The House of the Wolf: A Romance

d still hotter and faster through a dozen rifts in the timbers came the fire of their threats and curses. Many grew tired, but others replaced them. Tools broke, but they brought more and worked

stand back to let the sledges have swing; but hallooed and ran in on the creaki

jar. Candles, which the daylight rendered garish, still burned in the rooms on the first floor, of which the tall narrow windows were open. On the wide stone sill of one of these stood Croisette, a boyish figure, looking silently down at me, h

iron bar was yielding to the pressure. Slowly the left wing of the gate was sinking inwards. Through the widening chasm I caught a glimpse of wild, grimy faces and bloodshot eyes, and he

topmost step, I glanced back. The dogs were halfway across the court. I made a bungling attempt to shut and lock the great door-failed in this; and heard behind me a roar

les still burning in the sconces. The furniture had been huddled aside or piled into a barricade, a CHEVAUX DE FRISE of chairs and tables stretching across the width of the room, its interstices stuffed with, and its weakness partly screened by, the torn-down hangings. Behind this frail defence their backs to a door which seemed to lead to an in

ulated Croisette tur

nk," I answered.

re not

tou

came to a stop. Their wild cries ceased, and tumbling over one another with curses and oaths they halted, surveying us in muddled surprise; seeing what was before them, and not liking it. Their leader appeared to be a tall butcher with a pole-axe on his half-naked shoulder; but

nce, and I sprang on a chair and waved my hand for silence. The instinct of

ich met and yet avoided my eye. "Beware of what you do! We are Catholics one and all like yourselves, and good sons of the Church. Ay, and good subj

A MESSE!" s

with politeness. "With all my hea

ought of this. He stared at us as if the ox he had been about to fell had opened i

in such cases-and they were few-the cry of VIVE LA MESSE! always obtained at least a respite: more easily of course in the earlier hours of the

Caylus, nephew to the Vicomte de Caylus, Governor, under the King, of Bayonne and the Landes!" This I said with what majesty I could. "And t

es. Dull and savage as the men were they were impressed; they saw reason indeed, and all s

ered window. I thought I made out a slender figure, cloaked and masked-a woman's it might be but I could not b

slugs is an ugly weapon at five paces, and makes nasty wounds, besides scattering its charge famously. This, a good many of them and the leaders in particular, seemed to recognise. We might certainly take two or three lives: and life is valuable to its owner when plunder is afoot. Besides most of them had com

n was recalled to their minds by the same voice b

ame time spitting on his hands and taking a fresh grip of

ake my eyes off the shining blade of that man's a

ind you!" the prudent gentleman in the

e almost good humouredly, "or it will be the wor

gh the crowd, mingled with cries of "A MORT LES HUGUENOTS! VIVE LORRAINE!"-cri

I urged, "I swear he is not h

warned me to temporize no longer. "Stay! Stay!" I added hastily. "One minute! Hear me! You a

ooked at the butcher only. He seemed to

it!" he cri

the

the

om, no one taking much notice of us. All were pressing on, intent on their prey. We gained the door as the butcher struck his first blow on that which we had guarded-on that which we had given up. We sprang down the stairs with bounding hearts, heard as we reached the outer door the roar of many voices, but stayed not to look behind-paused indeed for nothing. Fea

rd another time," I said with a

at this moment," Croisette r

ckening dread of the subject. If I had seen her, I had seen oh! it wa

The Pavannes," I made shift to say,

well with them, and they have not been stopped in the streets they should be a

om that place! If we had not meddled with her affairs

we have. He would still be in Pallavicini's hands. Come, Anne, let us think it is all for the best," he added

the left, first on the right again. That was the direction given us, was it not? The house

is rightful place. My flight from the gate, the vain attempt to close the house, the barricade before the inner door-these were all designed to draw the assailants to one spot. Pavannes a

l were stopped as Huguenots and killed before the day ended. I had the more reason to hope that Pavannes and his wife would get clear off, inasmuch as I had given the Duke's r

