these are a party of Henry de Bourbon's 
 heretic soldiers wandering about, and commit- 
 ting some of their usual acts of violence and 
 plunder. He is now besieging Dreux, I find." 
 
 " Why, I have always heard," said Rose 
 d'Albret, " that the King is strict and scru- 
 pulous in restraining his soldiers from such 
 excesses.^* 
 
 "The King?'' exclaimed Chazeul, with his 
 lip curling. " Pray call him some other name, 
 sweet Rose. He may be a king of heretics, but 
 he is no king of mine, nor of any other Ca- 
 tholics." 
 
 " Hush, hush ! " cried Walter de la Trem- 
 blade, "you must not let Monsieur de Lian- 
 court hear you make such rash speeches. He
 
 ROSE d'albret. 57 
 
 acknowledges him as King of right, though not 
 in fact, — his rehgion being the only bar." 
 
 " And that an insurmountable one," said the 
 Marquis ; " if he were to profess himself con- 
 verted to-morrow, who would believe him? I 
 am sure not I." 
 
 " Nay, cousin," replied Rose d'Albret, " one 
 who is so frank and free, so true to all men, so 
 strict a keeper of his word as the King is re- 
 ported to be, would never falsify the truth in 
 that. Remember, too, I am his humble cousin ; 
 for the counts of Marennes come from the same 
 stock as the old kings of Navarre." 
 
 "Ay, a hundred degrees removed," said Cha- 
 zeul ; " I have no fear, dear Rose, of your 
 blood being contaminated by his." 
 
 " Well, it matters not," replied Rose d'Al- 
 bret, with a laugh ; " I intend to fall in love 
 with him whenever I see him." 
 
 " It might be better," observed Chazeul, " to 
 try that with your husband." 
 
 " Oh no," cried his fair companion gaily ; 
 " that would be quite contrary to all rule,
 
 58 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 Chazeul, especially amongst the ladies and 
 gentlemen of the League. As far as I have 
 heard, they have done away with all such 
 foolish old customs; and loyalty to their king, 
 or love between husband and wife are amongst 
 the errors of the past, which they quite repu- 
 diate/' Chazeul bit his lip, and she went on, 
 " I should like to see this King, he is so gallant 
 and so noble, I am sure I should love him — is 
 he very handsome, Monsieur de Chazeul?" 
 
 " I never saw him. Mademoiselle," answered 
 the Marquis, somewhat bitterly, " except at 
 such a distance that one could discover nothing 
 but the white plume in his hat, and on his 
 horse's head." 
 
 " I have seen him often, long ago," said the 
 priest, " when he was a mere youth, at the 
 court of the Queen Mother; and then he was 
 as handsome a boy as ever my eyes lighted 
 upon, with a skin so delicately soft, and such 
 a warm colour in his cheek, one would have 
 thought him little fitted for the rough, labo- 
 rious, and perilous life he has since led." 
 
 " Hark ! there are guns again," exclaimed
 
 ROSE d'albret. 59 
 
 Rose d'Albret; and a sudden cloud came over 
 her brow. " I hope these people," she continued, 
 after a moment's pause, " are not attacking my 
 cousin De Montigni/' 
 
 " They will soon make an end of him if they 
 do," said Chazeul; " at least I should sup- 
 pose so." 
 
 "You seem very indifferent to the matter," 
 observed the lady quickly ; " why do you ima- 
 gine so ? " 
 
 " Simply because a book-read student, who 
 has been passing the best part of his life within 
 the walls of a college, can be no match for men 
 of courage and of action," replied Chazeul. 
 
 " Fie," repUed Rose d'Albret warmly ; 
 "Louis de Montigni has as much courage as 
 any one. I can remember him before he went 
 abroad, a wild rash boy, who used to frighten 
 me by the daring things he did. But if you 
 had any kindness in your nature, Chazeul, you 
 would go out to help him — in case it be he who 
 is attacked. He must be on the road even 
 now; I wonder he is not arrived." 
 
 " I will go and speak with Monsieur de
 
 60 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 Liancourt about it," replied Chazeul; and, 
 leaving the priest and the lady together, he 
 retired for a short time from the walls. 
 
 " Let us listen," said Rose d'Albret ; and, 
 leaning her arm upon the stone-work, she turn- 
 ed her ear towards the wood, bending down her 
 bright eyes upon the ground, while the priest 
 advanced, and standing beside her gazed at her 
 for a moment, and then looked out over the 
 country beyond. 
 
 During the whole conversation which had 
 taken place, he had watched her closely ; and, 
 well acquainted with her character from infancy, 
 he had read aright all that was passing in her 
 mind. He saw that the coldness which she dis- 
 played towards the man selected for her future 
 husband was no assumed indifference, none of 
 that coquettish excitement which many a wo- 
 man learns too early to administer to the passion 
 of a favoured lover, none of that holding back 
 which is intended to lead forward, none of that 
 reluctance which is affected but to be overcome. 
 He perceived clearly enough that she was indif- 
 ferent to him, and perhaps somewhat more ; that
 
 ROSE d'albret. 61 
 
 she felt for him no respect — but little esteem ; 
 and, though accustomed for some years to his 
 society from time to time, and habituated to look 
 upon her marriage with him as an act that was 
 to be, that she now began to feel repugnance as 
 the time approached for performing the contract, 
 which had been entered into by others without 
 her knowledge or consent. In short, he saw 
 that, though she would obey, it would be un- 
 willingly. 
 
 The priest regretted that it was so; for he 
 felt no slight affection towards her, though, as 
 too often happens, he was ready to do all he 
 could, from other considerations, to promote a 
 sacrifice which might destroy the happiness of 
 one he loved almost as a child. The knowledge 
 that she was indifferent towards Chazeul might 
 grieve him, but it did not in the least induce 
 him to pause in the course he had deter- 
 mined to pursue ; and he proceeded, after a few 
 moments given to thought, to draw forth her 
 sentiments further, while, at the same time, 
 he endeavoured to work some change in her 
 opinions.
 
 62 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 " He is certainly very handsome," said the 
 priest abruptly ; " do you not think so ? " 
 
 « Who?" cried D'Albret, with a start. *« Oh, 
 Chazeul ! Yes, perhaps he is ; and yet not 
 handsome either." 
 
 « Indeed," said Walter de la Tremblade, " I 
 think I never saw finer features, or a more 
 graceful form." 
 
 " No, not graceful, surely,"" said the young 
 lady. " Well-proportioned, perhaps, and his 
 features are all good, it is true; but yet, fa- 
 ther, there is something that makes him not 
 handsome." 
 
 "What?" asked the priest. 
 
 '« Nay, I cannot well tell," answered Made- 
 moiselle d' Albret ; " perhaps it is that his eyes 
 are too close together — but I was thinking of 
 De Montigni, good father ; I hope no mis- 
 chance has befallen him." 
 
 " Oh, I trust not ! " answered her companion. 
 " And so. Rose, this is the only fault you can 
 find with your lover's beauty, that his eyes are 
 too close together ! I can assure you, sweet 
 lady, that the fair dames of Paris do not per-
 
 ROSE d'albret. 63 
 
 ceive that defect, and that you may have some 
 trouble to keep the heart you have won." 
 
 " I wish — " said Rose d'Albret, but then she 
 broke off suddenly, leaving the sentence uncon- 
 cluded, and beginning again afresh, she added, 
 "Heaven knows, good father, that I took no 
 pains to win his love ; and perhaps the best way 
 to retain it when I am his wife, if ever that 
 happens, will be to take no pains to keep it." 
 
 " It will then be a duty to take pains," answer- 
 ed the priest, somewhat sternly ; " we are not 
 born, my daughter, in this life, to seek nothing 
 but our own pleasure and happiness. We are 
 here to fulfil the important tasks assigned us by 
 the Almighty, and clearly pointed out to us by 
 the circumstances in which we are placed. To 
 neglect them is sinful, to perform them coldly is 
 reprehensible ; and it is our greatest wisdom, as 
 well as our strictest duty, to labour that our 
 inclinations may go hand in hand with the per- 
 formance of that which God has given us to 
 do." 
 
 *' Nay," said Rose, laying her hand gently on 
 the sleeve of his gown, ''you speak severely.
 
 64 
 
 good father. I do not see how it is so clearly 
 pointed out that I should marry Nicholas de 
 Chazeul ; and I do wish that the ceremony were 
 not hurried in this way. However, if I do wed 
 him, depend upon it I shall follow your coun- 
 sel, and do my best to love him. At all events," 
 she added, raising her head somewhat proudly, 
 " you may be sure, that under no circumstance 
 will I forget what is due to him and to myself. 
 I may be an unhappy wife, but I will never be 
 a bad one." 
 
 '' That I doubt not, that I doubt not," said 
 the priest warmly ; " but what I wish to point 
 out to you is, the way to happiness, daughter ; 
 and depend upon it you can but find it in doing 
 your duty cheerfully." 
 
 "I know it, my excellent friend," answered 
 Rose, " and it shall be my endeavour so to act ; 
 but I could much desire before I take a vow to 
 love any one, that I had some better means of 
 knowing how far I can fulfil it." 
 
 " Oh ! if you have the will to do so," 
 answered father Walter, '.« it may easily be 
 done."
 
 ROSE D albret. 65 
 
 " What !'^ she cried eagerly, " easy to love a 
 man one cannot esteem or respect ! I say not 
 that such is the case in the present instance, 
 father," she continued, seeing her companion 
 fix his eyes upon her with a look of surprise 
 and inquiry ; " I only state a case that might 
 be. Suppose I were to find him cold, selfish, 
 heartless, cruel, vicious, base, how should I love 
 him then ? " 
 
 " But Monsieur de Chazeul is none of these," 
 rejoined the priest. 
 
 " I say not that he is," answered Rose d' Al- 
 bret ; " I only say he may be for aught I know. 
 I knew him not in youth ; and in manhood I 
 have seen him twice or thrice a year in circles 
 where all men wear a mask. I would fain see 
 him with his face bare, good father." 
 
 ''Few women ever so see their lovers,"' re- 
 joined the priest; "love is the greatest of all 
 hypocrites." 
 
 "Perhaps that is true," said Rose; "yet 
 time, if a woman's eyes be unblinded by her 
 own feelings, does generally, soon or late, draw- 
 back the covering of the heart, so far as to show
 
 66 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 her some of the features. I have seen little : I 
 would see more ; for what I have seen makes me 
 doubt." 
 
 " Indeed ! " exclaimed her companion, " what 
 have you perceived to raise suspicions? Some 
 casual word, some slight jest, I warrant you; 
 such as he spoke just now about his cousin. 
 Idle words, daughter ! idle words, upon which 
 you must put no harsh interpretation." 
 
 " How often idle words betray the spirit 
 within!" said Rose. "They are the careless 
 jailers which let the prisoner forth out of his 
 secret dungeon. They have cost many a king 
 his crown, if history be true ; many a woman 
 reputation, ay, and perhaps, many a lover his 
 lady's hand. But what I wish is to hear more 
 than idle words, to see more than a masked 
 face; and, I do beseech you, aid me to delay 
 this marriage for a time. Why was I not told 
 earlier? Why was all arranged without my 
 knowledge ? Louis de Montigni has been sum- 
 moned back more than a month, and yet I have 
 had but one week, one poor week, allowed me to 
 prepare my thoughts, to nerve my heart for the
 
 ROSE d'albret. 67 
 
 great change of woman's existence. Marriage, 
 to man, is but a pageant, a ball, a festival. To 
 us, it is one of the sole events. It is birth or 
 death to woman. I do beseech you, father, if you 
 have ever loved me, if you have watched over 
 my youth, counselled me rightly, enlightened 
 and instructed my mind, led me on in honour, 
 virtue, faith — I do beseech you, aid me but to 
 delay this ceremony. I feel not rightly here,'* 
 and she laid her hand upon her bosom. 
 
 " I cannot promise to do so, my sweet child," 
 replied the priest. " The marriage is decided ; 
 your guardian's word is given; and I cannot 
 but think it may be well for all, that the final 
 seal be put to the engagement as soon as may 
 be.'* 
 
 «' Do you ?" said Mademoiselle d'Albret ; but 
 there she stopped, for at that moment Chazeul 
 appeared again at a little distance ; and Walter 
 de la Tremblade advanced towards him. The 
 next moment, however, she murmured to her- 
 self, '' They have gained him ; and I am alone!" 
 
 A change came over her from that instant, 
 and when, after speaking a word together, the
 
 OS ROSE d'albret. 
 
 other two rejoined her, she was cheerful if not 
 gay. 
 
 " The Count declares it is some loose party 
 stealing the deer," said Chazeul, as he ap- 
 proached ; ''and thought it needless to send out 
 to see, as, in these days, when one can hardly 
 secure the corn of one's fields, or the fruits of 
 one's vineyard, it were a vain hope to keep the 
 game of one's woods." 
 
 " Well, he knows best," repHed Rose d'Al- 
 bret ; " and now, good cousin of Chazeul, do tell 
 me, what is to be the fate of France? How 
 often is your great friend the Duke to be de- 
 feated, before he succeeds in crushing heresy, 
 excluding the King from the throne, and putting 
 some one on that thorny seat instead?" 
 
 " He will be defeated, as you term it, no 
 more, fair lady,'' answered the Marquis ; " for if 
 report speaks true, he is even now marching 
 against Henry of Bourbon with a force that 
 shall crush him and his apostates, as men tread 
 down an ants' nest." 
 
 " Indeed ?'' asked his fair companion ; '' then 
 there will be a battle soon?"
 
 ROSE D ALBRET. 69 
 
 " Within three days, men think," replied 
 Chazeul. 
 
 "And of course you will be present?" said 
 Rose d'Albret. 
 
 But the colour rose in her lover's cheek while 
 he replied, *' Nay, I cannot quit my bride and 
 give up my bridal for any cause.'* 
 
 ** True ! men would say it was an ungallant 
 gallantry," she replied; ''and yet ladies love 
 heroic acts I have heard. God help us ! We 
 women, I believe, but little know what we 
 would have." 
 
 " That is very true," said the priest ; " and, 
 therefore, fair daughter, it is wisely arranged 
 that others should decide for them." 
 
 " Perhaps so," answered the lady ; " but one 
 thing is certain, they would do so, whether it 
 were better for us or not." 
 
 They then walked on once or twice along the 
 whole range of the rampart without speaking, 
 each seemingly busy with thoughts which they 
 did not choose to utter ; till at length the lady 
 resumed the conversation on a new theme: 
 " Methinks, cousin of Chazeul, the court in its
 
 70 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 days of splendour, must have been a gay 
 place." 
 
 " It was, indeed," replied the Marquis, glad 
 of a subject which enabled him to speak more 
 freely; ''I know nought so brilliant on the 
 face of the earth as was the court of Henry of 
 Valois, some five years before his death ; but I 
 trust ere long we shall see a monarch who will 
 hold as bright a one, without displaying his 
 weaknesses ; and then I trust Rose de Chazeul 
 will shine amongst the very first in splendour, 
 and in beauty." 
 
 " I am determined,'* she answered, with a 
 smile, " if ever I appear at the court, to have a 
 coronet of diamonds fashioned into roses, to bear 
 out my name." 
 
 " Oh, trust to me," cried Chazeul, " trust to 
 me, to find devices which shall make you out- 
 shine the Queen." 
 
 " Ha ! there come a party over the hills,'* 
 cried Mademoiselle d'Albret. " It is De Mon- 
 tigni, I am sure ; " and running forward to the 
 edge of the rampart, she looked forth; but, as
 
 ROSE d'albret. 71 
 
 she did so, she murmured, " Do they think to 
 buy and sell me for a goldsmith's toy ?" 
 
 Her two companions joined her in a moment ; 
 and, as the party approached, she waved her 
 hand as we have before related, gaily beckoning 
 her cousin. He did not raise his eyes, however ; 
 and with an air of some mortification, she said, 
 «' He will not look up ! " 
 
 " He is bashful," said Chazeul ; " too much 
 study makes but a timid gentleman." 
 
 " So they say," replied Rose d'Albret ; " but 
 let us in and meet him at all events.*'
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 There was an old hall in the Chateau de 
 Marzay, very like many another old hall in 
 many parts both of France and England, some 
 forty feet in span, some seventy in length, arch- 
 ed over with a concave roof, nearly semicircular 
 in the curve, and not at all unlike, with its 
 rounded ribs, the tilt of an enormous waggon. 
 From the line where the vault sprang from the 
 walls, ten or twelve large beams projected, or- 
 namented at the ends with curiously carved and 
 somewhat grotesque heads, supporting each an 
 upright, upon which the arches of the roof 
 rested, while diagonal beams gave additional 
 strength to this sort of permanent scaffolding. 
 The floor, as was usual in such chambers, was 
 of polished tiles, alternately octangular and 
 square; and seven large windows, with very
 
 ROSE d'albret. 73 
 
 small panes set in lead, gave light to the inte- 
 rior. 
 
 This hall was the favourite place, in all the 
 castle, of its Lord, Anthony Lefevre, Count 
 de Liancourt, a gentleman allied to some of 
 the first families in France, who had served in 
 former wars with tolerable reputation, showing 
 a greater lack of judgment than of courage ; the 
 latter quality leading him into many dangers, 
 from which he had been saved, more by the skill 
 and resolution of his friends and followers, than 
 his own discretion. Comparatively few of the 
 vices of man do not spring from his weaknesses. 
 It is still the contest between the stronger and 
 the feebler parts of our nature which over- 
 throws us ; and whether the passion be vanity 
 or pride or avarice or ambition, or any of all 
 the host of minor fiends against which we 
 pray, it is solely by weakness of the higher 
 qualities, placed to guard the heart in opposition 
 to them, that either or all gain the ascendency- 
 We do not have a care to fortify the garrison 
 betimes, as we might do, and the enemy takes 
 us by siege, or storm, or escalade. 
 
 VOL. I. E
 
 74 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 The Count de Liancourt had been all his life 
 a weak man, and the passion which triumphed 
 the most frequently over him was vanity ; but he 
 had sufficient talent, which is very far from in- 
 compatible with weakness, to conceal from the 
 eyes of those who did not know him to the very 
 heart, the feebleness of his character. The sug- 
 gestions of other people he passed for the result 
 of his own deliberations, and he adhered to 
 these adopted children with all the fondness of 
 a parent. Though naturally wavering and un- 
 decided, he had the skill to give a colouring of 
 moderation and prudence to that conduct which 
 sprang from hesitation ; and, by adopting the 
 reasonings of wiser men, he justified that course 
 which in him was the result of unreasonable 
 doubts. But as he was wanting in discrimina- 
 tion of justice, right, and propriety, it not un- 
 frequently happened that the very art with 
 which he covered the fact that he followed 
 rather than led, turned to his discredit; and 
 acts by no means honourable to him were very 
 generally ascribed to his own cunning, which
 
 ROSE d'albret. 75 
 
 were in truth only attributable to his own weak- 
 ness. Without giving the whole history of his 
 life, these facts could not have been made mani- 
 fest by any other means than by description, 
 and therefore I have thought fit to point out 
 some peculiarities in a character which would 
 not probably have room to develop itself. 
 
 He loved, I have said, that old hall, and 
 would pass many an hour there, either walking 
 to and fro — apparently in deep thought, but in 
 reality more engaged in day- dreams than medi- 
 tations — or in writing or reading at a table in 
 one of the windows, while ever and anon he 
 raised his eyes to the banners and ensigns 
 which hung from the beams, and contemplated 
 with pleasure the long ancestral line of which 
 they were mementoes. 
 
 In this hall he was found by his fair ward, 
 Rose d'Albret, and her two companions, on 
 their return from the battlements ; but the Lady 
 had to place her hand upon his arm before he 
 roused himself from a book which he seemed 
 studying deeply. 
 
 E 2
 
 76 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 "De Montigni has just arrived, my dear 
 uncle," said Rose, as he looked up ; " we saw 
 him from the walls." 
 
 '*I am glad to hear it," replied the Count; 
 " I knew no harm would happen to him. Ah, 
 here he comes ! " 
 
 As he spoke, the young nobleman entered 
 the hall, followed by the good farmer Chasseron; 
 and Monsieur de Liancourt advancing towards 
 him, opened his arms and embraced him with 
 every mark of kindness. 
 
 " Welcome ! welcome, my dear boy I " he said, 
 in a somewhat pompous tone ; " welcome back to 
 Marzay. You will find the old chateau just as 
 it was, though your uncle cannot boast of bear- 
 ing his years as well, Louis. Here are your 
 gay cousin Chazeul and my fair ward Rose, all 
 ready to receive you, and wish you joy of your 
 return. Why, you look somewhat thin and 
 pale ! " 
 
 Chazeul embraced De Montigni also, and 
 congratulated him upon his safe arrival in his 
 native land, adding, '* You have been no great 
 traveller, I think, nevertheless, Louis. Padua
 
 ROSE d'albret. 77 
 
 has been your boundary, has it not? And 
 there, doubtless, you have made yourself a very 
 learned man, while we here have learned no- 
 thing but hard blows and rough campaigns. By 
 my faith, you have, I think, chosen the better 
 part, at least the happier one, though here is 
 a fair reward for all one's labours. Sweet Rose, 
 do you not welcome your cousin ? " 
 
 The cheek of Rose d'Albret grew somewhat 
 red, partly through indignation, partly through 
 embarrassment. She saw clearly enough the 
 latent design of the Marquis de Chazeul in 
 speaking of her as if she were actually his ; 
 and she felt some anger at being called forward 
 to welcome the companion of her youth, as if 
 she were not prompt to do so, by a man who 
 had shown such indifference to his safety. She 
 came forward gracefully, however, and held out 
 her hand to De Montigni, with a warm and 
 kindly smile, saying, " Indeed I am very glad 
 to see you, Louis ; but you would take no notice 
 of me just now. I waved my hand to you from 
 the walls, to be the first to wish you joy on 
 your return, but you did not look up."
 
 78 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 De Montigni coloured, and faltered for a mo- 
 ment, but then replied earnestly, "I saw you 
 from a distance, and knew you at once ; but as 
 I came near, a thousand memories of other days 
 assailed me. Mademoiselle d'Albret. Days long 
 gone rose up before me, hopes vanished, plea- 
 sures past away, regrets unavailing ; and I could 
 not but give myself up to thought." 
 
 Rose asked herself what were the hopes, 
 what the regrets, he spoke of; and her heart 
 beat, and her cheek grew somewhat pale. She 
 looked round, however; Chazeul was talking 
 in a whisper with her guardian; the priest was 
 standing in the window ; and she said, in a lovv 
 voice, " Do not call me Mademoiselle d'Albret, 
 Louis. That is a cold name. It used ever to 
 be Rose, or Cousin, in former days." 
 
 "Cousin you are not, except by courtesy," 
 replied De Montigni, in the same tone, " and I 
 did not venture to call you Rose, now that you 
 are another's." 
 
 The colour came warmly into her cheek, 
 but she cast down her eyes, saying, in a tone 
 scarcely audible, " I am not another's yet ; and,
 
 ROSE DALBRET. 79 
 
 if ever I am, I shall then be your Cousin 
 really." 
 
 De Montigni knew little of the world, it is 
 true ; but yet when a woman speaks of such 
 matters, in so low a tone, to one for whom she 
 professes friendship, it shows at least a confi- 
 dence in him, which is near akin to deeper re- 
 gard. He was embarrassed, however; and how 
 many opportunities does not embarrassment 
 cause us to lose for ever! how often does it 
 make us seem the very reverse of what we are ! 
 The kind appear harsh, the affectionate cold, 
 the modest even impudent. He knew not what 
 to reply; and suddenly breaking off their pri- 
 vate conversation, though it might have lasted 
 longer, for his uncle was still talking eagerly 
 with Chazeul, he turned to his companion 
 Chasseron, who, standing a step behind, had 
 remained unnoticed, watching with his clear 
 and penetrating eyes all that was passing 
 before him, and drawing at once his own con- 
 clusions. 
 
 " My dear uncle," said the young nobleman, 
 addressing Monsieur de Liancourt, " here is a
 
 80 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 worthy gentleman to whom I have promised a 
 welcome for the night in your name. I found 
 him in the wood about half an hour ago, at- 
 tacked by some six or seven marauders, two of 
 whom he had disabled before I came up." 
 
 " Ay, sir," rejoined Chasseron, " and if you 
 had not come up and fought gallantly when you 
 did come, the rest would have soon disabled 
 me. To your courage and skill I owe my life, 
 par die ! " 
 
 "Indeed!" cried Rose d'Albret, with her 
 cheek glowing and her eyes turned somewhat 
 reproachfully towards Chazeul, " I told you 1 
 was sure Louis was attacked, and that the guns 
 we heard were those of some of these plunderers. 
 I knew De Montigni was coming at that hour," 
 she added as a sort of explanation, " and 
 thought it very likely that he would meet with 
 some lawless band in the wood." 
 
 " It was in my defence, fair Lady, that he 
 fought," said Chasseron, " and gallantly he did 
 fight, too." 
 
 "And pray, sir, who are you?" demanded 
 Chazeul, with an angry spot upon his cheek at
 
 ROSE D ALBRET. 81 
 
 hearing the praises of one whom he wished to 
 beheve weak and timid. 
 
 " A very poor gentleman, sir,"* replied Chas- 
 seron, " not many poorer in the realm of 
 France; and yet a gentleman. My name is 
 Michael de Chasseron; and in days of yore, I 
 have seen many a well stricken field ; so that I 
 am some judge of such matters, though now I 
 have laid aside that trade, and am, as you may 
 see, but a cultivator of the ground." 
 
 " Michael de Chasseron ! I have heard the 
 name," said Monsieur de Liancourt ; " at all 
 events you are welcome, sir; and such enter- 
 tainment as the Chateau of Marzay can afford 
 you shall command." 
 
 Chasseron was expressing his thanks briefly, 
 when a loud rough- toned but hearty voice was 
 heard without, exclaiming " Where is he ? 
 where is he? where is my dear boy?" and at 
 the same moment an old man entered the room, 
 who had apparently, though not really, num- 
 bered more years than Monsieur de Liancourt 
 himself. He was dressed in a buff coat of 
 buckskin, laced with gold, with a high-standing 
 
 E 5
 
 82 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 collar, according to a fashion passed away some 
 fifteen or twenty years before, with no ruif 
 round his neck, but merely a plain Unen cape 
 turned back from his grey beard and neck. 
 Over his shoulders hung a riband, from which 
 was suspended the cross of a Commander of the 
 order of St. John, and in his hand he carried a 
 stout staff, on which he leant as he advanced 
 up the hall, somewhat limping in his gait from 
 an old wound in the leg. A deep scar appeared 
 on his brow, and a large hole on his right 
 cheek, mementoes of former fields ; and his whole 
 frame seemed greatly shattered by injuries and 
 labours. His eye however was clear and bright, 
 his cheek warm and healthy, and his counte- 
 nance frank and smiling. 
 
 The instant he entered he paused, looked 
 straight towards De Montigni, and then stretch- 
 ed out his arms. The young man sprang to 
 meet his embrace, and the old commander held 
 him for several moments to his heart, unable 
 apparently to speak from emotion. A tear rose 
 in the eye of Rose d'Albret as she witnessed
 
 ROSE DALBRET. 88 
 
 the meeting, and for a moment she turned 
 away towards the window. 
 
 " Welcome, welcome, Louis," cried the old 
 Commander de Liancourt, " welcome back at 
 length, my boy ; but what the devil made thee 
 stay away so long? thou shouldst have been 
 here years ago ! 'Tis a bad business, Louis, 
 'tis a bad business ; but no matter for that, it 
 can't be helped. We are all fools at some time 
 of our lives; one man when he is young, an- 
 other man when he is old. Heaven help us, 
 man, how tall thou art grown ! and Pll warrant 
 you, notwithstanding all they say of your stu- 
 dies, can wield a sword or couch a lance with 
 any one. Pardie, I '11 have thee run a tilt with 
 Chazeul in the court-yard to-morrow ! " and 
 dropping his voice, he added with a laugh 
 " break his head for him, Louis; he is a cox- 
 comb and a knave, though he be my sister's 
 son ; but she 's not much better, for that matter." 
 
 While he spoke, he held the young man by 
 the hand, and eyed him all over with a look of 
 fond affection, seeming to attend but little to
 
 84 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 what he said in reply, though De Montigni an- 
 swered him in warm terms of regard, and de- 
 clared he looked in better health than when 
 last he saw him. 
 
 " Ay, boy, ay," said the old commander, 
 " rest and idleness have done something for me ; 
 though if I could have mounted my horse, I 
 would have been in the field long ago ; but this 
 accursed wound still keeps me out of the 
 saddle, and I am no better than an old woman, 
 — food for worms — food for worms, Louis ! This 
 old carrion of mine is quite ready for the earth, 
 when it be God's will. But you must see old 
 Estoc; he bore your father's cornet at Jarnac; 
 and the old villain does not know you are come, 
 or he would have been here long ago. Halloo 
 there ! Estoc ! Estoc ! " and he made the hall 
 ring with his shout. 
 
 " For heaven's sake, my good brother," said 
 Monsieur de Liancourt, " do not shake the 
 walls of the chateau down. Some one tell 
 Estoc that Monsieur de Montigni is arrived." 
 
 " Monsieur de Montigni I" said the com- 
 mander, imitating his brother's tone. "Warm
 
 ROSE D'aLBRET. 85 
 
 that, Louis ! — cordial ! Monsieur de Montigni ! 
 Ventre saint gris! have you quite forgot he is 
 your nephew, brother ? Your eldest sister's 
 son ? Ah ! poor Louise ; if she could but see 
 what I see ! — Well, 'tis no matter, the grave is 
 a sure shield against many a wound." 
 
 " Come, come, now brother," said Monsieur 
 de Liancourt, somewhat sharply, "your humour 
 gets intolerable. Did you not promise that I 
 should have none of this ? " 
 
 " Promise ? No, not a bit of it,"" cried the 
 old commander ; " I always keep my promises, 
 Anthony ; I wish others did as well. However, 
 there is no use of talking now. You must have 
 it all your own way. You always did; and a 
 pretty affair you often made of it. Ah ! here 
 comes Estoc. — Here he is, old comrade, here he 
 is, with just the same face he went away, only 
 with a beard on it ! " 
 
 These words were addressed to a tall, old, 
 weather-beaten man, as thin and as stiff as a 
 lance, who advanced with great strides up the 
 hall, and taking the Baron de Montigni in his 
 arms, gave him a great hug; then suddenly letting
 
 86 ROSE DALBRET. 
 
 him go, he said " I could not help it, sir, indeed. 
 Bless my heart, it seems as if you were little 
 Louis still ; do you recollect how I used to teach 
 you to ride, and to shoot, and to play with 
 sword and buckler?" 
 
 «Ay, that I do, Estoc," replied the young 
 nobleman ; " those lessons have served me 
 well, many a time since, and no longer ago 
 than to-day. But I must give m,y companion 
 of this afternoon's adventure into your charge, 
 Estoc. Where is Monsieur de Chasseron?"" he 
 continued, looking around. 
 
 " He left the room this moment, probably to 
 see after his horse," observed father Walter, 
 advancing from the window for the first time. 
 
 " I will go and find him," answered Estoc ; 
 " I passed some one in the vestibule, but as it is 
 growing grey, I scarcely saw him;" and he 
 turned abruptly to depart. 
 
 " Hark ye, Estoc," said the old commander, 
 detaining him for a moment, and speaking in a 
 whisper, " come up to his room when he goes 
 to change his clothes. I must have some talk
 
 ROSE d'albret. 87 
 
 with him; the boy must know how he stands 
 here — do you understand?" 
 
 Estoc nodded his head, and took his depar- 
 ture without reply. 
 
 In the meantime the priest had held out his 
 hand to the young Baron de Montigni, saying, 
 " Though the last to wish you joy on your 
 return, sir, I do so sincerely, and trust you 
 have fared well during your absence." 
 
 " Ah ! good father/' exclaimed the young 
 Baron, " in this dim light I did not know you ; 
 but I am right glad to see you again, and have 
 to thank you for many a wise counsel and much 
 good instruction, by which I hope I have not 
 failed to profit. Have you been well since last 
 we parted?" 
 
 " As well as I could wish to be," replied the 
 priest ; " not that I am sure that high health 
 is as great a blessing as men think. Like 
 wealth and many another of this world's gifts, 
 it sometimes leads us to forget our dependence 
 on the Giver."' 
 
 " I trust not to a well-regulated mind," said
 
 88 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 De Montigni ; " and I am sure, to you it could 
 be no source of evil."' 
 
 The old man looked down and shut his teeth 
 fast together; and Monsieur de Liancourt, wish- 
 ing to bring a scene which was not altogether 
 pleasing to him to a close as speedily as possible, 
 told De Montigni that the evening meal would 
 be ready in half an hour, so that he had but time 
 to change his riding-dress. 
 
