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Pride of Jennico

[173] <h2 class="p4">CHAPTER II</h2> Captain Basil Jennico’s Memoir continued There is very little more to tell. The new inn wherein I found János established was but a poor place in a poor village, a sort of summer resort abandoned in winter-time save by its own wretched inhabitants. The private chamber allotted to me—it was the only one—was bitter cold, but my choice lay between that and the common room below, full of evil smells and reeking boors and stifling stove heat. But I was in no mood to reck of bodily inconvenience. My further action had to be determined upon; and, torn two ways between anger and longing, I passed the evening and the greater part of the night in futile battle with myself. At length I resolved upon a plan which brought some calm into my soul, and with it a creeping ray of hope. I would lay my case before the Princess herself. She had been ever kindly in her dealings towards me. I had no reason to imagine but that she was[174] well disposed in my favour; she had had no part in her maid of honour’s double dealings with me: I would pray her to speak to the wayward being on my behalf, to place before her her duty towards the husband she had herself chosen. Thus next morning, as clearly, temperately, and respectfully as might be, I indited my letter, sealed it upon each fold with the Jennico coat-of-arms, and, after deliberation, despatched János with it. The fellow had, according to my orders, purchased fresh horses, and cut a better figure than the yesterday’s, when he set off upon his errand. Duly and minutely instructed, he was to present himself at another gate of the palace, and I trusted that, making good use of the purse with which he was supplied, his mission might be more successfully accomplished than had been mine. And indeed, so far as he was concerned, this was the case. He came back sooner than I had supposed it possible, to inform me that, having been able to say he was not from Budissin, he had been received with civility, and permitted to wait at the guard-house of the north entrance while my letter was carried to the palace. After a short time, the messenger who had taken charge of it had returned, demanded and carefully noted my name, qualities, and exact whereabouts, and bidden[175] him go back to his master with the assurance that the Princess would send her answer. I waited, tramping the short breadth of my miserable room like a caged wolf, anxiously peering every other minute through the rain-stained window which overlooked the high road. Reason seemed to offer but one conclusion concerning the result of the last appeal: she would come back to me. My offence—bad as it had been, unmanly towards the woman who had lain in my arms, unworthy of a gentleman towards the lady whom he had resolved to acknowledge as his wife—my offence was not one that so true a penitence might not amply atone for. That was what reason said. But, as often as confidence began to rise in my heart, an instinctive dread overcame it, an unaccountable, ominous misgiving that the happiness I had once held in my hand and so perversely cast from me was never to be mine again. And, as the hours slowly fell away, the dread became more poignant, and the effort to hope more futile. János had returned with his message about noon. It must have been at least five o’clock (for the world outside was wrapped in murky shadow) when there came a sound on the road that made my heart leap: a clatter of horses’ hoofs and the rumbling of a coach. I threw open my window and[176] thrust out my head. How vividly the impression comes back on me now!—the cold rain upon my throbbing temples, the blinding light of joy that filled my brain as I strained my eyes to distinguish in the dusk the nature of the vehicle which announced its approach with such important noise. It was a carriage, guarded by an escort of dragoons, who rode by the door, musket on thigh. An escort! It must be the Princess herself: the Princess come in person, the noble and gentle lady, to bring me back my wife, my love! Fool! Fool! Fool thrice told! for my vainglorious self-conceit, my loving, yearning heart! My spirits bounded at one leap to their old important, arrogant level. I threw a hasty glance in the mirror to note that the pallor of my countenance and the disorder of my unpowdered hair were after all not unbecoming. As I dashed along the narrow wooden passage and down the breakneck creaking stairs I will not say that in all the glow of my heart, that had been so cold, there was not now, in this sudden relief from the iron pressure of anxiety, a point of anger against the little truant—a vague determination to establish a certain balance of account, to inflict some mild penance upon her as a set-off against the very bitter one she had imposed on me. A minute ago I[177] would have knelt before her and humbled myself to the very dust: when I reached the door of the drinking-room I was already pluming myself upon a resolution to be merciful. I broke into the room out of the darkness with my head high, and was at first so dazzled by the light within, as well as by the reeling triumph in my brain, that for an instant I could distinguish nothing. Then, with a sickening revulsion, with such rage as may have torn the soul of Lucifer struck from the heights of heaven to the depths of hell, I saw the single figure of Captain von Krappitz standing in the middle of the floor with much gravity and importance of demeanour. Flattened against the walls, the boors stood open-mouthed, all struck with amazement; and the little host was bowing anxiously to the belaced officer. Two dragoons guarded the door. Before even a word was uttered I felt that all was over for me. Concentrating my energies, then, to face misfortune with as brave a front as I might, I halted before my friend of yesterday, and waited in silence for him to open proceedings. He bowed to me with great courtesy, looking upon me the while with eyes at once compassionate,[178] curious, and yet respectful, as though upon one of newly-discovered importance, and said: “I grieve, sir, to