惊婚记 英文版 Quentin Durward
瓦尔特.司各特 Sir Walter Scott
CHAPTER XXVI: THE INTERVIEW Page 2
"We were charged by the Duke," said D'Hymbercourt, "to bring yourMajesty to your lodging. -- We trust your Majesty will permit usto obey our master's command."
"In this small matter," said the King, "I trust you will allow mycommand to outweigh his, even with you his liege subjects. -- I amsomething indisposed, my lords -- something fatigued. Great pleasurehath its toils, as well as great pain. I trust to enjoy your societybetter tomorrow. -- And yours, too, Seignior Philip of Comines --I am told you are the annalist of the time -- we that desire to havea name in history must speak you fair, for men say your pen hatha sharp point, when you will. -- Goodnight, my lords and gentles,to all and each of you."
The Lords of Burgundy retired, much pleased with the grace ofLouis's manner, and the artful distribution of his attentions; andthe King was left with only one or two of his own personal followers,under the archway of the base court of the Castle of Peronne,looking on the huge tower which occupied one of the angles, beingin fact the Donjon, or principal Keep, of the palace. This tall,dark, massive building was seen clearly by the same moon which waslighting Quentin Durward betwixt Charleroi and Peronne, which, asthe reader is aware, shone with peculiar lustre. The great Keepwas in form nearly resembling the White Tower in the Citadel ofLondon, but still more ancient in its architecture, deriving itsdate, as was affirmed, from the days of Charlemagne. The walls wereof a tremendous thickness, the windows very small, and grated withbars of iron, and the huge clumsy bulk of the building cast a darkand portentous shadow over the whole of the courtyard.
"I am not to be lodged there," the King said, with a shudder thathad something in it ominous.
"No," replied the gray headed seneschal, who attended upon himunbonneted. "God forbid! -- Your Majesty's apartments are preparedin these lower buildings which are hard by, and in which King Johnslept two nights before the battle of Poitiers."
"Hum -- that is no lucky omen neither," muttered the King; "but whatof the Tower, my old friend? and why should you desire of Heaventhat I may not be there lodged?"
"Nay, my gracious Liege," said the seneschal, "I know no evil ofthe Tower at all, only that the sentinels say lights are seen, andstrange noises heard in it at night; and there are reasons why thatmay be the case, for anciently it was used as a state prison, andthere are many tales of deeds which have been done in it."
Louis asked no further questions; for no man was more bound thanhe to respect the secrets of a prison house. At the door of theapartments destined for his use, which, though of later date thanthe Tower, were still both ancient and gloomy, stood a small partyof the Scottish Guard, which the Duke, although he declined toconcede the point to Louis, had ordered to be introduced, so asto be near the person of their master. The faithful Lord Crawfordwas at their head.
"Crawford -- my honest and faithful Crawford," said the King, "wherehast thou been today? -- Are the Lords of Burgundy so inhospitableas to neglect one of the bravest and most noble gentlemen that evertrode a court? -- I saw you not at the banquet."
"I declined it, my Liege," said Crawford, "times are changed withme. The day has been that I could have ventured a carouse with thebest man in Burgundy and that in the juice of his own grape; but amatter of four pints now flusters me, and I think it concerns yourMajesty's service to set in this an example to my gallants."
"Thou art ever prudent," said the King, "but surely your toilis the less when you have so few men to command? -- and a time offestivity requires not so severe self denial on your part as a timeof danger."
"If I have few men to command," said Crawford, "I have the more needto keep the knaves in fitting condition; and whether this businessbe like to end in feasting or fighting, God and your Majesty knowbetter than old John of Crawford."
"You surely do not apprehend any danger?" said the King hastily,yet in a whisper.
"Not I," answered Crawford; "I wish I did; for, as old Earl Tineman(an Earl of Douglas, so called. S.) used to say, apprehended dangersmay be always defended dangers. -- The word for the night, if yourMajesty pleases?"
"Let it be Burgundy, in honour of our host and of a liquor thatyou love, Crawford."
"I will quarrel with neither Duke nor drink, so called," saidCrawford, "provided always that both be sound. A good night to yourMajesty!"
night, my trusty Scot," said the King, and passed on tohis apartments?
"A good night, my trusty Scot," said the King, and passed on tohis apartments.
