One evening, returning from a walk around Paris, the guys found a terrible sight behind the barracks: Jacques and three other boys tied a dog to a post and threw stones at it, competing in accuracy. The defenseless dog squealed and whined, trying to dodge the stones flying at him. Without hesitation, friends rushed to save the unfortunate animal. Closest to them stood Henri Chrétien, a friend of Jacques. Running up to Henri, Rene rushed at him with his fists. The friends fought so fiercely that their opponents soon fled, despite being outnumbered.
The boys untied the beaten dog, and it immediately hobbled away, limping away.
Tillon, whom Philip had struck hard on the ear, was furiously thinking how to subdue the hated upstart. “They are always together, that's why they are brave,” he thought contemptuously. - Nothing, the day will come when I will catch him. Let's see if he can be as brave on his own."
Philip was inexhaustible in invention.
- Rene, have you heard of the Gloomy House? - he asked somehow.
- No, tell me.
- Outside the city, not far from the Abbey of Saint-Denis, there is an old dilapidated house. It seems to have burned down, or maybe just dilapidated from time to time. A real knight once lived there, can you imagine? Let's see this house!
- Great, come on! Rene exclaimed with delight. Why is he Dark?
- It is built so that the sun never penetrates there.
***
On the day off, taking with them candles, ropes and some little things, the friends went to the abbey. The road started from the gates of Saint-Denis, located near the house of Rene.
The abbey turned out to be quite far away, and they had to walk for several hours along a country road. It was a fine September day, the walk was easy and pleasant. The fields and orchards were gone, and there was now forest on both sides of the road. Paris was left far behind, and the guys kept walking and walking, their camisoles were covered with road dust.
On the way, Philip talked about the abbey.
- You know, Saint Dionysius was the first bishop of Paris. He was executed on the hill of Montmartre. He came here carrying his severed head in his hand. And Saint Genevieve founded an abbey here in his honor.
- Many centuries ago, a simple man lived here, Suger. He was an orphan and brought up in an abbey. And then he became friends with the future king Louis Tolstoy, who was also brought up in Saint-Denis. And when the king went on a crusade, he became regent, although he was a commoner by birth.
- Suger himself rebuilt the central basilica, and came up with a new architectural style for it. Now almost all cathedrals are like this, and the Basilica of Saint-Denis was the first built in this style. Suger called it "the architecture of light."
- Local monks are instructed to write the annals of France. And kings are buried in the crypt.
The sun was already setting, when the powerful walls of the abbey and the towers of the basilica appeared in the distance. Their hearts fluttered in anticipation of an extraordinary adventure.
- Do you know where the Gloomy House stands? Rene asked.
- No. Let's go around the abbey, he must be somewhere nearby, - answered Philip. He involuntarily dropped into a whisper.
The majestic abbey was getting closer and closer. Towers and spiers rose here and there above the mighty walls of dark gray stone. The rays of the setting sun shone on the colorful stained-glass windows of the central basilica. Friends took their breath away from this strict beauty.
When they reached the gate, they turned right, going around the wall in a circle. Cultivated fields and meadows stretched out in front of the entrance to the abbey, but behind it the forest rose close to the wall. Along the wall, a few paces from it, a narrow path wound.
Getting around the wall was no easy task. The abbey was huge and looked more like a small town.
They had already circled half a circle, but they had not yet come across anything resembling a house. All around was only the forest, through which the gloomy wall of the abbey could be seen on the left.
- Are you sure it's not just a legend? Rene hesitated.
“I don’t know anymore,” Philip replied despondently, “we went through almost the entire wall in a circle, and there’s nothing.
After going all over the abbey, they returned to the gate.
- What we are going to do? Philip groaned. - Look, the sun is already setting.
Friends sat by the road.
- Let's think, - said Rene. - After all, the house is not a wagon, it should take up a lot of space, right?
"Yes," Philip nodded.
- So, it cannot be between the path and the wall: it simply will not fit there. It turns out that the house can only be in the forest. It is unlikely that the trees come close to the house , there should be some space around it. So, you need to look for something like a clearing.
Philip got up impatiently.
- Exactly, Rene, well done! Let's go before it gets dark.
- Wait, there is another thought. It is unlikely that there is another path nearby, except for the one we walked on. So, they approached the house from it, so we need to look for some old, abandoned branch from the main path.
And they again moved along the wall, walked slowly, one peered intently into the thicket of the forest, the other carefully looked at his feet, trying to find the path to the house.
They shouted at the same time:
- Look, the field!
- And here is the old trail!
The friends looked at each other happily. Rene was proud that his reasoning was correct. They cautiously moved towards the clearing along an almost imperceptible path, lost from time.
When the trees became thinner, they saw a two-story wooden house blackening in a clearing. In the rays of the setting sun, penetrating through the foliage, he looked huge and scary.
- This is really a gloomy house - Philip whispered.
