Chapter 17 Chapter XV. What Diana de Meridor Was Like——The Promised Marriage

Bissi said: "In good conscience, he is really a weirdo." "Oh! yes, what a queer one, isn't it, Monsieur? For his love for me was an utter sham, in fact a violent hatred. After Gertrude sent him back, he found me more sad and sad than ever. Fear. "She tried to comfort me, but the poor girl was evidently as troubled as I was. The Count's respect for me was cold in reality, his obedience hid a mockery, and his repressed enthusiasm often struck a harsh note. It's in every word he says, and it all scares me more than a straight confession, because I can only win if he says it straight.

"The next day was Sunday. I have never missed Mass since I was sensible. I heard the bells of St. Catherine's Church, and it seemed to call to me. I saw all the people walking towards the church, and I He also put on a thick veil, and with Gertrude, he joined the ranks of believers and walked towards the bell. "I found the darkest corner and knelt down against the wall. Gertrude stood between me and the crowd like a sentinel. But this time, it was completely unnecessary, and no one noticed us. "On the third day the count came again and told me that he had been appointed captain of the royal hounds. The post had been promised to one of the king's favorites, M. de Saint-Luc, through the influence of the Duke of Anjou. , he was appointed. This victory he himself did not expect."

Bissy said: "It's true, we are all surprised." "He came to tell me the news, hoping to rely on this prominent position to prompt me to agree to the marriage as soon as possible, but he was not in a hurry, nor did he force the request, and he pinned everything on my promise and the development of the situation. "As for me, I began to hope that the Duke of Anjou would think that I was really dead, so that the danger would no longer exist, and I would not be afraid of the Count. "A week has passed without incident, save for two visits from the count. These visits were as indifferent and respectful as the previous ones. As I have told you, his indifference and respect Different, I can now say threatening.

"It was Sunday again, and I went into the church like last time and knelt in the place I had taken a week ago. Security let my guard down: I lifted my veil while I was chanting...in church I I was thinking only of God and nothing else... I was praying fervently for my father when suddenly I felt Gertrude touch my arm: The second time I touched me, I woke up. I raised my head and looked around mechanically. I was surprised to see the Duke of Anjou leaning against a pillar and staring at me with his eyes. "Beside him stood a man who looked like his confidant rather than a servant."

Bissy said, "This man is O'Leary, his luthier." Diana replied: "That's him, and that's the name Gertrude told me later." Bissi said: "Please go on, madam, I beg you to go on, I am beginning to understand what is going on." "I pulled off the veil quickly, but it was too late: he saw me, even if he didn't recognize me, at least I was very similar to the person he thought he had lost, and it touched his heart deeply. Deeply moved. His eyes pressed heavily on me, making me fidget. I got up and walked towards the door, where I met him again, where he had already dipped his fingers in the holy water bowl. Holy water, hold out your hand for me to dip his fingers in the holy water.

"I pretended not to see him, didn't take his holy water, and walked out. "But I don't have to look back. I already know he's nailing us. If I knew Paris well, I could fool the Duke into not knowing where I really live, but I'm not in any way except the straight road from home to the church." I had no other road to go; I had no acquaintance to whom I could ask to hide for a quarter of an hour, I had no girlfriend, but a protector whom I feared more than my enemies, and that was the situation I was in." Bisi sighed and said, "Oh! My God, why didn't God or fate make us meet earlier?"

Diana gave him an affectionate look and thanked him. Bissy said: "I'm sorry I keep interrupting you, but I'm really eager to know what's going on. 'I beg you, go ahead." "Mr. de Monsolo came that evening. I was hesitating whether to tell him what happened in the morning, but he spoke first. "He said: 'You once asked me if you could go to mass, and I told you that everything you do is up to you, but it's best not to go out. You don't believe me, you went to St. Catherine Church went to Mass, and it was a misfortune, or rather fate, that the Prince was there, too, and he saw you.'

"'It is true, sir, that I am hesitant to tell you this, as I do not know whether the prince recognizes me, or my appearance attracts his attention.' "'It was your appearance that caught his attention, and he was amazed at the resemblance you had to his lost love: he followed you and asked for information about you, but no one could tell him, because no one Don't know you.' "I cried out; 'My God!' "Mr. de Monsolo said: 'The duke's heart is very sinister, and he will not give up until he reaches his goal.' "'Oh! I only hope he forgets me.'

"'I don't believe it is possible. No one who has seen you can ever forget it. I tried my best to forget you, but I couldn't.' "That's when I noticed for the first time a spark of enthusiasm flashed in M. de Monsolo's eyes. "I thought his enthusiasm for me had long been extinguished, but now a spark has flashed again. When I saw him, I was more afraid than when I saw the prince in the morning. "I just kept silent. "The Count asked me: 'What are you going to do?' "'Sir, can't I change streets, districts, or houses? To the other side of Paris, or better yet, back to Anjou.'

