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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/15443-8.txt b/15443-8.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..382bd86 --- /dev/null +++ b/15443-8.txt @@ -0,0 +1,10773 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Heiress of Haddon, by William E. Doubleday + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Heiress of Haddon + +Author: William E. Doubleday + +Release Date: March 23, 2005 [EBook #15443] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HEIRESS OF HADDON *** + + + + +Produced by S.R.Ellison,Julie Barkley, and the PG Online +Distributed Proofreading Team. + + + + + + +[EIGHTH EDITION.] + +THE + +HEIRESS OF HADDON. + +BY + +WM. E. DOUBLEDAY. + + +LONDON: + +SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT AND CO., LIMITED. + + +BUXTON AND BAKEWELL: + +U.F. WARDLEY, "HIGH PEAK NEWS" OFFICES. + + + + +PREFACE + + +The real romance of Haddon Hall is a sweet, old-world idyll of +singular attractiveness and interest. The gems of the story have been +reset by dramatists in different surroundings; but while, as in the +Sullivan-Grundy opera, many of its chief incidents have been retained, +many have been omitted. + +In the old story there are no Puritans, and not one solitary Scotchman +appears upon the scene. The original drama was enacted in the pastoral +days of "Good Queen Bess," when the Tudor Queen was still young and +beautiful, and + + "When all the world was young, lad, + And all the trees were green; + And every goose a swan, lad, + And every lass a queen." + +Haddon Hall, the scene of the story, is situated at the foot of the +Peak, between Bakewell and Chatsworth, close to Matlock, and not far +from Buxton. Far from the madding crowd the hoary old edifice stands, +carefully preserved, and generously thrown open to public view by its +princely owners, the Dukes of Rutland, who, though for more than a +century back they have ceased to inhabit it, have yet most carefully +protected the building from falling into the slightest disrepair. + +In our own day, the Hall stands very much as it did in the heyday of +its glory, when the sisters Margaret and Dorothy received the homage +of their numerous admirers, or the "King of the Peak" himself passed +to and fro within its walls. But it is more beautiful now than it was +then, for now it is tinged with a beauty which age alone can bestow, +and mellowed with a charm that none of the Vernons ever knew. + +And of this charm Dorothy Vernon herself is assuredly the central +figure. For three centuries her romantic career has been a favourite +theme with minstrel, poet, and painter; and during all this time--like +the ivy which grows and clusters around the walls and nooks and +crannies of what, generations ago, were the abiding-places of kings +or nobles, scenes of splendour and animation--so, during the lapse of +time, there has grown a beautiful and romantic web of legendary lore +which clings tenaciously to every wall, window, and stone of the old +Hall, until every room and every corner of old Haddon seems to tell +the story of the beautiful maiden who, once upon a time, fell in love +with a certain plain John Manners, whom she was determined to wed, in +spite of all the obstacles that were placed in her way. + +The story telling how she accomplished this has been told in many +varying forms, but in the following pages the writer has sought to +incorporate the essence of nearly all the legends, concerning not only +Dorothy, but also of Sir George Vernon. A considerable amount of fresh +matter has been introduced, and, without unduly intruding the dry +facts of history, a few of the great events and persons of the time +have been pressed into service; whilst at the same time, some of the +old English customs of the days of "Good Queen Bess" have been made to +serve the purpose of the narrative. + +W.E.D. + + + + +CONTENTS. + + CHAPTER. PAGE. + + I.--AT FIRST SIGHT 1 + II.--A JEALOUS HEART AND CRAFTY 7 + III.--THE CLOSE OF THE DAY 13 + IV.--DAME DURDEN'S ORDEAL 19 + V.--A VISIT TO NOTTINGHAM 26 + VI.--DE LA ZOUCH INDULGES IN A + LITTLE VILLAINY 32 + VII.--DOROTHY OVERHEARS SOMETHING 42 + VIII.--A TOURNAMENT; THE COMBAT 49 + IX.--AT THE COCK TAVERN, LONDON 55 + X.--IN DIRE STRAITS 63 + XI.--AN UNFORTUNATE DENOUEMENT 71 + XII.--A CONFESSION OF LOVE 79 + XIII.--FATHER PHILIP'S ACCIDENT 88 + XIV.--AN UNPLEASANT NIGHT 94 + XV.--SIR GEORGE AT WESTMINSTER 101 + XVI.--A NIGHT ADVENTURE 107 + XVII.--A DALE ABBEY HERMIT 114 + XVIII.--THE CHAMBER OF DEATH 120 + XIX.--"THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE." 126 + XX.--THE TROTH-PLIGHT 133 + XXI.--THE PLOT IN PROGRESS 139 + XXII.--ON A FALSE SCENT 147 + XXIII.--DARK SUSPICIONS 153 + XXIV.--THE ESCAPE 159 + XXV.--THE LAST OF DE LA ZOUCH 166 + XXVI.--A DISGUISED LOVER 174 + XXVII.--A NARROW ESCAPE 180 + XXVIII.--"NOT YET" 188 + XXIX.--THE ANGELS OF LIFE AND DEATH 197 + XXX.--STOLEN SWEETS 206 + XXXI.--THE TOKEN 215 + XXXII.--PLAIN JOHN MANNERS WINS HIS + BRIDE 222 + XXXIII.--PEACE AT LAST 229 + + + + +THE HEIRESS OF HADDON. + + + + +CHAPTER I. + +AT FIRST SIGHT. + + There is a spirit brooding o'er these walls + That tells the record of a bygone day, + When 'mid the splendour of these courtly halls, + A pageant shone, whose gorgeous array + Like pleasure's dream has passed away. + + ANON. + + Where both deliberate the love is slight; + Who ever loved that love not at first sight? + + MARLOWE. + + +Amid the hills of Derbyshire which cluster around the Peak there +rises, in a lovely dale slyly peeping out from behind the surrounding +trees, the fine old pile of Haddon Hall. + +Perhaps the old shire of Derby, with its many rich examples, can +present to view nothing equal in historic and legendary interest to +this old mansion. Its turrets and towers, its windows and its +walls, its capacious kitchens, and its fine halls and banqueting +rooms--unspoiled by the hands of the "restorer"--have gained for +it the almost unchallenged position of being the finest baronial +residence which still exists. + +There stand the grey old walls whose battlements have proudly bidden +defiance to the storms and blasts of half a thousand winters, and +there still stand the gnarled old trees which have gently swayed to +and fro while many a baron has ruled the Hall, and whose leaves after +growing in superlative beauty, seeming to partake in the grandeur and +pride of the "King of the Peak," have drooped and fallen, after having +made, with their rich autumnal tints, a succession of beautiful living +pictures which have delighted the lords and ladies of Haddon for +almost twenty generations. + +When William the Conqueror had invaded England and had succeeded in +seating himself upon his somewhat insecure throne, he began to reward +his followers with liberal grants of the land he had won. Among these +fortunate individuals was one, William Peveril, said to be a son of +the Conqueror, and to him, in common with many other estates in and +around Derbyshire, was given the manor of Haddon. Part of the fabric +which was then erected is still standing, and it is surmised by some +that traces are still left of a previous Saxon erection. In the year +1154, the estate was forfeited to the Crown, and it was granted by +King Henry II. to the Avenals, from which family, two hundred years +later, it was transferred by marriage to the Vernons. + +Its fate has been strangely wrapped up in the history of its women, +for as it passed from the Avenals to the Vernons by marriage, so +again, three centuries later, by a similar process, it passed from the +Vernon family to the Rutland, which ever since has retained it in its +possession. + +Everything around, both inside and out, is fragrant with interest. +Everything seems to breathe out the spirit of departed ages. It is one +vast relic of "Merrie England's" bygone splendour. + +It was the old original "Palace of the Peak," nor was it unworthy of +the name. The glory of many royal palaces of its time indeed might +well have paled beside its splendour, and as a matter of fact the +baron of Haddon was a king within his own domain, who wielded a +power which few around dared to question, and fewer still resist. Its +hospitality was lavish, as the poor of a neighbourhood of no small +radius knew full well; and the vastness and riches of the property +which accompanied the ownership of Haddon was enough to maintain its +lord in an almost regal state. + +What happy scenes have taken place within its walls! How many fair +ladies have stepped off the riding stone outside its gate, helped by +the gallant but superfluous aid of chivalrous knights, each striving +to outdo the others by gentle acts of courtesy! What brilliant +cavalcades have issued from its portals! How many merry hunting +parties have started from its iron-studded gate; and what jovial +monster feasts have taken place within its rooms. If walls could +speak, what a tale would Haddon have to tell. + +The spring of the year of grace 1567 had just commenced, and the trees +were beginning to adorn themselves once again in their green array, +when the Knight of Haddon, Sir George Vernon, led out a merry company +for the first hawking expedition of the year. The winter had been +unusually long, and more than extraordinarily severe; and whilst the +knight and his sturdy friends had been enabled to pursue their sport +by submitting to a more than usual amount of inconvenience, yet the +ladies had been almost entirely confined within the limits of the +Hall. Winter at Haddon was by no means a dreary imprisonment, for +fetes and balls were continually taking place, and however rough the +weather might be, and the condition of the miserable tracts which in +those days did duty for roads, there were not a few cavaliers, both +old and young, who would gladly adventure the discomforts of a journey +to Haddon, even were it to be only rewarded by a smile, or perchance +a dance with the two daughters of the host, whose beauty, though of +different types, many were ready to swear, and to maintain it, if +need be, at the point of the sword, could not be surpassed in all the +counties of the land. + +Indeed, the beauty of Margaret and Dorothy was almost as famous as +the reputation of the "King of the Peak" himself, and the old knight, +owner as he was of immense wealth, was often heard to assert that his +two daughters were the greatest treasures he possessed. + +Many eyes were cast upon these two fair maidens, and many hearts were +laid at their feet. Margaret, the elder, was already being wooed by +Sir Thomas Stanley, and some gossips even went so far as to say +that she had already plighted her troth to him. The younger sister, +however, had kept her heart intact, and in spite of the persuasions of +Sir George and the threats of Lady Maude, had refused to comply with +their request to accept Sir Henry de la Zouch as her betrothed. + +Although by no means dreary, yet the continual round of winter feasts +had at last begun to assume an aspect of staleness, and lords and +ladies alike had for some time past been eagerly anticipating the time +when they might once more pursue their noble sports. As the winter +had gradually withdrawn its ice and snow, and occasional gleams of +sunshine appeared, hearalding the advent of spring, the excitement had +increased. Dancing was discarded, the tapestry work was laid aside, +and all with one mind began to make preparations for the coming +excursions. + +And now the long wished for day had come. The number of guests at the +Hall had been largely augmented by fresh arrivals, and as the jovial +baron looked round the table at the feast of the previous evening, he +declared that a better company could not be found in all the land. + +The scene as they started out was animated in the extreme. The ladies, +in their many-coloured dresses, riding on horseback, were gracefully +coquetting with the knights and squires who surrounded them and +dutifully paid their court to them with all the reverence of a +fast-departing chivalry. + +The chase was to be on foot, and in the rear followed a number of +pages, each leading his dogs and carrying his own as well as his +master's jumping pole. Everything promised well. The turf had dried +after the recent floods, with a pleasing elasticity. The sun shone +brilliantly upon the gold-trimmed jerkins of the hawks, and the hum of +conversation, with its occasional outburst of merry ringing laughter, +added to the tinkling of the sonorous little falcon bells, or the bark +of the dogs every now and again as they ineffectually tried to break +away from the leashes in which they were held, all tended to put the +party in the best of spirits. + +Dorothy Vernon, as usual, was surrounded by a circle of admirers, +each of whom was anxious to bring himself under her especial notice by +anticipating her wishes, or quickly fulfilling her slightest commands. + +Sir Henry de la Zouch was there, as a matter of course. He was most +assiduous in his attentions, and although it was plainly visible that +his presence was as little appreciated as his suit, yet he still kept +by her side. + +"Methinks, fair demoiselle," he began, "thou art hardly so sprightly +this morning as the occasion might warrant. Now, Mistress Margaret, +there--" + +"Aye, Margaret again, Sir Henry," interrupted the maiden; "thou art +for ever placing me beside my sister Margaret. He bears too hardly +upon a simple maiden, does he not, Sir John?" + +Sir John de Lacey, a little fidgety old man on the wrong side of +sixty, nervously played with his collar, and, delighted at the +opportunity thus afforded him of paying back a grudge of long +standing, he summoned to his aid all the dignity he was capable of +assuming, and declared that the whole of Sir Henry's conduct was +ungallant to the last degree. + +De la Zouch darted a look of intense wrath at the old man, but as the +latter was yet rearranging his collar, the effort was lost. + +"Nay, nay, sweet Dorothy," he said, "I meant to say naught that would +vex thee, for I would have thee smile upon me and not frown; and if my +words have not been pleasing to thee in the past, I am sorry for it, +and will endeavour to amend my ways in the future." + +"Where do we go to-day?" asked Dorothy, not noticing his last remark. +"We are full late for the woodcock, and the partridges are not yet +ready." + +"There are plenty of sparrows on the wing," exclaimed Sir Benedict à +Woode, who had been anxiously awaiting an opportunity to join in the +conversation. + +"Aha! Sir Benedict," she replied. "Methought thou wert too unwell to +join us to-day, but thou hast weathered the attack, I see." + +"Now, could I stay away, fair cousin, when I knew thou wert among the +merry company?" gallantly responded the knight. + +"'Twas but the wine got into his head, Dorothy," insinuated Sir Henry. + +Dorothy, according to the fashion of the time, was carrying a hawk, +one which she herself had trained, upon her wrist, which was protected +from the beak and talons of the bird by a large thick glove. She +looked upon the noble bird, and felt proud of her treasure. + +"St. George," she said, "would scorn a sparrow, though, or else, +I fear, most noble Benedict, he shares not in the pride of his +mistress." + +St. George cocked his head on one side, as if to receive the +compliment in a most befitting manner, and catching sight of a hand +upon the saddle, it rapidly dipped down its head and made a vicious +peck at the intruding fingers. + +It was the hand of De la Zouch, and he withdrew with an ejaculation of +anger. + +"There, Mistress Dorothy," he exclaimed, "did I not say the bird was +but imperfectly taught, and now see here;" and he ruefully pointed to +the bleeding finger. + +Dorothy was so overcome by the tragic attitude Sir Henry assumed, +that instead of offering him her sympathy, she burst out into an +uncontrollable fit of laughter, in which the rest of the company +joined; and, burning with indignation, the unlucky knight hastened +away to join the group around the elder sister. + +Having fallen behind, Dorothy and her companions had now to hurry +forward, for they learned by the blowing of the horns and signals of +Sir George Vernon that they were now close upon the scene of the day's +sport. + +"Come, Doll," shouted the baron, "we are waiting for you; we are ready +to begin, and there are some strangers with whom I must acquaint you." + +They soon joined company, and Master John Manners, together with his +friend, Sir Everard Crowleigh, had soon passed through the pleasant +formality of an introduction to one of the prettiest and wealthiest +heiresses in England. + +John Manners, who plays a prominent part in this veracious narrative, +was the nephew of the Earl of Rutland. As he reverently kissed the +dainty hand which Dorothy held out to him he was so smitten with the +charm of her beauty that Cupid led him, an unresisting captive, to +yield his heart to the keeping of the maid. He was deeply smitten, +nor was Dorothy herself insensible to the more masculine beauty of the +scion of the house of Rutland, for as his dark, flashing eyes met her +own, in spite of herself, she felt the power of a strange attraction +which drew her towards him. The sprightly god of love had already done +his work, and, although perhaps neither of them was aware of the fact, +they were each being bound by his chains. + +It was a case of love at first sight. + + + + +CHAPTER II. + +A JEALOUS HEART AND CRAFTY. + + He that sows in craft does reap in jealousy. + + MIDDLETON. + + Vengeance is in my heart, death in my hand; + Blood and revenge are hammering in my head. + + SHAKESPEARE. + + +The scene of the pastime had been reached, and the preparations for +the hawking had already begun. The falconers brought up their birds, +the pages gave up their masters' jumping poles, and the dogs were +sniffing the air, eager for the chase to commence. + +At last the jerkins were taken off, and the straps which had held the +hawks were unloosed; the dogs were sent to the front, and the real +work of the day began. + +Sir George was in capital humour, and closely followed by Sir Benedict +à Woode and the others, he led off at a rare pace, with the ladies +following upon their steeds a little distance in the rear, and, behind +all, a number of admiring rustics, eager to see a little of the sport +in which it was not their lot to participate. + +Sparrows were plentiful, but no other kind of bird was to be seen, and +Sir Benedict was just thinking that Sir George would have to humble +himself, when the dogs began to bark. + +"Quails, as I'm alive! See!" shouted the baron, in high delight. + +"And a whole bevy of them, too," added De la Zouch, turning round to +the ladies. + +The excitement, which had simmered before, now suddenly became +intense, and away went lord and lady, knight and esquire, over wall +and ditch, in their eagerness to keep up with the hunt. + +Dorothy had not flown her bird, for she had noticed that Master +Manners was without a hawk, and now she sent it forward to him by her +page, and waited with a beating heart to learn whether her offer had +been accepted. + +Manners himself came back and thanked her. + +"But marry, fair Mistress Vernon," said he, "I could no more rob you +of your bird than I could steal away your beauty or take possession of +your heart." + +"Nay, now," replied Dorothy, not paying the proper amount of regard to +the truth, "I am already for-wearied of the hawking; and it were more +to my taste to follow on in a more leisurely fashion," she added, +seeing that he was about to refuse. "St. George is a good bird, and is +anxious to try a flight; and thou art a stranger, too; thou must take +it," and she placed the merlin on his wrist. + +Manners had never felt more embarrassed in the course of his life, +and, ready-witted though he was, he found himself at a loss how to +reply. Before he had collected his scattered senses, Dorothy had +gone, and he, left alone, was a long way in the rear. The horns of the +hunters, which were continually sounding, proved a sufficient guide, +and being nimble of foot, he started off in great haste to rejoin the +party, which was now well out of sight. + +All this had not escaped the jealous eyes of De la Zouch, for, +securely hidden within the friendly foliage of a patch of brushwood, +he had seen and heard all, and, with perceptions sharpened by the +jealous spirit which raged within his breast, he had at once divined +the secret which neither of the two, as yet, understood. + +As Manners departed, he emerged from his hiding-place, gnashing his +teeth with rage. His anger was terrible to behold. + +"So, so!" he exclaimed, as he watched the retreating figure, "it +has come to this, then, that I am to yield my share of the riches of +Haddon to this usurping churl. But no; it shall never, never be! John +Manners shall lie in six feet of solid earth ere I forego the prize!" + +Had he been more careful, Sir Henry would have discovered that he was +not alone. Had he been less rash, whatever he might have thought, he +would have kept his opinions to himself; for hardly had he spoken, +when a rough voice at his elbow awakened him from the reverie into +which he had fallen. + +"Such words, noble sir, are costly, and I ween thou hadst rather not +have them repeated to the King of the Peak." + +De la Zouch turned sharply round and fiercely confronted the +well-known figure of the Derby packman. + +"Thou art over bold for a knave," he exclaimed; "get thee gone." + +"Not till I am the richer, or I will hie me to Sir George, and tell my +tale to him," was the cool reply. + +"Villain!" hissed Sir Henry, "begone!" and obeying the impulse of the +moment, he dealt the pedlar a blow which felled him to the ground. + +"There will be a few more nobles for that," groaned the man as he +slowly regained his feet. + +De la Zouch glanced contemptuously at him and turned to depart, but he +was not to go so easily. + +"Nay, forsooth," cried the pedlar, clapping his hands upon the +shoulders of the nobleman. "And thou wilt forget thy debts it behoves +me to insist." + +With a curse the latter turned round again, but seeing the determined +aspect of the man, he pulled out three golden nobles and offered them +to him. + +The packman laughed. + +"What!" he exclaimed. "I must have more than that for my bruises +alone." + +"Thou art insolent; that is all I shall give thee; take it or leave it +and get thee gone. Thy word would never weigh against mine." + +"Well, master," returned the other, "it is a case of life or death, +and you value your life at three sorry nobles? I would take that +rather than the money, for Manners is a friend to the poor," and +grasping his thick stick with both his hands he struck at De la Zouch +with all his might. + +The blow was parried by Sir Henry, who received it upon his jumping +pole, and with blood now thoroughly aroused and life on either side to +fight for, the conflict was furiously sustained. + +The packman's attack was at no time equal to the defence of his +adversary, and as he rained down blow after blow they were coolly +caught upon the pole, which, used in skilful hands in much the same +fashion as the quarter-staff, made quite an admirable weapon both for +attack and defence. + +Such an unequal contest could not long continue. Science must ever +triumph over mere brute force, and this occasion proved to be no +exception to the rule, and as the man tired, his blows perceptibly +weakened. Had Sir Henry by any piece of misfortune failed to protect +himself, the end might have been different. His skill, however, saved +him in the end, and as the fury of his opponent abated the knight +became more vigorous in his attack. + +The end soon came, for, raising his stout ash pole high up in the +air, De la Zouch brought it down with, tremendous force, and easily +breaking through the pedlar's guard, it alighted heavily upon his +head. With a groan the unlucky man staggered back and fell upon the +turf. The blow had struck home, and the Derby packman was no more. + +Whilst this scene was being enacted, Sir Henry's page, missing his +master from amongst the hawking party, had turned back in great +trepidation to seek him. Guided by the sound of the blows, the youth +had experienced little difficulty in attaining the object of his +search, and, standing at a respectable distance, he had been a silent +witness of the tragic conclusion of the encounter. Seeing that all was +over, he slowly advanced, in a very uncertain state of mind as to the +character of his reception. + +De la Zouch was too busily engaged in a scrutiny of his late opponent +to notice the arrival of his page, and upon the latter devolved the +unpleasant duty of announcing himself. + +"That was a featly stroke, my lord," he began. + +Sir Henry turned round, and a sigh of relief escaped him as he found +it was not a fresh combatant with whom he would have to contend. + +"Ha, Eustace," he said, "There are many who would like to learn the +trick of it; 'tis known to few besides myself, but I will teach it +thee some future time." + +Eustace, too, gave a sigh of relief. His master was unusually +gracious. + +When Sir Henry spoke again, his voice was changed. + +"Hast thou seen all?" he asked. + +"I saw the end of it." + +"But the commencement?" + +"No! I was--" + +"Ah, well," interrupted the knight, "'twas not my fault; I would fain +have had thee witness its commencement, for, by my troth, the knave +brought his fate upon himself." + +He rolled the corpse over and they turned to go, but ere they had +proceeded many yards they came to a halt. De la Zouch had an idea, and +they wheeled about and returned to the body once more. + +"Empty the jerkin," said Sir Henry, as he pointed to the man's jacket. + +Eustace shuddered, but the command was given in so peremptory a tone +that there was no option but to comply. He stooped down and emptied +the capacious pockets of the dead man's jerkin, wondering the +while-time whether or no his master had suddenly turned robber. + +"There is little enough to take," said he. + +"Tut, I want none of it," replied the knight, and picking up the +assortment, which consisted of a huge jack-knife, a pair of spectacles +with monstrously wide rims, some bootlaces, a broken comb, and a few +coins, he carefully scattered them about the scene where the struggle +had taken place. He was not yet satisfied, though, for espying the +hollow trunk of an old tree close by, he made the unwilling page help +him to deposit the body there. + +Eustace wonderingly helped him. He would much preferred to have left +it alone, but he dared offer no resistance. He could only hope that +if the matter were heard of again, he might not be implicated in the +plot. + +De la Zouch critically surveyed the scene, and after lightly covering +the body over with grass and twigs, he turned to depart. + +They walked on in silence for some distance before either of them +spoke: the knight deeply wrapped in thought; the page eager and yet +fearful to learn the particulars, yet not daring to question his +master. + +At last Sir Henry spoke. + +"Mind you, Eustace," said he, "say naught of this affair. I would not +have my name mixed up with it, and if they ask thee, say thou knowest +naught." + +Eustace felt mightily relieved, and readily gave the required promise. +He was used to these little deceptions which his master was wont to +use on pressing occasions. + +"And see," continued the knight, after a pause, "I am hurt, for +although I have come off victor without a scratch, I have not come out +of the tussle without a bruise or two. I shall tell them I have had a +fall. You understand!" + +The page acquiesced, the conversation ceased, and the two walked on in +silence to rejoin their companions. + + + + +CHAPTER III. + +THE CLOSE OF THE DAY. + + See how the wily rascal plays his part. + With many a groan and many a practised art. + Around his victims he the net entwines, + Nor rests till he is snared within its lines. + But sure such hurtsome craft and wicked toil, + Will eftsoon on the villain's head recoil. + + +In the meantime the chase had grown in excitement. The hawks were as +eager to distinguish themselves as the birds were to escape, and the +sport waxed fast and furious. + +As the sun declined, the scattered hawkers struggled back to the +appointed rendezvous to partake of refreshment ere they began their +return journey. By ones and twos they came, bearing with them the +trophies of their sport, which they deposited in a heap before the +ladies. + +No one missed De la Zouch at first, and it was not until nigh upon the +conclusion of the meal that his absence was remarked. + +"Why, where is Sir Henry de la Zouch?" asked the old knight. + +No one had seen him for some time. + +"Ah, well," exclaimed Sir George, "'tis a bad plan to be betwixt towns +at mealtimes, eh, Doll? I suppose he'll come soon, though. Perhaps +he's having the best run of the day all alone;" and the knight sighed +at the bare thought of his being away from it. + +But Sir George's anticipations were not fulfilled, for when the meal +was finished De la Zouch had not appeared. + +"He may have met with an accident?" suggested Manners. + +"I rather think Sir Henry is afraid of me," stammered old Sir John de +Lacey, as he buried his face in the last tankard of ale. + +"Then he were wise indeed to stay away," added Sir Thomas Stanley, +with a sly wink. "I, for one, would not lightly risk a combat with so +doughty a knight as yourself, else Margaret might eftsoon weep for a +lover departed." + +As there was still some time left, and there was no certain knowledge +that Sir Henry needed their assistance, it was determined to return +slowly homewards, and if sport offered itself upon the way to turn +aside and follow it. The party had not been long in motion before it +roused a "fall" of woodcocks, the very sight of which--so excessively +rare at such a time--infused into the sportsmen all the animation +of which they were capable. The hawks shot up after them, and their +bells, which could be heard tinkling even when the birds were beyond +the range of vision, served in some degree to inform the hunters which +direction they should take. + +"Well, if De la Zouch is doing better than this, why then he is +welcome to it," said Sir George, as with his coat sleeve he wiped away +the perspiration which was streaming down his face. "'Tis fine sport, +this, Master Manners," he added, and the old baron chuckled with glee. + +It was at this moment that the head falconer approached. + +"We have found Sir Henry, my lord," he said. "He is sorely injured by +a fall." + +"Ha! is that so? Then you were right, Master Manners," exclaimed Sir +George, as he turned round to the falconer. "Where is he?" he asked. + +"Over the ditch, my lord, close by the wall where his page is standing +by his side," and he pointed to where Eustace stood. + +Sir George blew his horn, and in answer to the signal the eager +hunters broke off their chase and returned, puzzled in no small degree +by the summons they had received. In a few brief words the situation +was explained to them, and the party rapidly pushed on to rejoin their +injured companion. + +De Lacey, upon hearing that his quondam friend was hurt, was so +overcome by a most chivalric spirit of forgiveness that he determined +to be the first to reach his side, and to offer him what relief lay +within his power. Filled with this noble resolve, he hurried forward, +but, unfortunately for him, he was not destined to accomplish his +mission, for as he was crossing the ditch his pole snapped asunder, +and he suddenly found himself located in the very centre of the rank +mud dyke. There he was, and all his efforts to free himself caused him +only to sink deeper and deeper. + +"O, Blessed Mary, save me; save me!" he yelled out in an agony +of anguish as he felt himself slowly but surely sinking; but not, +apparently, feeling very much assured about the answer to his prayer, +he turned from things spiritual to things visible and mortal. + +"Help me; save me, George," he cried. + +Sir George Vernon was too much overcome by the ludicrous aspect of +the affair to lend any assistance just then, for he well knew that two +feet, if not less than that, was the excess of its depth. + +"Let him alone," he cried. "If he had not so befuddled his head with +ale he would remember as well as I do that twenty inches would reach +the bottom of the mud." + +Had Lady Maude been there she would in all probability have sent +her lord and master to aid the poor unfortunate, but she was safe +at Haddon, and, rejoicing in his freedom from restraint, he laughed +louder and louder as he watched the frantic efforts of his friend. + +"Don't let me die," pleaded poor De Lacey. "Don't let me die like a +dog. Oh, dear, I'm going, I'm going! Blessed Virgin, help me; save +me!" and the old man made a last great struggle to free himself. + +Manners could bear it no longer. He clearly perceived that what +was fun to them was mortal terror to the pitiable object of their +merriment, and, advancing to the edge of the dyke, he held out his +pole at arm's length to render him what assistance he could. + +"Here, take hold of it," he cried. + +Sir John endeavoured to obey the injunction, but he could not even +touch it, and he sank back again in despair. + +"Why, man," laughed Sir George, "as I'm a Vernon, you know as well as +I do that thou canst never sink deep in two feet of mud." + +The words roused De Lacey to struggle to his feet and attempt to +extricate himself. He staggered forward and advanced a foot or +two, but the slimy mud had such a determined hold of him that he +overbalanced himself, and fell forward at full length into the ditch. +This time, however, he was closer to the bank, and making another +effort, he grasped the pole which was still held out to help him. +Manners leaned forward, and pulled with all his might, but for some +time it was an open question whether he would go in or Sir John come +out. + +At this critical juncture Dorothy arrived upon the scene of the +disaster. The sight of the old man's distress at once appealed to her +womanly nature, and she had but to murmur a word of pity, when, in a +moment, half-a-dozen knights leapt over to fulfil her unspoken wish. +With this accession of strength the captive was easily freed, and a +queer figure he was. It would have been difficult for a stranger to +have determined exactly what he was; for, covered as he was to the +depth of several inches with black mud, he looked more like an animal +of prehistoric times--such as we see represented by fossils--than any +human being. + +De Lacey was promptly rolled upon the turf, and the pages set to work +and endeavoured to reach his person by scraping away the adhesive +slime with the aid of sticks and stones. + +"Get up, man, get up," exclaimed Sir George. "Here is Doll waiting to +honour thee with a dance." + +Dorothy shrank back, while Sir John, utterly exhausted, sank back +again helplessly upon the ground. Seeing that he was totally unable +to walk of his own accord, and in too dirty a condition to lean +upon anyone's arm, a rough extempore litter was made, upon which the +unfortunate knight was set and carried away, loudly lamenting the +unkindness of the fate which had brought him to such a sorry plight. + +"And now let us see what we can do for De la Zouch," said Sir George +Vernon, and they proceeded to the spot where the injured knight was +lying. + +"How now, Sir Henry? What's this, any bones broken, eh? How did you do +it, man; was it here?" and having delivered himself of this string of +questions, the King of the Peak leaned against the wall and awaited +the reply. + +"More hurt than injured, I believe," replied the other, "but Eustace +here will tell thee all about it;" and Eustace, who had carefully got +the story by heart, recounted how, when they were after a fine bevy +of quail, his master's pole had snapped as he was springing up, and +instead of clearing the wall he had fallen heavily against it. + +The pole, broken in twain, which lay upon the grass close by, attested +the truth of the statement. + +"Sir Benedict," exclaimed the baron, "thou art somewhat learned in +leechcraft; see if thou canst do aught. Tell us what is amiss." + +À Woode stooped down, and after a prolonged examination he gave it as +his opinion that some of his friend's ribs were broken. + +Another litter was quickly made up and De la Zouch, who was now +feeling the full effects of the injuries he had received, and who in +reality stood in need of assistance, was placed upon it and carried +off in the wake of Sir John de Lacey. + +Leaving them to pursue their way homewards, the hunting party set off +once more to make a fresh attempt at sport ere the day should close. +But now the fortune which had so favoured them during the day deserted +them. Not a bird was seen, and after vainly beating about for some +time the party at last reluctantly determined to wend its way once +more towards Haddon. Sir George sounded his horn again, and in answer +the wanderers returned from all quarters of the wood, all of them +light-hearted and most of them light-handed too. + +The route now taken was precisely the same by which they had advanced +during the day, and they soon arrived at the spot where the struggle +had taken place. Dorothy discovered the first signs of the conflict. + +"Why, what in the name of faith is this?" she cried, as she pointed +down to the ground. "'Tis a noble, I declare." + +"And here is another," added Crowleigh, stooping down and picking up +the glittering coin. + +"And here's a comb, what a nice--" + +Sir Benedict never missed that sentence, for as he bent down to pick +it up he caught sight of the body of the packman, and he started back +affrighted at the sight. "Look!" he cried, "'Tis a--the blessed saints +protect us, 'tis a murder see!" and he pointed to the tree. + +"A what?" asked Sir George, coming up. "What's a murder? Where?" + +"Here, see!" and à Woode pulled away the twigs which had but half +hidden the body from view. + +"Heaven forfend us!" ejaculated the baron as he gazed horror-stricken +at the body. "'Tis a foul villainy, and so near Haddon, too." + +"'Tis the poor Derby pedlar," exclaimed Dorothy, "and it was but +yester e'en since he was at the Hall." + +"Ha! 'tis lately done, I see. Trust me, I shall see to this. We'll +have no ghosts round Haddon, Doll. To-morrow we'll enquire into it. I +must get to the root of this." + +"'Tis evident it was a robbery," suggested Manners. "Even now the +knaves may be lurking round." + +Sir George took the hint and the vicinity was closely examined, but, +of course, not a trace of the perpetrators could be found; so, leaving +the followers to bring on the body in the rear, the party hurried +forward to gain the friendly shelter of the Hall and to partake of the +bountiful feast which the Lady Maude had provided for them. + + + + +CHAPTER IV. + +DAME DURDEN'S ORDEAL. + + Fear fell on me and I fled. + * * * * * + I took the least frequented road, + But even there arose a hum; + Lights showed in every vile abode, + And far away I heard the drum. + Roused with the city, late so still; + Burghers, half-clad, ran hurrying by, + Old crones came forth, and scolded shrill, + Then shouted challenge and reply. + + AYTOUN. + + +Next morning the Hall was early astir. The news of the murder had +spread far and wide, and had caused a feeling of consternation in the +neighbourhood, which was intensified by the mystery in which it was +enshrouded. + +De la Zouch had grown worse during the night, and soon after the break +of day had departed, with Eustace, for Ashby Castle, declaring that +in spite of the good intentions of Sir Benedict his case was not +understood, and that it had been aggravated rather than improved by +the attentions he had received from his friend. + +Sir George, as magistrate of the district, had caused the body to be +dressed, and for a long time he sat in his dressing-room pondering +what steps he had better take next. There was absolutely no clue, yet +the baron was determined not only to discover the culprit, but to make +such an example of him as should effectually deter a repetition of +such a crime in the neighbourhood of Haddon, at least for some time to +come. + +At length he issued from his room, and, passing along the corridor, he +ascended a short flight of stairs, and stopped at the door of the +room in which Dorothy was busily engaged in making some new tapestry +hangings. He paused, uncertain whether to turn back or to enter. + +"Yes, I will," he muttered; "she has the clearest head of them all," +and suiting the action to the word he gently turned the handle and +went in. + +Dorothy had dropped her work, and so intently was she gazing through +the open lattice window that she did not notice the arrival of her +father. + +The knight stood still for a moment or two, and involuntarily admired +the graceful figure of his daughter, and stepping gently forward, he +tapped her lightly upon the shoulder. + +Dorothy turned hastily round, and as she did so he caught her deftly +in his arms and printed a loud, smacking kiss upon the fair girl's +cheek. + +"There," said he, "I'll warrant me thou wert longing for it; come now, +confess." + +Dorothy disdained any such idea. + +"Nay," she replied, "I was but thinking of the poor pedlar. I had +bought these from him only the day before," and she pointed to a +little heap of silks which lay upon the table. + +"I had come to talk it over with thee, Doll," replied the baron as he +sat himself comfortably down upon a chair. "I think it was a robbery, +eh?" + +"Yes," slowly replied the maiden, "I should think so, too. Meg and I +paid him six nobles." + +"And only two were found." + +"Only two?" asked Dorothy. + +"That is all," replied the knight. "The knaves must have made off with +the rest. That ill-favoured locksmith would be as likely a rascal as +any; I must examine him." + +"Nay, that cannot be, he was all day in the stocks." + +Sir George scratched his head in despair. He had privately determined +that the locksmith was the guilty one, but now that his idea was +entirely disproved he felt sorely at a loss how to proceed. + +Dorothy watched him in silence; she was as helpless as the baron. + +"Was the packman staying in the village?" asked Sir George, lifting up +his head after a long pause, during which he had kept his glance upon +his foot, as if seeking inspiration there. + +"He stayed at Dame Durden's, I believe." + +"What, the witch?" + +"Yes." + +"I have it, then," he exclaimed as he struck his hand heavily upon the +table. "I have it!" and without saying another word he hastened out of +the room. + +Although the knight had thus decisively declared that he "had it," yet +whatever it was that he had got, he did not feel equal to proceeding +in the matter alone, and before he had proceeded many steps he turned +back again. + +"Come, Doll," he said, as he opened the door again, "we will go +together," and the two went off in company to consult the rest of the +family. + +The Lady Maude was seated in a low, easy chair, And with an air of +languor upon every feature of her countenance was listening to Sir +John de Lacey, who was reading to her out of Roger Ascham's treatise +on Archery. As the knight stepped into the room the remembrance of the +previous day's mishap was strongly brought back to his memory. + +"What ho! sir knight," he exclaimed; "better, eh!" + +"A little stiff about the joints, mine host," he replied, "for which I +have thee to thank." + +"Tush, man, don't mention it," laughingly returned the baron. "There's +no question of thanks betwixt me and thee." + +"They gave me some hot sack, and then rolled me in the river," whined +De Lacey, "and the pity of it is I cannot remember which of them it +was, or else I'd--I'd--" + +Sir John de Lacey paused to consider what course of action he would +have taken, but ere he had resolved, the door opened, and Sir Thomas +Stanley entered, bringing in with him the Lady Margaret. + +"Well, well," returned Sir George, "since it baffles thy wits to +discover whom it was, thou hadst best have the grace of forgiveness, +it will become thee well. But a truce to this. I came to counsel with +you of the murder. Any more news, Sir Thomas?" + +"I hear that the old hag, Durden, had a quarrel with the pedlar the +day before his death," answered Stanley, "and she told him to his face +that he would come to no gentle end." + +"They have often quarrelled," added Margaret, who felt bound to add +something to her lover's statement. + +"Yes, then," said Sir George, "I have it now. I guessed it was her +from the very beginning." + +"Nay, nay," interrupted Dorothy, "you suspected the smith at first." + +"Well, Doll, it makes no matter of difference if I did. 