 The young nobleman lingered for a few mo- 
 ments, however, conversing with those around, 
 and marking many things which the actors 
 therein little knew that he observed. Chazeul 
 had kept close to the side of Rose d'Albret 
 since his conversation with the Count had come 
 to an end, and thrice he had endeavoured to 
 engage her attention to himself, but in vain. 
 At this moment, however, he said with some 
 degree of irritation in his tone, " You seem 
 very much occupied, sweet Rose." 
 
 " So I am. Monsieur de Chazeul," she answer- 
 ed aloud, "and interested too. — Are you not so?" 
 
 " Oh, certainly," he replied, " these recep- 
 tions are always interesting ceremonies."
 
 ROSE PALBRET. 89 
 
 " Not to those, with whom they are ce- 
 remonies," said Rose d'Albret; and while 
 Chazeul bit his hp, and his brow contracted 
 moodily, she turned to speak with father Walter 
 de la Tremblade. 
 
 De Montigni was conversing, in the mean- 
 time, with his two uncles ; but he had heard all, 
 and marked particularly the words " Monsieur 
 de Chazeul;" and whatever other effect might 
 be produced upon him, the immediate result 
 was to throw him into a fit of thought, and 
 make him answer some of Monsieur de Lian- 
 courts questions at random. 
 
 " What are you thinking about, Louis ?" 
 cried the old commander ; " my brother asks 
 when you left Padua; and you say, five years/' 
 
 " He is tired and exhausted," said Monsieur 
 de Liancourt ; " he had better go and take off 
 these heavy boots, cool his head and hands in 
 some fresh water, and come down to supper, 
 where we will refresh him with a good cup 
 of wine." 
 
 " I am tired," said the young nobleman, " for 
 I have ridden more than twenty leagues to-day,
 
 90 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 so that I will take your advice, my good uncle, 
 and find my way down to the supper-hall when 
 I hear the trumpet."" 
 
 Thus saying, he retired, passing through the 
 vestibule, where in one of the deep windows he 
 saw his old friend Estoc, still busily talking 
 to the good farmer Chasseron. De Montigni 
 did not stop, however, but merely said, as he 
 passed by, " Take care of him, Estoc, and seek 
 him out a comfortable room." 
 
 " That I will, sir," replied Estoc, and con- 
 tinued his conversation. 
 
 The first meeting between the two who now 
 stood together in the window, had been somewhat 
 curious. On quitting the hall, the old soldier 
 had entered the vestibule with his usual wide 
 and hasty strides ; and, as that side of the chateau 
 was turned from the sun, so that it was darker 
 than most other parts of the house, he might 
 not have seen the man he came in search of, 
 who was seated on a bench near the window, had 
 not his attention been called by a voice pro- 
 nouncing the word, ' Estoc' 
 
 Turning quickly round he advanced towards
 
 ROSE d'albret. 91 
 
 hira, and gazed in his face, saying, " You seem 
 to know me, sir, and methinks I have seen 
 you before." 
 
 " You have, my good friend," replied Chasse- 
 ron ; " we have met twice ; do you not remember 
 Michael Chasseron?" 
 
 " I remember Peter Chasseron, right well," 
 replied the old soldier ; " he took me prisoner at 
 St. Jean, and treated me right kindly ; but you 
 are not the same," and while he spoke he con- 
 tinued to examine the countenance of his com- 
 panion with great attention. 
 
 " And when he had taken you,"' replied the 
 farmer, " he brought you to the person who was 
 in command of the troop. That was his brother. 
 I am the same. Do you recollect me now ? " 
 
 Estoc gazed at him again, and then answered 
 in a significant tone, " I think I do ; but it is 
 twelve years ago, and you were a young man 
 then. Come into the window and let me look 
 at you." 
 
 " 1 am the same I tell you," replied Chasseron, 
 moving into the window; ''there, take as good 
 a look as you hke."
 
 92 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 Estoc did not fail to do so ; then cast down 
 his eyes, and bit the side of his hand with his 
 teeth. " Well," he said, at length, «' you are a 
 bold man to venture here, all things considered. 
 Do you not know that we are all Catholics in 
 this place, and Monsieur de Chazeul one of the 
 foremost of the League, who would think no 
 more of putting you to death, be the result 
 what it would, than of sitting down to his 
 supper?" 
 
 *' Parbleu ! I know it right well," rephed 
 Chasseron ; " and that is the reason I waited for 
 you here. I am sure that you are not one who 
 would betray me, and as for your leader, the 
 good commander, I would put my life in his 
 hands without the shghtest fear." 
 
 " That you might, that you might," said the 
 old soldier ; *' and it will be better to tell him 
 too. But do none of these people know you ? 
 Some of them must have seen you. Why, the 
 very name of Chasseron, if they had recollected, 
 was enough to make the Marquis cut your 
 throat. He would no more hesitate to roast a
 
 93 
 
 Huguenot alive in that court-yard, than to kill a 
 stag or a wolf; " and, as he spoke, he looked 
 over his shoulder to see that no one was coming. 
 " He would need two or three to help him," 
 replied Chasseron ; "and I felt sure that, if I 
 trusted to the young Baron's word, I should find 
 those within who would take the part of honour. 
 But none of these men have seen me for years ; 
 and when they did, 'twas but for a moment. 
 You know in those days I came and went like 
 the hghtning. As for the name of Chasseron, it 
 has long been forgotten too. — But hark ye, Estoc, 
 you love this young Lord it seems ? Now it is 
 for his sake that I have come hither; not for 
 a night's lodging, which I could obtain where 
 I chose. I have heard at Cceuvres that they are 
 playing him false here ; and that there are plans 
 afoot for doing him wrong in several ways. 
 Perhaps I may aid him, if I know the facts ; and 
 I would fain do so for his good father's memory. 
 He was as high and honourable a gentleman as 
 any in France. Though adversaries, we were 
 not enemies, and I owed him something too for
 
 94 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 courtesies shown when, God help me, there 
 were few to show them/' 
 
 " Ah ! I wish my poor Lord could hear those 
 words," cried Estoc. " But you are right, sir, 
 you are right. They are playing poor Louis 
 false. Wait a bit, and you shall hear more in 
 the course of the evening; and if you can help 
 him, though I doubt it, God will bless you, were 
 you twenty times a heretic." 
 
 "Parbleu! you must be speedy with your 
 tidings, Master Estoc," said Chasseron, " for I 
 must be away before nine to-morrow. I have 
 got my wheat to dispose of," he added; "a 
 weighty matter in my new trade." 
 
 The old soldier laughed. '*I should think, 
 sir, you would make but a poor farmer," he re- 
 plied ; " but you shall have all my news this 
 very night. Ha ! here comes the young Lord. 
 As soon as he is gone by, I will tell the good old 
 commander that you are in the house ; and you 
 shall see him yourself in his room." 
 
 Before Chasseron could reply, De Montigni 
 passed through the vestibule, as I have before
 
 ROSE d'albret. 95 
 
 described ; but the moment he was gone the old 
 soldier added, " We are to talk with the poor 
 lad while he is dressing, and if I can so manage 
 it, you shall be called to take a part ; if not, I 
 will find the means ere night be over. Here 
 come the rest — let them pass, and then wait for 
 me. I will be back with you in a minute." 
 
 As he spoke, all those whom we have seen 
 conversing in the hall passed through the vesti- 
 bule, with the exception of Rose d'Albret, who 
 retired by another door, leading direct to her 
 own apartment. The good old commander, 
 supporting himself on his stick, was the last 
 that appeared, with his eyes bent down upon 
 the ground, and his lips muttering disconnected 
 sentences to himself. In the semi-darkness 
 that now reigned, no one took any notice of 
 Chasseron or his companion; but the moment 
 that his old leader had reached the opposite 
 door, Estoc followed, and taking his hand fa- 
 miliarly, put it through his own arm, as if to 
 assist him on his way ; but at the same time he 
 bent his head and seemed to whisper. The old
 
 96 ROSE D ALBRET. 
 
 commander suddenly stopped gazing in his face, 
 and then hurried on at a quicker pace than 
 before, in evident agitation. 
 
 In less than two minutes, Estoc returned, 
 saying in a low voice, '* Come, sir, come ! he is 
 wild to see you;" and, with a quick step, 
 Chasseron followed him from the room.
 
 ROSE d'albret. 97 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Louis de Montigni was in hope of a brief 
 period of repose and solitude; repose not so 
 much of the body as of the mind; solitude in 
 which he might, to use the fine expression of 
 Holy Writ, " Commune with his own heart and 
 be still." He had much need of it ; for the 
 last half hour had exhausted him more than 
 all the fatigues of the day. It had been one 
 of greater emotion than he knew, or would 
 admit; and what is there more wearing than 
 emotion? He imagined that he felt pained 
 and grieved, only at finding, on his coming 
 back to a place which had long been his home, 
 that he was half a stranger, his place in its 
 familiarity usurped by another, and he him- 
 self looked upon, not as the returned son 
 of the house, but as one to be observed and 
 
 VOL. I. F
 
 98 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 marked by those now in possession. But in 
 reality and truth, there were deeper sources 
 of anxiety and sorrow below ; though it must 
 always be full of anguish to a young and in- 
 experienced heart to find for the first time the 
 emptiness of professions, the hollowness of half 
 the friendships to which we trusted, the selfish- 
 ness of the many, the baseness of some, the 
 instability of others, the falsehood, even, of the 
 near and dear — to discover that a few short 
 years, a few short hours, perhaps, will shake 
 us loose from hearts in which we fancied our- 
 selves rooted so that tempests would not tear 
 us out. Yet there are more painful things 
 than even these every-day lessons of the world's 
 constitution ; things that, blighting at once hope 
 and confidence, extinguishing the lamp of the 
 future, and clouding the moonlight of memory, 
 dispose us to lay down the weary head upon 
 any pillow for repose — even if it be that of the 
 grave. 
 
 He would not show all that he felt; he 
 wished to show no part of it; and he was 
 anxious, most anxious, to have a short space,
 
 ROSE d'albret. 99 
 
 in which, by his own power over his own mind, 
 he might repress all external appearances of 
 disappointment and regret, and so school his 
 heart, that not the slightest token of what was 
 passing therein might show itself in his out- 
 ward demeanour. 
 
 With this purpose, and in this hope, he took 
 his way up one of the narrow wooden staircases 
 in the chateau, towards the apartments which 
 had been formerly apportioned to him, and which 
 he had been informed were again prepared for 
 his reception. He entered the well remembered 
 anteroom, and looked round. Everything was 
 just as he left it; the very chairs and tables were 
 the same, and seemed in the same position. He 
 wished that it had been otherwise ; he would 
 have been glad to see gilding and tinsel, and 
 new decorations, rather than the well-remem- 
 bered old oak panelling, the huge chimney, 
 with the iron dogs to support the wood, and 
 the tall-backed, uncomfortable chairs. It made 
 him feel that man alone was changed. It was 
 full of memories which he wished not to indulge. 
 He went on quickly into the room beyond, 
 
 F 2
 
 100 ROSE D'ALBRET. 
 
 taking up the lamp which stood upon the table 
 in the antechamber ; but there it was just the 
 ,^^'same. His servants, thinking he would stay 
 longer in the hall, had spread out some of his 
 apparel in haste, and had gone to greet their 
 fellows in the offices ; but even the sight of the 
 various things he had brought with him from 
 a foreign land were painful to him. They 
 brought the thought of peaceful days, bright- 
 ened by occasional dreams of happiness to 
 come, of expectations which in truth he had 
 been in no haste to realize till it was too late, 
 of vague aspirations, which, hke some shrubs 
 that produce a long succession of ephemeral 
 blossoms, had died as they bloomed, but 
 flowered again every day. 
 
 Casting himself into a seat, he leaned his 
 head upon his hand, and for a minute or two 
 gave himself up to thought. '^'Tis strange," 
 he said to himself; '' I knew not how deeply 
 I should feel this, till I came near these gates. 
 The apprehension was less than the reality. 
 Scarcely an hour ago, I could have talked 
 calmly of all ; could have jested on it, as
 
 ROSE d'aLBRET. 101 
 
 any indifferent thing. But to feel it, is very, 
 very different." He mused for a moment, then 
 raised his eyes and gazed about the room. 
 Some one had placed an ebony crucifix upon 
 a small table at the side, with the figure of 
 the dying Saviour in ivory standing boldly out 
 from the black background of the cross. It 
 vi^as the only change that had taken place, 
 and yet it struck him with melancholy, rather 
 than consolatory feelings. 
 
 " I must conquer this," he thought. " What 
 right have I to repine at another's happiness ?" 
 But ere he could give further way to his re- 
 flections, he heard a step in the anteroom ; 
 and rising, he cast off his cloak, and unlooped 
 his collar, as if engaged in preparing for the 
 evening meal. 
 
 The moment after his uncle, the Count de 
 Liancourt, entered with an air of assumed 
 cheerfulness, which Montigni saw at a glance, 
 only covered some anxiety. 
 
 " Well, Louis," he said, " all, you see, is 
 just as you left if 
 
 "All in these rooms appears to be so, sir,"
 
 102 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 he replied; and then feeUng that there was 
 more point in the words than he wished to 
 give them, he added, «' But a good many 
 changes seem to have been made in the rest 
 of the house." 
 
 " Few, very few," answered Monsieur de 
 Liancourt ; " and most of those I had long in- 
 tended. The others are but preparations for 
 the wedding." 
 
 His nephew was silent, and the Count paused 
 for want of that assistance which a single word 
 might have given. At that moment one of the 
 young nobleman's servants appeared, and began 
 to arrange his apparel ; but the Count, resolved 
 to pursue the purpose for which he had come, 
 gave an impatient " Pshaw ! " and then added, 
 " Send him away, Louis ; he can come again in 
 a quarter of an hour." 
 
 The man withdrew at a sign ; and De Mon- 
 tigni, turning to his uncle with a grave and self- 
 possessed tone, which somewhat surprised and 
 embarrassed one who had been always accus- 
 tomed to think of him as a boy, inquired,
 
 ROSE d'ALBRET. 103 
 
 " Have you anything of importance to say, 
 sir?" adding, '* if you have, I could wish you 
 would reserve it till to-morrow ; when less 
 fatigued I shall be able to hear it with better 
 attention and a clearer mind." 
 
 *' Oh, no ! nothing — nothing particular, 
 Louis," said his uncle, who had seated himself; 
 " only we were speaking of Chazeul's marriage. 
 I trust you think it is a good arrangement?" 
 
 " To anything that may promote Made- 
 moiselle's d'Albret's happiness, I cannot of 
 course object," replied De Montigni gravely, 
 and there he stopped. 
 
 Another embarrassing pause succeeded, and 
 then the Count went on, saying, " It is a matter 
 I have long determined on. The union of the 
 houses of Chazeul and De Marennes must at 
 once strike every one as an alliance much to 
 be desired. The important family thus raised 
 up must, in the present troubled state of the 
 country, gain great influence, and may be of 
 great service to the state ; and as to private and 
 family considerations, they all tend strongly to
 
 104 ROSE D'aLBRET. 
 
 the same point ; and therefore, after mature 
 consideration, I resolved that it should take 
 place." 
 
 De Montigni made no answer ; and before his 
 uncle, who was not at all well pleased with his 
 silence, could find words to go on, a heavy step 
 was heard in the anteroom, and the good old 
 commander opened the door. The old man's 
 eyes were somewhat red, as if they had had re- 
 cent tears in them ; but when he saw his bro- 
 ther, a look of surprise and disappointment 
 came into his countenance, and he drew back a 
 step, saying, *' I did not know you were here, 
 Anthony. I will not disturb you." 
 
 " Oh no, my dear uncle ! " cried De Mon- 
 tigni ; " Monsieur de Liancourt says he has 
 nothing important to say. Pray come in. You 
 must not take the trouble of coming up that 
 long stair for nothing." 
 
 «' No, no, Louis," replied the commander, 
 " some other time — to-morrow, or the next day 
 we will have our chat. Anthony's nothings are 
 often the most important things he has to do ;" 
 and thus saying, he retired and closed the door.
 
 ROSE d'albret. 105 
 
 " How peevish he grows ! " said the Count. 
 " However, Louis, I am glad to find you ap- 
 prove of your cousin's marriage with my fair 
 ward ; and — " 
 
 " Nay, sir,'' interrupted De Montigni, " I 
 neither approve nor disapprove of a matter in 
 which I have no say, and have never been con- 
 sulted. Whatever Mademoiselle d'Albret thinks 
 best for her happiness, must have my best wishes 
 for its result." 
 
 " Well, well, that is the same thing," cried 
 his uncle, somewhat sharply ; " of course she 
 thinks it will be for her happiness; and I am 
 sure of it, which is of more importance. Rose 
 is a very good, amiable girl, and will always be 
 able to find happiness in the line of duty ; and 
 I am not one to deceive myself as to what 
 is best for those committed to my care. It 
 has been my anxious contemplation for many 
 a year, how to promote the interests and com- 
 fort of the three persons who seem especially 
 placed under my guidance and direction. Rose, 
 yourself, and Chazeul. He being of an eager, 
 active, and worldly disposition, is best fitted for
 
 106 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 struggling with these hard and contentious 
 times, and therefore in the distribution of the 
 property of my family, which is large enough to 
 satisfy all, I intend to assign him all the terri- 
 torial possessions at my death. On you who 
 are of a studious, calm, and thoughtful charac- 
 ter, I intend to bestow at once all the rich bene- 
 fices which are held by the house of Liancourt. 
 They are equal in revenues to the land, and, 
 with your own hereditary property, will form a 
 princely income. Then the bishopric of Sens 
 must necessarily soon fall in, for my uncle who 
 holds it is in his eightieth year. To it, will be 
 easily attached the hat of a cardinal, as has in- 
 deed been generally done ; and thus one of the 
 highest dignities in the world will be secured to 
 you." 
 
 He spoke volubly and eagerly, to get over as 
 fast as possible the announcement of the dispo- 
 sitions he thought fit to make, without interrup- 
 tion ; and he then added with an air of dignified 
 satisfaction, " Thus you see, my dear Louis, I 
 have in every respect considered your happiness 
 and your fortune, and nothing remains but to
 
 ROSE d'albret. 107 
 
 sign the papers which confirm this arrange- 
 ment." 
 
 But though the Count thought himself both 
 just and generous, and felt himself taking an 
 elevated position towards his nephew, Louis de 
 Montigni saw the matter in a somewhat differ- 
 ent light. " Rose d'Albret," he thought, " the 
 whole inheritance of Marennes, all the estates 
 of Liancourt added to those of Chazeul ! This 
 is certainly the lion's portion, yet would I give 
 up every part therein right willingly but 
 one." 
 
 He remained silent, however, with his head 
 leaning on his hand, and his eyes fixed upon the 
 table, till his uncle exclaimed impatiently, 
 " You make no answer, Louis. Is it possible 
 that you are dissatisfied — ungrateful?" 
 
 " No, my dear uncle ! " replied the young 
 nobleman. " But this is a very important ques- 
 tion ; and I told you that I would fain have 
 some repose before I discussed such things ! 
 I repeat it, that I could much wish to have 
 some time for consideration and thought, before 
 I make any answer, farther than that I thank
 
 108 ROSE d'aLBRET. 
 
 you deeply for all the care and kindness which 
 you have always bestowed upon me." 
 
 " Methinks," said his uncle in a tone of dis- 
 pleasure, "that one moment's reflection were 
 enough to show you the propriety of that which 
 is proposed, and to induce you to sign at once 
 the papers necessary to confirm such a well- 
 considered arrangement.'' 
 
 '* Nay, sir," answered De Montigni, " it 
 might be so, if only the disposition of your pro- 
 perty were concerned." 
 
 "And pray what is there more?" asked the 
 Count angrily ; " what have I pretended to dis- 
 pose of, in which I have no right to dictate? I 
 suppose you will not deny, that I am authorized 
 to bestow the hand of my ward where I think 
 proper ? What is there else that I dispose of, 
 that is not my own ? *" 
 
 " Of me, my dear uncle," replied De Mon- 
 tigni. *' If I understand you right, I must enter 
 the church. Though some men hold bishoprics 
 without such a process, according to the evil 
 practices of these corrupt days, such cannot be 
 the case long: nor were I one to follow such an
 
 ROSE d'albret. 109 
 
 iniquitous course. All these benefices by right 
 ought to be held by an ecclesiastic ; and I will 
 never hold them but as one. Indeed, what you 
 have said of my studious and thoughtful habits, 
 shows that you know such must be the case. 
 The church, therefore, is to be my destiny 
 under this plan ; but surely such a step requires 
 somewhat more than a moment's consideration. 
 It is a question I have never contemplated : it 
 never entered my thoughts. I came hither pre- 
 pared to throw off my somewhat long-indulged 
 inactivity, to take a part in what is passing in 
 my native land, after due deliberation and in- 
 quiry to draw the sword rather than to put on 
 the gown. Nay, more, I should have done so 
 long ago, had you yourself not urged me strong- 
 ly, in every letter but your last, to remain at 
 Padua and continue my studies, without enter- 
 ing into a strife where family is ranged against 
 family, and brother takes arms against bro- 
 ther." 
 
 " And why did I do so ? " asked Monsieur 
 Liancourt. " Simply because I have long de- 
 termined on what I have this night announced.
 
 110 ROSE D'ALBRET. 
 
 Is the rich bishopric, so long in my family, to 
 be lost — to be thrown away for a whim ? No, 
 no, Louis. It was that you might be qualified 
 to hold it, and disposed by habit to receive it, 
 that made me wish you to stay where you 
 were." 
 
 " If you had announced your wishes, sir, 
 before, I should have been better prepared to 
 fulfil them," replied his nephew ; "as it is I 
 must have time. There may be men who look 
 upon these things lightly, who could take upon 
 them the solemn vows which bind them to the 
 highest and holiest duties, without care or con- 
 sideration. They may be right, or they may be 
 wrong ; they may be men who, from the course 
 of their life and the habits of their thought, 
 are fully prepared for such a decision, though 
 conscious of its great importance : or they may 
 be those who, never intending to fulfil the obli- 
 gations of any station in which they are placed, 
 look upon all indifferently. I am in neither of 
 these conditions; I have never considered the 
 subject ; I have prepared my mind for other 
 things; but if I do consent, it will be with the
 
 ROSE d'aLBRET. Ill 
 
 determination to act up to the calling I as- 
 sume, and be an ecclesiastic in spirit and in 
 heart, as well as in name." 
 
 " Oh, if it be only conscientious considera- 
 tions that withhold you," said his uncle, "those 
 will be soon satisfied by good father Walter. 
 He shall speak with you this very night. You 
 know him, and esteem him." 
 
 " Much," replied Montigni, " and will gladly 
 converse with him for an hour or two alone on 
 this subject." 
 
 " Why not at once," asked his uncle ; " I can 
 call him in a minute, his chamber is but at the 
 end of the passage." 
 
 As he spoke, however, the sound of a 
 trumpet, as was then common in France, an- 
 nounced the hour of supper; and feeling that 
 he could not press the subject further. Monsieur 
 de Liancourt added, " Well, well, afterwards 
 will do ; and I doubt not that to-morrow I shall 
 find you quite determined, and willing to sign 
 the papers, and accept the benefices, which shall 
 be made over to you immediately." 
 
 " What are these papers, sir," asked De
 
 112 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 Montigni, without giving any reply upon the 
 subject of his willingness. 
 
 " Ohj nothing but common forms," replied 
 his uncle, " I cannot explain them all to you 
 just now, for supper is served. Come, De 
 Montigni." 
 
 " I am not quite ready yet," answered the 
 young baron, " pray do not wait for me ; I will 
 join you in a few minutes.'' 
 
 His uncle accordingly left him ; but instead 
 of proceeding to change his dress, De Montigni 
 covered his eyes with his hands, and gave him- 
 self up for a few minutes to bitter and anxious 
 thought Oh how many wild and tumultuous 
 feelings passed through his bosom during that 
 short space of time ! and all were sad and pain- 
 ful. The contemplation of the future, the me- 
 mory of the past, the consideration of the pre- 
 sent, regret, apprehension, indecision, were all 
 present to his mind at once ; and, for some time, 
 thought seemed one strange chaos of indistinct 
 and gloomy forms, from which at length rose up 
 one image more painful than all the rest. His 
 mind rested upon Rose d'Albret, and upon the
 
 ROSE d'albret. 113 
 
 idea of losing her for ever. Remembrance 
 brought her back as the companion of his boy- 
 hood; he recollected how she had shared his 
 sports, how she had ridden by his side through 
 the scenes around, how she had taken part in 
 his pleasures and his fancies, how she had 
 soothed him under any of the petty griefs of 
 youth, how she had turned from him anger and 
 reproof, when in the gay light-heartedness of 
 early years he had offended the irritable gravity 
 of age. She had always loved him he thought, 
 and he had always loved her, with the tender 
 and unselfish love of years when passion is un- 
 known. He had ever thought her beautiful, — 
 most beautiful; but it was the kindness, the 
 affection, in her radiant eyes that gave them 
 double light to him ; and now he had seen her 
 in the full loveliness of womanly perfection, he 
 had beheld the same looks bent upon him from a 
 face which might well inspire more ardent feel- 
 ings ; and yet he was even now to see her given 
 to another, — now, at the very moment when he 
 had most learnt to long for her himself. Often 
 he had fancied in his boyish dreams that, at
 
 114 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 some future period she would be his own ; that 
 their mutual lives, through maturity and age, 
 would pass in the same happy confidence, in 
 the same warm affection, which had brightened 
 their childhood. He almost believed that some 
 one had told him so, that she had been ori- 
 ginally destined for him ; and, as his mind rested 
 upon that thought, his disappointment became 
 the more bitter. 
 
 What was to be his future life then ? to be 
 cut off from all the joys of domestic life ; to em- 
 brace that cold and stern profession which, in 
 his church, excluded those who adopted it from 
 all the warm relations of husband and father; 
 to pass his days in the dull routine of formal 
 services, or in the petty intrigues and artful 
 manoeuvres which have too often disgraced the 
 Roman hierarchy ; to cast from him at once all 
 the dreams and aspirations of young and ener- 
 getic manhood; and, before his hair was grey, 
 to clothe his mind with the chilly garmenture 
 of age. He shrunk from the thought; but, 
 when he recollected that Rose d'Albret was to 
 be the wife of another, it seemed to him a
 
 ROSE D'aLBRET. 115 
 
 matter of small moment how his after days 
 were to be passed. 
 
 Such were some of his thoughts, and only 
 some; for there were many, many more; and 
 yet they occupied but a very few minutes. 
 It was not one by one they came, but appeared 
 before him like a hostile army, stretching out at 
 once on every side wherever his eye was turned. 
 Nevertheless he could have gone on for hours, 
 and yet not have exhausted all the bitter sub- 
 jects of contemplation presented to him. 
 
 Most likely, indeed, he would have gone on 
 much longer, had not one of his servants present- 
 ed himself to assist him in dressing ; and starting 
 up from his sorrowful reveries, he hastened to 
 cast off his travel-stained garments, and in a 
 few minutes descended to the hall, where the 
 rest of the party were assembled to supper. 
 
 A place was reserved for him between the 
 count and the old commander. On the right 
 hand of the latter sat father Walter, and on the 
 opposite side were Chazeul and Mademoiselle 
 d*Albret. Two or three of the retainers of the 
 house, who bore the rank of gentlemen, filled up
 
 116 
 
 the rest of the table, with Chasseron and Estoc 
 at the bottom. It was on the countenance of 
 Rose d'Albret, however, that the eyes of De 
 Montigni rested, as with a slow step he entered 
 the hall. She was looking thoughtfully down, 
 with a pale cheek and a grave brow ; and she did 
 not look up till he had taken his seat, when she 
 did so with a start, as if suddenly wakened from 
 her reverie. 
 
 Monsieur de Liancourt made an effort to re- 
 ceive him with a cheerful and unembarrassed 
 air, laughed and talked more than was neces- 
 sary, but yet was evidently occupied with other 
 thoughts, and not altogether well pleased. 
 Chazeul tried hard to engage his fair compa- 
 nion in a low- toned conversation, but, failing 
 there, turned to his cousin De Montigni, and 
 by the sort of bantering persiflage which 
 has been common in all ages to small wits, 
 sought to show his own superiority as a man 
 of the world, at the expense of his relation's 
 inexperience. But the extent of De Mon- 
 tigni's information, his knowledge of other 
 scenes and other lands, the higher tone of his
 
 ROSE d'albret. 117 
 
 mind, and, above all, that calmness which is 
 often generated by deep and powerful feelings, 
 even when they are those of sadness and disap- 
 pointment, set the haughty and supercilious 
 jests of the Leaguer at nought; and he often 
 rebuked him with a quick and cutting reply, 
 which made the old commander laugh, and 
 once called a smile even upon the grave Hps of 
 father Walter. 
 
 Rose feeemed greatly busied with her own 
 thoughts, and attended httle to what was 
 passing, though once indeed she raised her 
 eyes to Montigni's face with a slight smile, 
 while he administered some wholesome chas- 
 tisement to the jeering spirit of his cousin ; and 
 when he went on in a few brief sentences to 
 point out that there were higher things in life, 
 than those on which Chazeul seemed to set 
 such store, her eyes brightened, her look be- 
 came full of interest and pleasure ; and then she 
 suddenly withdrew her gaze from his face, and 
 fell into deeper thought than before. 
 
 There were one or two persons present who 
 marked all this, and knew that the two cousins
 
 118 ROSE D'ALBRET. 
 
 were rivals in heart, though not openly ; and 
 they easily judged, that the contrast was un- 
 favourable to him who seemed the successful 
 lover. Amongst these, there were some who 
 wished to prolong it; but the priest took the 
 first opportunity of stopping any further com- 
 parison, by giving thanks after meat, as soon as 
 possible, and rising to depart. 
 
 In the little confusion which always takes 
 place at the conclusion of a meal, the old com- 
 mander drew De Montigni aside and whispered, 
 " I will come up and see you directly, Louis, if 
 you will go up to your own room." 
 
 '' The Count is going to send Monsieur de la 
 Tremblade to me," replied the young nobleman, 
 in the same tone ; *' will he interrupt you ?" 
 
 "Yes, yes, diabolically," replied the old sol- 
 dier; "get rid of him as soon as you can, 
 Louis. I will set a watch, to see when he leaves 
 you, and come immediately after, for I must and 
 will speak with you to-night, let who will try to 
 prevent it. Mind, be upon your guard with 
 him,'' he added, " promise nothing, engage your-
 
 ROSE d'albret. 119 
 
 self to nothing. Have I your word, that you 
 will not, till you have spoken with me?" 
 
 " You have, my dear uncle," replied Montigni ; 
 and at the same moment the priest approached, 
 and laying his hand upon the young Baron's 
 arm, he said " Monsieur de Liancourt tells me, 
 you desire to speak with me." 
 
 "He wished me to have some conversation 
 with you, my good Father," replied De Mon- 
 tigni, " and I shall be most happy when you are 
 at leisure." 
 
 " This moment, if you please," rejoined the 
 priest ; and they left the hall together, the young 
 nobleman perceiving as he did so, that the eyes 
 of Rose d'Albret were fixed upon him, with an 
 eager and somewhat anxious gaze.
 
 120 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Nothing was said, either by De Montigni or 
 father Walter till they reached the chamber of 
 the former, where, closing the door, the young 
 nobleman placed a seat for his reverend com- 
 panion, and asked him if Monsieur de Lian- 
 court had held any communication with him 
 upon the subject on which they were about to 
 speak ? 
 
 " A few words were all that passed," replied 
 father Walter, in a mild, though grave tone ; 
 " but they were suflScient to show me that the 
 matter on which you wish to consult me is one 
 in regard to which your uncle and myself have 
 often conferred before." 
 
 " Nay," replied De Montigni ; "the Count has 
 not put the business on its right footing : let us 
 settle that first, my good father. I did not de-
 
 ROSE D'ALBRET. 121 
 
 sire to consult you, but he declared that you 
 would easily remove from my mind the strong 
 objections which I entertain to pledging myself 
 for any consideration to enter the church with- 
 out much deliberation, and a considerable time 
 for thought. I expressed myself most willing to 
 hear all you could say upon the subject, though 
 I much doubted, from a knowledge of my own 
 character, that you would succeed in removing 
 my scruples, and, from a knowledge of yours, 
 that you would even make the attempt." 
 
 " You were perfectly right, my son," replied 
 the priest, after a moment's pause ; " my argu- 
 ments could but tend to show that the profession 
 which your uncle wishes you to embrace is the 
 highest, as it is the holiest, to which man can 
 dedicate himself; but I fear much, that very 
 consideration would tend rather to induce you 
 to pause long, and to think well before you took 
 upon yourself such high duties and responsibili- 
 ties, than to hurry you on, as is the case with so 
 many, into a rash, I might almost call it an im- 
 pious, intrusion into a sacred calling, which 
 
 VOL. I. G
 
 122 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 should be approached with reverence, and not 
 without the full concurrence of the heart." 
 