The building was half destroyed, part of the wall collapsed, the black eye sockets of the empty windows looked at them with an eerie look . Rene gazed at the house in fascination, feeling his heart beating excitedly.
Having recovered a little, they tried to enter through the door. It did not work out: it was skewed so that it was impossible to open it. The boys climbed out the window.
Once inside, they looked around with interest. One wall was almost missing, and the room was fairly light. The room they entered was apparently used as a hallway. Stone floor, along the walls are wooden benches with carved backs and forged chests. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust. A ramshackle staircase to the second floor was visible against the far wall.
Friends involuntarily switched to a whisper.
- Wow, look how old everything is.
- I wonder what's in the chests?
- Listen, - suggested Rene, - let's go upstairs and from there we will start to inspect everything. But soon it will get dark, and ghosts may appear.
Philip cringed.
- Then let's go faster.
They went up to the second floor. In the spacious room where the creaky stairs led them, there was twilight. The friends looked around impatiently, waiting for their eyes to adjust to the darkness. Gradually, the outlines of a large office table and a chair behind it became visible. There was a stove in the corner of the room, carved wooden chairs along the wall, a bench next to it, and a jug on it. On the floor lay an old carpet with holes in it. And, like below, everything was covered with dust.
The boys cautiously took a few steps. The rotten boards creaked and buckled under their weight.
“How terrible it is,” Rene whispered.
“Yeah, it really is a wonderful place for ghosts.
Suddenly Philip sat down and pointed to a hole in the carpet.
- Look!
Rene ran up to him and, through a layer of dust, saw on the floor a barely distinguishable pattern applied with white paint - two oncoming arrows touching with a tip.
- What is this? Some kind of secret sign?
- Exactly! I wonder what it means?
- Maybe some kind of meeting?
They excitedly hovered around the drawing and whispered. Suddenly, a sharp cry of an owl was heard from outside. Friends shuddered in surprise, Rene stumbled and his foot hit the sign. At the same moment, the rotten boards broke with a terrible crack, and he flew down, screaming heart-rendingly.
It seemed to Rene that he lost consciousness for a moment. And when he woke up, it was completely dark around him, only a faint light came from a hole above his head. The air smelled distinctly damp.
- Rene! You are alive? Say something! Philip shouted in panic, his head vaguely visible in a hole far above.
Rene took a breath.
“It seems so,” he answered uncertainly, rubbing his bruised side.
“Hold on, buddy, I’ll go down to you now,” Philip exclaimed with relief, and a second later the creak of the stairs was heard.
Rene turned his head, hoping to see something around him. Oddly, it should have fallen into the room they had climbed into the house through, but it was much lighter.
Philip's footsteps and his confused voice were heard overhead:
- Where are you?
- I am here.
Philip's head appeared in the hole, he whispered excitedly:
- Listen, you broke through the floor of the first floor! Looks like you fell into the basement.
- Break through the stone floor? Rene asked incredulously.
- No, there is something like a wooden hatch covering the hole, so you broke through it with your weight. Hit hard?
- Yeah, not really. Rene suddenly panicked. - Look, is there a ladder there? How can I get out of here?
Diving into the hole to the waist, Philip tried to grope for the stairs.
- Looks like there's nothing. Wait, now I'll throw off the rope for you. But first, look at what is there, horror, how curious.
"I can't see anything, it's dark in here!" - Rene paused and added guiltily: - I won't be able to climb the rope.
"Then I'll come down to you now."
Philip was actively stomping upstairs, looking for a place to tie a rope. He pulled back the bolt and lifted the hatch. The basement is a little brighter.- Grab a candle, - Rene shouted.- Yes.Finally, the preparations were completed, grabbing the rope, Philip squeezed through the hatch and began to slowly descend. In a few moments his feet touched the hard floor. Pulling two candles out of his bag, he lit them and handed one to Rene.- Be careful, watch your feet.The flickering flame of candles lit up a huge basement, obviously larger than the house itself. The damp, stale air made it hard to breathe.“Wow, look, it looks like the knights were training here.Indeed, the floor was littered with broken pieces of swords and halberds, a rotten straw man for training stood in the corner, next to it was a weapon rack. Cautiously stepping, friends moved in different directions. Rene walked along the wall, looking with curiosity at everything that caught his eye, afraid to miss any little
It was already dark outside, and with difficulty they found the overgrown path that led to the road to the abbey. When they reached the gate, they sat down on the ground and, having caught their breath, they held a meeting.- What do we do?- Don't know. There is no point in going to the city. It is dangerous to walk at night, and the city gates are closed until dawn.Looking around his dusty camisole, Philip suggested:- Let's ask for an overnight stay here. The monks are kind people, they will not refuse. Let's say we got lost in the woods.- And the box? Let's open it first, shall we?- It's dark.Rene nodded at the bag.- Candles.They again went into the forest, Philip sat on a stump and tried to open the box. She was locked up. The mechanism, spoiled by time and basement dampness, did not work. It took them quite a long time to break the lock. Finally, something clicked, the boys froze in anticipation.Philip swallowed nervously and opened the lid with a trembling hand. The flic