'Tis the +old witch, sure enough, and she will either hang or drown for it, I +swear." + +"Not so fast, either though, worthy knight," interrupted Stanley. "I +am not yet satisfied that it really was the witch, for she seems to +have been at home all day, except when she was by the side of the +stocks." + +"Courting the proud smith," added Lady Vernon, referring to a rumour +in the neighbourhood. + +"But he was killed in the woods," said Dorothy. + +"Tut, there's not a doubt about the matter," pursued Sir George, "not +the shadow of a doubt." + +"Nevertheless there is something in what Dorothy urges, and we +had better make some sort of inquiry," suggested the more cautious +Stanley; "for thou hast many jealous enemies, Sir George, who would +gladly score a triumph over thee an they had but half a chance." + +"Sir Ronald Bury, for instance," added Margaret. + +"But why Sir Ronald?" asked De Lacey. "He is a simple enough knight, I +trow." + +"Pooh, I care naught for him," replied Sir George Vernon; "he is +jealous of the beauty of my daughters." + +"And wants a husband for his child," added Lady Maude. + +"Let him want, then," testily returned the baron. "He may turn green +with envy for aught I care. I'll do it to his face, I will." + +But in the end wiser counsels prevailed, and the knight gave way so +far as to order a trial of touch--a superstitious form of trial much +relied upon in the times when witchcraft was commonly believed in. + +The witching hour of twilight was chosen for this crude but solemn +trial, and at the time appointed a large crowd was gathered in the +great courtyard of Haddon in obedience to a mandate of the King of the +Peak, which they dared not disobey. + +As the crowd swayed to and fro it was in marked contrast to the usual +way in which they were wont to assemble within the great walls of +Haddon. No loud laugh or sound of boisterous merriment broke the +stillness of this solemn eventide; no tricks were attempted now upon +unconscious friends, and even the almost invariable little groups of +admirers listening to the marvellously strange tales of those who +had crossed the seas were not to be found. All was silent save the +screeching of the owls every now and again, and the subdued hum +of conversation which rose up from the awestruck assembly as they +patiently awaited the test which was to bring home the guilt of the +murderer. + +They had a long time to wait, and the moon had long been out before +the proceedings were properly commenced. + +A loud blast from the trumpets of the sentries gave the first +intimation of the approach of the head of the house of Vernon. The +great gates swung open and Sir George slowly advanced through the +throng, which respectfully fell back on either side and made an open +passage for him. A few yards behind followed a bare-headed priest, +chanting prayers for the departed, and heading a diminutive +procession, in the midst of which the body of the unfortunate pedlar +was carried on a bier. They stopped at the foot of the steps which +stretch across the courtyard; the doleful chant ceased, and an +impressive hush fell upon the assembly, as with bated breath they +awaited the next scene in the awful drama. + +Sir George did not hurry himself, for it was necessary to the success +of the ordeal that the culprit, whoever that was, should be duly +impressed with a sense befitting the character of the moment, and a +little suspense, he shrewdly guessed, would tend to make the guilty +one tremble and offer signs which would make detection the easier. + +At last he spoke. + +"Mary Durden, Joel Cobbe, Henry Bridge, and Nathan Grene, step out," +he said, "take the oath; touch the body in our presence, and prove +your innocence if you are able." + +Every whisper was smothered into silence as they watched to see the +individuals named perform the test. No one stirred, however, and the +order had to be repeated. + +"Mary Burden, Joel Cobbe, Henry Bridge, and Nathan Grene," thundered +the baron, "I command you to answer to your names, or by your silence +shall you be condemned." + +Joel Cobbe and Henry Bridge, two of the most disreputable men in the +whole district, went forward in company, and succeeded in touching the +body without a rupture of blood taking place or the body moving its +position one iota. + +"Mary Durden, spinster, Nathan Grene, locksmith," repeated Sir George, +"answer to this third, last challenge, or thy last hope of escape is +gone." + +Nathan Grene, fuming with ill-concealed rage, stepped out, and a loud +shriek announced the presence of Mary Durden, who was unwillingly +pushed into view by those around her. As soon as she had gained the +little open space that was yet left she fell upon the ground and +swooned away. + +"See," said one, "the witch is guilty, she dare not touch the body." + +"Drown her," shouted another. "Drown her or burn her." + +The clouds which for some time had been gathering together, and +which by this time had completely obscured the moon, now burst with a +torrent of rain. A flash of lightning for a brief moment illuminated +the scene, and then died away again, leaving it more weird even than +it had been before. A faint roll of thunder broke upon the unpleasant +reverie into which the company had fallen, and Sir George's voice +ordering the oil lamps to be lighted, somewhat reassured the more +fearful among the spectators. A long five minutes elapsed before the +lights appeared, minutes of darkness and suspense, disturbed only +by the flashes of lightning and peals of thunder, which rapidly grew +louder in sound. + +Nathan Grene had touched the body, and the trial had proclaimed him +innocent. Indeed, Sir George fully expected it would do so, seeing +that Nathan had been fast bound in the stocks at the time the crime +was perpetrated. His name had only been called out because the baron +had a standing dislike to the man. But the woman still lay on the +rough stones without offering a sign of life. + +"Sir George, is that the witch?" asked De Lacey. + +"It is." + +"Then she is praying to her master the devil. Listen!" + +In the dread stillness of those awful minutes it was not difficult to +discover that she was moaning. The crowd was stricken with terror, and +catching up the words which Sir John had let fall, reiterated the cry +which even yet added to the dismal terror of the scene. + +"This cannot long endure," said Sir George, as a vivid flash of +lightning almost, for the moment, blinded him. + +A long, loud roll of thunder, which terminated in a crashing peal, was +the only answer he received, and while the noise was at its loudest, +Mary Durden started to her feet and dashed forward to touch the body. + +She just reached the bottom of the steps when, catching her foot +on the uneven pavement of the yard, she over-balanced herself, and +tumbled heavily upon the bier, almost knocking the body off as she +fell. + +"Guilty!" eagerly shouted Sir George; "she is guilty; seize her." + +But before he had finished the sentence, Mary had turned and fled, +and far from attempting to hinder her in her headlong flight, the +awe-struck people, one and all, shrunk eagerly back to escape being +brought into contact with one who had just given such unmistakable +proofs of witchcraft, and who had been condemned a murderess by the +almost infallible ordeal of the bier. + + + + +CHAPTER V. + +A VISIT TO NOTTINGHAM. + + One sole desire, one passion now remains, + To keep life's fever still within his veins. + Vengeance, dire vengeance, on the wretch who cast + On him and all he had the ruinous blast. + + MOORE. + + +It was upon the third day after the occurrences narrated in the last +chapter had taken place that a lonely traveller might have been seen +urging his way across the fields just outside the town of Nottingham. +The gates closed at dusk: it was now past sunset, and he hastened +forward to gain admittance. + +It was the man known at Haddon by the name of Nathan Grene, the +locksmith, whose actions had ever been at variance with his character, +and whose nature had always seemed to have been unequally yoked with +the common occupation of a smith. + +Nathan, in fact, was no true smith. He was a brother-in-law of +Sir Ronald Bury, and having taken up the practice of astrology and +alchemy, this fact had been seized upon by his foes, and he had +been obliged to fly in disguise to save himself from one of those +persecutions which were so readily and frequently levelled against the +followers of the "black arts." + +In the character of a locksmith he had lived for some months in an +uneasy state of security at Haddon. The lack of comfort which he was +compelled to experience in his new position being compensated for in +some small degree by the kind attentions he had received at the hands +of the widow Durden, which began directly upon his arrival, and which +soon rapidly ripened into a sincere regard for each other, and from +that eventually progressed into love. + +Being well born, Nathan Grene--or rather Edmund Wynne, for such was +his proper name--had never taken kindly to the conditions imposed upon +him by the disguise he had chosen to assume. He had never sought for +work, and had done as little of it as he possibly could, and he +had held aloof from the people around him, treating them with a +supercilious indifference which they were not slow to resent. Under +such conditions it was by no means surprising that he was decidedly +unpopular in the neighbourhood, and the dislike to him was heightened +by the intimacy which grew up between himself and the woman who was +regarded as a witch. + +It was for his vigorous defence of Mary Durden that he had been placed +in the stocks. His whole spirit revolted from such a degradation; he +had pleaded and had raged, but all in vain, and even Dorothy's appeal +on his behalf had failed to save him from the bitter humiliation. + +The ordeal, again, had been a very trying scene for him, and his +annoyance was more than doubled when he saw how his beloved was +being persecuted by her neighbours and oppressed by the baron. As she +escaped through the gateway he made up his mind to strike Sir George +down, but in spite of his resistance he was carried out beyond the +limits of the Hall in the wild rush that took place when the first +moment of surprise and terror had passed away. + +All night long he lay upon the floor of his little smithy pondering +schemes of revenge, but when he ventured out on the following morning +all his ideas were dispelled by the sight which met his gaze, for +there was Mary Durden hanging from the branch of a tree at the foot of +the slope which led up to the gateway of the Hall. + +He rubbed his eyes in sheer astonishment and looked again, but the +second view only confirmed the vision of the first. His worst fears +were realised; his Mary was dead! + +Mechanically he walked to the tree; there was a paper fastened to it +upon which was some writing in the hand of the baron. He read it:-- + + MARY DURDEN. + + THE STORM AVAILED HER NAUGHT. + +Impatiently he snatched it down, and tearing it into a hundred +fragments, cast them down upon the ground, and slowly turning on his +heels, he walked homewards, utterly dejected and cast down, and with a +bitter heart. The last tie which bound him to Haddon was now severed, +and he longed to get away. + +In melancholy silence he dug a grave in the little garden behind +his lowly cottage, and then, with all the coolness which is lent by +desperation, he proceeded again to where the body was hanging, and cut +it down. He had brought another paper with him, and this he affixed in +exactly the same place as the one he had destroyed. It was laconical +enough, for it had but one word, and that was + + REVENGE! + +He laid the body in the grave, and put some plants upon the top, and +then, after watering them with the tears which copiously ran down his +cheeks, he turned his back on Haddon, and started for Nottingham with +few regrets, leaving behind him little enough to love, and much to be +revenged. + +Footsore and weary he hastened to the Chapel Bar, glad indeed to +find himself so near the end of his journey; but before he had quite +reached it he had the mortification to hear the sound of the closing +bell, and when he arrived there the gates were shut. + +"Ho, ho, there, porter!" he cried, and he violently kicked the iron +post by way of emphasis to the call. + +"Aye, aye, there; steady now, thou'rt over late," replied the burly +porter as he tantalisingly rattled the heavy keys in his hand. + +"Yes, but only a minute," Edmund replied; "you can let me in, and you +will." + +"Nay, master, not till next sunrise," he returned. Edmund groaned. + +"But I cannot stay outside all night," he said. "Come, open the gate, +there's a good fellow." + +"I were like to lose my position if I did," answered the other. "I +cannot unless--," and he significantly jingled some coins in his +pocket. + +"Unless what?" + +The gatekeeper thought Edmund Wynne uncommonly dull of comprehension, +and with a little hesitation he suggested that it were surely worth a +trifle if he did break through the rule. + +"Here, here's a groat then," exclaimed the smith, bringing out his +last coin as he saw the other moving away. + +"Pooh, a sorry groat!" said the keeper, "Make it two, and then!" + +"But I must get in to-night," expostulated Edmund, "I have urgent +business with Sir Ronald Bury. It is important, it is a matter of the +State." + +At the mention of Sir Ronald's name the key was inserted in the lock, +and by the time the sentence was completed the great gate was swung +open, and the visitor found himself, to his great satisfaction, beyond +the barrier. + +"I was but jesting," humbly said the man as he re-locked the gate; +"for you must well know that we are not allowed to take bribes, though +where the harm of it would be, I confess I cannot see." + +Having succeeded in passing the barrier, Edmund did not stay to argue +the question with the gatekeeper. He turned his steps towards the +Castle, and in a very few minutes found himself at its embattled +entrance. + +The gates, of course, were fastened, but the bell-rope was hanging +down, so seizing hold of that he gave it a vigorous pull. + +"Holloa, my hearty, what's amiss?" asked a stentorian voice. "That's +the third summons to-night." + +"I want to see the constable of the Castle," replied the traveller. + +"Well, thou hadst better hie thee to London, and happen, if you're +lucky, you may find him there." + +"Sir Ronald at London!" exclaimed Edmund, in blank dismay. + +"Sir Ronald!" repeated the other. "No, the Earl of Rutland." + +"But Sir Ronald Bury?" + +"He's the deputy-constable." + +"Well, I would see him. Is he here?" + +"Yes, he is here," responded a gruff voice. "I am Sir Ronald; who art +thou? What dost thou require at this time o' night?" + +"I want to see thee privately, upon a matter of much importance," +answered the pseudo smith, somewhat annoyed not to be recognised by +his brother-in-law. + +"See if he has any weapons on him, Wilton," said the knight, "and let +him enter if there is no suspicion of foul play. It will go badly with +him, though, I trow, has he ventured here on no sufficient reason." + +Wilton approached him to obey his master's commands, but Edmund waved +him back by an imperious gesture of the arm. + +"Nay, cousin Ronald," he exclaimed in high dudgeon. "It is beyond a +joke to take matters so far. Ellice might well expect that a little +kinder treatment would have been extended to her brother at the hands +of her husband." + +"Eh, what! Are you Edmund; risen from the grave?" asked the knight in +high surprise. + +"I am Edmund, sure enough," was the reply, "but I have not risen +from the grave. I am not astrologer enough for that. This is a sorry +welcome, and no mistake." + +"Faith, man, how could I tell it were thee? We thought thee dead +twelve months agone. Come in, man, come in; there's no occasion for +thee to tarry there now. Let him in, Wilton, and be sure the gates are +well fastened to-night. Robert and Lucy will be right glad to see you +again," he said, "especially Little Robert, who has never forgotten +those little iron toys that you made for him two years ago." + +Edmund Wynne needed no second invitation. He hurried through the open +portals and the two walked up together towards the inhabited part of +the building. + +"This is indeed a strange surprise," began Sir Ronald, as soon as they +were out of danger of being overheard. "We felt sure that thou wast +dead, and have often thought of thee. Where hast thou been?" + +"Hiding in the country. I have been a village smith." + +"A smith!" cried the knight. "Then that fancy of yours for working +with metals has stood thee in good stead for once?" + +"It has indeed; but it was a base use withal." + +"Thou has been well hidden, for Her Majesty's servants have scoured +the country to discover your where-about." + +"I have been at Haddon in the Peak," he replied. + +"Haddon: phew! Do you know that arrogant knight, Sir George Vernon?" + +"Do I know him?" echoed Edmund. "Would to heaven I had never cast my +eyes upon him." + +"Ah! he has stung thee too, I perceive?" exclaimed Sir Ronald. "I hate +him like poison. It should go ill with him did I ever have the power. +I hear he is a Papist; cannot we prove aught against him on that +score?" and the excited knight wistfully regarded his companion's +face, waiting for a favourable reply. + +"I should like some supper first," drily suggested the toil-worn +traveller, "and then," he added, "I may satisfy your eagerness to the +fullest extent. I have a score of my own against him to clear off yet, +and, what is more to the point, Ronald, I have the power. It was for +that I came to visit you." + +"Ha!" ejaculated the knight, expectantly. "He can satisfy my craving +to the fullest extent," he mused. "This is fortunate." + +"Yes," continued Edmund, "we shall have him cited to London; he is +surely within our power. He hath grievously broken the law, and will +have to answer to the charge of murder and treason; and if we cannot +compass his ruin, then, between us, I have other ways, of which no man +knows." + +"Hush," said Sir Ronald. "That led thee into trouble aforetime. Here +is Lettice coming down the steps." + +"That is not Nicholas with her, surely?" exclaimed Edmund. + +"No, Nicholas has discarded us and turned monk, I hear, but where +he is I cannot tell. That is John Manners, the nephew of the Earl of +Rutland. He is after my Lucy, I trow." + +"Manners, Manners, John Manners," murmured Edmund; "I have heard that +name before. I have met him somewhere I am sure." + +"Well, hither he comes," said the knight; "now do you remember him?" + +As soon as Edmund caught sight of the young man's face he recognised +him. + +"Why," he exclaimed, "that's--I know him well enough: I have seen him +at Haddon." + +"At Haddon!" + +"Yes, let me hide myself; I would rather not meet him here; it were +better so for both of us. Where shall I go, tell me; quick?" + +"Steady, ho! steady, man," said the knight. "Hie thee back again to +the lodge and wait for me there. Wilton shall let you share his supper +if thou wilt. I will tell them you are a gardener if they ask aught +about thee," and in answer to the beckoning of his wife, Sir Ronald +left his newly-discovered relation and hastened across the green. + + + + +CHAPTER VI. + +DE LA ZOUCH INDULGES IN A LITTLE VILLANY. + + If I can do it + By aught that I can speak in his dispraise, + She shall not long continue love to him. + + SHAKESPEARE. + + +The Courtly hall of Haddon was never quiet for long together, and very +soon both the death of the witch and the warning of the locksmith +were forgotten amid the preparations which were being made for a grand +ball. Sir Thomas Stanley, having wooed Margaret, had successfully +petitioned the sanction and blessing of Sir George and Lady Vernon, +and the event was to celebrate their betrothal. + +The morning of the festive day had opened fair, and as the day sped +on, the guests rapidly assembled. De Lacey was there, delighting the +ladies, as usual, with his braggadocio. Manners and Crowleigh were +both there too, by special invitation, and, of course, cousin Benedict +à Woode, who made no scruple of inviting himself to Haddon Hall if by +any means his invitation had not come; and also, to Dorothy's great +disgust, Sir Henry de la Zouch was there. + +The musicians struck up a lively tune, and very soon the steaming +boar's head was placed upon the table. Father Philip pronounced a very +long benediction, and the singing of an old Latin rhyme beginning-- + + "Caput apri defero," + +announced that the feast had commenced in earnest. The venison pasties +of Margaret's make disappeared with a truly marvellous rapidity, while +Dorothy's confections had a very short lease of life, and fared no +better, either because they were nice or that Dorothy was the maker of +them. + +"Pass round the wine," hailed the baron, "and drink to the health of +the ladies of Haddon Hall." + +"Hurrah!" vociferously replied the guests, "to the health of the +ladies of Haddon." + +"But stay; what's the matter with Master Manners?" asked De la Zouch, +whose eagle eye had discovered that HIS tankard was not upraised with +the rest. "A discourteous guest, upon my troth." + +"May I drink it in water?" asked Manners, as he felt the eyes of his +host fixed sternly upon him. + +"Nay, you must have the wine, sir," replied Sir George, "but whether +it goes down your throat or your arm makes little matter," and as he +spoke he pointed to the iron ring fastened in the door post ready for +such contingencies. + +"I suppose the arm must have it, then," he replied, "for I am sworn to +taste no wine until I have performed a solemn vow." + +"Waste good wine!" exclaimed De Lacey, as he gazed in blank +astonishment at the speaker; "what a pity." + +"Have you forsworn ale too?" asked Dorothy. + +"No, only wine, sweet demoiselle," replied Manners, smiling as he +caught the drift of the question. + +"Then fill his glass with ale," commanded Doll, "and drink the toast +without delay." + +This happy suggestion was loudly applauded, and the healths were drunk +off amid acclamation, the only one who did not heartily join in it +being Sir Henry de la Zouch, who was annoyed to find that his +petty attempt to spite his rival had failed, and that, too, by the +intervention of Dorothy herself. + +"Confound it all," he muttered, "he shall not escape me like this. +Eustace." + +"Did you call?" asked the page, bending down. + +"Yes," whispered De la Zouch. "Listen, you remember the Derby +packman?" + +"Aye, too well, I do." + +"Nonsense," he replied, softly; "Master Manners killed him." + +"Oh!" gasped the astounded page. + +"Remember," added his master, "it was Manners." + +"Yes, Master John Manners," repeated Eustace. + +"Hush, that is all. A little more of that delicious jelly of yours, +sweet Dorothy," he added in a louder tone as he turned round again to +the table. + +Whilst the feast was progressing, De la Zouch was pondering the +fittest way of broaching the topic which lay so heavily upon his mind. +Sir Thomas Stanley had won the elder sister, he argued, why should he +not win the younger? He clearly saw that Dorothy was receding from his +grasp, and that the longer he delayed, the fainter grew his chance of +success. Lady Vernon daily grew less favourable too, he noticed, and +so without delay he resolved to ask Dorothy for her hand. The present +occasion was most propitious, and he determined to carry his plan into +operation at once. + +When the meal was ended--and that was not very soon--the company broke +up into little parties and separated, to amuse themselves in whatever +fashion they liked best. Margaret, as the heroine of the day, was +surrounded by a number of knights and ladies, who contentedly watched +her as she played at chess with Benedict. Sir John de Lacey racked his +brains to the uttermost in order to sufficiently garnish the veracious +little scraps of his own autobiography, and succeeded both in making +the group around him open their eyes wide with surprise, and at the +same time in making his listeners roar with laughter. + +A marvellous hero was Sir John. He had been the ruling spirit in more +than one Continental Court during his one brief sojourn in France. He +had slain dragons, in different parts of the globe, in numbers enough +to make St. George turn green with envy; and only his excessive +modesty has prevented his name from being handed down to posterity. + +Manners, naturally enough, joined Dorothy's party, and went out upon +the lawn to take part in a game at bowls. + +"Dear me, how careless I am to-day," she exclaimed; "there are six of +us, and I have only brought four balls; I must fetch some more," and +she started to go back. + +"Let me go," said Manners. + +"You," replied Doll, "you could never find them; I will go, and you +must entertain the ladies while I am away," and she tripped across the +green to the Hall. + +"Ha, Doll, dearest," said a voice, as she turned the corner of the +terrace, "I have been searching for thee." + +Dorothy turned round and met the gaze of Sir Henry de la Zouch. + +"For me!" she exclaimed, without pausing. + +"Nay, prithee, now don't hurry so," he replied, catching hold of her +arm, "I would ask thee a weighty question." + +"But I am in a great hurry," she replied. + +"Then I shall not keep thee long, but thou canst stay a little while, +surely?" + +"Indeed, I cannot, Sir Henry," she replied. "There are some visitors +awaiting my return." + +"John Manners for one," sneered the knight. + +Dorothy blushed deeply, and bit her lip to repress the sharp retort +which came readily to her tongue. Sir Henry saw that he had committed +an error, and he endeavoured to recover his position. + +"Sir Thomas has wooed thy sister Margaret," he exclaimed, "and I have +long been wooing thee, and now the time has come when I am to offer +you my hand." + +Dorothy struggled to get away, but her suitor held her fast. + +"Nay, cruel one," he continued, "I must have an answer. I shall be +an earl in good time, perchance, and if you will but say 'aye' to my +proposal you may be a countess--think of it, Dorothy, a countess--and +the hostess of Ashby Castle." + +He let go his hold of her, and dropping down upon his knee, he +raised his clasped hand in the most approved fashion of the time, and +continued his suit. + +"Dorothy," he went on, "will you--?" + +"Never," she replied, cutting him short in the middle of his speech, +and, finding herself at liberty, she rushed precipitately into the +Hall. + +De la Zouch gazed after her in mute astonishment, and, staggered as he +was, he remained in the same position until he was startled by a voice +behind him. + +"At prayers, sir knight?" asked the baron. "Father Phillip's grace at +the table was long enough to serve me through the day." + +"No, Sir George," replied the crestfallen lover, "I have been pleading +my suit with Dorothy." + +"And what said she?" + +"She is bashful." + +"What! My Doll bashful? That were hardly polite to thee, methinks." + +"Perchance I should have more success with thee?" pleaded Sir Henry, +as pathetically as he could. + +"Let us withdraw into the bower, then," replied Sir George, "we can +talk it over there, and we shall not be disturbed. Ha! here comes Lady +Vernon, she will know what to do." + +Lady Vernon came up at the bidding of her lord. The lover would fain +have seen Sir George alone, but there was no help for it, and he had +to brave the circumstances with the best grace possible. + +"Maude, we must take your counsel," began the baron. "Sir Henry de la +Zouch would take advantage of to-day's festivity to ask for the hand +of Doll. What think you; can we spare her too, as well as Margaret? We +should lose them both together then. What dost thou advise?" + +"That depends upon many things," replied the stately dame, as she +seated herself. "Dorothy would be a splendid match for anybody. What +has Sir Henry to say?" + +"I hope to be an earl soon," he replied, "and she would be a countess +as you will. My father is infirm, he cannot live much longer, and +I expect news of his death from Florence every day. And as for the +estates, though they may not be equal to those of Haddon, yet they are +by no means insignificant." + +Dame Vernon knew all this, and the knowledge of it had influenced her +before; but lately she had heard ill tidings of Sir Henry, and she +was by no means so enthusiastic on his behalf. And, besides, a fresh +competitor had entered the lists. + +"Humph," growled the old knight, "we don't want to sell the girl." + +"Be quiet, Sir George," interrupted his worthy spouse. "The thing must +be done properly. Does Ashby Castle fall to your share, sir knight?" +she asked. + +"Certainly. To whom else should it go?" + +"Have you spoken to Doll about it?" continued the dame. + +"She is too dutiful a daughter to commit herself without the consent +of her parents," answered De la Zouch. "But I doubt not, that when +once again you have spoken to her, I shall speedily be rewarded with +success." + +"Ay," exclaimed Sir George, "Doll was ever a dutiful child." + +"She would bow to our will, anyway," replied Lady Vernon, "but I think +she has another suitor. We must think the matter well over ere we +settle anything." + +"Another suitor," laughed the baron; "why there are scores of them." + +"Ah, you see, Sir Henry, the baron has not the quick, discerning eye +of a mother--or a love either," she added shyly. "Bless his innocence, +he knows naught of it yet. Sir George, I trust Master Manners is a +trusty young man?" + +"John Manners is goodly enough, forsooth, for aught I trow," returned +the King of the Peak, reflectively. "Aye, and a likely enough young +man, too!" + +"But Manners cannot seek the hand of so guileless a maiden as sweet +Dorothy," interrupted the dismayed lover. "His hands are stained with +blood." + +"A soldier should do his duty," quickly returned Sir George." + +"But he is a murderer!" + +"That is a bold statement, De la Zouch, to make against a guest of +mine," exclaimed the baron quickly, "and I fear an thou persist in it +that it will prove awkward for thee if thou canst not prove it, and +worse still for him if it be true." + +"Are you certain of it?" asked Lady Maude. + +"I have a witness," was the calm reply. + +"Then by my halidame," quoth the irate knight, "as I'm a justice +o' the peace, he shall be faced with the offence. When was it +perpetrated?" + +"At the hawking party." + +"What, here at Haddon?" + +"You don't mean the pedlar, surely?" inquired Lady Vernon. + +"Aye, but I do; he was murdered in the wood." + +"Tut," angrily exclaimed Sir George, "'tis all a tale, and I for one +don't believe a word of it. The witch killed him, and was punished for +it too." + +"But I saw it," stubbornly returned Sir Henry, "and I have a witness; +one who saw it done." + +"We tried Dame Durden by the ordeal, an she was found guilty and +hanged," persisted the baron. "And, beshrew me, that's enough for any +man"; and the Lord of Haddon reverently crossed himself to show that +the trial had had the approval of his conscience. + +"But," urged De le Zouch, "I tell you I saw it done myself, and I am +ready to prove it any way you choose." + +"Come now, Sir George," interrupted Lady Vernon, "the trial may for +once have led us astray, as it did in the case of Thomas Bayford +sixteen years ago. Doubtless Mary Durden got no more than she +deserved, and mayhap she was punished for deeds we wot not of. +Perchance Master Manners would not deny the charge if he were here, +and faith! I remember me now that Margaret did say he was left behind +with Dorothy, and then Doll left him and galloped on." + +"Yes, that was it," Sir Henry said, "and Eustace, who was left behind, +saw them quarrelling and fetched me back to stay the strife." + +"Well, prithee now, go on," exclaimed the knight. "You saw him killed, +and said naught?" + +"No." + +"And let me hang another for it. Truly, 'tis a right noble way to +treat a host." + +"Nay, you are too hard upon me. I thought he was but thrashing +the knave, and as that was no affair of mine I left him to it, but +afterwards his body was found in exactly the same spot. I was away +when the ordeal was performed, else I had told thee what I had seen. +Eustace will bear me out in all I have told you; question him for +yourselves. But now, if you still think well enough of Master Manners +to mate him with the peerless Dorothy, I am sorry alike for her and +your vows of knighthood." + +"Come that is right enough," exclaimed the dame, "and Master Manners +has not denied the accusation yet." + +"Then he shall soon have the opportunity," said the baron, "for hither +he comes; he could not have come at a readier moment." + +John Manners had waited a long time for Dorothy's return, and now, +half fearing that some accident had befallen her, he had willingly +acceded to the request of the ladies and had set forth to find her. +Hearing voices in the house, he approached it to pursue his inquiries, +when the watchful eye of Sir George Vernon immediately espied him. + +"Pardon my intrusion," exclaimed Manners, "but I am in search +of Mistress Dorothy. She left us to fetch some balls and has not +returned." + +"Hie, man," interrupted Sir George, "we have a serious charge +preferred against thee; thou art just come right to answer it." + +"Have I been stealing some fair maiden's heart?" he laughingly +inquired. + +"Nay, listen! 'tis a charge of murder; but I tell thee frankly, I +don't believe a word of it." + +"A charge of murder," echoed Manners blankly, "a charge of murder, and +against me! This is past endurance, 'tis monstrous! Whom have I slain, +I pray thee tell me?" + +"The Derby packman," promptly returned De la Zouch, "and thou knowest +I saw thee do it." + +"You lie. I never saw the man until he was dead. Thou shalt prove thy +words, Sir Henry de la Zouch," returned the esquire, "or I shall have +thee branded as a knave. There is some cause for this, Sir George," +he added, turning to the baron, "of which I am in ignorance. I am the +victim of some plot." + +"Like enough, like enough," returned the baron, sympathetically. "Then +you deny the charge? I knew De la Zouch was wrong. The ordeal--" + +"But I saw him myself, and so did Eustace," stuck out the disappointed +lover; "and Margaret remembers that Master Manners was left behind." + +"And for the matter of that, so were you," said Sir George sharply. + +"And Eustace is but a page who must, perforce, obey his master's will +in everything," continued Manners. "Crowleigh was with me all the day, +save when I went back to Mistress Dorothy. How tallies that with your +account, eh?" + +"That was precisely the time it occurred, and bears me out in all that +I have said," glibly responded the scion of the house of Zouch. "It +all but proves his guilt, Sir George." + +"Nay, not so much as that," quoth Lady Maude; "but since it cannot be +agreed upon, I should advise you to let the matter drop." + +"Stop," exclaimed Manners. "If De la Zouch has a spark of honour left +within him he will step out and measure swords with me, for by my +troth I swear he will have to render me the satisfaction my honour +demands." + +This was by no means to the taste of the knight of Ashby. He had not +calculated for such a course as this; but, fortunately for him, Lady +Vernon spoke, and unwittingly released him from his difficulty. + +"Nay, not before me," she said, "and on so festal a day as this." + +"As you will it," said De la Zouch, assuming an air of injured +dignity. + +"They must settle it in true old knightly fashion at the tourney," +exclaimed Sir George decisively. + +"Since you command it I suppose I must obey," replied Sir Henry; "but +I had rather not have stained my weapons with the blood of so foul a +caitiff." + +"You will be good enough to leave me to decide that matter," said the +baron testily. + +"Then, by St. George, I shall be ready," replied Manners. "I am as +well born as he, and can give him a lesson or two in good breeding, +besides showing him a trick or two with the sword that I learned in +the Netherlands. In the meantime I disdain him as a dog;" and boiling +over with rage the maligned esquire left the little group and stalked +across the terrace to rejoin the ladies on the green. + + + + +CHAPTER VII. + +DOROTHY OVERHEARS SOMETHING. + + The cruel word her heart so tender thrilled, + That sudden cold did run through every vein; + And stoney horror all her senses filled + With dying fit, that down she fell for pain. + + SPENSER. + + +And, meanwhile, where was the innocent cause of this disturbance? + +Dorothy had been half expecting some such course of action on the +part of De la Zouch for some time past, and had carefully prepared +a stinging answer which should once and for ever decide the question +between them. Though she was petted and admired on almost every hand, +yet she had sense enough to value such conduct at its proper worth; +and whilst with the coquetry of a queen of hearts she accepted all the +homage that love-sick cavaliers brought to her, she looked below the +surface, and had a private opinion of her own about all those with +whom she was brought into contact. + +Her opinion of Sir Henry de la Zouch was distinctly unfavourable to +that knight; for, with the instinct of a woman, she had divined from +the very beginning that his motives were more mercenary than genuine, +and in spite of all his protestations of love towards her, he had +failed to convince her that he loved her for herself alone. A little +watching on her part had quickly convinced her that the dislike she +felt for him was not without sufficient reason, and as the evidence +against him accumulated, she congratulated herself that she had +escaped the clutches of a villain of so wily a disposition. + +Long before the appearance of John Manners she had determinedly +refused all the advances of her would-be lover, and his every attempt +had been met by her with chilling sarcasm; or, were she in a lighter +mood, she had retreated into safer ground under cover of a burst of +merriment. Had De la Zouch been possessed of ordinary perceptions he +would have noticed that his conduct was alienating Dorothy from him +more and more; but, like many others, he was so eager to gain his ends +that he was partially blind as to the means employed. + +The manner in which Sir Henry had just preferred his suit had taken +her so completely by surprise that she had entirely forgotten what she +meant to say; but the indignation she felt at his conduct in +detaining her against her will would have deprived her of the power +of expressing the prettily turned speech so long prepared, even if she +had remembered it. She fled into the house, and without casting a look +behind to see if she were being pursued or not, she rushed through the +deserted state chambers and never stopped until she found herself in +her own room and had turned the key in the lock. + +She flung herself down upon the bed, and her overwrought feelings +found relief in tears. How long she would have so remained would be +impossible to say, but she had barely succeeded in locking herself in +when she was startled by a gentle rap at the door. + +She stopped her sobbing and listened. Surely De la Zouch would never +venture to follow her to her own boudoir! No, it was incredible, and +she dismissed the idea. + +The silence was broken only by a second rap at the door. It was too +gentle for Sir Henry, it must be her tire-maid, Lettice, or her sister +Margaret, maybe. She rose up, and in a tremulous voice inquired who +was there. + +"It is I, Lettice, your maid," replied a gentle voice. + +Lettice was of all people just the one whom she stood in need of most +at such a moment, so she unfastened the door and let her in. + +"My lady is troubled," exclaimed the maid, as she entered. "Is there +aught that I may do for thee?" + +"Oh, Lettice," she sobbed, as the tears chased each other down her +cheeks in quick succession, "see that he does not come. Stop him, keep +him outside. Don't let him come to me." + +"Who, my lady, whom shall I stop? No one dare follow thee here." + +Dorothy returned no answer, she was trembling all over with +excitement; she fell upon the bed and wept, while the sympathetic +Lettice could only look on in silence, and wonder what it all meant. + +"My lady is troubled," she repeated at length. "Someone has been +frightening thee. Tell me who it was! Who is it thou art feared would +try to come at thee here?" + +Still there was no answer. + +"You ran through the hall," the maid went on, "just like a frightened +hare, and cast never a look at one of us, and now--the saints preserve +us, thou look'st as if thou hadst seen the ghost of Mary Durden." + +"Was he following me, Lettice?" asked Dorothy, raising her head from +the pillow. "Was he there?" + +"Following thee, no. Who's he? There was no one else went through." + +"I thought he was close behind." + +"Who?" + +"De la Zouch." + +"Sir Henry de la Zouch!" repeated the maid. "'Tis he then who has been +treating thee so ill. Were he not a noble, my Will should thrash him +soundly for daring to offend so sweet a lady." + +"Take these balls to Master Manners, Lettice," said her mistress, +composing herself as well as she was able. "You will find him waiting +for them on the bowling green. Tell him I will rejoin him soon." + +Lettice unfastened the door and disappeared down the passage in +obedience to the command whilst Dorothy re-arranged her disordered +head-dress, hesitating the while whether to venture out again or to +stay within doors. + +Ere she had decided which course to take, Lettice returned. Her face +was deeply flushed and her manner unusually agitated. + +"Why, what's the matter?" asked Dorothy. "Has he assailed thee, too?" + +"He is telling the baron such a tale," replied the maid. "He says thou +lovest him, and he is asking Sir George and my lady for thy hand. O, +Dorothy, believe me, 'tis only that thou art so fair and so rich that +he seeks thee, and when he has thy gold and the bloom of thy beauty +begins to fade (which God forfend!) he will care naught for thee, and +leave thee for another." + +"I know it, Lettice." + +"They are in the little bower, and I could hear everything," pursued +the maid. "That De la Zouch is jealous of another, and is seeking to +get him out of the way. He says that Master Manners killed the pedlar, +and 'fore heaven, we all know it was the witch." + +"Master Manners?" echoed Dorothy. + +"Yes," returned the maid, "and he says he can prove it, but the good +knight, your father, won't believe him. Master Manners denies it, of +course--but lack-a-day, what ails thee now? Thou art as white as the +veriest ghost!" + +"'Tis nothing," replied Doll, as she sank down into a chair. "I am a +trifle faint; give me some water, Lettice." + +"Nay, but it is something," returned the other, as she speedily +complied with her mistress's behest. "Thou canst not throw me off like +that. Come, my good lady, tell me what it is; there are few things you +hide from me." + +"There is nothing to tell you, Lettice," she replied, "but prithee go +on; what did Sir Henry de la Zouch make answer?" + +"He said he had a witness, but I had to hasten away, for I heard +footsteps approaching; but come, I can read your secret; Master +Manners will make a worthy knight." + +"Keep such thoughts to thyself, Lettice," Dorothy blushingly replied. + +"Trust me," said the maid, with a toss of her pretty head. "I will do +thy bidding; but faith! you will be a comely pair." + +"Hush, or I shall be angry with thee. I tell thee he has said naught +yet." + +"And I tell thee, Mistress Dorothy," returned Lettice, "he is head and +ears in love with thee. I would stake my troth on it; there!" + +"I wish it were so," sighed Dorothy, "for I love him dearly." + +"It is so, assuredly it is," replied her companion, decisively. "Let +me give him a hint, my lady." + +"No, Lettice, not another word; don't breathe it to a soul unless I +bid thee." + +"My Will could do it," continued the other, "an you would but let him +try. He can do anything that way, Will can." + +"Be quiet, Lettice; and mind you take care of your tongue. No one must +even so much as guess at the truth; there, begone." + +"Happen you would like to see if they have settled the matter?" +suggested the tire-maid; "let us go and see." + +Dorothy willingly agreed, and away they went through room after room, +until at last Lettice stopped. + +"Let me open the window," she said; "we shall hear better here than +anywhere else," and she stepped upon a chair and silently pushed the +latticed window open. The balmy breeze came pouring into the room, +bringing in with it the sound of the conversation from outside. + +"That's splendid," she said. "Now, my lady, listen." + +"I tell you it's of no use, Sir Henry. I don't believe a word of it." + +"Nevertheless, Sir George, it's perfectly true." + +"Well, I cannot believe it," returned the baron, sharply, "but all +the same, you will have to fight him now. We shall make quite a grand +affair of it; 'tis a rare long time since there was a tournament at +Haddon." + +"I had rather it passed off quietly," suggested De la Zouch, who was +by no means confident of his own prowess in a stern contest with naked +weapons. "It is only by thy direct command that I have consented to +enter the lists to fight him. 