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Hartley, can have no weight with me, considering that I can oppose to it the testimony of the man with whom I am willing to share my future fortunes. You acknowledge the question is but doubtful, and should not the assertion of him of whom I think so highly decide my belief in a doubtful matter? What, indeed, must he be, should this Madame Montreville be other than he represented her?"
"Ay," said Richard, "and before that week expires" He stopped short. "What will happen before the week expires?" said the Begum Montreville. "No matter nothing of consequence. I leave the woman's fate with you." "'Tis well we march to-night on our return, so soon as the moon rises Give orders to our retinue." "To hear is to obey," replied the seeming slave, and left the apartment.
The people of inferior note stood behind, and amongst them was the Sirdar of Hyder Ali, with Hartley and the Madras Vakeel. It would be impossible to describe the feelings with which Hartley recognized the apostate Middlemas and the Amazonian Mrs. Montreville.
The Scotch commissioners had rooms in the archiepiscopal palace, and Montreville lodged at the Saracen's Head. After the negotiations had proceeded for some time, the king in disguise quitted Oxford in April, and after a devious journey by way of Newark appeared at Montreville's lodgings on May 6th.
A step was heard the door opened a female appeared but it was the portly form of Madame de Montreville. "What do you please to want, sir?" said the lady; "that is, if you have found your tongue this morning, which you had lost yesterday."
"On my word, I cannot say," answered Esdale, smiling; "we are all upon the adventure in India, more or less; but I do not see that the Begum Montreville is more so than the rest." "Why, that Amazonian dress and manner," said Hartley, "savour a little of the picaresca."
"Some fair-skinned speculation of old Montreville's, I suppose, that she has got either to toady herself, or take in some of her black friends with. Is it possible you have never heard of old Mother Montreville?" "You know I have been so long absent from Madras"
Montreville addressed him in English, which savoured slightly of a Swiss patois, "You have come to us very fast, sir, to say nothing at all. Are you sure you did not get your tongue stolen by de way?" "I thought I had seen an old friend in that lady, madam," stammered Hartley, "but it seems I am mistaken." "The good people do tell me that you are one Doctors Hartley, sir.
A considerable sum of money accompanied this letter. Mrs. Duffer was, pointed out as a respectable woman, who would protect me during the passage. Mrs. Montreville, a lady of rank, having large possessions and high interest in the Mysore, would receive me on my arrival at Fort St. George, and conduct me safely to the dominions of Hyder.
"Is it possible you do not know the Queen of Sheba?" said the person of whom he enquired, no way both to communicate the information demanded. "You must know, then, that she is the daughter of a Scotch emigrant, who lived and died at Pondicherry, a sergeant in Lally's regiment. She managed to marry a partisan officer named Montreville, a Swiss or Frenchman, I cannot tell which.
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