"But why so violent?" asked the Baron.

"Oh! but Louis Le Lupin is very devout and confesses regularly," replied the woman; "he is half mad, poor fellow! When a boy he lived with his father in a wooden hut close to a brook, which, they say, now runs through the grand gardens; they were turned out to make room for King Francis to build his great palace there. The old man died soon afterward, and Louis believing that being driven from the hut broke his father's heart, has been ever since very violent whenever any of our kings or their relatives are spoken of. He is very dutiful and obedient to the monks all round about Blois; he will sometimes bring wood in the night, and lay it at the door of the convent of his confessor, who is, as Louis tells me, a Father Capuchin, and dwells at the house close to the royal gardens in Blois. It's a long distance, Monsieur, from this hut to the convent, as Pierre says; I have never been there; but Louis has a boat of his own, and crosses at all hours. He got it at first, when king Charles ordered a toll on all market goods crossing the bridge; the collector said Louis's fagots were to pay toll-Look, he is now talking peaceably enough with Pierre; there's no harm in him, if one don't talk about our kings. Well, Monsieur, Louis would not pay the toll, and they tried to take his wood, but he caught hold of the collector, and flung him into the river; he was not drowned, yet it would have gone hard with Louis, if his friends, the monks, had not interceded for his pardon; they afterward gave him a boat for his own use. Louis says he would have paid the toll, if it had been for one but the king."

any

"But how came your husband," said De Nevailles, amused with the narration, "to talk with him on the wrong subject, when he knows his infirmity?"

us.

"One can't help it at times, Monsieur!" replied the woman, "for he brings on the talk himself, and says of our gracious kings what we do not like to hear-all to provoke The monks have encouraged it, since they quarrelled with his majesty; before that, they used to chide him for his violence. He is made to go on errands for them, and knowing well the neighbouring provinces, is a very useful messenger. He has been at La Charité the last two days -it's a long way from Blois-but he comes with a message to the convent, and would go any where for the monks.

He is here very often-every one knows him-but he will not sleep in the town because the Duke is there-" "What Duke?" said the Baron.

"The Duke De Joyeuse, Monsieur, the king's great favourite," replied Fanchette, to whom the interruption of her patient listener had given breathing time: "he is at La Charité with a host of gentlemen-he is a noble looking—'

"I am a stranger from the south, my good Fanchette," said De Nevailles, whose mind was now crowded with busy images: "I should like to know why the Duke and his friends are here, at this little place, instead of the court."

"It is not a very little place, Monsieur,—it is a beautiful town," replied the woman, speaking in praise of the place of her nativity; "but you must know, Monsieur, that the heretics and the King of Navarre have an army in Guienne; and our good Queen has sent a large army against them—it marched more than a week ago from Orleans or Saumur; Pierre's friend, the carpenter at La Charité, could not tell which place--and the Duke De Joyeuse is to command it."

"Then why did not he march with his soldiers?" said De Nevailles.

66

"Ah! Monsieur! you would have done the same as he has done," said Fanchette, laughing; "he was only married a fortnight, when the Queen ordered him to take the command of the army, but he told Monsieur Lavardine to march on with the troops, and he would follow with his gentlemen. When he arrived at Orleans he heard that the soldiers of the traitor Guise—"

The woman was here interrupted by a deep growl from Louis, which made Ezzelin grin. She continued:

"When the Duke heard that the soldiers of Guise, whom Pierre calls Leaguers, because they are leagued against the King, were marching towards the banks of the Loire, and that a host of German heretics were with them

"You are wrong, Fanchette," said Pierre, "I was told this morning by one of the Duke's own armourers, that the Leaguers were driving the heretics before them like a flock of sheep, strait towards this province, and that the Duke, hearing of it at Orleans, was afraid of crossing the river at that city, lest the troops which are scattered along the banks, should not be strong enough to repel both heretic and leaguer; so he came out of his way to La Charité, to look after the defences of the river,"

"Mind your own business, Pierre," said the woman; then turning to the patient listener, she said:"Louis has been taught by the priests to pray for the Duke of Guise -he would like to see him King of France-but every one at La Charité loves the King because he took off the taxes for three years when we were distressed. He is a very good creature-and so is this Duke De Joyeuse. Poor gentleman! suppose he were killed in the battle which he is going to fight with the King of Navarre and the Gascons and only married three weeks! It would kill Madame too!

Though Ezzelin was a much better French scholar than his comrade Schwartz, yet he could with difficulty interpret the rapid utterance of Fanchette; he learned enough, however, to exchange significant glances with his captain on the nature of the intelligence which was pouring in upon them so rapidly. But De Nevailles had already planned something beyond conveying mere gossip to the Ritters' camp in the forest; and proceeded to put his scheme in execution.