'Tis more a case for the assize than for +thee. Sir George, and I have my honour to maintain." + +"You must let that remain with me," replied the baron. "Eustace is +but a page, and as Manners rightly enough pointed out, his word would +count for little in such a circumstance. But apart from all such +considerations, I flatly tell you, Sir Henry, that I don't for a +minute think him guilty. The ordeal--" + +"Tut, bother the ordeal," broke in De la Zouch, who was rapidly losing +control of his temper. "Then you doubt me?" + +"You are rash, sir knight," interrupted Lady Maude. "You do not do +proper justice to the baron." + +"Hark! what's that?" whispered Lettice, "There's someone coming." + +"Inside?" + +"No, don't you hear them coming on the gravel?" + +"Listen," exclaimed Doll, nervously, "'twas but Eustace, the page, +stealing away; he's been playing eavesdropper." + +"Like us," laughed the maid. + +"Hush! Sir Henry is talking. How excited he is. Listen." + +"I humbly crave his pardon then, fair lady. When shall I learn what +fate you have in store for me?" + +"Not till after the tournament, at least," promptly replied Lady +Vernon. + +"And that will be--prithee when?" + +"This day week, and in the meantime I would advise you as a friend to +practise well with your arms," and, added the baron with grim humour, +"say your prayers day by day, Sir Henry, for Manners has not fought in +the Netherlands for naught." + +"Then I shall present myself before you, Lady Vernon, at the +conclusion of the tourney," he loftily replied, "and I will have my +answer then." + +"If so be, that is, that there be aught left of thee to come," +supplemented Sir George, considerably nettled at the other's tone, +"for I hear that Manners is terrible with the sword." + +"Thank you, sir baron," was the proud retort, "but I have learnt +ere now how to hold the lance, and can wield the mace;" and without +deigning to cast a look behind him he strode away in an ill humour +with himself and everybody else, to scowl in silence at the group of +merrymakers on the green. + +"There, a pretty lover!" exclaimed Dorothy, as her suitor walked away, +"but I have given him his answer." + +"Hush, my lady," whispered the maid. + +"We shall be able to get it all arranged for a week to-day, and you +shall be queen of the tourney, Maude, if it so please you." + +"I, Sir George? I indeed!" replied the dame. "Pooh! my queening days +are gone. It must be either Margaret or Dorothy." + +"Fancy," whispered Lattice, "you the queen of the tournament!" + +"Hush!" + +"But I hear he is likely to lose the Ashby estates. Think of that, Sir +George; think of that. He would be a poor man directly." + +"Why, how?" + +"The Ashby estates were forfeited to the De la Zouches, but King Henry +granted them back before he died, and I hear they are like to go at +last." + +"It were a pity for Sir Henry, but in truth, Maude, I like him not." + +"Pooh, nonsense! He wants none of our pity, but I tell thee Dorothy is +too good a match to throw away upon him." + +"Perhaps so, Maude," replied the baron; "it may be so, but I shall +be much mistaken if, after the tournament, he is able to ask for her +again, but if he does I will refer him to you." + +"That will do, Lettice," said Dorothy. "I have heard quite sufficient. +Shut the window; I will go now and see how they are faring on the +bowling green. I have a lighter heart now." And followed by a "God +speed you" from her maid, she opened the door and passed out of the +room. + + + + +CHAPTER VIII. + +A TOURNAMENT. THE COMBAT. + + At this the challenger, with fierce defy, + His trumpet sounds; the challenged makes reply. + + DRYDEN. + + +Grass did not grow beneath the feet of the good people of Haddon +during the week which ensued. Inside the Hall everything was in +confusion and disorder. Rooms were being emptied of hangings which had +lain undisturbed repose for many a long year, and everybody was eager +to bring to light such old relics of previous tourneys which had ever +taken place there as could be discovered outside, and the stir was not +one whit less. The level sward through which the Wye rippled on its +way to join the Derwent, having once been selected as the battle +ground, was immediately transformed from a scene of lovely rustic +peacefulness to a very pandemonium of noisy workmen, out of which +slowly evolved tents and pavilions for the accommodation of the +numerous visitors who were expected to witness the struggle. + +The news had spread far and wide, and a large number of persons, +attracted by the well-known splendour and hospitality of the King of +the Peak, as well as by the desire to witness the rare exhibition of +a tournament, which was now about extinct, assembled at Haddon as the +time appointed for the fray drew nigh. + +At length the eventful morning dawned. Everything was fully prepared. +The white tents, with their fluttering pennons of many lines, occupied +one side of the ground; the balconies, decked with their brightly +coloured hangings, faced them from the other side, and a slightly +elevated platform, upon which was the throne for the queen of the +tourney, filled one end, while the other was left open for such of the +neighbouring villagers as liked to come. + +Long before the appointed hour the space had been filled up by eager +sightseers. Men and women, lads and lasses, old folk and young, +all alike were there, tricked out in holiday attire. Not a coign of +vantage was lost sight of, and every tree which might reasonably have +been expected to yield a glimpse of the scene was crowded by rustics, +eager to gaze upon so rare an exhibition. Behind all rose the grey old +towers of the Hall, which presented a very picturesque appearance as +the sun flashed upon its turrets, and its flags waved to and fro in +the gentle breeze. Haddon had witnessed many stirring scenes before, +but surely never a more brilliant one than was about to be enacted. + +Jousts were divided into two classes. The "joust a plaisir" was a mere +knightly display of skill, and was fought with weapons, the edges of +which were dulled; but the other, the "joust a l'outrance," was of +a far more dangerous kind. Lances, swords, and even, occasionally, +mace-like weapons with sharp spikes were used, and it rarely happened +that serious injuries did not result, while not unfrequently it was +accompanied by a fatal termination. + +Additional interest was attached to this tournament, inasmuch as it +was of the latter class, and when the sound of the herald's trumpets +was heard, a shout of admiration went up from the assemblage, as the +gates swung open and the party descended from the Hall; and round +after round of praise was accorded by the crowd as the cavalcade +wended its way through it, and took up its allotted position in the +tents and on the balconies. + +Without waiting any time Dorothy seated herself upon the throne, and +giving the signal to commence by waving a dainty little flag, the +trumpeters took it up and blew a loud blast upon their instruments. + +This was the summons for the combatants to appear, and amid the +tumultuous greetings of the whole assembly, Manners and De la Zouch +came forward from either side of the balcony, and each, well protected +with armour, stood leaning upon his charger while the herald read +aloud the order of the King of the Peak, by whose command the tourney +was held. + +Having read it out, this functionary retired with all the grace +and speed at his command; the trumpet sounded again, and the two +assailants leapt simultaneously into the saddle. A minute later the +galloping rush, the sound of contending horsemen, and the noise of +shivering lances told the outsiders that the conflict had begun. + +So terrible was the shock as the two met together in the centre of +the ring that it seemed utterly impossible that either of them could +recover from it, but after the first thrust and parry they each passed +on, apparently uninjured, and wheeling their horses around, with +lances couched they paused to spy out a weak point in the other's +defence. + +Every breath was hushed, and every eye was strained, to the uttermost +as the anxious onlookers stood on tiptoe to follow every movement of +the competitors. + +But neither the knight nor the esquire appeared to be particularly +eager to commence the struggle. Each waited for the other to advance, +and for a moment or two they stood perfectly still, keenly regarding +each other through the bars of their visors. + +"They are not going to fight, Sir George," exclaimed De Lacey, in +piteous, tones, "and I've come all this weary way to see the sport." + +"Never fear, Sir John," replied the baron cheerily, "you'll see +sport enough soon; they will begin directly, but they don't know each +other's mettle yet." + +Even as he spoke Manners rode forward and the conflict was renewed. + +Sir Henry de la Zouch was famous at the London schools for his +brilliant lance play, and many of his friends had accepted his +invitation to witness his triumph; but, although it was anticipated +that he would win easily enough with that weapon, it was feared by his +well-wishers that unless he succeeded in placing his combatant hors +de combat then, his chance of doing so with the sword would be +considerably less. + +De la Zouch himself knew this, although he would not own it, and it +made him cautious. For a long time he stood carefully upon his guard, +but at last, espying a favourable opportunity, he darted a fierce +blow at the vizor of his opponent, hoping it would pierce the bars and +transfix itself there. It was a well-aimed thrust, and almost proved +successful, but, unfortunately for De la Zouch, Manners unwittingly +foiled him by rising in his saddle at the same time to deliver a +similar blow at him, and instead of receiving the lance upon his +helmet, he caught it in the very centre of his breast-plate. Still +the blow was delivered with so powerful a stroke that, standing in the +stirrups as Manners was, it completely upset his balance, and he fell +over. + +A great shout rose up at this feat, but Dorothy turned her face aside, +fearing that he whom she loved was stricken down never to rise again, +and wishing, for the fiftieth time, that she was in her own chamber, +peacefully occupied in stitching at her tapestry. + +But the shout was broken off suddenly--to be succeeded the next moment +by another, louder and more prolonged, for, although taken unawares +and overturned, Manners put into execution a trick he had learned in +Holland, and sliding under the belly of the horse, he nimbly swung +himself up by the girths on the other side, and reseated himself in +the saddle, much to the astonishment of De la Zouch, who imagined +he had unhorsed him, and much to the delight of the audience, which +greeted him with plaudits again and again renewed. + +"See!" exclaimed De Lacey, with eyes wide open with astonishment, +"where's he come from?" + +"Never saw a neater thing in my life," replied Sir George, enraptured +at the trick. "Look now!" + +Sir John looked as he was bidden, and saw the astounded De la Zouch +receive a stinging blow on his arm from his opponent ere he had +recovered from his surprise. + +As the lances of both were now broken, the trumpet sounded, and the +combatants, nothing loth, rode off for a few minutes' rest, and a +fresh supply of weapons. + +The latter having been procured, they very quickly renewed the +struggle, and this time De la Zouch had better fortune, for just as +the bugles were sounding for them to cease he pierced the joint of +Manners' armour, and inflicted a nasty flesh wound upon his elbow. + +As the latter would not own himself vanquished, even at Dorothy's +request, the conflict was resumed, and this time with swords, and here +the inferiority of De la Zouch was soon apparent. Though he was no +mean swordsman, yet his opponent was far more than a match for him, +and blow after blow was rained down upon him, whilst on his own part +Sir Henry was too busily engaged in defending himself to attempt to +act on the offensive. He was hard pressed, and it was fortunate indeed +for him when the signal was given which called upon them both to +desist awhile, in order to gain fresh breath, and to put to rights, as +far as they were able, the damages they had already received. + +The interval was filled up by the shouts of the onlookers, who now +made up for their previous silence by loudly criticising the deeds +of their respective champion, and vociferously calling out their +particular favourite worthless instructions how to proceed when the +conflict was continued. + +Eustace stood ready to receive his master, and give him cordials +wherein to reinvigorate his nerves, while Crowleigh was in waiting in +lieu of a page, to bathe his friend's wounds with water. + +The sight of blood, which slowly trickled from Manners' arm, reminded +à Woode that he was a doctor, and, leaping from his seat, he clambered +over the balcony and rushed across the arena to where the wounded +esquire was standing. + +"Let me see it," he cried. "This must be stopped at once. Sir Henry, I +declare you the winner of the----" + +"Hold there," cried Manners, "I have not yielded yet." + +"Leave him alone, Sir Benedict," added Crowleigh. "He will make a +sorry example of De la Zouch even yet." + +"But," persisted the old knight, "I declare----" + +His speech was rudely cut short, for with a yell of pain he darted off +across the arena, closely followed by a huge mastiff, whose tail he +had been unfortunate enough to tread upon. + +With the doctor out of the way the conflict was speedily renewed. It +was a terrible combat. De la Zouch, intent on ridding himself of +his adversary, declared he would give no quarter, and, altering his +tactics, he hewed and lunged away with all the temerity of a man who +fights for death or victory. + +Manners' superiority with the sword, however, was so apparent that +after the restarting of the contest the final issue of it was never +for a moment doubted, not even by the veriest tyro present. Sir +Henry's wild thrusts were parried with consummate ease, and while the +knight's sword moved hither and thither with lightning-like rapidity, +the trusty blade of the other moved equally quick, but with far more +certainty. + +He waited until De la Zouch began to tire before he exerted himself. +The time came at last, and then with a few quick strokes he laid his +foeman before him on the ground. + +"Strike!" shouted a score of voices. "Strike!" + +The victor uplifted his sword, and poised it high above his head to +bring it down with all his might. The people waited with throbbing +hearts to witness the stroke which should finish the combat, but +instead of striking Manners paused and turned round. + +"Strike, man, strike!" yelled a chorus of onlookers. + +Humbly bowing before Dorothy, he magnanimously declared that the fate +of his rival rested with her. + +"'Tis a tournament, not a murder," decided Doll promptly; "you have +proved your cause, and if your foe will yield we are ready to spare +him." + +Amid the plaudits of the crowd, Manners bowed low upon his knee, +kissed the hand held graciously out towards him. He murmured his +perfect acquiescence to her will, and was about to pass out of the +ring, an easy victor, when a horseman rode in, and without in anyway +announcing himself, he sprang off his horse and scanned the company. + +"What does this fellow want?" growled Sir George, as with knitted +eyebrows he scrutinised the intruder. "Thou art a Royal messenger," he +added, turning to the man, who had advanced until he stood before the +baron. + +There was little sympathy between the Court at London and the King of +the Peak, and the baron surmised little good from the arrival of the +courtier. As the latter urged his horse through the crowd, and entered +the arena, Sir George anticipated trouble. + +"I want the King of the Peak," replied the new comer. + +"I am Sir George Vernon." + +"Then," replied the other, "I deliver into thine hand this summons, +which cites thee to appear at Westminster to answer the charge of +slaying Mary Durden." + +The baron started with surprise, and thought for a moment of laying +violent hands upon the man, but a moment's reflection convinced him of +the unwisdom of such an act. + +"And if I refuse to come," he doggedly said, "what then?" + +"Then you do so at your peril," he replied, and leaping again upon +his horse, he departed as suddenly as he had appeared, leaving the +awe-stricken assembly to disperse with much less pleasure than they +had anticipated from the scene of such an exciting exhibition of manly +prowess. + + + + +CHAPTER IX. + +AT THE COCK TAVERN, LONDON. + + London! the needy villain's general home, + The common sewer of Paris and of Rome. + Here malice, rapine, accident conspire, + And now a rabble rages, now a fire; + Their ambush mere relentless villains lay, + And here the fell attorney prowls for prey. + + JOHNSON. + + +Five days after the tournament had taken place, two travellers reined +in their steeds at the gates of the Cock Hostelry, just within the +Temple Bar. They were dusty with hard riding, and evidently in no good +humour with themselves nor with anyone with whom they were brought +into contact--a result doubtless attributable to the discomforts of a +long journey on roads rough enough to try the patience of any man. + +The elder of the two, throwing the reins upon his horse's neck, +alighted, and leaving the ostler to take the steed away, he strode +quickly into the inn without uttering a word. The young man, however, +got off his saddle in a more leisurely fashion, and before he followed +his companion he proceeded to the stable to see that the horses were +properly attended to. + +"The old man is a trifle out of sorts," the ostler ventured to remark, +as they entered the yard together. + +"Perchance so," returned the other, "but that is no affair of thine; +but an you keep good care of his horse he will think well of thee." + +"Yes, yes; certainly!" replied the man, grinning. "I always look well +after gentlemen's horses, I do. You'll not be wanting them in the +morning, I suppose? + +"Yes, no; that is--I don't think we shall, but anyway you had better +have them in readiness, we may possibly want them for the return +journey to-morrow: tend them well;" and leaving a few final +instructions, Sir Thomas Stanley, for he it was, passed out of the +stables and entered the parlour of the inn. + +Sir George Vernon was so engrossed in poring over a document which +lay stretched out on the table before him that he did not notice +the approach of his friend, and it was not until the latter inquired +whether the meal was already ordered that the baron looked up and saw +him. + +"Oh, it's you," he exclaimed; "yes, we shall fall to directly; but I +want you just to look at this first." + +"What is it," inquired Stanley, "the summons again?" + +"The summons, of course," replied Sir George, as he thrust it into the +other's hands. + +"What did the attorney say?" + +"He said it was a bad case; a very bad case. He said, in fact, that he +never came across a more unpromising case for a client of his since he +set himself up as a lawyer." + +"Humph!" returned Sir Thomas, "they always do say so. I tell you it +will come out all right in the end." + +"Happen so; but he says the ordeal would go for nothing, they don't +count now in courts of law here. They would do if the trial came off +at Derby, I know." + +"Aye," assented his friend, "I'll warrant it would count there, for +no one would dare to resist thee; but you see, Sir George, it's at +London, and that makes all the difference." + +"Warder, read the summons through," pursued the baron. "I could not +understand it, of course, I'm not much of a lawyer; but he says 'tis +the work of that villainous locksmith. I wish I had hanged him at the +same time, and then--" + +"Well, what then?" + +"It's too late, now," said Sir George, bitterly. "If they do condemn +me I shall claim the benefit of clergy. I know some of the prayers, +and if I can only find the right page I shall get on well enough. They +will only fine me, though, at worst." + +"But you have enemies at Court, remember." + +"Well, let them do their worst. I shall not disgrace myself when +the time comes, and in the meantime I will address myself to Lord +Burleigh; he is all-powerful now." + +"And if he fail us," added Sir Thomas, "I will take thee to Sir +Nicholas Bacon." + +"The Lord Keeper?" + +"Yes, why not?" + +"He is a hard man." + +"He is honest, and will take no bribe, if that is what you mean, Sir +George; but if there is a flaw in the proceedings he will point it +out for us, and that will be better than naught. We shall have the +satisfaction of knowing that everything was properly done, at least." + +"We will try my Lord Burleigh first," sighed the knight. + +"Sir Nicholas might intercede for thee with the Queen," Stanley went +on. "He owes me some service, and is not ungrateful." + +"Hush! there is someone coming," interposed the baron. "Let us say no +more at present." + +It was the maid bringing in the dinner; and, folding up the paper, Sir +George carefully deposited it within his breast pocket, and relapsed +into a moody silence as they began and continued the meal. + +Meanwhile, outside the inn a very different scene was being enacted. + +No sooner had Sir Thomas Stanley entered the house than the ostler, +having quickly stabled the horses, emerged into the yard again, and +putting his fingers into his mouth he blew a soft peculiar whistling +note, and reared himself up beside the wall to await the answer. + +It was not long in coming, for almost directly the door of the +stable loft above him opened, and the head of the locksmith of Haddon +cautiously peeped out. + +"Is all clear?" he inquired. + +"Yes, they have both gone in to dine. I didn't know you were there. I +will come up and join you." + +In another minute the ostler stood beside the once more disguised +Edmund Wynne, and the two, secure from intrusion, began to converse +with unrestrained freedom. + +"Well, are they the right ones?" he asked, as he fastened the +trap-door down. + +"Yes," replied Edmund; "what did Sir Thomas say to you; I could hear +him speaking?" + +"Who's Sir Thomas?" + +"Sir Thomas Stanley, of course." + +"Oh! He didn't mention the affair at all." + +"H'm! Did he say aught about me?" + +"How should I know even if he had?" returned the ostler, "for I don't +know your name yet. He did not mention anybody, only to say how that +the old man, the baron would think well of me when parting time came +if I took good care of his horse." + +"Call me James," quickly replied Edmund. + +"Very well," returned the other, "it shall be so; but I don't believe +your name is James, nor do I think you are a broken-down wool merchant +either; but so long as you pay me what we have bargained for, I don't +care a straw what you are or what you call yourself." + +"Just so, that will do exactly," Edmund promptly replied. "That is +just what I require." + +"I'll call you James, then, and if anybody asks about you I don't know +aught of any such person." + +"Exactly; yes." + +"And I will get to know as much as I can from the maids, and will keep +you well informed of the movements of your friends. Their trial comes +off, you say, to-morrow?" + +"I think it does." + +"They will not go far to-day, then?" + +"I cannot say, but they will be well watched. What accommodation have +you here for half-a-dozen stalwart fellows?" + +"Plenty in the inn." + +"I don't need telling that: but here---in the yard. I am expecting +some guests for the night." + +"Let me see. It means money." + +"Of course it does." + +"And I shall run great risks." + +"You will be well repaid, though," said Edmund, "and they might as +well be here, I trow, as elsewhere; only see that they don't have too +much drink, and be careful that they are not seen lounging together +about in the yard." + +"Trust me," laughed the ostler, "I shall manage that easily enough. +I shall bolt the doors and fasten them in, and nothing except a rat +could get out then." + +"Nay, you misunderstand me. They are not prisoners, but men who have +been hired for the journey." + +"I see now; ah, I see," returned his companion in the most unconcerned +manner possible. "In that case they only want a little watching." + +"And, mayhap, a little restraining, yes. Here is a shilling for some +ale, which they will be expecting. You will meet them for me, and take +charge of them?" + +"Very well, James, so be it; where shall I meet though? It would never +do for them to hang about here that's very certain, for our landlord +would have his eyes upon them in a minute. He is awfully sharp on +tramps and beggars and such." + +"No, certainly not," agreed Edmund; "meet them at the Temple Gates at +six." + +"It shall be done; and in the meanwhile you will have a first-rate +view of the entertainment from here." + +"What entertainment?" + +"The players are here to-day. See, there is the stage and everything. +'Tis the Earl of Leicester's company, too," and pushing the door still +farther open, he pointed out to Edmund Wynne's astonished eyes one +of the rudely extemporised platforms which passed in those days for +stages. + +Those who have witnessed the splendid scenic triumphs which have been +achieved by managers of late years would be astonished indeed were +they confronted by one of the theatres of the earliest dramatic times. +Nothing could present a much greater contrast than the elaborate +drapery and the ingenious trap-doors, side wings, and numerous other +mechanical contrivances which are now a necessary complement of the +modern stage, and the superlative simplicity which characterised the +theatres of three hundred years ago. + +Theatres, indeed, there were none, and the troupes of players wandered +about from city to town, and from village to hamlet, giving their +performances in open-air; or, if they were fortunate, in the +courtyards of inns. + +It was a scene such as this that the two men gazed upon. + +A slight wooden shed afforded protection to the actors from the +burning rays of the sun or the more uncomfortable showers of rain. The +stage, which was a movable wooden platform, was supported at a little +distance from the ground by a number of empty boxes--which a torn +piece of faded tapestry vainly endeavoured to hide from view. A small +gallery ran along the wall at the rear of the stage, which was ready +to do duty as the wall of a castle, a fort, a mountain, an upper room, +or a window, or anything else, just as the necessity might be; while +a flag, which floated in the breeze from the summit of a stunted pole, +announced to the general public that the play was about to commence. + +Edmund Wynne had never witnessed such an elaborate display before, +and for a time he watched in silent wonder as the people congregated +below. + +"There will be a goodly company to-day, my lord," exclaimed the +ostler, as he drew his head in after a prolonged look round the yard. +"'Twill be a notable day, will this." + +"I tell you I am not a lord," angrily interrupted Edmund Wynne. "I +only wish I were." + +"So do I, James, with all my heart, but look here; here is a proper +lord for you, a great lord, too. See, do you know him?" + +"No, where?" he quickly replied. + +"Do you see that little platform there?" + +"With a lamp hanging from the roof?" + +"No, that's the moon for the players. They will light it soon, and +we shall know that it is night then, and folks can't see each other +without the moon. Look there;" and he pointed to where two or three +gaily-bedecked ladies and some equally gaily-attired gallants were +conversing together in a part of the courtyard which was separated +from the rest by a rope which stretched from end to end. + +"Well, I see them," he said. "Who might they be, prithee?" + +"They might be Pope Joan and the cardinals, but they are not." + +"Then who are they?" + +"That thin man, with the big buckles on his shoes, is Sir Henry +Sidney." + +"Never!" ejaculated Edmund, "he is too gray haired." + +"Even so, James. He is the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and that +light-haired boy beside him is little Philip. He is the pet of the +Court already, but heigho! whom have we here? Why, it is, yes--it is +the Lord High Treasurer himself!" + + +"So it is," murmured Edmund, as he carefully retreated well into the +shade. "This door won't attract attention, eh?" + +"No, thank goodness, for I can't very well get out now. You see, 'tis +only a loft door, and it is as often open as shut. They will think I +have been pitching some hay in." + +Nevertheless, Edmund was by no means satisfied. There was only the +distance now of a few yards which separated him from his persecutor, +and he feared, in spite of his disguise, lest he should be discovered. +He upbraided himself a thousand times for his foolhardiness in +exposing himself to the perils which he knew beforehand would beset +him in the capital; and in the extremity of his fear he absolutely +shook with terror. Fortunately, however, for him, his companion was +too engrossed in watching the new arrivals, as they rapidly flocked +in, to notice his agitation, and for some time he was left to his own +uncomfortable reflections. In vain he wished himself safe within the +walls of Nottingham Castle. Even Haddon would have been preferable, +but even that sorry refuge was denied him too. However much he wished +it, he could not break away from the fact that he was at London, +almost within arm's length of his persecutor, and he already began to +look upon himself as lost. + + + + +CHAPTER X. + +IN DIRE STRAITS. + + And if the worst had fall'n which could befall, + He stood, a stranger in this breathing world, + An erring spirit from another hurled; + A thing of dark imaginings, that shaped + By choice the perils he by chance escaped; + But 'scaped in vain. + + +Edmund Wynne was rudely awakened from the train of thought into which +he had fallen by the rough hand of the ostler, which alighted upon his +shoulders with a smack which was re-echoed in the farthest corner of +the yard. + +"Now, James," said his companion, whose ready familiarity was becoming +exceedingly distasteful, "they are about to begin, see!" + +The courtyard was, in fact, already more than comfortably filled. +Those of the audience who formed the pit squatted unceremoniously down +in groups upon the ground, and having brought with them a plentiful +supply of fruit and provisions, they were already busily engaged in +discussing them; whilst the more select company, which paid a higher +price and represented the modern gallery, occupied the reserved part +on the other side of the rope, and was amusing itself in a general +way, by looking down with supercilious contempt upon the common folk +below. + +Edmund stretched himself slightly forward, and peering out of the +darkness of his retreat, was just in time to witness the appearance +of the musicians, who, after making their bow to the audience, passed +along the stage and made their exit through a doorway at the other +end. A profound silence fell upon the company, and as the music of +the violins floated gently on the breeze, the players made their +appearance on the stage. + +"What grotesque figures," he exclaimed, as an involuntary smile stole +across his face; "why, they are covered with ivy leaves." + +"See how Lord Burleigh cheers," interrupted the delighted ostler, as +the play commenced, "and Sir Henry, too; see! Hang him, that's old +Boniface rooting about; what can he want, I wonder? I believe he is +looking for me." + +"Who is Boniface?" meekly asked Edmund. + +"The landlord, of course; and your friends are with him, too," was the +curt reply. + +Edmund shrank back still further into the shadow of the room. "It +would never do for them to see me here," he explained; "it would upset +all our plans. You must screen me somehow, won't you?" + +"Take care of yourself, sir," returned the ostler as he snatched up +the pitchfork and began to toss the hay about. "Take care of yourself, +sir, for he's coming up here, upon my faith he is. Here's luck!" and +the hay flew about in all directions. + +No second bidding was required. Edmund scrambled over the heaps of hay +and straw which lay upon the floor and never slackened his haste until +he found himself hidden from view behind the stack in the further-most +corner of the loft. Barely had he succeeded in ensconcing himself +there, when footsteps were heard ascending the ladder, and a moment +later a sharp knocking at the door announced to the only too conscious +conspirators that the landlord was waiting to enter. + +"Halloa," shouted the ostler, as he stamped upon the floor with his +fork, to convey the impression that he was busily engaged, at work. +"You can't get in here, I've got my work to do." + +Edmund was astonished at the cool impudence of his friend, and he +lifted his head to accord him a nod of approval, but a bundle of straw +which the ostler purposely tossed at him from the other side of the +room made him quickly withdraw his cranium again into the shelter. + +"Let me in, I say," shouted a voice from below. "You knave, let me in, +I tell you." + +The ostler had played his little game, and, having sheltered his +companion, he now anxiously awaited the result. Glancing round to +see that Edmund was completely buried from sight, he dropped upon his +knees, and moving the catch on one side he slowly raised the door. + +"You knave! you villain!" exclaimed his irate master, as he stepped +into the room. "Wasting your time in looking at puppet-shows. How dare +you, sir; how dare you? Get you gone, sirrah!" and he gave him a kick +which considerably accelerated the speed with which he disappeared +below. + +Having thus satisfactorily vented his displeasure, his brow relaxed +and he turned to the baron and Sir Thomas and conducted them to a seat +so lately vacated by the guilty pair, with an urbanity which looked +positively impossible to ruffle. + +"You see, my lord, there is a seat ready provided," he exclaimed, as +he pointed to the bale of hay which stood beside the wall. "Perhaps +your lordships will be pleased to seat yourself on that? I'll warrant +me 'tis clean enough, for I espied the rogue sitting on it." + +Sir George Vernon, nothing loth, accepted the proffered seat. + +"I will reach another bundle down for you," continued the loquacious +innkeeper, turning to the younger knight. "I will get you one of a +convenient size; most of them are far too big to be comfortable, +I fear, but I have them in all shapes and sizes; you shall be made +comfortable in a trice, my lord." + +He cast his eyes about in search of the bundle "of convenient size," +and his choice fell upon the one which covered the gap where Edmund +Wynne lay hidden. Having once selected this he proceeded straightway +to climb over the impeding bundles to reach it from the corner where +the ostler had tossed it just before. + +This, however, proved no slight task. He was burly and heavy, while +the bundles were frail and loosely stacked and failed to yield to his +feet that amount of support which, of all men, the stouter ones are +supposed most to require. This being so, it was not surprising to find +that ere he reached it he stumbled and fell several times, until at +last Sir Thomas took pity upon him and told him to desist. + +"I would stand, my good man," he said, "rather than thou should'st +break thy neck, or I might lay upon some of this soft straw for the +nonce." + +"A prison bed," chimed in Sir George. "Well, some folks like one thing +and some another, there's no accounting for tastes." + +The landlord scouted the proposal at once. He felt that somehow he was +on his mettle, and it was incumbent upon him to vindicate the honour +of his house. "Had the kind nobleman been possessed of a better +acquaintance with him," he said, "he would have known that it was not +in his nature to be overcome by trifles. Things, thank goodness, were +managed better than that at the Cock hostelry," and to support his +statement he wiped away the perspiration from his brow, and made a +further attempt to reach it down. + +Edmund's feelings during these critical moments would be easier to +imagine than describe. Every moment he expected that the bundle would +be lifted off, and he anticipated the mortification of being dragged +out and being brought face to face with the man whom he now most +dreaded. As the other advanced and the unstable walls of his shelter +quivered until they threatened to fall upon him, he crouched down +further and further into the corner, preferring rather to be buried +under the solid squares of hay than to be discovered in such a +position. Sir Thomas' words inspired him with a ray of hope, but his +expectations were dashed as suddenly as they had arisen by the words +of the baron and the action of the busy landlord, who, all unconscious +of the torture he was inflicting, struggled valiantly on towards his +quarry. + +At last his perseverance was rewarded, and he found himself able to +grasp the object of his toil; but Edmund as he felt the protecting +roof of hay departing, snatched at the withes which bound it round, +and dragged it down with all his might. + +In vain did the furious landlord pull and tug. Try as he would, it +would not move an inch, and he was about to give it up in disgust and +offer some reason for his lack of success, when Stanley again came to +his aid. + +"Stand aside, man; thou art too old for such a task, and too fat, too, +perchance. Let me get it out. Odd's fish, my good fellow, but there's +been much to do about a little thing. Here it is, see." + +Edmund had, for the moment relaxed his hold, and it was at precisely +that same moment that Sir Thomas Staley took hold of the top of the +bundle to pull it up. There was but one chance left, and although it +promised a little hope of success, he deemed his position desperate +enough to warrant him in attempting it. He decided to leap out +simultaneously with the withdrawal of the bundle, and, trusting to the +confusion his unexpected appearance would create, to escape through +the trap-door, and race away for his life. + +However, when he saw the sole protection which had hidden him from +his enemies begin to move away his courage failed him, and he had not +sufficient boldness to carry out the plan he had so neatly arranged. +Instinctively he threw his arms up to clutch the rope again, but +it was too late, it had already passed beyond his reach; there was +nothing left to save him. Another moment and his hiding place would +be discovered, when----, Sir Thomas missed his footing, and with a +gesture of impatience he let the bundle fall again, and turned his +back upon it in disgust. + +It alighted heavily upon the luckless Edmund's shoulders, and it +struck him with so much force that almost before he was aware of +it, he found himself most uncomfortably doubled up, and tight pinned +beneath its weight upon the floor. He could neither free himself nor +ease his position without attracting attention, for his arms were +tightly wedged underneath him, while his legs had found a resting +place between two lots of hay, at a height somewhat above the level +of his head. One thing, and one alone, was at his command. He could +at least, he thought, remain quietly there, an unwilling eavesdropper, +until his persecutors had gone. This he resolved to do; meanwhile +he could only submit to the conditions which a series of unfortunate +incidents had brought upon him, and listen to the conversation in +the hope that some of it, at least, might at some time or other prove +profitable to him in the accomplishment of the object he had in view. + +"How long will they be, mine host?" inquired Sir George, to whom the +circumlocution of the stage proved uninteresting indeed. + +"About two hours, my lord," suavely replied that individual, as he +gazed proudly at the brilliant company assembled in the yard below, +wondering the while how much they would expend at the inn when the +play was over. + +"Two hours!" Edmund groaned inwardly, but the groan was none the less +sincere because it was inaudible. + +"Two hours!" exclaimed the astonished baron, "then I'm off." + +Hope again revived within the heart of the prisoner. + +"Nay, stop, Sir George," interrupted the younger knight; "you cannot +see a play like this at any time you choose. Stay awhile and bid me +company, and forget your troubles in a stoup of ale." + +"Aye, I have the best in the town," added the host; "there is nothing +like it in all London." + +This was quite a new idea, and Sir George scratched his head, as if +by so doing he might facilitate his judgment, and then he did what so +many other troubled ones have done, both before his time and since, +he sought to drown his troubles by gorging himself with his favourite +liquor. + +"Ha! well," he muttered, "the ale is good, as London ale goes, I trow, +but----" + +"It is indeed," added the tavern-keeper promptly. "There's none +better, though I say it." + +"But I think I will have cider," continued the baron, not heeding the +interruption. + +"I will fetch it myself," exclaimed the proprietor of the Cock; "and +sure I am, 'twill be the best that ever you have tasted." + +"Nay, hold," interrupted Sir George, "I will go with thee. I will +trust none to spice my drink except it be Lady Maude, or Dorothy. I +will go with thee and spice it myself." + +"And I will have some simple sack," said Sir Thomas. + +Sir George Vernon and the landlord descended the ladder, and threaded +their way through the crowd into the tavern, while Sir Thomas Stanley, +left to his own devices, continued to lie quietly down upon his couch +of straw, watching with intense interest the progress of the play. + +Edmund, meanwhile, hearing no one stirring, and not being in a +position to see, concluded that all three had descended together, and +that he was the sole occupant of the room. He waited for a moment or +two, and then, as the silence confirmed him in his opinion, he began +to make strenuous efforts to free himself. There was no sign made +in response to the noise he made in the attempt, and, without any +interruption, he released himself from his uncomfortable position. + +Slowly and painfully he raised himself up, but as he reached the top, +the thrill of triumph to which his new-born hopes of liberty had given +birth, died away, and a sigh of dismay escaped him as he discovered +that he was not alone. + +For a time he stood perfectly motionless, too terrified to advance, +and too paralysed by fear to regain his hiding-place. Fortunately, +however, for him, Sir Thomas Stanley's back was turned towards him, +and so intently had he fixed his attention upon the scene which was +being acted on the stage before him, that he was in complete ignorance +of the events which were transpiring in his rear. Edmund wistfully +cast a look at the ladder which protruded temptingly through the +trap-door, but the look more than satisfied him that he could not +hope to gain it without attracting the attention of his most unwelcome +companion. + +There was only one idea which presented itself to the unlucky man's +mind which promised any fair successes, and that left no alternative. +He must put Sir Thomas out of the way! + +However repugnant this plan might be, and Edmund felt all its +hideousness, he felt every moment more and more convinced that it +was the only safe way. He had suffered too much already to venture +willingly back into the torture-chamber from which he had just +escaped, even if he could safely have regained its shelter--in itself +no mean feat; and at the bare idea of spending two more hours of like +agony he trembled. He resolved that rather than he would be driven +to that uncertain refuge again, Sir Thomas should pay the penalty of +death. + +At this stage of his reflections he was rudely stopped, for the young +knight, as if conscious of some impending danger, withdrew his head +into the room and rolled over upon his back, leaving Edmund so little +time in which to screen himself from view, that in attempting to +secure a cover he toppled right over and fell back upon a thin +scattering of straw. + +Sir Thomas stopped the yawn with which he was indulging himself, and +got upon his feet, surprised in no small degree to find that no one +had entered the room. He went to the ladder to satisfy himself, but +meeting with a like measure of ill-success there, he came away in a +discontented mood; not perceiving Edmund, who lay, holding his breath, +behind a heap of hay. + +"I thought it was my sack coming," he muttered; "but it was only those +confounded rats. What a time they are gone, to be sure," and as a last +resource he sat himself down upon Sir George's seat and watched the +play afresh. + +Edmund during all this time was slowly making up his wavering mind. +The memory of Dame Durden was still fresh within him, and it was in +fulfilment of his scheme of revenge for that that he had united with +Sir Ronald Bury to bring the baron to book for his misdeeds, and was +now in London. Why should he not wreak his vengeance upon Sir Thomas +Stanley, and then at once accomplish the work on which his heart was +set? In the intensity of his passion he could find no satisfactory +answer to the question. There were powerful reasons both for and +against such a plan. Sir Thomas was seriously jeopardising his present +safety; but would his death at all affect the baron? Margaret would +feel it, mayhap, and so might Sir George to some extent, but he was +fully aware that Sir Ronald's aim would be by no means compassed by +such a termination; nor was he at all certain his own desire would be +accomplished even then. The danger of his present position, however, +was too apparent to be lightly put aside, and it proved too much for +him. Were the others to return now his ruin would be assured; and +realising this, he cautiously raised his head, and finding the young +nobleman again deeply interested in the progress of the scene before +him, he quickly drew out his knife and crept silently on towards his +unsuspicious prey. + + + + +CHAPTER XI. + +AN UNFORTUNATE DENOUEMENT. + + But + In proving foresight may be vain: + The best laid schemes o' mice and men + Gang aft a-gley. + + BURNS. + + +As Edmund drew nearer to Sir Thomas Stanley his heart began to fail +him, and when at last he was sufficiently near the knight to have +carried out his design, his courage oozed out at his finger ends and +he felt powerless to strike. + +Finally he relinquished the attempt altogether, and a new idea +flashing upon him, he tossed the knife into the furthest corner of the +room, and rising to his feet, he tapped the still unconscious nobleman +upon the shoulder, trusting that his careful disguise would preserve +him from being recognised by Sir Thomas at least, for circumstances +at Haddon had brought them into connection with each other but a few +times at most. + +"Come at last, eh! and time, too," exclaimed the young knight, as +he listlessly held out his hand for his potion of sack. "What, not +brought it yet?" he added, as he saw the other's empty hands; "I have +been kept waiting for it more than a quarter of an hour." + +"Will you have it cool or spiced, my lord?" meekly asked Edmund, +following up the idea thus thrown out. "I have but just received the +order for it." + +"Spiced, indeed!" replied the knight contemptuously; "not I, let me +have it fresh from the cellar, and that quickly. No, here, stay," he +added by the way of afterthought, "where is Sir George?" + +"Sir George! Is that the oldish gentleman with the master?" + +"That is Sir George Vernon, yes." + +"He is lying down in the parlour," was the ready reply. + +"Humph, that's queer, poring over that confounded document again, I'll +warrant me. I will go back with you," returned Sir Thomas. + +"I will bring it to you in half a minute," gasped Edmund. + +"Nay," returned the other, "I will accompany thee. Ha! here he is, +coming up again. He's crossing the yard now, and Sir Nicholas Bacon is +with him, I perceive." + +Edmund had played his last card, and the game was lost. Fortune had +forsaken him at every turn; not one of his efforts had met with any +success, and after all his endeavours he found himself as securely +caught as the rat which was even then writhing within a few inches of +his feet, in its last vain endeavour to free itself from the trap in +which it was held. + +For a moment or two he stood irresolute, but then, quickly gaining +a mastery over the feeling of despair which had at first stolen over +him, he made for the ladder, only to find, as he put his foot on the +topmost step, that Sir George had set his foot upon the one at the +bottom. + +There was no help for it. He could neither advance nor retreat, so he +stood at the top, carefully selecting the darker side, to await the +course of events which could bring him no good fortune, but only evil +in a greater or lesser degree. The completeness of his disguise, which +had so completely deceived Sir Thomas, encouraged him to hope, for +the moment, that he might also pass unrecognised even before the eagle +eyes of the King of the Peak, and he solaced himself by trusting that +if he were discovered the landlord might dismiss him in as summary a +manner as he had done the ostler before him. + +As Sir George passed him by, deep in conversation with Sir Nicholas +Bacon, Edmund's hopes were considerably augmented, but the same +ill-luck which had followed him heretofore did not desert him now. +His hopes were dashed as soon as they had arisen, for the eye of the +worthy Boniface was fixed upon him ere that person had fully entered +the room. + +Had he been attired in a manner more befitting his station, Edmund +would undoubtedly have received a more befitting reception; but +clothed as he was in shabby knee-breeches, loosely tied at the knees, +a coat which was out at the elbows, a hat minus a portion of its brim, +and with a dilapidated ruffle round his neck, which had been in its +prime years ago, he presented a striking similarity in appearance +to the ordinary marauding beggar of the period, such as were then so +exceedingly common, and for one of whom, indeed, the landlord took him +to be. + +As soon as this worthy had ascended, Edmund coolly made for the +ladder, but he was motioned back by a sweep of the arm, as the +landlord loosely fastened down the door. + +"Who might you be, pray?" he asked, turning to the terror-stricken +captive; "and what are you doing here, eh?" + +At this sally Sir Thomas Stanley, who had just been exchanging +compliments with the Lord Keeper, turned round. + +"Who might he be," he laughed, repeating the words he had just +overheard; "well, by my troth, Sir George, he does not remember his +own servant, even the one he sent about my sack. You have been priming +him with his own ale and this is the result. + +"Not a drop," interrupted the baron. + +"What do you say?" gasped out the astonished innkeeper. "This rascally +knave a servant of mine! Pooh, does he look like it, I ask you? You +impudent jackanapes," he pursued, as he clutched the unfortunate +Edmund by the collar. "What are you here for, eh? What are you here +for? Speak." + +So far was Edmund from complying with this command that he remained +absolutely silent. He dare not open his mouth for fear that Sir George +would recognise his voice. + +"Prowling about for as much as he can lay hold of, I'll warrant me," +continued his captor, addressing Sir Thomas Stanley, who had advanced +towards them. "How long