The Honour of Savelli: A Romance Page 2

  THE HONOUR OF SAVELLI.

  CHAPTER I.

  A BOLT FROM THE BLUE.

  "I do not drink with a thief!"

  D'Entrangues spoke in clear, distinct tones, that rose above the humof voices, and every one caught the words. In an instant the room wasstill. The laughter on all faces died away, leaving them grave; andtwenty pairs of curious eyes, and twenty curious faces were turnedtowards us. It was so sudden, so unexpected, this jarring discord inour harmony, that it fell as if a bolt from a mangonel, or a shot fromone of Messer Novarro's new guns, had dropped in amongst us. Eventhat, I take it, would have caused less surprise, although for thepresent there was a truce in the land. Prospero Colonna turned halfround in his seat and looked at me. Our host and commander, old Ivesd'Alegres, who was pouring himself out a glass of white vernaccia,held the decanter in mid-air, an expression of blank amazement in hisblue eyes. Even the Englishman, Hawkwood, who sat next to me, wasstartled out of his habitual calm. Every eye was on us, on me where Isat dazed, and on D'Entrangues, who was leaning back slightly, aforced smile on his face, the fingers of one hand playing with theempty glass before him, whilst with the other he slowly twisted hislong red moustache. I was completely taken aback. Only that afternoonI parted from D'Entrangues, apparently on the best of terms. We hadplayed together, and he had won my crowns. It is true he was not paidin full at the time; but he knew the word of a Savelli. On leaving,Madame D'Entrangues asked me to join her hawking party for the morrow,and he urged the invitation. I accepted, and backed my new peregrineagainst D'Entrangues' old hawk Bibbo for ten crowns, the best of threeflights, and the wager was taken. Never indeed had I known him socordial. I did not like the man, but for his wife's sake was friendlyto him. Of a truth, there were few of the youngsters in Tremouille'scamp who were not in love with her, and some of us older fellows too,though we hid our feelings better. I was grateful to Madame. She hadbeen kind to me after the affair of San Miniato, when a Florentinepike somehow found its way through my breastplate. Indeed, I may say Iowed my recovery to her nursing. In return, I had been of some serviceto her in the retreat up the valley of the Taro, after Fornovo--shecalled it saving her life. In this manner a friendship sprang upbetween us, which was increased by the opportunities we had of meetingwhilst the army lay inactive before Arezzo. Long years of camp lifemade me fully appreciate the society of a woman, remarkable alike forher beauty and her talent; and she, on the other hand, felt for me, Iwas sure, only that friendship which it is possible for a good womanto hold for a man who is not her husband.

  I do not for one moment mean to imply that Doris D'Entrangues wasperfection. I knew her to be wayward and rash, sometimes foolish ifyou will; but withal a pure woman. I soon found she was unhappy, andin time she got into a way of confiding her troubles to me, and theywere not a few, for D'Entrangues was--what all men knew him to be.Finding that I could be of help to Madame, I avoided all differencewith the husband, and for her sake was, as I have said, friendly tohim. Perhaps my course of action was not prudent; but who is thereamongst us who is always guided by the head? At any rate, I expiatedmy fault, and paid the price of my folly to the end of the measure.

  As I sat in the now silent supper-room with the man's words buzzing inmy ears, a curious recollection of a scene that occurred about a monthago came back to me. Madame and I had over-ridden ourselves hawking,and I had dismounted at her request and gathered for her a posy ofyellow coronilla and scarlet amaryllis. This, in her quick impulsiveway, she held to her husband's face when we met him, a half-league orso on our way back, saying, "See what lovely flowers Di Savelli hasgiven me!" He snatched them from her hand, and flung them under hishorse with an oath, adding something which I did not catch. Madameflushed crimson, and the incident ended there, for I did not care topress the matter.

