United States or Heard Island and McDonald Islands ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Treville was one of these latter. His was one of those rare organizations, endowed with an obedient intelligence like that of the dog; with a blind valor, a quick eye, and a prompt hand; to whom sight appeared only to be given to see if the king were dissatisfied with anyone, and the hand to strike this displeasing personage, whether a Besme, a Maurevers, a Poltiot de Mere, or a Vitry.
This had happened before; but now for the first time he seemed to have no wish to re-establish himself, and a longing came over him to see his little pepper-box of a tower in the Quercy, and to be once more the Sieur de Besmé instead of the King of Folly. "Eh bien, Pompon!" he said, addressing the ape, "the kingdom of fools is too wide a realm for one man to rule. I shall abdicate, I think.
The barricade was carried, and a German named Besme, a follower of the Duke of Guise, was the first to rush into the Admiral's room. Coligny was calmly seated in a chair, and Besme struck him two blows with his sword, while those following despatched him. Guise was waiting in the courtyard below. When he heard that the Admiral was killed, he ordered the body to be thrown out of the window.
"Young man," said he, undisturbed, "you ought to respect my gray hairs; but do as you please, you can only shorten my life a few days." Besme thrust him through in many places, and then threw his body, still breathing, out of the window into the court, where it fell at the feet of the Duke of Guise.
He controlled himself with an effort, however, and said coldly: "'Monsieur de Besmé, have the goodness to strike that gong. "I did so, and in a moment the doors were flung open, showing the glittering throng without. The King kept his back turned towards me, and, taking the hint, I picked up the ape and withdrew. So, you see, my news is of the gravest, and Diane has won the rubber."
What say you? The Roman went back to his plough; Besmé will return to his pears." The ape simply blinked at him from his seat on the table, and, carrying out his humour, Le Brusquet continued: "You do not approve eh? What, then, is left for me?"
I shall guard it as it should be guarded. Corbleu! but it was a narrow affair that night; but for you Vendôme might be wearing wings now, and the house of Bêsme extinct as the Sphinga." "It was a lucky chance. I suppose that old fox Camus still has his lair in the same place? I wonder what made him turn against me as he did "
M. de Guise hastened to the Admiral's, and Besme, a gentleman in the service of the former, a German by birth, forced into his chamber, and having slain him with a dagger, threw his body out of a window to his master. I was perfectly ignorant of what was going forward.
Can you trust me enough to put yourself in my hands? I will not fail you. It is not Le Brusquet the King's jester, but Nicholas d'Ayen, Sieur de Besme, of the Quercy, who pledges his word." We stared each other in the face, and my good genius came to my elbow. "Yes," I said. In short, it was arranged that I should meet him towards sunset at the entrance to the tennis court, east of the Louvre.
Germain-l'Auxerrois, and wounded him dangerously in the right hand and left arm. On the eve of that sanguinary day, Besme, at the head of a party of cutthroats, contrived to enter the admiral's house, and ran him several times through the body, then flinging him out of the window into the courtyard, where he expired, it is said, at the feet of the Duc de Guise.
Word Of The Day