has he been here, my lord?" + +"Nay, I know not," said Sir Thomas. "I saw him but just before you +came up." + +"Then you may satisfy yourself that he had watched us out," replied +the other sharply, "and was surprised enough to find anyone left up +here." + +"Like enough," assented the baron. + +"He was pretty smart with his tricks, then," said Sir Thomas. "How was +he to know I wanted any sack, I should like to know?" + +The question was unanswerable, and no one attempted to reply. + +"How did you know that, eh?" asked the proprietor, emphasising the +question by a series of hearty shakings. + +Still there was no answer; Edmund would not speak. + +"Did you see him enter?" asked Sir Nicholas. + +"I did not know he was in the room until he tapped me on the shoulder. +I was watching the play." + +"These rogues are wonderfully sharp," muttered Sir George. + +"Then probably he was in the room all the time," suggested the Lord +Keeper. + +"What did the rascal say to you, my lord?" went on the tavern keeper. + +"He asked me whether I would have my sack spiced or no." + +"Ha! ha! ha!" laughed Sir George; "that was cool enough, at any rate. +I think we ought to let the knave free this time for his wit." + +"And let him prey on somebody else?" added Sir Nicholas. + +"Bad policy, Sir George, bad policy. He might try his hand on you next +time." + +"I wonder how much property of mine he has taken already?" continued +the host. "I will have him thoroughly searched. I know the rascal well +enough, he's been here before now many a time. There's a whole lot of +them prowling around the neighbourhood; a regular gang. I'll make an +example of this one, I will. You might as well give me what you have +taken," he added, turning to his captive, "and save me the labour of +taking it from you." + +"I have nothing of yours," replied Edmund, in a strangely foreign +voice. + +"Not been through the house yet, maybe, eh!" + +"No." + +"Humph, I don't believe you. Here, Hugh," he cried, hearing the ostler +moving about below, "come up here." + +Edmund's quondam friend and fellow conspirator came up in answer +to the summons in no very enviable frame of mind, anticipating very +correctly what was about to take place, and debating within himself +what course of action to pursue. He quickly decided, however, that +inasmuch as he had not yet possessed himself of the money due to +him from the captive, that he would screen him as far as he was +able--compatibly with his own safety. + +"What's this fellow doing here?" demanded his master, as soon as Hugh +stepped into the room. + +"Can't say, sir," replied Hugh, gazing at Edmund with well-simulated +surprise, "maybe he's in drink." + +"A likely story, that. Do drunken folk climb up ladders, eh?" + +"Not always, sir." + +"How long has he been up here, now?" + +"Never seen him afore, sir," returned the unabashed ostler, with an +air of perfect candour. + +"You will be getting into serious trouble some day if you don't be +careful to speak the truth," exclaimed his master, "so I warn you, +sir. Now, out with it; he was here when you went down." + +"I had not seen him then, by the blessed Virgin I had not. I have +never clap't eyes on the knave before!" + +"Now, mind, I warn you, so be careful." + +"I had only just got up, master; upon my word I had. I had not +sufficient time to see anybody before you came and sent me down," +and at the remembrance of that event he stepped back a pace or two in +order that his previous experience might not be repeated. + +"You good-for-nothing rascal you!" broke out the landlord. "I stood +and watched you myself, you were looking at the play. Get you gone, +you idle vagabond," he added, in high dudgeon, "get you gone, and +bring me up some stout cord." + +Glad to escape, Hugh quickly made his exit, having come off far more +easily than at one time he feared. He reappeared in a short time, but +with empty hands. + +"Well, where's the cord?" angrily enquired his master. + +"An it please you, sir," he replied, with a sly wink at Edmund, "I +cannot find one strong enough to bear him." + +"You can't hang him yet; let him have a proper trial. There has been +naught proved against him as yet," eagerly interrupted the baron, upon +whom the lesson of his own trouble had not been lost. + +"He shall have a proper trial, my lord," exclaimed the landlord, "and +to-morrow we shall have him in the pillory. The proprietor of the Cock +Tavern is no hangman; I only wanted to bind him. Fetch me a piece of +cord, you knave, and be quick, or I'll lay it about your back when it +does come. Nay, you don't do that," he added, turning to Edmund, who +was struggling to free himself; "not yet, my fine fellow. I have not +done with thee yet," and by Sir Nicholas' timely help the prisoner was +laid upon his back and then firmly secured with the cords which the +ostler brought up a minute later. + +Leaving Edmund to bemoan his fate to himself, the party drew nigh +to the window to witness the play afresh. They were just in time to +witness the advent of another "silent scene." + +"Let me explain it to you," proffered the once more equable Boniface. +"I know all about these things, they oft-times visit us here. I know +every bit of this play as well as I know my creed." + +"Happen you may not be very familiar with the creed, though," laughed +Sir Thomas. + +"Don't I know it, though?" he replied. "Sir Nicholas, if I might be +pardoned for mentioning it, knows full well that every citizen of +London knows the creed by heart." + +"Yes," assented the Lord Keeper, "everyone is compelled to attend some +church at least once a Sabbath." + +"Or else they are smartly fined for staying away, as I was," ruefully +added the landlord. "Yes, my lords, I know my creed full well." + +"Well, what's that fellow drinking now?" asked Sir George. + +"He's fainting, poor fellow," replied Sir Thomas. + +"Fainting," laughed the host, "fainting! not a bit of it. He is +drinking some of my best Malmesey wine, that's what he is doing; only +you must think he is taking poison. He is Gorboduc, the king." + +"Well?" + +"Oh, I forgot, you know naught of him as yet. Well, he, a king of +Britain years ago, has just told everybody that the kingdom is to +be divided between his two sons, Ferrex and Porrex. Some of his +councillors advised 'Yes,' and some said 'No,' but the old king was +decided upon having his own way, and the land had just been divided +between them." + +"Get on," said the baron impatiently, as the other paused and finally +came to a dead stop. "They are beginning to act again." + +"And one of the old councillors strongly advised the king to keep his +realm entire," continued the man, "I remember his very words. He told +the king how bad any division would be, not only for himself, but also +for his sons. He says:-- + + But worst of all for this our native land. + Within one land one single rule is best, + Divided reigns do make divided hearts, + But peace preserves the country and the prince." + +"As correct as the creed itself," whispered Sir Nicholas. + +"It may be so," exclaimed the young knight, "but we will let the +poetry go. For my part I can't understand that new-fashioned poetry, +and I don't want to either. I only like it when it rhymes, like +Chaucer." + +"That all means," resumed the landlord, "that Queen Mary of Scotland +had far better leave our gracious Queen Elizabeth (God bless her) +to herself. We don't want Roman Catholic princesses here again, Sir +Nicholas." + +"No, indeed not. Mary was enough." + +Sir George Vernon frowned heavily. He was too sincere a Papist himself +to relish such remarks, but he dared not show his displeasure in the +face of the Queen's minister. + +"And I don't care for poetry anyhow," he gruffly said, "so finish +without any more of it if you can." + +"I will then. You saw those two mugs offered to the king?" + +"Both made of common horn, yes." + +"They both came from my bar. One was full of wine, but the other held +water." + +"Then when my sack comes I would prefer it without the water," Sir +Thomas replied, amid a chorus of laughter. + +"You exercise your wit upon me, my lord," replied the landlord with +some asperity, "but I have not the means wherewith to retort. I am a +man of business, not a Court fool." Here he paused, astonished at his +own trepidity, and also in fear lest his aristocratic customers should +be offended. As he stopped his virtuous indignation passed away, and +when he resumed again it was in a tone at once apologetic and placid. + +"The water," he continued, "was offered by the good councillors, but +Gorboduc took the poison, and now he has drunk it off, so----" + +"Look at your prisoner," interrupted Sir Nicholas, "or very soon you +will not have one to look after." + +Edmund had, in fact, been thrown down just over his knife, and +very soon finding this out he had, by dint of considerable trouble, +succeeded in cutting the cord which bound his wrists, and was busily +engaged in freeing his legs by a similar process when he unfortunately +attracted the attention of the Queen's Councillor. + +No time was lost in securing him afresh. In spite of his strenuous +efforts he was quickly overpowered, and after all his labour he only +found himself more hopelessly a prisoner than he had been before. + +"Why, the fellow must be bewitched," exclaimed Sir George, "I never +saw his like before. Take him away before he does us any injury. Take +him away, we don't want him here." + +"He is safe enough now, my lord." + +"Take him away, I say," repeated the baron. "We want him here no +longer. Do you hear me, sirrah! Take him away I say, and lock him +up in safety," and amid the oft-continued reiteration of the baron's +order, Edmund Wynne was carried below and consigned to the care of +the ostler until such time as the gaol officials could be conveniently +communicated with. + + + + +CHAPTER XII. + +A CONFESSION OF LOVE. + + It was my fortune, common to that age, + To love a lady fair, of great degree, + The which was born of noble parentage. + And set in highest seat of dignity. + + SPENSER. + + +The sun was declining, after a gorgeous display of its fiery hues; +gilding with a translucent light the grey walls of Haddon, and casting +weird shadows on the closely-cropped bowling green, when two figures +emerged from the shades of the neighbouring wood and passed into the +meadow which lies below the Hall. + +Sir George Vernon had not yet returned from London; indeed, nothing +but a note from Margaret's lover had given them any information about +the two travellers since they had departed, six days ago, and although +news of them was now considered overdue, yet, in those days of bad +roads and slow travelling, communications from distant places were +never, or seldom at best, rapidly transmitted, and, bearing this in +mind, no concern was felt on that account. + +Haddon, usually so gay, wore for the time being a sombre aspect. Sir +George was its life and soul, and now that he was away and exposed to +the machinations of enemies who were hungering and thirsting after a +share of his riches, a gloom settled down upon the place and enveloped +it in an ill-befitting aspect of dreariness. Baits and hunting parties +were alike abandoned; no one felt in the humour to participate in +gaieties, of whatever kind, so long as the baron was away; and the +guests who had assembled to witness the tournament had, with few +exceptions, returned to their homes feeling deprived, in a large +measure, of that succession of festivities and enjoyments to which +they had looked forward with so much expectancy. + +Sir Henry was still confined to his room from the injuries which he +had received in his encounter with Manners; and Cousin Benedict, who +had stayed to take the baron's place during his enforced absence, had +found his position so intolerably lonely that he at last took refuge +in such copious libations of wine that henceforward his interest in +contemporary events entirely ceased. + +This air of desolation had infected Lady Vernon, too. Her temper, +never of the mildest disposition, now became exceedingly irritable, +and finding little consolation forthcoming from Sir Benedict, she +vented her spleen with all those with whom she came into contact, and +finally shut herself up within her own room and added to the misery of +the household by obstinately refusing to hold any intercourse with the +family. + +Margaret and Dorothy were thus thrown much upon their own resources, +and they managed to spend the time wearily enough at the tapestry +frame until Manners and Crowleigh paid a visit to the Hall--ostensibly +to inquire after the health of the wounded knight. Their arrival, as +might be readily imagined, was cordially welcomed by the girls, +and nothing beyond a first request was required to induce the two +gentlemen to stay; and, so once again, Manners found himself, to his +heart's great contentment, housed under the same roof as the lady of +his love. + +This time, however, he had come with the firm determination to bring +matters to a crisis. He felt that his passion for Dorothy could be no +longer controlled. Her bearing towards him had fired him with hope, +but her position and her surpassing beauty had brought so many suitors +to worship at her shrine that he was driven to despair between the +conflicting emotions of hope and fear. + +For a whole day he waited a favourable opportunity to carry out his +purpose, and in vain. The two sisters seemed to be inseparable in this +time of trouble, and try as he might he could not get the interview +for which he so ardently longed. The fates were unpropitious, and one +after another his artifices were defeated until at last he was obliged +to fall back upon the assistance of his friend, and ask him, as a last +resource, to help him out of his difficulty. + +As the shades of evening crept silently on, and the cooler air began +to assert itself over the torrid atmosphere of the day, Sir Everard +Crowleigh opened the campaign on behalf of his companion by suggesting +that a walk would not only be refreshing to the two maidens, but also +positively beneficial. "I don't pretend to know much of the skill +of the leech," he added, "but I think that fresh country air is the +finest physic out for young ladies, both for health and beauty too." + +"And maybe 'tis good for gentlemen as well," laughed Dorothy. + +"It is the true elixir of life, for which the alchemysts labour in +vain to find," exclaimed Manners. "Sir Benedict knows leechcraft, let +us take his opinion upon its merits. + +"Nay," laughingly responded Margaret, "Cousin Benedict, I fear, is too +much engaged in other affairs to attend to us just now." + +"Why, how?" asked Crowleigh in surprise, "surely no one would be +ungallant enough not to lend their services to two such fair maidens. +Never! I cannot conceive it." + +"Margaret means," interposed Dorothy, "that he has been taking too +much wine again, and then he goes wandering about the cellars and +passages until he falls down and goes to sleep. Nobody takes any +notice of him now, though, we have all got too familiar with his +ways." + +"Well, we will go," decided the elder sister, "but which way--north, +south, east, or west? Bakewell, Rowsley, or where? Let us determine +quickly, for it will soon be dark." + +"We are at your service," gallantly responded John Manners. "Any way +will suit us equally well." Certainly, provided that the walk was long +enough, the direction they should take was of little importance to +him. He had a more important matter on his mind. + +"Let it be Rowsley way, Margaret," asked Dorothy. + +"Well, then," she agreed, "we will say Rowsley, 'tis a pretty walk; +but we might first see our venerable protector in safety, then nothing +could be nicer. Follow me, brave gentlemen," said Margaret, and +the two girls led the way through the banqueting-room and down the +stone-flagged passage into the capacious wine cellar below. + +Benedict was not there, but it was evident, from signs which could +not be mistaken, that he had been there shortly before. All the +neighbouring cellars were thoroughly explored, but to no purpose; he +could not be discovered, and, finding that he had just been seen in +the vicinity of the old archer's room, they turned their feet in that +direction, only to find themselves once more baffled when they arrived +there. + +"No, your ladyships," replied the serving-maid, in answer to their +inquiry, "he has gone again just now; you will be sure to find him in +the kitchen, though." + +"'Tis as good as a badger hunt," laughed Crowleigh, as they trailed +into the kitchen again, "but prithee, fair mistress, what shall we +gain by discovering the august knight?" + +"In truth I cannot tell," replied Dorothy; "but, trust me, Margaret +has some plan or other in her head. + +"Yes," said Margaret, "but see him, here he is; the master of the +house, our guardian, our protector; behold him where he lies," and she +pointed to where the too festive knight lay doubled uncomfortably up +in the salting trough. + +"I expected about as much," she went on, "and I want to cure him; what +shall we do?" + +"Salt him," slyly suggested Dorothy, "that is the usual way." + +"Fasten him down in the box for the night," suggested Crowleigh. + +"We will," she said; "here is the lid, we can easily fasten it down so +that he cannot undo it, and we will have a peep at him to see that he +is not smothered when we come back." + +In accordance with this decision Sir Benedict was unconsciously made a +prisoner, as securely as any culprit in Derby gaol, and leaving him +in this position the merry quartette started off upon their evening +stroll. + +Disdaining the highway, they followed the beaten path which led +through the wood to Rowsley, Crowleigh doing his part to aid his +friend by walking on with Margaret in front, and so deeply engaged her +interest by recounting some of his adventures in badger hunting that +she entirely forgot her sister, who followed behind her in a more +leisurely fashion with Master Manners. + +In vain the anxious esquire sought to broach the topic which lay so +near to his heart; the words would not come, and beyond a few gallant +and courtier-like remarks--to the like of which Dorothy had often +listened beforetimes with impatience--he could not succeed; and when +at last he began to give expression to his feelings, it was in a wild +and almost incoherent manner. + +As for the maiden who lightly tripped by his side, although she wore +a sober, pensive look, yet she was filled with a silent joy, and the +great fire of love which was burning in her breast she found difficult +to control. With that quick and subtle faculty which belongs to +womankind alone she had intuitively guessed his mission at the outset, +and with perceptions rendered keener by the intensity of her passion, +she was on the alert to detect his advances and respond to them with +a due amount of proper maidenly reserve. Finding, however, that he was +slow to approach the subject, yet feeling sure of his intentions and +fearing lest the opportunity should slip by, she sought to precipitate +his movements by a few, delicate hints. + +"Why, we are all alone," she exclaimed, "Wherever can my sister be? +Let us hasten on." + +"She is in safe hands, fair Dorothy," he replied, "and you will not be +missed awhile." + +Dorothy noted with satisfaction that he had dropped the "Mistress" +from before her name, and this, she argued, denoted that he was +awakening at last, and encouraged her to venture again with another +remark. + +"Margaret is such a scold," she teasingly said; "I fear we must really +hasten forward." + +"Nay, we will not hurry, we should not catch her now were we to try." + +"Why not, prithee?" + +"Because--because: well, do not let us try," he responded. He had +fully meant to have declared his love to her then, but that "because" +stuck in his throat and blocked up all the other words he would have +said. The very intensity of his love hindered him from declaring his +passion. + +"What would Sir Thomas Stanley say if he knew Sir Everard were out +courting with Meg?" wickedly suggested Dorothy. "Would he not be in a +towering rage?" + +"There would be another tournament, maybe," laughed Manners, not +noticing the tender tone in which his fair companion had addressed +him. + +"Poor De la Zouch will remember his attempt to provide amusement for +us for some time yet, I fear," she continued coquettishly. As her +previous efforts had led to nothing, she had started afresh in another +vein, mentally resolving that her companion was wretchedly slow in +responding to her advances. + +"I fear he will," he replied; "but he is improving, I hear. Sir +Benedict seems to understand his case." + +"He is like to be scarred for life, though," Dorothy returned. "Poor +Sir Henry." + +"You are sorry for him," exclaimed Manners, who felt a little piqued +at the tone of Dorothy's reply, as, indeed, she intended he should be. + +"Yes," she said, "I am; very sorry." + +Manners bit his lip with annoyance, and made a foolish remark. + +"Ha, he was your lover, perchance?" he said. + +Dorothy flushed up hotly at the taunt. Manners saw it, and would have +done much to have recalled his hasty words, but they were gone. + +"Master Manners!" Doll exclaimed, turning quickly round upon him; "I +have spurned him; I have told him what I think. Once and for ever have +I refused him, and he knows I shall not change." + +"Fair Dorothy, sweet Dorothy," Manners penitently exclaimed, dropping +hurriedly upon his knees; "you shall be my queen. Forgive me--or +condemn. I sue you for your pardon, nor will I rise until I have +gained it." + +"I will visit you to-morrow, then," she said, turning to go. +"Farewell." + +Her voice was sweet again, and her brow was once more clear. + +"You have forgiven me?" he cried, rising up and following her. + +"What, sir knight?" she exclaimed, in feigned surprise, "risen, eh? +Upon my word, you are a fickle cavalier. Well, I suppose I must extend +my clemency to you. At what price will you be willing to purchase my +forgiveness?" + +Manners was just going to tell her he would give himself and all he +had to her if she would take it, but a sudden bend in the path brought +them face to face with Margaret and Crowleigh, and the words were left +unspoken. + +It needed no question to inform Sir Everard that his friend's mission +was not accomplished yet. He looked to see the sparkling eyes and +a countenance beaming with delight, but was met by a face the very +picture of disappointment; and shrewdly seeing that their company +would be in no wise acceptable at such a juncture, he adroitly led +Margaret on, still an interested listener to his wonderful tales, and +intimating that they were returning to Haddon, they passed the lovers +by. + +For a time Dorothy and Manners walked on in perfect silence, the one +preparing to pour out the story of his love, and the other waiting and +expecting the declaration. + +"We had better retrace our steps now," exclaimed Dorothy at length. + +They turned round and began to wend their way again towards the Hall, +in a silence that was positively painful to both. + +"You are dreaming, Master Manners," she exclaimed, as they neared the +narrow bridge which spans the Wye just outside the gates of Haddon. + +"Come, sir, declare your thoughts; let me be your confessor, for +I will shrive thee right easily, and the penance shall be pleasant +enough, I assure thee. Now confess!" + +"I was thinking of--of love," he stammered out. + +"Love! then I forgive thee," she exclaimed with a beating heart, "'tis +a common sin. Proceed, my son." + +"I was thinking of a little poem." + +"Oh!" That was a disappointing continuation. + +"'Twas a verse of Sir Thomas Wyatt's. Shall I tell it thee?" + +"'Hide nothing from me,' as Father Philip says," replied Doll, +brightening up again, for she was well acquainted with the verse of +that unfortunate nobleman, which was almost all on the subject of +love. She thought she knew the verse which he would tell her, nor was +she mistaken. Almost everyone knew that verse, even if they knew none +other. + +The young esquire fixed his eyes upon her, and began-- + + A face that should content me wondrous well. + Should not be fair, but lovely to behold; + Of lively look, all grief for to repel, + With right good grace as would I that it should + Speak, without words, such words as none can tell, + Her tress also should be of crisped gold; + With wit, and these, I might perchance be tried, + And knit again with knot that should not slide. + +"Then I perceive you are difficult to please, my son," she replied. + +"Listen, stay Dorothy," he said, quickly, as she stepped upon the +footbridge, "surely that means you. Oh, Dorothy, let me speak. I must +tell you. I cannot let you depart yet. I love you. I have loved you +ever since I saw you first." + +He paused, but as the maiden did not speak, he continued. + +"Ever since the hawking party I have loved you. Do you remember that?" + +"I do," she demurely replied. + +"Nay, stay, leave me not thus," he cried, as Dorothy unconsciously +moved. "You must stay, you must listen. Dorothy, I cannot flatter you +like some; I speak the truth. I cannot live without you make me happy. +Will you be mine?" + +"But, sir knight--" + +"Nay," he interrupted, "say it is so. I am no knight, I am but a +simple esquire, but though you be the daughter of the rich King of the +Peak--" + +"Nay, do not talk like that," she interrupted quickly. + +"Let me do something to show the vastness of my love," he went on. +"What shall it be? Bid me do aught, or go anywhere; command me what +you will, but say you love me." + +"And if I do, what then?" + +"What then?" he echoed; "I would live or die for you--for you alone." + +"I do love you, then," she replied, with downcast eyes and blushing +face. + +Manners stood up erect, and glanced straight into the honest eyes of +the beautiful girl as she stood on the bridge beside him. + +"You do?" he exclaimed; "say it again." + +"I do love you." she repeated; "and will be yours for ever if you love +me as you say." + +"What!" he cried, "you, the fair Dorothy Vernon, the Princess of the +Peak, the fairest jewel in the land, you give yourself to me--John +Manners, a simple esquire? I can scarce believe my ears." + +"I will show you. John," she replied; "my life shall prove it. I have +loved you dearly ever since that self-same hunt"; and permitting her +love-troth to be sealed by a kiss, she buried her fair face in his +bosom and quietly wept in the excess of her joy. + + + + +CHAPTER XIII. + +FATHER PHILIP'S ACCIDENT. + + And thou hast loved him! Faith, what next? + It had been better far for thee + That thou had'st ne'er been born, than this. + Brood on thy folly, and return, + But when thou hast repented on't. + + A WOMAN'S WHIM. + + +As the two lovers, happy in their newly-pledged love-troth, entered +the gateway of the Hall they were encountered by the news that Father +Philip had met with an accident. Margaret and Sir Everard Crowleigh +had not yet returned, and messengers were even then, by the +chamberlain's commands, preparing to go out to secure aid. + +"'Tis a sad mishap, my lady," said that functionary, as Dorothy +entered. "That stupid old horse of his threw him against a tree, and +we cannot find Sir Benedict anywhere; the poor father is bleeding +to death. He's dying, my lady, dying; what will the baron do if he +return?" + +"Hush! Thomas, of course he will return." + +"May the blessed Virgin take pity on us," pursued the wretched man, +"there is an evil spirit o'er the place. Someone is working a spell +against us." + +"Where is the father?" asked Manners abruptly. + +"He lies in the chaplain's room; I can hear him groaning now. The +saints look down in----" + +Dorothy passed on, heeding not the continued invocations which the old +man made to all the saints in the calendar, and led her lover into the +little room in which the unfortunate priest lay. + +The portly form of Father Philip lay stretched at full length upon a +wooden bench, and the room resounded with his painful groans. As they +approached nearer to him they could see the fearful injuries he had +received; and the continued reiteration of the sufferer that he was +about to die needed no other confirmation than a glance at his pale +face, upon which the mark of death was plainly written. + +Father Philip, despite his faults, was universally beloved in the +neighbourhood--by the poor for the bounty he dispensed at the gates +from the well-stocked larder of the knight; by the rich because he +was by far the best tale-teller of the district, and the success of a +feast at which he was present was at once assured; and by the children +generally, for the confections and little silver pence he bestowed +upon them, along with his kind word and cheery smile, in a most +liberal manner. + +At Haddon he was a prime favourite with all alike. He had entered the +service of the Vernons soon after the monasteries were dissolved, in +the time of Henry VIII., and had grown old in his office. Throughout +the critical and changeful reigns of Edward and Mary, as well as the +early years of Elizabeth's time, he had, in spite of all the attempts +made to oust him, retained his position as confessor to the family and +priest of the chapel at Haddon, and, as he had christened Margaret, he +was looking forward with pleasurable expectancy to the occasion when +he would be called upon to marry her also. + +Leaving Dorothy standing on the threshold of the doorway, Manners +advanced to the injured man's side, and endeavoured to sooth him by +instilling into his mind a ray of hope. + +"O, Dorothy," gasped the priest, disregarding the words of his +would-be comforter, "I am dying, dying like a dog. O, for some of +Dame Durden's simples now. For the blessed Virgin's sake fetch Sir +Benedict. O, dear! O, dear!" and he sank back with a groan. + +Dorothy turned, and with a fast-beating heart hastened to deliver the +captive knight, while her lover endeavoured to staunch the flow of +blood by binding the wound tightly up in strips of cloth. + +By dint of much shaking and shouting cousin Benedict was at last +roused from his drunken sleep, and also at last was made to understand +somewhat of the exigencies of the case for which his aid was needed. + +"I will come soon," he exclaimed, in answer to Dorothy's entreaties. + +"You must come now!" she replied, in a peremptory tone, which admitted +of no prevarication. + +"Where is the wine?" he asked, as he rubbed his eyes and glanced +around; "why, this is the kitchen." + +"Come along, Benedict; Father Philip is dying, I tell you. Do you +understand?" + +Benedict à Woode stood up as still as he was able, and rubbed off a +quantity of the salt which tenaciously adhered to his garments, then, +noticing for the first time that he was in the great salt trough, he +exclaimed in a tone of great surprise, "What! have I been here?" + +"You have," she answered severely, "but why do you not come and +succour Father Philip? He is bleeding to death, while you, who are +staying here, might help him." + +As the knight rapidly collected his scattered senses, he became +more and more ashamed of himself; and now, clambering out of his +ignominious confinement, with bowed head and tottering feet he humbly +followed his fair companion across the yard. Not even the gigantic +vat, which was still steaming from a recent brew, the pungent odour +of which could be plainly scented, induced him to alter his course; he +meekly entered the room at Dorothy's heels. + +Whatever effects of his recent indulgence remained with him before he +entered the room, they were quickly dispelled as he beheld the +pallid countenance of his friend, and falling down upon his knees, he +scrutinised the injuries the venerable father had received. + +A brief examination satisfied Benedict that, unskilled as he was, the +case was entirely beyond his power, and he knew not what to do. He +unloosened the bandages which Manners had made, and let the already +over-bled man bleed still more; and then, bethinking himself of +summoning superior aid, he hastily concocted a dose of simples, +which the sufferer could with difficulty be prevailed upon to take, +despatched a mounted messenger to Derby, and sat himself down at the +foot of the bench to await the course of events. + +The effect produced by the dose was evidently what Benedict had +wished, and for a long time the sufferer was far more quiet. + +"O, Benedict," he feebly exclaimed, "my head, my head!" + +"Well, it will be better soon." + +"Nay, I know I'm dying; 'twas a fatal fall, and I cannot shrive +myself." + +Benedict saw that his patient was getting excited, and he mixed +another draught, which the father absolutely refused to take. + +"Oh, dear, I'm dying, dying," he gasped. + +"Tut, man! rubbish. There's life enough left yet in you. We shall be +out together again in a day or two." + +"Send for another brother," pursued the unfortunate man. "I am dying; +my end has come, and I know it." + +"Tut, man!" returned the knight, "I tell you you will be better soon." + +"A witch told me I should die like this," continued the father +obstinately, "and the time has come. I am too old to survive it now." + +"Go to sleep, father," interrupted Manners, "you ought not to talk +now; you want rest." + +"Yes, sleep," assented à Woode. + +"I cannot, I am dying," he gasped; and he groaned in agony again and +again. + +"Father Philip," interposed Dorothy, "you must rest yourself. Master +Manners is a soldier and has seen many hurt like you, and even worse; +you must do his bidding an you would get well again." + +"What in the name of faith does all this mean?" asked Margaret, as she +stepped into the room. "What is all this stir and commotion about?" + +"I am dying, Margaret," repeated the confessor, as he gasped for very +breath. "I thought to marry thee, my daughter, but now it is denied +me. You will pray for the repose of the soul of Father Philip, will +you not?" he inquired, looking up into her face as she bent over him. + +"When you are dead, yes," she replied, "but not until." + +"Don't talk to him, Mistress Margaret," said Manners; "he will only +injure himself by talking in return. I have enjoined quietness, but he +will take no heed. He ought to refresh himself by quietness, and sleep +if possible, does he not; is not that correct, Everard?" + +"Aye, it is indeed," + +"I shall be dead soon, Margaret, and--" + +"Go to sleep, man, or at least lie still," growled à Woode. "What is +the use of all my care and simples if you won't do as I order you?" + +"And you will ask the baron to forgive an old man's follies, +Margaret?" slowly pursued the father, between the gasps, quite +heedless of the counsel given him to remain silent. + +"I'll stop this," Sir Benedict broke in savagely, as he proceeded to +tie the bandages on afresh. "Father Philip, you shall be silent, or +die you must. That's better," he exclaimed, as his patient fell back +unconscious. "He will, perforce, be quiet now awhile, and we may +safely remove him to his room." + +"Is he badly hurt, think you?" asked Margaret. + +"I don't think he will ever get better again," Benedict gravely +replied; "he is old, and it is a terrible wound." + +"Neither do I think he will weather it," added Crowleigh; "I have seen +men hurt like that before, fair Mistress Margaret, and we soldiers +soon recognise the mark of death." + +Slowly and with great care the poor father was carried into the hall, +and as soon as he was laid upon his bed, seeing that there were +no signs of returning consciousness, Margaret and Dorothy quietly +retired. + +"Meg," exclaimed the younger sister, with glistening eyes, as they sat +in cheerless solitude before the blazing logs in their own room, "I +have something to tell thee, and I shall mayhap want your aid ere I +have done." + +She stopped short, to see if her sister had guessed her secret, but it +was apparently undiscovered, so she went on. + +"I don't expect Lady Maude will be very willing; she always opposes +us, does she not?" + +"Sometimes," said Margaret drily. + +"He is not so rich as De la Zouch," pursued Dorothy, "so I don't think +she will agree to it at first." + +"To what? What do you mean? Father Philip's accident has turned your +head, I verily believe," replied her sister, as a terrible suspicion +of the truth flashed into her imagination. + +"Nay, Meg, dear, listen. I have plighted my troth to-night." + +Margaret jumped from her seat as if stung, and her face turned livid +with anger. + +"What!" she exclaimed, "you have dared to plight your troth to Master +Manners?" + +"To John Manners, yes." + +Her voice was quiet and her bearing firm, nor was she half so agitated +as her sister, a fact which Margaret was slow to understand. + +"Speak fair, Dorothy," she said, as she tried to persuade herself that +she had misunderstood her meaning. "None of your riddles for me. You +are joking, surely." + +"Nay, I am in earnest, Meg. Ask him yourself; he will tell you whether +I was joking an hour ago. De la Zouch knows I would perish rather +than be his countess. I told him so myself. And oh! Meg, dear, I am so +happy now, for I love John Manners so very, very much." + +"'Tis a sad night's work for _you_", burst out Margaret. "What right +have you, prithee, to make arrangements such as these? You are to be +betrothed to a brother of Sir Thomas Stanley. Edward is coming from +the Isle of Man within a month to arrange it all, and a nice affair +have you made it with your forwardness." + +"Edward Stanley?" echoed Doll, in blank dismay. + +"Yes, surely." + +"Never," she replied, decisively; "I will have none of him, nor could +I if I would. I am betrothed already." + +"You foolish child," returned Margaret. I must rate this Master +Manners for his presumption. Sir Thomas will have talked the matter +over with your father ere now, as they journeyed up to London." + +"It will be of no use even if he has. John Manners has my pledge, and +I shall keep it with him, too." + +"Tut, child, this is idle talk. By now the matter is all arranged +for you, and very thankful ought you to be. If Master Manners is a +gentleman----" + +"He _is_ a gentleman." + +"He will think no more about you, then, after he knows the facts," +said Margaret sharply, and passing out of the room she left Dorothy +alone to her tears, while she tried to discover the happy esquire to +give him a piece of her mind. + + + + +CHAPTER XIV. + +AN UNPLEASANT NIGHT. + + But justice though her dome she doe prolong, + Yet at the last she will her own cause right. + + SPENSER. + + +When the landlord of the Cock Tavern thoughtlessly gave his prisoner +into the custody of the ostler he put Edmund Wynne in the way of the +only piece of good fortune which fell to his share on that unlucky +day. + +No sooner did the two conspirators find themselves alone than Edmund +began to implore his companion to set him at liberty, offering large +prospective bribes for freedom; but quickly perceiving that his keeper +was inexorable, he turned his attention to the best possible provision +for the safety of those who had embarked on the expedition along with +him. + +It was patent to both that for the meeting of Edmund's associates +to take place, as had been arranged just previously, would now only +involve them all in one common ruin; and arrangements were accordingly +made for them to be warned of the danger their presence would incur. +The conference, however, was prematurely ended by the advent of +the minions of the law, who, for once in a way, were prompt in the +execution of their duty, and in a very short space of time Edmund +found himself securely lodged within the precincts of Fleet Market +Gaol. + +Little ceremony was shown him at his new resting-place, for no sooner +had the outer doors of the prison closed upon him than he was rapidly +dragged forward across the courtyard and thrust into a dimly-lighted, +evil-smelling room, the very appearance of which, with its +strongly-barred windows high up in the wall, and the massive studded +door which was closed and double locked upon him almost before he had +entered the room, struck a feeling of shrinking terror deeply into +the prisoner's heart. He sank disconsolately down upon the cold stone +bench just beside the door, and placing his elbows upon his knees, he +propped his head up between his hands, and peering into the dimness +bitterly bewailed his fate. + +He was startled from the train of thought into which he had +unconsciously fallen by hearing a sound not far from him. He raised +his head and rubbed his eyes, half expecting to be confronted by a +spectral visitor; but not being able to distinguish anything in the +deep gloom to which his eyes were not yet accustomed, he dismissed +that theory, and ascribed the noise to the rats. + +"Rats, ugh!" he exclaimed, and he lowered his head down again, feeling +a trifle less dejected because of the trivial interruption which had +for the moment excited him, and changed his dismal channel into which +his thoughts had flown. + +"Who says rats?" exclaimed a voice in tremulous tones, evidently from +the corner of the room. + +Edmund's head was upraised in a moment. His hair stood on end, for, as +he hastily glanced around, his eye lighted upon a form enshrouded in +white. He was convinced that he was at last confronted by one of the +ghostly fraternity, of whose existence he was a firm believer; and +hastily springing from his seat, he retreated as far as he could in +the opposite direction. + +To his terror the figure rose up at the same time, and advancing +towards him, frantically waving its arms, and repeating the words +Edmund had just uttered. He was in a frenzy of despair, and rushing +to the door, as the spectre had come up to him, he had made an +ineffectual effort to open it, and was busily engaged in kicking its +stout timbers to attract the attention of the gaolers. + +All this took but a moment, but it was a terrible time to Edmund, and +he found himself, in spite of his efforts, completely nonplussed by +the unearthly foe beside him. + +"Rats, who says rats?" piped the figure again in its shrill, thin +voice. "Where are they?" + +For answer Edmund turned round, and in his desperation lunged out with +his foot towards his persecutor. It struck something solid, and to +Edmund's intense relief the spectre limped away with a howl of pain +just as the key turned in the lock outside. + +A moment later the door swung slowly back upon its creaking hinges, +admitting the gaoler, and, at the same time a flood of light, which +disclosed to view the form of a haggard man writhing in pain upon the +wooden bed, sparsely covered with straw, in the very corner of the +room. + +"Here's a pretty pickle," quoth the new comer, as he stood upon the +threshold of the door. "Which of you made all the din? Halloa, why +Peter," he added, as he stepped up to the side of the bed and gazed +upon the emaciated form of an old and well-known inmate of the Hut, +"what does all this portend?" + +No sooner had he stepped into the room than Edmund, seeing the doorway +clear, bolted out on an ill-timed venture of escape. He rushed +along the passage, hotly pursued by his custodian, and ran without +interruption into the yard; but here, alas, he was at bay. It was not +the same yard through which he had entered so shortly before, and he +could find no way of exit. It was futile to attempt anything further, +and, discovering this unwelcome fact, he passively yielded himself up, +and was rewarded for so doing by receiving sundry cuffs and jerks from +his captors, who carried him straightway before the governor. + +There are some people in the world who seem to have been born under a +lucky star. Everything upon which their hands are laid at once turns +into gold; all their ventures are successful, or if they have a slight +mishap it is more than compensated for directly afterwards by a grand +success. Fortune is never weary of smiling upon them; they are her +prime favourites, and she marks her approval by heaping favours upon +them in a most indiscriminate and prodigal manner. Upon others she +continually frowns. All their efforts uniformly bring back a plentiful +harvest of disappointment. Their labour is ever in vain, they are left +to languish in misery and to repine over the illusion which tempted +them with a feigned promise of success ever nearer and nearer to ruin. + +Edmund was one of these last, and this was the more inexplicable both +to himself and a certain number of his friends, inasmuch as he, being +an astrologer, had discovered that he was born under a lucky star. + +His interview with the governor was short, but decisive. The gaoler +stated the case against him, adding to the facts here and there +to embellish his story; and in a very short space of time he found +himself manacled with heavy chains, which fastened him down to the +floor of the damp cell into which he had been thrust. + +At the Cock Tavern Sir George was ill at ease when he retired to rest +that night. His slumber was broken, and when he slept it was only to +dream of his trial on the morrow. Hobgoblins were judges, and legions +of little imps bore witness against him. Old Dame Durden rose up from +her grave on purpose to bear witness against him in person, and as, in +his vision, he saw her stretch out her long, bony arms towards him, he +felt her cold, clammy hand upon his head, and awoke to find himself in +a cold perspiration. + +He attempted to quieten his fears, and tried to reassure himself, and, +having succeeded in some degree in doing this, he fell asleep again. + +It was a vain search for rest. This time a myriad of hostile pygmies +were dragging him down into a bottomless pit. They tugged, and pushed, +and danced upon his helpless body, and laughed in spiteful glee as he +descended further and further into the dread abyss. + +He rose at cock-crow, unrefreshed both in body and mind, and, +descending into the lower regions, he paced abstractedly through each +tenantless room in turn. + +He found it, however, a forlorn and cheerless way of killing the time. +Everything seemed dead; not a sign of life was visible. The rooms were +desolate, and looked the worst, while the fire grate, empty save for a +few dead ashes, seemed but a picture of his own misery, and instead of +yielding him even a grain of comfort, its bars, appeared to grin upon +him with solid defiance. Everything seemed comfortless in the extreme, +and as the melancholy train of thought into which he had fallen was +in no wise cheered by this manner of proceeding, he passed into the +library, which seemed least cheerless of all, and sat himself down. + +Still he could not enliven himself nor shake off the gloomy feeling +which had settled upon him; all around was perfectly still, and the +very silence palled upon his fancy. It was, he imagined, the calm +before the storm; the tempest would be raging round him soon in all +its fury; and moving the empty horn cups aside--the relics of the +night's carousal--he reached down a volume from the thinly-populated +bookshelf, hoping to calm his excited feelings by arousing an interest +which might for a time distract his attention from the forthcoming +trial. It was a book of poems, and with a contemptuous "tush!" he +impatiently replaced it upon its shelf, and sank down into his seat +and fell into a fitful doze, only to be tormented afresh by hosts of +enemies, each of whom was eager to destroy him, while he could only +look on in dismay and witness his own fall. + +Sir George was no light weight, and under the pressure of his body +the table was gradually pushed further and further away from the bench +upon the smoothly polished boards, until at length it failed to offer +him any support and he was suddenly awakened by falling heavily upon +the floor. + +Half dazed by the fall, and still uncertain whether he were awake or +asleep, the good knight rubbed his eyes and looked around. He heaved +a sigh of relief to find that he was yet alive, for he had at first +imagined that the furies had succeeded in encompassing his ruin. He +ran his fingers through his iron-grey locks of dishevelled hair, and +comprehending that he was seated upon the floor, he made an effort to +rise. + +As he placed his hand upon the floor it touched something which +yielded to the pressure. Involuntarily he drew it back and placed +himself instinctively in an attitude of defence. He hated vermin +of every kind, and this he instantly resolved was a rodent of some +description. + +His first hurried glance showed him that he was mistaken. It was but +an innocent roll of paper, and laughing at his fears, he picked it up, +and placing it upon the table, regained his seat. + +He turned it over, but there was no superscription on its exterior to +offer any clue as to its owner, and taking it with him to the window, +he pushed the lattice open and removed the shutter. The dial pointed +to six, and the sun had risen. He peered closely into the roll he +held in his hand, and pressing the packet slightly open, he slowly +deciphered the writing. It was that of a lawyer. The first word he +encountered was his own name, and brushing all scruples hastily aside, +the baron burst the package open, and with little compunction sat down +to peruse its contents. + +It took the knight, who was no fluent scholar, some considerable time +to read it through, and when, after the exercise of much patience, +he had reached the end, the legal terms, which were so profusely +employed, so baffled his simple understanding that he had decidedly +failed to grasp its true intent. Of one thing, however, and only one, +was he perfectly sure, and that was that he had come across the name +of Mary Burden and Nathan Grene several times in close connection +with his own; but what heightened his surprise and added to his +discomfiture was that the name of Sir Ronald Bury also appeared. + +In this predicament he bethought himself of seeking aid to unravel the +mystery, and he hastened up to arouse his companion. + +Sir Thomas was dressed, and he met the baron at the top of the +stairs--much to their mutual surprise. + +"Good morrow, Thomas," exclaimed the baron, "I had come to awaken +thee; see here!" and holding up the document he had discovered, he +dragged the heir to the Derby estates downstairs without uttering +another word or allowing any time for explanations. + +"Read that," he said, as soon as they were seated. + +Sir Thomas took the roll from the other's hand, and after a +superficial scrutiny he was soon deeply engrossed in carrying out +the command, while Sir George leaned his elbows upon the table and +carefully studied the changing emotions which followed each other in +rapid succession upon the young man's face. + +Sir Thomas Stanley read it through twice, and then carefully folding +it up, he gave the baron a prolonged inquiring look. + +"Well," exclaimed Sir George, "you have read it?" + +"I have." + +"Is it important?" + +"Assuredly it is. What have you done in the matter?" + +"Naught, save that I have shown it thee." + +"Is that all, Sir George?" + +"All! yes. Why?" + +"It is valuable; where did you get it?" + +"I found it upon the floor under the table. What is it, though?" + +"Show me your summons first. You have discovered information, I +believe, which will tide you safely over the trial." + +"Eh!" ejaculated the old knight, dropping the bulky summons upon the +table; "found what?" + +Sir Thomas returned no answer to the query, for, leaving his companion +to grasp the importance of the words he had just uttered, he spread +out the two documents side by side upon the table and busied himself +in comparing them together. + + + + +CHAPTER XV. + +SIR GEORGE AT WESTMINSTER. + + Go, let the treacherous throw their darts + And sore the good malign + Perjure their conscience, stain their hearts, + To gain their foul design. + Yet shall right triumph at the end; + And virtue fortune shall defend. + + ANON. + + +For some time the two noblemen sat in silence, but at length Sir +Thomas Stanley looked up and gave the baron some very pleasant news. + +"You are safe," he said. "You need no longer fear this Nathan Grene, +nor Sir Ronald Bury, nor anybody else for the matter of that; you are +perfectly safe." + +Sir George Vernon simply opened his eyes and his mouth wide in sheer +surprise, and seeing that he made no attempt to speak, Sir Thomas +proceeded. + +"This is a letter from Grene's own counsel. It is of the utmost +importance. Nathan Grene must have been here yesterday." + +"What! at the inn here? This very inn?" + +"Aye! and in this very room. Here is his signature, dated yesterday. +Maybe he is above even now." + +"Like enough," said the baron fiercely, and he looked as if he would +like to search each separate chamber in the house there and then. + +"Listen," said Stanley, "this is what the lawyer says: 'I am doubtful +if, after all, the prosecution will not fall through. The summons was +issued by your direction against "The King of the Peak," whereas it +ought to have read "Sir George Vernon." Warder, who, I hear, is the +agent of the Vernon family, will surely recognise this, and if the +baron refuses to answer the title contained in the summons, then our +case will fall to the ground. We must hope for the best, as we can do +no more. It is too late to rectify the error now.'" + +"Here," said Sir Thomas, looking up, "the counsellor stops; but our +friend Grene has added a few notes of his own, evidently directions to +some of his friends." + +"Go on, then," commanded Sir George impetuously. + +"'We must get Warder out of the way till the trial is over,' he +writes. 