Jacob's ladder
Chapter 10: Meeting again

Napoleon had won the battle ofWaterloo. Luis was not surprised, for he knew that the amulet had given him anuninterrupted series of victories, while its absence brought a succession ofdefeats, his abdication and his exile in Elba. Anti-Bonapartist to the utmost,he could not accept this situation which made him the instrument which wouldhelp the usurper to keep his power indefinitely. He had to escape as soon aspossible, but did not know how to do it.

After the victory, the Maréchals tooktwo army corps to follow the defeated enemy, while Napoleon rode at the head ofthe imperial guard to enter Brussels in triumph. Walking through thebattlefield after him, while the emperor was not looking, Luis took and hid inhis clothes the loaded pistol of a dead officer. He did not intend to use it,but felt safer knowing that he had it.

Going through Waterloo and the forestof Soignes brought back to his mind his adventures in those places, just threeweeks ago. He could no longer recognize the exact place where Gérard had interceptedthe coach and killed Gonzalo. They spent the night among the trees and startedagain at dawn. Once out of the forest, they found the way to Brussels flankedwith people who acclaimed the winner, as they would have acclaimed Wellingtonif the result of the battle had been the opposite.

The town was adorned with tricolorflags in all the windows. Luis wondered what had happened with the English highsociety which had invaded Brussels in the last months, especially Lady Borland,and decided to learn her news as soon as possible.

He had his opportunity while thevictorious parade was crossing the Grand Place, crowded with onlookers. Littleby little, while Bonaparte’s attention was on the people, he walked more slowlyuntil he found himself among the last line of soldiers, who were followed by athrong of boys singing French hymns at the top of their voices. As he was theonly person in the parade not in uniform, Luis had no trouble to mix with them,leave by the first side street and walk fast in the direction of the hotelwhere he had been lodging with Lady Borland.

The windows of the rooms they hadoccupied were adorned with French flags. As his patroness would not have allowedthis, he came to the conclusion that she had left the city when she learnt thenews of Napoleon’s victory, which would have been known on the previousevening. He went in the hotel and walked up the stairs slowly, trying to delaythe instant when his surmises would be finally confirmed.

As he had feared, the rooms wereempty, except for a man sitting at a table with his chin on his hand. Luishesitated and the man seemed to sense his presence, raised his face and staredat him with those well-known sly eyes.

“Maurice!” exclaimed Luis, going tohim with his hand outstretched.

Surprised, his bodyguard stood up,took Luis’s hand in his right and put the other on his shoulder.

“I thought I’d never see you again!”

Luis laughed in relief at having metsomeone he knew when he thought he would be alone in the conquered city. When herecovered, he looked around and asked:

“Where is Lady Borland?”

“She has left, as all the English.Some went several days ago, at the news of Napoleon’s coming. I must say in herhonor that she waited to the last and always hoped for your return.”

“But you didn’t. Why?”

“When I heard that Gonzalo haddisappeared with you, I felt the suspicion that you had been abducted. I’ve nevertrusted him; he was too glum and reserved. He was Napoleon’s agent all the time,wasn’t he?”

“No, he worked for Blatsov.”

Maurice pursed his lips in a lowwhistle.

“Tell me everything. But wait, youaren’t safe here. Shouldn’t we move first to a safer place?”

“Is there any in Brussels?”

“Of course! I have many friends. Areyou being hunted?”

“Napoleon will have me hunted when heknows that I have left him. I have become his amulet.”

Maurice arched his brows but did notcomment.

“In that case, we’d better gosomewhere else. Follow me. You’ll tell your tale later.”

Without further words, they left ladyBorland’s rooms and walked to the lowest class part of the town, as usual withMaurice. In a foul alleyway, they stopped before a dilapidated door, which the manstruck with his fist in a meaningful staccato. The door opened slightly,letting them see the face of an old, wrinkled, tousled woman who, recognizingthe Belgian, exchanged with him a few unintelligible words, moved back and letthem in. When the door was shut behind them, Luis found himself in a filthy windowlessroom with darkened walls, scarcely lighted by a single candle. The woman tookthe candle and led them to the depths of the house, grumbling as though she didn’tfeel happy with their presence. A few doors opened while they passed, and Luissaw the faces of several women whose aspect and undress increased hismisgivings, for he had never been in a place like that.

The old woman led them to a darksmelly room, used her candle to light another one stuck in a hole in the wall,closed the door and left them alone. The room was scarcely furnished with asingle cot covered by filthy coverings, where Maurice took his seat, making himsign to follow his example. Luis obeyed squeamishly.

“We are safe. Tell me everything.”

The boy made a detailed narrative ofhis adventures since the last time they had met. Maurice listened attentivelywithout interrupting, but his eyes lighted in the most interesting scenes: whenLuis swallowed Jacob’s ladder, or when Napoleon decided to adopt him as aliving amulet. When Luis stopped, Maurice remained silent for some time, meditatingon what he had heard, and then said:

“I see. Napoleon must be trying toreplace you. Getting you out of Brussels will be difficult, but I’ll try, unlessyou want to give yourself in.”

Luis shuddered.

“I want to get as far as possiblefrom him.”

“Then I must leave you for some time.I’ll see what I can do. You must remain in this room. If soldiers search thehouse, hide here.”

Moving the cot, he disclosed an ironring on the floor with which he opened a trapdoor, showing a small space in theshape and size of a coffin.

“Madame will tell you when you shouldhide, and will warn you when the danger is over. Don’t worry if there are knockson the outer door. It happens frequently, but nobody will trouble you.”