 De Montigni smiled, well pleased. Various 
 circumstances, all apparently small, but weighty 
 in their sum, had induced him to imagine that 
 father Walter de la Tremblade was one of those 
 who had consulted together to frustrate his 
 hopes, and disappoint his wishes ; but the calm 
 and reasonable answer which he now made re- 
 moved the suspicion. Whether he deceived 
 himself or not may be seen hereafter. 
 
 " I am happy to find, my dear father," he said, 
 " that your good and disinterested opinion con- 
 firms my own, as it will give me strength and 
 confidence in my determination." 
 
 " Of all the many wise maxims which have 
 come down to us, confirmed by the experience 
 of ages," replied the priest, " one of the surest 
 is, 'Do nothing rashly;' and if applicable to 
 the common affairs of life, it is still more so to 
 points where the whole of our future existence, 
 here and hereafter, is affected. You are right, my 
 son, to pause and deliberate ; but before I give 
 any advice beyond the general opinion which
 
 ROSE d'albret. 123 
 
 I have expressed, let me hear all the circum- 
 stances, the doubts, and considerations that affect 
 you ; and you shall then have my best counsel, 
 which may, perhaps, be valuable, as that of a 
 man long accustomed to consider and, with 
 God's aid, to decide upon questions, in which the 
 consciences of those very dear to him, as mem- 
 bers of his flock, are concerned. Tell me what 
 are your doubts — what are your difficulties ; and 
 if I can I will resolve them." 
 
 " My doubts, good father," replied Louis de 
 Montigni, " are simply whether I am fitted, 
 either by inclination or by character, for the 
 profession my uncle would put upon me. 
 No mention was ever made of such a plan 
 till this very night; and now, fatigued in body 
 and somewhat agitated in mind, I am asked 
 to decide at once, upon a question of such vital 
 importance to myself." 
 
 " That is wrong — that is all very wrong," 
 answered the priest. " You must have time 
 — it is absolutely necessary. Yet,"** he conti- 
 nued, after a moment's pause, " I cannot help 
 thinking there must be some mistake. I am 
 
 o 2
 
 124 
 
 sure Monsieur de Liancourt did not intend 
 to urge such a speedy decision upon that point. 
 Perhaps it was your acquiescence alone in the 
 disposal of his property that he required. You 
 are well aware that the benefices may be held 
 by one who is not in the church ; and his con- 
 ferring them on you, while he is himself living 
 will prevent any cavil which might be raised 
 in the distracted state of the country, with 
 regard to your obtaining them, if they were 
 merely destined for you at his death. I do not 
 mean," he added in a grave tone, " to pro- 
 nounce any opinion upon the propriety of lay- 
 men holding such property. That is not a 
 question for me to decide." 
 
 " But it is one for me to consider in accept- 
 ing them," said De Monti gni ; " and I scruple 
 not to acknowledge, that I hold the corrupt 
 practice in horror and reprobation." 
 
 *' I must not deny that I think you are 
 right," replied father Walter; '* but yet your 
 refusal to accept this portion of his property, 
 would greatly embarrass and grieve your uncle. 
 All the arrangements being concluded for Mon-
 
 ROSE d'aLBRET. 125 
 
 sieur de Chazeul's marriage with Mademoiselle 
 d'Albret, your rejection of the share assigned 
 to you, would prove a serious inconvenience to 
 all parties ; and I am sure you would not wish 
 to throw any impediment in the way of her 
 happiness, or your cousin's either." 
 
 " And does her happiness so entirely depend 
 upon this marriage?" asked the young noble- 
 man bitterly. 
 
 " Undoubtedly ! " replied the priest, with an 
 air of surprise at the very question. 
 
 " Then my course will be easy ! " exclaimed 
 De Montigni. '* I will never do ought to give 
 her one uneasy moment." 
 
 " That is noble, and generous, and like your- 
 self!" said Walter de la Tremblade, holding 
 out his hand to him. ** I was quite sure that 
 you would never hesitate at any personal sa- 
 crifice for the happiness of those you love. 
 What course, then, do you intend to pursue?" 
 
 De Montigni, however, remembered the pro- 
 mise he had made to his uncle, and he replied, 
 " Of that I must think ; all I can say at present 
 is, that no wish of Rose d'Albret's shall ever
 
 126 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 be thwarted by me. First, in order to form 
 a judgment of my future conduct, I would fain 
 know all the circumstances of the case ; and, 
 my good father, as you have thus far dealt 
 frankly with me, I would fain ask you a few 
 questions, hoping for clear information." 
 
 " I will give you the best that I possess, 
 my son," replied the priest. " But you must 
 recollect that I am not a man of the world, 
 and meddle little with things that are not 
 brought absolutely under my notice." 
 
 " Well, then, to begin with matters that you 
 do understand," said De Montigni; "if I ac- 
 cept these benefices, and sign the papers my 
 uncle wishes me to sign, do I in any degree 
 bind myself either to enter the church, or to 
 hold preferment which I think should be re- 
 served for ecclesiastics ? " 
 
 " Not in the least, my son," answered father 
 Walter, " nothing can bind you to the church 
 but vows made to the church ; and as to the 
 benefices you can give them all away next day ; 
 at no greater risk than being called by some, an 
 enthusiastic fool."
 
 ROSE d'albret. 127 
 
 " That is soon met," said the young noble- 
 man ; " but if this be so, what is the need of my 
 signing any papers at all ? "* 
 
 The priest paused for a moment in thought ; 
 but then answered, looking suddenly up, " It is 
 simply because, as your uncle's nearest relation 
 you have a claim to his property, either the 
 entire estate or a moiety, I know not well 
 which. The benefices he can bestow where he 
 likes, and he gives them to you as an equiva- 
 lent to the other, thinking that, if the bishopric 
 can be obtained for you, as doubtless it might 
 be if you so liked, the advantages would be at 
 least equal/' 
 
 " My uncle did not tell me this !" replied De 
 Montigni, with an air of mortification. "My 
 uncle did not tell me this ! " 
 
 «* Perhaps he thought you knew it already," 
 rejoined father Walter ; " or, perhaps, he did 
 not remember how generous and self-denying 
 you have always shown yourself/' 
 
 " He should have dealt openly with me," said 
 the young man in a mournful tone, " He should 
 have dealt openly with me.""
 
 128 ROSE d'aLBRET. 
 
 He then thought for a few minutes, while 
 the priest watched the varying expressions that 
 came over his countenance with an inquiring 
 and interested eye, reading them as they rose. 
 Perhaps he did not altogether interpret them 
 aright, though the true Roman CathoUc priest, 
 who, following the rule of his order, strictly 
 excludes from his breast half the passions that 
 affect other men, learns to trace their workings 
 in others with a skill which those who suffer 
 them cannot acquire. He stands as a spectator 
 of the most critical part in the busy game of 
 life, and sees the cards in either hand, and 
 judges where they are played well or ill. 
 
 At length the young nobleman said aloud, 
 " So then I have some real power in this mat- 
 ter ; and they would have concealed it from me. 
 A somewhat dangerous course ! " 
 
 " Perhaps such was not the view, my son," 
 answered father Walter, " the matter could not 
 be concealed from you long, as, if you read 
 the papers, you must have seen what they con- 
 tained." 
 
 « I am not sure of that, good father," re-
 
 ROSE d'albret. 129 
 
 joined De Montigni; " they might calculate upon 
 my not reading them at all, or that their con- 
 tents veiling their meaning in the profuse words 
 of the law, would aiFord me no clue to my own 
 rights. However, all this must be inquired 
 into. I will now know the truth, wholly and 
 entirely." 
 
 " I trust," said the priest gravely, " that you 
 will in no degree forfeit that character of frank 
 and generous disinterestedness which you gain- 
 ed in youth. It is a jewel, my son, inestimable 
 from its rarity. Come, Louis, let me tell your 
 uncle that you will sign the papers." 
 
 The young man gazed in his face intently; 
 but father Walter returned the look with calm 
 and unflinching firmness, and then added, " I 
 am no party to any deceit, if any have been 
 committed." 
 
 " I believe you, father," replied De Mon- 
 tigni, " for it is you who have unveiled the 
 deceit ; but as for the rest, I will make no rash 
 promise. I will know the whole clearly, before 
 I act or promise to act; I will know what are 
 my own rights, and their full extent; I will 
 
 G 5
 
 130 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 know the motives of others, then- conduct, and 
 its causes." 
 
 The priest smiled, and shook his head ; 
 " You lay out labour for many a long day, my 
 son," he said, " if you propose to penetrate into 
 the secrets of any human heart; and in the 
 mean time you stop a union desired by all, to 
 wait upon your caprice. Look into your own 
 bosom, Louis, and inquire there, whether the 
 motives of such a conduct may not have a 
 source in passions you will not like to own; 
 disappointment of some chimerical dreams, jea- 
 lousy of another's happiness, or revengeful feel- 
 ings for imaginary injury. 
 
 " No, no, no ! " replied De Montigni, " my 
 conduct shall be influenced by none of these ; 
 and whatever my motives are, they shall be 
 made clear in the eyes of all." 
 
 " Well before you act," continued the priest, 
 " ask yourself, if what your uncle proposes is at 
 all unfair. In the division of his property he 
 assigns you more than the simple half, though 
 perhaps not the moiety you might like the best. 
 There is no great injustice in this; there is
 
 ROSE d'albret. 131 
 
 nothing to move anger or suspicion; and yet 
 you are evidently somewhat heated, and nourish 
 doubts of those that love you, which you have 
 no just reason to entertain/* 
 
 " Father, you are mistaken," answered De 
 Montigni, " I am aught but angry ; my heart 
 feels too cold and chilled for anything so warm. 
 Suspicion may be there — would it had never 
 entered — but who can help it ? When once a 
 concealment or deceit has been practised in 
 matters where all should be fair and open as 
 the day, can confidence be ever restored? no 
 more than you can restore the white bloom to 
 the grape or to the plum which you have once 
 pressed in your hand. I will think of this, 
 good father, I will think of it all well. No man 
 can reproach me for examining closely into that 
 in which I have so great an interest; no man 
 shall have to reproach me for the manner in 
 which I act when I have examined. But let 
 me put a picture before your eyes ere you go, 
 in order that you may see what necessarily 
 presents itself to my eyes. It is of an uncle and 
 two nephews; the one the son of an elder
 
 132 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 sister, the other of a younger; the first pos- 
 sessed of moderate estates, but a claim, it 
 seems, to his uncle's property ; the other pos- 
 sessed of larger estates already, but, if I judge 
 rightly, without that claim. The one is sent 
 by his uncle and guardian to a foreign country 
 to study : the other remains upon the spot. At 
 the end of five years they meet again, and the 
 uncle proposes a plan which he declares to be 
 equitable. To the son of his eldest sister, who 
 has been absent so long, he offers certain bene- 
 fices, and proposes that he shall enter the 
 church. To the son of the younger, who has 
 remained upon the spot, he gives the whole of 
 his estates, the hand of his fair ward, and the 
 large property which she inherits. Do not sup- 
 pose, father, I can shut my eyes to such things ; 
 do not suppose that I can do aught but feel 
 them bitterly. Mark me, however, I say not 
 that I will reject this arrangement, even if I 
 have power to do so ; I say not that I will 
 throw the least impediment in the way of views 
 and plans which were formied without my con- 
 currence and without my knowledge ; but I do
 
 ROSE d'albret. 133 
 
 say, that I will consider, and examine, and pon- 
 der, before I in any way sanction a proceeding, 
 by which I am destined to be, in every sense, a 
 loser." 
 
 «' I thought," replied the priest mildly, " that 
 you had already determined not to do anything 
 which could impede the union of Mademoiselle 
 d'Albret with the man of her choice ; that you 
 would not frustrate her wishes, or delay her 
 happiness ? " 
 
 " Nor will I," answered De Montigni ; *' but 
 I must be well assured in the first place of the 
 conduct which she herself wishes to pursue.'* 
 
 Father Walter shook his head gravely, saying, 
 " My son, my son, I fear you are deceiving 
 yourself. I am not aware whether your know- 
 ledge of women be much or little, whether in 
 studious seclusion you have passed your time 
 without mingling with the general world, or 
 whether you have frequented the gay society of 
 Italy, and gained an insight into the female heart 
 as it there appears. But do not deceive your- 
 self into a belief, because Mademoiselle d'Albret 
 sometimes speaks coldly to your cousin, affects an
 
 134 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 occasional indifference, ay, or even adds a harsh 
 word towards him — do not beheve, I say, that 
 she does not love him. I have always seen that 
 women, circumstanced as she is, from the very 
 modesty of their nature, assume such disguises 
 to conceal the warmer feelings of their heart; 
 and the men with whom they are most free, 
 familiar, ay, and perhaps, affectionate, have the 
 least cause to suppose that they entertain any 
 serious attachment to them, — for where such 
 exists, it always brings diffidence and some re- 
 serve along with it" 
 
 De Montigni mused. There was truth, he 
 thought, in what the old man said — it might be, 
 indeed, that he was right. True, in her youth 
 Rose d'Albret was frank, open, and unreserved, 
 her loves and her dislikes were plainly shown. 
 But yet she might be changed. Womanhood and 
 passion might have brought with them reserve, 
 concealment, art. Who could say what in the 
 space of five years might have been effected, 
 and what the girl of fourteen might have 
 become? 
 
 "Probably, you are right, good father," he
 
 ROSE d'albret. 135 
 
 replied ; '« I know but little of woman or 
 woman's arts ; but still I am not deceiving my- 
 self. All I propose is to pause and consider all 
 things, this as well as any of the rest, in 
 fact, to use your own maxim, and * do nothing 
 rashly/ As I conclude you will see my uncle 
 to-night, and report to him the result of our 
 conference, pray tell him my resolution, such as 
 it is, and explain to him in terms that will give 
 him no offence, but yet convey my full meaning, 
 that in my determination to consider before I 
 act, I am too firm to be shaken. I find that I 
 have somewhat too long suffered my conduct to 
 be dictated by others, and I do so no more, 
 whatsoever be the result." 
 
 " Can you not enable me, Monsieur de Mon- 
 ti gni," asked the priest, "to fix some term for 
 your consideration ? As your uncle will have to 
 shape his conduct, as he may judge expedient to 
 meet yours, it might be as well to name a time 
 for your decision." 
 
 " That I cannot do," replied Montigni ; " at 
 least not to-night. At all events it shall not be 
 long before I do decide. Small time will suffice
 
 136 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 me, if no means be taken to impede me in 
 judging for myself; if there be, those who em- 
 ploy them must be answerable for the delay. I 
 will now be satisfied on all points — I will see the 
 whole case clearly before I judge. Whenever I 
 do so see it, my course will be determined in an 
 hour. And now, good father," he continued, 
 perceiving that the priest was about to reply, 
 " I would fain discuss this subject with you no 
 more, at least, to-night, though most happy to 
 hear you upon any other, if you have aught else 
 to say.*' 
 
 "Nothing, my son," replied father Walter, 
 rising ; " pray remember that the discussion has 
 not been of my seeking. I never thrust myself 
 upon the confidence of any one, happy to give 
 advice or assistance where it is required, but 
 never obtruding it, except at the sacred call of 
 duty; and so, my son, good night and bene- 
 dicite." 
 
 Thus saying, he slowly quitted the room, and 
 walked deliberately down the stairs across a 
 low-roofed hall, where several servants sat, and 
 then mounting another staircase with a quicker
 
 ROSE d'albret. 137 
 
 step, found his way to the apartments of the 
 Count de Liancourt. That gentleman, half un- 
 dressed, was sitting in his dressing-gown con- 
 versing with Chazeul, and both eagerly turned 
 to the priest as he entered, demanding, " Well, 
 what does he say? how did you find him dis- 
 posed ? " 
 
 Walter de la Tremblade sat down in a vacant 
 chair, and then looking from the one to the 
 other, he said, "I found him firmer, sterner 
 than could be expected from his character or 
 his years. I fear, my son," addressing Monsieur 
 de Liancourt, " that your policy has somewhat 
 run awry. If instead of calling him back you 
 had written to him the plain and straightforward 
 state of the case, telling him that the marriage 
 of Mademoiselle d'Albret with Monsieur de 
 Chazeul here, depended upon the renunciation 
 ©f his claim to your estates, and begging him 
 to send you his procuration instantly for the 
 purpose of making that renunciation, he would 
 have done so at once." 
 
 «« Pshaw," cried Chazeul, "you must think 
 him a greater fool than even I do, to suppose
 
 138 ROSE D'aLBRET. 
 
 that if he were told those facts he would give 
 up his chance of beauty, grace, and the united 
 estates of Lian court and Marennes." 
 
 " He is no fool," replied the priest, " but one 
 of those with whom it is better to tell the 
 whole truth, and engage his generosity and 
 enthusiasm on your side, than suffer him to dis- 
 cover, not only the facts you would conceal, but 
 that you have endeavoured to conceal them. 
 Better to tell him the truth. Monsieur de Cha- 
 zeul, than to let him find it out ; and allow me 
 to say, he has found out one half already, and 
 will find out the rest ere long/* 
 
 *' Ventre bleu ! what has he discovered ? " de- 
 manded Monsieur de Liancourt. '' This is an 
 affair indeed." 
 
 " He is right well informed," answered the 
 priest, "that the estates of Liancourt are his 
 at your death, in right of his mother.'' 
 
 Chazeul struck his hand vehemently upon 
 the table, exclaiming, " Then the game is up." 
 
 " Not exactly," replied the priest ; " had he 
 known it a month ago, it would have been much 
 better. Then at a distance, and without the
 
 ROSE d'albret. 189 
 
 means of farther inquiry, he would, I am sure, 
 have been easily induced to make the renuncia- 
 tion, in consideration of the benefices, without 
 coming here at all." 
 
 *' But he has been urging me for these two 
 years,'' exclaimed Monsieur de Liancourt, "to 
 give my consent to his return. I had no power 
 to refuse him, and it was only by persuasions 
 that I kept him there so long." 
 
 " Well, but the results, the results. Monsieur 
 de la Tremblade," exclaimed Chazeul : " we 
 will be guided by you. Tell us what conclu- 
 sions you have come to, and what course it will 
 be best to follow." 
 
 " From my conference with him this night," 
 replied the priest, "I see exactly the state of 
 his mind. In the first place I tell you he knows 
 much, and suspects more ; he perceives that you 
 have attempted to keep him in the dark ; and he 
 is no weak studious boy, such as you believed. 
 He is as firm as a rock, and determined upon 
 his course. You cannot, and will not deceive 
 him on any of the facts of the case ; and at pre- 
 sent his reply is, that he is determined to take
 
 140 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 full time to consider before he decides. There 
 is one way, and only one way to act upon his 
 mind. If you can induce Mademoiselle d'Al- 
 bret, to ask him to make the renunciation for 
 her sake, he will do it, without the slightest 
 hesitation. Get her but to say three words to 
 that effect, and he will sign the act to-mor- 
 row." 
 
 " Oh, then the whole matter is easy ! " cried 
 Chazeul. <'I will induce her to do that in a 
 moment." 
 
 The priest looked at him with a somewhat 
 cynical smile, and replied, "You may not find 
 so much facility as you expect. Monsieur. 
 Ladies have caprices ; and perhaps you may not 
 be able to make her say the exact words you 
 wish.*' 
 
 " Oh, but I am sure I can ! " replied Cha- 
 zeul. "I know the pretty Rose right well, 
 with all her coquettish ways for goading on a 
 lover's passion, by airs of coldness and indiffer- 
 ence ; but she is not such a fool as to be blind 
 to the advantages of the most brilliant fortune 
 she can reach in France. With the united es-
 
 ROSE d'albret. 141 
 
 tates of Liancourt, Marennes, and Chazeul, we 
 take our seat amongst the highest of the land. 
 Did you not mark what she said to me to-day, 
 about the splendours of a court? Such hopes 
 and expectations, once entering a woman's head, 
 never go out of it, good father." 
 
 The priest paused and mused with a slight 
 smile curling his lip ; but at length he replied, 
 " Doubtless you are more learned in women's 
 hearts than I am. Monsieur de Chazeul ; you 
 have had more to do with them, though in the 
 confessional we sometimes hear strange secrets. 
 However, if you will take my advice, you will 
 not trust to your own unassisted efforts, but 
 send for your mother at once. She is within a 
 two hours' journey, and may easily be here, 
 before noon to-morrow." 
 
 " Right, right, father," cried Monsieur de 
 Liancourt, " we will not lose a moment's time. 
 Jacqueline's head is worth all ours put together. 
 It always was so ; and poor Louise, when she 
 was alive, was no match for her at all. Let us 
 not lose a moment, but send a messenger to her 
 to-night, so that she may set out the first thing
 
 142 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 to-morrow. See to it, Chazeul, see to it; for I 
 am tired, and going to bed. Choose some stout 
 fellow who will do the errand well. Let him 
 avoid the wood, and take the Chartres road ; 
 't is but half a league about." 
 
 " I will do it at once," said Chazeul, "for it 
 is now near ten. But still I am sure that I can 
 persuade fair Rose to make the request, before 
 my mother comes ; and so, good night, sir." 
 
 Thus saying, he left the room, and father 
 Walter only remained, to shake his head with a 
 doubtful air, and say, " He is too confident. 
 God send that he mars not all;" and he, too, 
 left Monsieur de Liancourt to seek repose.
 
 ROSE DALBRET. 143 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 In the chateau of Marzay, on that night, as 
 every day in the wide world in which we hve, 
 care and anxiety, hope and expectation, the 
 selfish intrigue, the means of frustrating it, the 
 dark design, the events that are to bring it to 
 light, were all going on side by side at once, 
 separated from each other by thin partitions 
 which served to conceal the proceedings of the 
 various actors from each other, but not from 
 the eye of that overruling Providence who ap- 
 portions success and disappointment, joy and 
 sorrow, reward and punishment, according to 
 his wise but inscrutable will. 
 
 Less than a hundred yards from the chamber 
 of Monsieur de Liancourt, Louis de Montigni sat 
 after the priest left him, with his arms folded 
 on his chest, his head bent down, and his eyes
 
 144 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 fixed upon the ground. He thought bitterly 
 over much that had passed. The words which 
 Walter de la Tremblade had spoken concerning 
 the heart of woman, still rung in his ears ; the 
 probable causes of the peculiarities he had re- 
 marked in the conduct of Rose d'Albret, still 
 agitated his mind ; and he asked himself " Can 
 she really love him ? She who was clear-sighted, 
 as well as frank, thoughtful as well as gay, ge- 
 nerous, kind, liberal, can she love this man, who 
 from youth till now has shown himself the same 
 selfish, bold, confident, cunning, and presuming 
 being ? She used to see through him, and un- 
 derstand him when he came here as a youth, 
 but a few years older than myself. It may be so, 
 and perhaps the priest is right. If so, it were as 
 well to renounce all without further hesitation, 
 not to let her or any one perceive the hopes 
 that are to be disappointed, the vain expecta- 
 tions that are to vanish at a breath, nor to call 
 down that pity which is always more or less 
 mingled with contempt, nor excite the scornful 
 merriment of the winner in this perilous game. 
 No, that I will not do ; and yet this is a hard
 
 ROSE DALBRET. 145 
 
 and a bitter act to require of me, which may 
 well justify some doubt and some delay. Hark ! 
 there is my uncle's foot, I shall now hear more. 
 The good old man has all his eyes open, where 
 my interests and happiness are concerned. 
 From him I shall hear the pure truth, undis- 
 guised and plain. I almost doubt that priest : 
 yet he spoke fairly and candidly too ; but these 
 men of the gown, dependent on great families, 
 however virtuous and right may be their in- 
 clinations, gain a bias towards the views of their 
 patrons, which often blinds their eyes to the 
 plain course of justice." 
 
 Such were the thoughts of the young Baron 
 de Montigni, till at length the old soldier 
 Estoc threw open the door, and the com- 
 mander limped into the room. 
 
 "Now lock the door, Estoc !" cried the good 
 knight, seating himself in the chair which his 
 nephew placed carefully for him ; " lock the 
 door, we will have no more interruptions. I 
 have a right to have my say too, Louis. Ventre 
 saint gris, to use the language of the Philis- 
 tines, we will have it out now, Louis." 
 
 VOL. I. H
 
 146 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 " Most assuredly, sir," replied the young 
 nobleman ; " I will suffer no one to interrupt 
 us. My uncle, the count, as once my guardian 
 and my eldest relative, might of course com- 
 mand my first attention ; but now that is over, 
 you, my dear uncle, have the next claim upon 
 me, and I will not allow any one to deprive me 
 of the pleasure or the benefit of hearing your 
 conversation and advice." 
 
 "Well said, boy! Well said!" cried the 
 old commander. "Do you hear that, Estoc? 
 He 's no chicken now, eh ? By my faith, An- 
 thony will find himself mistaken. I like that 
 well. You are right, Louis, to say, you will not 
 suffer any one to interrupt us. That 's the true 
 tone. I have grown into a sort of some depend- 
 ance here, thanks to my infirmities. I let them 
 have all their own way ; but, parhleu ! it will not 
 do, for they turn tyrants when they are over 
 indulged.'' 
 
 " I have come here, my dear uncle," replied 
 his nephew, " with all reverence and respect 
 for Monsieur de Liancourt. But my days of 
 pupilage are over. While I stay in his house
 
 ROSE D ALBRET. 147 
 
 my chamber is my own, where I receive whom 
 I like, when I like, and suffer not myself to be 
 interfered with, (so long as I observe the cour- 
 tesies of life,) when I am otherwise engaged. 
 Whenever an attempt is made to restrain that 
 communication with' others that I may choose 
 to hold, I leave the place, and take my lodging 
 elsewhere." 
 
 " Right, right,"'' cried the officer, " and if you 
 go I will go with you, Louis. But sit down, 
 Estoc. We have much to talk about, my boy. 
 1 trust you kept your word with me — I trust 
 you promised nothing to the priest. He is a 
 good man in the main; but shrewd, Louis, 
 shrewd as a winter's night — pile up the fire, 
 Estoc. You promised nothing, eh, Louis?'* 
 
 " Nothing, sir,'' replied the young Baron. 
 '* I merely assured him, that no consideration on 
 earth would induce me to do ought that would 
 thwart the inclinations, or impede the happi- 
 ness, of Mademoiselle d'Albret, but that, for 
 the decision of my conduct, I must have time to 
 consider, and that well." 
 
 " Ah no ! I am sure you would not ! Poor 
 
 h2
 
 148 ROSE D'ALBRET. 
 
 dear little Rose, God bless her," cried the com- 
 mander, " she deserves all tenderness. But if 
 you did what they want, you would mar her 
 happiness too, boy. Now let me hear what 
 they sought of you. Then I will tell my tale." 
 
 De Montigni recapitulated, as well as he 
 could, all that had passed between himself, his 
 uncle, and the priest. He knew he could trust 
 to those with whom he spoke ; and he strove to 
 give the words that had been uttered as nearly 
 as possible without change. He might indeed 
 add a running commentary of his own conclu- 
 sions, but he falsified nothing, he exaggerated 
 nothing. As he proceeded, his good uncle 
 leaned his chin upon his stick, and listened 
 without replying a word, though once or twice 
 he struck the point of the stafi^ sharply on the 
 floor. 
 
 Old Estoc, however, was not so patient or so 
 taciturn ; for more than once, he uttered a quick 
 oath, and murmured from time to time " Pardie ! 
 — Morbleu ! — Coquin !" in tones which showed 
 that he was not at all edified with the reported 
 discourse of Monsieur de la Tremblade.
 
 ROSE d'albret. 149 
 
 But when the young nobleman had done all, 
 the good commander's smothered fire broke 
 forth in a blaze, " Curses upon them for ever ! " 
 he exclaimed ; " now they wonder there are 
 Huguenots, and yet to see a Catholic priest 
 playing knave and hypocrite in this way is 
 enough to make any honest man turn Turk ! 
 I am ashamed of my brother, Louis, I am 
 ashamed of my family, but I am still more 
 ashamed of my religion. It's not honest, my 
 boy ! It's not honest, if it suffers its clergy 
 to go playing such a double game, telling what 
 suits them, .and keeping back what does not 
 suit them to speak. Now you shall hear the 
 plain truth. You are heir of Liancourt, pure 
 and undoubted. It was settled so long since, 
 and nothing but your own act can deprive you 
 of the lands." 
 
 " I suspected that such was the case," replied 
 the young nobleman, "as soon as I saw such 
 anxiety to induce me to sign papers in haste, 
 and without explanation." 
 
 " Suspected ! " cried the old commander. 
 " Why you should have known it long ago,
 
 150 ROSE d'aLBRET. 
 
 if there had been honest men amongst us. I 
 made my renunciation in poor Louise's favour 
 — my sister — your mother, boy — when she mar- 
 ried your good father — God rest his soul — and 
 I took the Order of St. John. You are the 
 heir, then, beyond all doubt; but Jacqueline, 
 your aunt, my sister — she 's a devil if ever one 
 was — has never ceased working at my poor 
 weak brother Anthony to deprive you of your 
 right." 
 
 " She never loved me, I know," replied De 
 Montigni. " I remember when I was a mere 
 boy—" 
 
 " Loved you ! that's not the point," exclaimed 
 the commander. " She loves you just as well 
 as anything else that stands in her way. It is 
 that she loves herself, and loves herself in her 
 son — the coxcomb ! She has set her mind upon 
 seeing him wealthy and powerful. She always 
 looked upon money as the best of blessings. 
 That is why she married old Chazeul, a man 
 she hated and despised, only that she might be 
 richer than her elder sister ; and now this fellow 
 has squandered half his father's estate, she
 
 ROSE D'aLBRET. 151 
 
 thinks to patch up a greater fortune still by 
 getting for him Marennes and Liancourt. The 
 last she never can get if you are not a fool, 
 Louis, and the first she cannot get without she 
 gets the last." 
 
 " This seems to me a riddle, sir," said De 
 Montigni, thoughtfully. "I understand that 
 this marriage is fully settled, with the consent 
 and approbation of all parties; and surely the 
 hand of Mademoiselle d'Albret, with her here- 
 ditary property, must be an object well worth 
 striving for, even in the eyes of one who values 
 wealth so much as my aunt De Chazeul." 
 
 "Ay, boy ! ay!" cried the old commander, ''so 
 it would be, if she could get it. But the con- 
 tract between the good Count de Marennes and 
 your uncle is, that Rose is to marry his nephew, 
 the subsisting heir of Liancourt. No name is 
 mentioned, lest the heir should die in the mean- 
 time : but you were then, you are still, the sub- 
 sisting heir of Liancourt, in virtue of your 
 mother's rights as eldest daughter of my father, 
 and my renunciation in her favour. If you put 
 your hand to that paper you are worse than
 
 152 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 Esau, for you not only sell your birthright, but 
 your bride, for a mess of pottage." 
 
 De Montigni started up and paced the room 
 for a moment with his hand clasped upon his 
 forehead, and twice he muttered, "This is 
 shameful ! '' He was tempted, strongly tempted, 
 let what would be the result, to assert his rights 
 at once ; to claim his own without one consider- 
 ation of the feelings of others ; to exact the ut- 
 most sum of his inheritance, like a miser; to 
 demand his bride willing or unwilling, under the 
 engagement of her father. 
 
 But better thoughts first came to withhold 
 him, and, as he reflected, difficulties appeared to 
 impede him in such a course. The contract, 
 doubtless, was in the hands of Monsieur de 
 Lian court. How could he prove it ? — how estab- 
 lish his claim ? The estates, indeed, he might 
 withhold ; his opposition might delay the mar- 
 riage. But then he asked himself could he in- 
 flict sorrow and disappointment on Rose d'Al- 
 bret ; could he dash from her lip the cup of hope 
 and expectation? Most likely she looked for- 
 ward to her approaching marriage as a thing de-
 
 ROSE d'albret. 153 
 
 cided beyond all chance of change. He had no 
 substantial reason to suppose that she felt repug- 
 nance to it. Her mind was probably made up ; 
 her part taken ; perhaps all the affections of her 
 young heart engaged. Was he to be the person 
 to blight all her prospects — to disappoint all her 
 hopes? "No," he thought, "no!" and resu- 
 ming his seat by his uncle, he said, <' This de- 
 ceit used towards me, my dear sir, is very bad. 
 It disgusts one with the world and human nature. 
 Yet one consideration will probably make me 
 yield to all their wishes, and forbear from exer- 
 cising my rights, even now that I know them." 
 '' Phoo ! Too !" cried the commander, inter- 
 rupting him. ''The boy is mad! Go, call 
 our friend, Estoc. He must talk with him. 
 There is a gentleman here, Louis — by the bye, 
 he came with yourself — whom I met with once 
 or twice in the old wars. He is as wise and 
 good a man as ever lived — bating a bit of heresy 
 in his notions, though scarce half a Huguenot 
 either — a good soldier as any in France, and 
 moreover a very prudent and clever person — a 
 very wise good man. Indeed — none better. I
 
 154 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 have been talking with him a long time since 
 supper all about this affair, and you must take 
 his advice, or at least listen to it. Depend upon 
 it, you will find it good." 
 
