A COURIER OF FORTUNE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12817, 17 March 1905, Page 3

A COURIER OF FORTUNE.

[PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT]

■o — "V, BY A. W. MARCHMONT. Author of " When I Was Czar," " The Queen's Advocate," etc., etc. CHAPTER XXVI. AT THE CITY GATKS. Gkuauii's judgment that the unexpected position at Malincourt would be found' much too formidable to be dismissed with a curse and a threat was quite correct. The Governor was furiously angry, and as sternly resoived as ever to carry his purpose through ; nothing .should be suffered lo come between him anil it, but the last few hours hud revealed certain obstacles to the importance- of which even his eeltish rage could not blind him.

Me had had convincing proof that in threatening Gabrie-.e lie would provoke far greater and more dangerous [antagonism than any he had yet encountered at any time of his government. J The first sign of this • had come from the duchess herself. She had sent for him soon after Lucette had left the castle,, and alter avowing her share in procuring Gerard's escape, had met his storm of invective with a stubborn resistance culminating in a solemn declaration that if harm was done to a hair of Gabrielle's head, she would have herself denounced him and his acts to the. citizens-, and if that did not avail she would take the matter, if it cost her her life, to the King of France himself. Me had laughed at her threats, but they had gone home, none the less, and , had rendered him ill at ease.

More was to come, however. Babillon was right ill saying the city was roused by the news that Galnielle was a fugitive from the castle troops. She, was beloved', in Morvaix by people of every class, rich and poor alike; and hundreds of them were ready to spend their lives in her defence. Those who had not had personal experience of her innumerable acts of charity and kindness were bound to the lionise of Malincourt by lies of allegiance which had' stood the test of many years of turbulence and crisis. In former troubles their attitude had been decided by that of the maison. and when Malincourt had stood aloof in any quarrel, they had been neutral. And now every member of every family was stirred to the depths by the report of her danger. The Governor's agents in the city had brought him. word of this, and the citizens themselves had been to the castle to seek assurances of her safety from the Governor. Hot words had passed on both sides, but i lie Governor had found it discreet to apjH'ase them by giving the assurances of her safety and explaining that the object of the pursuit was merely a prisoner, a murderer, who bad escaped from the castle. Hints had been given him. too, discreetly and almost, timorously, by some of his officers that the concern on Gahrielle's account was not confined to the citv, but had also spread to such of the troops as were Morvaix men. ami that reliance upon them in anv attack upon her could not be fully placed.

Considerations ot this disquieting character could not but produce an effect even upon (he iron of his will, but. he still saw a way to gain his end without open conflict- with the forces supporting the Malincourt influence. He could coerce Gabrielle through her lover. If Gerard' could be recaptured. lie would have once more the means of secretly compelling the consent which it might be dangerous to force upon her by open violence. She would consent to be his wife to save Gerard.

And here it was that he found the posit ion at. Maiincourt so disconcerting. He did not doubt that Gabrielle was in the maison with Gerard, and he had gone there anticipating no more opposition to his entry than the. presence of a large body of troops could at once remove. But instead of that, he found the maison barred against him and held by a. force which his soldier s eye showed him was both powerful and ably disposed for purposes of defence. That he could carry the place with the resources sit Lis command was not, of course, open to question; although there would be a. stout resistance involving bloodshed and he loss of many lives on both sides. It was not this which made him hesitate. But to batter the maison to pieces and burn it while Gabrielle wax inside with the defenders, was at once to subject, her to imminent personal danger and to rouse every one of her supporters in lit* city to active interference. -

1 here was another course open, however -to starve those in Maiincourt to surrender. It involved delay, always distasteful to his impetuous, overbearing will, but ii was less dangeroiw and in the end would be equally effective. Thus he decided to adopt it. and at the inline time to keep up a sufficient show of force to intimidate, those in Ma'.incourt. Ho could easily surround the hu.-ise so that not a. soul could leave it. and by an occasional feint- could harry those defending it and thus hasten their submission. First, however, he would make sure that Gabrielle was really in Maiincourt, and at i ho end of the hour of grace he had allowed, he caused another .summons for admission to be made, and when as before Pascal appealed in answer to it, ho demanded to speak with (iabriclle. She came- at once, with Gerard at her side, and very proud and defiant, she looked. " 1 wiish you to understand the nature of the resistance you are offering to me, mademoiselle. and the consequences," began the* I ioverncr. n " I understand it. perfectly, mv lord," she answered resolutely. You are harbouring at Maiincourt a prisoner of mine, and litis neither the laws of 1' ranee nor I myself can permit. there is no one at Maiincourt, my lord, who can rightly be termed your prisoner; Whom do von mean?"

