第41章 BOOK THE SECOND：THE GOLDEN THREAD(24)

The burst with which the carriage started out of the village and up the rise beyond，was soon checked by the steepness of the hill. Gradually，it subsided to a foot pace，swinging and lumbering upward among the many sweet scents of a summer night.The postilions，with a thousand gossamer gnats circling about them in lieu of the Furies，quietly mended the points to the lashes of their whips；the valet walked by the horses；the courier was audible，trotting on ahead into the dim distance.

At the steepest point of the hill there was a little burial-ground，with a Cross and a new large figure of Our Saviour on it；it was a poor figure in wood，done by some inexperienced rustic carver，but he had studied the figure from the life—his own life，maybe—for it was dreadfully spare and thin.

To this distressful emblem of a great distress that had long been growing worse，and was not at its worst，a woman was kneeling. She turned her head as the carriage came up to her，rose quickly，and presented herself at the carriage-door.

'It is you，Monseigneur！Monseigneur，a petition.'

With an exclamation of impatience，but with his unchangeableface，Monseigneur looked out.

'How，then！What is it？Always petitions！'

'Monseigneur. For the love of the great God！My husband，the forester.'

'What of your husband，the forester？Always the same with you people. He cannot pay something？'

'He has paid all，Monseigneur. He is dead.'

'Well！He is quiet. Can I restore him to you？'

'Alas，no Monseigneur！But he lies yonder，under a little heap of poor grass.'

'Well？'

'Monseigneur，there are so many little heaps of poor grass.'

'Again，well？'

She looked an old woman，but was young. Her manner was one of passionate grief；by turns she clasped her veinous and knotted hands together with wild energy，and laid one of them on the carriage-door—tenderly，caressingly，as if it had been a human breast，and could be expected to feel the appealing touch.

'Monseigneur，hear me！Monseigneur，hear my petition！My husband died of want；so many die of want；so many more will die of want.'

'Again，well？Can I feed them？'

'Monseigneur，the good God knows；but I don't ask it. My petition is，that a morsel of stone or wood，with my husband's name，may be placed over him to show where he lies.Otherwise，the place will be quickly forgotten，it will never be found when I am dead of the same malady.I shall be laid under some other heap of poor grass.Monseigneur，they are so many，they increase so fast，there is so much want.Monseigneur！Monseigneur！'

The valet had put her away from the door，the carriage had broken into a brisk trot，the postilions had quickened the pace，she was left far behind，and Monseigneur，again escorted by the Furies，was rapidly diminishing the league or two of distance that remained between him and his chateau.

The sweet scents of the summer night rose all around him，and rose，as the rain falls，impartially，on the rusty，ragged，and toil-worn group at the fountain not far away；to whom the mender of roads，with the aid of the blue cap without which he was nothing，still enlarged upon his man like a spectre，as long as they could bear it. By degrees，as they could bear no more，they dropped off one by one，and lights twinkled in little casements；which lights，as the casements darkened，and more stars came out，seemed to have shot up into the sky instead of having been extinguished.

The shadow of a large high-roofed house，and of many overhanging trees，was upon Monsieur the Marquis by that time；and the shadow was exchanged for the light of a flambeau，as his carriage stopped，and the great door of his chateau was opened to him.

'Monsieur Charles，whom I expect；is he arrived from England？'

'Monseigneur，not yet.'

XV.THE GORGON'S HEAD

I t was a heavy mass of building，that chateau of Monsieur the Marquis，with a large stone courtyard before it，and two stone sweeps of staircase meeting in a stone terrace before the principal door. A stony business altogether，with heavy stone balustrades，and stone urns，and stone flowers，and stone faces of men，and stone heads of lions，in all directions.As if the Gorgon's head had surveyed it，when it was finished，two centuries ago.

Upon the broad flight of shallow steps，Monsieur the Marquis，flambeau preceded，went from his carriage，sufficiently disturbing the darkness to elicit loud remonstrance from an owl in the roof of the great pile of stable building away among the trees. All else was so quiet，that the flambeau carried up the steps，and the other flambeau held at the great door，burnt as if they were in a close room of state，instead of being in the open night air.Other sound than the owl's voice there was none，save the falling of the fountain into its stone basin；for，it was one of those dark nights that hold their breath by the hour together，and then heave a long low sigh，and hold their breath again.

The great door clanged behind him，and Monsieur the Marquis crossed a hall grim with certain old boar-spears，swords，and knives of the chase；grimmer with certain heavy riding-rods and riding-whips，of which many a peasant，gone to his benefactor Death，had felt the weight when his lord was angry.

Avoiding the larger rooms，which were dark and made fast forthe night，Monsieur the Marquis，with his flambeau-bearer going on before，went up the staircase to a door in a corridor. This thrown open，admitted him to his own private apartment of three rooms：his bedchamber and two others.High vaulted rooms with cool uncarpeted floors，great dogs upon the hearths for the burning of wood in winter time，and all luxuries befitting the state of a marquis in a luxurious age and country.The fashion of the last Louis but one，of the line that was never to break—the fourteenth Louis—was conspicuous in their rich furniture；but，it was diversified by many objects that were illustrations of old pages in the history of France.