 At first sight De Montigni shrunk from the 
 idea of exposing all his feelings, nay, detailing 
 all the particulars of his situation, to a compa- 
 rative stranger, like Chasseron, one too whom 
 he looked upon as an inferior. But before he 
 could reply, Estoc had left the room ; and, as he 
 thought further, he remembered so much of bold 
 decision in the man's character, so many traits 
 of shrewd good sense in his conversation, that 
 he began to think the opinion of such a person — 
 totally independent of all passion and prejudice, 
 knowing little of any of the parties, and 
 who had seen so much of what had taken place 
 upon his arrival — might be very useful as a cor- 
 rective of any erroneous views which he himself 
 might have adopted. He was free too, to accept 
 his advice or to reject it ; and he knew the good 
 old commander too well, not to be sure, that 
 Chasseron must have borne a high character in 
 former days, to have obtained his confidence and
 
 ROSE D'aLBRET. 155 
 
 approbation, especially as a heretic — a sort of 
 animal of which he was by no means fond. He 
 waited then patiently for the return of the old 
 soldier with his companion of the way, while 
 his uncle, from time to time, addressed to him a 
 brief adjuration, "Not to be a fool, and throw 
 away fortune and happiness ; " or, " Not to cast 
 all the advantages which God had given him, 
 into the lap of those who had played so foul a 
 game, to wring them from him." 
 
 In a few minutes the door from the anteroom 
 opened again ; and Chasseron entered, followed 
 by Estoc. The old commander, in whom age and 
 infirmity could scarcely tame the eager but gene- 
 rous impetuosity of disposition which had cha- 
 racterized him through life, rose up from his 
 chair to greet their new guest and begin the 
 subject at once. But Estoc thrust him down 
 again, with unceremonious affection, saying, 
 " Sit down, sir, sit down. You have been too 
 much on your legs to-day already. You will 
 have your wound breaking out again, especially 
 if you tease yourself so. Monsieur de Chasseron 
 knows all about it. But there is more going on
 
 156 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 down below. Master Chazeul has just come 
 down from a conference in the Count's chamber, 
 and has sent off Etienne on horseback, to his 
 mother, begging her to be here at an early 
 hour to-morrow." 
 
 "Ay, Jacqueline must have a finger in the 
 affair ! " cried the commander ; '' and she will 
 outwit us all, if we do not mind.*' 
 
 " I do not think so, sir," replied Chasseron, 
 who by this time was seated between the old 
 officer and his nephew. " It seems to me that 
 the matter is very simple. Monsieur de Mon- 
 tigni, this worthy gentleman having known and 
 heard something of me in times of yore, has 
 thought fit to tell me the situation in which you 
 are placed, and to ask my advice. I knew 
 something of the facts before ; for in the first 
 place, I was well acquainted with the good 
 Count de Marennes ; nay, poor as I am, was 
 somewhat related to him,— in a very distant 
 degree, it is true; but still he was not above 
 acknowledging the connexion. In the next 
 place, as you may perhaps have remarked, I 
 live with my eyes and my ears open ; and as I
 
 ROSE d'albret. 157 
 
 have been in this neighbourhood at least within 
 fifteen leagues for some time, I have heard a 
 good deal of what is going on. If therefore 
 my counsel or assistance can do you any ser- 
 vice, command it; for I owe you a good turn 
 for that which you rendered me this morning. 
 Parhleu, I should have been badly off if you 
 had not come up." 
 
 " You are very welcome, my good sir," 
 replied De Montigni ; " and as my uncle has 
 told you the circumstances, there is no use in 
 entering upon them again. There are other 
 things, however, to be taken into consideration, 
 which you cannot yet know; I mean my own 
 particular views and notions — " 
 
 " Ay ! " cried the old commander, interrupt- 
 ing him, " the boy is fool enough, Monsieur de 
 Chasseron, to talk of yielding to the wishes of 
 these people, to think of abandoning all his 
 rights, giving up to that coxcomb Chazeul both 
 bride and estates ! What think you of that ? of 
 letting them win the day by all their tricks and 
 manoeuvres ? He has gone mad, I think ! but 
 ventre bleu ! it shall not be so ; for I will plead
 
 158 
 
 first myself. I renounced in favour of poor 
 Louise, who had the next right after me, not of 
 Madame Jacqueline, who has got too much 
 already." 
 
 De Montigni coloured slightly at his uncle's 
 words, but he replied calmly and affectionately ; 
 " I have my own reasons, my dear sir, if you will 
 but hear them. All the gifts of fortune are but 
 as we estimate them ; I will not pretend that I 
 am without ambition, still less that to obtain 
 the heart of Mademoiselle d'Albret I would 
 not make any sacrifice. But I do not court her 
 hand without her heart ; and no consideration 
 shall tempt me to cause her unhappiness by op- 
 posing her marriage, if — and I have no reason to 
 doubt it — she feels towards my cousin of Cha- 
 zeul, as a woman should feel towards the man 
 on whom she is about to bestow her hand." 
 
 " That, young gentleman, is the question," 
 said Chasseron quickly, while the old com- 
 mander gave way to many a " Psha ! " and other 
 less decent interjection. " You have been ill 
 used ; and, evidently with a design of bringing 
 about a marriage contrary to the previous con-
 
 ROSE D'aLBRET. 159 
 
 tract between the lady's father and your uncle, 
 you have been kept at a distance, in ignorance 
 of all the facts, while opportunity has been 
 given to Monsieur de Chazeul to seek the 
 lady's affections." 
 
 "To be sure!" cried the commander, "it 
 was all done on purpose ! " 
 
 " Under these circumstances," continued 
 Chasseron, without noticing the interruption, 
 " you would be perfectly justified in opposing 
 the marriage ; and with the evidence of your 
 uncle here, of the previous contract, I do not 
 scruple to say, it could not proceed. I applaud 
 your delicacy and generosity, however ; but the 
 utmost that could be expected from the most 
 noble-minded man would be, that you should 
 insist upon the delay of a year, with full oppor- 
 tunity of seeking to change the lady's views, 
 reserving to yourself the power to enforce or 
 renounce your rights, as you may find her af- 
 fected." 
 
 " But sir — but sir !" cried the commander. 
 
 Chasseron, however, waved his hand, saying, 
 " Hear me out, my good friend," and then con-
 
 160 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 tinued. " This would be the kind and generous 
 course, even if you found that Mademoiselle 
 d'Albret was a willing party to this alliance. 
 The first question is, however, whether she be 
 really so or not ? How can you tell, that she 
 does not consent with reluctance ? How do you 
 know, that she has not also been deceived? 
 May she not have been taught to think, that 
 her marriage with your cousin is in accordance 
 with her father's designs? or even if no fraud 
 has been played upon her, may she not have 
 yielded from obedience to her guardian, know- 
 ing the power of those who hold, under the 
 king, the garde noble of a female orphan ? may 
 she not even now, long for deliverance, and may 
 she not bless you, if you step in armed with 
 power to save her? Nay, more," he added with 
 a smile, " may she not love you already?" 
 
 The colour rose warmly into De Montigni*s 
 cheek ; and his heart beat quick ; " Oh no, no," 
 he cried, " I cannot hope such happiness. She 
 was young, very young, when I went; not yet 
 fifteen. We always loved each other, it is true; 
 but as mere children."
 
 ROSE d'albret. 161 
 
 " Love is a fruit that matures itself without 
 the sunshine/* replied Chasseron in a meaning 
 tone, and then added frankly, " in a word, 
 Monsieur de Montigni, I think it is so. I 
 would not delude you with false hopes and 
 expectations. That would be a bad return for 
 the service you have rendered me; but I have 
 known something of women, and I have in this 
 case watched the lady accurately ; not a glance 
 of her eye has escaped me, not a varying shade 
 of colour in her cheek. I think she loves you, 
 I think she has now discovered it; and that, if 
 you could see her at this moment, you would 
 behold her weeping bitterly in her chamber 
 over her hard fate. I think all this ; but of one 
 thing I am certain ; if she have to-morrow to 
 choose between you and Chazeul, she will not 
 hesitate one moment, and her hand is yours." 
 
 The sensations of Louis de Montigni at that 
 moment would be impossible to describe and 
 difficult to conceive. Hope, joy, expectation, 
 rose up to struggle in his breast, with sorrow, 
 doubt, and apprehension. He dared not trust 
 himself to the full tide of satisfaction and love.
 
 162 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 He felt it impossible to believe that such happi- 
 ness might be in store for him ; and, contrasted 
 with the dark and bitter feelings which had 
 lately possessed him, the dream of happiness 
 which now presented itself, though one which 
 he had more than once indulged before, seemed 
 too much for the lot of any mortal creature. 
 A few moments'* reflection, however, showed 
 him that even if all that Chasseron said was 
 true, — if the brightest hope of his heart were 
 realised and the love of Rose d'Albret were 
 truly his, there were still difficulties and dan- 
 gers enough in the way, to mingle a full portion 
 of bitter with the cup of human joy. Obstacles 
 innumerable presented themselves to his ima- 
 gination; and it seemed to his inexperienced 
 mind almost impossible to triumph over the 
 impediments which might arise to bar the path 
 to happiness. 
 
 His uncle and Chasseron sat gazing at him 
 for a few moments, while he remained in silence, 
 meditating over the present and the future. The 
 old commander could not comprehend his feel- 
 ings; but Chasseron, with clearer eyes, read as
 
 ROSE d'albret. 163 
 
 if in a book all the varied emotions of his heart, 
 as they were written on his changing counte- 
 nance. He suffered him then to reflect without 
 interruption, till at length the young nobleman 
 replied, " God send that it may be as you 
 suppose ! If it be so, sir, the decision of my 
 conduct will be easy, for nothing but the belief 
 that I should be wounding the feelings or op- 
 posing the happiness of Mademoiselle d'Albret, 
 could prevent me from putting in my claim to 
 her hand. But if I thought that she had one 
 doubt or hesitation in regard to this marriage, 
 that her whole heart did not go with it, that 
 she only consented at the command of her 
 guardian, and not from her own inclination, I 
 would preserve every right I have, for her sake 
 as well as for my own." 
 
 " Why, I tell you, boy, they have driven 
 her," cried his uncle, " they have coaxed, and 
 laboured, and striven, for these last two years. 
 They have made her believe that my brother 
 Anthony has the full and entire disposal of 
 her, — that she is but as his horse, or his ox, 
 or any other of his goods and chattels, which
 
 164 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 he can give, or sell, or exchange, at his will 
 and pleasure." 
 
 " That error may be soon proved,'' exclaimed 
 De Montigni. 
 
 " Nay," said Chasseron, before he proceeded, 
 " perhaps not so easily as you imagine. De- 
 pend upon it, these artful people, with power 
 in their hands, will take good care that you 
 have no opportunity of speaking with her alonss 
 if they can help it. You have the means, how- 
 ever, of driving them to it, if you use them 
 skilfully. Let them think that your decision 
 entirely depends upon her "" 
 
 " I have told them so already," replied De 
 Montigni. 
 
 " So far so good," continued Chasseron ; 
 " but keep to your text : refuse to discuss the 
 subject with them at all, till you have ascer- 
 tained her views. Demand an hour's private 
 interview with her; and adhere firmly to that 
 condition. Let it take place also, in some 
 spot where you cannot be overheard " 
 
 " The rampart is the only place," said Estoc; 
 " on the west side there are no windows, and I
 
 ROSE d'albret. 165 
 
 will plant myself at the door, so as to ensure 
 there be no interruption." 
 
 " There be it, then,'' said Chasseron ; " and 
 this once gained, the decision of your fate is 
 in your own hands. You may gain the day, too, 
 if you like ; only remember, listen to no argu- 
 ments, enter into no conversation upon any 
 part of the subject; but merely say that, when 
 Mademoiselle d*Albret, unconstrained and free, 
 assures you fully, with her own lips, in a private 
 conference, that her happiness depends upon 
 your making this renunciation of your rights, 
 you are ready to do so, but not till then. 
 Doubtless, they will tutor her, — doubtless, they 
 will endeavour to work upon her mind by every 
 argument and inducement — and many may be 
 devised which we cannot foresee — but you, on 
 your part, must use your opportunity to the 
 best advantage: press her home with all the 
 words of love and passion, — call to her mind 
 the days gone by, the scenes, the affections 
 of childhood ; show her how shamefully you 
 have been deceived ; let her know the frauds 
 which have been put upon herself. Make her
 
 166 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 comprehend, that it was for you she was 
 destined by her father; and, if you will, let 
 her know your generous intentions; tell her 
 that for her happiness you are ready to sacri- 
 fice not only your rights and your inheritance, 
 but even herself. Then, parhleu ! if you do 
 not win her, you are better without her." 
 
 The old commander rubbed his hands, ex- 
 claiming, " He will win her, he will win her ! 
 Don't be afraid ; she is quite ready to be won. 
 She loves him already, man, — she always has 
 loved him; only the poor little soul did not 
 understand what it was." 
 
 " But suppose," said De Montigni in a mus- 
 ing tone, " suppose all this takes place as we 
 would have it: suppose I am blessed to the 
 utmost of my hopes and beyond my deserts, 
 that I find her willing to be mine, unwilling 
 to be his, what is the next step to be taken?" 
 
 " Ay, that is the question,"' replied Chas- 
 seron, " and one not very easy to resolve. I 
 will give you my opinion, fairly, though it 
 may be wrong. However, you may follow it or 
 not as you like. Bold measures are fitted for
 
 ROSE d'albret. 167 
 
 dangerous circumstances ; and deceit, such as 
 has been used towards you, will justify you 
 in employing means which, were it otherwise, 
 I would not advise, and you ought not to follow. 
 If you find her disposed to give her hand to 
 you, and you make open and decided opposi- 
 tion to the scheme which they themselves have 
 devised, a thousand to one you will be driven 
 out of the chateau, and all the influence of her 
 guardian, even to compulsion itself, may per- 
 haps be used to force her into a marriage with 
 your rival. In the present condition of the 
 country, it will be difiicult to enforce your 
 rights, so long as she remains here ; by no means 
 difficult for them, in the course of a year or 
 two, to drive her, by persecution, into the arms 
 of a man she hates. I would advise you, then, 
 all these things considered, not to let them 
 fully know, all that takes place between you. 
 Give no decided answer the moment your in- 
 terview is over ; but say they shall know your 
 resolution on the following day. Take advan- 
 tage of the time ; and, having gained her con- 
 sent, and arranged your plan, fly with her
 
 168 ROSE D ALBRET. 
 
 at once to the camp of the King. Beyond 
 all doubt Henry, as soon as he is informed 
 of her father's intentions regarding you, will 
 bestow her hand upon you. He is a good- 
 humoured man enough; frank and free; and 
 has a weakness for all love affairs. He will 
 be glad enough, too, to secure the support of 
 the houses of De Montigni and Marennes to 
 his own cause ; for at present he is a king 
 without a kingdom ; a soldier without money ; 
 and, by my faith, too, a husband without a 
 wife. However, you need not fear his taking 
 yours, for they do say he is over head and ears 
 in love just now with another person ; other- 
 wise I would not answer for him." 
 
 De Montigni smiled : " You are no courtier, 
 Monsieur Chasseron," he said, " and your plan 
 suits me well; but there may be difficulties 
 in the execution." 
 
 *' Pooh, boy ! — None, none,'' cried his uncle ; 
 " the business will be quite easy. Here are 
 old Estoc and I as full of stratagems as the 
 Duchess of Montpensier. We have had all 
 our cunning bottled up for these ten years.
 
 ROSE d'albret. 169 
 
 since I got that cursed wound ; and we '11 ar- 
 range between us a plan for getting you all 
 out of the chateau, so that no one shall know 
 anything about it, for eight hours at least. The 
 King is besieging Dreux they say ; and you can 
 soon reach his camp." 
 
 "But can I persuade Rose to consent?" 
 asked De Montigni. 
 
 " To be sure, to be sure," answered the old 
 commander ; " when she sees that there is 
 nothing else for it, she won't hesitate. Besides, 
 your taking her off to the King's camp, is not 
 as if you were running away with her to marry 
 her without any authority." 
 
 " Certainly not," said Chasseron ; '' remem- 
 ber to impress that upon her mind : first, that 
 it is according to her father's own disposition, 
 that she gives you her hand; secondly, that 
 the King's right to the guardianship of a noble 
 ward, is paramount to that of your uncle, and 
 quite supersedes it." 
 
 "And yoa Jiink," asked De Montigni, "that 
 I may be perfectly sure of Henry's conduct ?" 
 
 " Perfectly," replied Chasseron. 
 
 VOL. I. I
 
 170 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 " I will be answerable for that," said the 
 commander in a grave and emphatic tone. " I 
 will pledge my honour, which was never yet 
 forfeit, that His Majesty shall bestovv upon 
 you the hand of Rose d'Albret, as soon as 
 you reach his camp, and all the circumstances 
 are explained to him.'* 
 
 '' Well, then," said De Montigni, " my 
 course is clear, and my conduct decided. If 
 the hopes that you have raised prove just, and 
 that sweet girl consents, we will fly as has been 
 proposed. If not, and I am disappointed, I will 
 make the renunciation which is demanded of 
 me, raise my own retainers, join the King, 
 and, fighting for my lawful sovereign, will 
 wed myself to honour as my only bride.*' 
 
 " I trust, sir," said the good farmer, " you 
 may ere long be able to serve the Bearnois, 
 as they call him, not only with your own re- 
 tainers, but with those of Marennes and Lian- 
 court too."' 
 
 " God send it — God send it !" cried the com- 
 mander ; " and I will get into the saddle, too, if 
 the devil were in my hip instead of a pistol
 
 ROSE d'albret. 171 
 
 ball. Come along, Estoc ; you and I will go 
 and lay out a plan for carrying off the lady, 
 and I will let Louis know the result to-morrow 
 by daybreak : — But mind you do your part well, 
 my boy. No shyness — no diffidence — go right 
 to the point at once. Tell her all about it, 
 and let her judge for herself. — Now, Monsieur 
 de Chasseron, Estoc and I will see you to your 
 room,*' and thus saying, they took leave of De 
 Montigni, and retreated for the night. 
 
 I 2
 
 172 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 We must now give a space, a very short space 
 indeed, to Rose d'Albret, who, after speaking a 
 few moments with her uncle, the priest, and 
 Chazeul, had retired . to her own chamber in 
 search of soUtary meditation. There, however, 
 she found her maid waiting for her, it having 
 been her custom for some weeks, since Chazeul 
 had taken up his residence at the chateau, to 
 quit the rest of the party as soon after supper as 
 possible. 
 
 "There, take off this stiff gown, Blanchette; 
 give me a dressing gown, undo and comb my 
 hair; and then you may go and gossip with 
 Monsieur de Montigni's servants. They have 
 just come from Italy, and will tell you, I don't 
 doubt, how much prettier the girls of France 
 are than those on the other side of the Alps. I 
 will undress myself, when I feel sleepy."
 
 ROSE d'albret. 173 
 
 "Indeed, Mademoiselle, I don't want to 
 gossip with them," said Blanchette ; " if I talk 
 with anybody, it shall be with Alphonso, Mon- 
 sieur de Chazeurs head-valet. He is a fine 
 man, and a gay one, like his master. Ay, in- 
 deed. Monsieur de Chazeul is something like a 
 man." 
 
 Rose d'Albret turned suddenly towards her, 
 and fixed her eyes upon her face, asking, " How 
 much has he given you, Blanchette ? *" 
 
 " Lord, Mademoiselle ! " cried the girl, turn- 
 ing crimson. 
 
 " Yes, Blanchette, I wish to know," said 
 Rose ; " tell me exactly how much he has given 
 you. These fine gentlemen think that a lady's 
 heart can never be won rightly without bribing 
 her maid; and therefore, just in proportion to 
 the number of crowns you have received, I 
 shall judge that Monsieur de Chazeul values 
 my love. I am quite serious, so mind you 
 reckon up exactly." 
 
 The girl evidently did not clearly see whether 
 her mistress spoke ironically or not, but the 
 tone of Rose d'Albret was so serious, that she
 
 174 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 inclined to the latter opinion, and answered hesi- 
 tatingly, " Why of course, Mademoiselle, he has 
 given me some little presents at different times, 
 as all gentlemen do when they are in love." 
 
 <' Little presents ! " cried Rose in the same 
 tone, "why then he values me little. But 
 count up, count up, Blanchette, how much alto- 
 gether." 
 
 '* Why, may be^ perhaps a hundred crowns in 
 the whole, Mademoiselle,*" answered the maid. 
 
 " A hundred crowns ! " cried Rose d'Albret, 
 " I am worth more than that ; and I '11 tell you 
 what, Blanchette, you are a great fool if ever 
 you say a word in his favour again, unless he 
 gives you treble as much. So you look to it, 
 undo my hair, and make haste." 
 
 The girl obeyed the orders she received, and 
 then, by her mistres&'s direction, left her. The 
 moment she was gone, however. Rose shook 
 her head sadly, and burst into tears, exclaim- 
 ing, " Alas, that they should thus fill me with- 
 suspicion ! I am bought and sold like the goods 
 of a market. No one comes near me that is 
 not bribed or corrupted by some means. I
 
 ROSE DALBRET. 175 
 
 have nowhere to turn for advice or sympathy 
 or consolation. What is the meaning of all 
 this? Am I to believe that it is poor Rose 
 d'Albret, he seeks? No, no, he would take 
 other means to win love, if love were all he 
 wanted. But I will know, I will see into 
 the bottom of his heart before I give him my 
 hand. — Give him my hand ? Oh God ! to think 
 that the day is coming so soon ! — But I will 
 have some better insight; and if they use such 
 art with me, surely I may be excused for prac- 
 tising some with them." 
 
 Rose d'Albret leaned her head upon her 
 hand, and thought long and bitterly ; but her 
 mind was now pursuing another course ; the 
 image of De Montigni had risen up before her. 
 Nor would it be banished, though she was afraid 
 to look upon it steadily. " He is very little 
 changed,*' she said to herself; " I can trace 
 all the features of the boy in the man. He has 
 lost his gay, light-hearted laugh, however — his 
 cheerful look that spread light around him. 
 He has grown grave and stern. Can he have 
 suffered ? Disappointed love, perhaps, has done
 
 176 ROSE DALBRET. 
 
 its sad work upon his heart. Oh that I could 
 comfort him ! " 
 
 She thought again, and other images seemed 
 to present themselves; for, after a moment's silent 
 musing, she started up, crying " God forbid ! 
 God forbid ! Ah ! what would come of it, if it 
 were so ? Ruin, destruction, desolation to all 
 perhaps ! — Would I had resisted firmly from the. 
 first ! Yet I have promised nothing. I have 
 been but passive in the hands of others. I have 
 heard my fate announced, and made no answer. 
 — 'Tis a vain fancy after all. He hardly spoke 
 to me, looked cold and askance — perhaps he is 
 offended — no not offended ; grieved, mortified, 
 disappointed, perhaps. Heaven ! where are my 
 fancies leading me ? And yet I often thought 
 when my eyes met his, that there was a look 
 of tenderness, almost of pity in his face, mourn- 
 ful yet affectionate. Would that I knew what 
 is passing in his heart ! Yet what would it 
 avail? — I know not. — It might perhaps avail to 
 save us both from misery — or plunge us into 
 greater. 'Tis useless to think of such things; 
 I will leave fate to take its course, and shape
 
 ROSE d'albret. 177 
 
 my own as opportunity occurs. But I may at 
 least strive to gain some knowledge of this man's 
 character and objects; and, if I do assume a 
 spirit different from my own to fathom the depth 
 of his, surely it may be forgiven when the cause 
 is so powerful. I fear — I much fear that I am 
 wedding cold deceit, and treachery, and wretch- 
 edness. I will sooner die first — sooner resign 
 all I have, hide me in a convent, if needs must 
 be, and spend my life in prayer. But I will 
 read his heart first. Perhaps I do him wrong. 
 His motives may be generous and noble for 
 aught I know ; and yet I cannot but doubt it. 
 If they were so, why such shrewd steps to sur- 
 round me by those who do nought but praise 
 him ? There is a want of truth and nature in 
 it, that brings suspicion whether I will or not. 
 De Montigni's very coldness has more of love 
 in it. — Poor De Montigni, what can have 
 changed him so? I'll find some means of 
 speaking to him, and, if I can, will give him 
 consolation. He used to love me much when we 
 were both young; and, if he have any deep grief 
 at his heart, it will soothe and comfort him to 
 
 i5
 
 178 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 hear words of sympathy from the lips of Rose 
 d'Albret. I loved him, too, always ; and I 
 could love him still — if it were right.'* 
 
 But there she paused, and would not think 
 how much she might love him. She was like 
 a child who comes to the precipice's edge, peers 
 over, and runs away in haste, lest he should 
 see the full danger, and, with giddy brain, fall 
 over. 
 
 " Hark," she continued, " there is Chazeul 
 singing in the rooms below. I will put out the 
 hght, and hie to bed. He is like the night- 
 raven that fancied himself a nightingale. But 
 I can stop my ears ; " and, undressing hastily, 
 she retired to bed : but sleep was far from her ; 
 and, for many an hour, she lay revolving plans 
 of what she would say and do on the morrow. 
 Still, thoughts she was afraid of, would intrude ; 
 still, before she was aware of it, her fancy was 
 busy with De Montigni ; still her repugnance 
 to the union with Chazeul grew more and more 
 strong, and it was not till half the night was 
 spent, that at length she closed her eyes in sleep. 
 She heard Blanchette come late into the ante-
 
 ROSE DALBRET. 179 
 
 room where the maid's bed was placed; she 
 heard her breathe hard soon after, in the dull 
 sleep of selfish content; she heard sound after 
 sound in the chateau, indicating that all were 
 seeking repose ; and at length, when every 
 other noise was still, the deep bell of the clock 
 first striking one, then two. But the third 
 hour did not find her senses waking. 
 
 It was daylight the next morning, though it 
 was her habit to rise early, when her maid 
 called her; and Rose at once perceived that 
 there was a tale behind the meaning look on 
 the girl's face. "Well, Blanchette," she said, 
 " what is it ? You have got something to tell. 
 Speak it quickly, girl, I do not love to wait." 
 
 " Ah seigneur ! mademoiselle," replied the 
 maid, "I have heard such high words just now 
 in the hall between the Count, and Monsieur 
 de Chazeul, and Monsier de Montigni."" 
 
 The colour fled from the cheek of Rose 
 d'Albret ; but she strove hard to ask in a calm 
 and indifferent tone, what the dispute was 
 about. 
 
 "That 1 cannot tell, mademoiselle," replied
 
 180 
 
 the girl, who, like so many people in her sta- 
 tion, only gathered sufficient information to 
 alarm, but not enlighten ; " All I know is, 
 Monsieur de Liancourt looked very angry, and 
 spoke very high, and the Marquis too; and 
 Monsieur de Montigni replied coldly to my 
 Lord, saying, ' I must hear that from her own 
 lips, sir, with no one present to restrain her.' 
 But when Monsieur de Chazeul said something 
 I did not hear, the Baron turned upon him like 
 a lion, and answered ' Silence, sir ! or I shall 
 forget you are my cousin. You have heard my 
 answer. Be it as you like. I seek not the 
 conference you seem so afraid to grant, but 
 without it, I sign away no right that I possess ; * 
 and then the Marquis replied, with a scornful 
 air, 'you are mistaken, sir; I fear no confer- 
 ence between a lady who loves me and a boy 
 like you. There is no great rivalry to dread. 
 So, to keep peace in the house, you shall have 
 this interview, and that right soon;*' and then 
 he turned round and came towards the door, 
 behind which I stood, and so I came away." 
 " Hark ! " cried Rose d'Albret, " there is
 
 181 
 
 some one knocking at the ante -chamber door, 
 see who is there ! Say I am not dressed, but 
 will be so soon."' 
 
 " It is Monsieur de Chazeul, mademoiselle," 
 exclaimed the girl, after going out and return- 
 ing ; " he bade me tell you that the weather has 
 grown warmer, the frost gone, and the morning 
 is fair and sun-shiny, if when you are dressed, 
 you will join him on the ramparts, for he wishes 
 to speak with you/' 
 
 Rose laid her hand upon her brow, thought 
 for a moment, and then exclaimed, " 1 will go. 
 Quick, dress me, Blanchette. I will go." 
 
 Her toilet was concluded much sooner than 
 usual ; and in a short time, avoiding the great 
 hall, she was gliding along with a palpitating 
 heart and unsteady step, by a passage which led 
 direct to the walls. Before she opened the 
 door between the house and the rampart, how- 
 ever, Rose d'Albret paused and meditated for 
 a moment, pressed her hand upon her side as 
 if to stop the beating within, and then saying, 
 «' So — so shall it be," she went out. 
 
 Chazeul was walking away from her, towards
 
 182 ROSE D ALBRET. 
 
 the end ; but he turned the next moment, and 
 as soon as he saw her, hastened his pace to 
 meet her. Rose advanced deUberately, but was 
 not a little surprised, when, on coming near, 
 Chazeul threw his arms round her and at- 
 tempted to press his lips upon hers. She 
 repelled him in a moment, with a look of in- 
 dignant scorn, but the next instant she calmed 
 the expression of her countenance, and said, 
 " Nay, nay. Monsieur de Chazeul, you forget 
 you are not my husband yet, and never may 
 be. So take no liberties, I beg, or I go in 
 this moment." 
 
 "And never may be !" cried Chazeul. "Oh, 
 that is settled beyond all power of recall, sweet 
 Rose. I have your guardian's promise, signed 
 and sealed, dear lady, so that either Rose 
 d'Albret is my wife or a cloistered nun for life." 
 
 " Well, that is one alternative, at all events. 
 Monsieur," she answered ; " not a very pleasant 
 one indeed, nor one that I am hkely to adopt; 
 but still, do not consider me as your wife, till I 
 am so ; and take no liberties, if you would have 
 me stay with you."
 
 183 
 
 " Nay, this is but what all lovers take and 
 grant," replied Chazeul ; " however, be it as 
 you will for the present, sweet Rose." 
 
 " Lovers !" repeated Mademoiselle d'Albret, 
 " pray put the matter on its right footing, Cha- 
 zeul. It is better that we should understand 
 each other clearly. This proposed alliance is 
 what is called a mariage de convenance. I look 
 upon it as such; and so do you at your heart. 
 I am not one to love easily. Doubtless I shall 
 love my husband, when he is so; but in the 
 mean time, all that either of us looks to is, a 
 certain change in our position for the better. 
 I view the matter quite reasonably ; and so do 
 you, though you think it right to affect a little 
 passion. Not that I am insensible to the advan- 
 tage of having a handsome husband, of reputa- 
 tion and distinction ; nor you to that of having a 
 pretty and well dressed wife ; but, as the prin- 
 cipal question, there are higher points involved 
 than mere inclination. Deal with me therefore 
 candidly, Chazeul, and do not make the unne- 
 cessary attempt to deceive me with a show of 
 passion that has nothing to do with the affair.''
 
 184 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 Had Rose d'Albret assumed a warmer tone, 
 Chazeul might at once have suspected her ; but 
 her calm and reasoning manner was so con- 
 sistent with his own notions, that he aided to 
 deceive himself; and judging her cold, and in- 
 capable of any strong passion, felt more se- 
 cure than ever of the success of his schemes. 
 " Well, Rose," he said, " I do love you, what- 
 ever you may think ; and so do you love me, I 
 believe. But to speak of these higher matters 
 that you talk of: our marriage is certainly, 
 under every consideration, the best devised al- 
 liance of the times. You know that the estates 
 of Chazeul are very large, but still not large 
 enough to give me that power and influence 
 which I might obtain. The estates of Ma- 
 rennes are nearly equal; and therefore by my 
 marriage with you, according to your father's 
 and your guardian's wishes, I well nigh double 
 my station and importance. But there is some- 
 thing more, dear Rose, in favour of this mar- 
 riage; my generous uncle settles on me the 
 whole estates of Liancourt, which add vast 
 weight to all the rest, so that no member of the
 
 ROSE D'aLBRET. 185 
 
 Holy Union — ay, hardly Mayenne himself — 
 will be able to compete with me in wealth and 
 influence. Splendour and power are before us. 
 Rose, such as princes might envy; and there 
 is but one difficulty." 
 
 "Ha! What is that?" cried his fair com- 
 panion, in an eager tone. 
 
