Show THE CAT THE AND THE KING 1 i BY STANLEY J WEYMAN It was in the spring S1 of the year 1609 that at the kings Icings Instance I had a suite of apartments a fitted up for fol him himat himat himat at the arsenal that he might visit me VJ ever Jt pleased eai d him without put putting ting my iny family to inconvenience On the th occasion of ot his last visit my myCa coaches cathes Ca bes went to meet him at the gates a little before noon but he did not im immediately Im Immediately mediately arrive and being at leisure I i went with my wife to inspect his rooms and satisfy myself that every everything everything thing was w s in order They were in charge of La Trape a aman an aman man n of or o address dress and intelligence He Hemet Hemet met me at the door and conducted us through the rooms with an air of ot sat eat nor could I find the slightest 1 fault lt until my wife wite looking about her with a womans eye for minutest things paused by the bed in the cham ber bar and directed my attention to something on the floor She Slie he stooped over it this she sl sh i asked d Has something been 4 Upset here I said stUd looking also There fh re was a little pool of white liquid on the floor beside the bed bedLa bedLa I La Trape uttered an exclamation of ot i annoyance yance and explained that he had hadnot hadnot hadnot not seen it before that it had not been there thore five minutes miI tes earlier and that he heI hedia I did dia not know how It came to be there I j What hat is Js It I said sald looking about i for some pitcher that might be over flowed flo ed but finding none Is la It milk I t r dont know your excellency he do But It shall be removed at once See what it is I said It fl looks ill illAnd And TId nd with that the matter passed from frOni ni my mind the more completely as I r heard at that moment the sound of the kings approach and went into the courtyard to receive him He dined well and after dinner amused himself with seeing the young men ride at the ring and even rode a course himself with his usual skill After supper pronouncing himself tired he dismissed all and retired with wilh me to his chamber Here we had some talk but about 11 he hea yawned a and after atter thanking me for a reception which he said was nas quite to his mind he bade me go to bed bedI I was halfway to the door when he called me back Why grand master he said pointing to the little table by the head of the bed on which his night drinks dri s tood Stood you might be going to drown me Do you expect me to drink all these in the t e night I think that t there ere Is only your pos sot saL site J r said sai and the lemon which you generally drink And two h or or three other things Perhaps they have given your majesty some of the Arbois Arbols wine that you were good enough to Tut Tut he said lifting the cover rover of one of the cups This is not wine It may bea b a Yes very likely I said But it if is is S not nol he answered when he h had smelled iL tL It U Is IB plain milk rome Come my friend he continued look lookIng lookIng looking Ing drolly at me Have Hare you turned leech or I a babe In arms arm that you put such strong liquors before me How However However ever Evor to show fiot you that I have some childish hU 1 h tastes stes left len and am not s so flO o de depraved dePraved as 19 you ou have been trying to tomake toi make im Out ut for the last hour I will f i ap l uV Mk k your nur health in it ft It would serve serve you vou right if I made you ou pledge me In Inthe inthe I the same som liquor The Dhe cup was at his lips Ups when I 1 Is s sprang forward and heedless of ot cere f rry caught his arm Pardon sire I 1 oriEd in sudden Rudden If that thatIs Is milk illk 11 ilk I pave gave no order that it should hould be placed here and I know nothing of its iff origin orl in I beer be that you will not drink of or it until I have made some in inquire inQuiry quire They have all been tasted he henske risked hold holding ing the cup In his hand with i the HH raised but looking I at It gravely They should have bave been I an i d But La Trape whom I made for that f is outside I will him If you will wait walt I sir Si p h Henry said Have him here I gove gatO the order tn to t the pages who were waiting wafting and In a moment La Tn Trape appeared After Alter askin the kings kinds kin ts permission I said paid nl What drinks drink i you place on the table here h 7 1 Ho He answered boldly enough that he had served a some seine lemon water and an som toc o l milk were given only for the lemon vater and the th I said Truo Tru your your ur excellency he answer answered od ed d But B when I wont went to the tile pantry hatch f tt the th under butler carry up the tray r T found i o nd that the milk was on the tray and I supposed that you ou had given givon another order Possibly Mme da de d Sully the king Icing said stUd loo 00 ty me m 0 gave the order to not ot presume to do so sire I answered red sternly Nor do 1 ip in the least understand the matter one thing we can easily arrive arriveY Y tasted all aU of ot these man BH riu Trape said he had You drank a quantity a substantial subs tan quantify of ot each according to the ord rs given gI to you 1 I persisted Yes your our excellency But aut ut I caught a n guilty look in his eyes eye and in a gust Just of