  It all came back to me now, in the oddest manner, as I sat staring atD'Entrangues. He had come in late to the supper, and, after greetingD'Alegres, slipped into the seat opposite me in silence. Across himtwo men were discussing a series of thefts that had recently disturbedus. They were not common thefts, such as are of daily occurrence in amilitary camp; but were the work of some one both daring andenterprising. Even then the matter would not have attracted theattention it did but for the loss of a ruby circlet by the Duchesse dela Tremouille, which, besides its intrinsic value, was the gift of aking. Madame de la Tremouille made an outcry, and the duke, as thematter touched him, was leaving no stone unturned to find the thief.It had come to be that every robbery in the camp was put down to thissame light-fingered gentleman; and Visconti, one of the two men whowere discussing the question, was loudly lamenting the loss of a raremedallion of which he had just been relieved. Throughout theirconversation D'Entrangues, though once or twice addressed, spoke noword, but maintained a moody silence. When the wine was circling roundI, being warmed, and wishing to stand well with the husband of Madame,made some rallying allusion to our match for the morrow, and offeredto drink to him. His reply is known.

  The silence which followed his speech was so utter that one may haveheard a feather fall; and then some one, I know not who, laughedshortly. The sound brought me to myself, and in a fury, hardly knowingwhat I was doing, I jumped up and drew my dagger, but was instantlyseized by Colonna and Hawkwood. The latter was a man of great size,and between him and Colonna I was helpless.

  "Give him rope," whispered Hawkwood, and his voice was kind, "this isnot an affair to be settled with a poniard thrust."

  The whole room was in an uproar now, all crowding around us;D'Entrangues half-risen from his seat, his hand on his sword, and Iquivering in the grasp of my kind enemies. Old Ives d'Alegres rushedforwards, "Silence, gentlemen!" he called out, "remember I commandhere. Savelli, give up that dagger; D'Entrangues, your sword. Now,gentlemen, words have been used which blood alone cannot wash out. M.d'Entrangues, I await your explanation!"

  "Liar!" I shouted out, "you will give it to me at the sword's point,"and big Hawkwood's restraining arms tightened over me.

  "Thanks," replied D'Entrangues, "you remember the sword at last; amoment before I saw in your hands your natural weapon."

  "A truce to this, sirs! I await you," interrupted D'Alegres.

  "Your pardon," said D'Entrangues. "Gentlemen, you want an explanation.It is simple enough. We have a thief in our midst, and he is there."

  "A thief--Di Savelli!" called out a dozen voices, and Ives d'Alegressaid, "Impossible! you are mad, D'Entrangues."

  "No more so, sir, than you, or any one of us here. I confess, though,I thought I was mad when I first knew of it, for this man has been mycomrade, we have fought side by side, and he has borne himself as agallant soldier. I thought I was mad, I say, when I first knew ofthis; but the proofs are too strong."

  "What are they?" D'Alegres spoke very shortly.

  "You shall have them. You all know there have been a series ofunaccountable thefts amongst us lately. The duchess's rubies havegone. Hardly a lady but has lost some valuable, my wife, amongst otherthings, a bracelet. The thief did not confine his attentions to thefair sex; but visited us men as well. They were not common thefts.From the circumstances attending them, the robber must have known usintimately, and had easy access to our quarters. Up to now the matterhas been a mystery. A lot of people have been wrongly suspected, andtwo poor wretches are now swinging on the gibbet, condemned fornothing that I know of."

  "It was done by my orders, sir," said D'Alegres, "the matter is besidethe point."

  "I stand corrected, General. Some little time ago a fortunate chancerevealed to me who the culprit was. I made no sign, but set to workuntil complete proofs were in my hands."

  "You have said so before. Why beat about the bush? If you have proofs,produce them?"

  "A moment, sir. May I ask any of you to state what your most recentlosses have been?"

  "My medallion by Cimabue," put in Visconti in his drawling voice.

  "Fifty fat gold crowns
in a leather bag," grumbled Hawkwood, "theresidue of the Abbot Basilio's ransom. God send such another prize tome, for I know not how to pay my lances."

  There was a little laugh at Hawkwood's moan, but it soon stilled, and,one by one, each man stated his latest loss.

  "I will add to these Madame's bracelet," said D'Entrangues, "and shallnot be surprised if the duchess thanks me for her rubies to-morrow."

  "Tremouille has sworn to crucify the thief if he is found."

  "The duke knows the value of his gems."

  "He ought to be consoled, for he has a true wife left, and, hiseminence of St. Sabines tells me, such a possession is more preciousthan rubies," drawled Visconti.