 " Why, it is this," replied the Marquis, with 
 some slight hesitation, " this boy, De Montigni, 
 you know, has been sent for to sign the contract 
 and the necessary papers. My uncle gene- 
 rously offers him, as his share of the inherit- 
 ance, all the rich benefices at the disposal of the 
 house of Liancourt. He may hold them, all but 
 the bishopric, without entering the church ; but 
 if he chooses to take that profession — and he is 
 fit for nothing else — the bishopric can be easily 
 secured to him also, and then his portion will be 
 even larger in revenue than mine. It is neces- 
 sary, however, in order to avoid after- litigation, 
 that he should sign a renunciation in regard to 
 the estates ; but this he refuses to do till — "" 
 
 " Offer him something more," cried Rose 
 d'Albret, willing to try him thoroughly; "give
 
 186 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 him the farm of Marcilly. You will scarcely 
 miss it ; and it will serve to make matters easy." 
 
 " It is a rich farm," answered Chazeul, shaking 
 his head; "but that is not the question, Rose. 
 He will not sign till he hears from your own 
 lips, that it is your wish he should.*' 
 
 " I will speak to him," said the young lady. 
 " I will speak to him directly." 
 
 " Nay, hear me first, sweet Rose," replied 
 Chazeul. "Make your words short with him. 
 Merely say, that this marriage having been de- 
 cided and your hand promised to me, you are 
 placed in a situation of great embarrassment by 
 his conduct.'' 
 
 " I can say that with truth," answered Rose 
 d'Albret; "but then," she added, "if I find he 
 remains firm, may I not offer him Marcilly?" 
 
 "It is unnecessary," said Chazeul, with an 
 impatient look; "for he has given his word, 
 and will not break it, to sign the papers, if 
 you but express a wish that he should." 
 
 "Oh, I cannot ask him," replied Rose d'Al- 
 bret, "I cannot distinctly ask him, Monsieur 
 de Chazeul."
 
 ROSE d'albret. 187 
 
 "And pray why not?" demanded Chazeul, in 
 some surprise. 
 
 " Oh, for many reasons, which I should think 
 you would see at once," answered Mademoiselle 
 d'Albret. " In the first place, it would be 
 laying myself under an obligation which I may 
 find it difiicult to acquit. All I can do is to 
 tell him truly what I feel, to tell him the em- 
 barrassment into which these events may cast 
 me, and then to let him deliver me from them 
 if he will." 
 
 " Ah ! here comes father Walter," said Cha- 
 zeul ; but the announcement gave no pleasure to 
 Rose d'Albret ; for she felt that there would be 
 more difficulty in concealing, from his eyes, what 
 were the real feelings of her heart than from 
 those of Chazeul, already blinded by his own 
 self-confidence. 
 
 Happily for her, however, father Walter had 
 fixed upon his own course ; and trusting to the 
 power which he had always possessed over her 
 mind, he thought to bind her not by promises, 
 but by principles, forgetting that when he him- 
 self favoured art and deceit, the slightest acci-
 
 188 EOSE d'albret. 
 
 dent might discover the whole, and free her from 
 the bonds which he strove to impose upon her. 
 As he approached, he beckoned Chazeul apart, 
 saying, " I have a message for you, Monsieur de 
 Chazeul. — Good morning, my daughter, I would 
 speak a word or two with you in a moment — 
 now Chazeul," he continued, when Rose had 
 advanced a step or two, " what has been done ? " 
 
 " She does not exactly promise," said Chazeul, 
 " but she owns that his conduct places her in 
 circumstances of great embarrassment, and says 
 she will tell him so— but I am sure she will do 
 what we wish. However, perhaps it might be 
 better to wait till my mother comes, before we 
 grant him this interview.'* 
 
 " I do not know," replied the priest, thought- 
 fully ; '* if we do, it will be impossible to prevent 
 De Montigni from having in the meantime some 
 private conference with the good old commander, 
 which he has not obtained as yet, for the old man 
 is not yet up, and the young one is walking in 
 the hall. But if they once meet to discuss this 
 affair, the fact will come out, that Mademoiselle 
 d'Albret was really destined by her father for
 
 ROSE d'albret. 189 
 
 your cousin. No one can tell what effect that 
 may have upon her, and therefore, it may be 
 better to let their conference take place before 
 he knows it. Once get his signature, and the 
 matter is irrevocable. At present he is only 
 vaguely aware that he has a claim to the estates. 
 He makes some merit, indeed, with her, of his 
 willingness, for her happiness, to resign his 
 right, but that will not at all counterbalance the 
 impression we have produced on her mind that, 
 in marrying you, she is fulfilling the wishes of 
 her parents, and the engagements that they had 
 made. We had every right, indeed, to produce 
 such an impression ; for the moment that De 
 Montigni renounces the estates in your favour, 
 you become the person pointed out in the 
 contract." 
 
 *' Pshaw ! never mind whether it is right or 
 wrong," replied Chazeul; "so that the end be 
 gained. But I see what you mean : you are 
 right, we must get the interview over, before he 
 gains further information. Then, his word once 
 given, he will not shrink from it. I am sure 
 she will do it, though she says that she cannot
 
 3 90 ROSE D'aLBRET. 
 
 distinctly ask him to consent, or lay herself un- 
 der an obligation to him." 
 
 " That is all the better," replied the priest ; 
 "had she promised too much I might have 
 doubted, from what I saw last night ; but now go 
 you to your uncle and make sure that there 
 is no speech between De Montigni and the 
 commander; and I will confirm her in her inten- 
 tions, as I well know how. I will join you in 
 ten minutes, and then you can send De Mon- 
 tigni up here." 
 
 Thus saying, they parted ; and, with his usual 
 slow and deliberate step, the priest advanced to 
 the spot where Mademoiselle d'Albret was walk- 
 ing thoughtfully along the battlements. 
 
 '* There is a question I wish to ask you, good 
 father,""* said Rose, beginning the conversation 
 herself, in order to guide it in the direction she 
 thought best; '*and I beg you would answer me 
 frankly. My maid tells me, that she overheard 
 high words this morning between De Montigni 
 and my guardian. What were they about?" 
 
 "Truly, daughter," replied the priest, well- 
 pleased that she had brought forward the sub-
 
 ROSE d'albret. 191 
 
 ject at once, " I cannot tell you exactly what 
 took place, for I was not present. But I know 
 that the conduct of Monsieur de Montigni is 
 giving the Count great pain, alienating his affec- 
 tion from him, and, unless something is done to 
 convince him how wrong he is, I fear we shall 
 have scenes of quarrelling and confusion, the 
 curse of long and tedious lawsuits, ay, and per- 
 haps, even bloodshed." 
 
 " Indeed ! " exclaimed Rose, with unaffected 
 horror. '*Ah ! that is very terrible. How can 
 we stop it, good father ? — What is the cause of 
 all this?" 
 
 The priest was well satisfied to see the 
 immediate effect his words produced. ** No 
 one can stop it, my dear child," he replied, 
 " unless it be yourself. I believe your en- 
 treaties would have more effect upon the mind 
 of Monsieur de Montigni than those of any one ; 
 and if you fail, matters must take their course. 
 But, at all events, if you exert yourself to restore 
 peace, you will have the blessed satisfaction of 
 having done your duty. The case is this, my 
 child," he continued, before Rose could reply :
 
 J92 
 
 " You are bound to give your hand to Mon- 
 sieur de Chazeulj by all those obligations which 
 must be most imperative upon a woman of 
 good feeling and good principles. Your uncle 
 is bound, also, by the tenor of his contract 
 with your father, to secure to this your future 
 husband the estates of Liancourt ; for that pur- 
 pose, and to avoid contentions and lawsuits, 
 it is necessary that Monsieur de Montigni 
 should make a renunciation of any claims, real 
 or imaginary, to those estates. To take from 
 him all cause for complaint, your guardian has 
 most generously consented to give him reve- 
 nues, to an equal amount, from other sources, 
 and that immediately. But Monsieur de Mon- 
 tigni resists, talks high and loud, and the only 
 thing that seems to have any effect upon him 
 is, the thought of distressing you, who were 
 brought up with him as a sister." 
 
 Rose paused thoughtfully for a few moments, 
 really moved and affected; and the priest, who 
 watched each change of .her countenance with 
 keen and practised eyes, fully believed that 
 he had gained the day. That supposition was
 
 ROSE d'albret. 198 
 
 confirmed, when she said in a low and agitated 
 voice, " Send him to me, good father, send him 
 tome!^' 
 
 " I will, my dear daughter," answered the 
 priest; ''for I feel almost sure that you will 
 be able to persuade him to a nobler and more 
 generous line of conduct. I need use no ex- 
 hortations to you, daughter, to exert your great' 
 est influence to restore peace in this family ; but, 
 let me say, that for such an object you may 
 be well justified in overstepping, in some de. 
 gree, the bounds which a timid and delicate 
 woman generally prescribes to herself. For 
 this high purpose, you may well urge him more 
 warmly and vehemently than you might other- 
 wise think reasonable and proper, and may 
 hold out to him the inducement of contributing 
 to your happiness and peace, with a view to 
 restore tranquillity and comfort in a house where 
 you have ever been treated as a daughter." 
 
 " Send him to me, good father," repeated 
 Rose d'Albret. " 1 know not what I shall 
 say or do, to effect the purpose desired ; but in 
 former days De Montigni was always generous 
 
 VOL. I. K
 
 194 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 and self-denying; and if I can restore peace 
 without any act of injustice, no personal sacri- 
 fice on my part will seem too much for me to 
 make." 
 
 She spoke sincerely, with all her previous 
 thoughts and feelings thrown into confusion ; 
 and, with a pale cheek and trembling frame, 
 she seated herself upon the parapet, and co- 
 vered her eyes with her hand. 
 
 " I will send him this moment, my child,*" 
 replied the priest, convinced even by her visi- 
 ble agitation, that he had produced the eiFect 
 he had desired. 
 
 " Stay, stay a moment," said the fair girl 
 in a faltering tone; *' I am troubled, father; 
 let me recover myself for a moment."' 
 
 " As long as you will," replied the priest ; 
 " but the sooner such a painful scene is over 
 the better." 
 
 " Now," said Rose d'Albret, after a short 
 pause, " now, good father ; and let him be 
 quick, for I fear my courage will fail." 
 
 " God's blessing go with your good work !"
 
 ROSE d'albret. 195 
 
 cried father Walter, and with a low inclination 
 of the head he retired. 
 
 At a rapid pace he sought the great hall, 
 where he found Monsieur de Liancourt seated 
 at a table, and pretending to write a letter, 
 though the agitated shaking of his hand pre- 
 vented him from tracing more than one or two 
 words in a minute. De Montigni was walking 
 up and down on the other side, with his arms 
 crossed upon his chest, and his eyes bent upon 
 the ground ; and Chazeul was standing, playing 
 with the hilt of his sword, near the door which 
 led to the ramparts. 
 
 '« All is right and safe," said the priest in 
 a low voice to the Marquis as he entered. 
 " He has not seen the Commander?'' 
 
 " No, no," whispered Chazeul; " but the 
 old man must be down soon. He is later than 
 usual." 
 
 " The change of weather always affects his 
 wounds," replied the priest; "but the sooner 
 this is over the better. — Monsieur de Montigni," 
 he continued, crossing the hall, " Mademoiselle 
 
 K 2
 
 196 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 d'Albret wishes to speak with you on the ram- 
 parts." 
 
 <' Very well," replied De Montigni, advan- 
 cing towards the door. But pausing in the midst 
 of the hall, and drawing up his head proudly, 
 he added, gazing first at Monsieur de Lian- 
 court, then at Chazeul, " Remember, gentle- 
 men, I am to have one hour unwatched, un- 
 listened to, unrestrained — ay, and uninter- 
 rupted ; and if, in that time, Mademoiselle d'Al- 
 bret distinctly asks me to sign these papers, I 
 will do it before noon to-morrow. That is our 
 compact." 
 
 " So be it," answered the Count ; and Cha- 
 zeul bent his head with a sarcastic smile.
 
 ROSE d'albret. 197 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 The heart of poor Rose d'Albret beat so fast 
 as she sat upon the battlements, leaning her 
 head and arm upon the stone-work of one of the 
 embrasures, that she feared she would faint 
 before De^ Montigni appeared. She longed 
 eagerly to think over all that had taken place 
 that morning, over her own sensations, over her 
 past, over her future conduct. But her ideas 
 were all in wild confusion ; and she could not 
 command her mind sufficiently to give them 
 anything like order and precision. In a few 
 minutes, however, she heard a step ; and looking 
 round towards the door which led across the 
 drawbridge into the chateau, she saw De Mon- 
 tigni advancing towards her with a quick pace. 
 She trembled to meet him, but yet as she gazed 
 there was nothing stern or harsh or cold in his
 
 198 ROSE DALBRET. 
 
 countenance. It was somewhat grave, perhaps ; 
 but still there was a hght in his eyes, a look 
 of hopefulness and satisfaction. It was more 
 like that of the youth, who had left her five 
 years before, than it had appeared since his 
 return; and, as he came near he held out his 
 hand towards her, saying, " Rose ! — dear 
 Rose ! " 
 
 She could not resist the tone and the manner ; 
 but starting up at once, she placed both her 
 hands in his, while the warm blood of emo- 
 tion mounted up into her cheeks and fore- 
 head, and made her whole face one glow. The 
 next moment her eyes were drowned in tears ; 
 but De Montigni, without noticing them, drew 
 her arm through his, and led her towards the 
 further part of the rampart, while good old 
 Estoc, with a heavy sword by his side, appeared 
 upon the flying bridge, and leaned over the 
 chains, looking into the space below. 
 
 **Dry your tears, dearest Rose," said De 
 Montigni; "dry your tears, and calm your 
 heart, and listen with your whole mind to one 
 who has always loved you, as a boy, as a youth,
 
 ROSE d'albret. 199 
 
 as a man — one who is ready at your slightest 
 word to make any or every sacrifice, but to 
 procure you one moment's happiness." 
 
 " Oh, De Montigni ! " exclaimed Rose d'Al- 
 bret, " do not speak to me so tenderly, do not 
 speak to me so kindly, or any little calmness, 
 any little power over my mind that I may hope 
 to possess, will be lost altogether." 
 
 " Nay, that must not be. Rose," replied De 
 Montigni ; " I have need of your full attention, 
 dearest Rose, and I have not come here to agi- 
 tate or afflict you. I have sought this inter- 
 view that we may understand each other clearly 
 and fully, or rather, that I may know and be 
 quite sure that, in anything I do, I am really 
 consulting your wishes and your happiness, and 
 that you are not deceived, as I have been, in 
 regard to the circumstances of your position." 
 
 " Alas, De Montigni ! " answered his fair com- 
 panion, " I fear no explanation can deliver me 
 from the terrible embarrassment in which I am 
 placed. Indeed, indeed, I know not which way 
 to turn or what to do. I would give worlds, I 
 would do anything, to restore peace to this
 
 200 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 family ; but I have no right to ask you to make 
 sacrifices, I have no right to injure or to distress 
 you/' 
 
 " Talk not of sacrifices, Rose," replied De 
 Montigni in a mournful tone ; " talk not of 
 sacrifices to me. I am ready to make any, all 
 for your dear sake. You have nothing to do 
 but to command, and I will obey ; but it is upon 
 the sole condition that I know it to be for your 
 happiness; and first, Rose, let me beseech you 
 to tell me, how you conceive you stand regard- 
 ing this marriage." 
 
 "I do not understand you," replied Made- 
 moiselle d'Albret; "how do you mean, De 
 Montigni ? " 
 
 '' We have but an hour, Rose, for all that we 
 have to say," answered De Montigni, " there- 
 fore forgive me if I ask you plain and straight- 
 forward questions upon subjects into which I 
 have, perhaps, no right to inquire ; and answer 
 me candidly and frankly — I know you will. 
 First, dearest Rose, is it love, or what you con- 
 sider duty, that binds you to Nicholas de Cha- 
 zeul?''
 
 ROSE D'ALBRET. 201 
 
 " Duty, duty," replied Rose d' Albret eagerly ; 
 then placing her hand upon her brow, she 
 thought for an instant, and added with a melan- 
 choly shake of the head, "Love? Ah, no! 
 Alas, love has little to do with it, on either 
 side!'^ 
 
 " Then almost all my questions are answer- 
 ed, Rose," replied De Montigni, taking her 
 hand, and pressing it in his own. 
 
 " Nay, do not, do not, Louis," said his fair 
 companion; "you agitate, you alarm me. I 
 must do my duty, De Montigni; I have pro- 
 mised to endeavour to restore peace to this 
 household. Remember, I must obey — I must 
 fulfil the engagement entered into by my fa- 
 ther." 
 
 " Then, Rose d'Albret," replied the young 
 nobleman, " you are the bride of Louis de 
 Montigni, and not of Nicholas de Chazeul •* 
 the bride of one who has loved you from in- 
 fancy, not of a cold and heartless villain, who 
 loves nothing but himself." 
 
 Rose d'Albret turned, withdrew her arm, and 
 gazed upon him for a moment in pale and
 
 202 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 speechless astonishment. The next moment 
 her hps too turned white, and she would have 
 fallen had not her lover caught her in his arms. 
 
 Poor De Montigni knew little of woman's 
 heart, and could ill distinguish between the 
 effects of mere emotion and distress. He car- 
 ried rather than led her to the side of the wall, 
 and seating her in one of the embrasures, has- 
 tened to reassure her, as he thought. " Lis- 
 ten to me, Rose, listen to me, dearest girl," 
 he said ; " De Montigni is not about to take 
 advantage of any circumstances of his situation. 
 It is for you, as I said just now, to com- 
 mand, and for me to obey. I am ready at a 
 word to renounce my inheritance, my rights, 
 my hopes — yes, Rose, even you yourself — if it 
 be necessary for your happiness — I forgive you 
 for having deceived me but now. If you now 
 answer that you love this man, I am wilUng, 
 ready to renounce all, even my newly awakened 
 joy, that you may be at peace. I shall soon 
 find repose on some field of battle." 
 
 " I have promised nothing," murmured Rose 
 d'Albret to herself; " Thank God, I have pro-
 
 ROSE d'albret. 208 
 
 mised nothing ! I have acquiesced in what they 
 told me was a duty — nothing more— Oh no, no, 
 thank God, I have done no moref and she 
 burst into a passionate flood of tears. 
 
 After a moment, however, she dried them 
 suddenly and looked up. " What was it you 
 said, De Montigni?" she cried; "tell it me 
 again ! It seems like a dream. Tell it me 
 again. Surely you said I was not doomed to 
 wed Chazeul!" 
 
 Louis de Montigni gazed upon her with a 
 look in which surprise, and joy, and thankful- 
 ness gradually rose up like the increasing flame 
 upon an altar. " Oh, Rose," he said, " your 
 words give me life. I did say you were not 
 doomed to wed Chazeul. Your fate depends 
 upon your own decision, and upon my actions, 
 which your decision will rule. Listen to me, 
 dear one, and I will in a few short words ex- 
 plain all. We shall have much to speak of 
 afterwards, so mark well every point. My 
 uncle, the Commander, will confirm all I say, 
 if you doubt me." 
 
 "Doubt you, De Montigni? Doubt you?''''
 
 204 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 asked Rose d'Albret, extending her hand to 
 him. " I 'd sooner doubt myself. But speak, 
 Louis, speak. What have you to tell?" 
 
 " A brief tale, but a sad one," answered De 
 Montigni. "In years long gone, your guar- 
 dian, the Count, being then married to your 
 aunt, and childless, the good old Commander 
 made a renunciation, on my father's marriage, 
 of all his claims to the estates of Liancourt in 
 my mother's favour. I became, therefore, the 
 presumptive heir ; and your good father entered 
 into a contract with my uncle, the Count, by 
 which, in case of his death, you were to become 
 the ward of Monsieur de Liancourt, and to wed 
 the nephew to whom his estates naturally de- 
 scended. Since then, I find, the Count has 
 been persuaded by some persons — my aunt Jac- 
 queline de Chazeul, I believe, and I fear the 
 priest also — to favour a scheme foy substituting 
 Chazeul in place of myself. The particulars of 
 the contract have been kept secret from you and 
 me. 1 have been sent afar till the whole plot 
 was mature; you have been taught to consider 
 yourself as the promised bride of another. My
 
 ROSE d'albret. 205 
 
 renunciation, however, was necessary, in order 
 that, by rendering Chazeul the heir of the 
 estates of Liancourt, it might give validity to 
 your marriage with him, in the face of which 
 stands my uncle's contract with your father so 
 long as the ^es^ates are entailed upon me. For 
 this purpose was I sent for from Italy, still kept 
 in ignorance. But I had never forgotten Rose 
 d'Albret. I shrunk from signing away my 
 birthright without inquiry. Forgive me. Rose, 
 forgive me, if I say I would have done anything 
 to obstruct — ay, even to delay for a day or hour, 
 your marriage with another. Then came the 
 priest to talk with me ; and from him — by a slip 
 of the tongue, I believe — I learned my claim to 
 the estates. In a private interview vrith my 
 uncle, the Commander, I learned my whole 
 rights, and the contract signed by your father. 
 The whole villanous scheme was in short ex- 
 posed ; and from others rather than my own 
 presumption, I learned to hope — what shall I 
 say? — that Rose d'Albret might as willingly 
 unite her fate with the companion of her girl- 
 hood, as with a man whom she must, when his
 
 206 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 fraud is all discovered, in some degree condemn. 
 Yet still, Rose, still, if your heart leads you 
 towards him, speak but the word ! De Montigni 
 is yours : without you I am nothing — fortune, 
 rank, hope, life itself, is an empty bubble. All 
 shall be resigned at your first bidding ; and to 
 know I have made you happy by my own 
 wretchedness, shall be the consolation of my 
 remaining days, the one sole light of a dark 
 existence, the friendly hand that closes my 
 willing eyes in death. But if not — if you have 
 been but constrained by a cold sense of duty — 
 if you can find happiness with one who has 
 always loved you — if you can give your heart 
 in return for passion such as you deserve — oh 
 Rose, oh, my beloved ! " 
 
 He held out his arms to her as he spoke ; the 
 wall shaded them from observation: he drew 
 nearer, more near ; and Rose d'Albret, with a 
 cheek of crimson, and overflowing eyes, bent 
 forward her head and sobbed upon his bosom. 
 
 "Thou art mine! thou art mine! Thou 
 dearest and best beloved," cried De Montigni, 
 clasping her to his heart. "But hark!" he
 
 ROSE d'albret. 207 
 
 exclaimed, " there is the clock striking ten. 
 We have but half an hour, Rose, to settle all 
 our plans. Thou art mine, however; and it 
 shall be a strong hand that tears thee from me." 
 
 " But, oh, De Montigni," exclaimed Rose 
 d'Albret, withdrawing herself from his arms 
 and looking up with apprehension in her face, 
 " How will all this end ? There will be strife 
 — there may be bloodshed l"' 
 
 " Fear not, dear one," answered her lover. 
 "It is that which I would fain avoid; and if 
 Rose d'Albret will deign for the sake of De 
 Montigni, to overstep some cold proprieties, to 
 trust herself entirely to one in whom she has 
 acknowledged she can confide, to fly to the 
 court of the King with her promised, her con- 
 tracted husband, all difficulties, all dangers will 
 be at an end ; and in our sovereign's presence, 
 with all the nobility of France to witness, we 
 will pledge our vows at the altar, let who will 
 gainsay it." 
 
 « To fly !— Oh, Louis," cried Rose d'Albret; 
 but the next moment she bent down her eyes, 
 placed her hand in his, and added in a low tone.
 
 208 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 " But I am yours. Do with me what you will. 
 I know you would not wrong me." 
 
 " Not for the joy of heaven," answered De 
 Montigni. " But it is the only way, dear Rose, 
 to avoid evils innumerable, strife, contention, 
 and a thousand black and terrible things hidden 
 from us by the dark curtain of the future. You 
 must fly with me, dear Rose. You must fly 
 with me this very night." 
 
 " To-night ! " said the young lady; '« to-night, 
 Louis?" but, after a moment's thought, she 
 continued, "Yet it must be so, I believe. To- 
 morrow might be too late ; and perhaps, they 
 may not let me speak with you again, Louis." 
 
 " If they discover the nature of our conversa- 
 tion most certainly they will not," replied De 
 Montigni ; " but that we must conceal from 
 them. I am not one to teach you deceit, dear 
 Rose. God forbid that you should lose that 
 bright candour which, to the mind, is what the 
 hue of warm health is to the face. But these 
 people have dealt wrongfully with you and me ; 
 to deliver you from their hands without long 
 contention, there is but one way open ; and we
 
 ROSE d'albret. 209 
 
 are not bound to reveal our plans and purposes, 
 our views and feelings, to those who would mis- 
 use their knowledge." 
 
 " But if they ask me ?" said Rose d'Albret ; 
 " what can I do ? — what can I say ? " 
 
 " Say as little as possible, my beloved,"' an- 
 swered De Montigni. " Enter into no particu- 
 lars ; merely tell them that you found me very 
 resolute ; but add, that my decision must rest 
 with myself, after what you have said, and that 
 you beheve, upon due consideration of all the 
 circumstances, I will do what is right. Be sure 
 too, dear Rose, that you may safely say so ; for 
 I will do what is right to the utmost. Then if 
 they try to investigate more closely, boldly re- 
 fuse to answer. Say that, to tell them all the 
 words which passed between us would be to 
 betray my confidence, and you will not do it. 
 Let them not lead you on from one thing to 
 another, but keep your reply to as simple a 
 statement as possible." 
 
 "I will ! I will !" replied Rose d'Albret; "I 
 know the danger of suffering them to entangle 
 me in explanations or discussion.'*
 
 210 ROSE D'aLBRET. 
 
 " And particularly beware of the priest," ad- 
 ded her lover. " He is not honest, Rose, and 
 has made himself their tool." 
 
 "I fear it is so," answered the young lady. 
 " Even now he tried to deceive me, and partly 
 succeeded."" 
 
 " Let him not do so again, dear one," said 
 De Montigni; "but there is another person of 
 whom you must likewise have a care. I mean 
 Madame de Chazeul. She will be here soon, and 
 though, perhaps, I judged harshly of her while 
 I was a boy, I find my good uncle, the Com- 
 mander, her own brother, is but little more 
 merciful to her character." 
 
 *'If she be coming, I will hide myself," an- 
 swered Rose. " Oh, she is a horrible woman ! 
 I always avoid her ; I always abhor her company. 
 I remember well things she has said that froze 
 my blood. She scoffs at the very thought of 
 goodness and honour; and with her serpent- 
 tongue would have one believe, that no one is 
 virtuous but in appearance; and yet I have 
 heard her as bitter against others for light 
 faults, as if she had none herself."
 
 ROSE D'ALBRET. 211 
 
 " She is treacherous too, as well as malevolent, 
 I find,*' replied De Montigni ; " therefore avoid 
 her to-day as much as possible, dearest." 
 
 *' I have a bad head-ache, Louis, with all this 
 agitation," said Rose ; " but I am glad of it ; for 
 it will give me a fair excuse for lying down 
 again. Burdened with the secret now in my 
 bosom, I would not spend a day with that wo- 
 man for the world. She would try all means, to 
 make me tell her everything that has passed or 
 force me to a lie to conceal it.'* 
 
 " Perhaps your plan may be the best," re- 
 joined De Montigni; "but remember, dear 
 Rose, you will have to wake and rise an hour 
 after midnight, to fly with him who loves you.*' 
 
 *' But how, Louis? how?" asked Mademoi- 
 selle d'Albret. " Remember in these times the 
 gates are guarded." 
 
 " All that is settled and laid out," replied her 
 lover. " Only be ready, dear one, to come with 
 me at the hour I name. Bring little with you ; 
 leave jewels, and clothes, and all behind. All I 
 seek, all I desire, is Rose herself; and though, 
 perhaps, amidst these contentions, your guar-
 
 212 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 dian may keep us long from our rights in your 
 inheritance, yet De Montigni has enough for 
 himself and her he loves ; and I do not think 
 that Rose will murmur at the want of splendour 
 and high estate, if her heart be satisfied with its 
 choice." 
 
 Rose d'Albret gazed at him with a bright 
 smile, for she could not but contrast with plea- 
 sure, his thoughts with those of Chazeul. " I 
 will be ready, Louis," she said, " and I will own, 
 a crust of bread, with one who feels as you do, 
 will be better to me than splendour and feasting 
 with another. But there is one difficulty, Louis," 
 she added, suddenly, while the smile passed 
 away, and a look of apprehension took its place. 
 ''What can I do with my maid Blanchette? I 
 thought the girl was honest and true, but these 
 people have corrupted her. Every one who ap- 
 proaches me seems to have been gained by some 
 means ; and, with those who have not been so 
 gained, they have long suffered me to have no 
 private conversation. Even with the good old 
 Commander himself, since he returned hither 
 from Paris, about two months ago, they have
 
 ROSE d'albret. 213 
 
 not allowed me to speak for a moment without 
 some one being present. But Blanchette, what 
 is to be done about Blanchette? She owned 
 this morning that she had received bribes from 
 Chazeul to a considerable extent." 
 
 De Montigni mused. " We must find some 
 remedy, dear Rose,'* he rephed at length: "a 
 person who has received one bribe will gene- 
 rally not refuse another, and I must try to 
 outbid Chazeul. But why should she have 
 any part in the affair? Why should she know 
 it at all?" 
 
 " She sleeps in my anteroom," answered 
 Rose d'Albret. " I cannot pass out without 
 her hearing me." 
 
 " There is the window, dearest Rose," said 
 her lover ; " it is but a few feet above the wall ; 
 and we must try that, if other resources fail. 
 At all events, be at the window at one. I 
 will come to speak to you there, and tell you 
 what is arranged. You must be quite ready, 
 however, dearest Rose; for our safety may de- 
 pend upon a moment." 
 
 " My heart sinks when I think of it," replied
 
 214 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 Rose d'Albret. ^^ But yet, Louis — but yet, 
 Louis," she answered, *' I will not hesitate ; for 
 it is the only way to escape from a fate, of which 
 I now feel, for the first time, all the wretched- 
 ness : — but how shall I know when you are be- 
 neath the windov/ ?" 
 
 " I will reach up and knock with the point 
 of my sword," answered De Montigni, " and then 
 we must speak low, lest any one should hear. 
 — Hark ! there are voices ; the time, I suppose, 
 is at an end. Adieu ! dearest Rose, adieu ! 
 Be ready — pray be ready ; for I feel sure that 
 happiness will attend us. Nevertheless, let 
 us now have grave and serious countenances ; 
 for we must not let them see, that there are 
 any warmer feelings in our hearts." 
 
 " I shall not find it difficult to look grave, 
 Louis,'* replied the lady; '" for it is a hard ne- 
 cessity that drives me to do that which I do. 
 — But, hark ! they are surely quarrelling 
 there!" 
 
 '' 'Tis Estoc will not suffer Chazeul to pass, 
 I dare say," answered De Montigni. 
 
 " Go, Louis, go," cried Mademoiselle d'Al-
 
 ROSE D'aLBRET. 215 
 
 bret ; " for heaven's sake, do not let them dis- 
 pute. — Adieu ! adieu !" 
 
 They were at this moment on a part of the 
 walls which, running round from the draw- 
 bridge we have mentioned, passed under a 
 defence which was called the cavalier, and 
 was concealed by it from the windows of the 
 building, as well as from the bridge and the 
 rest of the rampart. De Montigni felt strongly 
 inclined to press his fair companion to his 
 heart before he left her ; but he wisely refrain- 
 ed, and looking up to the top of the cavalier, 
 he had cause to be satisfied with his own self- 
 command ; for just above the parapet, he caught 
 sight of part of a man's head, evidently watch- 
 ing them. 
 
 Taking Rose's hand, then, he bent his head 
 over it, whispering, " We are watched, Rose ;'' 
 and, adding aloud, " Farewell, then, Mademoi- 
 selle d'Albret, I will consider all you have said," 
 he took a step back, bowed low, and retired 
 along the wall. 
 
 When he came within sight of the bridge, 
 he found that, as he had supposed, the good
 
 216 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 old soldier had thrust himself right in the 
 way of Chazeul, and holding his sheathed sword 
 in his left hand, seemed ready to draw it if 
 the other attempted to pass him. Chazeul was 
 in the act of turning to speak to some person 
 behind ; and De Montigni heard him exclaim 
 aloud, '* Call Monsieur de Liancourt I"" 
 
 The moment, however, that Estoc caught 
 sight of the young Baron advancing rapidly 
 along the wall, he dropped the sword back 
 into its place, and suffered Chazeul to come 
 forward. The cheek and brow of the latter 
 were fiery red, and his eye flashing with anger, 
 as he exclaimed, 
 
 " This is very modest and proper indeed, 
 Monsieur de Montigni ! Do you forget that 
 you are in your uncle's chateau, that you thus 
 set a guard upon his walls to prevent his family 
 from passing ?" 
 
 " To ensure, sir, that they keep their word 
 with me," said De Montigni. " I am quite 
 well aware that I have but little more right than 
 yourself to command in this place ; however, 
 do not let us quarrel, Chazeul," he added- with
 
 ROSE d'albret. 2V7 
 
 a serious air ; " we have things of more serious 
 consequence to think of — at least I have." 
 