rage I cried out he lied The truth I thunder thundered ed Jn In n a S Jle voice olce The truth you s not taste all allf n f r ur excellency lI ncy as God Is I Idid he answered Tie rr king intervened nt Quite Quit so 00 he said to La Trape with a smile You drank my good fellow of ot the c and andT the lemonade and you the milk milic but you did not drink of all aU Is not that the whole truth truths Yes s si st lie he h whimpered ht ered breaking down ut X X L t ga ka e jome ome to a cat lAnd JAnd th thE eat cat is wo no worse NO Q sire There grand master the king p turning tp to me met that th t Is IB the truth k What do say to it That the rest Is i simple I answer f fei cl grimly He Ht dId clid not drink it jt be buthe will drink it now sire Tile The Tb king sitting on the bd laughed and looked at Li La L Trape Very well he saId ho he h Is your man Have your wA with him After Arter all he should It iture ure Je shalL drink It now or be broken Othe wheel U I x said Do you hear heary you y pV I continued turning to him In n z while heat of rage at the thought of ht and atul the price It might haYs cost CORt me Bo took the tle cup with a pale p le face facey facea 4 a ul d y Bands hands that shook so much that he henet hen needed net n eded d d both to support the vessel He Ho HoI I I i I I j i r III I I 5 f 1 II I e 42 t 1 The Snake Had Been Brought Brough for My Inspection I i hesitated too so 00 long that had I not possessed the best est of reasons reasons for be believing leving lieving in his fidelity I should have suspected him of more than negligence gence ence He carried the cup to his lips Ups then thon lowered it again I took a step forward He recoiled a pace his face ghastly Patience excellency he said hoarse hoarsely ly Iy I 1 shall drink it But I want to speak first Speak the king answered If there is death in it I take God to witness that I know nothing and knew nothing There is some work here it is not the first time that I have come across this devils devUs milk today But I take God to witness I know noth nothing nothIng nothing ing Now it is here I will wUl drink it itHe itHe ItHe He did not finish the sentence but drawing a deep breath raised the cup to his lips Ups When he had swallowed as far as I could judge from the tilt tilting tilting ing of the cup about half halt of the milk Henry rose suddenly and seizing it took it from him with his own hand That will do the king said Do you feel reel ill m 1 La Trape drew a trembling hand across his brow on which the sweat stood In beads but Instead of ot answer answerIng answerIng answering Ing he remained silent gazing fixedly before him A minute later he spoke I feel nothing sire he said The king looked at me drolly Then take five minutes more he said Go and stare at Judith there cutting off oft the head of for that was wag the story of the tapestry and come when I call you youLa youLa youLa La Trape went to the other end of the chamber Well the king said inviting me by a to sit down be beside beside beside side him is it a comedy or a tragedy my friend Or tell me what was It Ithe Ithe ithe he meant when he said that about the theother theother theother other milk I explained the matter seeming so eo o trivial now that I came to tell it though it had doubtless contributed much to La fright that I had hall to apologize Still it Is odd the king said These Thesa drinks were not here at nt that time of course No uNo sire they have been brought up within the hour Well your butler must explain it And with that he raised his voice and called La Trape back who came look looking lookIng looking ing red and sheepish Not dead yet the king said No sire Then Or stay Henry con continued continued continued Throw the rest of this stuff into the fireplace It may be harmless but I have no mind to drink it by mis mistake mistake mistake take La LaTrape Trape emptied the cup among the green boughs that filled the hearth and hastened to withdraw It seemed to be too late to make further Inquiries that night so after listening to two 10 or three explanations which the Icing king haz hazarded hazarded hazarded but which had all too fanciful an air in my m eyes I took my leave and retired I found it Impossible to sleep sleen and spent the greater part of the night In Ina ina ina a fever of fears ind nd forebodings Long before the kings usual hour of rising I was vms as at his door inquiring how he did While I stood questioning the kings s voice was heard beard bidding me en enter enter enter ter I went in and found him sitting up with a haggard face which told me before he tte spoke that he had slept lit little littie It Ittie tie tle better than I 1 had He sent his page out and bade me sit by him My friend he said mournfully I want to live and I am going to die Of what I asked I I do not know but I dreamed last night that a house fell foil on me in the Rue de do In la and I cannot help thinking that I shall die in that thata way a Very well I said It is well to know that 1 He asked me peevishly what hat I meant Only I 1 explained that In that case as your majesty need never pass through that street you have It In your Jour hands to live forever Perhaps It may not happen there then therein In that very street he lie answered And perhaps it may not happen yet I rejoined And then th n more seri