登陆注册
4716500000066

第66章

"Why, you rascal!" I said, addressing La Trape, who did not know which way to look, "where are the ten crowns of which you defrauded the scullion?""To be sure," the King said, going off into another roar. "And the third puppy?""Yes," I said, "you scoundrel; and the third puppy?""Ay, and the gipsy girl?" the King continued. "The butler's wench, what of her? And of your evil living? Begone, begone, rascal!" he continued, falling into a fresh paroxysm, "or you will kill US in earnest. Would nothing else do for you but to die in my chamber? Begone!"I took this as a hint to clear the room, not only of La Trape himself but of all; and presently only I and Du Laurens remained with the King. It then appeared that there was still a mystery, and one which it behoved us to clear up; inasmuch as Du Laurens took the cat's death very seriously, insisting that it had died of poison administered in a most sinister fashion, and one that could not fail to recall to our minds the Borgian popes. It needed no more than this to direct my suspicions to the Florentines who swarmed about the Queen, and against whom the King had let drop so many threats. But the indisposition which excitement had for a time kept at bay began to return upon me;and I was presently glad to drop the subject; and retire to my own apartments, leaving the King to dress.

Consequently, I was not with him when the strange discovery which followed was made. In the ordinary course of dressing, one of the servants going to the fire-place to throw away a piece of waste linen, thought that he heard a rat stir among the boughs.

He moved them, and in a moment a small snake crawled out, hissing and darting out its tongue. It was killed, and then it at once occurred to the King that he had the secret of the cat's death.

He came to me hot-foot with the news, and found me with Du Laurens who was in the act of ordering me to bed.

I confess that I heard the story almost with apathy, so ill was I. Not so the physician. After examining the snake, which by the King's orders had been brought for my inspection, he pronounced that it was not of French origin. "It has escaped from some snake-charmer," he said.

The King seemed to be incredulous.

"I assure you that I speak the truth, sire," Du Laurens persisted.

"But how then did it come in my room?"

"That is what I should like to know, sire," the physician answered severely; "and yet I think that I can guess. It was put there, I fancy, by the person who sent up the milk to your chamber.""Why do you say so?" Henry asked "Because, sire, all snakes are inordinately fond of milk.""Ah!" the King said slowly, with a change of countenance and a shudder which he could not repress; "and there was milk on the floor in the morning.""Yes, sire; on the floor, and beside the head of your bed."But at this stage I was attacked by a fit of illness so severe that I had to break in on the discussion, and beg the King to withdraw. The sickness increased on me during the day, and by noon I was prostrate, neither taking interest in anything, nor allowing others, who began to fear for my life, to divert their attention. After twenty-four hours I began to mend, but still several days elapsed before I was able to devote myself to business; and then I found that, the master-mind being absent, and the King, as always, lukewarm in the pursuit, nothing had been done to detect and punish the criminal.

I could not rest easy, however, with so abominable a suspicion attaching to my house; and as soon as I could bend my mind to the matter I began an inquiry. At the first stage, however, I came to an IMPASSE; the butler, who had been long in my service, cleared himself without difficulty, but a few questions discovered the fact that a person who had been in his department on the evening in question was now to seek, having indeed disappeared from that time. This was the gipsy-girl, whom La Trape had mentioned, and whose presence in my household seemed to need the more elucidation the farther I pushed the inquiry. In the end I had the butler punished, but though my agents sought the girl through Paris, and even traced her to Meaux, she was never discovered.

The affair, at the King's instance, was not made public;nevertheless, it gave him so strong a distaste for the Arsenal that he did not again visit me, nor use the rooms I had prepared.

That later, when the first impression wore off, he would have done so, is probable; but, alas, within a few months the malice of his enemies prevailed over my utmost precautions, and robbed me of the best of masters; strangely enough, as all the world now knows, at the corner of that very Rue de la Feronnerie which he had seen in his dream.