be the bearer of an order which may cause you displeasure, but I beg you, being a soldier yourself, to consider me only as the instrument which does not presume to judge but obeys. Be pleased to read this—it is addressed to you.” I took the great sealed envelope with fingers as cold and heavy as marble, broke it open mechanically, and read. At first it was without any comprehension of the words, which were nevertheless set forth in a very free, flowing hand, but presently, as the blood rushed in a tide of sudden anger to my brain, with a quickening and redoubled intensity of intelligence. <div class="pbq"> “The Princess Marie Ottilie of Sachs-Lausitz,” so ran the precious document, “has received M. de Jennico’s letter concerning a certain lady. “M. de Jennico has already been given clearly to understand that his importunities are distressing. “As the lady in question is a member of the Princess’s household, M. de Jennico will not be surprised at the steps which are now taken to secure her against further persecution. He is advised to accept the escort of the officer who carries this letter, and warned that any attempt at resistance, or any future infringement of the order issued by command of his Serene Highness, will be visited in the severest manner.” </div> [179] In a bloody heat of rage I looked up, ready for any folly—to strangle the poor courteous little instrument of a woman’s implacable resentment—to find death on the bayonets of the hulking sentinels at the door, and be glad of it, so that I had shed somebody’s blood for these insults! But, meeting Captain von Krappitz’s steady glance, I paused. And in that pause my sense returned. If love itself be a madness, as they say, what name shall we give to our wrath against those that we love! For that minute no poor chained Bedlamite could have been more dangerously mad than I. But my British dread of ridicule saved my life that day, and perhaps that of others besides. Perhaps also the real pity, the sympathy, that was stamped on the captain’s honest face had something to say to calming me. At any rate, I recovered from my convulsion, and awoke to the fact that blood was running down my shirt from where I had clenched my teeth upon my lip. I must have been a fearsome object to behold, and I have a good opinion of Captain von Krappitz’s coolness that he should thus have stood and faced a man of twice his size and, in such a frenzy, of probably four times his strength, with never a signal to his guard or even a step in retreat. Said this gentleman then, delicately averting his[180] eyes from my countenance, so soon as he saw I had come to my senses: “If you will glance at this paper you will see that my orders are stringent, and I shall be greatly indebted to your courtesy if you will co-operate in their being carried out in the least unpleasant manner possible. Indeed, sir,” he added in my ear hastily and kindly, “resistance would be worse than useless.” I glanced at the paper he presented to me, caught the words: “Order to Captain Freiherr von Krappitz to convey M. de Jennico beyond the frontier of Lusatia, at any point he may himself choose”; caught a further glimpse of such expressions: “formal warning to M. de Jennico never to set foot more within the dominions of the Duke of Lausitz,” “severe penalty,” and so forth. I glanced, and tossed the paper contemptuously on the table. That wife of mine had greater interest at the Court than she had been wont to pretend, and she was using it to some purpose. She was mightily determined that her offending husband should pay his debt to her pride, to the last stripe of his punishment. I smiled in the bitterness of my soul. I was sane enough now, God knows! [181] Well, she should have her wish, she should be persecuted no longer. “I place myself entirely at your convenience,” said M. de Krappitz discreetly, adding, however, the significant remark, “my order gives me twelve hours.” He picked up the document as he spoke, folded it carefully, and placed it in his breast pocket. “Oh, as for me,” said I, “I ask for no respite.” (Could I desire to waste a second before shaking the dust of this cursed country from my feet?) “The time but to warn my servant and bid him truss up my portmanteau and saddle the horses. I understand,” I added, with what, I fear, was a withering smile, “that you are kind enough to offer me a seat in your carriage?” “Ah, my dear sir,” returned the little man, with an expression of relief, “what a delightful thing it is to deal with an homme d’esprit!” And so, in scarce half-an-hour’s time, the triumphal procession was ready to set forth. I entered the coach, the Freiherr took his seat behind me, János, impassive, mounted his horse between two dragoons, whilst my own mount was led by a third soldier in the rear. And in this order we set off at a round pace for the Silesian frontier, where I begged to be deposited. [182] At first my good-tempered and garrulous escort tried in vain to beguile me into some conversation upon such abstract subjects as music and poetry. But his well-meant efforts failed before my hopeless taciturnity, and it was in silence that we concluded the transit between Rothenburg and the border. As we parted, however, he held out his hand. “Sans rancune, camarade,” said he. What could I do but clasp the good-natured little paw as heartily as I might, and echo, although most untruly, “Sans rancune”? To the very throat I was full of rancour for everything belonging to Lusatia, and I swear the bitterness of it lay a palpable taste on my tongue. A free man again, I threw myself upon my horse, and took the straightest road for my empty home. János had the wit to speak no word to me, save a direction now and again as to the proper way. And we rode like furies through the cold, wet night. “Breed a fine stock ...” had said my good uncle to his heir. At least, I thought—and the sound of my laugh rang ghastly even in my own ears—if I have brought roture into the family, I am not like now to graft it on the family tree! <hr class="chap" /> <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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