 " I dare say you have," replied Chazeul with 
 a triumphant smile, judging from his cousin's 
 countenance that all things had gone accord- 
 ing to his own wishes. " Well, what is the result 
 of your conference ? '* 
 
 " Of that hereafter," answered De Montigni, 
 passing on. " Nay, no words at present, good 
 Estoc," he continued, seeing the old soldier 
 eyeing Chazeul with an angry glance, " let the 
 past be forgotten, if you would not grieve me." 
 " But one warning first to this young gentle- 
 man," said Estoc ; '' Do not use such words again 
 to a French gentleman, Monsieur de Chazeul ; 
 for I give you fair notice, that, if I be the one 
 on whom you spend them, I will send my sword 
 through your body, as I have done to many a 
 better man than yourself before now." 
 
 *' You might not find me quite tranquil under 
 such an honour. Master Estoc,"** replied Cha- 
 zeul ; '' but I will take care that you shall be 
 chastised for your insolence, by those whom it 
 may better become to meddle with you :" and 
 
 VOL. I. L
 
 218 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 thus saying, he followed De Montigni over the 
 bridge and through the passage into the hall. 
 
 To say the truth, the heart of Louis de Mon- 
 tigni was not quite at ease; for, how long he 
 had been watched from the cavalier, and how 
 much of what he had said had been overheard, 
 he could not tell. The small part of the man's 
 head which he had observed, did not enable 
 him to judge who it was that had been playing 
 the eaves-dropper ; and he more feared the 
 priest than any one else. But when he entered 
 the hall he found father Walter there, and his 
 uncle absent; and, the moment after, Monsieur 
 de Liancourt himself appeared with an air of 
 so much satisfaction, that De Montigni's appre- 
 hensions of discovery were at an end. 
 
 "Well, Louis," said the Count, «I trust 
 you are satisfied, and that you have made up 
 your mind to yield all this idle resistance, and 
 sign the papers at last with a good grace." 
 
 *' I have promised my reply before noon to- 
 morrow," replied De Montigni with a frown 
 upon his brow ; for he was not well pleased with 
 the pitiful art which had been used towards
 
 ROSE d'aLBRET. 219 
 
 him. " Before I sign anything, however, I must 
 read the papers, and consider them well ; it is 
 but fair to know, what I am asked to do." 
 
 " You are mightily long and deliberate. Mon- 
 sieur de Montigni," said Chazeul ; " I under- 
 stood that you were to make up your mind by 
 what Mademoiselle d'Albret thought fit to say. 
 Now I will take it upon myself to affirm, that 
 she did ask you to sign them.'* 
 
 " You are wrong. Monsieur de Chazeul," re- 
 plied his cousin, turning upon him sternly, " she 
 did not." 
 
 *' You are too frank and noble, my son, I am 
 sure," observed father Walter, "to have re- 
 course to an evasion ; and we have every reason 
 to suppose that, if the young lady did not ac- 
 tually ask you to put your hand to these do- 
 cuments, she did what was tantamount, and 
 expressed some wish that it should be so." 
 
 " I have every reason to think so too," said 
 Monsieur de Liancourt ; '* nay, indeed, I am 
 sure of it. Come, Louis, be frank, and tell us 
 what she did say upon the subject.*" 
 
 De Montigni mused for a moment, and then 
 
 l2
 
 220 ROSE D'ALBRET. 
 
 replied, '' Our conversation was long, sir, and 1 
 have neither will nor power to repeat it all ; but 
 the only words which she used, that could at all 
 bear the interpretation you would give to them, 
 were, as far as I can remember them, these; 
 That she would give worlds, she would do any- 
 thing to restore peace to the family, but that 
 she had no right to ask me to make sacrifices, 
 or to injure or to distress me." 
 
 " I think nothing could be more plain," said 
 father Walter; "surely, my son, you cannot 
 pretend to misunderstand her meaning ? " 
 
 " I do not pretend to misunderstand her at 
 all, good father,"" answered the young nobleman ; 
 " and I am in no degree disposed to cavil or to 
 evade. I will not be hurried, however, in any 
 of my proceedings. By what Mademoiselle 
 d*Albret judges best for her own happiness, I 
 will be guided ; and, as I said before, ere noon 
 to-morrow I shall be prepared to act decidedly. 
 In the meantime I require to see these papers ; 
 and as, perhaps, it may be needful that I should 
 have some one with me to explain to me, while 
 reading them, anything I do not understand, I
 
 ROSE d'aLBRET. 221 
 
 should wish uncle Michael, or father Walter 
 here, or both, to be present with me while I 
 look over them." 
 
 '* Oh, father Walter by all means ! " cried 
 Monsieur de Liancourt; "you know my bro- 
 ther Michael, though as good a soldier as ever 
 lived, is nothing but a soldier. He does not 
 understand these things at all." 
 
 " And I but little,"" rejoined the priest. 
 *' However, if Monsieur de Montigni is content 
 that I should be his fellow-student, I am most 
 willing to give him any explanation in my 
 power." 
 
 *' Madame de Chazeul is just coming into the 
 court-yard, my lord,'' said a servant, hurrying 
 up the hall and addressing Monsieur de Lian- 
 court. 
 
 " 1 must go down to receive her," exclaimed 
 the Count. " Then it is understood, De Mon- 
 tigni, that you will read the papers with father 
 Walter ? Fix the hour yourself, and you shall 
 have them." 
 
 Thus saying he hastened away; and, after a few 
 minutes' more conversation with the priest, De
 
 222 ROSE D'ALBRET. 
 
 Montigni went in search of his uncle, the Com- 
 mander, whom he found walking up and down 
 the corridor. Father Walter remained for an 
 instant talking to Chazeul, but the old Com- 
 mander had scarcely time to say to his nephew, 
 " Well, boy, well, is all settled? " and De Mon- 
 tigni to answer, ** To my heart's content, my 
 dear uncle," when the step of Chazeul was 
 heard approaching. 
 
 '' Devil fly away with the fellow," said the 
 old soldier : " when I found that you were with 
 our dear little Rose, I got out of his way, for 
 fear I should betray myself; and now here he 
 comes again. Keep it close, Louis, keep it 
 close ! No stratagem ever succeeded but with a 
 shut mouth. — Ah, Chazeul ! are not you going 
 to see your mother? She is in the court they 
 tell me." 
 
 " She will be here directly, sir," replied 
 Chazeul, " then I shall see her ; " and, attaching 
 himself to their party, he remained for the evi- 
 dent purpose of preventing any private commu- 
 nication between them.
 
 ROSE d'albret. 223 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Those who have visited France in the pre- 
 sent day, who have travelled over that rich 
 and fertile land from end to end, who have 
 journeyed through its least frequented districts, 
 and examined into the nooks and corners which 
 are but little exposed to the eye of the ordinary 
 traveller, have yet, in general, but a very faint 
 idea of the scene it presented at the period of 
 which we write. Yet were they to bring history 
 to aid their researches, from time to time, they 
 would discover such fragments of a former day as 
 might enable them to call up before their eyes 
 a true picture of France during the wars of the 
 League, as a Buckland or a Sedgwick, from 
 the teeth and bones of long extinct animals, 
 and from the leaves of trees that have decayed 
 for thousands of years, are enabled to raise up
 
 224 ROSE D ALBRET. 
 
 from the waves of time an image of a by-gone 
 world, and people it with monstrous things, 
 such as the eye of man probably never beheld 
 in actual existence. 
 
 The whole country towards the end of the 
 sixteenth century, torn with factions, desolated 
 by rapine, stained with bloodshed, knew nought 
 of commerce, manufactures, or arts ; and even 
 agriculture itself, on which the daily support 
 of the people depended, was accompanied with 
 terror and danger. Thus hamlets and villages, 
 through wide districts of the most fertile parts 
 of France, were swept away or left vacant; 
 the houses of the farmer and the labourer had 
 grown few, and were sometimes defended with 
 trenches and pallisades against any of the 
 smaller bands that roved the country ; the 
 greater part of the population was gathered 
 into fortified cities ; and the rest of the king- 
 dom was dotted with chateaux and maisons 
 fortes, generally at a considerable distance fi*om 
 each other, often in the hands of opposite fac- 
 tions, and always prepared for stern resistance 
 against the attack of an enemy.
 
 ROSE d'albret. 225 
 
 In the part of the country of which we have 
 oeen writing, these castles of the old feudal 
 nobility were somewhat numerous ; and we must 
 now beg leave to remove the reader for a time 
 from the Chateau de Marzay to that of Chazeul, 
 which lay, as he has been already informed, 
 at no great distance. We must also go back 
 to an early hour in the morning of that day of 
 which we have just been speaking, in order 
 that those who peruse these pages may be made 
 acquainted with some events which weave them- 
 selves into the web of the history as we proceed 
 with our task. 
 
 It was at an early hour then — perhaps a little 
 before six o'clock; and, though there was a 
 certain degree of grey mingling with the black- 
 ness over head, yet the light of a wintry morn- 
 ing had not sufficiently dawned to enable any 
 one to see within the various rooms of the 
 chateau. It was at this period that, in a small 
 chamber, plainly furnished, and somewhat high 
 up in one of the many towers of which the 
 building consisted, there sat a very lovely 
 girl, reading by the light of a small lamp a 
 
 L 5
 
 226 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 number of old letters which seemed to cause 
 deep and painful emotions in her heart ; for the 
 tears streamed rapidly down her cheeks, and al- 
 most drowned her sight, as she continued that 
 which seemed a sad and sorrowful task. 
 
 The eyes from which those drops poured so 
 rapidly, were large and black as jet, but soft and 
 yet lustrous, even when swimming in the dew of 
 grief. Her hair too, and her fine eyebrows, were 
 of the same inky hue, but her skin was beauti- 
 fully fair and clear, with a faint tinge of the rose 
 in the soft cheek. In years she might be some- 
 where between eighteen and twenty, delicate in 
 form, yet with limbs so well proportioned and 
 lines so exquisitely drawn by the pencil of the 
 Great Artist, that every movement displayed 
 some new grace, whether when leaning her 
 head on her hand, she bent down over the page, 
 or raised her look suddenly to heaven, as if ap- 
 pealing on high for comfort or for justice. 
 
 Her back as she sat was turned towards the 
 door; and her whole soul was evidently busy 
 with the task before her — too busy as it proved;
 
 ROSE d'albret. 227 
 
 for she heard no step upon the stairs ; she heard 
 no hand upon the lock ; she heard no movement 
 in the room. She fancied that all in the house, 
 but her own sad self, were sleeping quietly till 
 the break of day. But it was not so ; for as she 
 bent over the pages, the door behind her opened 
 quietly, and an elderly woman, dressed in the ex- 
 treme fashion of the day, though in a travelling 
 costume, looked in, and then paused suddenly on 
 seeing the light and the figure I have described. 
 Her features were aquiline and strongly mark- 
 ed, her eyes keen and sunk, her figure tall and 
 upright, but upon the faded cheek, even at that 
 early hour, might be seen a glow of red, which, 
 it needed no very practised eye to discover, was 
 laid on by another hand than that of nature; 
 and her eyebrows also betrayed a debt to art. 
 
 She paused as I have said for a moment at 
 the door, then advanced with noiseless step, the 
 perfect silence of which was produced by the 
 slippers of fur which she wore to defend her 
 feet in travelling from the cold; and approach- 
 ing the fair reader from behind, she stretched
 
 228 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 forth her long, and somewhat meagre neck, and 
 peered over her shoulder at the papers on 
 the table. 
 
 The next instant, she laid her large thin hand 
 upon them with a firm and heavy pressure ; and 
 the poor girl, starting up with a short scream, 
 stood before her, with face and lips as white as 
 those of death, eyes gazing with astonishment 
 and fear, and limbs as motionless as if she 
 had been turned into stone. 
 
 ''What is this, Helen de la Tremblade?" 
 said the Marehioness de Chazeul, in a sharp and 
 ringing tone ; '* What is this, girl ? Answer me 
 this moment/* 
 
 " Oh, madam, pardon me ! pardon me ! " cried 
 the poor girl, falling at her feet. 
 
 "Pardon you?" said the lady, with a bitter 
 look ; " I will first see what I have to pardon;"" 
 and she began to gather up the letters. 
 
 ''Oh no! no! no!" exclaimed the other, 
 starting on her feet again, and endeavouring to 
 snatch them away. " You must not — no you 
 must not ! Do with me what you will; but do
 
 ROSE d'albret. 229 
 
 not read those. They are mine, madam, — they 
 are mine alone ! " 
 
 But the Marchioness thrust her rudely back, 
 till she reeled to the other side of the room, at 
 the same time crying, " How now, jade ! Yours ? 
 I will read every word. Sit down upon that 
 stool, and move a step if you dare. — But I will 
 secure you ! " and, first gathering up the letters, 
 she turned to the door, locked it, and walking 
 back to the table laid the key upon it, while she 
 drew a seat facing the poor culprit, and repeat- 
 ed, " Sit down, this instant ! " 
 
 The unhappy girl obeyed, and covered her 
 face, now crimson, with her trembling hands ; 
 and Madame de Chazeul drawing the lamp 
 nearer to her, began to read the letter which lay 
 at the top, commenting, as she proceeded, in a low 
 hoarse voice, like the croak of a raven towards the 
 approach of day. " Ha ! " she said, as she went 
 on, " Chazeul's hand ! Good ! I might have 
 divined this. ' Eternal love and passion ! ' — Fool ! 
 There 's nothing eternal but folly.'' 
 
 Farther on, however, she seemed to find
 
 230 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 matter which occupied her more deeply ; for her 
 muttered words ceased, her brow put on a still 
 heavier frown, and her small black eyes flashed 
 with double fierceness. "How? how?" she 
 cried, after nearly finishing the letter ; " and is 
 it so ? What need I more ? This is enough in 
 conscience — Oh, base girl ! But I will see 
 more — I will see more ! " and she turned to an- 
 other page. 
 
 When she had read some way farther, she laid 
 the letter down again upon the table, and gazed 
 at it sternly for several moments, with thoughts 
 evidently busy afar; and then turning to the 
 poor girl, who sat with her face still covered 
 with her hands, she said, " Come hither ! " 
 
 The girl obeyed with slow, trembling, and 
 uncertain steps, not daring to raise her eyes. 
 When she was near, however, she once more 
 sank upon her knees before the harsh and 
 heartless woman in whose power she was, and 
 lifted her hands as if in the act of supplication ; 
 but for several moments her lips refused their 
 office, and no sound of voice was heard. At
 
 ROSE d'aLBRET. 231 
 
 length when she did speak it was only to say, 
 " Forgive me, oh forgive me ! " 
 
 " Perhaps I will," replied the Marchioness, 
 in a somewhat softer tone, though at the same 
 time there was a lurking sneer at the corner of 
 her mouth that showed no very merciful sensa- 
 tions, " perhaps I will, if you instantly make a 
 full confession. Tell me how all this happened, 
 without disguise ; and perhaps your shame may 
 be yet concealed. Speak, girl, speak.'' 
 
 "Oh, what can I say?" cried the unhappy 
 girl, " you know all now ; you see the words 
 he used, the promises he made ; you know that 
 I was left entirely to his guidance. Often when 
 you were away, he has been here for weeks 
 together; when you were here, he was always 
 suffered to be w^ith me. Long I resisted — for 
 two years : ever since my uncle placed me with 
 you, has he tempted, and urged, and vowed, 
 and I refused. But I was like a besieged city 
 without assistance or support, and was driven 
 to yield at length, when perhaps deliverance 
 was at hand."
 
 232 ROSE d'aLBRET. 
 
 " Without assistance and support, base girl !" 
 cried Madame de Chazeul, " why did you not 
 tell me? and you should have soon had aid." 
 
 " Ohj lady !" replied Helen de la Tremblade, 
 " I did tell you at first, when his words were 
 not so clear; and you scoffed and jeered at me 
 till I dared not say more; and, after that, I 
 learned to love him. Then, for his sake, I 
 dared not speak." 
 
 " So it was my fault, was it?" said the Mar- 
 chioness with a look of haughty contempt. 
 " Thus is it ever ; when a fool commits a folly, 
 it is ever because somebody else did not counsel 
 or help him. Was I the guardian of your 
 virtue, girl?" 
 
 " You should have been," replied Helen de 
 la Tremblade, a momentary spark of indigna- 
 tion rising in her breast as the worm was tram- 
 pled on, *' you should have been, against your 
 own son." 
 
 " Ha ! " cried the Marchioness with a flash- 
 ing eye ; but then, restraining herself, she de- 
 manded, "Who brought these letters? Who 
 was the pander to your guilt ?"
 
 ROSE d'albret. 233 
 
 " Nay, do not ask me that," said her un- 
 happy companion ; " be angry with me, if you 
 will ; ask what you please about myself; but do 
 not, do not vent your wrath on others." 
 
 " Will you say ? " cried the Marchioness, in a 
 furious tone. " This moment, will you say?'' 
 
 " No, no ! " answered Helen in a deprecatory 
 tone, " I cannot, I will not. He knew not 
 what he brought." 
 
 "You will not !" repeated the Marchioness 
 sternly, " you will not ! Girl, you shall ! Are 
 you not in my power?" 
 
 " You have no power to make me injure an- 
 other," replied Helen mournfully ; " I have 
 injured myself enough ; your son has corrupted, 
 destroyed, betrayed me. With all these vows 
 and promises written with his own hand, he is 
 now about to wed another, whom he has no 
 right to wed. Surely this is enough of misery ; 
 and I will not make my heart so sad as it would 
 be, were I to add the ruin of another to my 
 own." 
 
 " Vows ! promises ! no right to wed her, base 
 girl ! I will soon show you what are such
 
 234 ROSE D ALBRET. 
 
 promises ! " and, snatching up the whole packet 
 of letters, she held them open to the flame of 
 the lamp. 
 
 Contrary, perhaps, to the expectation of Ma- 
 dame de Chazeul, Helen de la Tremblade made 
 not the slightest effort to stop her in the act. 
 Whether it was that she felt her strength was 
 not equal to contend with the tall and mas- 
 culine woman, who was thus taking from her 
 the only proof of those promises by which she 
 had been betrayed, or whether it was the 
 apathy of utter despair that restrained her, I 
 cannot tell; but there she stood, motionless 
 though not unmoved, with her eyes now tear- 
 less though full of sorrow, with her lip quiver- 
 ing but without a sound. Oh, who can tell the 
 dark and terrible feelings of the poor girl's 
 heart at that moment when, to all the bitterness 
 of sin, and shame, and sorrow, and betrayed 
 love, and disappointed hope and blighted affec- 
 tion, she saw destroyed before her face every 
 evidence of the arts that had been used to de- 
 ceive her, all that could palliate, if not justify, 
 her conduct?
 
 ROSE D'ALBRET. 235 
 
 The flame caught the letters in an instant; 
 and with a resolute hand the Marchioness held 
 the papers till the fire nearly scorched her, then 
 cast the fragments on the tiled floor, and, as 
 they were consumed, turned with a bitter and a 
 mocking laugh to the poor culprit, exclaiming, 
 " Now talk of vows and promises !" 
 
 " They are written in heaven, if not on 
 earth," replied Helen de la Tremblade, gazing 
 at her with a degree of firmness that but en- 
 raged her the more. 
 
 " Heaven ! " she exclaimed in a contemp- 
 tuous tone, " heaven ! do you dare to talk of 
 heaven? Fool, if that is your resource, I will 
 make you rue your conduct, at least on earth ! " 
 Then advancing to the door, she unlocked it, 
 returned, and, grasping the poor girl by the 
 arm, dragged her after her, down the stairs 
 and through the long corridors of the chateau, 
 to the outer hall. 
 
 Now came the bitterest moment of the whole 
 for the unhappy victim. The hall was filled 
 with attendants prepared for a journey. There 
 were servants and armed men, the two maids of
 
 236 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 Madame de Chazeul, and a gay page jesting 
 with one of them. All eyes were fixed upon 
 her as, dragged on by the Marchioness, she was 
 brought into the midst of them; and oh, how 
 thankful she would have been if the earth 
 woiild but have opened and swallowed her alive ! 
 
 " Undo the door!" cried Madame de Cha- 
 zeul. '' There, throw it wide ! Now, strump^ 
 get thee forth, and carry your shame to any 
 place where it may be marketable !" 
 
 " Oh God!'' cried Helen de la Tremblade, 
 clasping her hands in agony, " can it be pos- 
 sible ? Have you — have you no pity ? — At 
 least let me take that which belongs to me." 
 
 " Forth, wretch, forth !" cried the Mar- 
 chioness, stamping her foot. " Drive her out, 
 drive her out, I say ! "" 
 
 No one stirred to obey the cruel order; but 
 Helen turned and waved her hand, roused into 
 some firmness by the cruel treatment she met 
 with. '^ That shall not be needed. Madam," 
 she said. " I go ; and when you stand at the 
 awful judgement-seat of God, with all your sins 
 upon your head ; when all that you have done
 
 ROSE d'albret. 237 
 
 through life conies up before you as a picture, 
 may you find a more merciful judge than you 
 have proved to me/' 
 
 " Away with you, away with you ! " cried the 
 Marchioness, adding the coarsest term of repro- 
 bation that in the French language can be 
 applied to woman. " It is ever thus with such 
 wretches as you : when detected in sin, they 
 begin to cant. Away with you, I say ; let us 
 hear no more of it ! " 
 
 Helen turned, and walked slowly towards the 
 door; but the page ran after her, exclaiming, 
 " Here is your veil, mademoiselle ; you left it 
 below last night." 
 
 Helen took it; but before she could thank 
 him, the Marchioness strode forward, and dealt 
 him a box on the ear that cast him upon the 
 ground, exclaiming " Who taught thee to med- 
 dle, malapert?" 
 
 " Ah, poor boy ! '" cried Helen ; and with the 
 tears in her eyes, she quitted the inhospitable 
 doors, within which virtue and happiness had 
 been sacrificed for ever. 
 
 For some way, she walked along utterly un-
 
 238 
 
 conscious where she went. We must not say, 
 she thought either of her situation at the time, 
 of the past, or of the future ; for there was no- 
 thing like thought in her mind. It was all 
 despair ; she asked not herself where she should 
 go, what should be her conduct, what place of 
 refuge she should find, how she should obtain 
 even necessary food. The predominant sensa- 
 tion, if any were predominant, was a w^ish to 
 die ; and any road which led her from that hate- 
 ful mansion was to her the same. 
 
 This troubled state continued for some mi- 
 nutes, till a small wood concealed her from the 
 castle; but still she walked on, or rather ran; 
 for her steps, under the impetuous course of her 
 own feelings, grew quicker each moment as she 
 went. At length she heard the sound of horses' 
 feet and the grating roll of carriage wheels, and 
 a vague remembrance of ^.aving seen the heavy 
 coach of Madame de. Chazeul standing prepared 
 before the gates, made her believe that she was 
 pursued by that terrible woman, and, a sudden 
 feeling of terror taking possession of her, she
 
 ROSE d'albret. 239 
 
 darted in amongst the trees, and crouched be- 
 hind some brushwood. 
 
 There she could hear the whole train pass by ; 
 and as they wound on down the hill, she saw the 
 well-known colours and figures sweep slowly on 
 till, as they were beginning to rise on the oppo- 
 site slope, they came to a sudden halt, and a 
 consultation seemed to take place. In a few 
 minutes two horsemen detached themselves from 
 the rest, and passed the wood in a gallop towards 
 the chateau ; but poor Helen remained in her 
 place of concealment ; and, as she did so, the tu- 
 multuous agitation of her heart and brain grew 
 somewhat calmer, and a long and bitter flood of 
 tears brought thought along with it. But, oh 
 how terrible was reflection I how did she bemoan 
 her own fatal folly ! how desolate seemed her 
 heart ! how hopeless — how utterly hopeless — 
 seemed her situation ! 
 
 Where could she hide her head ? she asked 
 herself — where cover her shame? — where con- 
 ceal herself from the eyes of all men ? — who 
 would help? — who would assist her? — who
 
 240 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 would speak one word of comfort, of consola- 
 tion, of sympathy ? None, none. From the 
 sympathy of the virtuous and the good she had 
 cut herself off for ever ! Was she to associate 
 with the abandoned and profligate ? — was evil to 
 become her good ? — was moral death to bring 
 her mere mortal life ? Ah, no ! she would 
 sooner die, she thought, a thousand-fold sooner 
 die ; and she abhorred herself for her weakness 
 past, more than many who think themselves 
 virtuous, would abhor themselves for actual 
 crime. 
 
 "Why should I stay here?" she asked her^ 
 self at length. " I am an outcast — a beggar ; 
 my father and mother in the grave ; my uncle's 
 face I dare not see ; I have no one to seek — I have 
 no road to choose ; the wide world is before me ; 
 I must trust myself to fate ;" and rising up, with 
 the feeling of desolate despair taking possession 
 of her once more, she followed the path before 
 her, then turned into another, then wandered 
 along a third, and thus went on for nearly an 
 hour-and-a-half, with several of the country 
 people who passed her, turning round to gaze
 
 ROSE d'albret. 241 
 
 in surprise at so fair and delicate a creature 
 straying abroad, with a vacant air and tear- 
 stained countenance, at so early an hour of the 
 morning. 
 
 At length she felt weary ; and with hstless in- 
 difference to all that might befal her, she seated 
 herself on a stone, at the foot of a wooden cross, 
 which had been erected by some pious hand be- 
 neath a high tree-covered bank, down which the 
 snow, now melting under the first warmth of 
 spring, was slipping from time to time in large 
 masses, or sending forth a thousand small 
 streams, which rendered the road almost like 
 the bed of a river. 
 
 Poor Helen heeded it not, however ; she took 
 no notice of the cold and the wet. The bodily 
 discomforts that she suffered had but little 
 effect upon her; and, if she perceived them at 
 all, they came but as things which recalled to 
 her mind more forcibly the hopeless desolation 
 of her situation. Thus, after a few minutes' rest 
 and thought, she once more bent down her 
 beautiful head upon her two fair hands, and 
 wept long and bitterly. 
 
 VOL. I. M
 
 242 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 While she was thus sadly occupied, the sound 
 of a horse's feet striking the plashy ground at a 
 quick pace came down the lane. She gave it 
 no attention, and the horseman dashed passed 
 her, apparently without noticing her. It was 
 not so, however; and about a hundred yards 
 farther on he pulled in his rein, and turned' 
 back again. In another minute he was by 
 her side; and she heard a kind and good-hu- 
 moured voice exclaim, " What is the matter, 
 young lady, has any one injured you?" 
 
 Helen de la Tremblade looked up, and be- 
 held in the person who addressed her a man of 
 a frank and open countenance. He was dressed 
 in a brown suit of a plain rough cloth, and 
 seemed to be a substantial countryman of about 
 forty years of age, though his beard and mous- 
 tache was somewhat grey. There was a look of 
 pleasant and intelligent interest on his face, 
 which might have brought back some hope to 
 her cold heart, for it spoke of sympathy; but 
 she replied in a sad and bitter tone, " Alas, 
 I have injured myself," bursting into a fresh
 
 ROSE b'albret. 243 
 
 gush of tears as the words of self-reproach 
 passed her lips. 
 
 The man gazed at her for a moment in si- 
 lence, seemingly puzzled by the contrast be- 
 tween her dress and her apparent situation. At 
 length he exclaimed, " Parbleu ! you cannot 
 stay here, my poor girl. You seem a young 
 thing, and well nurtured ; what can have 
 brought you into this state?" 
 
 " My own fault, as well as the cruelty of 
 others," answered Helen de la Tremblade. 
 
 " Well, we all have faults," replied the man, 
 " God forgive us for them ! and as for the 
 cruelty of others, we are none of us good 
 enough to afford to be severe, especially when 
 errors are freely acknowledged. But tell me, 
 can I do anything to help you? I have 
 little time ; but I cannot find in my heart to see 
 a fair young thing like you left to perish by the 
 roadside." 
 
 "Oh!" cried Helen starting up; "if you 
 would but give me shelter for a single night, 
 till I can think, till I can give my mind some 
 
 M 2
 
 244 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 order, you might save me from destruction. 
 Doubtless," she added, seeing him pause as if 
 in hesitation, " doubtless you have a home not 
 far off; doubtless you have wife and children, — 
 daughters perhaps ; and should you hear my 
 prayer, be sure God will bless and protect them, 
 if ever they fall into misery like me. I am not 
 intentionally wicked, indeed ; weak I may be : 
 nay, weak I am, but not vicious ; no, not vicious, 
 whatever you may think." 
 
 " Pardie, few of the fine dames of France can 
 say that !" exclaimed the horseman, " But the 
 truth is, my poor young lady, my home is not 
 very near. But I would fain help you if I 
 could. Where are your father and mother? 
 Better go home to them, and if you have of- 
 fended them, try to soften them with tears. 
 They must have hard hearts if they resist." 
 
 " They are in the grave," answered the un- 
 happy girl. 
 
 " And what is your name, poor thing?" in- 
 quired her companion. • 
 
 She paused and hesitated ; but the next
 
 ROSE D ALBRET. 245 
 
 moment she said, " Why should I conceal the 
 truth ? my name is Helen de la Tremblade." 
 
 "What!" exclaimed the farmer, " the niece 
 of the good priest at the Chateau de Marzay ? " 
 
 " The same," answered Helen with a mourn- 
 ful shake of the head. 
 
 " Then you have been residing with the old 
 Marchioness de Chazeul," rejoined the other, 
 adding, "at least the servants told me so." 
 
 '* Till this morning," replied Helen with a 
 sigh ; " but I am now a houseless outcast." 
 
 The horseman dismounted from his beast, 
 and took her kindly by the hand ; " Alas, poor 
 child," he said, " you have been, I fear, under 
 a hard ruler. I know something of this 
 woman ; if not personally, at least by hearsay ; 
 and I can easily believe that she has been harsh 
 and unkind." 
 
 " But I was first in fault," answered Helen, 
 interrupting him frankly, " I deserved reproach, 
 perhaps punishment, but oh, not so terrible as 
 this." 
 
 " Why, what was the cause?" asked the
 
 246 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 farmer. " Nay, then," he proceeded, " as your 
 cheek glows, I will ask no further questions. I 
 seek not to distress you, young lady, but to 
 serve you ; and if I can, I will place you in se- 
 curity. You cannot — you must not remain 
 here. Heaven only knows what might happen 
 to you. But how I am to get you hence 1 can- 
 not tell. I have not time to go back with you 
 to Marzay, and — " 
 
 " Not for existence," cried Helen de la 
 Tremblade, " no, not for all that earth can give, 
 would I set my foot within those walls." 
 
 " Ay, I forgot," rejoined the farmer, " she 
 must be there by this time." 
 
 " Oh not for that— not for that alone," ex- 
 claimed the poor girl with a shudder, " you do 
 not know — you cannot tell all." 
 
 " Well," replied her companion, " perhaps 
 you may think differently by and by. But in 
 the mean time, how am I to get you hence? 
 I am going to the village of St. Andre, some 
 eight leagues distance, and have no conveyance 
 but the horse I ride. Stay," he continued, '« I 
 will go on a short way, and see if I can find a
 
 ROSE d'albret. 247 
 
 cottage or farm-house where we can hire horse 
 or cart." 
 
 " Oh do not leave me," cried Helen, " you 
 are the first who has spoken kindly to me ; 
 and perhaps — perhaps if you go you may not 
 return." 
 
 " I will, upon my honour," replied the farmer; 
 and setting spurs to his horse, he was away over 
 the opposite hill in a few moments. 
 
 The time wentr heavily by with Helen de 
 la Tremblade. She asked herself, " Will not 
 he too deceive me?" and when nearly twenty 
 minutes passed without her companion's return, 
 her heart sank, and her eyes once more filled 
 with tears. It had seemed, while he was near 
 her, that she was not totally abandoned, that 
 she had still some human being to hold com- 
 munion with, that she was not, as she had at 
 first believed, shut out from all sympathies. 
 She knew not who he was, it is true ; she had 
 no information of his name, his station, or his 
 character ; but he had spoken kindly to her, he 
 had shown feeling, humanity, compassion ; and 
 perhaps it was that which had made her fancy
 
 248 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 she had seen in his countenance all the higher 
 and nobler qualities of the mind and the heart. 
 She longed for his return then ; and in counting 
 the weary minutes and listening for every 
 sound, she in some degree forgot the oppressive 
 weight of the past and future. At length, tired 
 with expectation, she rose and walked along 
 the road to see if he were coming; and, as so 
 often happens, no sooner had she given way to 
 her impatience, than she saw his figure rising 
 over the hill. 
 
