The clocks were striking the hour before noon as I stepped from the doorway,and,standing a moment in the lane,looked this way and that for any sign of espionage.I could detect none,however.The lane was deserted;and feeling assured that any attempt to mislead my opponents,who probably knew Blois better than I did,must fail,I made none,but deliberately took my way towards the 'Bleeding Heart,'in the Rue St.Denys.The streets presented the same appearance of gloomy suspense which I had noticed on the previous day.The same groups stood about in the same corners,the same suspicious glances met me in common with all other strangers who showed themselves;the same listless inaction characterised the townsfolk,the same anxious hurry those who came and went with news.I saw that even here,under the walls of the palace,the bonds of law and order were strained almost to bursting,and judged that if there ever was a time in France when right counted for little,and the strong hand for much,it was this.Such a state of things was not unfavourable to my present design,and caring little for suspicious looks,Iwent resolutely on my way.
I had no difficulty in finding the gateway of which Simon had spoken,or in identifying the window beneath which he had picked up the velvet knot.An alley opening almost opposite,I took advantage of this to examine the house at my leisure,and remarked at once,that whereas the lower window was guarded only by strong shutters,now open,that in the story above was heavily barred.Naturally I concentrated my attention on the latter.
The house,an old building of stone,seemed sufficiently reputable,nor could I discern anything about it which would have aroused my distrust had the knot been found elsewhere.It bore the arms of a religious brotherhood,and had probably at one time formed the principal entrance to the hospital,which still stood behind it,but it had now come,as I judged,to be used as a dwelling of the better class.Whether the two floors were separately inhabited or not I failed to decide.
After watching it for some time without seeing anyone pass in or out,or anything occurring to enlighten me one way or the other,I resolved to venture in,the street being quiet and the house giving no sign of being strongly garrisoned.The entrance lay under the archway,through a door on the right side.I judged from what I saw that the porter was probably absent,busying himself with his gossips in matters of State.
And this proved to be the case,for when I had made the passage of the street with success,and slipped quietly in through the half-open door,I found only his staff and charcoal-pan there to represent him.A single look satisfied me on that point;forthwith,without hesitation,I turned to the stairs and began to mount,assured that if I would effect anything single-handed Imust trust to audacity and surprise rather than to caution or forethought.
The staircase was poorly lighted by loopholes looking towards the rear,but it was clean and well-kept.Silence,broken only by the sound of my footsteps,prevailed throughout the house,and all seemed so regular and decent and orderly that the higher Irose the lower fell my hopes of success.Still,I held resolutely on until I reached the second floor and stood before a closed door.The moment had come to put all to the touch.Ilistened for a few seconds but hearing nothing,cautiously lifted the latch.Somewhat to my surprise the door yielded to my hand,and I entered.
A high settle stood inside,interrupting my view of the room,which seemed to be spacious and full of rich stuffs and furniture,but low in the roof,and somewhat dimly lighted by two windows rather wide than high.The warm glow of a fire shone on the woodwork of the ceiling,and as I softly closed the door a log on the hearth gave way,with a crackling of sparks,which pleasantly broke the luxurious silence.The next moment a low,sweet voice asked,'Alphonse,is that you?'
I walked round the settle and came face to face with a beautiful woman reclining on a couch.On hearing the door open she had raised herself on her elbow.Now,seeing a stranger before her,she sprang up with a low cry,and stood gazing at me,her face expressing both astonishment and anger.She was of middling height,her features regular though somewhat childlike,her complexion singularly fair.A profusion of golden hair hung in disorder about her neck,and matched the deep blue of her eyes,wherein it seemed to me,there lurked more spirit and fire than the general cast of her features led one to expect.
After a moment's silence,during which she scanned me from head to foot with great haughtiness--and I her with curiosity and wonder--she spoke.'Sir!'she said slowly,'to what am I to attribute this--visit?'
For the moment I was so taken aback by her appearance and extraordinary beauty,as well as by the absence of any sign of those I sought,that I could not gather my thoughts to reply,but stood looking vaguely at her.I had expected,when I entered the room,something so different from this!
'Well,sir?'she said again,speaking sharply,and tapping her foot on the floor.
'This visit,madame?'I stammered.
'Call it intrusion,sir,if you please!'she cried imperiously.
