The House of the Wolf: A Romance

night-I had one to myself in the summer, being the eldest, while he and Marie slept on another in the same room-and came to him and awoke hi

I had an ugly dream that night, and that when I awoke I was lyin

Gil and the servants showed me. What Catherine thought of the matter I could not tell. She had her letter and apparently found it satisfactory. At any

ingled some childishness with their cruelty in those days-days when the religious wars had aroused our worst passions. It was not enough to kill an enemy. It pleased people to make-I speak literally-a football of his head, to throw his heart to the dogs.

n us, might be blown up with gunpowder indeed, but we prepared to close the iron grating which barred the way half-way up the ramp. This done, even if the enemy should succeed in forcing an entrance he would only find himself caught in a trap-in a steep, narrow way exposed to a fire from the top of the flanking walls, as wel

sturdiest lackeys and keepers to attend him at Bayonne. And we felt immensely responsible. Our main hope was that the Vidame would at once go on to Paris,

when Gil with a grave face came to me on the terrace and announc

uld see her," the old servant added, s

y. "Do you leave Francis and another at the gate, Gil. Mari

the Vidame at the head of the ramp. "Mademoiselle de Caylus," I

?" he asked, eyeing

rt. He was certainly a wonderful man, for at sight of him, three-fourths

"Then, M. Anne, I have a crow to pick with you. What compensation do you propose to make for the death of my servant? A dec

eadily. I had thought about this of course and was ready for it. "You are aware, M. de Bezers," I conti

xcepted," he re

se," I retorted. "However as the punishment was summary, an

el

rre to say ten mas

laughter. "By our Lady, my friend," he cried with rough merriment, "bu

other men. He did not pick and choose his servants for their religion. He was sure that the Huguenot would stone his fellow at his bidding; the Catholic cry "Vive Coligny!"

s ten days older. Bear my words in mind, boy! They will come back to you. And now hear me," he went on in his usual tone, "I am anxious to accommodate a neighbour. It goes without saying that I would not think of puttin

. I had no need to ask what he meant. G

. "Do not build too much on a single blow, young gentleman," he said, shaking his head waggishly. "I had

ention, certainly,

this for?" And he rudely kicked the culverin which apparently he had not noticed before, "So! so! understand," he continued, casting a sharp glance at one and another of us. "You looked to be besieged! Why you, booby, there is

to look one another in the face. Of course the shoot was open. We remembered now that it was, and we were so sorely mortified by his

shaking my fist at the House of the Wolf, as I s

at he hates us is a matter of more importa

of complaints directed at our visitor, the lad was m

e he is leaving us!" Cr

the sound of their careless voices coming up to us through the clear morning air Bezers' valet, whom we knew by sight, was the last of them. He had a pair of grea

isette answ

had holsters to his saddle. His steward was running beside him, to take I suppose his last orders. A cripple, whom the bustle had attracted from his us

thought instead of an occasion, not so very long ago, when the Vicomte being at home, we had had a great hawking party. Bezers and Catherine had rid

party of seven became visible on the white road far below us-to the northward, and moving in that direction. Still we watched them, muttering a word to one another, now an

gh the courtyard to the parlour; where we arrived breathless. "He is off!" Croisette cried shrill

up our caps, and looked at Catherine, feeling rather foolish, she was staring

before. Catherine, so kind and gentle, calling us fools! And without cause! I did not understand it. I turned confusedly to Croisette. He was looking at her,

avenge himself on YOU? On you! Or that he could hurt me one hundredth part as much here as-as-" She broke off stammering. Her scorn falt

ciating her with my cousin. As for Croisette, he stepped forward

so that a stain of blood sprang out on her knuckles. "Why did you not kill him? Why did you not do it when you had the chance? Y

without any term of address, and ran thus, "I have a mission in Paris, Mademoiselle, which admits of no delay, your mission, as well as my own-to see Pavannes.

mean and sorry trick! On the outside was scrawled a direction to Mademoisell

d. He was the first to read the meaning of the thi

emed full of fire, as I comprehended the me

Who gave it to Mademoiselle? How did

und, said that Francis had given

ught the note in his pocket no doubt, rightly expecting that he would not get an audience of my cousin. Returning to the g

apprehending all this. "He will sleep

am afraid not. His horses are fresh. I think he will

derstanding

she sprang to her feet in anguish. Her face twitched, her form seemed to stiffen as she drew herself up like one in physical pain. "Oh, I cannot bear it!" she cried

us hatred, and I fancy Italian modes of thought, had for the time changed our countrymen to beasts. Far more dreadful things were done then than this which Bezers threatened-even if he meant it literally-far more dreadful th

o or three scared servants, and made at once for the terrace. I felt as if I could only breathe there. I found

"When?" we said. But the othe

t is an hour after noon already. We want money, and the horses are out. It will take an hour to bring them in. After that

odded

ours of Bezers' arrival, we should in all probability be in time, and be able to put Pavannes on his guard. It had been the first thought of all of us, to take such men as we could get together and fall upon Bezers wherever we found him, making it our simple object to kill him. But the lackey

ignorant of Paris. Nor could any one of them be trusted with a mission so delicate. We thought of Pavannes' cou

ned than allured us. We felt that shrinking from contact with the world which a country life engenders, as well as that dread of seeming unlike other people which is pe

n an adventure of knight errantry in which we might win our spurs. We were going to s

iate despatch of a message to the Vicomte at Bayonne, and charged Gil until he should hear from him to keep the gates closed, and look well to the

ng to me some three hours later, "what do you think the Vida

peevishly. He had roused me just

ng that his was the t

eep," I replied. For I had no patience with Croisette, talki