THE DUKE’S DAUGHTER
AND
THE FUGITIVES
“I do.”
—Much Ado about Nothing.
The Duke’s Daughter
AND
The Fugitives
BY
MRS OLIPHANT
IN THREE VOLUMES
VOL. III.
WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS
EDINBURGH AND LONDON
MDCCCXC
THE FUGITIVES
(CONTINUED)
THE FUGITIVES.
CHAPTER VI.
Next morning Latour was more cheerful than usual. The men who had cometo inspect the woods were not indeed picturesque figures, nor of a veryelevated class, but still they made the village street lively, which wasdelightful to Janey, and cheered Helen in spite of herself. Everythinglooks a little more cheerful, more comfortable, in the morning. The sunshone down the village street, catching {4}here and there upon a littlewindow in a thatched roof, upon the weather-cock on the tower of thechâteau, and on the church spire—and shedding a ruddy glow, touchedwith frost, over all the country. The woods looked as if they had beencrimsoned permanently by the red tint in the sunshine, so harmoniouswere their hues. The road was flecked by yellow bars looking like raysof gold; everything was mellow and warm in colour, notwithstanding thechill of coming winter in the air. Little groups of men took their wayin a broken stream towards the woods. Some of them burly French farmers,of the better sort, with close-cropped heads, and overcoats ofpicturesque green-blue, that favoured tint which is “the fashion”; somein blouses, not so ambitious; with one or two wood merchants from theneighbouring towns, prim and well-shaven, in the frock-coat ofrespectability. There had been a great{5} deal of drinking and bargainingin all the cabarets about, the evening before. The villagers had giventheir advice, especially those among them who were the least creditablemembers of society, the poachers of the commune, who knew every tree.Some of them, the idlest, the least satisfactory of all, to whom theloss of a day’s work was rather a pleasure than a misfortune,accompanied the intending purchasers to the woods.
“Keep up by the pond, monsieur,” said one of these fellows, attachinghimself to Mr Goulburn. “There is some oak that might build ships ofwar——”
“The best trees are on the Côte du Midi,” said another. “If monsieurwill confide himself to me——”
“I don’t mean to confide myself to any one, my good fellow,” Mr Goulburnsaid. He walked along a little in advance of the two, with an air alertand vigor{6}ous, restored by the new possibility of traffic.
Janey ran by her father’s side, cling