FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60  
61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   >>   >|  
tand?" We stiffly acknowledged his salute--the priest taking no notice of us--and followed the servant from the room; going along a corridor and up a steep flight of stairs, and seeing enough by the way to be sure that resistance was hopeless. Doors opened silently as we passed, and grim fellows, in corslets and padded coats, peered out. The clank of arms and murmur of voices sounded continuously about us; and as we passed a window the jingle of bits, and the hollow clang of a restless hoof on the flags below, told us that the great house was for the time a fortress. I wondered much. For this was Paris, a city with gates and guards; the night a short August night. Yet the loneliest manor in Quercy could scarcely have bristled with more pikes and musquetoons, on a winter's night and in time of war. No doubt these signs impressed us all; and Croisette not least. For suddenly I heard him stop, as he followed us up the narrow staircase, and begin without warning to stumble down again as fast as he could. I did not know what he was about; but muttering something to Marie, I followed the lad to see. At the foot of the flight of stairs I looked back, Marie and the servant were standing in suspense, where I had left them. I heard the latter bid us angrily to return. But by this time Croisette was at the end of the corridor; and reassuring the fellow by a gesture I hurried on, until brought to a standstill by a man opening a door in my face. He had heard our returning footsteps, and eyed me suspiciously; but gave way after a moment with a grunt of doubt I hastened on, reaching the door of the room in which we had supped in time to see something which filled me with grim astonishment; so much so that I stood rooted where I was, too proud at any rate to interfere. Bezers was standing, the leering priest at his elbow. And Croisette was stooping forward, his hands stretched out in an attitude of supplication. "Nay, but M. le Vidame," the lad cried, as I stood, the door in my hand, "it were better to stab her at once than break her heart! Have pity on her! If you kill him, you kill her!" The Vidame was silent, seeming to glower on the boy. The priest sneered. "Hearts are soon mended--especially women's," he said. "But not Kit's!" Croisette said passionately--otherwise ignoring him. "Not Kit's! You do not know her, Vidame! Indeed you do not!" The remark was ill-timed. I saw a spasm of anger distort B
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60  
61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Croisette

 

Vidame

 
priest
 

flight

 

stairs

 
passed
 

servant

 

corridor

 

standing

 

reassuring


hastened
 

filled

 
astonishment
 

supped

 

reaching

 

distort

 

rooted

 
standstill
 

brought

 

returning


footsteps

 
opening
 

moment

 

gesture

 

hurried

 
suspiciously
 

fellow

 
stretched
 
silent
 

remark


glower
 

sneered

 

passionately

 

Indeed

 

ignoring

 

Hearts

 
mended
 

stooping

 

forward

 

leering


Bezers

 

interfere

 

attitude

 
supplication
 
continuously
 

sounded

 

window

 

jingle

 

voices

 

murmur