同类推荐
  • THE RED FAIRY BOOK

    THE RED FAIRY BOOK

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 黥

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 臣轨

    臣轨

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 哮喘门

    哮喘门

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • A Little Tour In France

    A Little Tour In France

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 逆天女国师

    逆天女国师

    她是21世纪的身怀异空间的异能顶尖杀手。意外穿越到以武为尊的异世界。草包之名贯彻她身,以身子为契机,她立誓成为国师。训狼王,拾异珠。且看她如何踏上国师之路,一手遮天。
  • 和莉莉一起跳舞的七个夜晚

    和莉莉一起跳舞的七个夜晚

    青年孔菲斯1912年乘坐海船从美国抵达漂来。麦边逊饭店主人埃利斯、日本军官高桥、俄国流民娜塔莎姐妹、美国少女珍妮、新派文人邵介惠、大买办邵三卿、革命者蒋桂芳和汪德龄、黑帮头子顾金坤、底层流民席路生……这是一群光怪陆离的众生相。青年孔菲斯与他们一起,见证着中国漂来这个东方巴黎在1912年帝制结束到1945年国内战争开始之间的悲欢历史。在这座海内外各色人等汇聚的中国城市遇到了梦中的姑娘,两个年轻人互生好感。但好景不长,两人随同众人庆祝革命者的婚礼时,内讧爆发。孔菲斯的心上人在逃亡过程中中枪死去。孔菲斯相信莉莉没有死去。他不能忘记和莉莉跳舞的七个夜晚,他开始了寻找莉莉的漫长之旅。
  • 天骄逆战

    天骄逆战

    一场死劫,令他沦为凡人,从此,凡人之名伴随终身。 “凡人——不值一提,草芥而已!” “凡人——可悲的存在!” “一介凡人,垃圾而已!” 来自强者的藐视与不屑,林凡虽为一介凡人,却不能没有骨气、傲气··· 从而,一介凡人的狂暴曲开始演奏。 ps:本书是一个大杂烩,请慢慢品尝,它可能毒死你
  • 后山有座青牛楼

    后山有座青牛楼

    张严宿醉醒来,竟然发现自己穿了什么,一觉醒来我成了一门掌教什么,我的门派叫做青牛门啥玩意儿,整个门派还就我一个能打的什么,原主还是个无赖?还有个小萝莉女朋友?苍天啦,这不就是个极品么!坑爹啊…不管了,一路之上,张严决定开始他挂壁的人生,走向一条通天之路,只要挡在路上的,不管神魔仙佛,如有不服,统统打翻!
  • 小妖精