"Mr. de Monsolo shook his head and said: 'It's all useless. The Duke of Anjou is a great detective. Now he has found your trail. Wherever you go, he can follow you and you. found you.' "'Oh, my God! You speak dreadfully.' "'I didn't mean to frighten you, I told the truth, that's all.' "'Then it is my turn to ask you the question you have just asked me: what are you going to do, sir?' "'Mr. de Monsolo said with a bitter smile: 'Oh! I am a fool. I have thought of a way, which is not to your liking, so I have to give up. Please don't ask me to think otherwise. way.'

"I said, 'But, my God! The danger may not be as imminent as you think.' "The count stood up and said: 'Madam, you will only know in the future. Anyway, I repeat, once you become Mrs. Monsolo, you don't have to be so afraid of the prince, not to mention that my new position makes me directly under the king's authority. Jurisdiction, my wife and I are of course under the protection of the Holy Majesty.' "I replied with a sigh. What the count said sounded perfectly reasonable, and seemed to be the case. "Mr. de Monsolo waited for a moment, as if to give me time to think and answer, but I was out of strength. He stood there, as if to leave. At last a wry smile crossed his lips, and he bowed. With a bow, he backed out. "I thought I heard him blurt out some curses on the stairs. "My name is Gertrude. "When the count came, Gertrude always stayed in the bathroom or the bedroom as usual, and she rushed over when she was called. "I was standing by the window, with the curtains covering me so that people could not see me, but I could see what was going on in the street. "The count went out and walked away. "We stayed there about an hour, watching everything around, but saw no one coming. "The night passed peacefully. "The next day, when Gertrude was out, a young man approached her, and she recognized him as the man who had accompanied the Prince yesterday; no matter how much he begged, she refused to speak to him. None of his questions were answered. "The young man got bored and had to go away. "This encounter has caused me great panic. It is the beginning of an investigation that will never stop. I am afraid that M. de Monsolo will not come that night, and that someone will kill me during the night. I sent for the count, and he is here at once. . "I told him what had happened, and described to him the young man as Gertrude had reported to me. "He said: 'That's O'Leary; what did Gertrude answer him?" "'Gertrude did not answer at all.' "Mr. de Monsolo said after a moment of hesitation: 'She is wrong.' "'How come?' "'Yes, time must be bought.' "'To gain time?' "'Today, I am still in the hands of the Duke of Anjou. In another fortnight, or twelve days, or a week, the Duke of Anjou may be in my hands. Therefore, he must be coaxed and told to wait. ' "'My God!' "'Naturally, I give him hope and he waits patiently; a complete refusal drives him to extremes.' "I cried out: 'Sir, write to my father at once, and my father will come running and kneel at His Majesty's knees to intercede. The Majesty will certainly take pity on an old man.' "'It depends on the mood of the Holy Majesty, and on whether the current politics need the Duke of Anjou as his friend or enemy. However, it will take six days for your letter to reach your father, and six days for your father to reach Paris. During these twelve days, if we had not stopped the Duke of Anjou, he would have done all he had to do.' "'How to stop him?' "Mr. de Monsolo was silent. I understood what he was thinking, so I lowered my eyes. "After a moment's silence, I said. 'Monsieur, give Gertrude your orders, and she will do as you tell her.' "An imperceptible smile flickered across M. de Monsolo's mouth, as I begged him to protect me for the first time. "He talked for a few minutes with Gertrude. "He said to me: 'Madam, I may be seen going out of this house now, and it will be dark in two or three hours. Will you allow me to spend these two or three hours in your room?' "Mr. de Monsolo was almost entitled to do so, but he asked politely, and I gestured for him to sit down. "It was only then that I noticed the great self-control of the count, who at once overcame the embarrassment which must have been evident in our awkward position, and began to talk and laugh. I have pointed out that he spoke harshly, which gave his conversation a strong The character traits of the character, and the content is all-encompassing and fascinating from the beginning. The Count has been to many places, seen many things in the world, and pondered many issues. After two hours of conversation, I understood why this strange person has such a thing for my father. big impact." Bixi sighed. "After dark, he didn't hold back, seemed content with what he had got, made no further demands, stood up, and left. "Throughout the night, Gertrude and I once again stood in our observation post, watching what was happening in the street. This time, we clearly saw two men observing our house. Several times they approached The door, because all the lights in the room were out, they couldn't see us. "They didn't leave until about eleven o'clock. "The next day, Gertrude went out and met the young man again in the same place. Like yesterday, he came up to question her again. This time, Gertrude