At the door of his bedroom Le Balafre was placed sentinel. "Followme hither," said the King, as he passed him; and the Archeraccordingly, like a piece of machinery put into motion by an artist,strode after him into the apartment, and remained there fixed,silent, and motionless, attending the royal command.
"Have you heard from that wandering Paladin, your nephew?" saidthe King; "for he hath been lost to us, since, like a young knightwho had set out upon his first adventures, he sent us home twoprisoners as the first fruits of his chivalry."
"My Lord, I heard something of that," said Balafre, "and I hopeyour Majesty will believe that if he acted wrongfully, it was inno shape by any precept or example, since I never was so bold asto unhorse any of your Majesty's most illustrious house, betterknowing my own condition, and --"
"Be silent on that point," said the King; "your nephew did his dutyin the matter."
"There indeed," continued Balafre, "he had the cue from me.-- 'Quentin,' said I to him, 'whatever comes of it, remember youbelong to the Scottish Archer Guard, and do your duty whatevercomes on't.'"
"I guess he had some such exquisite instructor," said Louis; "butit concerns me that you answer me my first question. -- Have youheard of your nephew of late? -- Stand aback, my masters," he added,addressing the gentlemen of his chamber, "for this concerneth noears but mine."
"Surely, please your Majesty," said Balafre, "I have seen this veryevening the groom Charlot, whom my kinsman dispatched from Liege,or some castle of the Bishop's which is near it, and where he hathlodged the Ladies of Croye in safety."
"Now Our Lady of Heaven be praised for it!" said the King. "Artthou sure of it? -- sure of the good news?"
"As sure as I can be of aught," said Le Balafre, "the fellow, Ithink, hath letters for your Majesty from the Ladies of Croye."
"Haste to get them," said the King. "Give the harquebuss to oneof these knaves -- to Oliver -- to any one. Now Our Lady of Embrunbe praised! and silver shall be the screen that surrounds her highaltar!"
Louis, in this fit of gratitude and devotion, doffed, as usual,his hat, selected from the figures with which it was garnished thatwhich represented his favourite image of the Virgin, placed it ona table, and, kneeling down, repeated reverently the vow he hadmade.
The groom, being the first messenger whom Durward had despatchedfrom Schonwaldt, was now introduced with his letters. They wereaddressed to the King by the Ladies of Croye, and barely thankedhim in very cold terms for his courtesy while at his Court,and something more warmly for having permitted them to retire andsent them in safety from his dominions; expressions at which Louislaughed very heartily, instead of resenting them. He then demandedof Charlot, with obvious interest, whether they had not sustainedsome alarm or attack upon the road? Charlot, a stupid fellow, andselected for that quality, gave a very confused account of the affrayin which his companion, the Gascon, had been killed, but knew ofno other. Again Louis demanded of him, minutely and particularly,the route which the party had taken to Liege; and seemed muchinterested when he was informed, in reply, that they had, uponapproaching Namur, kept the more direct road to Liege, upon theright bank of the Maes, instead of the left bank, as recommendedin their route. The King then ordered the man a small present, anddismissed him, disguising the anxiety he had expressed as if itonly concerned the safety of the Ladies of Croye.
Yet the news, though they implied the failure of one of his ownfavourite plans, seemed to imply more internal satisfaction onthe King's part than he would have probably indicated in a case ofbrilliant success. He sighed like one whose breast has been relievedfrom a heavy burden, muttered his devotional acknowledgments withan air of deep sanctity, raised up his eyes, and hastened to adjustnewer and surer schemes of ambition.
With such purpose, Louis ordered the attendance of his astrologer,Martius Galeotti, who appeared with his usual air of assumed dignity,yet not without a shade of uncertainty on his brow, as if he haddoubted the King's kind reception. It was, however, favourable,even beyond the warmest which he had ever met with at any formerinterview. Louis termed him his friend, his father in the sciences-- the glass by which a king should look into distant futurity --and concluded by thrusting on his finger a ring of very considerablevalue. Galeotti, not aware of the circumstances which had thussuddenly raised his character in the estimation of Louis, yetunderstood his own profession too well to let that ignorance beseen. He received with grave modesty the praises of Louis, whichhe contended were only due to the nobleness of the science whichhe practised, a science the rather the more deserving of admirationon account of its working miracles through means of so feeble anagent as himself; and he and the King took leave, for once muchsatisfied with each other.