'The ostler here, who brings this message to thee, is in our +confidence, and may be trusted. Meet as arranged to-night. If we fail +at the trial we will have our revenge elsewhere. I am in danger, and +may not meet you yet, but follow Sir Ronald and he will reward you.'" + +He stopped reading, for while they had been thus together the +household had become astir, and it was evident that someone was about +to enter the room in which they were seated. + +His conjecture was right, for barely had he paused ere the door was +pushed open, and the ostler stepped quickly in, startled indeed to +find the library already occupied. He started to retire, but the baron +called him back. + +"Come hither, sirrah," he cried, regardless of his friend's wiser +counsel to desist. + +Hugh unwillingly returned. + +"Do you know that?" Sir George exclaimed, holding up the packet he had +discovered. + +Hugh had come purposely to seek it, but deeming it unwise to admit +the fact, he boldly answered in the negative. "That will do," said the +younger knight quietly; "you can depart." + +Again he started to go, but again Sir George called him back. + +"Read it," he said peremptorily, and he thrust the parchment into the +ostler's hands. + +"I cannot read," he replied; but suddenly bethinking himself that he +was implicated by the written evidence, he quickly changed his mind, +and eagerly snatching the document from the baron, he hastened out of +the room and turned the lock sharply upon the wonder-stricken knights. + +No time was to be lost; Hugh knew their knocking would soon be heard, +and that before long they would be released, when there would be +hue and cry after him; so, rapidly catching up a few of his own +things--and he had few of his own handy enough to take--and adding +a few convenient valuables belonging to his master to pay for his +services, he quickly passed out of the house and sped on his way to +join the confederates of Edmund Wynne. + +Edmund, too, had passed a sleepless night. At first he had attempted +to burst his chains asunder, but soon realising the utter uselessness +of such conduct, and being also covered with bruises, he desisted and +passed the next hour in calling out for relief. No relief came; only +the mice and the insects heard his cries, and the former affrighted, +sought seclusion in their holes, leaving the latter to survey in +silent surprise the new comer who had intruded upon their privacy. + +Wearied out, he gave over shouting at last, and lay upon the floor of +his damp cell, tossing uneasily about from side to side. The sun set; +the dark night came and went; the morning sun arose, and yet he knew +it not. It was too dark for him to see anything, for even no ray of +light found its way inside to gladden the heart of the prisoner. He +was altogether shut off from the world; he was, for the time being, to +all intents and purposes, buried alive. + +At length, after a night of abject misery, which seemed as if it never +would end, he heard the key turned in the lock, and in another moment +the gaoler entered. He fastened Edmund's hands securely behind his +back, and unlocking the fetters he bade him follow him to the court. + +The landlord of the Cock Tavern was already there, much enraged at the +loss of his property and the conduct of his servant, which he laid to +the charge of the prisoner. In a very short space of time Edmund Wynne +was convicted as a vagabond, and he listened akin to relief as the +Judge sentenced him to be kept in the stocks for the rest of the day +and threatened him with a whipping in the pillory if he were brought +before him on a second occasion. Much to the annoyance of the +innkeeper, the attempt to connect the prisoner with the loss of his +property and the ostler's flight entirely broke down; and disgusted +with everybody and everything, the good man returned to the tavern to +smile with counterfeited pleasure at his customers, and to vent his +rage upon the servants who were left him. + +The loss of the paper somewhat disconcerted Sir George Vernon, and +after the disappearance of the ostler he sat for a minute or two quite +dumbfounded, gazing in speechless surprise at the closed door. His +companion was a man of action, however, and undaunted by finding the +door locked, he hastened to the window, and would have attempted an +exit there had it not been that the windows were too narrow for such a +procedure. + +Baffled again, but in nowise disheartened, he began to thunder at the +door, and with the assistance of Sir George Vernon he soon made noise +enough to attract attention. + +The first to hear them was the chambermaid, and she, very naturally +suspecting that thieves were in the room, ran out into the yard and +intimated as much, at the top of her voice, to all the neighbours. + +Meanwhile the knocking continued, and was, if anything, more vigorous +than before. Startled by such an unusual din, the worthy Boniface +awoke from his slumbers, and, in no very enviable frame of mind, set +off, poker in hand, to summon aid. Help soon came, and, armed with +pokers, brooms, and pitchforks, the door was quickly broken open +and the gallant company rushed in, knocking Sir George over as they +entered. + +In the pause that followed the first rush the mistake was discovered, +and the situation was explained. The landlord was profuse in his +apologies, the more so as he caught the look of anger in the baron's +eye, but peace being quickly made, he rewarded his followers and +sallied out to discover the whereabouts of his delinquent servant, +breathing out dire threatenings against him. He searched in vain, and +after a thorough examination, returned in ill mood to partake of the +first meal of the day, and to discover the extent of his losses ere he +proceeded to appear against the unfortunate Edmund Wynne. + +As the baron and Sir Thomas rode together to Westminster a few hours +later, it was with spirits considerably higher than they could have +expected four-and-twenty hours earlier. Sir George had resumed his +haughty bearing, but he was, in truth, though he would never have +confessed it, more than a trifle nervous. At last the great Justice +Hall was reached, and, with a parting injunction not to answer to the +challenge, Sir Thomas separated from him, passing in by one door while +the baron entered by another. + +Sir George's nervous temperament was severely tried upon this +occasion, for he had a considerable time to wait, and he found no +better plan of whiling it away than that of impatiently pacing up +and down in the little room allotted to him; and he imagined himself +suffering all sorts of horrible tortures. + +At last his turn came. The door opened; his name was called; and +composing himself as well as he was able, he stepped into the crowded +hall with considerable dignity, accompanied by a pompous member of the +Court, and at once became the cynosure of all eyes. + +He stood impassively, casting his eyes around in search of Sir Thomas +Stanley, and curious to recognise as many as he could among the motley +crowd which had come to see him tried. During the time the charge was +being read, and just as he had discovered his companion in the throng +straight before him, he was challenged by the Clerk of the Crown to +plead. + +"King of the Peak," cried the officer of the law, "hold up thine hand. +Thou art accused of the murder of Mary Durden, spinster. Art thou +guilty or art thou not guilty?" + +Instinctively he held up his hand as directed, and in a bold and +fearless voice which echoed along the passages answered, "_Not +guilty_." + +As soon as he had uttered the words he remembered that he had done +wrong, but it was too late to recall it now, and filled with no +pleasant forebodings by learning that the one who had just stepped out +of the place in which he had stood had been committed to the Tower, he +watched the swearing-in of the jury with stolid indifference. + +It was soon evident that something was wrong somewhere. The minions +of the court rushed hither and thither in the utmost haste; messages +passed from the Judge to the clerks who sat at the table below; and +by-and-bye the fact leaked out that neither the prosecutor nor the +witnesses were in attendance. + +"Nathan Grene," called the clerk, "stand forth." There was no answer. + +"Nathan Grene," he repeated in a louder voice, "come forward and +accuse this man." + +The cry was taken up both inside the hall and without; but still no +Nathan Grene appeared, nor was he likely to, for at that time he was +sitting securely in the stocks; the sport of every passer-by, and +the delight of some little mischievous urchins, who were amusing +themselves by pulling his hair and sprinkling him with dirty water, +while he was powerless to defend himself in any way. + +"Nathan Grene," exclaimed the Judge in tones of awful dignity, "you +are called upon to support the charge of murder against the King of +the Peak; a charge made by yourself. This is the last time thou wilt +be summoned to answer, and unless you now appear, or afterwards show +good, full, and sufficient cause for thine absence, the law shall turn +its course on thee." + +The long silence which followed this speech was broken only by the +Judge, who rose again from his seat, and turning to Sir George told +him he was free; and amid the congratulations of his friends and the +concealed disappointment of his enemies, he passed triumphantly out of +the hall which had proved so fatal to so many of the nobility before +him, as it has also done since. + + + + +CHAPTER XVI. + +A NIGHT ADVENTURE. + + But whatsoe'er his crime, than such a cave + A worse imprisonment he could not have. + * * * * * + But here a roaring torrent bids you stand. + Forcing you climb a rock on the right hand, + Which, hanging penthouse-like, does overlook + The dreadful channel of the rapid brook. + Over this dangerous precipice you crawl, + Lost if you slip, for if you slip you fall. + + WONDERS OF THE PEAK, 1725. + + +Elated by their success, the two noblemen at once left London and +hastened on towards Haddon, and leaving the city behind them with +few regrets, they arrived at Derby late in the afternoon of the day +following the trial. + +It was Sir Thomas Stanley's time to be impatient now He was anxious +to behold Margaret again, and leaving the baron behind him to settle +a few matters of business he rode off upon a fresh horse to carry the +good news to the Hall, and to herald the approach of the knight. + +John Manners was keeping Dorothy company on the top of the Eagle Tower +when Sir Thomas appeared in sight. A "look out" had been on the watch +for the last three days, waiting to announce the approach of the +expected messenger from London, and each night a beacon fire had been +lighted, that in the darkness he might not pass by. But no messenger +came, and anxiety was beginning to make itself apparent on more faces +than one when the two lovers espied the fast-approaching rider, and +proclaimed the news to the household below. + +Margaret soon joined them company. She was burning with impatience to +read the long-expected missive and she eagerly watched the horseman +draw nearer who was bringing her tidings from her betrothed. + +"See Meg," exclaimed the overjoyed Dorothy, "thither he comes!" and +she pointed to a cloud of dust in the far distance, in the midst of +which might be seen every now and again the indistinct form of a horse +and its rider. + +"Maybe he will pass by," exclaimed Manners. + +"Not he!" scornfully replied Margaret, "he will none pass by. None +other than a messenger to Haddon would ride like that. The steed is +hard put to it; surely it is near its journey's end." + +"Well, we shall soon see," interposed Doll, "he is making good speed." + +It was as Dorothy said. Even while they had been talking, the rider +had considerably lessened the distance which separated him from the +Hall, and, had it not been for the dim twilight which was then slowly +deepening, they would have been enabled to distinguish more than they +had already done. + +"He rides well," said Margaret, more to herself than to either of the +others. "Methinks I know that ride." + +"'Tis like Crowleigh's," said Manners. + +"But Sir Everard is with Father Philip. It cannot be him," returned +Dorothy. + +"There is but one man who bestrides a saddle in such a fashion," +exclaimed Margaret, as she carefully scanned the horseman. "But no! it +cannot be so. I thought it was Sir----" + +"Sir Thomas Stanley," exclaimed Dorothy, taking the words out of her +sister's mouth. + +"I thought it was he," she confessed; "and see," she added, raising +her voice, "it is Sir Thomas; I thought it was," and she left the +lovers as she had found them, and hastened down, greatly excited, +to meet her own beloved, and not without some feelings of dismay at +seeing him return alone. + +Leaving the succeeding scene to be imagined rather than described, we +will hark back to Sir George at Derby. + +He accomplished his business more expeditiously than he had +anticipated, and in a very brief space of time started out of +the town, hoping with a hope soon to be dispelled that he might, +perchance, overtake Sir Thomas. + +Without a halt he arrived at Matlock at just about the same time as +his companion reached Haddon, and reining up his steed at the village +inn close by the churchyard, he alighted for a short rest and some +refreshment ere he finished what remained of his journey. + +He was well known here, and his peremptory commands were obeyed with +the utmost alacrity. + +His first enquiry was about Sir Thomas Stanley, and he learned to his +satisfaction that he had passed safely through there a good hour or so +before. + +"In good sooth, your lordship is surely going no further to-night," +exclaimed the host, as Sir George made the preliminary preparation for +resuming his journey. + +"Tut, man, why not? Of course I shall." + +"Your horse is stabled," responded the landlord; "surely you will not +attempt to ride further to-night." + +"My horse stabled," thundered the baron, "I said not so; 'tis fresh +from Derby. Out with it, man, and let me away." + +The horse was quickly unstabled, and brought round to the tavern door, +but the innkeeper was loth to let the good knight depart. It was a +thing he would not do for a trifle, and he feared for the safety of +the baron. + +"The roads are very bad," he exclaimed, as they stepped into the +little passage together, "and it will be dark ere you reach the Hall, +my lord. Had you not better change your mind?" + +The knight declined the request in the most emphatic manner, and +placed his foot upon the stirrup to mount. + +"There be many rogues and footpads in the neighbourhood of late, and +especially to-day," pursued the other. "I have had as ill-looking a +crew in my house to-day as I ever clapt eyes upon; I am sure they bode +no good." + +Nothing, however, could persuade Sir George to stay, and seeing that +his guest was obdurate, the host continued, + +"Stay awhile, Sir George, an' thou wilt, thou shalt at least have a +man of mine to accompany thee. The neighbourhood is full of knaves of +late, and I like it not that thou should'st go alone." + +But the offer was lightly refused; and fearing nothing for his own +safety, the old knight spurred his horse forward, and in a few moments +was lost to sight in the fast-settling gloom. + +Little time as he and Sir Thomas had lost in leaving London, and quick +as they had been in reaching Derby, there had yet been those who had +been more expeditious than they. + +Upon the receipt of the unwelcome news which the ostler had brought to +them, Edmund Wynne's confederates at once departed from the city, and +under the leadership of Sir Ronald Bury hastened on, with few rests, +to the wilds of Derbyshire, to perform the deed, still enshrouded in +mystery, which they had been hired, if necessary, to perform. + +Blissfully unconscious of the trap into which he was rushing, and +wholly contemptuous of the idea of being benighted, the lord of Haddon +rode fearlessly on. The way was dark to be sure, but he knew it well, +and what added to his confidence was the fact that he was right in the +very heart of his own possessions. + +He had barely ridden a couple of furlongs, though, before his horse +became restive, and in response to a free application of both whip and +spur only pricked up its ears and advanced in a more unsatisfactory +manner than before. + +Still suspecting nothing, the baron applied the whip more vigorously. +He perceived, clearly enough, that his charger was frightened at +something or other, and to inspire it with a little of his own courage +he started to whistle a lively tune which he had heard Dorothy play +upon the spinet till he got it well by heart. + +The tune was never finished, for barely had he begun it when the +branch of a tree, which was hurled at him from the side of the road, +completely unhorsed him and sent him rolling into the ditch on the +other side. + +Before he could rise or place himself in any posture of defence he +was roughly seized, and in spite of his struggles was carried away as +helpless as a child, whilst to aggravate his position his eyes were +tightly blindfolded. + +"What does this mean?" he shouted out in desperation; but no one +deigned to answer. + +"I am Sir George Vernon," he added stoutly, but if he had thought that +this was information, or that his captors would be inclined to +quake before this declaration of his rank and person, he was sorely +mistaken, and the brief answer they returned soon convinced him on the +point. + +"We know it," they laughed; "we are no fools." + +"Nathan Grene," he passionately shouted, "you shall rue this day." He +no longer wondered now at the non-appearance of his adversary; he felt +confident that the recreant smith was there, and the thought of being +thus within his power goaded him into a frenzy of passion. + +"Thou shalt live to rue this bitterly," he repeated, but before he +could say anything further his mouth was filled with grass, and in +spite of his attempts to speak he could no longer succeed in making +himself heard. + +How far he was being carried he knew not, nor yet did he know the way; +and beyond making a few desultory attempts to disengage his nether +limbs from the vice-like grasp in which they were enclosed, the baron +made no further attempts to free himself. + +It was quite dark before they stopped, and when his bandages were +taken off he had only sufficient time to discover that they had halted +at the mouth of a cave before his captors seized hold of his +person and unceremoniously pushed him in, sending, after a brief +consultation, one of their number after him to see that he made no +effort to escape. + +"Where is Nathan Grene?" inquired the outraged nobleman, as soon as he +found himself at liberty; "I want to see him." + +"Happen you do!" replied his keeper, who was none other than the +ostler; "then, maybe, you will find him at London. You were near +enough to him in the stable loft; maybe he is out of the stocks again +now." + +"Don't talk with him," commanded an imperious voice from the exterior, +"or he will be taking you unawares." + +The order was literally complied with, and to all his queries +thenceforward the baron could gain no reply. At length he gave up the +attempt, and watched in sullen silence his captors kindle a fire just +within the cavern mouth. + +He meditated a dash out, but the venture seemed to promise little +hope, and seeing, after a time, that the man had fallen asleep, he +proceeded to explore his prison. + +It was a long cave, and there were many fissures and passages +branching out on either side, but he found to his intense disgust that +instead of leading out into the open they all terminated after a few +yards in a solid wall of rock. + +Nothing daunted by his successive disappointments, the lord of Haddon +carefully wound his way round the circuitous cavern path. He found it +difficult work, however, to walk in darkness in an unknown way, and he +made little progress until, suddenly remembering that the ostler had +charge of the tinder and flint which his associates had thrown in +after kindling their fire, he stole back as quickly as he could to +fetch it. + +He found everything exactly as it was when he left it. The ostler was +still asleep and loudly snoring; the noisy gang beyond were cooking +their evening meal, and without attracting their attention he +succeeded in gaining the coveted articles, and rapidly retreated with +them in his possession. + +He waited before obtaining a light, until a sharp bend in the cave +secured his position, and then, stooping down, he struck the flint +and steel together and made a torch of his cravat. He was now able to +hasten forward, and fearful lest his torch should burn away ere he +had effected his escape, he pushed quickly on, and soon reached the +farthest end. + +The cave, which had been gradually narrowing as Sir George advanced, +instead of suddenly rising up into the ground above, or ending in a +narrow opening, as the good knight had fervently hoped, terminated +in a deep chasm, and far down below there rushed a tumultuous stream. +Even as he stopped short, startled by the discovery, a stone rolled +over the brink, and after a pause of several seconds' duration the +forlorn explorer was suddenly recalled to a sense of his position by +hearing a faint splash in the deep waters far below. + +He turned round regretfully, and commenced to return, fully decided, +unless he quickly discovered a way of escape, to attempt to surprise +his captors by rushing through their midst, trusting to the darkness +of the night to favour his escape. + +He had not gone far before he discovered that his absence had been +noticed. The ostler must have awaked; the echoing cavern resounded +with the imprecations of his companions, and their approaching +footsteps warned him that they were coming in search of him. Not a +moment was to be lost, and espying a large shelving rock which jutted +out from a side passage, Sir George Vernon hastily clambered up and +extinguished his light. The mass of rock upon which he had taken +refuge was fairly flat, and he was able to maintain his position upon +it; but he soon discovered that it would not be big enough to screen +him from view were the searchers to look in that direction. It was too +late to think of moving now, for his pursuers were close at hand; he +could even distinguish the reflection of their torches; there was only +one course open for him, and that was to endeavour to squeeze through +the narrow fissure at the end of the ledge on which he lay. + +A squeeze and a cut or two, a tug and a stifled groan; another squeeze +more violent by far than the former one, and the portly baron rolled +panting through the jagged briar-covered little crevice, just as the +light of the searchers illuminated the place from which he had only a +moment before released himself. + +Some painful moments elapsed ere he stopped rolling, and then it +was not until he found himself entangled in the strong but friendly +embrace of one of the tough blackberry bushes which were growing +in profusion, and still continue to do so, on the hill sides of +Derbyshire. He had, in fact, found out a way of escape just as he had +abandoned all hope of doing so, and carefully extricating himself from +his uncomfortable position, he pursued his way by Masson's shadowy +heights, boiling over with rage against his ruffianly captors, and +made the best of his way to the nearest inn to secure a horse to carry +him home. + + + + +CHAPTER XVII. + +A DALE ABBEY HERMIT. + + Far in a wild, unknown to public view, + From youth to age, a reverend hermit grew; + The moss his bed, the cave his humble cell, + His food the fruits, his drink the crystal well; + Remote from man, with God he passed his days, + Prayer all his business, all his pleasure praise. + + PARNELL. + + +Sir George's first care upon his arrival at Haddon was to send off a +number of his retainers to capture, if possible, the gang which had +entrapped him; but after searching for nearly a couple of days they +were obliged to return and communicate their failure to their lord. +The villains had all made off and left not a clue behind them. + +His next care was to calm the overwrought feelings of Lady Maude and +his daughters, to whom the suspense of the last few hours had been +painful in the extreme; and then after he had refreshed his inner man, +he retired to seek that repose for which he was so well prepared. + +Time sped on; the days soon passed into weeks, and the lovely spring +had merged into a still more lovely summer. John Manners' visit had +come to a close, and he was longing for an invitation for another +visit and seeking to find some decent excuse for becoming a +self-invited guest. + +At last, much to his relief, he received the long-wished-for +invitation. He and Crowleigh were invited together to one of the +numerous feasts of Haddon's hospitable Hall, and De la Zouch, whose +wounds were now fast healing, was wishful that a reconciliation should +take place between them, and professed himself even anxious to make +some advances towards his late adversary. + +Without loss of time the two guests sped on their way at the appointed +time, and were amongst the very first of the visitors. Disappointment, +however, awaited them. Father Philip was dying. The Derby leech +had done his best to restore the injured man, and although he had +succeeded in prolonging the patient's life for a little while, all +his efforts to save the unfortunate confessor failed, and seeing the +father suddenly begin to sink, he had, the night before John Manners +arrived, given up all hope of saving his life, and announced that the +end was nigh at hand. + +Under these circumstances mounted messengers were at once despatched +to inform the invited guests that it had been found necessary to +postpone the feast, and asking them to defer their visit until they +should hear again from Haddon. This, in almost every other instance, +had succeeded in staying the visitors; but Manners and Crowleigh had +started at the break of day, and were well on their way before the +messenger had found his way to stop them. + +A little manoeuvring on Dorothy's part gained, to Margaret's qualified +delight, an invitation for them to stay from no less a personage than +the dying man himself. Father Philip had taken kindly to Crowleigh +from the first, and was grateful to him for the skill and patience he +had bestowed upon him on his previous visit, and he was ready enough +to accede to any request, whatever it might be, that his Dorothy, his +beloved Dorothy, thought well to ask. + +Not a brother of the cloth could be found to take the father's place, +and this loss proved exceedingly awkward to all at Haddon at this +juncture. + +The Reformation had come in with so much vigour; the enactments +against the Roman Catholics were so stringent, that not even another +priest could be found to shrive him. The pendulum of fortune had +indeed swung back again with a vengeance. From one extreme the +religious laws had gone to the other; and so it befell that the +father, to his exceeding great regret, found himself dying with never +a minister of his own persuasion near at hand. + +Crowleigh again came to his relief. He had a friend, a staunch +Catholic who had been expelled from Oxford University soon after +Elizabeth's accession on account of his strong religious views. He had +turned monk, and, during the recent pitiless times, it had frequently +fallen to Sir Everard's lot to befriend him. He was at this time in +hiding at no great distance from Crowleigh's estate, and the latter +had sufficient confidence in his friend's willingness to come to +promise Sir George Vernon that he would fetch him. + +The offer was gladly accepted. Without any delay the two best horses +in the stable were saddled, and within a very short space of time +both horses and rider were well started on their way towards the +south-western boundary of the shire. + +Nicholas Bury had for two years lived the life of a hermit. In his +seclusion he had become happy, and though the reverence was denied him +which the early hermits had accustomed themselves to receive, yet he +was at least unmolested, and thanks to Sir Everard, who ever assisted +him in time of need, he was never left to want for the few necessaries +of life that he required. + +Sir Everard Crowleigh rode hard all the morning, and stopping on his +errand but once--to partake of a light meal--he arrived at the abode +of his friend as the twilight put forth its gentle mask of gloom. + +Deepdale was an attractive spot, but it was not the natural beauty of +the scene which had first attracted the eyes of Nicholas Bury so much +as the facilities it offered for his purpose. Centuries before a +pious Derby baker had retired to the self-same spot, and besides this +hallowed memory there was the still more substantial cell to hand +which the saintly old recluse had left behind him. + +This, cut out of the solid rock, and situated at the summit of a deep +declivity, was overgrown by a curtain of ivy, which not only screened +its tenant from the wintry winds, but also hid his retreat from +the gaze of the innocent passer-by. The Abbey, hard by, had +been dismantled before Nicholas knew it, but it was a source of +gratification to him to be so near so sacred a building, and at +eventide he would wander fondly about its walls and murmur his vespers +to himself. + +Sir Everard paused before entering upon the solitude of his friend, +and would fain have rested his weary limbs on the mossy banks of +the slope, but remembering how nearly Father Philip was to death he +overruled his feelings, and, brushing through the ivy covering of the +doorway, he entered quietly into the sanctum of the hermit. + +Nicholas was evidently deeply engaged in his devotions, for he was +kneeling before the little altar of his cell, and, catching somewhat +of the spirit of reverence, Everard paused upon the threshold, loth +to penetrate any further. The lamp gave but a fitful flickering light, +hut the devotee heeded not; and, by-and-bye, as the knight stood +spellbound, the wick sputtered in the oil, and making a final effort +the flame shot up for a moment with a brilliant glare and then died +slowly out, leaving nothing but a fragment of smouldering wick and a +sickly odour to attest its presence. + +Crowleigh roused himself as it died away, and came to the resolution +that it was high time to announce his presence; and failing to +distinguish any signs to intimate that his friend's prayers were +nearing conclusion he advanced towards him. + +He had scarcely moved a step when he started back with horror. There +was little enough light entered within this solitary abode, but yet +there was quite enough to enable him to see curled up together upon a +bed of leaves a number of snakes of different kinds. His first impulse +was to rush out and escape, but bethinking himself of the defenceless +position of his friend, he picked up a huge stone and let it fall upon +them. + +Still Nicholas did not stir, and heedless of the badger, which +fiercely showed its teeth and looked as if it meditated an attack upon +him, Sir Everard strode softly up to his friend's side and tapped him +lightly on the shoulder. + +"Nicholas," he exclaimed. + +Nicholas returned no answer, and his friend stood dumbfounded. Surely +that pale face and that emaciated form could not belong to the once +sturdy companion, or--and he noticed that the eyes were closed; or +else--and he trembled at the bare idea--Nicholas Bury must be dead! + +He put out his hand and shook it gently, and he was speedily rewarded +by seeing his friend open his eyes. + +"Lie still, Leo," he commanded, addressing the badger. + +The faithful animal, which had regarded the intruder with marked +disfavour, rolled itself up again in obedience to the command, and +remained in the corner watching the knight with glistening eyes. + +"Nicholas," repeated Crowleigh, for he had not yet been noticed. +Nicholas turned slowly round, as if his ears had not deceived him, +but on seeing his friend and benefactor standing by his side, his face +lighted up with pleasure, and he quickly arose. + +"My good friend, Everard," he exclaimed, as he warmly shook the +proffered hand, "thou art indeed a stranger here." + +"Aye, I have a mission to thee," he replied. + +"A mission," the hermit echoed. Art thou, then, the bearer of +ill-tidings to me? Is my safety jeopardised, or what? Tell me, +Everard, let me know it all. I have done no man evil that I wot +of--unless in these evil days it be wrong to visit the sick and the +afflicted; but I am ready for aught, even though it were instant +death." + +"Nay, Nicholas," returned his friend, "thou art in a gloomy strain. +I am a messenger of peace; I bear good tidings to thee, not ill-news. +Thou must away with me at once." + +"I cannot go; but see! my lamp is out. I must light it again. You +see how indifferent I am," he apologetically exclaimed, "I even fall +asleep over my prayers." + +"Ha! I perceive thou art over-weary; take my advice for the once, and +do not rise so soon, nor pray so long." + +"Ah, Everard, 'tis not that," replied the holy man; "I have not been +to my poor couch since yester morning. I have been praying through the +night for the speedy restoration of our holy Church." + +"And see, whilst thou hast been sleeping I have saved thy life," +interjected Everard; "but I must tell thee on my journey. I would have +thee accompany me back to Haddon." + +"My poor pets!" exclaimed the hermit sorrowfully, as he lifted up the +stone; "they are all killed." + +"'Tis a case of death, I fear," pursued Crowleigh, referring to the +father's illness. + +"I fear it is," replied the other, looking ruefully at his dead pets. +"Thou hast killed my companions, Everard." + +"Ugh! pretty companions, I trow," said the knight, scornfully; "but we +must hasten. I will acquaint thee with the whys and wherefores as +we go. Nay, never mind the lamp, thou can'st say adieu to that. Our +horses are tethered to a tree below, and thou must shrive a friend who +is at death's door--a priest. I have ridden throughout the livelong +day to fetch thee. Art thou ready now?" + +"What, so soon? This is sudden indeed." + +"Aye, man, so soon. Death tarries for no man, and, beshrew me, it will +not tarry for us either." + +"I must take Leo, then." + +"Very well, pick him up, but let us be off I pray." + +"This is _too_ sudden, Everard, indeed it is. I have many sick to +visit, and I would fain go to the monastery just once again, to +bid----" + +"There must be no buts about it, Nicholas," returned his friend +quickly, "the father is dying, and the baron expects you." + +"Give me but an hour, then I will go with thee. 