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The King's Esquires: The Jewel of France, a fiction by George Manville Fenn |
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Chapter 33. Leoni's Pupil |
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_ CHAPTER THIRTY THREE. LEONI'S PUPIL "How dare you!" cried Denis. "Oh, I'll soon show you how I dare, my lad," cried Sir Robert Garstang. "Here, you fellow, who gave you orders to get those horses ready?" "This gentleman, sir," said the groom. "What, this Comte de la Seine's page, or whatever he is? And what right has he to instruct you to get horses out at this time of night?" "I don't know, Sir Robert. We were told to get them ready," said the man humbly. "Ah, but this must be inquired into. There's something wrong here, I feel sure." "Take no notice of this man," cried Denis, forgetting in his excitement that he must speak in English, however bad, if he wished the grooms to understand, and addressing them excitedly in French. "Bah!" cried Sir Robert, in his most bullying tones. "Take no notice of the fellow's jabber. I order you not to let these horses go without the permission of the chamberlain or the King's Master of the Horse." "But they are the gentlemen's own horses, Sir Robert," said the man quietly, "and not the King's." "I don't care," cried the officer. "The rules are, as I know well, that no horses shall leave here without special orders after dark." Denis grasped every word that was said, and stood literally trembling with excitement, anticipating as he did that at any moment his friends might arrive, when there would be a discovery of the attempted flight, and all would be over. In his desperation, just as his heart seemed sinking to the lowest ebb, Leoni's words recurred to him. He had used the gold, while now, as the doctor had told him, he had his sword; and at this thought he drew in his breath through his teeth with a sharp low hiss. "You hear!" cried Sir Robert sharply. "These horses are not to leave the stable till I return with some one in authority who shall decide what is to be done. You understand me? On your lives, obey!" He swung round to stride out of the building, and then started with surprise, for the young esquire's rapier flashed out sharply in the dull light of the lanterns, as he drew and cried sternly: "On your life, sir, stand back, and cease to interfere! I have the highest of commands for what I do." "What!" cried Sir Robert. "Why, I have been waiting for this, to pay you back the smart you gave me--insolent French puppy that you are! Give up your sword, sir. Do you know that it is a crime to draw in the precincts of the castle? This you have done, and it is my duty as one of his Majesty's officers to arrest you on the spot. Give up your sword, sir, at once. You are my prisoner." "Take my sword," cried Denis sharply, "and make me your prisoner, insolent boor, if you dare or can." "On your head be it then," cried Sir Robert, loosening his cloak, twisting it quickly round his left arm, and drawing his sword, while the chief groom, startled by the danger in which the young esquire stood, whispered quickly to a couple of his underlings to hurry for the guard. "Stop!" cried Sir Robert fiercely. "Let no man stir if he value his skin. I know what you would do, and that I'll do myself when I have corrected this springald here.--Now, boy," he roared, "your sword!" "Now, Master Leoni," whispered the boy between his teeth, as he rapidly placed himself on guard and made a feint at the burly captain's chest. "Take it, insolent bully!" he said sharply; and the officer in his astonishment at the suddenness of the attack, fell back a pace; but recovering himself on the instant, he crossed swords with his young adversary. Then, to the excitement and delight of the grooms, who raised their lanterns to the full extent of their arms that the combatants might see, the triangular-bladed weapons began to give forth that peculiar harsh gritting sound of two steel edges rasping together. The encounter was but short, for, relying upon the superior strength of his arm, and determined to punish his slight young adversary in revenge for the past, the captain pressed hard upon him, lunging rapidly with all the vigour he could command, his intention being to drive his antagonist backward against one or other of the walls and pin him there. But he had reckoned without his host, for though Denis was no long-practised swordsman, Leoni's lessons had not been without their effect, and as thrust after thrust was lightly turned aside, the young esquire firmly stood his ground, merely stepping sideways and letting his adversary's baffled blade glide by his slight form, while refraining from thrusting again and again when the burly captain had laid himself so open that he was quite at the lad's mercy. "Oh," growled the captain at the end of a couple of minutes' encounter, and he drew back to rest. "That is your play, is it? You refuse to be disarmed when I have mercifully shown myself disposed to let you off without a scratch." "Your tongue is sharper than your sword, sir," said the boy scornfully; "and it is worse. It is poisoned, for every word you have spoken is a lie." "What!" cried the captain, enraged by the low murmur uttered by the grooms as if endorsing the young esquire's words. "More insolent than ever! Give up your sword, or, by Heaven, I'll send you back to the castle upon a litter." "Send me, then," said the lad contemptuously, "or be prepared to go yourself." "Bah! No more words. Come on," cried the captain; and he prepared to attack once more. "My turn now," whispered the boy to himself, "and it is time;" for in his excitement he fancied that he could hear steps approaching. But there was not a sound save the gritting of the rapiers and the captain's hoarse panting breath as he uttered a loud expiration at every thrust. For in his turn, in spite of his determination to make this second encounter an attack, and force his young adversary to remain entirely on his guard, the retort had begun, and before a minute had elapsed he uttered a sharp ejaculation as he felt the sharp pain caused by the lad's keen point ripping open his muscular right arm. Stung now with rage, hatred, and the determination to have revenge, he literally rushed at the lad, to force him down, with the natural result that he threw himself open to the point of his more skilful enemy, who chose his moment, and made one quick thrust which darted like lightning through the captain's bull-like neck, making him utter a low, deep growl as his sword flew from his hand, and he staggered backwards into the arms of a couple of the grooms, who lowered him to the ground. "Hah!" ejaculated Denis, whose heart was beating fast, and stepping forward he stooped over his fallen adversary, raised a portion of his cloak and drew his blade through it twice over. "Stop!" he cried quickly. "What are you going to do?" His loud question was addressed to the chief groom. "No," cried the boy sternly; "lift him in yonder," and he pointed with his blade towards the saddle-room. "Lay him there; tear strips off his cloak, and bind up his arm and neck. The greatest help you can give him now is to stop the bleeding." There was a tone of command in the boy's uttered words which had the natural effect, and the men busied themselves at once with their task, taking with them their lanterns and doing at once as they had been told, while they were so intent upon their task that they did not notice that Denis had followed them, to draw to the door and slip the two bolts with which it was furnished into their sockets. Then sheathing his sword, he turned quickly to the stable, where the four chargers stood untethered, and caught his own by the bridle, to begin leading it to the door. He trusted to the nature of the horses for the result, old stable companions as they were, and it was as he expected, for the intelligent animals followed their leader quietly enough, to stand together in the entry waiting, like their master, for what might come. _ |
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