was more friendly and talked to him. A few words. "After another day, Gertrude talked more: she told him that I was the widow of a judge, and because of poverty, I lived in seclusion. He insisted on asking, but Gertrude refused, Let him be content with the news for the present. "The next day, O'Leary didn't seem to believe the news yesterday, he talked about Anjou and Beauge, and even mentioned Meridor's name. ’ replied Gertrude, who knew none of these names. "So he admitted that he was the Duke of Anjou's man, and said that the Duke of Anjou fell in love with me when he saw me; then he promised her and me a big reward: as long as she would bring the Duke to me, he would reward her a lot; As long as I am willing to receive the Duke, I will be rewarded heavily. "Mr. de Monsolo comes every night, and I tell him every night what happened to us. He stays from eight o'clock until midnight; he is obviously very anxious. "He came again on Saturday night and I saw him paler than usual and more agitated. "He said to me: 'Tell you, by Tuesday or Wednesday everything will be decided.' "I exclaimed: 'Everything has to be decided? Why?' "'Because the Duke of Anjou has made up his mind to risk everything, and at the moment he is on good terms with the Holy Majesty, no help can be expected from the King.' "'But, between today and Wednesday, something must happen to save us from our embarrassment?' "'That may not be the case. I am waiting day by day for the time when I can play with the prince. I not only sincerely hope that this time will come as soon as possible, but I will urge it and push it to come as soon as possible. Tomorrow, I will To leave you, go to Montero.' "I was surprised and delighted when I heard it, and asked: 'Do you have to go?' "'Yes, I have an appointment there, and I must go in order to bring about the time I have told you about.' "'What if we were in the same situation as last Sunday, my God?' "'I have no legal right to protect you at present. How can I stand against a prince? I have to bow to bad luck. . . ' "I cried: 'Ah! Papa! Papa!' "The Count was staring at me intently. "'gentlemen!' "'Is there anything you don't like about my conduct?' "'Ah! No.' "'Have I not been as loyal to you as a good friend, and as respectful as a brother?' "'Your conduct was noble in every respect.' "'Didn't you promise me?' "'yes.' "'Did I mention it to you once?' "'No.' "'Nevertheless, when circumstances forced you to choose between honor and disgrace, you would rather be the mistress of the Duke of Anjou than the wife of the Count Monsolo.' "'I did not say so, sir.' "'Then make up your mind.' "'I have decided.' "'Decided to be Countess Monsolo?' "'Instead of being the mistress of the Duke of Anjou.' "'It is a delightful choice of yours to be the mistress of the Duke of Anjou.' "I don't say anything. "The count said again: 'It doesn't matter, do you hear? As long as Gertrude lasts until Tuesday, we'll talk then.' "The next day, Gertrude went out as usual, but she didn't meet O'Leary. When she came back, we were more anxious about not seeing O'Leary than seeing him. Gertrude had nothing to do with it. Another trip was necessary, purely to see O'Leary, but he was not seen again. The third trip was as fruitless as the first. "I sent Gertrude to M. de Monsolo, who has gone and no one knows where he is going. "We were alone in our little room, we felt very weak, and for the first time I felt that I had done the count an injustice." At this time Bissie cried out: "Ah! Madame! Don't change your opinion of this man in such a hurry: there are some things in his behavior that we don't know yet, but we will figure it out sooner or later." "The night has come, and its horrors; and I have decided that I would rather sacrifice all than fall alive into the hands of the Duke of Anjou. I have this dagger hidden by my side, and if the Duke or any of his men touch me, I will Immediately slayed himself in the presence of the prince. We covered the door with furniture in the room. The owner of the house was unbelievably careless, and left the door without a bolt on the inside of the gate facing the street. We hid the lamp, and stood before our watchful eyes. Come here." "Until eleven o'clock, the surroundings were quiet. At eleven o'clock, five people came out from the corner of the Rue Saint-Antoine, as if discussing something, and then went to hide in the corner surrounding the Palace of the Office. Wait there in ambush." "We're starting to shake. These people must be here for us." "But they stood there motionless, and a quarter of an hour passed. "At this time we saw two people appearing on the corner of St. Paul's Street. The moonlight shone on the ground from a gap in the clouds, and Gertrude recognized one of the two people as O'Leary. "The poor girl whispered to me: 'Alas, madam, here they come.' "I was trembling with fear and answered her: 'That's right, the other five are going to help them.' "Gertrude said: 'To get in they have to break down the door, which will attract the neighbors.' "'Why did you leave your neighbors to save us? Do they know us? Will they sacrifice to protect us? Alas! After all, Gertrude,' we have only one real protector, and that is the Count. . ' "'In that case, why have you always refused to be a countess?' "I sighed."