 " I have got a man and horse with a pillion," 
 he said, riding up to her, " I cannot promise 
 you. Mademoiselle de la Tremblade, any long 
 or sure protection, but I will engage to put you 
 in a place of safety for a night or two. During 
 that time you will have the opportunity of 
 thinking over your future conduct. I am not a 
 rich man, but, on the contrary, a very poor 
 one ; yet you shall share what little I have in 
 my purse, as I must leave you to your own 
 guidance towards nightfal; and if you like to 
 confide in me fully, when we stop three 
 hours hence, you will find that you have not 
 misplaced your trust. Think of it as we go ;
 
 ROSE d'albret. 249 
 
 for I cannot speak with you of such things, 
 while your good squire is with you. Mayhap 
 you might find worse people in whom to place 
 your confidence than Michael Chasseron." 
 
 Helen did not reply ; for while he was yet 
 speaking, an old peasant with the horse which 
 had been promised came in sight ; but she 
 mounted gladly, and rode on beside the com- 
 panion, whom she had known barely an hour, 
 with a heart relieved, though not at rest. As 
 they went, too, he spoke to her of many things, 
 in plain and homely terms, but with wide and 
 various information, and with a winning kind- 
 ness and consideration for her sorrows, which 
 made her feel, that all the world were not harsh 
 and bitter as those she had just left. She 
 herself said little, but she found herself con- 
 strained in gratitude to answer such questions as 
 he thought fit to ask; and, although he inquired 
 nothing directly regarding her situation, and she 
 believed she told him nothing, yet, in fact, long 
 before they reached their halting place he had 
 learned nearly all that he desired to know, not 
 by her words, but by his own conclusions. 
 
 M 5
 
 250 ROSE D'aLBRET. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 The moment Helen de la Tremblade had 
 quitted the chateau, Madame de Chazeul en- 
 tered the carriage which stood prepared for her 
 in the court, and accompanied by what she con- 
 sidered a sufficient guard, set out upon her way 
 towards the dwelling of her brother. Her 
 thoughts, however, were not of the pleasantest 
 kind. At first, they were all in confusion ; but, 
 through the turbid mass of her angry sensations, 
 there came an impression, a consciousness, that 
 she had too much given way to the violence of 
 a disposition, originally irritable and passionate, 
 which all her cunning and art had not been 
 able to bring effectually under controul. This 
 perception grew stronger and more distinct as 
 she became cooler ; but, for a time, she attempt- 
 ed to justify to herself what she had done, on the 
 score of policy. "If Rose d'Albret were to
 
 ROSE d'albret. 251 
 
 hear of this," she said, " we should have new 
 difficulties, and all my well-laid schemes would 
 be frustrated ; so that it was necessary to get 
 the girl out of the chateau as quickly as possible. 
 She will never venture to go to her uncle's, 
 surely ! Oh no, she was ever timid and frighten- 
 ed ; she will hide away in some corner till she 
 finds a new lover." 
 
 This reasoning did not satisfy her, however. 
 She saw there was danger in the course she had 
 pursued. She asked herself, what was she to 
 say to Walter de la Tremblade when he in- 
 quired after his niece, whom she had taken 
 some two years before, as what was then called, 
 Demoiselle de compagnie? Was she to tell 
 him what had occurred. Was she to relate her 
 own conduct ? Was she even to acknowledge 
 that her son had seduced the unhappy girl un- 
 der her own roof, with opportunities afforded by 
 her own negligence, and not the best example, 
 by her own conduct ? If such things came to 
 his ears, what course would he pursue ? Might 
 he not blast all her projects ; destroy, even by a 
 word, all the glorious fabric which she had been
 
 252 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 building up for her son's ambition? He was 
 not one who could be cajoled and cheated ; he 
 was not one who could be overruled or thwarted. 
 Art to art, and cunning to cunning, he was her 
 match; and she felt it. No, the matter must 
 be concealed from him entirely, at least till her 
 schemes were all successful, and Rose d'Albret 
 was the wife of Nicholas de Chazeul. Then, she 
 thought, he might do his worst ; the prize would 
 be gained, the struggle accomplished, and his 
 power at an end. 
 
 Next came the question how this concealment 
 was to be secured. If Helen did not go to him 
 at once — which the Marchioness little believed 
 she would — might she not write the tale which 
 she would be afraid to speak. That was not at 
 all improbable. Nay, destitute as she had been 
 driven forth, it seemed certain that want would 
 compel her to do so immediately ; and then the 
 whole must be discovered. 
 
 As these thoughts presented themselves to 
 her mind, she formed her plan with her usual 
 decision ; and, bidding one of her women order 
 the coachman to stop, she called to the door of
 
 ROSE d'albret. 253 
 
 the vehicle, two of the mounted men who ac- 
 companied the carriage, and in whom she thought 
 she could rely, and directed them to return im- 
 mediately to the chateau. 
 
 " Seek for the girl Helen," she said, *' you 
 will soon find her ; 'tis not a quarter of an hour 
 since she went. You can take some people on foot 
 with you, to hunt about in the neighbourhood. 
 Carry her back home immediately ; and tell Ma- 
 th urine to lock her up in her own room and 
 keep her upon bread and water till I return. I 
 have been somewhat too severe with her, though 
 she must undergo some punishment. Away, as 
 hard as you can gallop, and mind you find her, 
 or you shall repent it. Here, Theodore, speak 
 with all the people, and tell them, on their lives, 
 not to utter one word at the Chateau de Marzay 
 of what has taken place this morning. I and 
 Mademoiselle de la Tremblade will soon make 
 it up again." 
 
 The man to whom she last spoke promised to 
 obey, though, understanding his mistress well, 
 he clearly saw that she had some other end in 
 view than merely reconciling herself to her own
 
 254 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 conscience for her over severity, and the car- 
 riage rolled on once more upon its way. 
 
 About four hours after, it reached the cha- 
 teau de Marzay, having met with no farther im- 
 pediments by the way than such as were pre- 
 sented by roads naturally rough and uneven, 
 which had become one mass of mud and dirt 
 from the united effects of a sudden thaw and 
 long neglect. In the court-yard of the mansion 
 she was received by her brother, the Count de 
 Liancourt, who informed her, according to his 
 version, of all that had taken place in the cha- 
 teau since the arrival of De Montigni. He told 
 her the truth, in fact, as he believed it; but ne- 
 vertheless, he gave her a completely false view 
 of the whole affair; for it is ever to be remark- 
 ed and remembered that, of all the treacherous 
 liars against whom we have to guard in our 
 course through life, our own heart, with its whole 
 host of subtilties and fallacies, its prejudices, 
 its vanities, and its self-delusions, is the most 
 dangerous. Men would rarely, if ever, be de- 
 ceived if they did not aid most strenuously to 
 deceive themselves, and what is more curious
 
 ROSE d'albret. 255 
 
 still, it often happens that when we are most 
 busy in attempting to put a fraud upon others, 
 we are most actively cheating ourselves. There 
 is always a traitor in the council whenever we 
 quit the straightforward course of truth and 
 rectitude. 
 
 Monsieur de Liancourt assured his sister, as 
 she alighted from her carriage, and walked up 
 the staircase to the hall above, that the only dif- 
 ficulty was with De Montigni, and that Rose 
 d'Albret had used her influence upon him to 
 induce him to consent. 
 
 "Has she-?" said the Marchioness, thought- 
 fully ; " not very vigorously, I should fancy." 
 
 " Oh yes, indeed," replied Monsieur de Lian- 
 court ; " for I watched their parting from 
 the cavalier, which was built at the time of the 
 siege, where I could see them, but they could 
 not see me. It was as formal as a court cere- 
 mony. He kissed her hand, and made her a low- 
 bow, and said something which I did not exact- 
 ly hear, but the last words were, ' I will consider 
 all you have said.' " 
 '* So, then," said Madame de Chazeul, "Made-
 
 256 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 moiselle Rose hears reason at last ! But what 
 is it that has done this? she always seemed as 
 cold as ice before, and barely willing." 
 
 " Oh ! the fact is," repHed the Count, '' Rose 
 was never without ambition. I do not pretend 
 to say she is in love with Chazeul ; but he took 
 care to inform her of the high and splendid fate 
 that would be hers as his wife, and that was 
 quite enough." 
 
 "It may be so," answered the Marchioness; 
 "ambition is at the bottom of every woman's 
 heart; but yet if De Montigni were as hand- 
 some as when he went away, I should have 
 fancied that love and folly might have had a 
 hard struggle against ambition and good sense. 
 I would not have suffered them to have any pri- 
 vate conversation, if I had been here." 
 
 "It was the only way to get De Montigni to 
 consent," rejoined Monsieur de Liancourt ; " be- 
 sides, Chazeul has no cause to fear the compari- 
 son. He is a man with knowledge of the 
 world and of courts. The other is still a boy, 
 with no knowledge of anything but books and 
 philosophy."
 
 ROSE d'albret. 257 
 
 *' Not the man to win a woman, indeed ; " said 
 Madame de Chazeul, with a curl of the lip; 
 *' but we shall see." 
 
 As the last words were on her tongue, they 
 entered the corridor where De Montigni and 
 Chazeul were walking up and down with the old 
 Commander ; and an amusing scene took place 
 between the Marchioness and the rest of the 
 party. She had made up her mind as to the 
 part which she was to act towards her nephew ; 
 and the moment she saw him, she exclaimed, 
 with a joyous air, and holding out her open 
 arms towards him, '* Ah, my dear Louis, wel- 
 come back to your native land ! What a truant 
 you have been ! How like he is to poor Louise !" 
 and she embraced him, apparently with all the 
 tenderness of a mother. 
 
 The old Commander growled a savage oath or 
 two, and, when she turned to him, looked her 
 fuU in the face, saying, " He is like Louise ; 
 and that is why I love him/' 
 
 " Ah, Michael," said the Marchioness, ''you 
 always were a bear, and always will be one. It 
 is lucky you do not bite as well as growl/*
 
 258 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 "I may bite some day, if I am provoked," 
 answered the Commander. 
 
 " Ha ! ha ! ha ! '* cried Madame de Chazeul, 
 laughing as heartily as if her mind were free 
 from all the weight of cunning schemes and 
 violent passions. " You see, Louis, he is just 
 the same as ever. We have not been able to 
 tame him since you were gone. It is a sad, fe- 
 rocious beast — a bear. And so you have come 
 to grace the wedding?" 
 
 *' I hope so, Madam," replied De Montigni 
 gravely ; but his thoughts were busy with the 
 question, of what should be his demeanour to- 
 wards the artful woman who was now before 
 him ; and, while she said a few words to Chazeul, 
 expressive of no particular affection towards 
 him, the young Baron made up his mind, to 
 seem won by her manner, and to attach himself 
 as much as possible to her during the day, in 
 order to keep her from attacking Rose d'Albret, 
 who, he feared, might not be so well able to 
 play her part against the Marchioness as him- 
 self. 
 
 Madame de Chazeul, however, was pertina-
 
 ROSE d'albret. 259 
 
 cioiis too, and one of her first inquiries was for 
 Mademoiselle d'Albret. 
 
 " I will send and call her," answered Mon- 
 sieur de Liancourt ; " let us go into the hall ; 
 perhaps she may be there." 
 
 They did not find her, however ; and the ser- 
 vant he sent to summon her, soon returned with 
 the tidings, that the young lady had gone to bed 
 again with a bad headache. 
 
 " I will go and see her,'* said Madame de 
 Chazeul. " Poor dear Rose, all the agitation of 
 these preparations is too much for her ; and she 
 moved towards the door leading to Mademoiselle 
 d'Albret's apartments, though the old Com- 
 mander exclaimed, in a surly tone, " You had 
 better let her alone ! Your tongue, Jacqueline, 
 never cured a headache, I am sure." 
 
 The Marchioness, however, was stopped by 
 the entrance of another person with whom she 
 had also to play her part; for just as she was 
 quitting the hall father Walter appeared, and 
 advanced towards her. Her face immediately as- 
 sumed an air of friendly regard, and giving him 
 her hand, she said, " Good morning, father, how
 
 260 
 
 fares it with you ? Our dear Helen would have 
 come with me, but she was somewhat indisposed. 
 Nothing of consequence, however ; and perhaps 
 she will join us to-morrow, or, at all events, on 
 the day of the marriage." Then suddenly break- 
 ing off, in order to avoid any further inquiries 
 on that subject, she lowered her voice, and in- 
 quired, " How go things here, father? De 
 Montigni is restive, I find. Are you sure of 
 Rose ? — quite sure, father ? My brother, An- 
 thony, continually blinds his own eyes ; but you 
 see more clearly." 
 
 ''I think there can be no doubt," replied the 
 priest, '' not that I pretend to say that the lady 
 loves your son ; she regards the aUiance but as 
 a family arrangement conducive to her interests, 
 and the only means of giving peace and quiet- 
 ness to the house. For these reasons she has 
 urged De Montigni to sign the renunciation 
 and the contract, and I think he will do it — 
 nay, I feel certain he will. They would hurry 
 on the affair before your arrival, though I 
 thought it would have been better to wait. But 
 from the course things have taken, no harm has
 
 ROSE d'albret. 261 
 
 been done ; and, perhaps, it may be as well now, 
 when you see the lady, not to derange the im- 
 pression which has been produced." 
 
 The Marchioness mused. " How comes it, 
 good father," she asked, " that Chazeul has not 
 made himself loved ? I fear he has been play- 
 ing the fool with other women; for he is not re- 
 puted to want success upon a lady's heart, when 
 he is inclined to try. I must give him some 
 lessons; do you think that any of his love affairs 
 have come to this girl's ears ? That should be 
 prevented till the marriage takes place." 
 
 " By all means,"" said the priest, " but I 
 know of none from which there is any dan- 
 ger." 
 
 *' And I of but one,'' rejoined the Mar- 
 chioness, "but I will take care to keep that 
 from her. One may be justified in using a little 
 violence for such an object." 
 
 " Assuredly," answered father Walter, " any- 
 thing in short, but the spilling of blood." 
 
 " Oh, Heaven forbid ! " cried the Mar- 
 chioness, " I bear the woman no ill will for loving 
 Chazeul; but if I were to have her carried off
 
 262 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 and shut closely up for a few days, there could 
 be no harm in that." 
 
 " It were the best means," replied father 
 Walter, " unless her family be sufficiently 
 powerful to make dangerous resistance." 
 
 " There is no fear of that," answered Ma- 
 dame de Chazeul, with a quiet smile ; " but I 
 will go and see Mademoiselle d'Albret." 
 
 Thus saying she quitted the hall, while fa- 
 ther Walter advanced towards the group of gen- 
 tlemen at the other end, who had been conversing 
 together calmly enough during his interview with 
 the Marchioness. That lady, however, return- 
 ed after a very brief absence, saying that Rose 
 d'Albret was trying to sleep; and, put upon a 
 wrong track as she was, both by her brother and 
 the priest, she attached herself during the rest 
 of the morning to De Montigni, endeavouring 
 by every artful means, to possess herself of his 
 whole views and intentions, and at the same time 
 to convince him, that he was giving pain to 
 Rose d'Albret by his hesitation in regard to the 
 signature of the papers. 
 
 One of the reasons why the game of life is
 
 ROSE D ALBRET. 263 
 
 not unfrequently won by the simple and the 
 honest against all the arts of the politic and the 
 wily, is perhaps that, in this game, as in no 
 other, the most skilful and calculating can 
 never tell what cards may be in the hands of 
 the adverse party. I say one of the reasons ; 
 for there are many, and amongst them is the 
 belief, from which cunning people can never free 
 themselves, that others are dealing with them 
 in the same way that they would deal, if their 
 relative situations were reversed. 
 
 Madame de Chazeul, however, had studied 
 De Montigni's character from youth, and knew 
 that he was generous and kindhearted. She, 
 therefore, like father Walter, endeavoured to 
 work upon him, in the first instance, through 
 his affection for Rose d'Albret. She spoke of 
 her gently and tenderly, called her " poor Rose," 
 and represented the slight indisposition under 
 which she was suffering, as entirely proceeding 
 from some agitation and vexation she had un- 
 dergone in the morning, affecting at the same 
 time to be ignorant of the nature of that agita- 
 tion, but leaving him to draw his own conclusions.
 
 264 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 De Montigni, as the reader knows, had the 
 secret in his own keeping, and internally mocked 
 at all the policy which the Marchioness dis- 
 played ; for there is nothing so contemptible as 
 discovered cunning. He resolved, however, to 
 turn back Madame de Chazeurs art upon her- 
 self, and found even a pleasure in foiling her 
 with her own weapons. 
 
 '' Well, my dear Madame,'* he answered, " I 
 trust that, by this time to-morrow. Rose will 
 have no farther cause for anxiety on my ac- 
 count." 
 
 " Indeed, how so?" asked the Marchioness. 
 
 " Because by that time," replied De Mon- 
 tigni, " all will be positively settled." 
 
 " And of course as Rose could wish," added 
 the Marchioness. 
 
 '^ As far as I understand her wishes, it shall 
 be so," said De Montigni; "but I do not desire, 
 madam, what I say to you to be repeated ; and 
 now will you tell me frankly, for I know you 
 are well aware, what is the value of these bene- 
 fices which my uncle offers me ?" 
 
 " At least equal to the value of the estates,*'
 
 ROSE d'albret. 265 
 
 replied Madame de Chazeul : " more, indeed, 
 if you take in the Abbey of Chizay in Poitou ; 
 but that I believe was promised to good Mon- 
 sieur de la Tremblade — not exactly promised, 
 perhaps ; but I know he was led to expect it." 
 
 " No one shall break a promise for me,"" re- 
 plied De Montigni with some emphasis on the 
 words. " They can be all held, I believe, with- 
 out taking the vows." 
 
 " Your uncle holds them," answered Ma- 
 dame de Chazeul, " and he has taken no vows 
 that I know of — unless it be, never to drink thin 
 piquette when he can get strong Burgundy, or 
 to eat pork when he can find venison." 
 
 De Montigni smiled, and was going on to 
 stop the questions of the Marchioness by in- 
 quiries of his own, when the summons to 
 dinner was heard, and the whole party de- 
 scended to the hall below. 
 
 When the meal was over, father Walter put 
 the young Baron in mind, that they had to 
 read over together the papers, in regard to 
 which there had been so much discussion. Al- 
 though De Montigni much wished to occupy 
 
 VOL. I. N
 
 266 
 
 Madame de Chazeul as far as possible during 
 the day, he could not well put off the engage- 
 ment; and whispering to the old Commander, 
 to watch her closely, he retired with the priest 
 to his own chamber. There, several long do- 
 cuments were spread out before him; and he 
 proceeded, with pen and ink at hand, to pe- 
 ruse the whole, clause by clause, demanding 
 minute and lengthened explanations as he went 
 on, and taking notes of every point of import- 
 ance. Father Walter was somewhat surprised at 
 the calm and steady good sense he displayed ; 
 and, though De Montigni expressed neither 
 consent to nor dissent from any of the items, 
 was more and more convinced every moment, 
 that the young Baron had made up his mind, 
 to accept the benefices and renounce the estates. 
 In the meanwhile the Marchioness de Cha- 
 zeul had drawn her son away from the rest of 
 the party below, and walking with him on the 
 rampart, was giving him those lessons of which 
 she had spoken to the priest. Not a word did 
 she say of Helen de la Tremblade ; nor a word 
 of reproach or reproof did she utter ; but her
 
 ROSE d'albret. 267 
 
 conversation turned entirely upon his demean- 
 our towards Rose d'Albret. 
 
 " Ah, Chazeuir' she said, after taking a turn 
 backward and forward, in the tone of one jest- 
 ing with a friend, " thou art a silly lad, I fear, 
 and little knowest how to push thy fortune with 
 woman-kind." 
 
 " Nay, my good mother, it is not thought 
 so," rephed Chazeul, drawing up his head and 
 smoothing his ruff; " I am no seeker after the 
 fame of such conquests, but I have some reason 
 to believe they are not so difficult as they are 
 supposed to be." 
 
 " True," answered his mother, " doubtless 
 with the light Parisian dame, the gay lady who 
 has known a thousand lovers, thou art a potent 
 assailant; but she is hke a city which has 
 been besieged and taken a thousand times, till 
 all the outworks and ramparts have been bat- 
 tered down, and the place is right willing to 
 surrender at the first sight of artillery. With a 
 maiden fortress, however, such as this fair Rose 
 d'Albret, thou art but a poor general, otherwise 
 you would have gained the citadel long ago."" 
 
 N 2
 
 268 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 " Meaning her heart; but how would you 
 have had me conduct the siege, dear mother?'^ 
 asked her son, pursuing the simile she had used. 
 
 "By assault, Nicholas!" replied the Mar- 
 chioness; " prayers, tears, vows, daring, any- 
 thing. Here neither wall, nor bastion, nor re- 
 doubt, is to be gained but by vigorous attack. 
 Women, who by experience have not gained 
 a knowledge of their own weakness, are always 
 more resolute in resistance than those who 
 have learned that they cannot long hold out 
 when closely pressed. Storm and escalade are 
 the only ways with such castles, Chazeul ; and 
 if you were to pursue till doomsday your cold 
 and formal rules of siege, you would make no 
 way, but find defences grow up in proportion 
 to the feebleness of the attack." 
 
 " Why, you would not surely have me treat 
 Rose d'Albret as any common woman of but 
 light fame?" said Chazeul. " You are much 
 mistaken, mother, if you think that is the way 
 to win her." 
 
 " Nay, I would have you treat her very dif- 
 ferently, foolish boy," replied the Marchioness.
 
 ROSE D ALBRET. 269 
 
 " With a woman of light fame, as you call her, 
 you may well trust to her to make at least half 
 the advances. With a young ignorant girl you 
 must make them all yourself; for, be sure, she 
 will not. One or the other must be bold and 
 daring; and the only question is, on whose part 
 it shall be. The practised dame will take her 
 share on herself, the inexperienced girl expects 
 it all from you. We all know in our hearts, 
 Chazeul, that we do not dislike an impetuous 
 lover. Though we may chide, we easily forgive 
 even very grave offences, so that love be the 
 excuse. The story of the Romans and the 
 Sabines was a good allegory of women**s hearts ; 
 men must take them by force if they would 
 have them.** 
 
 " Oh, her heart is mine sufficiently for all 
 the purposes of wedded life," rephed her son. 
 " I know her better than you, my good 
 mother, and am well aware that more things 
 enter into the calculations of that little brain 
 than you imagine. — I would not spoil her,"" he 
 continued, " with too much devotion. You 
 women grow exacting as you imagine you have
 
 270 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 power; and I would have her think the tie she 
 has upon me is not too strong, lest she should 
 one day think fit to use it strongly. It is 
 enough for me to know, that she sees clearly her 
 own interest in a marriage with myself. She 
 will not'expect, in a wedding of convenience, all 
 that court and exclusive attention which some 
 brides demand; and every little loverlike act 
 will come with tenfold force.'' 
 
 '" All very wise and very prudent, good 
 youth," replied his mother, " if you had no 
 rival, no competitor in the game that you are 
 playing ; if there were no obstacles, no difficul- 
 ties in the way. But here our great object is 
 time and secure possession ; and had you, by 
 bold and ardent eagerness, advanced your suit 
 so that she had no escape from marriage with 
 you, we should have found both herself and 
 De Montigni more tractable, depend upon it." 
 
 " She is tractable enough,'' replied Chazeul, 
 " it is De Montigni alone that holds out ; and 
 she has done her best to persuade him, I am 
 sure. A rival, do you call him? but a pitiful 
 rival to me ! and as to obstacles and difficulties,
 
 ROSE DALBRET. 271 
 
 whatever have existed are swept away already. 
 She has done her best to persuade De Mon- 
 tigni to sign ; and I am sure he will do so." 
 
 " Well," said the Marchioness, '« we shall 
 see. I think he will, but do not feel so sure. 
 He was somewhat too smooth and courteous 
 just now; and I thought I saw a somewhat 
 double meaning in his words, as if he hoped 
 still that Rose might raise up some impediment. 
 — We must suffer him to have no farther speech 
 with her alone. It is a dangerous plan." 
 
 " There is no fear of Rose," replied Nicholas 
 de Chazeul peevishly. " If it be anything like 
 love on his part for her that you dread, it 
 is a vain fancy. Had you seen him meet her 
 last night, you would have been cured of such 
 dreams. He was as cold as if we had imported 
 a statue from Italy, fresh cut in the stone ; and 
 not all Rose could do would warm him." 
 
 " Ay, before others," rejoined the Mar- 
 chioness, " but perhaps when alone it might be 
 different." 
 
 " No, no,'" said Chazeul, " my uncle watched 
 them; and it was just the same: all formal bows
 
 272 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 and stiff courtesies. — But who is this, comes 
 riding here?" he continued, gazing from the 
 battlements. " A trumpet at full speed, with a 
 green scarf! News from Mayenne, upon my 
 life ! I must go down and see." 
 
 Thus ended a conversation which has been 
 repeated here with reluctance ; but it is as 
 needful, in painting nature, to show the mind 
 and character of the bad as of the good, to dis- 
 play the thoughts and reasonings of the wicked 
 as of the virtuous. Neither does the portrait 
 of Madame de Chazeul serve little to exem- 
 pHfy the times in which she lived. France was 
 then full of such. Intrigue of every kind, amo- 
 rous and political, was then at its height, and 
 most of the infamous and daring deeds that 
 were done, either for the gratification of private 
 passions, or for the attainment of great public 
 objects, were suggested by women. 
 
 The man who had been seen riding so 
 sharply towards the chateau, proved to be a 
 trumpeter sent by the Duke of Nemours with 
 letters to Chazeul, notifying the march of the 
 army of the League to relieve the town of
 
 HOSE d'albret. 273 
 
 Dreux, closely besieged by the King, and call- 
 ing upon him to join it, with all his retainers, 
 as a battle seemed inevitable. The despatches 
 spoke in glowing terms of the force under Ma- 
 yenne. It was nearly double in number, they 
 said, to that which Henry of Bourbon could 
 bring to oppose it, and a glorious victory would 
 soon be achieved, in which all honourable men 
 would long to take part. Chazeul, however, sent 
 an ambiguous answer; for he was not one to sa- 
 crifice his private interests even to the triumph 
 of his faction, and he was resolved to possess 
 the hand of Rose d'Albret, and to see the estates 
 of Liancourt and Marennes secured to himself, 
 before he quitted the Chateau of Marzay. 
 
 More than one hour elapsed before Louis 
 de Montigni had terminated his examination of 
 the papers with the priest; and even then, with 
 all father Walter's skill, he could not ex- 
 tract from him any promise, either direct or 
 indirect, to sign them. To the eager questions 
 of Madame de Chazeul the priest could but 
 reply, " I cannot tell what he will do. I be- 
 lieve his mind is made up, to act as we could
 
 274 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 wish ; but his demeanour is certainly somewhat 
 strange. He has taken notes of everything, 
 and remains pondering over them. Our only 
 plan is to watch the Commander, and to cut 
 them off from any private communication with 
 each other. Noon to-morrow will show us what 
 we are to expect; and in the mean time we 
 must guide things as we can. Have you seen 
 Mademoiselle d'Albret?" 
 
 The Marchioness replied in the negative, and 
 it was not till one hour before sunset that Rose 
 came forth from her chamber to breathe, for a 
 few minutes, the fresh air. She was pale, and 
 evidently suffering ; and whenever Madame de 
 Chazeul attempted to question her, she pleaded 
 indisposition as an excuse for talking little. She 
 gazed forth from the ramparts over the wide 
 country which the chateau commanded, with a 
 feeling of dread, mingling strangely with hope 
 and joy. The bright sunshine of the first day 
 of spring was glittering over the whole; but on 
 the verge of the southern sky was hanging a 
 dark and heavy mass of clouds, rising up in all 
 sorts of fantastic forms ; and Rose could not help
 
 ROSE d'albret. 275 
 
 associating her own fate with the aspect of the 
 day, and thinking that the bright gleam of sum- 
 mer, which had come to her heart after a long 
 and chilling winter, might, perhaps, be soon 
 blackened by storms, the clouds of which were 
 already within sight. 
 
 Soon after the party was joined by De Mon- 
 tigni ; and the two lovers strove hard to conceal 
 their feelings under the appearance of cold in- 
 difference ; but Rose found the task so difficult 
 that she remained only a few moments after the 
 young Baron's appearance, and then once more 
 retired to bed. 
 
 Madame de Chazeul remarked the whole; 
 and suspicion rose up in her mind. But the 
 field of probability is wide and dim, so that her 
 doubts found no fixed point to rest upon ; and 
 she contented herself with whispering to De 
 Montigni, "Were I a man, I would not long 
 give a lady cause to fly me thus." 
 
 The young nobleman made no answer, but 
 turned away, as if somewhat offended; and this 
 slight indication of temper was used by Madame 
 de Chazeul to deceive herself. " Were he not
 
 276 
 
 acting contrary to the girl's wishes," she said to 
 herself, *'he would not take offence at my sup- 
 posing it." 
 
 The rest of the day passed without any oc- 
 currence of importance; and the only points 
 which Madame de Chazeul thought worthy of 
 notice at supper, were the absence of Estoc from 
 the table, and that Louis de Montigni confined 
 his conversation almost altogether to father Wal- 
 ter, with whom he talked a good deal in a low 
 tone. She herself was tired with early rising 
 and a journey. The Commander soon retired 
 to rest; and she followed without delay, as soon 
 as she was certified by private information, from 
 one whom she had set to watch, that the 
 good old soldier was actually in his bed. Satis- 
 fied that all communication between Montigni 
 and himself was at an end for the night, she laid 
 herself down to seek that repose which is unfor- 
 tunately, but not unnaturally, as often the 
 portion of the hardened in vice, as of the 
 virtuous and the good.
 
 ROSE d'albret. 277 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 I HAVE said something of the same kind be- 
 fore ; but I must repeat that, unless it be in a 
 mud cottage containing one room, and at the 
 most two individuals, it scarcely ever happens 
 that there are not several, very various scenes 
 proceeding in the same house, at the same 
 time ; and when the house is large, and the 
 inhabitants many, these scenes are multiplied 
 and diversified even to infinity. Tragedy and 
 comedy, broad farce and startling romance, 
 have each their separate chambers, and their 
 several actors; and while, in the halls of the 
 Chateau of Marzay, all the cunning drama of 
 intrigue which we have described, found a 
 stage, the acts of many another play were be- 
 ing performed in the chambers allotted to the 
 servants. 
 
 Loud and uproarious merriment had its part ;
 
 278 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 and, as is too frequently the case, the vices and 
 foUies of their superiors were imitated by the 
 inferiors, presenting pictures too gross and un- 
 pleasant to be given in this place. We must, 
 however, turn away from the principal person- 
 ages of our tale, to notice some events which 
 took place, during the hour of supper, in a part 
 of the chateau somewhat distant from that in 
 which Monsieur de Liancourt's family was as- 
 sembled. 
 
 In a room not far from that of Mademoiselle 
 d'Albret, with the door ajar, a lamp upon the 
 table, and a piece of embroidery in her hands, 
 sat Blanchette, the maid of our fair friend Rose. 
 She paid but little attention to her work in- 
 deed, though she affected to be very busily em- 
 ployed, but her ear was turned fi'equently to- 
 wards the passage, apparently listening for every 
 sound. At length it was gratified by hearing a 
 step ; and the moment after, the valet of Mon- 
 sieur de Chazeul pushed open the door, and en- 
 tering the room, closed it behind him. He was 
 a tall swaggering, debauched-looking personage, 
 and into the particulars of the first greetings
 
 ROSE d'albret. 279 
 
 between himself and Blanchette, I shall beg 
 leave not to enter. Suffice it to say, that they 
 betokened a degree of intimacy which Rose 
 d'Albret had certainly not the slightest idea 
 existed between her maid and any other person. 
 
 After a while, however, the valet inquired, 
 " Well now, tell me, my pretty Blanchette, all 
 that your mistress has been saying to you to-day." 
 
 *' Indeed, I shall not," replied the maid, with 
 a shrug of the shoulders. "I don't intend to 
 tell you, or Monsieur de Chazeul, anything 
 more." 
 
 '* Come, come, don't be silly," cried the man, 
 "for I must soon get back ; now the caprices of 
 you ladies," he continued, with an affected air, 
 " are very pretty and interesting in affairs of 
 love, but very troublesome in matters of busi- 
 ness." 
 
 " Well, I shan't say anything more," said 
 Blanchette, with a determined air, "so there is 
 no use of talking about it." 
 
 "Ah, ha, then," rejoined the valet, "I see 
 how it is; your mistress has told you not to 
 tell."
 
 280 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 " Indeed, she has not," answered Blanchette ; 
 ** but she has taught me to value myself more 
 highly than your master does." 
 
 '' How so?" demanded her companion ; " I am 
 sure my master values you as highly as I should 
 like to see him. What did she say to you 
 about it?" 
 
 " Ah, I don't mind telling you that,*' said the 
 maid. " She asked me last night, when I was 
 saying something in favour of Monsieur de Cha- 
 zeul, what he had given me ; and, when I told 
 her, she said she was worth more than that, and 
 that I was a great fool if ever I opened my 
 mouth about him again, unless I got three 
 times as much." 
 