'Tis sad to break +away from a spot hallowed by so many sacred memories, and at so short +warning, too. I am loth to go, Everard, even now. There is no other +spot on earth like this to me." + +"'Tis a cold and cheerless home, truly," exclaimed the knight, +sympathetically, "and I will find thee a far better one, Nicholas. +See, I will give thee half-an-hour, and then you must bid adieu to +this place or I must return alone and leave thee." + +Nicholas submitted to the decision of his friend, and in less than the +stipulated time they had both turned their backs upon the hospitable +shelter which had been a home to the monk when every door seemed shut +against him, and were on their way to Haddon. + + + + +CHAPTER XVIII. + +THE CHAMBER OF DEATH. + + Child, if it were thine error or thy crime, + I care no longer, being all unblest; + Wed whom thou wilt; but I am sick of time. + And I desire to rest. + + TENNYSON. + + +Haddon Hall was sighted by the two travellers just before mid-day, and +long before they reached it Manners had been despatched in great haste +to hasten them forward with the news that the poor father was almost +at his last gasp. + +They needed not the urging, for they had ridden hard, almost without a +rest, and not only was Nicholas thoroughly wearied out by the unusual +exertion of riding but the horses were sorely jaded too. + +In a few minutes they all three rode up to the doorway together, and +leaving their steeds to Manners, Sir Everard Crowleigh took the priest +to the sick man's chamber. + +Father Philip was reclining upon the well-cushioned couch when they +entered. His eyes were closed, but he was not asleep; he had +not enjoyed the luxury of a sleep for days past, and the haggard +expression of his face, and the twitching muscles of his body, +foretold only too truly that the end of the father was not very far +away. + +The sick man knew it, and was willing to escape from his agony as +soon as he had received the proper consolation and preparation of his +religion. His only fear was that he would not linger long enough +to receive it, but that he might his lips were even then moving in +prayer. + +Dorothy was sitting by his bedside, and as Nicholas Bury stepped +gently forward she silently arose, and, with a heart too full to +permit her to speak, she offered him her hand as a token of welcome, +and led him up to the chair upon which she had just been sitting. + +Her courtesy was acknowledged by a most profound bow, but, refusing +the seat she proffered him, Nicholas reached another for himself and +sat down upon it by the side of the maiden. + +It was a long time since Nicholas had witnessed so much magnificence +gathered together in one room, and tired by his long ride and soothed +by the grateful odour of the incense which filled the room, and also +struck by a feeling of reverential awe by the solemnity of the +whole scene, which readily appealed to his religious instincts, he +remembered nothing of what had just transpired, but leaned his head +upon his hand and fell into a reverie, such as he had allowed himself +to indulge in when alone in his solitary Deepdale cell. + +"He is not asleep," said Dorothy, stretching forward and laying her +hand upon his arm. "He has been waiting long for thee." + +Her voice startled Nicholas, who had become sublimely unconscious of +his surroundings; and incoherently murmuring some remark, maybe the +conclusion of one of his prayers, he turned round and fixed his gaze +upon the form of the dying man. + +"Reverend father," he exclaimed in a subdued and quiet voice, "I am +here to aid thee." + +Father Philip turned himself round with difficulty and faced the +speaker. + +"Dorothy," he called. + +"I am here, father," she replied, "I have never left thee." + +"Take it away from my eyes, child," he commanded. + +Father Philip never called her child except on rare occasions when +her conduct displeased him, and she would have felt hurt at the +appellation now had it not been for the unusual circumstances of the +case. She looked inquiringly at him to fathom his meaning, but, seeing +nothing to remove, she would have asked him what it was he meant, had +he not interrupted her. + +"Take it away, Dorothy," he repeated, "I cannot see." + +"Poor brother," exclaimed Nicholas, noticing the discomfiture. "I fear +me thou art blind. There is naught to take away, save the film from +off thine eyes." + +"Brother, did you say?" asked the dying man. "Did you say brother; are +you then the priest? Praise be to God; I shall die easy now," and he +buried his face in the pillow and wept for joy. + +"Let him lie as he is," whispered Nicholas; "he will be far easier so. +Poor man, he is indeed at the portals of death." + +"The leech said so," replied the heart-broken Dorothy, and then for a +long time they sat motionless, watching with intense earnestness each +movement of the dying man. + +The good father wept unrestrainedly. His whole frame quivered with +emotion as the sobs escaped his breast; until, after a time, the +sounds gradually and yet perceptibly grew weaker and fainter, and +finally died away altogether. + +"He is dead!" sobbed Dorothy, after a long pause. + +"Nay, see," replied her companion, "his bosom heaves, but the end is +very near. May my last hour be as calm as this," he added earnestly, +as he gazed as the father. + +"Amen, so be it, Nicholas Bury," said a voice from the region of the +doorway. + +The monk started at the sound of his name, but did not move; the +tapers were burning before the altar, and the curtain was drawn, and +he failed to distinguish the features of the visitor. + +Dorothy, even through her ears, noticed that he was startled and +discomposed, and she hastened to reassure him. + +"No harm, no harm, good father; 'tis but Master John Manners," she +said. + +"You have not forgotten me, surely?" inquired Manners, stepping +forward, and throwing the light upon his face. + +The priest gave a start of surprise as he recognised the visage of the +new comer. + +"Forgotten a Rutland?" he exclaimed. "No, never! Right glad am I to +meet with thee again, but hush! This is the chamber of death. I will +see thee afterwards. The father moves, see." + +Father Philip endeavoured to turn himself over, but he was too weak to +succeed, and he fell back exhausted. + +"Oh, dear," he groaned, "I am a sinful man." + +"So are we all, brother," returned Nicholas. "The best of us are very +sinful." + +"Dorothy." + +Doll stood up and leaned over the bed. + +"Give me your hand, my daughter." + +She placed her hands between the thin hands which the father held out +feebly to her, while the hot tears trickled down her face and fell in +rapid succession upon the quilted coverlid beneath. + +"Will you kiss me, Doll?" he asked. "I shall never ask aught of thee +again. Tell the baron," he slowly continued, addressing the priest +now, "tell him that I blessed her and told her yes." + +Dorothy bent down thoroughly heartbroken, and kissed the marble-like +forehead, dropping as she did a shower of tears upon his face. + +"What is that, the holy water?" he asked, placing his finger upon one +of the drops. + +"I could not help it, father," she sobbed aloud, "indeed I could not. +They are tears, but I will wipe them off." + +"God bless thee, Doll, thou hast a tender heart. Nay, nay, leave them +on I beseech thee, they shall be thy last gift to the old man; I will +take them with me into my grave." + +He paused, but Dorothy could not speak. She covered her face with her +hands and wept on. + +"May the Blessed Virgin ever be your friend," he continued, resting +his hand upon her head, "and may the saints protect thee. I have +naught to give thee, Doll, but thou shalt have my blessing. God bless +thee, Doll, God bless thee and thy lover," and he sank back upon the +bed completely exhausted. + +They sat motionless by his side for some minutes, only Dorothy's sobs +and the sick man's broken sighs breaking upon the silence, until at +last Manners advanced, and taking the hand of his betrothed, led her +unresistingly out into the garden. + +Nicholas sat, after their departure, until well into the night, +watching by the bedside, before Father Philip opened his eyes again. +Many inquirers had visited the room, but they had departed again, and, +though they knew it not, they had looked for the last time upon the +familiar form of the confessor, ere he breathed his last. + +As the morrow dawned the old man passed away, happy, inasmuch as +Nicholas had afforded him the last rites of his religion. As the +twilight descended the chapel bell rung out upon the stillness of the +eventide. It was the Sabbath, but amid the sorrow and the gloom which +reigned around, this fact had been well-nigh forgotten. + +The summer breeze carried the sound a long way along the dale. It +had not been heard since the day of Father Philip's accident, and its +sound had been sorely missed. + +But now it was no longer the herald of peace, nor the token of joy, +for the villagers knew full well that it was tolling the knell of +the departed priest, and their hearts were heavy with sorrow for the +friend they knew had just passed away. + +The chapel was open. It was free for the once to as many as could +enter, and there were few around who did not wish to show respect to +the man who had surely, in one way or another, proved himself their +friend. + +The limited number that the chapel could accommodate took their places +long before the vesper bell stopped ringing, and when Sir George came +in, bringing in with him the Lady Maude, and followed by his daughters +and the two guests, there was a large concourse of disappointed +worshippers outside who were bent on remaining as near the sacred +edifice as they might get. Though they were denied admittance, they +would hear the solemn chant as it sounded through the open windows, +and they felt that they would fall under the same sacred influence as +those who were inside; and whilst these latter were favoured by the +hallowing influences of the sanctuary, they were compensated for this +by the rustling of the leaves, which seemed to moan in sympathy with +them as the wind swept gently by. + +Of all who mourned the loss of the father--and there were many who +regretted that he was taken from their midst--none was more sincere in +her grief than Dorothy, and none apparently was so little affected by +the loss as Margaret. + +This maiden had watched the growing familiarity of the intercourse +between her sister and John Manners with no friendly eyes. She had +perceived that it was necessary to take action at once in the matter, +and at her express command her lover was even now on a mission to his +brother to secure the double alliance between the two houses of Vernon +and Stanley, upon which she and Lady Vernon had set their minds. + +The absence of Sir Thomas had intensified her feelings in the matter, +and seeing Manners leading Dorothy out of the sick man's chamber with +his arm interlinked with hers, it had goaded her to such a frenzy +that, regardless of the inopportunity of the time, she had proceeded +straightway to Sir George and Lady Maude and had laid the matter +before them in a most unfavourable light. + +And now, as the impressive requiem was about to be sung--a dirge full +of soul-stirring reflections and sacred grandeur--Margaret's head +was full of bitterness, and she failed to respond to the sympathetic +sublimity of the service, or to notice its serene beauty either. To +her it was nothing more than a tiresome form; her interest was centred +on Dorothy alone, and she heartily condemned herself for not arranging +that. Dorothy should not sit beside the esquire. It was a dreary and +unpleasant time to her, and when she raised her eyes from her +sister it was only impatiently to watch the deepening shades of the +approaching night as they registered themselves upon the glass-panes +at her side. The windows gradually became more and more difficult to +see through; each time she looked it had grown a shade darker, until +at length the pure glass had changed, to her unmitigated satisfaction, +in hue from clear transparency to green, and from that to black. + +At length the service was over. She hailed its conclusion with a sigh +of relief, mentally promising the new confessor but a small portion +of her favour if he were always as long-winded as he had been on this +occasion; and she anxiously awaited the moment when Sir George would +rise from his knees and lead the way out, so that she might carry +Dorothy off in safety. + +The time came in due course. The baron rose; the others followed his +example, and as Lady Maude, less haughty than usual, led the way out +of the chapel, Margaret eagerly caught hold of her sister and led her +away in silence across the courtyard and into the hall. + + + + +CHAPTER XIX. + +"THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE." + +'Twere wild to hope for her, you say, I've torn and cast those words +away, Surely there's hope! For life 'tis well Love without hope's +impossible. + +--COVENTRY PATMORE. + + + +Father Philip had lain under the sod but one sunset before the fruits +of Margaret's intriguing began to make themselves apparent. + +It was with a secret sense of misgiving that Manners received an +invitation, which he readily construed into a command, to attend the +baron in his private room, and it was with a fluttering heart that he +prepared himself to meet Dorothy's father. Nor were his forebodings +set at rest or in anywise lightened by the first view he got of the +baron. + +Sir George was pacing up and down the room, but hearing the door open +he stopped suddenly, and when Manners entered he saw upon the knight's +face a look which at once struck a chill to his heart. + +"Sit down, Manners, sit down," said the baron curtly. + +He was nervous and excited, and as Manners obeyed the injunction +he clearly perceived this fact, and it afforded him a little +satisfaction. + +"You wished to see me?" he exclaimed, breaking the awkward silence +which ensued after he had sat down. + +"Eh, yes, I did." + +Another long pause followed, which was painful alike to both. + +The baron's agitation increased, and it did not need any great +exercise of shrewdness to guess the cause. The lover guessed it +intuitively, and deftly altered the topic which was just about to be +broached. + +"Poor Father Philip is gone," he exclaimed in a sympathetic tone. + +"Ye-e-s," slowly assented the baron. + +"And you miss him, I perceive," pursued the esquire tremulously. + +"Very true, but--" + +"And I hear Nicholas Bury is about to depart," hazarded Manners, +interrupting the baron. + +"Eh! what?" exclaimed Sir George. "Father Nicholas going?" + +"He has informed Everard so." + +"No, he must stay," returned the knight, banishing the wrinkles that +had contracted his brow; "of course he must stay." + +He was clearly off his guard now, and Manners breathed easier again; +for, thanks to the efforts of Dorothy and Crowleigh, as well as to +his own perceptions, he was by no means ignorant of the conspiracy of +which he was the victim, and he wished to procrastinate the inevitable +interview until a more favourable time presented itself for the +purpose. + +"Where did he come from?" continued the baron, drifting innocently +farther and farther away from the purpose of the interview. + +"Am I to trust thee with his secret then?" asked the lover. + +"Of course, let me know all. I shall protect him, come what will." + +"Then he is Sir Ronald Bury's brother." + +"He is a better man than his brother, then," exclaimed Sir George, +when he had overcome his astonishment. "Did Sir Everard fetch him from +Nottingham?" + +"Nay, from Dale Abbey." + +"Ha!" ejaculated the baron, "say you so? The abbey is dismantled, and +methought I knew every Catholic in the shire." + +"Then, Sir George, you forgot the hermitage," was the prompt reply. + +Sir George had just caught sight of his good lady through the open +lattice window, and as he saw her wending her way quickly along the +path it painfully recalled him to a sense of his position. + +"I sent for thee," he said suddenly, changing the conversation and +knitting his brow, "because I wished to see thee on a matter of much +importance." + +"I am honoured by your confidence," promptly returned the esquire, +making a gallant effort to escape the subject, "but pray on no +account tell either Everard or Nicholas that it was I who gave the +information. I was charged to tell no man, by my honour." + +Unluckily, Lady Vernon passed the door just as he was speaking, and +the sound of her footsteps kept the subject too well in the baron's +mind for him to wander from it again. + +"About Dorothy," he explained, ignoring the last remark. + +Manners was nonplussed; he attempted no rejoinder, and the baron paced +the room again in great perturbation. At length he stopped. + +"'Tis an awkward piece of business," he said, "and I had much rather +it had not fallen so; but I suppose it must be done." + +Still Manners vouchsafed no reply, and his silence added to the +baron's discomfiture. + +For a long time neither of them spoke. The baron wiped the +perspiration from his brow and tried to frame together the words +which proved so troublesome to utter, while Manners sat, ill at ease, +waiting to hear the worst. + +"Most young men fall in love," exclaimed the knight at length. He +jerked the words out rather than spoke them, but they were at least +uttered, and feeling that he had broken the ice he heaved a sigh of +relief. + +"I did so myself," he innocently rambled on, "more than once." He had +almost said "and once too many," but he paused with the words upon +his lips, and the recollection that Lady Maude might not be far away +decided him to leave the remark unexpressed. + +"I have done so, too, once and for ever," exclaimed Manners, mustering +up courage enough to break into the subject at a stroke. He felt +that it must all come out now, and the sooner it was over the better +pleased would he be; therefore he plunged headlong into it, hoping, +perchance, to fire the baron with a little of the same enthusiasm with +which he was himself possessed. + +"It has been my good fortune," he continued boldly, "to fall deeply in +love with your daughter, your Dorothy--and she has not spurned me." + +"No, Doll is a rare girl, a bonnie girl, and a good one, too. I love +her better than I love myself, and forsooth, young man, we value +ourselves at no sorry figure neither." + +"I wonder whoever saw her that did not love her," said the +deeply-smitten swain sententiously. + +They were both engaged in conversation now in common sympathy, and the +eyes of the old knight sparkled with joy as he thought of his darling +and her many charms. + +"She is the light of my life," he replied. "See, there she goes, with +her bewitching grace," and he caught hold of Manners and drew him into +the recess of the oriel window and pointed out where Dorothy and her +sister were talking together on the green. + +"Margaret is to wed Sir Thomas Stanley this autumn, I hear," ventured +the esquire. + +"Yes--and Dorothy is to be wedded this winter also," replied the baron +as he heard the partner of his joys pass again outside the door. + +"This winter!" echoed Manners in blank dismay. "Dorothy to be wedded +this winter! To whom, I pray?" + +"To Sir Edward Stanley." + +Manners staggered back against the wall as though he had been smitten +by some invisible hand. His face blanched, his lips quivered, and he +gasped for very breath. This was news indeed, far beyond his worst +anticipations, and he was almost crushed by the blow. + +The baron watched him with a feeling akin to dismay. He hated his +unpleasant task, and half regretted the promise he had made Sir Thomas +Stanley. He pitied the unfortunate esquire who stood before him, and +sincerely blamed himself for accepting the business, and the dame for +thrusting it upon him. + +Manners soon rallied, much to Sir George's relief; and the two sat +down together at the little table. The baron, tried to express his +sympathy with him in his great disappointment which had just come upon +him, but his words were clumsy, and afforded no relief. + +"It is not yet quite decided upon, is it?" asked the young man. + +"We expect Sir Edward now at any time," the knight replied. + +"But, Sir George, Dorothy has plighted her troth to me." + +"Ah, we know it; Margaret has told us of it. 'Twas a foolish thing to +do." + +"And Father Philip blessed the match," pursued Manners. + +"But she has been promised to Edward Stanley," was the quiet reply, +"and a Vernon's promise is never broken, never." + +The two remained silent awhile. Sir George had made wonderful progress +with his mission of late--a fact due to the knowledge that Lady Vernon +was standing just outside the door; and before either of them spoke +again she entered the room, and making a formal courtesy to the +visitor, she advanced to her husband's side. + +"You have told Master Manners, I suppose?" she inquired in a harsh, +unfeeling voice that stabbed the lover's heart by every word. + +"Yes, my dear," he replied, looking as if he were ashamed of the whole +business, "I have told him all." + +"But surely you cannot understand Dorothy's feelings in the----" + +"Dorothy will do as we desire," interrupted Lady Maude, severely. + +"Do you really love your daughter, Sir George?" asked Manners, in +desperation. "Then I conjure you by all the affection towards her you +possess, that in this, matter you consult her happiness. I cannot live +without her, and she will fade away like a tender flower if you baulk +her choice." + +"Do I love her?" repeated Sir George, impatiently. "Aye, that I do; am +I not her father?" + +"Hush, Sir George," interrupted Lady Vernon, "Master Manners is +outrageous. I will talk with him, and you can depart an you wish it." + +Nothing loth, Sir George turned to go; glad to wash his hands of the +whole affair, and feeling thoroughly ashamed that it had ever fallen +to his lot to treat a guest in so inhospitable a fashion. + +"I am sorry, Master Manners," continued the dame, as she watched the +retreating figure of her lord, "that Sir George has played his part so +ill. It had been kinder on his part had he introduced the subject in +another way, but he is ill-fitted for matters of business." + +Manners had heard the rustle of her gown outside the door some time +before Lady Vernon had entered, and he shrewdly suspected that she had +been listening to the conversation. The manner in which she re-opened +the subject at once convinced him that his conjecture was right, and +knowing the integrity of the baron he was ready to defend him. + +"Sir George meant well enough," he said. + +"Come now, Master Manners, that was bravely said," replied the lady. +"He has a kind heart, but it is apt to be too kind at times, and then +I have to go over it all again; you understand?" + +"Perfectly, but Lady Vernon----" + +"And you will perceive that we are within our rights in disposing of +Dorothy as we wish," she continued. "Of course, she will consent to it +in time." + +"Never," returned Manners, stoutly. + +"You are but a youth, therefore you are bold, but mark my words, young +man, you will have less faith and more caution as your years come on." + +"Will you accept Dorothy's choice?" asked Manners bluntly, +disregarding the last remark. + +"Do you suppose, Master Manners," replied Lady Vernon, "that Dorothy +will withstand us? We are all agreed in the matter." + +"All except Dorothy, maybe." + +"And _she_ will soon----" + +"I tell you never!" he replied hotly. + +Lady Vernon laughed; a light, incredulous sort of laugh, which only +tended to enstrange them farther still. + +"There are considerations of which you appear to be ignorant, sir," +she replied, "but I am not willing to wound your feelings." + +"That may be, and yet, perchance, there may be somewhat to be said on +the other side," he calmly rejoined. + +Lady Vernon fixed her eyes upon him, astounded at his presumption, +but instead of crushing him under an avalanche of her wrath, she +restrained herself, and broke into another superficial burst of +laughter. + +"Pooh," she said, "you are simply an esquire, and he is a knight." + +"And he a knight," echoed Dorothy's lover, scornfully. "As if he were +aught the better for that." + +"A knight is a knight," replied the lady stiffly; "and he is the son +of an earl." + +"And I, by the favour of fortune, am the nephew of an earl; and, +moreover, Dorothy and I have plighted our troth together." + +"Then you were over bold." + +"I might accept your decision for myself, Lady Vernon," he said; +"indeed, I had done so ere now, but Dorothy's happiness is at stake as +well as mine." + +"You accept it perforce, then?" + +"Nay, I will abide by Dorothy's decision alone. She shall have the +ruling of it, and I know what she will say." + +"I must be plain with you, Master Manners," said Lady Maude, with +considerable asperity. "It can never, no, never be as you desire. We +have other designs for Dorothy than that she should marry a soldier of +fortune. Her portion," she continued, curling her lips in scorn, "is a +half of the whole estate of Haddon, which, you must admit, is no small +dowry; and what have you to set against that? Your lands would not +maintain yourself alone," and, having delivered herself thus, she cast +a triumphant glance upon the young man who stood before her. + +"I may win renown," he quickly replied. + +"You possibly might," she replied, with another contemptuous curl of +her lip, "but that is a shadow, a mere myth. Besides, you can put no +value on fame; you cannot even live upon it." + +"I have a true and loving heart, and a strong arm." + +"Tut, man," she laughed; "so has every beggar. Prithee, now, as a +matter of business, what have you to offer? Nothing." + +"What! Surely you do not want to barter her away?" cried Manners. "Why +talk of business?" + +"Certainly not," she replied; "but it is our duty to make as good an +alliance for her as we can. You ought to perceive that this is to her +advantage, and if you care for her welfare as much as you would have +us believe, you would help us to secure it for her, instead of placing +her in a position which can only breed discontent and mischief," and +without giving Manners time to reply she swept proudly out of the room +and left him alone with his sorrow. + + + + +CHAPTER XX. + +THE TROTHPLIGHT. + + Yet even now it is good to think, + While my few poor varlets grumble and drink, + In my desolate hall where the fires sink; + Of _Dorothy_ sitting glorious there, + In glory of gold and glory of hair, + And glory of glorious face most fair; + Likewise to-night I make good cheer, + Because this battle draweth near, + For what have I to love or fear? + + W. MORRIS (adapted). + + +John Manners sought out Dorothy as soon as the interview was +concluded, and he was fortunate enough to find her alone. + +Poor Dorothy; she had long expected this meeting, and she had tried +to prepare herself to face it. Her love, subjected to such a terrible +strain, had come like gold out of the refining fire. It had grown +stronger and better, and as she saw her lover emerge from the room she +realised for the first time how much she really loved him. + +The tale was soon told, and as he poured into her ears the unwelcome +tidings her tender heart was lacerated by each successive word. + +"And now, my own sweet Dorothy," he concluded, "you know all. I have +told thee all the pitiful story. Would to God it had been a pleasant +tale I had to tell thee, but alas! I have told thee but the truth." + +He looked fondly into her face, and wondered how often he would be +permitted to see it more. It was deadly pale, and her lips quivered +again as she endeavoured to keep them tightly closed. + +"John," she murmured, "in any matter but this I should obey them; +but--but----" She broke down under the mental strain. It was a +terrible struggle between conflicting affections, and, unable to +sustain it, she would have fallen in a faint upon the ground had not +the strong arms of her lover supported her. + +Manners laid her gently down upon the bank and sprinkled some water +upon her, for they were on the slopes of the Wye, and in a few moments +she mastered her feelings and opened her eyes. + +"I am dizzy," she apologetically exclaimed, as she saw the form of her +beloved bending over her. "I shall be better soon." + +She fulfilled her prediction quickly, and when he would have led her +back into the Hall she begged him to wait. + +"Nay, nay, John," she said, "the Lady Maude will soon devise a plan +for separating us, but let us remain together while we may." + +"But, Doll, you are ill," he exclaimed, "and I must take good care of +thee." + +"I should be worse were I severed from thee," she sweetly replied, +"and, John, I have somewhat to tell thee." + +"Speak on then, sweet one." + +"You will be true to me, John, whatever happens?" she asked. + +She was timid to approach the subject, and blushed deeply at the sound +of her own sweet voice. She had more than half a mind to take the +words back lest they should strike a single pang into his heart, but +they were spoken, and before she could enter into any explanation, he +had bent down and kissed her. + +"My precious darling!" he passionately exclaimed. "I never could +forget thee; thy name is written on my heart; I shall never cease to +love thee. The saints forfend me, Doll. I were a miscreant indeed were +I to play traitor to thy love." + +"I shall trust you, John," she replied, bestowing upon him a look of +undisguised affection; "I do trust thee; I shall be happy in thy love. +Whatever trouble comes I shall be happy, because I shall know your +heart is trusty and true." + +"That it shall be, Doll," he cried, "a right trusty heart--though they +do make thee wed Edward Stanley." + +"John!" she exclaimed quickly, flushing scarlet again, "have I not +given my troth to thee? They shall not force me into it. You can trust +me." + +"O, Doll. My love, my darling, it would break my heart to give thee +up; but I must do it for the sake of thy happiness." + +Poor heart, he spoke but the truth, but he spoke it as bravely as he +could. + +"Hush, John," Dorothy hastily broke in; "you must not say such +things." + +"Alas! you little know, my sweet one, to what misery you would consign +yourself if you proved staunch to me," he continued. "This fragile +form was not made to suffer, but to recline in ease," he added, as he +gazed fondly at the graceful form of the maiden. + +"I have recked the cost," she simply replied. "You do not doubt me, do +you, John?" she asked, looking up into his troubled face. + +"Doubt thee, no;" he replied, "but I would save thee from a host of +sorrows." + +Dorothy held her head down in silence, and seeing that she did not +answer. Manners continued. + +"I must be frank with you, Doll. The husband they have chosen thee may +be an earl in time to come, and is a Derby to boot. He is rich, and +mayhap he may love thee, too, and I--and I----" + +"Stop, John, stop," she commanded. "Would you thus trifle with my +love? I have seen in thee a noble heart, a kind heart, a loving heart. +I have refused many before thee. I have just refused one lord, and +I shall refuse the other. You would not so dispraise yourself but to +dissuade me; but you have yet to learn the constancy of a maiden's +love." + +"Are you resolved?" he asked, almost choked by the feelings of joy her +words had caused. + +"I am," she firmly replied; "I shall brave the worst, and be happy in +your love. What more can I desire?" + +Manners was too much overcome to speak. He could only weakly +articulate a fervent "God bless you, my love;" but if Dorothy had +desired anything more to prove the intensity of his feelings, she +would have found it had she looked to see it in his eyes. + +While matters had been progressing thus at Haddon, Sir Henry de la +Zouch had been gradually improving in health, until by now he had +found himself almost as well as he had been of yore, and he had +intimated that he was fast getting ready to return to Ashby Castle. + +His passion for Dorothy had not abated one whit, and he was deeply +mortified to find how rapidly Manners had been wooing and winning the +maiden. + +Yet, although his suit had been rebuffed at every point, he was +not discouraged. Indeed, had his other qualities equalled his +perseverance, he had richly merited a full and good reward; but, +unfortunately, this was his only redeeming trait, and the baseness of +that motive which prompted it poisoned that very virtue too. + +He was neither dejected nor cast down, because he felt that he had +within his power a mode of wooing the maiden which, were he but to +use it, could not fail to insure complete success. The plan had its +drawbacks, to be sure, but it was the only one at his command, and +even as he lay upon the sick bed, tossing in agony from side to side, +he was considering whether or no he should carry it out. When he was +better he determined to put it into force upon the first opportunity, +but every relapse undid his resolution, and made him pay attention to +his conscience, which bade him reject the idea. + +As a compromise he determined at last to ask Dorothy again for her +hand, and he availed himself of an early opportunity of doing this. He +used all his persuasive eloquence in vain. He pointed to his haggard +face, and told her that a refusal would inevitably complete the work +that Manners had begun, but she was firm; and seeing that nothing +would shake her resolution, he resolved to put his plan into operation +immediately upon his recovery. + +It was a deeply-laid scheme, the scheme of a villain, and it revealed +its author in its proper light. As he communicated his plan to his +page, when the latter paid him his final visit, his face glowed with +satisfaction, and he imagined the chagrin his dupes would feel when +they found themselves within his power. + +It was necessary, in the first place, to throw Manners off his +guard, and, smarting under the humiliation of his defeat, De la Zouch +determined that his victor should also come within the reach of +his net; and, as he witnessed the growing familiarity which existed +between his rival and Dorothy, he was more than ever determined +to have vengeance upon him, and more jubilant at the prospect of +attaining the consummation of his wish. + +This was the motive which caused his readiness to meet Manners as a +friend. He rightly judged that Manners once put off the scent, the +rest would follow his example, so he appeared to accept Dorothy's +refusal with a better grace, as a thing inevitable; and once face to +face again with his gallant foe, nothing could exceed the extravagance +of the language he employed to convince him that he regretted the +follies of the past and to instil into his mind that he wished for the +future to be counted as his friend. + +It is a noticeable feature about villains that they almost always +overreach themselves at some point or other--in story-books they +always do--and to this characteristic De la Zouch proved no exception, +for the very intensity of the words he chose, and the excessive +flattery he employed, instead of gaining their object, aroused in +John Manners' mind a feeling of suspicion of which he could in nowise +dispossess himself. He would have communicated his fears to Dorothy, +but he feared lest she should misjudge him and interpret it as an +ebulition of jealousy, and there was none other except his friend +Crowleigh in whom he could confide. Unwilling, however, to wound +the susceptibilities of De la Zouch, who, after all, might have been +actuated by the best of motives, he fairly met all his advances, and +though he was all along mistrustful of his intentions, yet he was +careful that Sir Henry should perceive no signs of it. + +Lady Vernon soon gave Manners a hint that his visit to Haddon might +terminate at any time he chose; but, although wounded in spirit by her +words, he was in no great hurry to depart from Dorothy's side, and Sir +George, eager to make amends for his dame's shortcomings, and ashamed +that the traditional hospitality of his mansion should be so roughly +contradicted while he was the lord of Haddon, appeared most anxious to +prolong the visit, and endeavoured to make the enjoyment of his guest +as complete as it could possibly be, the circumstances being duly +considered. + +To the surprise of them all, De la Zouch added his request to the +baron's, declaring that he and Manners would depart together in a few +days, and if his late antagonist did not offer any serious opposition +to the plan, he intended to entertain him for a short time at Ashby, +adding that he had already given commands that the castle should be +prepared for their reception. + +The request was couched in such a manner that Manners could do no +other than accept it, but he immediately resolved to curtail his visit +into Leicestershire as much as he possibly could, and he felt that it +would be a relief to him when the visit was concluded. + +The days swiftly passed; all too quickly for the two lovers. Sir +Thomas Stanley had sent a messenger to inform them that his brother +had met with an accident, and was too ill to travel then, and he +feared he would be obliged to return to Haddon alone; but the letter +brought the unwelcome news to Dorothy that Edward Stanley would come +and claim her as his bride before the year had passed. + + + + +CHAPTER XXI. + +THE PLOT IN PROGRESS. + + His eyebrow dark, and eye of fire + Showed spirit proud, and prompt to ire; + Yet lines of thought upon his cheek, + Did deep design and counsel speak. + + SCOTT. + + +It was with mingled feelings of sorrow, suspicion, and gladness that +John Manners received news from Sir Henry de la Zouch, who had gone +over to his castle some days before, that he was coming back upon the +morrow to escort his guests to Ashby. + +Sir Thomas Stanley had returned to Haddon, and though he was well +satisfied, upon the whole, with the result of his mission, yet he +clearly perceived the real state of affairs, and was far too astute +not to make strenuous efforts to alter their course. + +He had interposed himself as much as possible between Dorothy and +her forbidden lover, and had succeeded in some degree in keeping +them apart. He might, however, have spared himself the trouble, for, +although he prevented their meeting on some occasions, yet love was +conqueror in the end, and with Lettice as a trusty helpmeet, the two +lovers found ways and means by which to see each other of which he +never dreamed. + +Sir Thomas was too much of a gentleman to affront Manners, as he had +been secretly urged to do, but he made no secret of his opinion that +it would be a relief to him when the time came for the visitors to +depart. + +True to his word, Sir Henry arrived at Haddon on the following day, +bringing with him an invitation for Sir Thomas Stanley and Crowleigh +to accompany him on his return. + +Sir Thomas refused it, as indeed he was expected to do, but Sir +Everard Crowleigh, glad to be able to bear his friend company, +promptly accepted the offer, and Manners began to look upon the +prospect of his stay at Ashby with a little more hopefulness. + +Sir George Vernon was too hospitable a host to let even De la Zouch +depart again upon the self-same day upon which he had arrived. He +would not tolerate the idea for a single moment; there must be a +carousal and a dance at night in honour of the departing guests, and +then they would be at liberty to depart upon the first grey streaks of +dawn if they were so minded. + +De la Zouch, well aware that the King of the Peak was the soul +of hospitality itself, had calculated upon the offer, and at once +accepted it; while the baron, not content with what he had already +done, when the morrow came, drew the designing Stanley with himself +into his private room, and, under the pretext of taking counsel with +him, kept him by his side, leaving the way open for Manners to have a +farewell afternoon with Dorothy. + +De la Zouch proposed a ride, and as there appeared to be little +prospect of enjoying undisturbed peace at Haddon, the two lovers fell +in with the suggestion, and very soon after the mid-day meal they met, +booted and spurred, at the gate of the hall. + +"Aye, aye, there," hailed a voice, as Manners was helping Dorothy off +the riding-stone into the saddle, "whither away so gaily?" + +"Aye, Everard," replied his friend, as he turned round and saw who it +was that called. "Hurry up, we are off for a ride." + +"Shall I come, too?" he inquired, as he hastened up and stood beside +them. + +"Do," returned Dorothy. "Make haste, though, for time is precious with +us now." + +"I will not keep you waiting, fair Mistress Dorothy," he gallantly +responded; "I will follow thee anon. Which way am I to come, Bakewell, +Cromford, or which?" + +"Oh, Cromford," replied Sir Henry quickly. "See how restive my horse +is, he will bolt off if I try to hold him in much longer. Are we +ready? Let us go then; time is short, remember," and giving the rein +to his steed he started off at a good pace, whilst the others followed +quickly in his wake. + +It was a beautiful day, and the scenery around was so majestically +grand that even its familiarity did not detract from its beauty in the +eyes of the little party as it rode laughingly by. The early leaves +were just beginning to drop from off the parent stems; the ferns and +bracken, which grew in abundance on either side of the road, were just +assuming their peculiar fading, golden hue, whilst the hardier leaves +were just beginning to bedeck themselves in the full glory of their +rich autumnal tints. + +"This is beautiful," exclaimed Dorothy, enthusiastically, as she gazed +enraptured at the rich variety of form and colour which met them at +every turn. "Look at those cliffs. It is lovely, it is grand." + +They had just passed the little hamlet of Matlock Bath, and were +approaching Cromford. There were no stone walls then to hide from view +even the smallest portion of the gorgeous picture. From the road +to the Derwent there sloped a narrow strip of marshy meadow, which +covered itself with a superabundance of luxurious tall grasses and +tough bracken. Beyond the stream there rose, standing straight up by +the water's edge, a wall of jagged and scarred rock, overgrown with +trees and climbing foliage, which was faithfully mirrored in the +placid water below. The scene could hardly fail to appeal to their +sense of beauty. + +Manners avowed that he thought it the fairest spot on earth, and De la +Zouch, not to be outdone in gallantry, added that the presence of so +fair a maiden as Dorothy Vernon in the midst of so much natural beauty +made a picture a better than which he never desired to see. + +"And, after all, fair Dorothy," he concluded, "I wot that it is but +the reflection of thine own sweet form and peerless grace." + +Dorothy frowned. She did not care for compliments from Sir Henry de +la Zouch; she always feared them, for they generally had a sting +somewhere, and she had noticed that, as a rule, they were followed by +something more or less unpleasant. + +"Sir Everard has not come yet," she exclaimed, turning round in her +saddle, "perhaps he is not coming after all?" + +"He is sure to follow us," replied Manners. "Maybe he has been +delayed, and yet we have come slowly. Hark! I hear the ring of hoofs +upon the road even now." + +They halted to await their companion, but they soon discovered, as the +sound of the galloping grew rapidly more and more distinct, that the +horseman was advancing towards them from the opposite direction. + +"He is hindered, surely," exclaimed De la Zouch, who heartily wished +he was stating the truth, "and it will soon be time for us to turn our +faces again towards the Hall." + +"Not just yet, Sir Henry," Dorothy quickly replied; "but you may; and +you will." + +"Not yet, eh! Then let us have a race along this lane," suggested +De la Zouch, evading the hint and pointing to a long lane almost +completely overarched with the massive branches of the overhanging +trees which grew on either side. + +Dorothy looked at Manners appealingly. + +"What say you, Doll?" he inquired. "You shall determine." + +"Nay, you decide." + +"To that clump of trees," interposed De la Zouch. + +"Well, if Dorothy does not object--" + +"Not I, in truth," she interrupted. + +"Away we go, then," replied Manners. "There and back at once?" he +asked. + +"No, only there," replied Sir Henry, ill-concealing a malicious grin. +"It will be a long, long time before you come back this way, I trow," +he added under his breath. + +"But we are not yet placed," said Dorothy's lover, as De la Zouch was +about to start away. "We two must fall in the rear, Sir Henry." + +"Nay, I am equally as well mounted as you," returned the maiden. "We +will run upon our merits, or I shall withdraw." + +In a few minutes they were careening along the course in gallant +style, as nearly as possible all three abreast, but as they neared the +trees which formed the winning mark, Sir Henry fell behind and left +the other two to finish the exciting race alone. + +"Curse them, a murrain on them!" he muttered, as he pulled his horse +to a standstill; "where can the fellows be?" + +His objurgation might have been heard, for no sooner were the words +out of his mouth than he saw, rising up from the brushwood, the men of +whom he had just spoken in such uncomplimentary terms. + +Burdened as he was with anxiety for the successful issue of his plot, +and fearful lest at the last stage it should miscarry and snatch away +the prize for which he had struggled so long, and which already seemed +to be within his grasp, De la Zouch was in a terrible ferment of hope +and fear. + +"The villains," he muttered, as he sat still in his saddle impatiently +watching; "why don't they move? It will be too late in a minute. I'll +thrash every mother's son of them when we get back to Ashby, that I +will. Dear me! what a fool I am to forget the signal;" and putting his +hand to his mouth he blew a loud shrill whistle through his fingers. + +Manners and Dorothy had just raced up together to the trees, and +hearing the unusual sound that their companion made, they turned +round at the same instant to see how much they were before him, and to +ascertain the meaning of the noise. Just at this juncture, in answer +to the signal of their lord, De la Zouch's hirelings rushed through +the already prepared gaps in the tall hedges and fell upon the lovers, +taking them completely by surprise. + +Dorothy was quickly unhorsed with no more roughness than her own +resistance necessitated, but it was not so with her lover. Though +Manners had nothing to defend himself with, except the stock of his +riding-whip, yet he gave so good an account of himself, and wielded +his paltry weapon to so much purpose that he quickly freed himself, +and rushed to aid poor Doll. This purpose, however, he failed to +accomplish. The odds were ten to one, but even then it was for some +time an open question whether the one would not prevail over the ten. +All his skill was brought into play. He laid about him right and left +until his weapon broke, and then, undismayed, he lunged out with the +remnant, and succeeded in wresting a bludgeon from one of his injured +opponents, and plunged into the fray with renewed vigour. + +In spite of his efforts, however, he was unable to rescue Dorothy. +Having once got her into their possession the men were determined +to keep her, and she was borne away from the contest ineffectually +struggling with her captors, who, having retired to a safe distance, +awaited with their quarry until Manners himself was captured too. + +De la Zouch sat aghast at this exhibition of his rival's prowess. +Whatever the cost might be it was imperative that Manners should not +escape to tell the tale at Haddon, and he alternately groaned and +cursed each time he witnessed his followers quail and fall beneath the +terrific blows of their antagonist. He had come, he thought, prepared +for any contingency, but it appeared as though his force was by no +means strong enough to achieve the desired end. + +Manners himself, suspicious of De la Zouch, as he all along had been, +perceived at the outset the trap into which he had been led, and now, +finding it useless to attempt Dorothy's rescue any longer, and feeling +the first approach of weariness come warningly over him, set spurs +to his horse and galloped back again towards Sir Henry de la Zouch, +intent on wreaking a full vengeance upon him, and at the same time +determined to make an effort to escape in order to discover aid by +which to rescue his betrothed. + +"Villain!" he hissed, "thou shalt pay dearly for this." + +De la Zouch did not wait to meet the overpowering fury of his foe. +He no longer marvelled at the result of the tournament. He had seen +enough of Manners' prowess already to have much faith left in his own +powers of defense. To him distance lent enchantment to the view, so +turning his horse sharply round he galloped away, bidding Manners do +his worst. + +It would have fared ill with the knight of Ashby had his foe but once +reached within arm's length of him; but Fortune, after wavering about +as if uncertain which way to make up its mind, declared itself at +last upon the side of villainy, and Manners was stretched low upon the +ground by a stone hurled at him by one of his assailants. + +With his fall Dorothy's last chance of escape was taken from her. + +De la Zouch heard the groan of his injured foe, and turning his face +round to ascertain its meaning, he was just in time to see his rival +drop from his saddle upon the road, where he was quickly surrounded +amid a considerable show of bravery by the minions of De la Zouch to +whom he had just given such a terrible exhibition of his skill. + +"You cowardly knaves," cried that worthy, "secure him ere he escapes +again." + +Not a man stirred, for Manners had inspired them with so wholesome a +dread of the power of his arm that, although he was sorely wounded, no +one was willing to venture within his reach. + +"Secure him, I say," imperiously repeated Sir Henry, who, from his +safe position on horseback, could well afford to ridicule their fears +and give his commands with confidence. + +Manners with difficulty managed to raise himself upon his elbow, +and he looked so fierce and desperate that the solitary man who had +advanced towards him retreated with dismay. + +"By St. George, seize him, sirrah," exclaimed the knight, springing +off his saddle in high dudgeon. "You are all cowards together." + +"Seize him, do you say," returned the man, insolently; "seize him, +do you say? Seize him yourself, then, for I vow I have had more than +enough of it already. He fights like a dragon; see here," and the +man bared his arm and showed a number of bruises upon it. "Now then, +master," he continued, "seize him yourself, say I, for I will have +no more to do with the affair;" and to this his companions sullenly +murmured assent. + +"A woman would have less fear than thee," returned the knight +contemptuously, as he glanced at the arm held out before him. "Why, I +have fought for hours after being grievously wounded in the fray." + +It had been more to Sir Henry's mind to have struck the man down to +the ground for his insolence, and this he felt strongly impelled +to do, but seeing the threatening aspect of the man's companions he +restrained his fury, promising himself that his punishment should lose +nothing by the fact of it being reserved to another and a safer time. +It was with difficulty that he had contented himself with returning +so mild an answer, but the man's retort drove him at once beyond the +bounds of prudence and patience, and made him utterly reckless. + +"Mayhap you have," returned the man incredulously, "but I'll warrant +me it was no fault of thine. You showed us some of your skill just +now." + +"I will prove it," shouted the knight, furiously, and, suiting the +action to the word, he seized hold of the nearest weapon, a stout ash +stick, and advancing towards the dazed and bleeding esquire, he dealt +him a blow on the head which stretched him insensible upon the turf. + +"Coward!" cried the man, springing forward from among his companions. +"You are the coward. I will be no party to such a cold-blooded murder +as this," and his bosom swelled with indignation as he turned round to +his companions and pointed to where Manners lay. + +"Who says I am a coward? Who dares to speak such insolence?" demanded +De la Zouch, trembling all over with rage. + +"I do, and I repeat it," replied the other, bending over the prostrate +form of his late antagonist. + +For a moment Sir Henry stood in speechless amazement at such +unlooked-for presumption, and then suddenly raising his weapon, he +brought it down upon his offending servant, and stretched him beside +the object of his sympathy. + +"Who says I am a coward now?" he fiercely asked, turning upon the +abashed companions of the latest victim of his temper. + +Whatever the others thought, they wisely held their peace, and, +terrified and cowed by the lesson their lord had taught them, they +silently raised the two inanimate bodies, and, according to their +instructions, proceeded to rejoin Dorothy and her guard ere they began +their