"her arms across her breast she laid;
she was more fair than words can say:
bare-footed came the beggar-maid."
it was impossible that the queen-mother's anxiety should not have revealed to her the coldness which had sprung up between her son and mlle de tricotrin. she had been at the kora rout, and her intense love for kophetua, and her absorbing desire to see him united to her new favourite, had made her eyes sharper than those of the rest of the world, interested as they were.
hitherto her hopes had been rising daily. she was rejoicing not only at the skilful manner in which the marquis was winning over all parties to their common cause, but also at the warm relations which seemed to be growing between kophetua and the beautiful frenchwoman. it was quite clear to her that he was taking an interest in mlle de tricotrin which he had never shown for a woman before. at last she felt her long-deferred hopes were about to be realised, when suddenly she was aware that[pg 217] the happy love-progress was arrested. some discord had jarred in upon the growing harmony. it rang in her listening ears rudely enough, but whence it was she could not tell.
it was this that made her look so sad and anxious, as she took her usual drive in the cool of the following afternoon. of late mlle de tricotrin, who had grown to be like a daughter to the lonely queen, had always accompanied her on these drives. this time, however, she had sent an excuse that she was not well. indeed, she felt that after her crime she could not play her part before the keen eyes of her patroness without breaking down. so margaret was alone, for she would have no one to replace her héloise. she wished besides to think over quietly by herself what could be the cause of the coldness which mlle de tricotrin's message only confirmed.
it was the queen's custom during these drives to visit from time to time the public hospitals of the villages around the capital. for in this well-ordered kingdom every village possessed its hospital, maintained at the public expense, and there was not one in which the benign and stately presence of margaret was not familiar and welcome. with the affection of the people she strove to fill the aching void, where should have nestled the love and confidence which her only son denied her; and if her visits of[pg 218] mercy did not bring her a full measure of consolation, they at least won her a wide popularity, which shed an intermittent glow of happiness into her clouded life.
it was only natural that she should try to-day the specific her womanly heroism had taught her. she drove to a village which lay before the furthest gate of the royal park. the people were all assembled on the green, and she could see they were eagerly watching a rude stage which some wandering players had set up under the spreading shelter of an ancient acacia. they gave her a ringing shout of greeting as she passed by, oblivious of the sorrows of the highly rouged lady who raved before them. nor would they give the stage another glance till the queen's stately coach had rolled by out of sight.
an hour or so was spent in reading to and comforting the few sick that the hospital contained, and then the queen returned. the play was done, and the dispersing people so blocked the road that the chariot had to pull up. a man in a fantastic dress took advantage of the delay to approach the queen and ask her a boon with that elaboration of ceremony by which players consider they imitate the manners of the great. it was a little thing that he wanted, though his air was lofty enough to have prefaced a demand for half of the kingdom. as the privileges of the chartered beggars in oneiria[pg 219] were wide, so were the laws against unlicenced vagrancy excessively severe. the status of strolling players was at the best doubtful, and in the present case the mayor of the village had refused them permission to camp on the green, upon the ground that such a proceeding was flat vagrancy. not a house or even a barn was to be had, and so the motley player was begging leave to pass the night within the gates of the park—a request which margaret granted graciously enough.
to the sound of another cheer from the villagers the park gates closed behind the queen, and she went on her way towards the palace. it was a lovely evening, and before she had gone far she was tempted to leave the chariot to go round a wide sweep of the road, while she herself walked across under the great acacias to meet it again. her trouble was as heavy on her heart as ever now her samaritan visit was over; and, alone with the rugged trunks and the spreading boughs and peeping flowers, she felt she could think it out more easily, and perhaps light upon the cause that made the sweet bells jangle out of tune.
her way soon led her along a gully, where a little brook hurried gently down with happy chatter to find its way to its father draa. here some long-dead king had obliterated all trace of the rank vegetation that had stolen up from the tropical regions[pg 220] to the southward, and in its place had fostered the nobler forms which through the long ages have gathered about the blue waters of the mediterranean sea. on the favoured slopes of the atlas, where the mighty breath of the atlantic still has power to cherish and make strong, he found them, and here they now rejoiced together in the vigour of lusty age. giant oaks stretched out their limbs across the moist rocks to greet their rough-coated cousins the cork-trees on the other side. and almost in their arms grew the wild olives in wanton freedom, as though they mocked the modest silver poplars which quivered hard by. they, shy prudes, stood aloof delicately, and trembled always, as though they never ceased to fear the rough embrace of the wanton olive's friends. and here and there, where the tinkling stream idled through a wider channel, and the banks were marshy beds of vivid green, an oleander stood; and, as its ruddy flowers began to peep out to see the ripening year, it seemed to blush for the immodest hypocrite who, with her sober hue, had cheated the old greeks to call her chaste.