  "Gentlemen, you interrupt M. D'Entrangues. Let us end this painfulscene."

  "There is but one thing more, sir. I ask you now to havethis"--D'Entrangues indicated me with an insolent look--"this person'squarters searched."

  Whilst he was speaking, D'Alegres gave a whispered order to a youngofficer, who left the room immediately, although with a somewhatdiscontented air at being sent away. As D'Entrangues finished, thedoor was opened, a couple of files of Swiss infantry entered, and withthem Braccio Fortebraccio, our provost-marshal. At a sign fromD'Alegres one of the files surrounded me, the other D'Entrangues, andBraccio called out in a loud voice, "Ugo di Savelli, and CrepinD'Entrangues, I arrest you in the king's name!"

  "At your service, provost," said D'Entrangues with a bow, "my sword isalready given up. May I ask, sir," he continued, turning to D'Alegres,"if you will put my proofs to the test?"

  "At once. Provost, lead your prisoners to M. di Savelli's quarters."

  "Thank God!" The expression burst from me, so great was my relief. Iwas sure of being acquitted, and madame or no madame, I should killD'Entrangues the following day, even though I knew Tremouille hadsworn to hang the next man caught duelling within the jurisdiction ofhis camp. We were, as I have stated, at Arezzo, and had passed thewinter there, in the truce following the expulsion of the Duke of Barifrom Lombardy. It had, however, become necessary to menace the Pope,who was hilt deep in intrigue as well as crime, and Tremouille leavingMonsignore d'Amboise in Milan, marched south, and with the aid of ourFlorentine allies, held the Borgia and Spain in check. Acting underthe advice of Trevulzio, Ives d'Alegres, and others, the duke had notentered the town; but kept us in camp near Giove, outside the walls.The gates of the city and the citadel were, however, at the same timestrongly garrisoned, and Trevulzio held command within. It was all themore urgent to keep the main body of the troops outside the walls, asthey were composed, with the exception of a few French regiments,mainly of mercenaries, and by holding the town with picked men, uponwhom he could rely, Tremouille would be able, in case of any change offront on the part of his mercenaries, to have them between two fires.Ives d'Alegres, who then acted as lieutenant-general to the duke, wasimmediately in command of the camp, and had fixed his headquarters ina large villa, the property of the Accolti, and it was here that thesupper, which ended so disastrously for me, was given. My own quarterswere but a bow-shot or two away, in the direction of the town. When wereached them, I was surprised to find at the door, my servant Tarbesin the hands of two of the marshal's men, a half troop of Frenchlancers drawn up before my tent, and my own small _condotta_ of tenlances, which I had raised for the war by pawning my last acre, allunder guard. As if any attempt at rescue were possible! I saw in amoment that this accounted for D'Entrangues' late arrival at thesupper: but entered the tent sure of the results. A dozen blazingtorches threw a clear enough light, and D'Alegres briefly requestedthe provost to begin the search. The practised hands of the fieldpolice did this very effectually, but to no purpose, and I felt thatthe faces of all were looking friendly towards me. D'Entrangues seemednervous, and his sallow cheek was pale.

  "Send for Tarbes," he said, and at a word from the provost my knavewas led in. This man was a Spaniard, whom I had taken into my service,some little while ago, on the recommendation of D'Entrangues. Excepton one occasion when he lost, or maybe stole, a pair of silver spurs,for which I cuffed him roundly, he had served me well. At the presentmoment he seemed overcome with fear, trembled in every limb, andrefused to look at me.

  "Signor Tarbes," said the provost, "do you know what the wheel is?"

  The man made no answer, and Braccio went on--

  "Signor Tarbes, we want a little information which I am persuaded youpossess. If you give it freely, we will be merciful; if youprevaricate, if you attempt to conceal anything, we will do to youwhat we did to the death hunters after San Miniato--you remember?"

  "Speak freely, Tarbes. There is no fear," I added.

