The Honour of Savelli: A Romance
join me; and after supper we diced together for an hour or so, for
very small points. He was an infant at the game, and I taught him a
good deal, so much so, that after a little practice, for he was very
quick with his wrist, he mastered my favourite throw, and one evening
after returning from the Vatican, he knocked me up in my rooms, and
flung on the table a bag of gold pieces.
"Three hundred of them, cavaliere!" he said, "I won them from Fabrizio
Colonna, who is looking green with rage. If your purse is running
short, they are at your service. Ha! I see a flask of Orvieto--may I?"
and he poured himself out a goblet, at which he began to sip, in
apparent defiance of his vow.
"The devil!" I exclaimed, "but you are flying at high stakes,
chevalier. Your Picard estates must be broad. Thanks all the same for
your offer, but my purse is as full as I want it at present."
He leaned back in his chair, with a pink flush on his delicate
features.
"I meant no offence, cavaliere; but what is the use of money unless
one can share it with a friend?"
"There was no offence taken, St. Armande," I replied, "and if you will
take none, I would like to have my say at you."
He looped one finger in his golden moustache, and showed his even
teeth in his smile, as he said, "Speak on."
"Then, chevalier, it seems to me a thousand pities that a young man
like you should waste your time here, as you appear to be doing. I
understood you to say you had never seen a sword drawn in earnest as
yet--and your moustache is grown! Take my advice. Play no more for
gold pieces with Colonna or anyone else. Mount your horse, and join
Tremouille at once."
"Ah! that is good," he said; "and why does the grave and reverend
Cavaliere Donati waste his time here, hanging at the heels of a
churchman, and moping o' nights like an owl on a ruined wall, instead
of stirring the times himself with the point of his sword?"
With any other I would have been annoyed; with the youth before me I
was slightly amused, and at the same time a trifle surprised. Hitherto
he had appeared so shy and reserved, and now, of a sudden, he had
thrown this off, and had put on an air which I had not noticed before,
but which became him vastly. I set it down to the fact that perhaps he
was slightly warmed with wine, having apparently absolved himself from
his vow; although of course I did not appear to notice this last, as
he was in a manner my guest. I therefore made reply.
"My reasons for my action, chevalier, are good, and when the time
comes I promise you I shall not be found sleeping."
The gentle reproof in my words seemed to bring him back to his old
self, for by the light of the candles I observed him flush scarlet,
and that curious look which recalled a strange resemblance to some one
I knew, but could not remember, came over his features. I began to
relent as I saw his confusion, almost as soon as I had spoken; and
added, "I may say that the time is not far distant--that it is a
matter of days only."
"Take me with you."
He asked this almost in a tone of entreaty, keeping his eyes away from
me, however, and nervously twisting at his moustache.
"And your secretary, as you call him, the abbe?"
"Oh, he will come too, and we could confess to him."
I hesitated for a second, and then made answer.
"Very well. Only you must be prepared to start at a moment's notice,
and there will probably be hard riding and hard fighting, and there is
yet another thing."
"What is that?"
"You must come as a simple volunteer, and must make no enquiry as to
what the business is on which I am engaged. I risk my life for my own
purposes; if you wish to do likewise you are welcome to join me, on
the condition I have just stated."
"I accept with pleasure."
"Then that is settled, and I have a new comrade."
"Hurrah!" and he raised his glass to his lips.
After that he retired, it being late. I saw him across the courtyard
as far as his apartments, and then returning to my rooms,
unconsciously took the chair St. Armande had vacated. The goblet of
wine he had filled was before me, and I idly lifted it in my hand. It
was barely touched. In fact he could but have tasted a few drops only.
Like lightning a suspicion of treachery came on me. The man had been
pretending to drink. With what object? I could not make out. Was the
offer of the money a blind? Perhaps so, and if then? I had been a fool
to agree to his joining me, with that sour-looking abbe of his. Yes, I
had been a fool, but it was lucky I discovered my own folly in time. I
should keep my eyes on this silken diplomat, and if necessary pick a
quarrel with him, and run him through. Somehow I did not like the idea
of this, however; but determined to get rid of him in one way or the
other. I would allow nothing to stand between me and the road back to
honour. So musing I sat for a half-hour or so, and was startled by
Jacopo's sudden entry, so lost was I in thought. He came and stood,
bolt upright, next to my chair, without saying a word. I knew from
this that he had some request to make, some favour to ask, as
otherwise he would not have hesitated to make play with his tongue at
once.
"What is it Jacopo?"
He shifted uneasily from one foot to the other, and then replied--
"Your excellency, I want leave."
"Leave! What for? You are not going to be married, are you?"
"Heaven and the saints forbid, excellency. No--no--it is not that, it
is only leave for the day I want, and also for our men."
"The devil! What are you going to do?"
"Only a little dinner, excellency, which I am giving."
"And wasting those crowns you got the other day. Well, that is your
affair, not mine. Yes, you can have the leave."
"A hundred thanks, excellency."
"Mind you, there must be no brawling, no trouble."
"Excellency."
"Well, good night, and remember what I say. Here, you might remove
this wine-cup as you go."