    小妖精

    很多个小故事汇聚在一起的大故事?不过不是快穿!不做任务……妖精录小合集。1.未知生物小狐狸?×豪门病弱大少爷少爷:小狐狸你赶紧的给我过来!不然今天晚上你别想再吃肉了!狐狸小姐:嗷呜嗷呜嗷呜!苦于目前没法说人话……可我真的不是狐狸啊!我可是神兽××!算了算了,狐狸就狐狸吧!名字哪有吃肉更重要!你许我一命,我许你千年。2.山猫小姐×应龙先生应龙:终于出现了啊,猫咪小姐,嗯?山猫:我擦擦擦擦!你到底还有追究我到什么时候啊!咱俩的事儿,可都不止八百年了吧?八百年都得打好几个对折了!应龙:你还敢跟我反抗?呵……总之锅你背定了!老子不能回到天界都是你的错!山猫:神经病……不能回到天界都是你的错啊!所以,为了补偿我,就请你以身相许吧?3.懵懂少女×养成系的霸道小凤凰请求广大的网友啊,谁能告诉我,为什么我明明捡到的一只小麻雀吧?但为什么却越长越大鸟窝都快装不下了?而且……为什么毛发还变得开始闪亮亮了!小凤凰:呵,女人,恭喜你成功捡到并养成了我!所以从现在开始狂喜吧,我是你的鸟了!某少女:我不是!我没有!我不想!QAQ,我就是想救死扶伤一只小麻雀而已啊……为什么会招惹出了这么多麻烦?霸道凤凰的告白,女人,你,必须要接受!4.修仙小道士×人人都想要的貌美如花小仙草小道士:师兄,为什么我的这盆花,长得这么这么好看啊!师兄:是是,好看好看。(敷衍)小道士:那必须的嘛!不过这是什么品种的花来着?哎不管了……哎呀,总之真的是漂亮惨了哦!某仙草:呵呵,本仙草漂亮,那不是必须的么!也不看看我是啥!不过拜托拜托,能不能不要再冲着我滴口水了啊!一株花你都这样了,改天我化了人形你岂不是就要当场晕过去?又名:哦!我的媳妇为什么每天都这么漂亮?5.青耕×絜钩絜钩:老哥,你要跟我到什么时候?青耕:天涯,海角~絜钩:我特么要吐了……老哥你个祥兽整天跟在我这么一个晦气鸟后面,你不嫌弃丢鸟?青耕:(含情脉脉)怎么会嫌弃?毕竟咱们两个可是,天生一对~天生一对的互生互克鸟儿。有你有我,天下太平!暂时先这么多的……以后看看或许再添?不过简介修改起来是很麻烦的啊!所以建议还是戳正文看……毕竟简介只是简介嘛~
  • 铁娃娃(怀旧童书馆·怀旧童年)

    铁娃娃(怀旧童书馆·怀旧童年)

    《铁娃娃》一书是原来的《铁娃娃》和《四个十的信》两小书的合集。《铁娃娃》以书中一章节名为书名,也做了新版的(两小书组合版)书名。新版《铁娃娃》一书共有六篇作品,分别是《铁娃娃》《四个“十”的信》《王朴和他的妈妈》《拴子和嫂嫂》《放牛郎》《小英雄温三玉》。
  • 文殊师利耶曼德迦咒法

    文殊师利耶曼德迦咒法

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 直播在地下城

    直播在地下城

    苏武带着‘幸运直播系统’重生平行世界,发现全球正在为第一款全息游戏《地下城与勇士/DNF》而疯狂。有着前世十年的游戏经验,以鬼剑士为起点,脱非入欧,以技术流欧皇身份再战阿拉德!梵风衣,流光星陨刀,魔剑·阿波菲斯必爆!一个不少!强化,增幅,锻造,失败不了└(^o^)┘,罐子,盒子必出传承,天空!苏武表示:“只要开直播,我就是欧皇!”简要简介:欧皇重新走完全息版DNF世界,洛兰,格兰,天空之城,天帷巨兽……再到使徒安图恩,卢克……PS1:领主流《直播在末日当领主》,同系列。PS2:书友群461069044。讨论书,讨论DNF,装逼犯勿来,因为会被请出去的。
  • 闯进戈壁滩的姑娘

    闯进戈壁滩的姑娘

    十八九岁的姑娘离家门,一走就是千里万里。就象是做了一场离奇的梦,睁开眼一看,眼前已经是大西北陌生的神奇天地。没见过的高山,没见过的荒漠。绵延千里的天山雪峰白浪排空,茫无边际的戈壁大漠不见人烟。世界好大呀!没出过远门的姑娘,乍一到天山脚下,说不清有多少惊讶,也不免涌出一层层莫名的怕意。山东姑娘魏翠芳,单身孤影来到了遥远的大西北。过了天山,再穿越千里戈壁,远来的姑娘象一片羽毛飘落在荒漠深处的一条奇异的小河边。也许那是世界上最小的一条小河了。
  • 吃鸡又奈我何

    吃鸡又奈我何

    张耘硕,籍籍无名的大学生,不小心爱上了一款叫做《绝地求生》的游戏,走进了新世界的大门。