" Ihe man who .stands at your side, at whose escape from my prison you connive.l

" \ on mean the Lord Gerard de Bourhi'iid? Tt is by his commands that the door s c Malincourt are closed against:- you. And they will remain closed, my lord." They cannot, remain closed against the forces at my disposal." If you a.s Governor of Morvaix think you dare to use violence against the sou of your suzerain, the great Duke de Bourbon, you rnutjt act as you will." "I demand that, that man be 'dveu up to me." 1 And I decline to listen to a. demand I deem infamous." 'I wish no harm to come to you. mademoiselle, and if you will give him up 1 will at. once withdraw my troops from Malincourt." "No harm can come to me. my lord duke. 1 am with those who know how to protect mo." "The blood of those who may suffer if you drive me to use force will be upon your head. 1 have told you you can go free." The blood of t he Bourbon soldiers here will be shed freely in defence of their master, and for the rest the responsibility is yours, my lord, not mine." " 1 give you this last chance to avoid a conflict." Gerard whispered to her before she answered. " You ask me to surrender, and 1 am authorised by mv Lord Gerard de Bourbon to answer you thus : Cry a truce for fortyeight hours and we will come to you voluntarily to the castle." "I will not give you forty-eight second*," was the angry reply, and with that the Governor turned a way. He rapidly completed his dispositions for the feinted attack, which commenced almost immediately. It was delivered with much .show of force from four different points round the house, and was accompanied by a great deal of musketry tiring on both sides. But this, owing to the darkness, did little or no harm to either party. The result satisfied the Governor that, there really was a considerable body of men opposed to him, and he drew oft' his troops and surrounded the maison, and left instructions with the otlioer in command to keep it]) the pretence of an attack and to make one or two demonstrations during the night. Then he rode back to the castle, carrying with him the conviction that in a day or two at most Gerard would Ik; again in his hands. Inside Malincourt a very different view of the position- was taken, 'J'he attack waa regarded as the proof of the Governors intention to make good his threat to storm the ma-is on and burn it while the ease with

which it was beaten off, only served to rouse the suspicion that it was 110. mere than the preface to a mjich more serious effort. • v

"His object is to test'' our , strength," said Gerard to Pascal, " and to see whether we really' are in any force. We may look for the real fighting later. If we had known we would have saved our powder." "We could ill spare it. Slight as the thing was, it has made a grievous inroad on our supply." "We need not be anxious. It will last out till morning, and then we shall go. They are likely to try and'harry lis through the night, so that we must be on our guard, but the'real attack will be delivered in daylight. and before it comes we. must be out of the house. We have gained our end, the delay of a night, and for to-morrow v.e can safely trust ourselves to the burghers." ■"I w it:ld rather have trusted to these walls if only Babillon could have got up with the arms." " But ho canntfr, in the face of the soldiery round the house." " There is the secret passage. I could go and find him and guide him by that way." But the risk. man. If a suspicion were roused we should have the one chance of escape stopped. Not for an armoury full of guns and powder would I have that discovered." " True enough; it is perhaps too great a risk," agreed Pascal. "My plan i* this." explained Gerard. "We will hold the maisoii through the night—unless I am wrong and we are to riven from it by force—and in the morning we will slip away secretly, .Lucette and you accompanying us, and make lirsfc for "the gates to leave the city with the pass we took from the spy, and if we fail we shall place ourselves in the hands of the burghers." "And the men here?"

Must remain until the last possible moment as a ruse. D'Artois will stay in command, and every show of continued resistance must be maintained. You'll see my thought. The Governor knows we are here and thinks he has us safely caged. In that belief the restrictions about parsing in and out of the city will probably be relaxed ; the search parties will be recalled Ironi the city, and I am mistaken if a bold front ami a slight disguise will not be all that is necessary for us to get away. Then by nightfall we shall be back with the troops to read this Governor a lesson." " D'Artois had better continue the resistance here?" " Only in form, of course. No lives need be thrown away. The only need is to blind the castle people. But when the attack grows serious lie can either surrender or escape by the same means we shall use, the men scattering and resuming the monkish disguise. Even if they arc captured and taken to the castle nothing will be done to them before we are back with d'Alembert."

