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"Whose blood is it?" asked De Rilly, as we hurried along the narrow street, back to the house. "That of M. de Noyard." "What? A duel?" "A kind of duel, a strange mistake! "The devil! Won't the Queen-mother give thanks! And won't the Duke of Guise be angry!" "M. de Noyard is not dead yet. His wound may not be fatal." I led the way into the house and up the steps to the apartment.
I remembered, with a deep sigh, what De Rilly had told me, that Catherine, to prevent the Duke of Guise from laying the death of De Noyard to her, would do her utmost to bring me to punishment. "The King looked at De Quelus," continued Marguerite. "That gentleman, seeing how things were, and, knowing that the King now wishes to seem friendly to the Duke, promptly said, 'This is fortunate.
I hastened to the street. My first glance was towards the church. There stood her horse, and her three attendants were walking up and down in the sunlight. Then I looked after the man; I thought that the figure looked like that of De Noyard. He disappeared into the Rue St. Antoine, having given me no opportunity to see his face.
You must reach the King before the Duke can see him; for the Duke will not fail to hint that, in killing De Noyard, you were the instrument of the King or of the Queen-mother. To disprove that, the King would have to promise the Duke to give you over to the authorities.
"Challenge M. de Noyard, and kill him!" I stared in astonishment. "Now you may know whether or not I love him," she added. "But, mademoiselle, why " "Ah, that is the one thing about which I must always refuse to be questioned! I ask you this service. Will you grant it?" "If he has given you offence," I said, "certainly I will seek him at once." "Not a word of me is to be said between you!
"I visit this church once every month, because, obscure though it be, it is associated with certain events in the history of my ancestors." "But," I went on, though beginning to feel relieved, "if M. de Noyard was thrusting his presence on you, why did he leave before you did?" "Probably because he knew that I would not leave the church while he remained to press his company upon me outside."
Yet, who knows but that poor De Noyard had believed Mlle. d'Arency true? Might he not, with the eyes of love, have seen in her as pure and spotless a creature as I had seen in Mile, de Varion? Do the eyes of love, then, deceive? Is the confidence of lovers never to be relied on? But I must have read her heart aright. Surely her heart had spoken to mine. Surely its voice was that of truth.
I went, in my excitement, first to the wrong corner. Then, discovering my blunder, I retraced my steps, and at last secured admittance to the place where De Noyard's valets tarried. To the man who opened the door, I said, "Are you Jacques, the serving-man of Monsieur de Noyard?"
It was now lighted up by the torch which Jacques had brought. De Noyard was still lying in the position in which he had been when I left him. The servant stood beside him, looking down at his face, and holding the torch so as to light up the features. "How do you feel now, monsieur?" I asked, hastening forward. There was no answer.
Again I had to endure a look of profound scorn from her. "Mademoiselle," I replied, patiently, "I would that you might see how ready I am to fight when an affront is given me or some one needs a defender." "Oh!" she said, with an ironical smile. "Then to show yourself a lion against De Noyard, you require only that he shall affront you, or that some one shall need a defender against him!
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