journey back to the castle at Ashby. + + * * * * * + + + + +CHAPTER XXII. + +ON A FALSE SCENT. + + I can counterfeit the deep tragedian! + Speak, and look back, and pry on every side, + Tremble, and start at wagging of a straw. + Pretending deep suspicion; ghastly looks + Are at my service like enforced smiles, + And both are ready in their offices, + At any time to grace my stratagems. + + SHAKESPEARE. + + +Dorothy Vernon had impatiently awaited the conclusion of the +contest, and the prodigious amount of faith she had in her lover's +capabilities, coupled with what she had already witnessed of the +fight, led her to hope that he would yet return victorious to deliver +her. + +She had ceased to struggle ere the victors returned, partly because +of the hope with which she had deluded herself, and partly because +her attempts had only wearied her without bringing her any nearer to +success; but at the first glimpse of the slowly approaching company +she broke away from her too trustful captors and fled precipitately +towards the advancing party. + +"Let me go to him; is he hurt?" she cried, as one of her guardians +overtook her and pulled her to a standstill, and starting forward +again she left a fragment of her dress between the man's fingers, and +hastened on again until she reached her lover's side. + +"Speak, John," she exclaimed in piteous tones, as she gazed upon his +pallid face and livid form. "Speak just one word to me." + +But Manners did not speak. Thoroughly stunned by the blows he had +received, he lay quite unconscious in the position in which he had +been placed, and he was so weakened by the loss of blood from his +wounds that his immediate return to consciousness was exceedingly +problematical. He lay deaf, and apparently dead, whilst Dorothy +pleaded in vain for a word from his lips. + +"Just one word," she repeated, pathetically. + +"Poor Lady," exclaimed Sir Henry's page, who was in charge of the +party. "Don't take it to heart so much; he will come round soon, and +be himself again. Nay, touch her not," he commanded, as one of the men +was about to take her away, "she will do no harm." + +"He is dead," she sobbed, and ere she could be assured that her +conjecture was wrong she fainted away, and was gently laid beside +her lover, while they were borne swiftly and silently, by sequestered +roads, from the scene of the adventure. + +Sir Henry watched them departing till a turn in the road hid them from +view, and then, bethinking himself of his position, he mounted his +steed and rode rapidly away, feeling immensely relieved that, after +all, he had proved successful. + +A few minutes in the saddle sufficed him, and then dismounting, he +took of his hat and belaboured it well with the stock end of his whip. + +He satisfied himself at length, and ceasing from his efforts in that +direction he laid it on the ground and surveyed the effect. + +It looked battered indeed, and evidently well pleased with the result, +the knight set busily to work upon his clothes. He carefully tore them +here and there with a sharp-pointed piece of wood, while to complete +the deception, he spoiled the appearance of his attire by daubing it +freely with dirt. + +"I trow that will be enough," he murmured, as ceasing his labours he +complacently gazed upon the transformation he had effected; "but no!" +he added, "I had best be on the safe side," and he gently scratched +his hands to give himself the appearance of having passed through a +long and stern struggle. + +"A bruise or two would improve my appearance considerably," he added, +"but then bruises hurt and are apt to turn awkward; I think I might +safely spare myself the pain; but I might, at all events, break my +whip-stock and carry the end of it back;" and having settled these +points to his own satisfaction, he mounted his saddle afresh, and +setting spurs to his horse he never drew rein until long after he had +passed out of the lane, and was well on the high road to Haddon. + +As he neared the vicinity of the Hall he proceeded to put into +practice what yet remained unfinished of his disguise. He had treated +his own person, and now he turned his attention to the faithful steed +which had carried him often and well. + +There was no time to waste. He had lost much precious time already. He +would have found little time in which to be sentimental had he been +so inclined, but such an idea never entered into his head, and pulling +his jack-knife out of his pocket, he opened the blade and stabbed the +horse in the shoulder. + +As previously related, De la Zouch had thought of ornamenting himself +with a few slight bruises, but he had decided to forego whatever +advantages might accrue to him from such a course of conduct, but +now the matter was decided for him in a manner which he had never +considered. + +It had never flashed upon the heated brain of the malignant knight +that wounding a horse was a very delicate operation to perform, and in +his reckless hurry he had never taken into account that such conduct +would be attended with any danger, or he would have proceeded to +accomplish his design in a more cautious fashion; and it was not until +the horse kicked out after the first blow that Sir Henry de la Zouch +became suddenly aware of the danger of his position. He had not the +power to stay the second thrust, and before he could retreat out of +danger he was sent sprawling into the hedge bottom. + +Fortunately, the effects of the blow were considerably diminished, +inasmuch as its greatest force was already spent ere De la Zouch was +struck. Had it not been for this circumstance he would have come +off ill indeed, but even as it was he was sorely injured, and lay +insensible in the place where he had fallen until he opened his eyes +at dusk and found himself being lifted up. + +"Where am I?" he gasped, as he mechanically rubbed his eyes and gazed +around. "I am hurt." + +"Lie still awhile," returned Crowleigh, for he it was who stood over +him. "You will be yourself again directly," and raising his horn to +his lips he blew a loud, clear note upon the still evening air. + +"What does that portend?" asked the conscience-stricken and +mistrustful knight. He feared that he was about to be carried off to +answer for his misdeeds. + +"There will be help soon," said Crowleigh. "Lie still, for you are +hurt. You will be better by-and-by. Drink this," and he filled his +horn with water and offered it to him. + +De la Zouch took the water and drank it off. It appeared to do him +good, for he rapidly rallied, and the reassuring words of Crowleigh +had a magical effect in clearing his brow and helping on his recovery. + +"Am I much hurt?" he inquired with a look of intense agony upon his +brow. + +"Bruised and stunned, I think, that is all. Ha, here they come;" and, +as he suddenly stopped speaking, the sound of the replying horns +could be distinctly heard, and within a few minutes, from different +quarters, over walls and fences, the horsemen came riding in by ones +and twos until at last there numbered a full dozen. + +"Oh!" groaned De la Zouch, loudly, "it is painful, cannot you relieve +me?" + +"Where is Sir George Vernon?" inquired Sir Everard; "have none of you +seen him of late?" + +No one had, but they had all blown their horns, so he was sure to be +in soon. + +De la Zouch shuddered at the mention of the King of the Peak--he was +hardly himself again as yet, but he was fast rallying, and by the time +that the baron arrived he was quite ready to meet him. + +"Heigho! found at last;" exclaimed the baron, as he made his way +through the group. "But whom have we here; tush, where is my Doll?" + +De la Zouch, for answer, began to play his game, and he only replied +to the query with a deceitful and prolonged groan. + +"Where's my Dorothy?" impatiently repeated the baron, disregarding the +agonised look which met his gaze. + +"There--miles on," gasped Sir Henry, jerking his thumb over his +shoulder, and pointing along the road by which he had just travelled; +and then, as if the effort had been too much for him, he fell back +panting upon the turf. + +Sir George Vernon waited for no more, but hastily bestriding his +saddle, he galloped away, bidding the others disperse again upon their +search. Only Sir Thomas Stanley and one solitary retainer remained, +and these from very different reasons; the former because he suspected +foul play, and wished for the immediate future to have De la Zouch +under his own eye; and the latter, much against his will, was +constrained to tarry behind to help the unfortunate nobleman back to +Haddon. + +"Twenty nobles for the man who finds my Dorothy," shouted the baron as +he rode off, "and twice twenty if there has been any knavery and the +rogues are caught"; and as the knight of Ashby heard the sound of +the galloping grow fainter he was fain to own himself so far only +partially successful, and as he was lifted up to be carried away, he +shut his eyes and ruminated on the probable present condition of his +captives, and wondered where they were. + +Dorothy soon awoke from the swoon into which she had fallen on seeing +the prostrate condition of her lover, and being graciously permitted +by the page to have a considerable amount of liberty, she soon busied +herself in trying to restore Manners to consciousness. + +Eustace, the page in question, had judged her aright. There was +little fear now of her attempting to escape. Indeed, the thought never +entered into her head; her whole attention was concentrated upon the +one effort of restoring her lover to consciousness, and even the heart +of the hardest of the rough men around her was softened by the picture +of grief which she presented. + +At last John Manners opened his eyes, and as he caught sight of +Dorothy's tear-stained face bending over him, he smiled. His smile +dispelled all Dorothy's fears, as the rising sun dispels the morning +mist, and through her grief she smiled responsively back upon her +lover. + +Eustace witnessed his recovery with a profound sense of relief. It was +in ignorance of the plot that he had been inveigled to obey his lord's +behests, for though at Haddon De la Zouch had acquainted him with +a part of the conspiracy, yet he had grossly deceived him. He had +informed him that it was Dorothy Vernon's wish to flee to Ashby, +and it was not until he was undeceived by the conduct of the maiden +herself that the fullness of his master's treachery revealed itself to +him. + +True, he had been engaged on sundry occasions with his master in +unworthy and unknightly deeds, but never until now had he perceived +the outrageous conduct of his lord. His whole nature recoiled from the +task which had been imposed upon him, and nothing but the extreme fear +with which De la Zouch had inspired him during a long acquaintanceship +held him back from releasing the two lovers on the way, and helping +them back to Haddon. + +He was not yet courageous enough to pursue such a course, however. He +felt that his master's eye was upon him, and he could not shake the +evil influence off; but, although failing in this particular, he gave +them a practical token of his sympathy by offering them such food +as he possessed--a small flagon of wine, purloined from Sir Henry's +store, together with a rough rye cake, which were gratefully accepted +as a token of friendship, and before long were thankfully consumed. + +He tendered them gracefully to the captives, and without waiting to be +thanked he made his way to the rear, where, forming the men in order, +he divided them into two companies, and sending the one on in front, +the other half walked a little distance behind, leaving Dorothy and +her lover free to converse as they chose. In this order, without +molestation or accident, they reached their destination as the grey +light of the succeeding morning melted into the clearer light of riper +day. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIII. + +DARK SUSPICIONS. + + But oh, that hapless maiden?-- + Where may she wander now, whither betake her, + From the chill dew, amongst rude burrs and thistles? + Perhaps some cold bank is her bolster now. + Or, 'gainst the rugged bark of some broad elm + Leans her unpillowed head, fraught with sad fears. + What, if in wild amazement and affright + Or while we speak, within the direful grasp + Of savage hunger. + + MILTON. + + +The liberal offer which the King of the Peak made for the recovery of +his daughter fired his followers with enthusiasm; for, although they +had searched willingly enough before, both for the sake of love and +duty, yet the tempting reward added to their zeal, and each one set +out on his journey anew, feeling pretty confident that very soon he +would be at least twenty nobles the richer. + +As the shades of evening fell, and the twilight began to fade into +darkness, the prospect of finding the maiden grew fainter and fainter, +until at length the most hopeful gave up the search and returned +disconsolately to Haddon, hoping that the maiden would be found at the +Hall, and that with her return the chance of gaining the twenty nobles +was irretrievably lost. Sir George was the last to return, and the +jaded condition of his horse told far more plainly than ever words +could have done how far he had ridden. + +He had hoped, amid fear and trembling, that his lost darling had been +found. He even half expected her to meet him upon his return; but all +his anticipations were rudely dispelled. Not a trace of her had been +found, and crushed by the ill news, he retired to the solitude of his +dressing room, with his riding accoutrements unremoved, and gazed for +a time meditatively into the empty fireplace, in an agony of fear as +to the fate which had befallen her. So far, there was no clue to guide +him; he could not even imagine or suspect any adequate reason for her +absence; he could only ruminate sorrowfully on the fact that she was +gone, and lament his inability to find her. + +He was pondering in this fashion when a gentle knock at the door +aroused him from his reverie. + +"Enter," he gruffly and impatiently responded. + +The door opened and Lettice entered. Her face was suffused with tears. + +"Well, Lettice," he inquired in a somewhat gentler voice, "what is it, +eh?" + +"Is there any news of my mistress?" she tremblingly asked. + +"None," he replied, "would God there were." + +The maid curtsied and withdrew, but ere she had closed the door, the +baron called her back. + +"Lettice!" he cried. + +She was in the room again in an instant. + +"Is Sir Thomas Stanley here?" he asked. + +"He is with Mistress Margaret, keeping watch in Sir Henry's room," she +replied. + +"Bid him attend me here, then," he commanded. Lettice closed the door +again, and with a feeling of keen disappointment went off to discharge +her mission. + +Sir Thomas received the summons ungraciously, but feeling constrained +to obey it, he bade the maid keep his betrothed company, and telling +her not to let her eyes depart from De la Zouch he hastened to see Sir +George. + +When the good folk of Haddon awoke next morning, they were summoned +to the Hall by the sound of the bell. The news of Dorothy's mysterious +disappearance had quickly spread, and feeling sure that some +announcement concerning her was about to be made, they quickly flocked +into the courtyard curious to learn the latest tidings. + +They were not disappointed. Sir George repeated his offer of the +previous day, increasing it upon the impulse of the moment to fifty +nobles, and he at once despatched a number of his household to renew +the search. + +Meanwhile De la Zouch, to revenge himself upon the baron for +his behaviour to him on the preceding afternoon, continued in a +well-feigned semi-unconscious state, and throughout the day he +declared himself too faint and dazed and altogether unfit to explain +Dorothy's absence. Although besieged with inquiries from early +morning, he remained obstinately deaf to all entreaties, nor was it +until the evening that he professed himself able to understand their +inquiries or returned intelligent answers to their questions. + +"I was almost killed by that treacherous esquire," he whined, as he +began his explanation. + +"Never mind that, tell us about Dorothy," interrupted the baron. + +"I am coming to that," he replied. "No sooner were we started than I +began to suspect mischief. I could see that Manners did not want me." + +"Very like," interrupted Sir Thomas dryly. + +De la Zouch felt hurt by the unfeeling remark, and he looked hurt, +too, but Sir Thomas took no note of it, and the effort was futile. + +"Why did you not come, Crowleigh?" he continued, changing the +expression of his countenance from anger to agony, "then all would +have been different." + +It would, indeed, but not as Sir Henry implied. + +"I was hindered," returned Sir Everard, highly nettled at the other's +tone and speech. "My horse fell lame with a stone in his shoe, and I +had to return." + +"At Cromford he set a pack of knaves upon me," pursued De la Zouch, +with the coolest audacity. "I was almost murdered; I tried to save +her, but what could I do? They were ten to one, and whilst I fought +like a madman, Dorothy and Manners laughed at me to my face and rode +off together." + +"You lie," returned Crowleigh, hotly. + +"Do I?" he replied with a sneer, "then prithee what does this bespeak, +and this, and this?" and he showed in turn the scratches and bruises +on the various parts of his body. + +"At Cromford?" inquired the baron. "Did you say at Cromford?" + +"Aye, at Cromford, Sir George. I struggled hard to rescue Dorothy for +thee, but it was of no avail. No man can combat ten and win." + +"I passed Cromford myself and saw naught of it, nor yet had any of the +villagers," said the baron severely. + +"And what means this?" continued De la Zouch, pointing to the battered +hat and soiled and torn clothes. "Do not these alone prove that I am +speaking but the truth? Can you doubt me longer now?" and he glanced +round indignantly, and acted his part so well that he almost persuaded +himself that he was a much-abused and persecuted person. + +"Did no one witness the struggle, Sir Henry?" asked the sceptical +Stanley. "Was there not one during all that time passed by?" + +"In faith, Sir Thomas, I know not," he replied. "I found no time to +look. I had work enough to do to save my skin, I assure you. He has +taken her to London." + +"The ingrate!" warmly exclaimed Lady Maude, who had just entered the +room. "And Dorothy is worse than he. Let them go, Sir George, they are +not worth the finding; let them go." + +"Well, 'twas a knightly thing to do, to leave a lady; a right gallant +thing, nay by my troth it was," said Stanley, severely. "And my +brother is on his way here, too; what will Edward say?" + +"Poor Sir Henry, we have judged thee hardly, I fear, but we must try +to make amends for it now," said the dame sympathetically. + +"She _must_ be found; she _shall_," interrupted the baron, emphasising +the last word with a stamp of the foot. "Manners shall suffer though +I--" + +"Tush, Sir George, let them go," interrupted his good lady. "They will +want to return soon enough." + +"Nay, she must be traced and brought home again," said Stanley. +"Edward would die of chagrin else." + +"She shall be found," repeated the baron decisively. + +De la Zouch had mentally calculated that a slight relapse in his +condition would probably arouse a wider feeling of sympathy for him, +and to secure this end he closed his eyes and gasped for breath, but +the feeling of suspicion was too firmly rooted to be dispelled so +easily, and he opened his eyes again to find his companions as cold +and unsympathetic as before. + +"You have not told us all," exclaimed Crowleigh. "Manners would never +leave his host in so graceless a style, I know." + +"Have I not told thee the truth, Sir George?" De la Zouch meekly +appealed, "and do not these rents and scars bear me out? 'Tis a pretty +reward for a noble fight is this," and he finished with a sigh of +profound discontent. + +"I believe thee," returned the baron slowly, to whom the evidence of +the torn garments and De la Zouch's wounds appeared irresistible. + +"And was not my poor horse lamed by the miscreants, who would have +killed it outright had I not interposed myself?" continued Sir Henry. +"Are all these things to count as naught, and is not the absence of +the lovers itself sufficient proof? What more do you require? What +have you to disprove these things? Why should you doubt me?" and he +looked round in triumph, feeling sure that his reply was perfectly +unanswerable. + +"He speaks the truth, Sir Thomas," said the old knight. "We owe a debt +of gratitude to thee, Sir Henry." + +"I found this knife where De la Zouch was lying," said Stanley +bluntly. "I thought it was his, and so I brought it for him." + +De la Zouch gazed with horror upon the tell-tale weapon, but in an +instant he decided how to parry the thrust. + +"'Tis mine," he cried, hastily snatching it away. "The villains +wrested it from my grasp." + +"And part of the blade was buried in the horse's flank," pursued Sir +Thomas. "I discovered it there when the horse dashed into the yard +covered with blood and foam." + +"The wretches!" interjected De la Zouch. + +"And yet, Sir Henry, methought the struggle took place at Cromford, +and that would be nigh three miles from where I found the knife." + +Sir Henry turned livid with anger, and was at a loss how to reply, +when Lady Vernon fortunately came to the rescue. + +"You struggled worthily, sir knight," said she, "and I would that the +cause had been more worthy of thy mettle. We cannot doubt thee more." + +"I cannot contradict thee," went on Margaret's lover, "but you will +show us the exact scene of the fray, Sir Henry, of course?" + +"Assuredly I will, to-morrow--if I am well enough," he added +carefully. + +Sir George Vernon noted the answer with displeasure. He was not very +strong in his belief of Sir Henry's innocence as yet, though the +evidence in De la Zouch's favour would have been decisive enough for +him had not Stanley shaken it so. + +"Has thy Dorothy forsaken thee, then, Sir George?" asked Crowleigh +pertinently. + +"Why no, Sir Everard--yes; that is--I cannot say," he hopelessly +replied. "It must be so, and yet, no! I cannot believe it either." + +De la Zouch ground his teeth in ill-suppressed rage. Matters had taken +a decidedly unfavourable turn; he was being sorely worsted, and he +wished himself far away. The suspicions of Sir Thomas Stanley were +pressing uncomfortably near him, and he found himself in a quandary +how to evade them. + +"I am doubted, Sir George, I see," he said angrily. "Lady Vernon +is the only one who does me justice. I will go. Your deed shall be +blazoned to the world. Is this the boasted hospitality of the King of +the Peak?--then I disdain it. I shall shake the dust off my feet and +shall depart at once, and you will find out when too late that you +drove away in such a scurvy fashion the truest friend you ever had," +and boiling over with well-simulated fury, De la Zouch leapt from +his chair and passed through the doorway, chuckling to himself at the +success of his little scheme to extricate himself. + +He was liberated now from the awkwardness of his false position. His +day's rest and the attention he had received had done wonders towards +effecting his recovery, and ordering a horse to be saddled, a few +minutes later he passed out of the precincts of the Hall, and hoping +that he would never have occasion to return, he mustered up his +strength and started out upon a midnight ride to Ashby. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIV. + +THE ESCAPE. + + But in these cases + We still have judgment that we but teach + Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return + To plague th' inventor; this evil-handed justice + Commends th' ingredients of our poisoned chalice + To our own lips. + + SHAKESPEAKE. + + +When Eustace delivered his charges into the hands of the chamberlain +at Ashby his task was ended, and he had no further responsibility in +the matter. + +The rest afforded him by the journey had the effect of refreshing John +Manners to a considerable degree, and when he stood before Sir Henry's +deputy he felt well able to take care of himself and quite capable of +resisting any unwarrantable liberties that they might attempt to take +with him. + +Simon Greenwood, the chamberlain of Ashby Castle, was a fit person +to represent his lord. Indeed, had Sir Henry searched throughout +the length and breadth of the land, he would probably never have +discovered a man more after his own heart, or a servant who would have +so faithfully aided him in the many questionable transactions in which +he was from time to time engaged. He had grown up on the estate. His +father had served the former lord of the manor, and entering into +his master's service when quite a youth, Simon had flourished on the +success of his numerous petty stratagems; he had supplanted those who +had been above him, and now, as the right hand of his lord, he was +ever eager to distinguish himself in Sir Henry's eyes. + +He glanced at the two prisoners with an air of haughty contempt which +would have done credit to De la Zouch himself. + +"So you are John Manners, eh?" he drawled out at length. + +Manners looked at him disdainfully, but returned no answer. + +"And you be Miss Dorothy, I suspect," he went on with a most +unprepossessing leer. + +"You will remember my lord's instructions, Simon," interrupted the +page. + +"Yes, yes, of course; be off, I know. I am not going to hurt her," +replied the chamberlain. "Well, Mistress Dorothy, I have got to take +particular care of you," he continued, ironically. + +"And of Master Manners, too, I hope," she fearlessly replied, not +noticing the hidden meaning of his remark. "Remember that he is a +gentleman." + +"Yes, oh yes," returned the man, with a hideous grin, "we have got +to take particular care of him as well. He will sleep downstairs +for awhile," and he laughed with a coarse guffaw, again and again +repeated, at his own joke. + +"Enough of this, sirrah," broke in Manners, sternly. + +"We are not here to amuse you. There will be a host of our friends +here soon to deliver us, so thou had'st best beware of what thou +do'st." + +Simon scowled darkly, but Manners's threat had its effect, and he +restrained his temper. + +"I care not," he replied, "so long as Sir Henry be here. I shall but +obey my instructions nor more nor less." + +"And what are they?" + +"You shall find that out for yourself in good time." + +"And remember that though I am within your power, I am the nephew of +an earl, and have friends at Court who will avenge me on your lord," +Manners pursued. + +"Then I shall put you in a safe place." + +The man was longing to assert his authority, but the bearing of the +prisoner thoroughly cowed him, and he felt helplessly bound to be more +civil to him than he wished. + +"And what about this lady?" asked Manners. + +"Sir Henry's instructions apply equally to her as to you," he replied. + +"If she is treated ill you shall answer for it," said Manners, +fiercely, "so I bid you look to it that you treat her well." + +"Teach me not," Simon hastily broke in. "I know what is expected +of me, and, mark me, I shall do it. Captives ought not to be too +conceited, mark that, too, an it please you." + +"Enough, sirrah, cease thy prating. I am no fool." + +"Take him away; take him to the old dungeon," cried Simon, whose +wrath was fast gaining mastery over him; "and mind you double lock the +door." + +"The dungeon!" shrieked Dorothy. "No, not the dungeon." + +Manners looked round, but there was no chance of escape, nor would he +have cared to have left Dorothy in such a position, even had the way +been clear. + +"Sir Henry said he was to be kept in the North Tower," ventured +Eustace. + +"Did he, indeed," sneeringly retorted the chamberlain. "You had better +be off or I will have you whipped;" and smarting under the rejoinder, +Eustace, who considered prudence the better part of valour, took the +hint so broadly given and retired. + +An hour later, as Manners sat brooding in his deep and lonely dungeon, +he was startled by hearing the key turn slowly in the lock, and a +moment later Eustace slipped into the cell and the door was closed and +locked again. + +"Oh, Master Manners," he cried, as he dropped on his knees, "this is +a shameful thing; what can I do, I would help thee if I might? I am +disgusted with my lord; I loathe him and I shall flee from him." + +"'Tis no fault of thine, thou art young," kindly responded Manners, +"but canst thou tell me aught of Mistress Dorothy Vernon?" + +"She is safe in the topmost room of the tower," he replied. + +"Is she in danger yet?" + +"Nay, she is safe, and will be treated well. Simon Greenwood's dame +says my lord left strange commands about her comfort, and she has +already rated Simon soundly for his rudeness to the maiden." + +"Hist," whispered a voice through the keyhole, "Simon is coming." + +Eustace threw up his hands in blank despair. "O, Master Manners," he +ejaculated, "I am lost; Simon, would kill me if he finds me here." + +"Creep under there," replied the prisoner, quickly; "it is dark, and I +will befriend thee." + +The page obeyed, and he was not a moment too soon; before he could +comfortably ensconce himself in the damp and fusty hole under the +stone bench, the door opened and the chamberlain entered. + +He was flushed with wine, and not at all the same cool, calculated man +who had stood before the captive an hour before. + +"Well, my hearty," he exclaimed, as he seated himself upon the stone +bench just over the gasping page, "things are rather bad, eh?" + +"Begone," said Manners, curtly. + +"Nay, now, that's hardly polite," he replied. "We will tame you down +with the chains; 'tis many a year since I saw them used, and it would +be quite a treat to see them on somebody once again," and he kicked +the rusty manacles which lay upon the ground. + +"You dare not, and you know it," retorted Manners fiercely; and, drunk +as the man was, he cowered back beneath the glance. + +"Ah, well, you are safe enough as you are, I reckon," he returned, +"and I am taking care of Doll for you," he added with a sickening +grin. + +Dorothy's lover started forward as the name of the maiden was +pronounced. + +"Scoundrel!" he cried, "weak as I am I would thrash thee well for such +presumption, were I sure you would not visit your displeasure upon +her." + +"Do as you list," was the coarse reply, "but I swear Doll is a pretty +lass." + +"Come here, you lout," exclaimed a shrill voice, as the door opened +and admitted a buxom woman of forty or thereabouts. "I have found you +at last; come out with you," and she emphasised the command by a smart +clout on his head. + +Simon turned quickly round and prepared to retaliate, but quailing +under the stern glance of his better half, he obeyed her will, and +meekly slunk out through the open door. + +"I'll teach him, sir, how to behave to his betters," said the woman, +turning to Manners. "He shall have a thrashing for this." + +Much amused, the captive esquire thanked her warmly for her kindness. +"But I have another favour to seek at your hands," he said. "I have +had naught to eat as yet, and it is now evening." + +"The dial only points to three as yet, sir knight," replied the dame, +who was not quite certain of the quality of the prisoner, "but you +shall have some food." + +"Only three! Ah, well. And Mistress Dorothy?" he anxiously inquired. + +"She is doing well. She has had a meal already. I have her under my +own care, the sweet creature; heaven bless her! I had come to thee at +her request to bid thee be of good cheer." + +"Aye, heaven bless her, for she is in a sorry fix," assented Manners. +"Tend her well, and I will well reward thee. Thou shalt have such +gauds as thy neighbours shall turn green with envy at the sight of +thee." + +"I want them not," was the short reply, and Simon Greenwood's dame +passed out of the dungeon, leaving Manners alone with the page. + +The door had barely closed before Eustace emerged from his +uncomfortable retreat, covered with insects of many kinds. + +"Ha, ha!" he laughed. "Simon boasts that he cares for no man, save his +lord; but he has to care for Dame Greenwood, though, ha, ha! I would +even venture in that vile hole once more to see him thwacked again." + +"Thank heaven Mistress Vernon is safe," said Manners. "Simon will not +disturb her, think you?" + +"Not he, sir, never fear. Simon Greenwood knows better than that; and, +see, I have brought thee this," and the page pulled out a dagger and +offered it to him. + +"Nay, put it back," said Manners kindly. "I would not kill my gaoler, +he is but performing his commands." + +"But if it were for Sir Henry De la Zouch?" + +"Ha! then I might, perchance." + +"You have much to forgive me," continued the page, "for I have done +thee grievous wrong." + +"How? Thou art but a lad, and I have seen thee only once before?" + +"It was then, at the hawking party, when Sir Henry slew the pedlar. It +has haunted me ever since." + +Manners was intensely surprised at this announcement. It was, indeed, +startling and important news. The mystery was solved at last. + +"It was Sir Henry, then!" he exclaimed. "I might have guessed as +much." + +"It was Sir Henry, and I witnessed it, but I will tell thee +afterwards. Listen, for time is short. Pierce this corner with the +dagger; do it quickly, for the wall is thick. There is a passage on +the other side, of which none knows save my master and myself. The +wall is softest here, and I will help thee from the other side: but +I must make thy gaoler drunk. He is full fond of ale, so you may be +assured that you will be unmolested, and I will have horses saddled +at a distance. Adieu until to-night," and not heeding the thanks which +Manners poured out from his grateful heart, he rapped at the door so +that he might pass out. + +The meal arrived in good time. A tankard of ale and a slice of bacon +with wheaten bread, more than he could eat. + +It was not long before Manners had satisfied his hunger, and in his +feverish anxiety he could barely wait to hear Eustace's cheery voice +exclaim to the gaoler, "Mat, I have brought thee some ale for letting +me in to see the prisoner." + +"Welcome it is," was the reply, and very soon a stentorian snore +announced to the captive that his guardian had fallen into a drunken +slumber, and told him that he might venture to set about his work with +safety. + +An hour's labour proved very unsatisfactory, for the wall was much +harder than he had anticipated, and in spite of the goodwill with +which he worked, the injuries he had received the day before seriously +retarded his efforts. + +Eustace, however, was working with more success on the other side, and +in a couple more hours a hole, sufficiently wide for Manners to creep +through, had been made, and in a few more minutes Dorothy's betrothed +was a free man again, urging his steed to the utmost, to fetch help +from Haddon, and to capture the miscreant knight who had effected so +much evil. + + + + +CHAPTER XXV. + +THE LAST OF DE LA ZOUCH. + + Face to face with the past he stands, + With guilty soul, and blood-stained hands; + And his deeds rise up against him. + Too weak to win, he cannot fly, + He begs for life and fears to die, + But justice overtakes him. + + +The second day's search for Dorothy proved as ineffectual as the +first, and yielding with ill grace to the counsel of his friends, Sir +George Vernon submitted to retire from active search, and agreed +to remain at Haddon while others scoured the country round for the +truants. + +"It is of no use," said the baron, "I cannot sleep. I shall not +attempt it to-night either. It is enough that I should consent to stay +at home." + +"But you must have rest," expostulated Stanley, "or you will quickly +break down under the strain." + +"I shall stay here, I tell you," was the dogged reply, "and receive +the reports as they come in. There are four or five out yet." + +"Has Crowleigh returned?" asked Sir Thomas abruptly. + +"Not yet; may he bring her back." + +"'Tis most queer," soliloquised the young knight. "I cannot understand +it, I confess. Do you suspect him, Sir George?" + +"No, I don't," he replied, bluntly, "do you?" + +"I do now. I suspect the whole lot of them; and that Manners and De la +Zouch are at heart at daggers drawn." + +"And Doll?" + +"As for her," continued Sir Thomas, demurely; "she is far too fond +of Manners. I thought we should have trouble with her, for she has a +stubborn will." + +"Like Lady Maude," exclaimed Sir George sententiously, "but go! Leave +me alone; you must be in the saddle early in the morning, and you at +all events require rest." + +"Will nothing shake your determination?" pursued Stanley, as he looked +in unfeigned pity at the toil-worn, care-riven brow of the unfortunate +baron. "You will make yourself far worse else." + +"I shall sit and wait. Send me in Father Nicholas, for he alone shall +bear me company." + +"Well, well," he replied, "I would persuade thee if I could Sir +George, but since I cannot do that I will go, but you should rest," +and leaving these words to ring in the baron's ears, the young +nobleman retired to his couch and left the baron alone. + +The sun had not long risen ere he was with Sir George Vernon again. +His horse was ready to carry him once more upon the search, and he +himself was ready for the ride. He had expected to find the baron +asleep, but in this he was disappointed, for Sir George sat beside the +table deep in converse with the priest. Crowleigh had returned, and so +had the rest, but their tales were alike despondent; none of them had +discovered a trace, and good Father Nicholas had found it a difficult +task under the circumstances to revive the drooping spirit of his +master. + +"No luck, Sir Thomas, naught but ill news," said the baron, as he +replied to his friend's greeting; "'tis an ill wind this. There is +never a trace as yet, and----" + +"Hist!" interrupted Margaret's lover. "I hear the sounds of galloping +hoofs." + +Sir George opened the casement window, and peered out into the gloom. + +"I cannot see them yet," he exclaimed, "but there are more than one, +and they are nearing fast. If it should be Dorothy," he said with a +sigh of intense feeling; "what joy!" + +"Aye, there are more than one," said Stanley. "We cannot see them +here. Hark, they are thundering at the gate even now; let us go and +meet them, and heaven grant, whoever it may be, that they bring good +news." + +"Amen," ejaculated the baron fervently, and his prayer was echoed by +the rest. + +Before they could reach the gate, the horseman had been admitted; +and as Sir George and his friends stepped into the yard they +recognised--not the features of Sir Edward Stanley, as Margaret's +lover secretly thought, but the well-known form of Manners. + +"How!--by my halidame, what meaneth this?" exclaimed the baron, +delighted beyond measure to see the esquire again. "Tell me, Manners, +where my Dorothy is?" + +"Speak fair words," cautioned Stanley, with a frown. + +"Dorothy!" gasped her lover. "Hasten, I beseech thee. She is at Ashby. +Where is De la Zouch, the villain?" + +"On his way home," answered Sir Thomas. + +Manners groaned aloud. + +"Heaven forfend us, then," he cried. "He is a monster of iniquity. We +must hasten back, an you would rescue Dorothy." + +"There is some conspiracy in this," exclaimed Stanley. "Here is De la +Zouch's page lurking behind these horses. Come hither, sirrah, for I +recognise thee well. 'Twere a bold thing of thee to venture on so rash +an errand here." + +Eustace was pushed unwillingly forward, and as he stood before the +knight his knees knocked together under the terrible frowns that were +bestowed upon him. + +"Nay, it is right," expostulated Manners. "Leave him alone, Sir +Thomas, he will be of service to us yet." + +"But where is Dorothy?" asked the impatient baron. "What has become of +her? Why does she not return with thee?" + +"De la Zouch waylaid us," answered the esquire, "and we fell into his +trap. I have ridden hard from Ashby since the sun last set. I escaped +his dungeon by the aid of this, his page, to save poor Dorothy. I am +faint from my bruises and hard riding. Cannot you believe me?" + +"Sir Henry," replied the baron, with a sneer. "Sir Henry told us a +similar story, but then it was you who had waylaid him." + +"The villain!" groaned Manners, "I will have revenge." + +"That's just what he called you," said Sir Thomas, promptly. "Two of a +trade never agree." + +"My master felled Master Manners to the ground himself," interposed +the page; "or rather, I mean he struck him senseless while he lay +injured on the ground." + +"And he carried Doll away to his castle," said Manners. "I shall +avenge her, though. I can understand your suspicions now, and forgive +you, for De la Zouch has played you false as well as me, and has +returned to his castle now to reap the reward of his villainy. I shall +pursue him, though. He sought my life, defamed my name, imprisoned me, +and now he has gone when I get here. Eustace," he added, turning to +the page, "let us return; I will gather friends of my own with which +to rescue her, and I shall be strong till I have met and paid my +enemy. God grant we may yet be in time. Crowleigh, you believe me? You +will come, and, mayhap, we may intercept him ere his journey's end, +for he cannot long be gone." + +"Nay, nay, man; stay and have thy wound attended to," said the baron +sympathetically. "Thou'rt honest, I would swear." + +"And yesterday he seemed well nigh dead," said Eustace, referring to +Manners. "Sure I am he can ride no longer. We rode hard here, and well +I trow his wound--" + +"Stay not for me," interrupted Manners. "This is precious time. I +command you to hasten or it will be too late, for when De la Zouch +discovers I am gone, he will certainly remove her to another place." + +"We will," enthusiastically shouted Sir George, and in the twinkling +of an eye he seized hold of the alarm-bell rope and in an instant +awakened the tired sleepers of the neighbourhood by its clang. + +"And thou art his page," said Stanley. "Thou wilt show us the way." + +"Aye, that I will an it please you, my lord, but I will never return +to him." + +"Meg, we are off," exclaimed Sir Thomas to his betrothed, who had +hastily descended from her own room, startled at the unusual noise +in the courtyard at that early hour. "We are going to bring Dorothy +back."' + +"Where is she?" + +"At Ashby Castle, so Master Manners saith," he replied. "You will go +with us, I hope," he added, turning round to the esquire. "You will +want to revenge yourself." + +"I will avenge her, yes;" he responded, not heeding the convert sneer, +"that I will right heartily." + +Meanwhile lanterns had been glimmering in the lower portion of the +yard; men had been frantically shouting to each other, and their +voices had mingled with the trampling of horses' feet; and now, +everything being ready, the fact was announced, and in a few minutes +the cavalcade started out upon its expedition, determined not only +to rescue the maiden, but also to administer a sharp and well-merited +rebuke upon the faithless knight who had decoyed her away. + +De la Zouch arrived at his castle soon after the party started from +Haddon, and although he had failed to lull the Vernons into a false +belief in his fidelity, yet he had put them on a wrong scent, and he +congratulated himself inasmuch as he had left behind him no strong +suspicion of the truth. + +Simon Greenwood had retired to rest. Sir Henry was not expected home +so soon. Indeed, he had told his chamberlain confidentially that if +events progressed aright he should probably not return for a week or +maybe more, and the sudden return of his lord found the worthy deputy +in nowise prepared to meet him, and he had his good dame to thank +that, inasmuch as she had deprived him of liquor sufficient to make +him drunk, he was in no worse condition than he happened to be. + +"Ha, Simon," exclaimed the knight, as that functionary put in an +appearance, "I am back again, you see." + +"Troth, and in good time, too, my lord." + +"Aye, I have come pretty quick, I assure you. The birds are safe, eh?" + +"Safe enough, I would stake my head on that." + +"That's right, I knew I could trust you, Simon. I am hungry though, +and by all the saints in the calendar, I am sore and stiff as well. I +am injured, too, for my horse fell down with me and crushed my leg." + +"You look it, my lord, and worse," exclaimed Dame Greenwood. "You look +badly hurt." + +"Ah, my own fault, my own fault; I have been a fool. Eustace himself +could not have ridden worse. Where is Eustace, I have not seen him +yet?" + +Simon looked inquiringly at his better half, and to his discomfiture, +she stolidly returned the glance. Neither of them appeared to know +anything of his whereabouts. In the scuffle and worry of the time he +had been forgotten, and they had to make the best defence they could. + +"Methinks he is paying a visit to some fair damsel of the town, Sir +Henry, with his dulcimer," suggested the dame. "I saw him with the +music some while before the gates were closed." + +"He was prating this and that to me, my lord," added Simon, who found +his tongue at length, "until I threatened to whip him. He sneaked away +quick enough then, ha, ha!" + +"Ha, ha!" laughed the knight, as he divested himself, with Simon's +aid, of his riding coat, "he would order thee about, eh? But, by my +faith, man, I am hungry, I swear. I am quite ready to sup when I have +seen my prisoners." + +Dame Greenwood took the hint and went out to procure the meal. "Sir +Henry is in wonderful good humour to-night," she murmured, "and 'tis a +good thing, too for Simon, that he is. What a fool he would be without +me," and comforting herself with this reflection, she hastened to obey +her lord's behests. + +"Dorothy is in the tower?" asked Sir Henry as he ravenously fell upon +his meal. "How is she now? Proud, I suppose, eh?" + +"Humph! well enough, though a trifle obstinate." + +"Well, we will go and see her. And Manners, what of him?" + +"Ha! high and haughty. Rides the high horse, my lord. Has friends at +Court and friends all around coming to release him." + +"A pretty tale, truly, Simon," laughed the knight, as he finished his +hasty meal and ordered some more spiced wine to drink. + +"Yes, my lord," replied the chamberlain. "So I put him in the old +dungeon." + +"Eh, what! You have put him where?" asked Sir Henry, turning back +breathlessly. "You idiot, you; where are the keys?" + +"In the old dungeon, I said," explained the wonder-stricken +chamberlain. "The safest part of the castle, my lord." + +"Where are the keys?" thundered his master. "Quick!" + +Simon handed them over, and struck with intense amazement at the +sudden and complete change in his master's manner, he awaited the +course of events. + +"Follow me," said the knight, sharply, as he opened the door and +started across the yard. "Did I not command thee to put him in the +tower?" he cried. + +Simon returned no answer. He was stupified. His head swam, and he half +persuaded himself as he followed his master across the yard