discourteously used and
maltreated in your house, and a stranger put as a spy upon you in
your own dwelling. Fie! For shame! I never heard of such a thing! I
shall go immediately to her, with your compliments, and ask her to
come to breakfast. And let me see if this spy upon you will dare to
stop me."
"Oh no, Miladi," replied Plessis, "he is not a spy upon me; but I
said myself I would have nothing to do with the young lady being
detained; that it was no part of my business, and should not be done
by my people; that they might have the rooms at the west corner of
the house if they liked, but that I would have nothing to do with it.
I beseech you, dear lady," he continued, seeing Caroline moving
towards the door--"I beseech you, do not meddle; for this is a very
dangerous and bad business, and I fear it will end ill, Nay, nay!"
and springing towards the door, he placed himself between it and the
lady, bowing lowly, with his hand upon his heart, and exclaiming,
"Humbly on my knees I kiss your beautiful feet, and beseech you not
to meddle with this bad business."
"A very bad business, indeed," said Caroline; "and it is for that
very reason that I am going to meddle, Monsieur Plessis. Do me the
favour of getting out of my way. I thought you were a man of
gallantry and spirit, Monsieur Plessis.--I am determined; so there is
no use in opposing me."
Plessis shrugged up his shoulders, bowed his head low, and with a
look which said as plainly as any look could say, "I see there is
never any use of opposing a woman," he suffered the fair lady to pass
out, while her friend remained sitting thoughtfully at the table.
The lady whom we have called Caroline walked quietly along one of the
corridors of the house till she came to a spot where a man in the
garb of a sailor was sitting on a large chest, with his elbows on his
two knees, and his chin on his two hands, looking very much wearied
with his watch, and swinging one of his feet backwards and forwards
disconsolately. There was a door farther on, and towards it the lady
walked, but found that it was locked, though the key was on the
outside. The sailor personage had started up as she passed, and then
gazed at her proceedings with no small surprise; but as she laid her
hand upon the lock, he came forward, saying, "Ma'am, what do you want
there?".
"I want," replied the lady, turning round, and looking at him from
head to foot, "I merely to call this young lady to breakfast. Be so
good as to open the door: the lo