They did not imagine how terrible it would be for them in the dark night forest. The thought of having a Grim House nearby with a skeleton in the basement made me shudder. But the thirst for adventure, the eternal companion of the boys at all times, stubbornly drove them forward.It was decided to bypass the abbey from behind. They walked slowly, constantly stumbling and clinging to the thorns with their cloaks. It was quiet, the cry of a night bird or the crackling of a fallen branch made them flinch. Philip involuntarily switched to a whisper.- The tomb is in the basilica, we saw it last time. You need to climb over the wall and crawl to it.- Fine.They made their way through the thickets and came to a wall. It was not possible to throw a rope ladder on the wall - it was even and had practically no protrusions. Then Rene climbed a tree and from it climbed a thick branch to the wall. Catching his breath, he tossed the end of the ladder to Philip. A minute later, both jumped off the
“A long time ago,” Philip began in a singsong voice, “there was a knight, and his name was Verbero, and the people gave him the nickname Blackheart. He was brave to the point of recklessness and so strong that no one could compare with him in battle. But at the same time - cruel and ruthless, and they said that the devil controls him. Verbero rampaged both in the war and on his own lands. It often happened that he beat and killed his servants, and offended and deceived his equals. And when he fell in love with the daughter of his vassal, he took her from her father by force and married her. Many knights fought with him, but he emerged victorious from any duel.And a great murmuring arose in his land, and people went to his lord, the duke, so that he would justly judge Verbero. The duke called the vassal to his castle and in the presence of barons and knights asked him:“Is it true, noble Verbero, what they say about you?” Is it true that you took your daughter by force from a vassal a
Returning to the barracks, René attacked Tillon with his fists. Philip pulled his friend away and, turning to Jacques, said coldly:- Would you like to fight me with swords?Tillon looked at him with hatred, spat at his feet and wandered away, muttering through his teeth:- Yes, you went!Rene, catching his breath with difficulty, shook his fist after him:- Get me some more...In the spring, Rene and Philip made several trips to the Gloomy House, trying to bypass the forest from the west and find any indication of the location of the treasure. But nothing came of them, the forest around the abbey was huge, and no matter how hard the boys tried to get around it, they did not succeed. Sighing, friends decided to postpone the search until better times.At the beginning of the summer, Philip received a note and, after reading it, rushed off somewhere without saying anything to anyone. Toward evening he flew into the room where René was sitting, his eyes round with excitement.- Michel an
Dr. Gold stirred and opened his eyes.- I fell asleep?"Yes, Michael," the vicar nodded. - You talked too long and overtired. Get some more sleep.But Gold shook his head.“I haven't told you even a tenth of what I should. And I don't have much time.The priest, knowing from experience that it was useless to argue with a friend, settled himself comfortably in his chair and prepared to listen.- As a child, I was cowardly and weak, - after a moment of rest, Gold continued, - and during the time that I told you about, and later - you will soon see this - I did a lot of meanness thanks to my fears. Because of them, I raved about the idea of becoming immortal. And although I had no doubt that the wish I had made would come true, this did not add to my courage.“You are too hard on yourself, dear friend,” interrupted the vicar.- Unfortunately no. Well, something, but I have learned to soberly evaluate my qualities and actions in four hundred years.- It turns out that the sorceress-sorc
After burying his father, Rene, with a heavy heart, began to sort things out. He arranged in the office of the provost the inheritance, which included a new house on the rue Saint-Paul and his father's glove business. René decided to leave the manufacture of gloves to the apprentices, and he himself looked forward to September, the date when Captain Dupe would accept him into the ordinance company. After the death of his father, Rene felt terribly lonely. Trying to forget himself, he spent whole days embroidering gloves made by apprentices, but the work did not bring him peace. Rene was depressed that he could not save his father, he felt responsible for the death of Claude. The only thing that was a little comforting was that in the stampede and horror that gripped the crowd, he was not afraid, did not panic and did not run when his father needed help, on the contrary, he tried to break through to him and save him. Remembering the dangerous situations that arose in his life, Rene was
Francis began his reign by deciding to retake the Duchy of Milan, which had been lost to Louis. He publicly announced that he would personally lead the army. Hasty preparations for the march began. The ordinance company of Captain Dupe was one of the first to act, at the beginning of August.Jacques Tillon and his best friend Henri Chretien were in the same detachment with Rene. Oddly enough, Rene and Henri quickly developed a good relationship. On the long march to the Alps, they supported each other, while Tillon kept aloof, looking sullenly at René.For almost a month the army reached the northern foothills of the Alps. The scouts sent by Francis returned with sad news: all convenient mountain crossings are occupied by the Swiss hired to protect Milan by the dukeMassimiliano Sforza. Francis developed a plan of incredible audacity, and the next morning his troops began crossing the Alps along the Argentière Pass, which was completely unsuitable for this. The road was laid among the