the murmuring brook splashed up upon the rocky path, and the leaves bent down and rustled in the evening breeze, as though they would whisper to the passing queen the secret she could not divine. but, plunged in deep and miserable thought, she kept on her way unheeding, till all at once she was[pg 221] aware of a nymph-like figure that sat upon a rock on the further side of the brook, and dipped her white feet in it. upon her long dark tresses was a crown of flowers, and in her lap lay others, which ever and again she tossed upon the stream, and watched in idle reverie racing, embracing, and dividing, as they sported with the laughing eddies.
the queen could not help admiring the picture in spite of her surprise at the intrusion. she drew nearer, and then, to her complete astonishment, saw that the flower-crowned nymph was none other than the pretty maid of mlle de tricotrin. she had always liked the girl for her gentleness and modesty, no less than for her evident devotion to her mistress. still her presence in the park alone was a liberty that could not be passed over. margaret called her gently by her name.
penelophon rose hastily when she saw who spoke, and cast a whole lapful of flowers into the stream as she made her humble reverence. the water seemed to seize the blossoms greedily, and hurried away with its prize, as though the maid had lost all that could tempt it to linger.
"my girl," said the queen, with severity, though not unkindly, "why are you here? do you not know that no one is allowed in the park without leave?"
"yes, madam," answered penelophon, with quiet confidence, "but trecenito gave me leave."
[pg 222]
"who do you say, girl?" cried the queen, drawing herself up, and speaking with great asperity.
"i mean his majesty gave me leave," answered penelophon, looking down and blushing faintly in her confusion.
"but how did you come here?" asked the queen, trying to conceal the interest which a sudden suspicion gave her.
"from the old hunting-lodge, madam," answered penelophon, "where captain pertinax and the gendarmes are."
"but what were you doing there?" said the queen.
"trecen—— i mean his majesty," said penelophon, looking down again, "told captain pertinax he was to keep me there till his majesty was resolved where i was to go."
"where you were to go, child?" echoed the queen, assuming her kindest tone, for she felt she had found a clue to the mystery, and did not want to frighten the girl. "but why are you not to be with mlle de tricotrin? how did you come to leave her?"
"do you not know, madam?" said penelophon, with a look of pain in her trusting eyes. "did my good mistress not tell you?"
"no, child; what was it?"
"then i will come and tell you. i will come and whisper in your ear; i dare not speak it loud. i hardly dare to think of it, lest the thing should come again."
[pg 223]
she spoke in a low, frightened voice, and then stepped in trembling agitation across the brook, and came to the queen's side.
"the thing came——" she began, beneath her breath.
"what thing, my girl?" asked the queen, with increasing excitement.
"that thing that limps and glares, and is wrapped in a cloak," answered penelophon, in a hurried whisper, while she looked anxiously about her. "the thing that captain pertinax says is called turbo, the chancellor. well, it came and dragged me away from mlle de tricotrin in the dark night; but trecenito sent the gendarmes and took me away from it, and they brought me here, where its eyes cannot look at me."
the queen made no reply. it was all she could do to conceal the sudden elation that possessed her, for now she was sure that accidentally she had stumbled on what she sought. penelophon's familiar way of speaking of the king had aroused suspicions which her story served only to confirm. the case was perfectly clear. this innocent girl was the means that turbo was using to thwart her plans for kophetua's happiness. the chancellor had obviously discovered that the fascination which mlle de tricotrin was exercising over his pupil was something which he could not meet with his ordinary weapons. the beauty and sweetness of her héloise had[pg 224] at last touched the king's stony heart, and love was alive in him. turbo was man of the world enough to know that this was a state of mind which was not to be reasoned with, and he must have thought that the only means by which he could prevent the attachment getting past undoing was to place another woman in the way.
in the sudden reaction of spirits brought about by the unexpected success of her quest, the queen could hardly help smiling at the chancellor's astuteness. it was certainly a clever move. she knew her son's nature well enough to understand how this dreamy child of the people was just the most dangerous rival mlle de tricotrin could have. it was just the idyllic passion to commend itself to a nature which, though outwardly cynical, was, as she well knew, at bottom imaginative, poetical, and even quixotic.
it was clear then to the queen that turbo had stolen the girl from mlle de tricotrin, in consequence, probably, of the king having noticed her. he had arranged for her this romantic retreat, where kophetua could visit his rosamund with the added spice of secrecy on pretence of inspecting the gendarmes. the plot was perfect, and margaret's elation at her fancied discovery was in proportion to its perfection. for not only had she unravelled the whole mystery which had so troubled her, but she found[pg 225] herself in a position to foil the chancellor's last attempt.
the fear which, by her view of the situation, turbo seemed to have of mlle de tricotrin's influence entirely coincided with her own idea that kophetua was on the brink of an irresistible passion for the frenchwoman. all, then, that was necessary was to remove turbo's counter-attraction, and the game was won. her motherly eagerness showed her the means by which this might be accomplished, and taught her to play her part with the skill and delicacy which was essential to success.
