Two things only saved Carmagnola: in the first place, Theodore’s counterattack was prematurely launched, before Carmagnola was sufficiently committed; in the second, Stoffel, taking matters into his own hands, and employing the infantry tactics advocated by Bellarion, drew off his men, and formed them up to receive the charge he heard advancing from the north. That charge cost Theodore a score of piked horses, and it failed to break through the bristling human wall that rose before it in the dark. Having flung the charge back, Stoffel, formed his men quickly into the hedgehog, embracing within it all that he could compass of Carmagnola’s other detachments, and in this formation proceeded to draw off, intent upon saving all that he could from the disaster that was upon them.
Meanwhile the other battle, issuing from the gate on the south and led by Theodore himself, had crashed into Carmagnola’s own body, which Carmagnola and Belluno were vainly seeking to marshal. They might have made an end of that detachment, which comprised the best part of Bellarion’s condotta, had not Bellarion with his eight hundred horse at last come up to charge the enemy rear. That was the saving stroke. Caught now between two masses, realising that his counter-surprise had failed, and unable in the dark to attempt a fresh manoeuvre, Theodore ordered his trumpeters to sound the retreat.
Each side accounted itself fortunate in being able to retire in good order.
X
The Arrest
In the armoury of the castle of Quinto, Carmagnola paced like a caged panther, the half of his armour still hanging upon him, his blond head still encased in the close-fitting cap of bloodred velvet that served to protect it from the helmet. And as he paced, he ranted of treachery and other things to Valeria and Gian Giacomo of Montferrat, to the half-dozen captains who had returned to render with him the account of that galling failure.
The Princess occupied the big chair by the table, whilst her brother leaned upon the back of it. Beyond stood ranged Ugolino da Tenda, Ercole Belluno, Stoffel, and three others, their armour flashing in the golden light of the cluster of candles set upon the table. Over by the hearth in another high-backed chair sat Bellarion, still in his black corselet, his long legs in their mud-splashed boots stretched straight before him, his head cased in a close-fitting cap of peach-coloured velvet, disdainfully listening to Carmagnola’s furious tirade. He guessed the bitterness in the soul of the boaster who had promised so much to achieve so little. Therefore he was patient with him for a while. But to all things there must be an end, and an end there was to Bellarion’s patience.
“Talking mends nothing, Francesco,” he broke in at last.
“It may prevent a repetition.”
“There can be no repetition, because there will be no second attempt. I should never have permitted this but that you plagued me with your insistence.”
“And I should have succeeded had you done your part!” roared Carmagnola in fury, a vain, humiliated man reckless of where he cast the blame for his own failure. “By God’s Life, that is why disaster overtook us. Had you delivered your own attack as was concerted between us, Theodore must have sent a force to meet it.”
Bellarion remained calm under the accusation, and under the eyes of that company, all reproachful save Stoffel’s. The Swiss, unable to contain himself, laughed aloud.
“If the Lord Bellarion had done that, sir, you might not now be alive. It was his change of plan, and the charge he delivered upon Theodore’s rear, that enabled us to extricate ourselves, and so averted a disaster that might have been complete.”
“And whilst you are noticing that fact,” said Bellarion, “it may also be worthy of your attention that if Stoffel had not ranged his foot to receive the charge from Theodore’s right wing, and afterwards formed a hedgehog to encircle and defend you, you would not now be ranting here. It occurs to me that an expression of gratitude and praise for Stoffel would be not so much gracious as proper.”
Carmagnola glared. “Ah, yes! You support each other! We are to thank you now for a failure, which your own action helped to bring about, Bellarion.”
Bellarion continued unruffled. “The accusation impugns only your own intelligence.”
“Does it so? Does it so? Ha! Where is this man who came, you say, to tell you that Theodore was forewarned of the attack?”
Bellarion shrugged. “Do I know where he is? Do I care? Does it matter?”
“A man comes to you out of the night with such a message as that, and you don’t know what has become of him!”
“I had other things to do than think of him. I had to think of you, and get you out of the trap that threatened you.”
“And I say that you would have best done that by attacking on your own side, as we agreed.”
“We never agreed that I should attack. But only that I should pretend to attack. I had not the means to push home an escalade.” His suavity suddenly departed. “But it seems to me that I begin to defend myself.” He reached for his steel cap, and stood up.
“It becomes necessary!” cried Carmagnola, who in two strides was at his side.
“Only that I should defend myself from a charge of rashness in having yielded to your insistence to attempt this night-attack. There was a chance, I thought, of success, and since the alternative of starving the place would entail a delay of months, I took that chance. It has missed, and so forces me to a course I’ve been considering from the outset. Tomorrow I shall raise the siege.”
“You’ll raise the siege!”
That ejaculation of amazement came in chorus.
“Not only of Vercelli, but also of Mortara.”
“You’ll raise the siege, sir?” It was Gian Giacomo who spoke now. “And what then?”
“That shall be decided tomorrow in council. It is almost daybreak. I’ll wish you