On the Astrologer's departure, Louis threw himself into a chair,and appearing much exhausted, dismissed the rest of his attendants,excepting Oliver alone, who, creeping around with gentle assiduityand noiseless step, assisted him in the task of preparing forrepose.
While he received this assistance, the King, unlike to his wont, wasso silent and passive, that his attendant was struck by the unusualchange in his deportment. The worst minds have often something ofgood principle in them -- banditti show fidelity to their captain,and sometimes a protected and promoted favourite has felt a gleamof sincere interest in the monarch to whom he owed his greatness.Oliver le Diable, le Mauvais (or by whatever other name he was calledexpressive of his evil propensities), was, nevertheless, scarcelyso completely identified with Satan as not to feel some touch ofgrateful feeling for his master in this singular condition, when, asit seemed, his fate was deeply interested and his strength seemedto be exhausted. After for a short time rendering to the Kingin silence the usual services paid by a servant to his masterat the toilette, the attendant was at length tempted to say, withthe freedom which his Sovereign's indulgence had permitted him insuch circumstances, "Tete dieu, Sire, you seem as if you had losta battle; and yet I, who was near your Majesty during this wholeday, never knew you fight a field so gallantly."
"A field!" said King Louis, looking up, and assuming his wontedcausticity of tone and manner. "Pasques dieu, my friend Oliver,say I have kept the arena in a bullfight; for a blinder, and morestubborn, untameable, uncontrollable brute than our cousin ofBurgundy never existed, save in the shape of a Murcian bull, trainedfor the bull feasts. -- Well, let it pass -- I dodged him bravely.But, Oliver, rejoice with me that my plans in Flanders have nottaken effect, whether as concerning those two rambling Princessesof Croye, or in Liege -- you understand me?"
"In faith, I do not, Sire," replied Oliver; "it is impossible forme to congratulate your Majesty on the failure of your favouriteschemes, unless you tell me some reason for the change in your ownwishes and views."
"Nay," answered the King, "there is no change in either, in a generalview. But, Pasques dieu, my friend, I have this day learned more ofDuke Charles than I before knew. When he was Count de Charalois, inthe time of the old Duke Philip and the banished Dauphin of France,we drank, and hunted, and rambled together -- and many a wildadventure we have had. And in those days I had a decided advantageover him -- like that which a strong spirit naturally assumesover a weak one. But he has since changed -- has become a dogged,daring, assuming, disputatious dogmatist, who nourishes an obviouswish to drive matters to extremities, while he thinks he has thegame in his own hands. I was compelled to glide as gently away fromeach offensive topic, as if I touched red hot iron. I did but hintat the possibility of those erratic Countesses of Croye, ere theyattained Liege (for thither I frankly confessed that, to the bestof my belief, they were gone), falling into the hands of somewild snapper upon the frontiers, and, Pasques dieu! you would havethought I had spoken of sacrilege. It is needless to tell you whathe said, and quite enough to say that I would have held my head'ssafety very insecure, if, in that moment, accounts had been broughtof the success of thy friend, William with the Beard, in his andthy honest scheme of bettering himself by marriage."
"No friend of mine, if it please your Majesty," said Oliver, "neitherfriend nor plan of mine."
"True, Oliver," answered the King; "thy plan had not been to wed,but to shave such a bridegroom. Well, thou didst wish her as bada one, when thou didst modestly hint at thyself. However, Oliver,lucky the man who has her not; for hang, draw, and quarter were themost gentle words which my gentle cousin spoke of him who shouldwed the young Countess, his vassal, without his most ducal permission."
"And he is, doubtless, as jealous of any disturbances in the goodtown of Liege?" asked the favourite.
"As much, or much more," replied the King, "as your understandingmay easily anticipate; but, ever since I resolved on coming hither,my messengers have been in Liege to repress, for the present, everymovement to insurrection; and my very busy and bustling friends,Rousalaer and Pavillon, have orders to be quiet as a mouse untilthis happy meeting between my cousin and me is over."