"my dear," said the queen at length, softly stroking penelophon's hair, "i am very sorry for you. i am very glad i found you here."
"thank you, madam," answered penelophon. "it is not hard to see why my mistress loves you so. but why are you glad?"
"because, my child," said the queen, "you are not safe here any more than you were with your mistress."
"not safe?" cried penelophon, her big eyes dilating with fear.
"that thing knows where you are," answered the queen, in a mysterious voice, "though the king thinks you are safe. he does not know, but to-night it will come and look at you."
"no! no!" cried the poor girl, covering[pg 226] her face interior. "but will it take hold of me too?"
"i cannot tell," replied the queen-mother doubtfully. "perhaps the gendarmes will prevent it; but it is a cunning thing."
"o madam!" exclaimed penelophon, casting herself at margaret's feet, "what shall i do? i could not bear it again. will you not take me away where it cannot come? for the love of trecenito take me away!"
"well, child, for the love of trecenito i will take you away," said the queen, covering her deceit with words that were true. "i will bring you to some good friends of mine hard by, and they shall take you far away where the thing can never find you,—far away to the mountains, where the king's hunting-tower stands, and i will tell him, and none but him, whither you have gone."
"bless your sweet majesty! bless you!" cried penelophon, fervently kissing the hand that soothed her. "but now let us go quickly before the gendarmes see."
"follow me, then, child," said the queen, and hastily retraced her steps up the gully to where she knew she would find the players; and as they passed, the oleanders blushed deeply to see what wrong a mother's love could do, and the white poplars trembled with dread. overhead the turkey oaks and the rough cork-trees shot out their muscular arms stiffly, as though they would have[pg 227] stopped the cruel deed; but the wild olives nestled close, and whispered wantonly it was no harm.
the players were already there with their carts when the two women came to the park gate. a few words and a little purse soon persuaded margaret's motley friend to take the matter in hand. all the queen required was that he should start away betimes in the morning with his company, and carry the beggar-maid to some remote part of the kingdom, and she promised the man a handsome present if the girl were not found for a year.
then she gave her hand to penelophon, who kissed it again with devotion. margaret, in a voice that all could hear, charged the players to treat her kindly, and so took her leave, and hurried to meet her carriage at the point agreed.
the queen's delight at the way she had outwitted her cunning adversary only increased as she thought over it, and by the time she reached the palace she felt compelled to share her joy with some one. so she easily persuaded herself that m. de tricotrin ought at once to be informed of the plot against his daughter, and how, in consequence of her clever move, it was now, instead of a cause of anxiety, a thing to rejoice over, as evidence of how nearly the king had come to yielding to héloise's charms.
she sent to him at once to request the favour of an interview, and m. de tricotrin[pg 228] appeared without delay. margaret told him the whole story with great animation, and was perhaps a little surprised at his reception of her news. she had certainly looked for a little more enthusiasm in his congratulations, but was too happy and too satisfied with herself to take much notice of his manner. as for the marquis, the instincts of an old diplomatist prevented him explaining the queen's mistake. it was true that her story took his breath away at first; but it was a second nature with him, when he found any one labouring under an error, not to undeceive until he was sure that there was nothing to be made out of the situation as it stood.
so after his first surprise he listened with interest, gravely thanked the queen for her energy in his daughter's behalf, and ceremoniously took his leave, with the unpleasant conviction that things had taken a very awkward turn.
what had happened he could hardly tell. that the queen's view of the affair was wrong he had little doubt. a much more natural explanation suggested itself to him. somehow or other kophetua had got wind of the intended abduction, and had ordered the gendarmes to be on the alert to prevent it. how the secret had leaked out of course he could not be sure; but, in all probability, his own daughter, prompted by her silly infatuation for the girl, had given the king a[pg 229] hint. whether this were so or not, he was sure that turbo would come to the same conclusion, and feel that the tricotrin side of the bargain had not been loyally carried out.
the only thing to be done was to go to the chancellor at once, find out what had actually happened, and, as a proof of sincerity, inform him what had become of the girl. this could certainly do no harm. for, even supposing the queen were right, and turbo's proposition had only been part of a deep-laid scheme to draw off the king from his daughter, it would, at any rate, be better to let the wily chancellor know that his game was seen through.
so to the chancellor m. de tricotrin went.