They were still discussing their plans when the second feint was made bv the castle troops, and the case with which this was also repulsed confirms! Gerard in his belief that the night would see no serious attack, and when matters had quieted down and the last shot had been fired, he prevailed upon Gabrielle and Lucette to attempt to get some sleep. They should be roused at the first sign of any real danger, but what they had to do during the coming day made it imperative that they should at least lie down,-even if sleep were impossible. And impossible it was for all in the maison. A most' vigilant watch had to be kept, and Gerard and Pascal were constantly moving i'rqm ■ point to point, that no single precaution should be slackened and not a movement of the troops outside pa.s-s unobserved. So .matters remained until the dawn. When the light broke at length, the great strength of the castle force was immediately apparent, spreading as it did all round the maison in imposing numbers that tilled Gabrielle and" Lucette with consternation.

. Gabrielle was for instant flight, indeed, but Gerard' derided for some further delav. "We have to wait until the Governor shall have had time to give fresh instructions to the captains of the city gates, or we., cannot get through." Then Lucette suggested a serious objection. "Gabrielle is so well known that she will be recognised at the gates, and although she might pass anyone with her would bo at once suspected and slopped." "I am hoping that the gates will be open to all." replied Gerard, "and that no one will be stopped. But she will be disguised. We shall all be., in fact—Pascal and' I as monks."" "But if they are not open?" " Then we have this pass of Dauban's and the disguises. ' \ '■ Monks do not act as cavaliers to ladies, monsieur." objected Lucette, and despite the uravity of the situation they smiled. " There is M. de Proballe'.s wardrobe," suggested Gabrielle. "Ave, we might- pass for rogues, Gerard," laughed Pascal. "But. for my part, I'd rather take the risk and play the monk." " May I suggest?" asked Lucette. "A plain burgher's or merchant's dress would be .-safest, with the monk's gabardines carlied for use in case of need. And these could easily be furnished here in the maison." "We must have weapons. Lucette." said Gerard. "They could' be covered with wrappings to look like staves or some uart of your merchandise. There no difficulty there, surely. The real difficulty is Gahrielle's face, T fear." "I like the plan," was Pascal's emphatic verdict. "But T would have a change in if. Let Mademoiselle Lucette and rnvself. if she will trust herself to me, trv to leave the city first. If we are turned back, or even held by the guard, it will be no grievous matter: and you and mademoiselle can see how it faros with us. If we have to show the pass to get through, we can go a short distance and T can return on the plea that something has been forgotten, and can hand i', to you." This scheme was discussed at length to be finally adopted, and fhihrielle and Lucette were left to settle the best device they could fashion to conceal what Lucette had termed the real difficulty—Gabrielle's face. Lucette solved the problem by means of a large hooded cloak, such as was not uncommonly worn by the burghers' and merchants' wives in travelling. Drawn over the head and low down over the brow, it fastened under the chin, but a, little alteration by Lueefte's deft fingers so arranged it that much of lie lower part of the, face was f also hidden, and when she wa« ready to start, both Gerard ana Pascal smiled nt the little device. "A burgher's spouse to the life." exclaimed Pascal, whose irrepressible spirits were as high as if thev were all bent on a picnic. "And on the pillion no one will know miladi of Malincourt!" "If Babillou can get us the horses, tb»t is," said Gerard, for they were first to make for Babilloti's house. "Crowns are crowns in Morvaix. Gerard, and speak the same language as everywhere, else; and if he, cannot, I will. Shall we start "We have told d'Artois everything?" Oh. yes. I supplemented what you said with an hour's lecture." " Pray God we get. away, and do not find the castle men have spread out too far." "I have made sure of that," answered Pascal. " I've been out to look for myself." "Come, then." and they started. "I would poor Denys could be with us," said Gabrielle. "I have seen him and told him all," replied Lucette. "He is much better, but knows he has not strength enough for this." (To lie continued daily.)