Evening star., 1896-03-07
Copyright. 1896, by Stanley G. weyman)

Copyright. 1896, by Stanley g. Weyman.J
PART 1.
1t was about month after my mar
r1age-and third clerk to the most noble
the bishop of Beauvais, and even admitted
on occasions to write in his presence and
prepare L Is minutes, who should marry If
i might Dot?-it was about a month after
my marriage. 1 say, monsieur, that the
thunderbolt, to which 1 have referred, fell
and shattered my fortunes. l rose one
morning-they were firing guns for the
victory of Rocroy, 1 remember, so that it
the death of the late king, and the glorious
rising of the sun OF France--and who SO
happy as 1? A summer morning, monsieur,
and bright, and 1 had all / wished. The
river as it sparkled and rippled against the
piers of the Pont Neuf far below. the wet
roofs that twinkled under our garret win
dow, We're not more brilliant than my
lords fortunes, and as is the squirrel so is
the tail OF a certainty, l was happy that
morning. 1 thought of the little hut un-
der the pine wood at Gabas, and my ia
ther cobbling by the unglazed window, his
nishtcap on his bald head. and his face
plastered where the sherd had slipped and
i pulled out my checks to think that l had
climbed SO high? High? How high might not
a man climb who he'd married the daughter
OF the queens under porter. and had some
times the ear of my lord, the queens min
ister, My lord of Beauvais, in whom all
men saw the coming master of France!
My lord whose stately presence beamed on
a world still chilled by the dead hand of
Richeleui
But that morning, that very morning.
was to learn that who climbs may fall. l
went below at the usual hour; at the usual
hour monseignsur left, attended, for the
council; presently all the house was in an
uproar. My lord had returned and called
for Prosper / fancied that 1 caught even
then something ominous in the sound of
my name as it passed from lip to lip, and
L hastened, scared, to the chamber. But
fast as i Went 1 did not go fast enough;
one thrust ME or this side, another on that
The steward cursed me, the head clerk
Stcfmed at me, the secretary waited for
me at the door. and seizng me by the neck
ran me into the room. In, rascal, inv'
he srowled in my ear, land 1 hope your
skin may pay for it,
Naturally by this time I was quaking
NonSeigneurs looks finished me. He stood
In the middle OF the chamber, gnawine the
nails OF his left hand, and scowled at me,
his handsome face pale and sullen Yes
ne said. curtly, that is the fellow."'
wretch! the head clerk cried, seizing
me by the ear ana twisting 1t until fell
on my knees. '1mbecile, Or more likely he
Old 1t ON purpose"
"Bribed.' said the secretary.
he should be hung upr' the steward
cried truculently, before he does further
mischief. Ard If my lord will give the
Silence" the bishop said, with a dark
glance at me- What does he plead?'
The head clerk twisted my ear until I
sereaIned. "1ngrate" he cried. DO you
hear his grace speak to you? Answer
My lord" l cried piteously. Il have
done nothing, Nothing"'
"Noth.ng?' half dozen echoed. "Noth-
mgr the head clerk added, brutally ..Norh-
frg and you added a cipher to the census
of Parisi Nothing. and your lying pen led
my lord to state the population to be five
millions instead OF five hundred thousand.
Nothing, and you sent his grace's highness
TO the council to be corrected by low clerks
and people. and made a laughing stock fer
the cardinal, and
..t,silsnees Silence said the bishop, hercely
Enough! Take him away and"
Hang h1m! cried the steward
No. rascal; but have him to the court
yard, and let the grooms fog him through
the gates. And have care he continued
addressing ne. that do rot see your face
again, or it will be worse for your
HunS myself down and would have ap-
pealed against the sentence but the bishop.
between rage and discontinue, was piti-
less, and before could utter three words a
dozen off1cious hands plucked me I'D and
were thrusting me to the door. Outside
worse things awaited me- A shower of
Kicks and cuffs and blows rained upon me:
vainly struggling and shrieking, and seek
ing still to gain his earl was hustled along
the passage to the court yard. and there
dragged, amid brutal jeerS and laughter to
the fountain, and flung in. When / scram-
bled out, they thrust me back again and
again, until, trembling with cold and rage
1 at last evaded them, only to be hunted
round the yard with feathers and brides
that cut like knives, and drew scream at
every stroke l doubled like a hare; more
than once I knocked half a dozen men
down; but l was fast growing exhausted
Wnen some one more prudent or less cruel
than MS fellows, opened the gates and /
darted into the street.
1 was sobbing with rage and pain, drip
Ping, ragged and barefoot-some rogue had
prudently drawn off my shoes in the scuf-
ne- 1t was a wonder that l was not at
tackled and chased through the streets
Fortunately, opposite my lords gates open-
ed the mouth of a little alley. 1 plunged
into 1t, and in the first dark corner dropped
exhausted and lay painting in the mud I
who had risen so happily a few hours be-
forei / who had climbed so high, l who had
wife new-married in my garret at home!
I thought of her, and all had
suffered since left her arms, and with
new boldness 1 turned. and. sore and ach-
ing i was, stumbled back to the place of
my shame.
The steward and two or three of his un-
derlings were standing in the gateway, and
saw me come up, and began to jeer. The
high gray front of monseigneur's hotel
three sides of a square, lowered up behind
them; the steward sprawled his feet apart
and set his hands to his stout sides, and
teered at me. Here is the lame leper from
the Cour des Miraclesi" he cried. Have a
care OF he will give you the evil.'
Good sir. the swill tub is open," cried an
other Help yourselfi'
A third spat a me and bade me begone fer
a pig. The passers-there were always a
knot of gaZers opposite my lord of Beau
vais' palace in those days, when he had the
queens ear and bade fair to succeed Richie
leu-stayed to stare.
Il want my goods" I said, trembling.
Your goodsY' the steward answered,
swelling out his brawny chest, and smiling
at me over it. Your goods indeed, Begone
and be thankful you have escaped so we'll"
Give me my things from my room,'
said. stubbornly. and tried to enter.
He moved sideways, so as to block the
passage. "Your goods? They are mon
se.gneur's" he said
My wife. Them
He winked. Your wife," he said well
true, she is not monseigneur's. But she will
do for me-" And with coarse laugh he
winked again at the crowd.
At that the pent-up rage / had stemmed
so long broke out. He stood head taller
than i, but with a scream I sprang al his