The Helmet of Navarre Read online

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  THE HELMET OF NAVARRE.

  Bertha Runkle.

  THE HELMET OF NAVARRE

  THE FLORENTINES IN THE HOTEL DE MAYENNE]

  BY BERTHA RUNKLE

  THE HELMET OF

  NAVARRE

  ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANDRE CASTAIGNE

  THE CENTURY CO.

  NEW YORK 1901

  TO MY MOTHER

  Press where ye see my white plume shine amidst the ranks of war, And be your oriflamme to-day the Helmet of Navarre.

  LORD MACAULAY'S "IVRY."

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER PAGE I A FLASH OF LIGHTNING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 II AT THE AMOUR DE DIEU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 III M. LE DUC IS WELL GUARDED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 IV THE THREE MEN IN THE WINDOW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 V RAPIERS AND A VOW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 VI A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 VII A DIVIDED DUTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 VIII CHARLES-ANDRE-ETIENNE-MARIE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 IX THE HONOUR OF ST. QUENTIN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 X LUCAS AND "LE GAUCHER" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 XI VIGO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 XII THE COMTE DE MAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 XIII MADEMOISELLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 XIV IN THE ORATORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 XV MY LORD MAYENNE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 XVI MAYENNE'S WARD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186 XVII "I'LL WIN MY LADY!". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203 XVIII TO THE BASTILLE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222 XIX TO THE HOTEL DE LORRAINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241 XX "ON GUARD, MONSIEUR" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251 XXI A CHANCE ENCOUNTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266 XXII THE SIGNET OF THE KING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278 XXIII THE CHEVALIER OF THE TOURNELLES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296 XXIV THE FLORENTINES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319 XXV A DOUBLE MASQUERADE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336 XXVI WITHIN THE SPIDER'S WEB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362 XXVII THE COUNTERSIGN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379XXVIII ST. DENIS--AND NAVARRE!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402 XXIX THE TWO DUKES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423 XXX MY YOUNG LORD SETTLES SCORES WITH TWO FOES AT ONCE . . . . 440 XXXI "THE VERY PATTERN OF A KING" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 461

  LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

  PAGETHE FLORENTINES IN THE HOTEL DE MAYENNE. . . . . . . . _Frontispiece_"WITH A CRY MONSIEUR SPRANG TOWARD ME" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87"IN A FLASH HE WAS OUT OF THEIR GRASP, FLYING DOWN THE ALLEY". . . 117"I DO NOT FORGIVE HIS DESPATCHING ME HIS HORSE-BOY". . . . . . . . 149MLLE. DE MONTLUC AND FELIX BROUX IN THE ORATORY. . . . . . . . . . 169"SORRY TO DISTURB MONSIEUR, BUT THE HORSES MUST BE FED". . . . . . 205"HE WAS DEPOSITED IN THE BIG BLACK COACH". . . . . . . . . . . . . 237"WE CLIMBED OUT INTO A SILK-MERCER'S SHOP" . . . . . . . . . . . . 261AT THE "BONNE FEMME" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313"IT DESOLATES ME TO HEAR OF HER EXTREMITY" . . . . . . . . . . . . 397ON THE WAY TO ST. DENIS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411THE MEETING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467

  THE HELMET OF NAVARRE

  THE HELMET OF NAVARRE.