seriously seriously seriously Conic Come sire I continued d why this sudden weakness I have known you face fa e death a hundred times But not after such su a n dream as ashad I had last night ho said with a grim grimace ace yet I could see that he was wa al si already already ready comforted co forted I thought that I Iwas Iwas was passing along that street in my coach conch and on a sudden suddon between St Innocents church and the there is a there thora Yes sire I said somewhat stir sur surprised I heard a great roar and something struck ck me down dow and ana I found myself pinned to the ground in darkness with my m mouth tuB full of dust and an Im Immense mense beam on m T r chest I lay for a time in agony fighting for breath and then my brain seemed to burst in Iii my head and I awoke woke a I have ha e had such a dream sire I Isaid Isaid Isaid said dryly tast ast night No Mo io I said not last night He saw what I meant and laughed and being by this time quite himself left leit that and passed to discussing the strange affair of La Trape TraDe and the milk Have you found as yet who was good enough nough to supply su plY it No sire siro I l but I will wil see SEf La Trape and as soon as I have learned earned anything your majesty shall know it itI itI I suppose he Is la not far tar off oft now he hc suggested Send for tor him Ten Ton to one he will have made mado Inquiries and it will amuse us Having HaYing my eyes turned the other way When La Trape entered I did not at atone once one remark anything But the king kin did and his look of astonishment no noless noless noless less than the exclamation which ac accompanied accompanied accompanied companied it arrested my attention Saint Gds Gris man he cried What is the matter Speak La Trape who had stopped just 4 with within in the door made an effort to do so but no sound passed his lips while his pallor land and the fixed glare of his eyes filled me with the worst apprehension It t was impossible to look at h hm m and not to share his fright and I stepped forward and cried out to him to speak Answer the king man I said What is it 1 He itHe made an effort and with a ghast ghastly ly grimace The cat is eadi he be said For a moment we were ore all aU silent Then I looked at the Ing at atme atme atme me with gl gloomy omy meaning in our eyes oyes He H was the first to speak The cat catto catto catto to whom you gave the milk he said Yes sire La Trape answered in a voice that seemed to come from irom his heart But still courage the tho king cried Courage Cour ge man A dose that would kill a cat may not kill a man Do you feel ill 1 Oh yes sire La Trape moaned I What do you feol feel feolI I have haye a trembling in all my limbs and ah aliah ah my God I am a dead deadman deadman man m n I have a burning here a pain like hot coals In my vitals And leaning lenning against the tile wall the tho unfortunate unfortunate man clasped his arms round his body and bent himself up UD and down downin in a paroxysm of suffering uA A doctor a doctor Henry cried thrusting one leg out of bed Send for Du Laurens I Then as I went to the door to do so Can Cn you be sick man he asked Try No no it is impossible But try try When did this cat die It is outside La Trape groaned He could say no more I had h d opened the door loor by this time and found the attendants rs whom the mans cries had alarmed In a cluster round it Silencing thorn them sternly I bade one go for BI M du Laurens Laurena the kings physician wile w another brought me the cat that was vas as dead The page who had spent the night in the kings chamber cham ber fetched It I told him to bring it in and ordering the others to let the doctor pass when he arrived I closed the door upon their curiosity The king had left his bed and was standing near La Trape en endeavoring endeavoring endeavoring to hearten heart n him now telling him to tickle his throat with a feath feather er and now watching his sufferings in silence with a face of gloom and despondency that sufficiently betrayed his reflections At sight of the page however carrying the dead cat he turned briskly and we both examined the beast which already rigid with staring eyes and uncovered teeth was as not a sight to cheer any one much less a stricken man Its stiff the king said in a n lor 10 voice It has been dead some hours Since midnight I muttered Pardon sire the page who was vas holding the cat said I saw it after atter midnight It was alive then You saw it I exclaimed How Where Here your excellency the boy an answered answered answered a little What In this room Yes excellency I heard a noise about I think about 2 and his majesty breathing very vory heavily It frightened me and I rose from n my y pallet and went around the bod bad I was just in time to see sec the oat cat Jump down don From the bed 1 Yes your excellency From his chest I think Are you sure that it was this cat Yes sire for as soon as it wa wan on the floor It began to writhe and roll roU rolland rolland and bite itself with all aU its fur on end like a mad cat Then it flew to the thedoor thedoor thedoor door and tried to get out and an again began to spit furiously I thought that it would awaken the king and I let it if out And then the king did awake He was Just awakening your ex cx excellency excellency Well sire I said |