 '' Upon my word the lady has some notion of 
 life," cried the valet; ''one would think she 
 had spent her whole days in Paris ; and she is 
 right too, Blanchette, we servants should never 
 put too low a value on ourselves, for we have 
 more in our power than people imagine. How- 
 ever, I can promise you that when Monsieur de 
 Chazeul is married to your lady, you shall have 
 three times as much : and in the meantime—''
 
 ROSE d'albret. 281 
 
 " Ay. ay," replied Blanchette; " a fish in the 
 plate is worth three in the stream, Alphonso. 
 Promises are made of wind, and it is very diffi- 
 cult to convert them into anything else." 
 
 " Well, but listen to me," said the man. " I 
 was just going to say, in the meantime Monsieur 
 le Marquis has sent you five-and-twenty crowns. 
 Here they are,*' and he placed a little leathern 
 bag in her hand ; " now, there 's a dear, beautiful 
 girl, tell me all your mistress has said to you to- 
 day, especially after her long talk with Mon- 
 sieur de Montignij this morning." 
 
 " That is soon told," answered Blanchette, 
 putting the money in one of the pockets of her 
 apron ; " she said nothing at all, except that 
 she had got a headache, and would go to bed 
 again."" 
 
 ^^PesteV cried the valet; "is that all the 
 news that you can give ? Surely you have 
 made out something more. What humour did 
 she seem in?" 
 
 *' Bad enough," replied Blanchette ; " I think 
 Monsieur de Montigni must have done or said 
 something to offend her, for I could see she
 
 282 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 had been crying, and she was silent and dull, 
 just as she is when she is angry with me." 
 
 " I dare say he did," rejoined the valet; '' for 
 he is an obstinate colt, and takes as long to 
 drive where people want him, as an ass loaded 
 with sand — But hark, there is some one walking 
 in the passage." 
 
 They Hstened, and a heavy step sounded 
 along the corridor, advancing in measured time 
 from one end to the other, and then back again, 
 like that of a sentry keeping guard. It passed 
 and repassed twice, not a little to the annoyance 
 of the two worthies shut up in the room to- 
 gether. But at length the valet, who did not 
 wish his absence to be remarked and comment- 
 ed upon amongst the servants, declared, " Who- 
 ever it is, I must go ; but do you shut the door 
 after me quickly, Blanchette, then no one need 
 know that you are here." 
 
 " I am afraid Mademoiselle will call every 
 moment," answered the girl ; " but people must 
 have time to take their supper, you know." 
 
 " I must go, upon my life," said the man, who 
 took a great deal more interest in his own posi-
 
 ROSE d'albret. 283 
 
 tion than in hers. " Now, Blanchette, I will pop 
 out as soon as he is passed ; you close the door 
 quick behind me, and he will not see whence I 
 come." 
 
 He accordingly waited till the steps sounded 
 close to the door, and then as soon as they had 
 gone by, opened it, and went out as noiselessly 
 as possible. But his footfall did not escape the 
 quick ears of the old soldier, Estoc, who turning 
 instantly, not only perceived who it was, but 
 also marked the room from which he came. 
 He said nothing, however ; but, as soon as the 
 valet had left the passage, advanced at once 
 to the door which had just been closed, and, 
 opening it without ceremony, went in. As may 
 be supposed, this sudden apparition troubled 
 the maid a good deal; and, though an impudent 
 and unprincipled girl, she was not yet sufficient- 
 ly veteran in vice to keep her cheek from grow- 
 ing red, or her hands from shaking. 
 
 " Well, Mademoiselle Blanchette," said Estoc, 
 " I thought I should find you here." 
 
 " Indeed, sir!" said Blanchette. «' I generally 
 sit here."
 
 284 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 "Not always, Blanchette," replied Estoc; 
 " but I saw your lover leave you, and so I came 
 in, just to give you a word of advice." Blan- 
 chette coloured and bit her lip, but made no 
 reply; and Estoc went on, "you are in the 
 wrong line, if you wish to make your fortune, 
 Mademoiselle. Now, if you will follow my 
 counsel, you may do something for yourself. Go 
 up to Monsieur de Montigni's apartments about 
 eleven o'clock to-night, for he wants to speak 
 with you." 
 
 ''Lord! Monsieur Estoc," cried the girl; 
 "I would not go up to any gentleman's room 
 at night for the world. I wonder how you 
 could propose such a thing ! " 
 
 " Oh ! I make no difficulty in proposing it," 
 answered Estoc, " when you make none in 
 receiving a gentleman's valet at night. — But 
 Monsieur de Montigni only wants to speak 
 with you on business, to ask you one or two 
 questions, and, perhaps, to make you a present 
 of a couple of hundred crowns." 
 
 " I am very much obHged to him, sir," re-
 
 ROSE d'albret. 285 
 
 plied the girl, affecting a cold and modest air ; 
 " but I would rather speak to him in the day, if 
 he has no objection." 
 
 "That can't well be, Blanchette,*' answered 
 Estoc; "for Monsieur de Montigni intends to 
 go away to-morrow ; and he will not have time 
 previous to his departure. Now, my good girl, 
 remember you are in my power, for don't you 
 suppose that, if this business comes to the ears 
 of Mademoiselle d'Albret, you will stay in her 
 service a minute after.'* 
 
 "Well, I have done nothing that's wrong," 
 replied the girl boldly ; " and I don 't care what 
 any spy says of me, not I.'* 
 
 " Well, we understand each other," rejoined 
 Estoc. " Give me an answer in one word, will 
 you come, or will you not? Your reply will 
 decide your own fate." 
 
 " Well, sir, well," said Blanchette, who saw 
 that the plan of outfacing the old soldier would 
 not succeed; "I will come if you will be there too." 
 
 " Oh, that I certainly shall," replied Estoc ; 
 "for I have got some papers to look over with
 
 286 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 Monsieur de Montigni — so I may tell him you 
 will come ? " 
 
 "Yes, sir," replied Blanchette, "I will;" 
 and, with a significant nod of the head, Estoc 
 left the room. 
 
 Without going near the supper hall, he re- 
 tired at once to the apartments of De Montigni, 
 where he waited for about half an hour, till he 
 was joined by the young nobleman, to whom he 
 related all that had taken place. " The girl is 
 not to be depended upon," he added in the end, 
 " and I think it would be better when we have 
 got her, to lock her up here for the night." 
 
 " Nay," answered De Montigni, " that were a 
 violent proceeding. I have told my servant 
 Joseph to watch her well, and we shall hear his 
 report. If I find that she has been holding any 
 communication with these people, since you saw 
 her, we must devise some means to blind her 
 eyes. But, now Estoc, is all the rest pre- 
 pared?" 
 
 " Everything," replied the old soldier. " 1 
 have the guard to-night; and I have picked my 
 men from those who will not fail us. Your
 
 ROSE d'albret. 287 
 
 servants have their orders ; and, were it needful, 
 we could make all the rest prisoners in the 
 castle here ; but that you would not like to do.'* 
 
 " Certainly not," replied De Montigni. " I 
 think at present they have no suspicion; and 
 I trust that we shall be able to execute our 
 scheme without either difficulty or strife. Be 
 with me when this girl comes, Estoc, and now 
 go and take some refreshment; but above all 
 things caution my good uncle Michael to make 
 no effort to see me to-night, and to seek repose 
 at his usual hour. Depend upon it there are 
 watchful eyes upon us; and, of all things, we 
 most avoid suspicion."" 
 
 While he was speaking, a sunburnt man who 
 had accompanied him from Italy, made his ap- 
 pearance, and bowing low with a smile, he 
 said, " I have watched and listened to some 
 purpose, Monsieur le Baron. As soon as sup- 
 per was over. Mademoiselle Blanchette drew 
 aside Alphonso, the Marquis's valet, and whis- 
 pered with him long in the corner of the hall ; I 
 saw they were very eager, but could hear no- 
 thing ; and as I was resolved to know more, I
 
 288 BOSE d'albret. 
 
 crossed suddenly behind her back, just as the 
 man was saying ' I will wait for you at the 
 bottom of the stairs/ I could hear no more, 
 for they both stopped." 
 
 " That is enough, that is enough," replied De 
 Montigni, " we must remedy this, Estoc; but I 
 will have the whole plan ready, when you come 
 again." 
 
 At half-past ten, Estoc was in the young 
 nobleman's room; and at eleven, Blanchette 
 might be seen creeping stealthily up the stairs 
 with a lamp in her hand, while in the dark cor- 
 ridor below, concealed in one of the recesses 
 of the windows, stood Chazeul's valet, waiting 
 for her return. Almost all the rest of the 
 household had retired to bed ; and the chateau 
 remained perfectly silent for a quarter of an 
 hour, while the man continued his watch in 
 darkness. At the end of that time, however, 
 Blanchette and her lamp were once more seen 
 upon the stairs; and, whispering to him as she 
 passed, " Quick, quick, old Estoc is coming 
 down directly, he is now speaking to the Baron 
 at the door," she hastened on, through that
 
 ROSE d'albret. 289 
 
 passage, across the lower hall, and up a short 
 flight of steps towards the apartments of Cha- 
 zeul. The valet followed quickly, and intro- 
 duced her into the dressing room of his lord, 
 who was waiting with some impatience for the 
 intelligence she was to bring. 
 
 " Well, well," he cried, as soon as she ap- 
 peared, " what is it he wishes, Blanchette? 
 Let us hear all that took place." 
 
 " When first I came in," said Blanchette 
 after a pause to take breath, and a little co- 
 quettish panting and holding her hand upon 
 her heart, " Monsieur de Montigni spoke me 
 very fair, and promised a great deal. He said 
 he knew that I was in your interest, sir, and 
 he did not wish me to betray my trust, but that 
 he was very anxious indeed to have an hour's 
 private conversation with Mademoiselle before 
 noon to-morrow. He asked me if she was yet 
 asleep; and when I told him she was, and had 
 been so for these two hours, he turned to Estoc 
 and said, < that is unfortunate;' he then looked 
 again to me, and calling me close to him, he 
 spoke almost in a whisper, saying, " that if I 
 
 VOL. I. o
 
 290 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 would engage to get him the interview early 
 to-morrow, before the rest of the people are 
 stirring, he would give me two hundred crowns, 
 and, as an earnest, put these into my hand. He 
 told me particularly to be very secret, and not 
 to say a word to any one, which of course I 
 promised as much as he could wish." 
 
 " You did quite right, you did quite right,'' 
 rephed Chazeul ; " but did he let you know 
 what was his object in seeking this interview ? 
 He must have said something more, for you 
 were long with him." 
 
 " Oh, I asked him, noble sir," replied the 
 girl, " what I was to tell my mistress, he wished 
 to see her for ; but he replied somewhat sharply, 
 that it was no business of mine ; and then I said 
 I was sure Mademoiselle d'Albret would ask; 
 but that if he did not like to say, it was not 
 my fault if he did not get the meeting he 
 wanted ; and then he replied that if my mistress 
 did inquire, I was to tell her he wanted to hear 
 more explicitly from her own lips what he had 
 not time fully to understand in the morning." 
 
 Chazeul laughed ; " The poor youth writhes
 
 ROSE D ALBRET. 291 
 
 like an eel upon a spear," he said ; " he would 
 fain make one more effort ; but we will not let 
 him. Now mark me, Blanchette, not one word 
 of this to your mistress. She has been too 
 much agitated to-day; and we must not have 
 the same scenes every morning. She made 
 herself clearly enough understood for any man 
 of common sense; and by that Monsieur de 
 Montigni must abide. I will not forget you, 
 Blanchette, if you are faithful and discreet ; and 
 it is no bad post, premiere demoiselle to the 
 Marchioness of Chazeul. So now, go to bed 
 and sleep, and contrive to forget Monsieur de 
 Montigni's commission before to-morrow morn- 
 ing." 
 
 " That I will, Monsieur," repHed Blanchette ; 
 and with a curtsy she quitted the room. 
 
 o2
 
 292 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 The moments which the maid Blanchette 
 passed with. De Montigni, and afterwards with 
 Chazeul, were full of anxiety to Rose d'Albret. 
 She lay in darkness, wakeful and expectant, hs- 
 tening for every sound to give her some indica- 
 tion of the girl's return to the ante-chamber, 
 from which she had heard her distinctly go 
 forth, without knowing the cause. Imagination 
 was busy with every painful possibility. She 
 feared that their whole scheme of flight might 
 be discovered ; she thought that the maid might 
 have conceived a suspicion from some little pre- 
 parations which she had made during the eve- 
 ning ; she asked herself what would be her fate 
 if the execution of their design were prevented. 
 Would they, could they, compel her to unite 
 herself to Chazeul? and she now shrunk from 
 the very idea with tenfold horror. She would
 
 ROSE d'albret. 293 
 
 not do it, she thought; she would sooner die. 
 She would seek the protection of the cloister — 
 anything, she would do anything, rather than 
 give her hand to one whom she equally disliked 
 and despised. Suddenly, in the midst of these 
 feelings, a sensation of wonder at their vehe- 
 mence came over her; and she asked herself 
 how it was that her ideas upon the subject had 
 been so suddenly and completely changed. 
 
 She had till lately looked upon her marriage 
 with Chazeul as a thing arranged, and to which 
 she would submit, not without some repug- 
 nance, perhaps, but without that degree of 
 horror and dislike which she now experienced. 
 At first she had been coldly indifferent; and 
 afterwards she had wished to put off the day of 
 the sacrifice as long as possible; but she now 
 felt that a life of penury and daily labour, 
 would be comparative happiness to wedding 
 Nicholas de Chazeul. 
 
 How had a single day made this strange dif- 
 ference ? she inquired, and then she thought of 
 De Montigni ; and, though no eye could see her, 
 the colour rose in her cheek, to feel how dif-
 
 294 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 ferent were all her sensations towards him, 
 how willingly to him she would yield heart and 
 hand ! But the secret of the change was disco- 
 vered, — she loved, and loved truly, and a new 
 light had shone into her heart. 
 
 Quickly, however, her thoughts wandered back 
 again to the present ; and once more she listened 
 for Blanchette's return. Where could she have 
 gone? she asked herself; what could be her 
 motive, if something were not discovered ? Her 
 own heart was too pure to attribute to the girl 
 that conduct which, perhaps, if she had known 
 all, would have been first suspected ; but as she 
 raised herself on her arm, to give ear to some 
 distant noise, she heard the outer door of the 
 anteroom open again, and the step of the maid 
 moving about in the neighbouring chamber. 
 With a beating heart, and in breathless silence, 
 Rose marked every sound, till at length a thin 
 line of light, which crossed the floor from the 
 key-hole, was suddenly extinguished ; and she 
 heard the girl take her place in bed. A few 
 minutes after, the clock of the chateau struck 
 twelve, but Rose still lay quiet for some minutes
 
 ROSE d'albret. 295 
 
 in order that the spy upon her actions might be 
 asleep before she moved. 
 
 Blanchette, however, was one of the *' dull 
 weeds" that easily fasten themselves on 
 " Lethe's shore." Herself was all she thought 
 of, all she cared for; and, having provided to 
 the best of her ability for the success and 
 prosperity of that well-loved person, she was 
 soon in the arms of slumber, undisturbed by 
 any of the reproaches of conscience, or the 
 lighter tones of imagination. The heavy breath- 
 ing of profound and dreamless sleep was heard 
 ere long ; and, rising from her bed. Rose d' Al- 
 bret dressed herself as well as she could in 
 the darkness, and drew down the tapestry over 
 the door between her room and that of the 
 maid, to prevent Blanchette from hearing any 
 sound within. 
 
 She feared that she should not be ready in 
 time; and she hastened all her preparations 
 eagerly, as much to withdraw her own thoughts 
 from fears and apprehensions, as to guard 
 against being too late ; but, as so often hap- 
 pens, all was complete long before the hour;
 
 296 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 and for nearly twenty minutes, she sat at a little 
 distance from the window, trembling with agita- 
 tion and alarm. 
 
 She had now full time to give way to all the 
 busy thoughts that naturally sprang from her 
 situation. She felt she loved — she trusted she 
 was beloved in return ; but still to fly with De 
 Montigni from all other protection — to put her- 
 self entirely in his power — to cast herself thus 
 into his arms; it was rash, she thought; it was 
 foolish. Would he continue to love her? Might 
 not his quickly-ronsed passion die away as soon ? 
 Might he not be the first to think her rash con- 
 fidence in him, bold, almost immodest? 
 
 " No, no !" she answered, " he would not do 
 so; he was too kind — too generous. He always 
 had been. Why should she think him changed 
 in mind and heart, in thought and feeling, since 
 the bright days of his boyhood, when she had 
 loved him so well ? Did he not tell her that he 
 had always loved her ? — did he not promise to 
 love her always?— and when had he ever bro- 
 ken his word ? No, no ! It was but agitation 
 and weak terror made her doubt."
 
 ROSE d'albret. 297 
 
 Even if there were a risk, she thought again, 
 even if the dream of happiness with Louis de 
 Montigni, which had come with so sweet a 
 rehef to her heart, were not to be fully realised, 
 yet, when the only alternative was to wed a 
 man she now hated and contemned, could she 
 hesitate to give herself to one she loved? and 
 again she answered, " No I If death were the 
 only other course, she would seek it, rather 
 than give her hand to Nicholas de Chazeul." 
 
 Her mind then turned to the dangers of the 
 way; to the chance of being stopped ere they 
 could quit the castle; to the likelihood of 
 being discovered and frustrated; to the shame 
 and confusion that must follow. She pictured 
 herself brought before Monsieur de Lian court ; 
 she called up the scornful looks of Chazeul 
 and the sneering taunts of his mother ; and 
 for a moment her heart sank as fancy painted 
 the scene with the vividness of reality. But 
 then her spirit rose ; " I would not bear it," she 
 said to herself. '' I would own my love to one, 
 and my hatred to the other. I would call for a 
 sight of the contract that my father signed. I
 
 298 ROSE D ALBRET. 
 
 would refuse to wed this man — ay, even if they 
 dragged me to the altar. I would demand the 
 protection of the good old Commander, and put 
 myself under the guardianship of the law." 
 
 Poor girl, she little knew how powerless was 
 the law in France at that moment. "It is 
 strange," she continued, turning to another line 
 of thought, " I have not heard the clock strike 
 one ; and yet it is long since twelve. Can any- 
 thing have gone wrong ? It must have struck 
 without my hearing it. — How dark it is without ! 
 Not a star in the sky, and the moon down ! 
 Those must be drops of rain I hear." 
 
 A moment after the heavy bell of the clock 
 sounded upon her ear ; and she found how long 
 tedious expectation can make one short hour. 
 Rose smiled at her own impatience, and said in 
 her heart, "I must not let Louis know how 
 eagerly I have watched for him ; and yet, why 
 not? If he be generous, as I think, to be so 
 loved will but increase his own; and if he be 
 not, no arts will keep a wayward heart. Hark, 
 there is a sound ! " and the next instant, some- 
 thing like the steel point of a sword's scabbard, 
 struck lightly against the window
 
 ROSE d'albret. 299 
 
 Rose opened it without noise, and asked in a 
 low and trembling voice, '' Who is there ? '* 
 
 " 'T is I ! *t is I, my beloved," answered De 
 Montigni, who was standing on a ladder, which 
 had been placed against the window. " All is 
 ready if you are. But, before you come, secure 
 your maid in her own room. We have turned 
 the key without. She is not to be trusted ; and 
 it were well to prevent her from giving the alarm 
 to-morrow, till the last moment." 
 
 " There is but a bolt," said Rose d'Albret, 
 " and I fear I shall wake her with the noise, for 
 it is a very heavy one." 
 
 " Stay, dearest," replied her lover ; " I will 
 do it," and he sprang lightly into the room. 
 
 " Oh, Louis," whispered Rose, as he held her 
 for a moment to his heart, " do not waste time." 
 
 *' I will not," he answered. " Where is this 
 bolt," and following Rose, who led him on with 
 a trembling hand, he drew back the tapestry 
 and felt for the bolt upon the door. Slowly and 
 gently he pushed it forward ; but this was not 
 accomplished without some noise, and the heart 
 of Rose d'Albret beat as if it would have burst
 
 300 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 through her side. She could not even Usten for 
 the throbbing ; but De Montigni bent down his 
 ear; and after a moment he whispered, " It is all 
 safe, she sleeps, my beloved. Now, Rose, 
 now," and taking her hand in his, he led her 
 back towards the window. 
 
 He felt by the trembling of her hand, that 
 she was greatly agitated ; and although, when he 
 had first entered the room, he had given way, 
 as we have seen, for a single instant, to the 
 warm emotions of his heart, he would not now 
 add by one rash caress to that which Rose al- 
 ready underwent. When they reached the win- 
 dow, however, he drew the other side of the 
 casement farther back, to get out first and as- 
 sist her in descending. But the lady detained 
 him a moment by the hand, asking in a low 
 voice, "And will you love me ever, Louis?" 
 
 " As from my earliest youth, so to my last 
 hour, dear Rose," replied De Montigni in the 
 same low tone. 
 
 " And will you never jucjge me rash, impru- 
 dent, bold, De Montigni?" again inquired the 
 lady; "will you never reproach me, even in
 
 ROSE d'albret. 301 
 
 your own secret heart, for listening to your per- 
 suasions ? will you never think it was immodest 
 or unfeminine to quit the shelter of my guar- 
 dian's house, and give myself to you with this 
 implicit confidence?" 
 
 " Never, dear Rose ! " replied De Montigni ; 
 " banish such idle apprehensions. I shall ever 
 feel the deepest gratitude. I shall ever feel re- 
 spect for that decision which saves me the pain, 
 the peril, and the grief of bringing to account 
 ray nearest relations for a most shameful at- 
 tempt to violate the contract with your father, 
 and to defraud me of my own — for you are my 
 own, Rose. You are plighted to me from your 
 infancy, and indeed, dear one, I have a right to 
 demand, as the only one entitled to your hand, 
 that you should take the only means by which 
 it can be secured to me; and for your thus 
 yielding willingly and readily, my thanks, and 
 love, and gratitude, are yours for ever." 
 
 " Well, then, there is my hand, De Mon- 
 tigni," said Mademoiselle d'Albret, *' and I am 
 yours. I do not doubt you, Louis, — I do not 
 doubt you ; but in these things woman may well
 
 S02 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 be timid ; for her all is at stake ; and God knows 
 those we play against are often cheats." 
 
 " Such am not I, dear Rose," replied her 
 lover. " Come, my Rose, come ! " and stepping 
 out of the window, he held his hands towards 
 her, to guide her in the descent. 
 
 Rose d'Albret closed her eyes, murmured a 
 short prayer to God for protection and assist- 
 ance in the course before her ; and, after paus- 
 ing one moment more, in lingering hesitation, 
 she put her foot upon the ladder, and descended 
 gently, with De Montigni steadying her steps. 
 The height was not great, and the next mi- 
 nute her feet were upon the ground between 
 the old chateau and the walls that defended it. 
 There was no one below, for De Montigni had 
 determined to come alone, in order to avoid all 
 bustle and confusion. 
 
 " Now, dear girl, now," he said, " the first 
 step to freedom is taken. Estoc is v/aiting for 
 us on the walls ; my horses are prepared with- 
 out; and in five minutes we shall be in liberty." 
 
 " But how shall we pass the gates?" asked 
 Rose; " they are always strictly guarded."
 
 ROSE d'albret. 303 
 
 *' We have placed men that can be depended 
 upon," replied De Montigni, " and the sally 
 port at the south, is in the hands of Estoc. 
 This way, dearest, this way, to the bridge." 
 
 Their escape, however, was not destined to 
 be effected so easily as they supposed ; for when 
 they reached the spot where the flying bridge 
 which we have so often mentioned hung be- 
 tween the chateau and the outer walls, De 
 Montigni, on looking up, perceived through the 
 dim air of night that it was raised. There was 
 a flight of stone steps, built against the body of 
 the chateau, from the sort of paved court in 
 which they were, to the door, that communi- 
 cated with the bridge; and up these De Mon- 
 tigni sprang in a moment, leaving Rose d'Al- 
 bret below. He found, however, that the chain 
 which suspended the bridge in the air, was pad- 
 locked ; and, descending again with a noiseless 
 step, he asked his fair companion in a whisper 
 " Who sleeps in the room on the right?" 
 
 " I do not know," replied Rose, " some of 
 Monsieur de Chazeurs servants, I believe." 
 
 " There are people talking within," repUed
 
 304? ROSE DALBRET. 
 
 De Montigni ; " the bridge is up, the chains 
 padlocked ; and, even if they were not, the noise 
 of letting it down would call attention. We 
 must go round, dear Rose, to the staircase in 
 the wall." 
 
 Rose D'Albret trembled very much ; for her 
 agitation was already so great, that any impedi- 
 ment made her heart sink with apprehension ; 
 but leaning on De Montigni's arm, she hurried 
 along with him, and soon reached the staircase 
 of which he had spoken, which in another mi- 
 nute led them to the top of the wall. 
 
 " Sit here for a moment, dearest," said De 
 Montigni, " while I find Estoc, and do not 
 raise your head above the parapet He and I 
 may pass for the guards ; but the veil and ruff 
 do not well imitate the steel cap and cuirass.""' 
 
 Rose silently did as he bade her, and gazed 
 out, while he was gone, through the neighbour- 
 ing embrasure. The country through which 
 she was to pass lay before her; but it was all 
 dark and indistinct, like the wide land of the 
 future in the journey of life. There was no 
 star to betoken hope in the sky above; thick
 
 ROSE d'albret. 305 
 
 clouds, like frowning fate, covered the whole 
 heaven; and though the few heavy drops of 
 rain which had fallen had ceased for the time, 
 there were low sobbing gusts of wind, which 
 seemed to say, that they would soon commence 
 again. 
 
 Sad and apprehensive. Rose d'Albret gazed 
 over the scene, and with curious eye strove 
 to trace out the road along which she was to 
 travel, as one does so often and so vainly in 
 the mortal night which surrounds us here be- 
 low. Fortunately, however, she had not much 
 time for gloomy meditations. In less than 
 two minutes De Montigni was by her side 
 again, accompanied by Estoc, who bent down 
 and kissed her hand, saying " Come, Made- 
 moiselle, come, don't be frightened about the 
 bridge being up, that is done against those on 
 the outside of the wall, not those on the in. 
 We will soon reach the sally port; but we must 
 cross the court first." 
 
 " But who are those that Monsieur de Mon- 
 tigni heard talking in the room to the right of 
 the bridge door?" asked Rose D'Albret in a 
 whisper.
 
 306 ROSE D*ALBRET. 
 
 " On my body and life I do not know," re- 
 plied Estoc ; " some of Chazeul's people, about 
 no good, I'll warrant; but they'd better not 
 come near us, or I'll split their skulls and his 
 too, if he meddles. This way. Mademoiselle." 
 
 " Hush ! " cried Rose drawing back, " there 
 is a man coming along the wall. — Oh Heaven ! 
 who can it be?" 
 
 " Nobody but Paul the sentinel," replied 
 Estoc. " I placed him here on guard, lady, and 
 he knows his business. — Come ! " and leading 
 her on, he passed close by the warder, who for 
 his part, when they approached, turned his 
 back to them, and gazed out over the country. 
 
 To witness such a thorough understanding be- 
 tween her companions and the guards, restored 
 some degree of confidence and hope to Rose 
 d'Albret ; and, hurrying forward, they descended 
 the stairs by which she had mounted, chose the 
 second archway in the body of the building, and 
 crossed the vacant court, where all was still 
 and silent, except a large eagle which was 
 chained to a perch in the midst, and which, 
 disturbed in its reveries by their passing near,
 
 ROSE d'albret. 307 
 
 flapped its large wings, and uttered a shrill cry. 
 Taking through another archway on the oppo- 
 site side of the court, they threaded one or two 
 of the passages of the building, and soon 
 reached a paved passage, or coulisse, similar to 
 that which ran between the chateau and the 
 wall on the northern side. As they walked 
 along, Rose remarked that De Montigni drew 
 round to the side of Estoc, and whispered 
 something in his ear. 
 
 " I do not know," replied the old soldier ; " I 
 placed him there not ten minutes ago. Perhaps 
 he is standing under the arch." 
 
 *' I do not think it," said De Montigni ; 
 " there is no depth to hide him ; and I can see 
 no one." 
 
 " My eyes are not so good as they were," an- 
 swered Estoc ; '* but he may have opened the 
 door for aught we know, to have all ready." 
 
 " What is the matter ? "" asked Mademoi- 
 selle d'Albret, clinging to De Montigni's arm ; 
 " what has gone amiss ? " 
 
 " Nothing, dearest, nothing," replied De 
 Montigni. " 'T is only that we do not see the
 
 308 ROSE d'aLBRET. 
 
 guard who was placed with the keys of the sally 
 port. He may, perhaps, have opened the door 
 and gone in ; or he may have walked on to the 
 end." 
 
 When they reached the low- browed door in 
 the wall, however, which was to give them exit 
 from the chateau of Marzay, they found no one 
 there, and the heavy iron-covered gate tightly 
 locked. Swearing an oath or two in an under 
 tone, Estoc looked up and down the passage to 
 see if he could perceive the careless warder; but 
 nothing was to be discovered ; and no sound or 
 footfall gave notice that he was near. 
 
 "Stay," said the old soldier; ''stay a mo- 
 ment here, I will go and see for him. I cannot 
 understand this at all. Yet there can be no 
 danger, lady, so do not be afraid; for if anything 
 were discovered, we should find people enough 
 here." 
 
 " But if any one should come, while you are 
 gone?" asked Rose d'Albret, in a faltering tone. 
 
 " Why, then, you must hide yourselves 
 amongst those passages opposite,'' replied the 
 old soldier. " You know them well, both of you,
 
 ROSE d'albret. 309 
 
 for many a hunt have I had after you amongst 
 them, when you were children." 
 
 Notwithstanding all her apprehensions, Rose 
 d'Albret could but smile, as the old man's words 
 brought up before her mind the picture of the 
 happy hours of childhood ; and she laid her 
 hand fondly on De Montigni's arm, feeling that 
 she did love hi*^ truly, and had loved him longer 
 than she once thouoht she had. 
 
 ''Let us go at once, Louis," she said, " into 
 what we used to call the labyrinth ; they would 
 not find us easily there, and we can watch till 
 he comes back." 
 
 "Ay, ay," said Estoc; "go there, pretty 
 lady. I will not be a minute, for the man can- 
 not be far off." 
 
 Thus saying he left them ; and crossing the 
 passage, they entered an arch, a little way far- 
 ther down, which communicated with some of 
 the inferior parts of the building but little used 
 by the household, and was traversed by narrow- 
 stone corridors, with innumerable staircases to 
 rooms above. Placing themselves under the 
 shelter of the vault they waited, listening to the
 
 310 ROSE d'albret. 
 
 old soldier's receding step ; but the momentary 
 light which had come up in Rose d'Albret's 
 mind, at his allusion to former days, passed ra- 
 pidly away as she stood there with her lover, 
 uncertain of what the next hour might bring 
 forth. 
 
 The moment after, they heard the neigh of a 
 horse beyond the walls, and De Montigni, 
 turning to her, whispered, "There is but a 
 little space between us and safety, Rose." 
 
 " Alas ! it may be enough,"** replied Rose 
 d'Albret, " to bar us from all our hopes." 
 
 " Nay, nay,'' answered her lover ; " take not 
 such a gloomy view of it, dear one; there are 
 always small obstacles to every scheme; but 
 these will soon be removed, and all will go 
 well." 
 
 " God grant it," said Rose d'Albret; but even 
 as she spoke, she drew back farther within the 
 arch, saying, " Hush ! there are figures upon 
 the wall." 
 
 *' Stand, give the word," cried a sentinel 
 above. 
 
 "I forget it," replied the voice of Chazeul;
 
 X ROSE D ALBRET. 311 
 
 iut you know me, my man ? — You know 
 Monsieur de Chazeul ? " 
 
 *' I know no one without the word," replied 
 the soldier. " Stand off, or you are a dead 
 man!" 
 
 " Dare you be so insolent?" exclaimed Cha- 
 zeul. '* Who commands the guard to-night?" 
 
 *' I do my duty, sir," replied the soldier; "so 
 stand back, I say ! It is Monsieur de I'Estoc^s 
 guard." 
 
 '' I thought so," replied Chazeul; "like 
 master like man. Go, and call him, sir." 
 
 " Not I," answered the soldier ; " I do not 
 quit ray post for any one. You can call him 
 yourself, if you want him." 
 
 " I will," replied Chazeul sternly ; « and have 
 you punished for your insolence ;" and, turning 
 back along the wall, he proceeded to search for 
 Estoc. 
 
 END OF THE FIRST VOLUME.
 
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 UNIVERSITY OF ILUN0I9-URBANA 
 
 0112 049064253