Page:Scaramouche.djvu/52

 CHAPTER V

THE LORD OF GAVRILLAC

the second time that day André-Louis set out for the château, walking briskly, and heeding not at all the curious eyes that followed him through the village, and the whisperings that marked his passage through the people, all agog by now with that day's event in which he had been an actor.

He was ushered by Bénoît, the elderly body-servant, rather grandiloquently called the seneschal, into the ground-floor room known traditionally as the library. It still contained several shelves of neglected volumes, from which it derived its title, but implements of the chase–fowling-pieces, powder-horns, hunting-bags, sheath-knives–obtruded far more prominently than those of study. The furniture was massive, of oak richly carved, and belonging to another age. Great massive oak beams crossed the rather lofty whitewashed ceiling.

Here the squat Seigneur de Gavrillac was restlessly pacing when André-Louis was introduced. He was already informed, as he announced at once, of what had taken place at the Breton Armé. M. de Chabrillane had just left him, and he confessed himself deeply grieved and deeply perplexed.

"The pity of it!" he said. "The pity of it!" He bowed his enormous head. "So estimable a young man, and so full of promise. Ah, this La Tour d'Azyr is a hard man, and he feels very strongly in these matters.  He may be right.  I don't know.  I have never killed a man for holding different views from mine.  In fact, I have never killed a man at all.  It isn't in my nature.  I shouldn't sleep of nights if I did.  But men are differently made."

"The question, monsieur my godfather," said André-Louis, "is what is to be done." He was quite calm and self-possessed, but very white.