Lord Tonys Wife | Page 6

it from their thoughts to flout or to mock him. Paternal authority
commanded respect even among the most rough; but they all felt that
they had gone too far now to draw back: the savour of anticipated
revenge had been too sweet to be forgone quite so readily, and Pierre
with his vigorous personality, his glowing eloquence, his compelling
power had more influence over them than the sober counsels of
prudence and the wise admonitions of old Jean Adet. Not one word was
spoken, but with an instinctive gesture every man grasped his weapon
more firmly and then turned to Pierre, thus electing him their
spokesman.
Pierre too had listened in silence to all that his father said, striving to
hide the burning anxiety which was gnawing at his heart, lest his
comrades allowed themselves to be persuaded by the old man's
counsels and their ardour be cooled by the wise dictates of prudence.
But when Jean Adet had finished speaking and Pierre saw each man
thus grasping his weapon all the more firmly and in silence, a cry of
triumph escaped his lips.
'It is all in vain, father,' he cried, 'our minds are made up. A host of
angels from heaven would not bar our way now to victory and to
vengeance.'
'Pierre!' admonished the old man.
'It is too late, my father,' said Pierre firmly, 'en avant, lads!'
'Yes! en avant! en avant!' assented some, 'we have wasted too much
time as it is.'
'But, unfortunate lads,' admonished the old man, 'what are you going to
do?-- a handful of you-- where are you going?'
'We go straight to the cross-roads, now, father,' said Pierre firmly. 'The
firing of your ricks --for which I humbly crave your pardon-- is the
preconcerted signal which will bring the lads from all the neighbouring
villages -- from Goulaine and les Sorinières and Doulon and
Tourne-Bride -- to our meeting place. Never you fear! There will be

more than four hundred of us and a company of paid soldiers is not like
to frighten us. Eh, lads?'
'No! no! en avant!' they shouted and murmured impatiently, 'there has
been too much talking already and we have wasted precious time.'
'Pierre!' entreated the miller.
But no one listened to the old man now. A general movement down the
hillock had already begun and Pierre turning his back on his father had
pushed his way to the front of the crowd and was now leading the way
down the slope. Up on the summit the fire was already burning low:
only from time to time an imprisoned tongue of flame would dart out of
the dying embers and leap fitfully up into the night. A dull red glow
illumined the small farmery and the mill and the slowly moving mass
of men along the narrow road, whilst clouds of black, dense smoke
were tossed about by the gale. Pierre walked with head erect. He ceased
to think of his father and he never looked back to see if the others
followed him. He knew that they did: like the straw-ricks a while ago,
they had become the prey of a consuming fire: the fire of their own
passion which had caught them and held them and would not leave
them now until their ardour was consumed in victory or defeat.
IV
M. le duc de Kernogan had just finished dinner when Jacques
Labrunière his head-bailiff came to him with the news that a rabble
crowd composed of the peasantry of Goulaine and Vertou and the
neighbouring villages had assembled at the cross-roads, there held
revolutionary speeches, and was even now marching toward the castle
still shouting and singing and brandishing of miscellaneous collection
of weapons chiefly consisting the scythes and axes.
'The guard is under arms, I imagine,' was M. le duc's comment on this
not altogether unforeseen piece of news.
'Everything is in perfect order,' replied the head-bailiff coolly, 'for the
defence of M. le duc and his property --and of Mademoiselle.'

M. le duc who had been lounging in one of the big armchairs in the
stately hall of Kernogan jumped to his feet at these words: his cheeks
suddenly pallid, and a look of deadly fear in his eyes.
'Mademoiselle,' he said hurriedly, 'by G-d, Labrunière, I had forgotten
-- momentarily--'
'M. le duc?' stammered the bailiff in anxious inquiry.
'Mademoiselle de Kernogan is on her way home-- even now-- she spent
the day with Mme. la Marquise d'Herbignac-- she was to return at
about eight o'clock.... If those devils meet her carriage on the road...'
'There is no cause for anxiety, M. le duc,' broke in Labrunière hurriedly.
'I will see that half a dozen men get to horse at once and go and meet
Mademoiselle adn escort her home...'
'Yes,..