"Judging, then, from your Majesty's account," said Oliver dryly,"the utmost to be hoped from this meeting is that it should not makeyour condition worse -- Surely this is like the crane that thrusther head into the fox's mouth, and was glad to thank her goodfortune that it was not bitten off. Yet your Majesty seemed deeplyobliged even now to the sage philosopher who encouraged you to playso hopeful a game."
"No game," said the King sharply, "is to be despaired of until itis lost, and that I have no reason to expect it will be in my owncase. On the contrary, if nothing occurs to stir the rage of thisvindictive madman, I am sure of victory; and surely, I am nota little obliged to the skill which selected for my agent, as theconductor of the Ladies of Croye, a youth whose horoscope so farcorresponded with mine that he hath saved me from danger, even bythe disobedience of my own commands, and taking the route whichavoided De la Marck's ambuscade."
"Your Majesty," said Oliver, "may find many agents who will serveyou on the terms of acting rather after their own pleasure thanyour instructions."
"Nay, nay, Oliver," said Louis impatiently, "the heathen poet speaksof Vota diis exaudita malignis, -- wishes, that is, which the saintsgrant to us in their wrath; and such, in the circumstances, wouldhave been the success of William de la Marck's exploit, had ittaken place about this time, and while I am in the power of thisDuke of Burgundy. -- And this my own art foresaw -- fortified bythat of Galeotti -- that is, I foresaw not the miscarriage of Dela Marck's undertaking, but I foresaw that the expedition of yonderScottish Archer should end happily for me -- and such has been theissue, though in a manner different from what I expected; for thestars, though they foretell general results, are yet silent on themeans by which such are accomplished, being often the very reverseof what we expect, or even desire. -- But why talk I of thesemysteries to thee, Oliver, who art in so far worse than the verydevil, who is thy namesake, since he believes and trembles; whereasthou art an infidel both to religion and to science, and wilt remainso till thine own destiny is accomplished, which as thy horoscopeand physiognomy alike assure me, will be by the intervention ofthe gallows!"
"And if it indeed shall be so," said Oliver, in a resigned tone ofvoice, "it will be so ordered, because I was too grateful a servantto hesitate at executing the commands of my royal master."
Louis burst into his usual sardonic laugh. -- "Thou hast broke thylance on me fairly, Oliver; and by Our Lady thou art right, forI defied thee to it. But, prithee, tell me in sadness, dost thoudiscover anything in these measures towards us which may argue anysuspicion of ill usage?"
"My Liege," replied Oliver, "your Majesty and yonder learnedphilosopher look for augury to the stars and heavenly host -- I aman earthly reptile, and consider but the things connected with myvocation. But methinks there is a lack of that earnest and preciseattention on your Majesty which men show to a welcome guest of adegree so far above them. The Duke tonight pleaded weariness, andsaw your Majesty not farther than to the street, leaving to theofficers of his household the task of conveying you to your lodgings.The rooms here are hastily and carelessly fitted up -- the tapestryis hung up awry -- and, in one of the pieces, as you may observe,the figures are reversed and stand on their heads, while the treesgrow with their roots uppermost."
"Pshaw! accident, and the effect of hurry," said the King. "Whendid you ever know me concerned about such trifles as these?"
"Not on their own account are they worth notice," said Oliver;"but as intimating the degree of esteem in which the officers ofthe Duke's household observe your Grace to be held by him. Believeme, that, had his desire seemed sincere that your reception shouldbe in all points marked by scrupulous attention, the zeal of hispeople would have made minutes do the work of days. -- And when,"he added, pointing to the basin and ewer, "was the furniture ofyour Majesty's toilette of other substance than silver?"
"Nay," said the King, with a constrained smile, "that last remarkupon the shaving utensils, Oliver, is too much in the style of thineown peculiar occupation to be combated by any one. -- True it is,that when I was only a refugee, and an exile, I was served upon goldplate by order of the same Charles, who accounted silver too meanfor the Dauphin, though he seems to hold that metal too rich forthe King of France. Well, Oliver, we will to bed. -- Our resolutionhas been made and executed; there is nothing to be done, but to playmanfully the game on which we have entered. I know that my cousinof Burgundy, like other wild bulls, shuts his eyes when he beginshis career. I have but to watch that moment, like one of thetauridors (Spanish bull fighters) whom we saw at Burgos, and hisimpetuosity places him at my mercy."