  "Even your master, the excellent cavaliere, advises you, and I mustsay advises you well," continued Braccio. "Signor Tarbes, you will nowshow us," and he rubbed his hands together softly, "where the valiantknight, Ugo di Savelli, keeps his prizes of war, the spoils of his bowand spear--I was going to say fin----"

  "Have a care, sir," said D'Alegres sternly, "you are here to do yourduty, not to play the jester." Braccio shrank back at his look, andthe general turned to Tarbes, "In brief, we want to know, if yourmaster, M. di Savelli, has any concealed property here? Will youanswer at once, or do you prefer to be put to the question?"

  "I will speak--say anything, my lord--only have mercy. I swear what Isay is true. His excellency, my master, has nothing beyond what youhave seen--and what lies in the leather valise under this rug."

  Now this rug in question lay flat on the turf, on which my tent stood,and at the time of the search D'Alegres and others were standing onit. Owing to this, and to the crowded state of the tent, it hadhitherto escaped the attention, which it would doubtless have receivedsooner or later, for nothing ever passed Braccio's eyes. In a momentthe rug was swept aside, and, as the torches were held to the turf, itwas evident that it had been dug away and then replaced somewhatcarelessly.

  Braccio was in his element.

  "_Pouf!_" he exclaimed, "a clumsy amateur after all! I thought betterof his valour. Here! give me a pike! And hold the torches so!"

  With a sharp point of the pike he quickly cleared away the turf, and,stooping down, lifted up from the hole he exposed, a small brownvalise, which had been concealed in the earth. The interest was nowintense. Every one crowded round Braccio. Even the vigilance of theguards over me completely relaxed. I felt a touch on my shoulder, and,looking back, saw Hawkwood.

  "Would you like to go?" he whispered rapidly. "My horse is readysaddled--you know where to find him."

  I thanked him with a look; but shook my head, and the giant fell back.

  "Shall I break it open, excellency?" and Braccio held the bag out toD'Alegres.

  "My master has the key," put in Tarbes; "I know no more."

  "I--the key!" I exclaimed. "Villain, the bag is not mine!"

  "It bears your arms, however;" Braccio pointed to a little metal plateon which they were distinctly engraved.

  "You must, I am afraid, submit to the further indignity of beingsearched," said D'Alegres.

  There was no hope in resistance and I endured this. Braccio himselfsearched me, and almost as soon as he began, pulled from an innerpocket of my vest a small key, attached to a fine gold chain.

  "Here is the noble knight's key," he exclaimed, "and see; it fitsexactly!" He turned it in the lock, opened the valise, and emptied thecontents out on a rough camp table. A low murmur went up, for amongstthe small heap of articles was Hawkwood's leather bag, and madame'sbracelet, whilst something rolled a little on one side, and fell offsoftly to the turf. A soldier picked it up, and placed it face upwardson the table--the lost medallion.

  One by one D'Alegres held up the articles sadly, and I looked round inmy agony on the faces of those who but an hour ago were my friends.They had all shrunk back from me, and I was alone within the circle ofthe guards. D'Entrangues stood with folded arms, and a smile on hislips, and Tarbes glanced from side to side, like an ape seeking chancefor escape. I looked towards Hawkwood, but even his fa
ce was hard andset.

  "I do not see the duchess' rubies here," said D'Alegres.

  "I am prepared to produce them to-morrow," replied D'Entrangues; "inthe meantime, I trust you have sufficient proof?"

  "Give M. d'Entrangues his sword. You need not fight this man,"D'Alegres added, pointing to me, "even if he challenges you. Were youa French subject," he said to me, "I would hang you in your boots; asit is I will submit the case to the duke. D'Entrangues, I hold you toyour word about the rubies. Provost, see that your prisoner iscarefully guarded. You will answer for him with your life."

  "Prisoner, your excellency! There are two."

  "I have restored M. d'Entrangues his sword."

  "There is still another," and the provost pointed to Tarbes.

  "Pah!" exclaimed D'Alegres, "hang him out of hand--come, gentlemen!"

  One by one they went out. Not another look did they give me. I heardthe tread of feet, and the sound of voices in eager conversation,dying out in the distance. I stood as in a dream. Tarbes had beendragged away speechless, and half fainting. When he was outside hefound voice, and I heard him alternately cursing D'Alegres, andD'Entrangues and screaming for mercy. Braccio touched me on the arm.

  "Come, signore," he said, "_you_, at any rate, have a few hours left."