"Good-night, signore," and Jacopo, lifting the goblet, went out. The
night being fairly warm, I kept my door open, and as he passed into
the portico, I saw him drain the contents of the goblet with a gulp,
and heard him draw his lips together with a smack of approval, and
march off to his quarters, chuckling at something or other.
The following afternoon I rode out with Bayard and half-a-dozen
others. It was a hawking party, and there was a long gallop to our
point of operation, which was to begin a little way beyond Ponte
Molle. In a short time we started a noble heron, and Bayard flinging
his peregrine into the air, we rode after the birds. It was a glorious
ride, and Castor and Pollux far outstripped the others, so much so
that when we drew rein beside the stricken heron, and Bayard slipped
the hood on to his hawk, our companions were not in sight. This,
however, troubled us little, and turning rein we made backwards. On
our way back I seized the opportunity to mention to Bayard that St.
Armande had volunteered to aid me in my task, and that I had accepted
his offer.
"It will do him good," he said; "he seems a noble youth, who has been
tied too long to apron-strings."
"Do you think so?" I said; "he strikes me as being effeminate to a
degree--and yet I cannot help liking him."
"He has a wonderful pure mind," said Bayard; "the boy, for he is no
less, is as innocent as a child."
"The Vatican will not improve him then, especially if he plays for
gold crowns with Colonna."
"Plays for gold crowns!" exclaimed Bayard; "you are surely mistaken,
cavaliere."
"Did he not do so last night, my lord? I understood he won three
hundred off Fabrizio?"
"Impossible," said Bayard, "I was at the Vatican last night, and the
party in which Colonna was playing consisted of Strigonia, Monsignore
Florido, our Lord the Pope, and Colonna himself--no more. St. Armande
was standing hard at hand for some little time, but never took a
wager. In fact, he passed most of the evening with Giulia Bella,
thrumming on a lute, much to the annoyance of his holiness. I should
say it would be well for him to quit Rome."
"Then I am wrong," I said; "yes, I fancy it would be well for him to
quit Rome."
By this time the others came up, and we said no more. As we went back
to Rome, I dropped a little behind, reflecting on what Bayard had told
me. It was certain that St. Armande had lied to me, and I began to
feel sure he had done this not for my good. In short, it seemed to me
that this innocent looking boy, with his shy retiring manners and
apparent want of knowledge of the world, was nothing more or less than
an accomplished actor. Then again he was a Frenchman, and how came he,
obviously fresh from France, to become an agent of the Medici
plotters, for so I put him down to be? There were the letters from
Madame de la Tremouille, his introductions were unimpeachable, the
cardinal believed in him--the whole thing was contradictory. Above
all, there was my strong personal liking for St. Armande. In his
presence I never felt that secret warning which all men feel when they
are with an enemy. I have never known it fail with me, and with St.
Armande there was no such warning, no such silent signal which goes
straight from soul to soul. On the contrary, I felt he was almost more
than friendly towards me, and I felt, in my turn towards him, despite
our short acquaintance, very nearly the same protective feeling that
one has towards a defenceless child. As may be imagined, I was in no
very comfortable frame of mind about this, and rode back silently,
revolving the point. When we reached the palace, almost the first
person I met was St. Armande, and as I dismounted he came up to me
with a cordial greeting and asked--
"Well, cavaliere, good sport I trust?"
"Very," I replied shortly, and then looked him straight in the face as
I added, "Do you intend to give the Colonna his revenge to-night?"
Something in my tone caught him, he met my eyes for a moment, then
dropped his gaze, and looked towards the ground. We stood thus before
each other for a little time before he replied, and his voice was
almost inaudible.
"Perhaps--I am not sure," he added with an effort.
I was standing, holding Castor's reins; but as he spoke I handed the
horse over to a groom, and, linking my arm in St. Armande's, said
loudly, and with a tone of affected gaiety:
"You missed a great ride, chevalier--come take a turn with me in the
garden."
He yielded passively, and in a few steps we had crossed the courtyard
and were in a secluded portion of the palace gardens that was called
the Lemon Walk. This I may add was subsequently improved out of
existence by the architect, in the course of completion of the palace
and grounds. When we reached this spot I unslipped my arm, and turning
round faced St. Armande, having resolved to end my suspicions.
"See here, chevalier," I said, "I am playing for heavy stakes, I am
walking on dangerous ground, and must know where I put my feet; will
you answer a plain question, are you friend or foe?"
He looked round him in a helpless sort of way, his colour coming and
going, but said nothing. Was it possible the man was a coward?
"If you do not reply," I said, "I will take the risk, and treat you as
an enemy, do you hear? you lied to me when you said last night you had
played at the Vatican with Colonna--now draw." I pulled out my weapon,
and stood before him, expecting every instant to see his rapier in his
hands; but he stood absolutely still, his head hanging down.
"Man," I said, "have you not heard? Am I to think you a coward as well
as a liar?"
"How dare you say that!" he burst out. "You--you of all men--Oh! what
am I saying! Yes, I did not play with Colonna; but I thought you were
hard pressed for money, and--and invented the fiction, thinking that
perhaps----"