The Battle Of The Strong, Complete

Savary dit

ng man said, glancing through the open doorway again to where the conne

r?" said Ranulph, closing

events had crowded too fast that morning. Detricand was st

l, Guida-he's wounde

ently, and dropped upon the veille,

d I'll have no cordial, not a drop. A drink o

ough as he took the hanap and drank off the water at a gulp. Again she filled it and again he drank. The blood was running

invader, M. Savary dit Detricand,-no one knew that he was the young Comte de Tournay of the House of Vaufontaine, but because he was a

ddenly still. He permitted her to wash the blood from his temple and forehead, to stanch it fir

breath fanned him. As he bent his head for the bandaging, he could see the soft pulsing of her bosom, and hear the beating of her heart. Her neck

an unpurchasable kind of gratitude characteristic of this especial sort of sinner. He was just young enough, and there was still enough natural health in him, to know the healing touch of

girl quickly, and looked straight

, ran up the stairs, gripped the ruffian, and threw him through the window into the street. As I did so a door opened behind, and another cut-throat came at me with a pistol. He fired-fired wide. I ran in on him, and before he had time to think he was out of the window too. Then the other brute below fi

waited for the chevalier and de Mauprat to sit. He had no sooner taken a mouthful, however

head! I've a letter for you, brought from Rouen by one of the refugees who came yesterday."

etter, and, breaking it, spread open the paper, fumbled for the eye-glas

Jean's boat," said he. "A vessel was driven ashore there three days ago, and my carpenters are at work o

ked his life so often; and he had never had a serious accident. To go to sea with Jean Touzel, folk said, was safer than living on

nd nodded assent. She then said gaily to

of the way,"

enly the little chevalier broke in. "By

ement, and Guida coloured, for the words soun

of them imperatively yet abstractedly too. Then, pursing up his lower lip, and with a g

ught. If he had looked at a wall it would have been the same. But Detricand, who had an almost whimsical sense of humour, felt h

r with his eye-glass; "the most terrible and yet the most romantic things are here. A drop o

of cider. The little grey thrush of a man sipped

mpsavoys, Comte de Cha

oeth hence from among

du Champsavoys de Beau

he best of monarchs, L

D Cousin"-The cheval

s lips with his finge

honoured cousin, all

twentieth of June sa

for ever. That day

eir way into the palace

n the mad turmoil, we

Louis, placing his ha

beating of a heart s

uld have clamped in m

o fear? Death? it i

o no more!' Their liv

ut worse

ame. With it too, the

d. The Jacobins had t

he Court of the Carro

the King. Thus the

roken. The palace was

nobles of the court I

house. The people crie

gave them the freedom

mparable fiend, let l

ow Paris is made a th

les would have died to

of carnage, every pri

ne last revolting thi

e King; then this Fra

no place in our gene

t see her, for our eye

ed by disaster. Like a

s of our youth and th

she has stricken us w

ow for he

ance despoils me. One

. Of my four sons but

uffians at the Hotel

s Guard, whose hacked

he streets by these mo

oungest, defied a hu

f the Assembly, and wa

left. But for him an

d a place beside the

a Rochejaquelein in

ue

dy still stand for t

egeneration of France:

le of Jersey there you

aquelein and the marc

justice in God we sha

r such as you or me, n

e who come after. Our

well to go, and I

relations you shall kn

I now se

of the House of Vaufo

of the Prince of Va

to the house, nor can

rs. Now of late the P

s here in seclusion w

been secret. Eleven ye

some naughty escapade

enturer, who invaded t

lost to France. Some

a number of years. A

killed in the battl

hat he was still liv

his comrades

te to you. He is-as

Tournay. He was then n

f build, with brownish

ht shoulder a scar f

e that, if living, he

He may rather have re

o England to be lost

ndeed beyo

ce give me word of hi

more hope than I live;

e young nobleman pres

unit that w

men yonder in the name

and for myself you mu

ance of wha

l friend and

ANI

the chances of war

ou at Rouen this first

s eyebrows beetled over till the eyes themselves seemed like two glints of flame. Delagarde dropped a fist heavily upon the table, and held it there clinched, while his heel beat a tattoo of excitement upon the floor. Guida's breath came quick and fast-as Ranulph said afterward

They leaned forward eagerly, seizing every word, and both instinctivel

of her people. His face turned scarlet as the thing came home to him now. He dropped his head in his hand as if to listen more attentively, but it was in truth to hide his emotion. When the names of Vaufontaine and de Tournay were mentioned, he gave a little start, then suddenly ruled himself to a strange stillness. His face seemed presently to clear; he even smiled a little. Conscious that de Mauprat and Delagarde were watching him, he appeared to listen with

he old man, and returned to

a moment. Then the chevalier lifted his eye

said, "but you were with R

lplessness, and answered: "In Jersey I n

d him again with the glass, pursed his lips, and with the importance of a

e of the Comte de

saying, Chevalier," an

his fingers upon the table, stood up, and,

u are the Com

his hands, and his eyebrows drew down in excitement. Guida gave a little cry of astonishment. But Detricand

soon to levy upon the kinship, I shall dine with you today, chevalier. I paid my debts yesterday,

or rather dropped i

omte de Tournay, monsie

with you to-day," ret

Mauprat dubiously, touchin

ouse; on Thursday I went oyster-fishing with a native who has three wives, and a butcher who has been banished four times for not keeping holy the Sabbath Day; and I drank from eleven o'clock till sunrise this morning with three Scotch sergeants of the line-which is very like the Comte de Tournay, as you were saying, Chevalier! I am five feet eleven, and the Comte de Tournay was five feet ten-which is no lie," he added und

ace. "I am most sorry; I am most sorry," he said h

ou must apologise," said Detric

I looked at you, monsieur, his face came back to me. It would have made my cousin so happy if you had been the Comte de Tournay and I had found you here." The old man

-care, irresponsible shamelessness of his face dropped away

th. "De Tournay was a fiery, ambitious, youngster with bad companions. De Tournay told me he repented of coming

ok his head sadly. "I

, and then Detricand ans

re i

rnay that I would

im?" asked the old man.

espatch a letter to h

y honou

you, monsieur; I wi

o-night," rejoined Detricand. "It may take time to reach

et to put the question he kne

onsieur le comte wil

l," answered De

r. "Will you take snuff with me, monsieur?" He offered his silver snuff-

d, and took a pinch. "I