Maurice got out and Luis was left alone.It was not long before he lost count of time. The old woman in charge of thehouse opened the door and looked inside from time to time, but she never wentin, except once to change the candle, and once again to serve him a very smallrepast, which he assumed must be his supper. When he couldn’t keep his eyesopen, he lay on the filthy cot, but his sleep was often interrupted bystaccatos on the door of the house. At first he expected to see Maurice, orfeared that Napoleon’s guard was coming to search the house for him, but rememberinghis friend’s warning, he stopped listening and slept till the morning.

Maurice came back at noon. Before hespoke, his face told him that he brought no good news.

“Napoleon is frantic. Brussels is a waspnest. The soldiers are searching every house for you. They’ll come here at anymoment. You know what you must do.”

“Have you any plan?”

“Not yet. There’s no way to travel, theEnglish have taken every conceivable convey, to escape.”

“Then what shall we do?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll think ofsomething.”

Maurice went off again and Luis fellon the cot, hid his face in his hands and tried to forget his troubles and passedthe time reminding himself that his tutor was a prisoner. He decided to go assoon as possible to the castle of Montsegur. Once there, he expected to saveCharles or, at the very least, join him and share his fate.

On the evening of the next day,Wednesday June 21st, several strong knocks made the front doorshudder. The disheveled old woman entered the room and pointed at the cot. Luisunderstood, moved the bedstead, which was not heavy, pulled the ring, and lethimself down in the narrow hole. The woman closed the trapdoor, pushed the cotin its original position and ran at the front door, where the patrol wasgetting impatient. Soon later, the noises coming through the cracks told Luisthat the soldiers were searching the house. He felt sick and suffocating. Thehole, dark as the tomb, had never been cleaned, and was full of all kinds of smellsaccumulated in the room for years, but he scarcely dared make a movement,fearing to attract the attention of the searchers. The wait was endless, and hewas about to faint when the trapdoor opened suddenly and he saw the woman, who gavehim sign that it was safe to get out. He obeyed with alacrity and breatheddeeply the thick air in the room which, compared to the hiding place, seemedfresh, almost scented.

That night, just when he was about tosleep again, Maurice came back. His face was grave, but openly optimistic.

“Napoleon has offered a reward forany news which drives to your recapture. I don’t trust the girls, not evenMadame. We must get off here before they know. News runs faster in this house thananywhere in Brussels.”

“Can we do anything?”

“Yes, I have the means of escape. You’llbe uncomfortable, but you have been in worse places.” His eyes looked in thedirection of the hiding hole in the floor. “I’ve got a coach and a couple ofhorses. Be ready to leave in four hours. We’ll get out of the city beforesunrise.”

“I’ve nothing to prepare, I’m wearingeverything I possess. But the coach and the horses must be very expensive, andI cannot repay you.”

“My purse is full: I found money inLady Borland’s apartments, forgotten during her hasty departure. So I’m notpaying for your flight, Lady Borland herself is doing it.”

Luis tried to sleep a little, torecover his strength for the trip, but he seemed to have scarcely closed hiseyes when he was shaken and saw the old woman with a candle, signing him tofollow her to the door of the house. Maurice was outside, on the box of acoach, wearing a cloak similar to those used by post drivers. When Luis appeared,the Belgian got down, opened the door and raised one of the seats.

“Down there is a hole where you canhide. The city gates are watched, but don’t worry, they won’t replace you.”

“Won’t they be suspicious if you tryto leave Brussels with an empty coach?”

“The coach won’t be empty; severalfriends will come with us. They are waiting. Come on! Get in, I’ll cover youwith the seat and we’ll leave.”

This was the beginning of the mostuncomfortable and boring trip Luis had ever experienced. The hole was evennarrower than the hiding place in the house, although the only smell was dust.Somewhat later, the coach stopped and the creaks of the seat told him thatseveral people had got in and sat. A new stop, followed by hoarse voices,signaled the moment when they were challenged by the guard in one of the citygates. Flourishing a lantern, the watcher stared long at the faces of all theoccupants of the vehicle, but he didn’t suspect that one more was hidden belowthe seat. At last they started again and the jolts and noise changed, showing thatthey were now on an earth road, and that Brussels and its dangers had been leftbehind.

Four days later they arrived inAachen, where Maurice and Luis took lodgings in a third rate inn. They had beenalone during the last part of their trip, as Maurice’s friends had been left inLiège. For the first time in many days, Luis felt out of the reach of Napoleon,although he knew that the frontier gave scarce protection in those perturbedtimes. The town had been French until the congress of Vienna, which gave it toPrussia. Obviously, after his return to power, Bonaparte would want to recoverit. At least, he was no longer a prisoner and could walk around freely. Mauricewas out most of the time, so Luis decided to visit Charlemagne’s city and thecathedral, which dates from that emperor’s time of and contains his tomb.

After one hour in the cathedral, which he used tothank God for having got him out of so many dangers, he was going out when hesaw the dark entrance to the tower and felt the impulse to climb to the top andlook at the city. The last rays of the sunset reddened the horizon while Luis lookedlong at the distance, before focusing his eyes on the square, just below. Thenhe shuddered, for he saw the shape of a man, clad in black, walking across thesquare, and recognized Blatsov, his unrelenting pursuer. His eyes followed himto the opposite side, near the entrance to a pub, where another man wasapparently waiting for him. They shook their hands, spoke some words and wentinside the place. The sunset lighted the face of the second man and Luis couldidentify him: he was Maurice.