He had remarked the anger of the peasant whenever the name of the King was introduced; and hearing from Fanchette that his first cause of hatred against the dynasty of Valois had been aggravated by the lessons of the monks, whose creature he appeared to be, so far as his half-wit and strong limbs could serve them, he resolved to work upon this feeling, and make it subservient to his own purposes.

"I am going to La Charité myself," said the Baron; and should be glad if Louis would accompany us to show the way. I dare trust myself in his company!"

Pierre and his wife were glad for the present to get rid of their violent guest, and easily prevailed upon him to attend the gentleman and his servant.

"But I will not sleep in La Charité with the troops of that wicked King!" cried Louis.

"You need go no farther than the gates," said the Baron. This matter being settled, Louis led the way out, first casting a look of ineffable contempt upon Pierre and his good woman, who whispered to De Nevailles, not to say any thing about royalty, or the mad fit would return again.

CHAPTER XIX,

Fortune est de chacun la maitresse puissante,
Louable toutefoir: car apres qu'elle a fait
Par sa legerete aux hommes un malfait,

Un bien suit son malheuir, tant elle est inconstante.

RONSARD

WHEN out of hearing of Pierre and his wife, De Ne vailles said to the peasant :-" Louis, should you like to see the Duke of Guise king of France?"

Louis turned round, with a cunning look, and nodded his head.

"Was the Duke De Joyeuse to attack the Leaguers to-day, as I heard that he rode out with his friends armed for the field?" inquired the Baron.

Louis, who was striding on in advance, turned his head round a second time and nodded.

"Ask him if he knows the depth of the stream," whispered Ezzelin.

"Be silent," replied the Baron in the same tone," and see how I'll manage him; I have often practised on cleverer subjects than this cracked peasant." Then raising his voice, he said, "Louis, can you keep a secret?"

The peasant showed his teeth.

"I am a friend of the Duke of Guise," said the Baron, Louis Le Lupin stopped and looked suspiciously at his

convoy.

"Come closer, Louis," cried De Nevailles, "you shall so serve the Duke of Guise, that when King, he will grant whatever you want. What would you ask him for?"

"If you were the friend of the good Duke," said the peasant, "why did you let Pierre and his wife speak so foul of him?"

"We are both his soldiers," replied De Nevailles, "and I was afraid they would betray us to that proud De Joyeuse. Now answer my question, and I will tell you more. What should you desire of the princely Lorraine, if I brought you to his footstool when he was seated on the throne, and told him that you had saved the lives of a thousand of his friends?"

Louis paused; a tear came to his eye, as he said, “I

would ask him to fill this cap with bright crowns, that I might have masses said for my father in every church in Blois.

This pious request made the Baron almost ashamed of his meditated imposition; it required him to remember that the safety of the regiment depended on the manœuvre, ere he could proceed. A stroke of kindness, or even an unconscious appeal to their sensibility, will do more with most men than the most violent opposition to their views; the latter only stimulates them to the conflict, while the former disarms them of all but magnanimity of feeling. But a glance at the rough trooper by his side, warned De Nevailles that refinement of feeling was a superfluous gift to a captain of the German Ritters.

"Well, Louis," said he, "you and I feel pretty sure that the Duke will come to the throne; and when he does, you shall have the gold. What do our friends the Capuchins of Blois say of him?"

"I can only pray for him," said Louis smiling;—"but they do more-but I must not tell."

"Now Louis," said the Baron, looking earnestly at the peasant, as he proceeded with apparently a desperate, yet well-conceived resolution-to put the fortunes of the regiment in his power-"you shall hear my secret which I could only intrust to a friend of the Duke of Guise."

Hereupon he related to the wonder-struck Louis, that one of Guise's regiments had concealed itself from De Joyeuse in the forest; that he was one of its officers, and had ventured from his retreat to search for some kind friend who would guide them out of danger.-He was interrupted by Louis, who with kindling eyes, inquired if the Protector were with them; and upon the Baron replying in the negative, the peasant, who would have given every thing he was worth to see the Duke, again inquired whether he was in the province.

"No," replied De Nevailles, "he will not come to the Loire, till he has driven away the King from Paris; but he sent us to cross the river, telling us to ask assistance of all sincere Catholics in the name of the holy League.'

"By St. Denis !" exclaimed the peasant, almost in rapture, "I will run to tell the holy fathers of St. Benedict." "You shall do no such thing, Louis," said the Baron, exchanging a smile with the trooper, "the holy fathers would take all the glory of the enterprise to themselves.