hat with this comparative remoteness and the excitement of our own little drama, we had not attended much to the fury of the bells, the shots and cries and uproar which proclaimed the state of the city. We had not pictured the scenes which were happening so near. Now in the streets the truth broke upon us, and drove the blood from our cheeks. A hundred yards, the turning of a corner, sufficed. We who but yesterday le

ng in doors and windows, and hurrying with bloody weapons from house to house, seeking, pursuing, and at last killing in some horrid corner, some place of darkness-killing with blow on blow dealt on writhing bodies! Not here, surely, where each

ost part under God's heaven with arms in their hands: not men and women fresh roused from their sleep. I felt on those occasions no such horror, I have never felt such burning pity and indignation as on the morning I am describing, that long-past summer morning when I first saw the sun shining on the streets of Paris. Croisette clung to me, sick and white, shutting his eyes and ears, and letting me guide him as I

. But to see women killed and pass by-it was horrible! So horrible that if in those moments I had had the wishing-cap, I would have asked but for five thous

uproar, and I scarcely believe myself now that we saw some of the things we witnessed. Once a man gaily dressed, and splendidly mounted, dashed past us, waving his naked sword and crying in a frenzied way "Bleed them! Bleed them! Bleed in May, as good to-day!" and never ceased crying out the same words until he passed beyond our hearing. Once we came upon

er his arm, to which he clung firmly-though only perhaps by instinct-notwithstanding the furious air of the men who were threatening him with death. They were loudly demanding his name, as we paused opposite them. He either could not or would not give it, but said several times in his f

an's arm in the very act of falling. "He has a Mass Book!

th bloodshot wandering eyes, the red cross on the vellum bindings, the only thing he understo

his reason; only I saw him exchange a glance with the lad. "Come,

was going too far. They were half drunk and quarrelsome, and being two to one, and two over, began to flourish their weapo

midst. "What is all this about? What is the use of fighting amongst ourselves, when

?" they roar

coolly. "Let the gentlemen go, an

nstantly, and even the crew of butchers seemed to see in him their master. They hung back a few curses at him, but having nothing to gain they yielded. They th

red us into Bezers' power. Since that moment we had not seen him. Now he had wiped off part of the debt, and we looked at him, u

young gentlemen,"

d think not,

are quits now," t

very kind

earnest now. "You do not remember it, young gentleman, but it was you and your brother here"-h

ve,"

done, too! A pretty stroke! Well, M. Anne, that was a clever fellow, a very clever fellow. He thought so and

gly I had rid Blaise Bure of a rival. This accounted for the res

as much done for you, let me know.

t off at speed the way we had ourse

t homme

s cause et

rs baise s

de mal ce p

yful pass at a corpse which some one had propped in ghastly fashion against a doo

urselves; merely to speak t

his fair hair like a halo about his white, excited face, that the picture of the two, one advising the other, seemed t

is coolness and dignity struck me as admirable under the circums

ved another. Your father, yesterday, at Etampes-no it wa

ddenly; then cr

or three prowling rascals on the look out for a victim. They caught sight of him and were strongly inclined to follow him; but we were their ma

me time in the open street exposed to constant danger of losing his life, and knowing not what to do. At length he induced the gatekeeper, by the present of some small pieces of money, to call the principal of the college, and this

ly on one thing-to reach Louis de Pavannes, to reach the house opposite to the Head of Erasmus, as quickly as we could. We presently entered a long, narrow street. At the end of it the river was visible gleaming and sparkling in the sunlight. The street w

e our street,"

time? Or too late? That was the question. By a single impulse we broke into a run, and shot down the roadway at

glaring cracks in its surface showing where the axe had splintered it. Fragments of glass and ware, hung out and shattered in sheer wantonness, strewed the steps: and down one corner of the latter a d

n it. We looked shuddering at the face. It was that of a servant, a valet who had been with Louis at Caylus. We recognised him at once for we had kno

essed his face against its cold surface, hiding his eyes from the sight. The worst had come. In ou

e cried, bursting suddenly int