that he +was the victim of some dread nightmare. + +"See here!" exclaimed Sir Henry as he kicked the drunken gaoler +aside and sharply awoke him; "and here!" he added, as he unlocked +the ponderous door and held the glimmering lantern up. "See here," he +cried, "what's this?" and he pushed the wondering Simon in. + +"Why--how! He has gone," he gasped. + +"Of course he has." + +And true it was. The worst fears of De la Zouch were realised. +Manners, as we already know, had found out the secret of the dungeon, +and his flight was only just discovered. + +Sir Henry de la Zouch was prompt in action, and immediately upon +satisfying himself of Dorothy's safety, he set out, accompanied by +a number of his retainers, to find her lover, feeling pretty well +convinced that he would be discovered lurking somewhere in the +neighbouring woods. It was in vain they searched. Under the eye of +their ubiquitous lord, the tired followers beat every copse and glade, +and it was not until the afternoon was well advanced that the Knight +of Ashby relinquished the search and thought of turning back. + +"Hark!" said Simon to his master, as the latter gave the order to +return, "I hear the tread of horse." + +"We will advance, then," was the reply, and the unwilling company once +more turned their backs upon their homes, and marched further into the +forest. + +The two parties had for some time unconsciously been approaching each +other, and when the quick ears of the chamberlain had detected the +proximity of Sir George Vernon and his followers, they were only +separated from each other by a narrow strip of thickly-grown wood, and +a minute or two sufficed to bring them into collision. + +"Ha, ha!" shouted Sir George, as he sighted the faithless knight. +"Ha, ha, torn clothes, we have you now. Here the villain is," and he +spurred his horse forward to cope with his enemies single-handed. + +De la Zouch was amazed and staggered at the sight, and without waiting +to meet the baron he rode back to his party, hotly pursued by the King +of the Peak and his men of Derbyshire. + +"Stay," cried Manners, "we will settle this between ourselves"; and +without waiting for assistance he dashed forward at De la Zouch, and +made a furious onslaught upon him. + +It was no tournament now; it was a struggle for life itself! And +whilst Dorothy's lover was animated by a stern resolve to punish his +foe, at whatever the cost, De la Zouch fought like a madman, because +he fought with a halter round his neck. + +As for the latter's followers, at the first charge, with one accord +they turned, and leaving their lord, for whom they had little love, to +meet his fate, they tried to save themselves by flight. + +The struggle was not prolonged. Manners was by far the better +swordsman of the two, and De la Zouch, disheartened at the flight of +his followers gradually weakened in his attack, and at length fell +mortally wounded, leaving no one now to hinder them from marching +victoriously on to Ashby. + + + + +CHAPTER XXVI. + +A DISGUISED LOVER. + + Imperious beauty, + Treading upon the neck of understanding, + Compelled me to put off my natural shape + Of loyal duty, to disguise myself. + + MASSINGER + +The autumn winds were howling among the trees and scattering the later +leaves in all directions, when, with the fall of twilight, a gentle +knock was heard at the door of the hut of the chief forester of +Haddon. + +A lonely traveller stood outside, shivering in his rough and scanty +garments as he stood in the still evening breeze, and as he waited +expectantly at the unopened door he heard a gruff voice inside the +cottage trolling forth a simple ballad of the chase. + +He waited patiently until the song was finished, and then, taking +courage, he tapped again much louder than before, and was rewarded by +hearing footsteps advance towards the threshold, and a moment later +the crazy portal was standing open, and the unkempt head of the +forester peered inquiringly out. + +"What now, what now," he inquired, as his eye lighted upon the strange +figure before him; "who and what art thou?" + +"Art thou Roger the forester?" asked the wanderer in reply. + +"Roger Morton, at your service, yes." + +"Then, by the love of heaven, I beseech thee let me in." + +"Well, there are few ask that favour off me, but none shall ever say +I turned an empty mouth away at night, e'en though it were a beggar's. +Come in." + +Thankful indeed to receive so ready an invitation, the traveller +entered the hospitable cottage. + +"I am not a beggar, though, forsooth," he began, as he seated himself +upon the log which did duty for a seat. "You do not recognise me, +Roger, I perceive." + +"Roger Morton, I repeat it, at your service." + +"Well, then, Roger Morton, be it so, but yet you seem to know me not." + +"Odds, troth," ejaculated the forester, "I seem to know thee somewhat; +we have met before." + +"A many times, Roger." + +"Roger Morton." + +"Well, well, Roger Morton, I am apt to forget myself." + +"Ha! you are Nathan Grene," interrupted the man, as he laid before his +guest some cheese and a mug of new milk. "I know your voice." + +"Are we alone?" whispered the traveller. + +"We are," replied Roger, as he picked up a stout stick with which to +defend himself, "but he would be a bold man to tackle me alone, for I +can take care of myself full well;" and he quickly placed himself in +an attitude of defence. + +"Tut, I mean no ill, 'tis a matter of secrecy which I am about to +entrust you with; read this," and pulling up a piece of cord which +suspended from his neck, he drew up a tiny casket from his bosom, and, +opening it, he drew out a neatly-folded slip of paper and held it out. + +Slowly and laboriously Roger spelled the missive out, and having +succeeded at last in making himself master of its contents, he +whistled with surprise, and closely scanned the visage of his guest. + +"What a change!" he exclaimed at length. "What will the baron say?" + +"Hush, speak gently, or we shall be overheard. The baron must not +know. Can you be trusted?" + +"Surely. And you are Master Manners who killed that De la Zouch. To +think of it, now." + +John Manners it was. His rescue of Dorothy had advanced his suit but +little. Lady Vernon had been too proud to own herself defeated, and +Sir George had passed his word to the Stanleys and was bound to keep +to his promise, while Edward Stanley, who had arrived at Haddon soon +after the maiden's rescue, had taken a dislike to his rival and had +made matters so uncomfortable for him at the Hall that the unfortunate +esquire had found it necessary to take the hint and withdraw himself +from Haddon. + +But though driven away he was not defeated, for he yet found means of +hearing from his betrothed, and even occasionally to correspond +with her, but he soon found that the long absence grew more and more +unendurable, until at last he determined to venture forward at every +risk to be near her again. + +"And so they would force Mistress Dorothy to marry Sir Thomas +Stanley's brother?" said the forester after a pause, as he handed the +little missive back. + +"Yes, and Dorothy conjures you to help us. You will do it, will you +not?" + +"So good as she has been to my poor little Lettice, yes, that I will +do; but how?" + +"I must be a forester." + +"'Tis a rough life for such as thee, Master Manners." + +"Yes." + +"And it is dangerous, too, at times." + +"Aye, I know." + +"And then if you were to be discovered?" + +"Don't talk of ifs, man. I talked it all over with Dorothy long ago. +She could not dissuade me, nor can you. I am ready for anything for +her sake." + +"Heaven bless her. I--" + +"Aye, heaven bless her," interrupted Manners. "I shall wed her yet, if +heaven does but bless her." + +"You are decided to join our craft, then?" asked Roger. "We are two +woodmen short, as luck will have it." + +"I have come to be one, then," replied Manners. "I am disguised for +that alone." + +And so it came to pass that John Manners, the nephew of an earl, +whose uncle, even now, was high in favour with the Queen, and who had +himself bowed the knee on more than one occasion before her throne, +had become a woodsman, and joined the foresters of Sir George Vernon. +Love, and love alone, could have induced him to humble himself so +much. It was for love of Dorothy that he turned his back upon the +Royal Court; and now, to win his bride, he was content, nay happy, to +discard his own station in life, and take upon himself the lot of a +common woodsman. + +Fortune was indeed leading him by strange paths, but he trusted she +would lead him to the prize at last. + +Dorothy's lot, meanwhile, had not been a bright one. Edward Stanley +was relentless, and in answer to her piteous appeals that she loved +him not, he cited the baron's words, referred her to the promise Sir +George had rashly made to Sir Thomas; he declared that he loved her +fervently, and, had it not been for the baron's interference, would +have carried her off at the end of a month and have married her +straightway. + +Manners was sternly forbidden her; the gates of Haddon were closed +against him, and even an excuse was found to keep Crowleigh away as +well. It was fondly hoped that these stringent measures would have the +effect of bringing Dorothy to her senses, but their plans completely +failed. The maiden began to sicken. The colour fled from her rosy +cheeks, and she began to grow rapidly worse. Lady Vernon ascribed it +to mere obstinacy, and grew impatient with her, and made her worse +than she would otherwise have been by finding fault with everything +she did; and by setting her long tasks of tenter-stitching to perform, +making her unhappy lot more miserable still. The only friend she had +to whom she could unbosom her secrets was her maid Lettice, and during +this time the hearts of the two girls were knitted closely together, +the one by a craving for sympathy, and the other drawn to love by the +dual bond of love and pity. + +Many a night had these two wept together in the darkness and silence +of an unlighted room, and many a time had Dorothy laid her head upon +her tire-maid's knee and sobbed until with swollen eyes she had sobbed +herself to sleep; and many a night had Dorothy sat alone, forbidden to +leave the Hall, while her maid had gone out on a fruitless errand to +discover if her lover had yet come. + +"Not yet?" she would ask, as the maid returned, and Lettice had echoed +"Not yet," in reply, until she hated the very sound of the words. + +"O, Lettice, he has not forgotten me?" she would sob distractedly, as +she saw the disappointed face return. + +"No, never, my lady. Something has happened, surely." + +"It must be so," her mistress would reply, and then she would relapse +into silence. + +To-night Dorothy sat alone. Her eyes were heavy, for she had +been weeping long. Her sky seemed overcast; there was not a rift +discoverable anywhere, and she was almost broken-hearted. Nearly two +months had passed, and no sign of her lover had she seen to brighten +her. Edward had told her that her lover had renounced her, and in +spite of herself she almost began to believe the story. Lettice had +gone out on her mission once more, but she questioned whether she +would ever go again, and she prepared herself, as the time for the +maid's return drew nigh, to receive the usual answer, "No, my lady, +not yet." + +Later than usual Dorothy heard her well-known footstep lightly +tripping along the passage. The very lateness of her return inspired +her with a ray of hope, and opening the door, she went out to meet +her. + +"Has he come, Lettice, has he come?" she eagerly exclaimed, varying +for once her usual despondent query. And, as she asked, her heart +fluttered wildly within her, and the hot blood mounted to her cheeks. + +"I have news of him for thee," returned the maid, gaily. + +Dorothy was too overcome to speak. The long-expected news had come at +last; she fell upon the tire-maid's neck and wept tears of joy, while +Lettice drew her unresistingly along, and led her to her little room +again. + +"There," she said, as she closed the doors so that none might hear. +"Master Manners sends his duty to thee, my lady." + +"His _duty_, indeed," she exclaimed, with drooping eyes; "why not his +love forsooth?" + +"'Twas love he said," returned the maid. "He is a forester." + +"A forester!" echoed Dorothy in amazement. "My John a forester! Not a +common woodman, Lettice, surely?" + +"Aye, but he is. He has done it for thy sake. It was the only way." + +"And they told me he had forsaken me. Was ever man so noble as he?" + +"He has sent thee this," said Lettice, as she handed a letter to her +mistress. "'Tis but roughly done, but he said you would forgive it, +and he sealed it with a score of kisses before he gave it me." + +Dorothy hastily took up the note and read it. Evidently it pleased +her well, for as she perused its contents her countenance flushed with +pleasure. + +"Lettice," she exclaimed, "only you and I, besides your father, know +that Hubert is the same as Master Manners. We must keep it secret as +the grave itself. Is he well disguised?" + +"In truth, I knew him not until he called me by name." + +"'Tis well. He runs a fearful risk. Edward or Thomas Stanley would as +lief kill him as they would a dog did they but recognise him again." + +"He has been ill, and he is deadly thin." + +"Poor John. He tells me so. I understand all now." + +"That will disguise him better than aught else, he said." + +"Perhaps it is so, but 'tis a cruel disguise," said Dorothy +sympathetically. "Did he give thee any word for me?" + +"Naught, save that I was to tell thee he would write anon, as he could +not see thee. He will hide the letters in the tree that Father Philip +fell against; there is a hole in it, and he has shown it me. But you +will see him soon; he wears a peacock's feather in his cap." + +"I should know him well enough without a sign," said Dorothy +decisively, "and he were best without it, for it might lead him into +peril." + +"Father will send him with the logs," pursued Lettice. "He came but +yesternight." + +"Hush, Lettice, is not that Lady Maude coming?" + +"Gramercy no, I hope not, or it might fare ill with us," said the +maid, "but hide the letter, for the love of heaven do," she added +quickly as the footsteps quickly approached. + +Quick as thought Doll transferred the missive into her pocket, and, +with a guilty look which she vainly strove to hide, she turned to +brave Lady Vernon. + +Lady Vernon it was, but she passed hurriedly along the corridor, and +having escaped thus luckily so far, they waited not to tempt fortune +again, but bidding each other an affectionate "Good-night," Lettice +withdrew, and left Dorothy alone with her newly-gotten joy. + + + + +CHAPTER XXVII. + +A NARROW ESCAPE. + + The moon in pearly light may steep + The still blue air; + The rose hath ceased to droop and weep, + For lo! her joy is there. + He sings to her, and o'er the trees + She hears his sweet notes swim, + The world may weary--she but hears + Her love, and hears but him. + + P.J. BAILEY. + +John Manners found life uncomfortable enough in the new condition of +life in which he had placed himself. The work was hard, and the fare +was rough. There was no difference between his lot and the lot of +those around him, and yet, in spite of this, he was looked at +askance by his new companions, while to crown all, he found very few +opportunities of meeting or seeing his beloved Dorothy. + +Often had he made arrangements to meet her at different trysting +places, but, just as often had he waited patiently, only to be +disappointed by the non-arrival of his lady-love. In this sorry plight +he had been obliged to content himself with sending messages to her +through Lettice, whom he constantly met at her father's hut; or, +failing her, as a last resource he fell back upon communicating with +his lover through the unsatisfactory medium of the tree, where, not +unfrequently, as he placed a fresh note in he found the previous one +untouched. + +At last, however, after many fruitless attempts which would assuredly +have effectually daunted less ardent lovers, they found themselves +once more together in the woods. What bliss, what rapture, what +delight, filled the heart of each as they gazed fondly at the other! +Dorothy felt bright and lithesome as of yore, as she felt the touch +of her lover's hands again. The weeks of misery through which she had +just passed seemed but as a dream to her as she once more heard his +cheery voice, and the haggard, careworn look, which had settled +upon her fair face of late, was instantly dispelled as her betrothed +imprinted a warm kiss upon her blushing cheeks. As for Manners, he was +completely transported with delight, and for some moments he bathed +his hungry eyes in the sunshine of her beauty. To see her again had +been his dearest wish, and now she stood before him, and he felt that +all the sacrifices he had been called upon to make for the sake of his +love were more than compensated for as he heard her gently call him by +the old familiar name. + +"John," she said. + +"Well, dearest one; we are met once more." + +"You can trust me now?" + +"Aye, indeed, I can," he replied, with glistening eyes. "Forgive me, +Doll, I know you will." + +"I do; I did long ago. I knew you could not doubt me long. How good of +you to come, and to risk so much--for my sake," she added, raising her +lustrous eyes up to his. + +"Nay, Doll, it were for my sake, too. I could not be far from thee +long; the saints forfend I should. But tell me, Dorothy, how go our +fortunes now; I fear not well?" + +"Alas, no! Lady Maude is stricter than ever," she replied. "Were I a +lazy serving-maid mine were a happier lot." + +"And Sir Edward, what of him?" + +"He wooes me with threats. Was ever a maiden won thus, John? He vows I +shall be his bride, and O--" + +"What, dearest?" + +"Margaret is to be wedded soon, and Sir Edward swears there shall be +two weddings at the same time. He says I shall like him well enough +in time to come. Margaret wishes it, Lady Maude wishes it, Sir Thomas +wishes it, and Edward Stanley says it shall be." + +"He knows it not," sturdily replied Manners, as he clasped her to his +breast. "Our love is strong enough to conquer all that, Doll." + +"I hope it will. I think it will in the end," she replied, "but the +way is very dark for us at present. But naught shall stay us now. Our +love is too true not to win." + +"It shall!" he returned, decisively. "Be of good heart, my precious +one, we shall soon have passed all this and be happy together." + +"Heaven grant it," replied Dorothy, fervently, "but it is a terrible +time now. With you exposed to danger every hour outside, and every +hand against me in the house, save Lettice, 'tis terrible, terrible!" +and the maiden burst into tears. + +"Poor Doll," said Manners, as he tenderly supported her. "Your lot is +hard, but there will be a change ere long. The wind does not always +blow from one quarter, you know; it will alter soon." + +"I fear me not," replied the maiden disconsolately. + +"Oh, surely, when they see what an unconquerable will thou hast. Sir +George loves thee too well to lightly disregard thy happiness. He +loves you dearly; he will surely repent ere the time comes, for he +hath a tender heart for thee." + +Dorothy laid her hand upon his arm and beckoned him to be still, +pointing at the same time to a thick mass of the thick foliage with +which they were surrounded. + +"Hist," she whispered. "Methought I heard the sound of footsteps, +listen!" + +She paused, and together they bent their heads and listened, but +nothing was to be heard save the rustling of the leaves. + +"'Twas thy fancy," exclaimed Manners, "thou art frightened." + +"I thought I saw the form of a man pass by those trees," she replied. +"It must be fancy, though, and yet, methought I saw him stop and then +pass on again." + +"Sir George will stand by thee," pursued Manners, "he loves thee +better than himself." + +"I know it, I know he loves me much, John; but he has promised me to +the Stanleys, and when I told him of our trothplight he laughed, and +said he was doing it all for the best. He forbade me to mention your +name ever more, or even think of you again--as if you were not ever in +my mind." + +"Does not Lady Maude relent at all?" + +"Lady Maude relent! Nay, rather does she grow more bitter against me +day by day, and that I may forget thee she makes me tenter-stitch from +morn till eve. Even Margaret gives her voice bitterly against me now." + +"Thou hast no one to console thee, then?" + +"Save Lettice, no." + +"Poor Dorothy. And Father Nicholas, what saith he? He is a friend of +mine." + +"He is so grave I have not mentioned it to him." + +"Then by my troth, Doll, bid him meet me here to-morrow night. He +shall help us, he shall befriend thee. Tell him all, he can be well +trusted, I wot, unless he has strangely changed since he hath taken +the cowl. Bid him come here alone and without fail." + +Soon, all too soon, the brief interview came to an end, and Dorothy +had to go back to the Hall, while her lover, having reluctantly parted +from her when he dare accompany her no further, slowly wound his way +back to the sorry hut which served him, in common with the rest of his +fellows, as a home. + +He had no heart to join in the boisterous fun with which his +companions were making themselves merry as he entered, and passing +them unnoticed by, he took a seat in the furthest corner of the room +and watched the faggots as they blazed and burned away upon the hearth +in front of him. + +Dorothy returned with a sad heart, too. The moment of bliss which had +so transported her with delight had passed away again, and she found +herself in pretty well the same downcast frame of mind in which she +had been before, for she knew not when she would see her lover again, +and she dare not let herself ponder on the terrible risks her noble +lover ran. + +"Well, Dorothy," said Lady Maude, as she burst into the maiden's room +ere Doll had found time to divest herself of hood and wimple, "thou +art serving us a pretty trick. Thou would'st meet thy whilom lover all +unbeknown to us, eh? Pick up thy things and follow me." + +It would have been worse than useless to have refused, and argument, +Dorothy knew of old, at such a time would have been equally futile; +so, while her blood almost froze with terror in her veins, she meekly +obeyed her step-mother and followed her through the long ballroom into +the banqueting-room below in a perfect agony of terror lest her lover +had been taken and was about to be confronted with her. + +The stone-flagged chamber, in which the festive table, which has +creaked under many a load of beef and venison, still stands in +grandeur all unique, was in full glory then. The musicians' gallery +was richly bedecked with gilt, and was adorned with antlers, the +trophies of many a chase, in place of the dingy, whitewash-spotted, +pictures which, hang upon its walls to-day (and look as if they were +sadly in need of a washing). Gay hunting-scenes, and a canvas on +which, were delineated the forms of the Virgin and her Babe, met the +eye and pleased it. A savoury odour of newly-baked cakes floated along +the passage from the kitchens right into the room, and a piece of +tapestry, one of Dorothy's first attempts, depended over the doorway +of the carved wooden screen to keep out draughts, and at the same time +give a warm and pleasing effect to the interior. + +It was into this room, in which sat the baron and Sir Thomas Stanley, +looking terribly grave and severe, that Lady Vernon led poor Dorothy. + +"Come hither, Dorothy," said the baron, as she entered. + +The "Dorothy" sounded ominous, and she advanced in great trepidation. + +"You have been out without our knowledge," he exclaimed. + +"Out; of course she has," interrupted Lady Vernon. "See, she cannot +deny it, she has the tokens of guilt upon her now," and she derisively +pointed at the tell-tale garments she had made her carry in. + +"Hush, Maude," said the baron, "you will frighten her. Dorothy, you +have been with Manners," he added, turning severely towards her. + +Dorothy hung down her head, but vouchsafed no reply. She was in an +agony of fear for the safety of her lover, but amid all her terrors +she was resolved that no words should fall from her lips which might +bring trouble upon him. + +"Aye, and with Master Manners again," repeated the dame. + +"What have you to say, Dorothy?" asked Sir George quickly. + +"Nothing," she replied. + +"Then you _have_ been with him?" + +"Nay, I said not so." + +"Of course she has," exclaimed Lady Vernon, "who can doubt it?" + +"We heard Manners speaking; I could swear to it now," said Sir Thomas +Stanley. + +"I fear it is even so, Dorothy," said the baron, not unkindly. "There +is a guilty look upon thy face. Now tell us where he is and we will +forgive thee thy share." + +Dorothy returned no answer. She was determined that no words of hers +should injure him. + +"He saved my life," she replied, as the question was repeated. + +"Tut, tell us where to find him, else thou wilt have enough to +thank that stubborn will of thine for," interrupted the baroness, +impatiently. + +There was a sound of footsteps just outside, and they all paused to +listen. + +"'Tis Edward bringing Manners back," said Sir Thomas quietly. "Here +they come." + +The tapestry was quickly pushed aside, and the ruddy face of Sir +Edward Stanley insinuated itself between, the fringes and the screen, +but it was not the face of a contented man, for it wore a disappointed +look. + +"Bring him in," commanded the baron. + +"Nay, I have not caught him yet," he ruefully replied. "Come and help +us, he has hidden himself amid the woodsmen's huts." + +"You go," said the baron, addressing Sir Thomas. "I will stay with +Dorothy"; and without waiting to be bidden a second time Sir Thomas +Stanley left his untasted supper on the table and joined in the search +for Dorothy's forbidden lover. + +Meanwhile, the subject of all this commotion sat innocently gazing +at the burning embers, watching the logs as they blazed up and then +gradually disappeared into powder to be blown away by the first slight +breath of wind. Surely, he reflected, 'tis so with the baron's will; +he is in the height of his determined fury now. But soon--and as the +door opened, another puff of wind blew away the airy ashes of a once +stout log--aye, surely, his opposition will vanish like as that. + +"Never a soul came in here, your lordship, for a long time back," +said Roger, deferentially doffing his cap. "Your lordship must be +mistaken." + +Manners turned round and beheld, with a feeling akin to dismay, Sir +Thomas Stanley and his brother just within the threshold of the door. + +"Tut, tut, man," replied the knight, "I say he came in here; he was +seen to enter, and no one has passed out since then." + +Sir Thomas appealed to the others, but they were all unanimous in +supporting their master, and replied in one chorus of surprise. +Manners had not been seen for weeks, and not a soul among them had any +idea of his whereabouts. + +"I suppose no one entered, then?" sneered the knight. + +"No," replied Roger complacently, "not for a long time back." + +"Did he not come in here?" appealed Sir Thomas to those outside. + +"Aye, aye," came the answer, "he did." + +"Then where is he?" demanded the knight fiercely. + +"Nay, I swear by the Holy Virgin I saw him not," replied the sturdy +forester, in perfect truth, for he had not noticed his arrival. + +"Hugh came in last," said Lettice's lover, Will. "Hast thou seen aught +of this Manners of late, Hugh?" + +Manners' first impulse was to grapple with his pursuers, but he +controlled himself, and trusting to the perfection of his disguise to +screen him, without a moment's hesitation he boldly answered in the +negative. + +"Not I," he said, emphatically. "I left my axe just outside, and it +looks so like rain that I went to fetch it in, but I saw nobody; no, +not a soul. Methinks it will rain hard, too, before the morning." + +"Tut," interrupted Sir Edward. "Did you hear anybody?" + +"No, not even a mouse." + +"Then we must search. Out, men, and help us. The man that catches +him shall be rewarded well. We must find him; he is hereabouts, for +I heard his voice. A murrain on the fellow--all this trouble for a +woman's whim." + +He glanced suspiciously round the cot, but finding no suspicious +tokens he led them out and set them to work to discover him. Few of +them, however, were zealous, for Manners had made himself popular +among them during his visits to the Hall. Dorothy they adored and +they were not at all anxious to bring sorrow upon her to oblige the +imperious Stanleys. Besides these considerations, the whole affair was +so romantic that it seemed more like an acted ballad than a serious +reality while Manners' position appealed to them in such a powerful +fashion that they sympathised with him, and had not the search been +conducted immediately under the eyes of the two nobles it would have +been far more half-hearted than it was. A few, and a few only, were +tempted to diligence by the offer of reward, and made a display of +alacrity, and amongst the busiest, with a price upon his head, John +Manners searched vigilantly for himself. + + + + +CHAPTER XXVIII. + +NOT YET + + You might esteem him + A child for his might, + Or you may deem him + A coward through his flight. + But if she whom love honours + Be concealed from the day, + Set a thousand guards on her, + Love will find out the way. + + ANON. + + +If love cannot sharpen the faculties of mankind; if it cannot quicken +the perceptions; if it has not the power to make the deaf hear, +the blind see, the lame walk--at least, sufficient for its own +success--then, indeed--! But it is possessed of all these virtues, and +more. If necessity be the mother of invention, then is love the mother +of both; and surely the most ingenious devices and the cleverest +productions had been connected with this subtle passion. + +Divers and many were the plans which Manners devised to meet his +beloved Dorothy again, but the success he so richly merited was tardy +in coming, and one after another his schemes were frustrated, until +success seemed to have receded from his grasp for ever. + +Dorothy, in fact, was too carefully watched to permit of her meeting +her lover easily, and she was kept too busy at the tapestry frame +to allow her much time for writing to him had she been so disposed. +Whenever she went out she was well attended, and for a long time +Manners was fain to content himself with an occasional glimpse of +her pale face as she rode by, or by sending love-notes and receiving +messages back by the kindly aid of the faithful Lettice. + +Still he persevered, and was rarely absent from the trysting place at +the appointed time, for Dorothy might come on any night, and when she +came he was determined she should find him there. But she never came. +Lettice occasionally he met, but even she was suspected and was kept +indoors as much as possible, and more often than not he sat his weary +vigils out alone. + +Good Roger Morton did his utmost to further his friend's design, +sending him up as often as possible on missions to the Hall, and he +went so frequently both with messages and faggots, that, seeing him +so often, no one suspected that the young woodsman was any other than +what he professed to be. + +Time flew on: weeks passed by. Autumn brought its coldest and chillest +weather for the winter to take up and carry forward. The steers were +fattening in the stalls, or salting in the troughs, for the Christmas +festivities. The capacious larders of Haddon were replenished to the +full, ready to withstand the attack of the cooks; large piles of wood +lay stacked up in the yard, ready to supply the many fires which were +to cook the victuals for the feast; and the servants themselves grew +daily more surprised at the constant arrival of fresh stores, and +wondered if ever so magnificent a feast had taken place before. + +With Dorothy the time passed slowly and painfully along. Her position +had not improved one whit, and she was wearied of the life of +restraint and imprisonment to which she was subjected. Her fingers +were sore and ached again with the continual tenter-stitching she had +to perform, and her whole nature revolted at the system of espionage +which Lady Vernon and Sir Edward Stanley had set upon her. The daily +visits of that unfeeling and determined nobleman with whom they would +force her into marriage, Edward Stanley, always left her with a sadder +heart than she had had before. + +With Manners the time flew by quickly. He sorely wanted to see +Dorothy again, and as the days rapidly passed he recked not of the +disappointments of the past, but only thought of the few days which +intervened between them and Christmas. + +Surely the rumour must be wrong. There would never be two weddings at +the Hall this Christmastide. He, at least, would not believe it. + +"Nicholas," he said, as he met that worthy at last, "thou wilt only +marry one?" + +"The baron bids me marry the other as well. I would it were not so, +for the maiden cares naught for him. I like not this brother; he is +worse than Margaret's betrothed." + +"You must help us, then." + +"I must do my duty, but if in doing that I can aid thee thou hast but +to speak the word." + +"But you shall help us, Nicholas." + +"Why, how?" + +"I will tell thee." + +"I am a priest, remember. I cannot do anything unworthy even for a +friend like thee; though thou wert my benefactor." + +He paused, as if unwilling to wound his friend by his words, and +seeing the look of dismay upon the other's face, he stopped. + +"Nicholas," said Manners, "thou shalt do naught but stand. I must see +Dorothy. I shall," he added determinedly. "Some way or other I +shall see her; even though blood be shed I shall do it," and in the +intensity of his feelings he involuntarily put his hand down to his +side to feel for the dagger which was not there. + +"I fear thou art too venturesome," expostulated his friend, quietly. + +"I am desperate," he replied; "and you, Nicholas, by simply standing +still might help me as much as I require, and might, perchance, +prevent bloodshed, too." + +"Hush, friend John, talk not thus foolishly." + +"And the blood will be upon your head," continued the distracted +lover. "With or without your aid I must, I shall, see Doll; and that +soon. You know my word is not lightly broken. Did I not succour thee +and save thy life when all conspired against thee?" + +"Aye, in truth, and--" + +"And I call upon you now, Nicholas, to discharge that debt," pursued +Manners, hotly. "You must; I am resolved, I am well nigh desperate; +and Father Philip sanctioned the troth, Nicholas, and blessed us ere +he died." + +"Is that so?" + +"Assuredly it is. Thou shalt help us, nor shalt thou be dishonoured in +the deed." + +"An you will lead me into no evil I will consent, but I fear to trust +thee, thou wert ever rash and headstrong." + +Two days later, ere the Sabbath mass began, there stole into the +little chapel of Haddon the figure of a man, which ever since the +break of day might have been observed crouched down at the bottom of +the mighty brewing vat. Had anyone cared to look under the cloth which +covered it they would assuredly have discovered him there. + +The door of the sanctuary had just been thrown open, somewhat later +than usual, for the servants had evidently overslept themselves, and +were now to be heard throwing the shutters open, and bustling about in +the kitchens, trying to make up for the time they had lost. + +The man, by his garb, might have been taken for a labourer. His black +hair hung in matted patches upon his shoulders; his clothes were torn +and patched, and the coarse leather jerkin he wore, which was almost +ready to be replaced by a new one, gave unmistakable tokens that the +wearer was a man of toil. + +In spite of all these signs the face of the man was handsome, and not +without traces of hauteur. His hands were red and rough, but not hard +and horny as those of other craftsmen were; and his whole bearing +would have impressed a critical observer that this man at least was +worthier of a better lot. + +Yes, it was John Manners. He was bearding the lion in his den. + +Pushing the inner door ajar, and casting a look around the yard at +the same time to satisfy himself that he was not observed, he quietly +entered the edifice, and closed the door. + +"Ha, ha," he mused. "At last we shall meet again," and at the thought +of it he heaved a sigh of relief. + +Seating himself in the family pew, he pulled out a book from his +capacious breast-pocket, and as he anticipated a long period of +uninterrupted peace, he commenced to peruse it. It was "Tottel's +Miscellany," a collection of amorous sonnets, and little love sonnets +and little love songs, and he read page after page, to the delight +of his heart, until he was startled to a sense of his position by the +sound of voices just outside. + +"No, no, Sir Edward. We must give her a little longer time, she will +come round soon to our opinion," were the words he unmistakably heard. + +"But you promised her to me this Christmas, remember," was the quick +reply. + +"Aye, so I did," returned the first speaker. "I would that I had not +promised her at all, she is so unhappy over it." + +"And I have laid my plans according to that promise," rejoined his +companion. + +"We must allow her a little longer time," replied the baron, +decisively. "Manners has been again to flame her passion for him anew. +She will be ready to accept thee soon, but not just yet." + +"I tell her John Manners has forsaken her, but she will persist in her +waywardness, and I expect, forsooth, she will do so until--" + +"Tut, tut, man," interposed Sir George, "it shall not be at Christmas, +as we would have had it; but even as she comes not to her senses soon, +you shall take her away. Say another month, Sir Edward, another month. +There, that is settled, trouble me no more, and now we will off to +mass." + +They were in the garden, and through the open lattice window Manners +could hear them without the slightest trouble. At the mention of mass +he abruptly closed his book, and replacing it in his pocket, he crept +carefully into the dismal hollow under the pulpit, and pulling the +panel to after him he hid himself securely in the dark recess. + +"So ho!" he murmured, as he fixed himself in his retreat; "the baron +is good. Another month and then, oh! and then?" + +He stopped and relapsed into thought. His brow contracted, his lips +were tightly pressed, and his eyes stared fixedly through the darkness +of his retreat at the chinks of the panels in front, through which he +could see the place where his beloved would shortly sit. + +"Aye, aye," he muttered, as he fiercely clapped his hand upon his +thigh. "It cannot be the worse for her, nor yet much worse for me. She +must do it; I will broach it to her now. Here they come." + +The pulpit was none too strong, and as Nicholas ascended the stair and +shut the door, it distinctly shook and tottered to and fro over the +esquire. + +"Why, by my halidame," thought Manners, "the whole contrivance will +fall down together and crush me." + +This fear was strengthened soon, for as the priest fixed himself +conveniently in his elevated position, the floor above the esquire's +head creaked and groaned and threatened every minute to fall. + +The service quickly began, much to Manners' relief; but oh, horrors! +Father Nicholas began to preach, and by the time the lover expected to +have clasped his darling in his arms, the discourse was just getting +into full swing. + +"Stop, Nicholas, in the name of mercy, stop," he whispered through the +floor; but Nicholas heard him not, and quietly pursued the even tenour +of his way. + +Another half-hour had elapsed, and the situation had become well +nigh intolerable. Apart from being cramped, Manners was uncomfortable +enough. He felt that it would have immensely relieved him to have +screamed, but he dared not do it. He wanted to cough, or sneeze, but +he had to repress his feelings. The place in which he was boxed up +was damp and humid, and the darkness in which he was enveloped was +oppressive. He could bear it no longer, and raising himself up he +groped around with his hands, and easily lifting a piece of the old +pulpit flooring, he looked up at Nicholas and groaned. + +Nicholas involuntarily started at the sound, but recollecting the +voice, he screened his friend by his presence of mind. Without a +moment's pause he stopped and indulged in a prolonged fit of coughing, +while the little congregation, which had been startled by the groan, +attributed the noise to a premonitory symptom of the attack, and +thought no more about it. + +"For mercy's sake, stop," muttered Manners. But the priest placidly +resumed his discourse, and drowned Manners' voice by his own. + +The sand-glass, which was affixed to the pulpit desk to mark the limit +of the time allowed for the sermon, had long indicated that Father +Nicholas was trespassing upon the indulgence of his hearers before he +stopped; but it was over at last, and confession time had arrived. + +Well knew the wily preacher that the second part of the service would +not be prolonged. Sir George had never much to confess while there +was a good meal awaiting him, and what Lady Maude would have said upon +such occasions was always cut short when the sermon had been long, and +was reserved for a more fitting occasion. + +Neither Sir Thomas Stanley nor his brother ever stayed for confession. +They generally found some more attractive way of spending the time; +and as soon as they could do so they slipped out, heartily cursing the +long-winded priest, and wishing that Sir George were not, by far, so +good a Catholic. + +Margaret stayed longer than the rest, and when her confession had +ceased she kept the father and took occasion to consult him about the +marriage ceremony. + +She went at last, and then it was Dorothy's turn. The way was once +more open for the brave-hearted Manners to meet his betrothed again. + +"Stop!" exclaimed Nicholas, as Manners eagerly kissed the maiden's +blushing cheek. "Let Mistress Dorothy perform her duty first." + +There was no gainsaying this. The good father would not be argued +with, and so Dorothy bended her knee, and in humble penitence +confessed her misdeeds and prayed forgiveness for her sins. + +The confession, though well meant, was constrained and short. The +maiden was absent-minded, and though she would have entered into it +with heart and soul, she found herself unable to bend her will, and +even while confessing, her thoughts were fixed on her lover, whom +she knew was impatiently waiting to embrace her as soon as she had +finished her devotions. + +"And now, my own peerless Doll," said Manners, as she rose and came to +him, "at last I may talk with thee once more." + +"Yes, John," replied the maiden, "at last! We have waited long for +this." + +"Nicholas, you will listen and warn us if anyone approaches," said +Manners. + +"I pray thee forget not that the time goes on apace," replied the +confessor. "I will guard the door for thee." + +The lovers were alone; they were free to enjoy each other's +company for a little while, and in a short time the sound of eager +conversation filled the room. + +"Come, now, 'tis time," broke in the priest, after a long pause. "Sir +George will be wondering at the long delay." + +"A minute more, Nicholas, a minute more," was the excited reply. + +"Now, Doll," Manners appealed, "I have told you all. What say you?" + +"Not yet, John, not yet," she demurely replied. + +"O, say not so, Doll," he pleaded, "they will never relent." + +"I cannot do it, John; indeed, I cannot. I would refuse thee naught +save this, but this I must refuse." + +Her lover looked at her sadly. "Then we may not see each other again," +he said, "till thou art Lady Stanley." + +"Nay, nay," she replied quickly, "I shall never be that. My heart +would break first. I shall never be that." + +"Or I may be discovered, and--and then, Doll, what?" + +"O don't, don't say that," she cried. "You tear my heart. I cannot do +it, John; at least--at least not now." + +"Mistress Dorothy, we must go now. I cannot, I dare not tarry any +longer," said the priest as he came up and stood beside the lovers. +"We must go at once." + +"A minute more, just a minute, Nicholas." + +"Nay," he replied, "we must not linger any more." + +"Go, then, I will follow thee," said Dorothy, and taking her at +her word the father bowed himself low before the little altar and +departed. + +"Not yet," said Manners, "you cannot yet! Doll, it must come to this, +and why not do it now?" + +"Nay, nay, John, ask me not. I cannot, I cannot do it. Adieu, we shall +meet again soon, trust me till then"; and giving him a farewell kiss, +she left him alone and hastened into the Hall. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIX. + +THE ANGELS OF LIFE AND DEATH. + + He said no more, + For at that instant flashed the glare, + And with a hoarse, infernal roar, + A blaze went up and filled the air! + Rafters, and stones, and bodies rose + In one quick gush of blinding flame, + And down, and down, amidst the dark, + Hurling on every side they came. + + AYTOUN. + + +Deep down in the rock upon which Nottingham Castle proudly stands, +there winds a passage which was used in the centuries long gone by as +the readiest way of bringing the victuals in the castle, and which has +long been commonly accepted as the veritable "Mortimer's Hole." + +A man was busily engaged in arduous toil in one of the cavities +hollowed out in the very heart of the rock. It was the chamber in +which the dissolute Mortimer and the faithless Isabella had been +captured by the youthful monarch, Edward III., two centuries and +a half earlier, but no traces of its former grandeur--if it ever +possessed any--now remained. It was changed into the abode of an +alchemyst, and as Edmund Wynne ever and anon tapped an iron vessel his +eyes sparkled with delight. + +The room was full of fumes and smoke. Phials of many shapes and +various sizes were ranged around on every side, filled with liquids of +every imaginable odour and hue. A long rude bench, which ran along +the farther side of the room, was crowded with boxes of crystals, +crucibles, and bottles, and, to complete the scene, a log fire was +smouldering away on the centre of the solid rock floor. + +Edmund had long sought the elixir of life, but it had proved as +delusive as a will-o'-the-wisp to him, and ever, just as he felt +assured of success, the prize had slipped away from his grasp, leaving +him further away from success than he had been before. But now it was +not the elixir that he was seeking to find. From trying to discover +something that should rob the grave of its prey, he had turned his +attention towards the invention of an engine to hasten death. His +heart was all aflame with the passion of revenge. The lord of Haddon +had incurred his intense and undying hatred. He had heaped indignities +upon him; he had slain the object of his affections; and the disgrace +into which he had fallen at London was also ascribed, rightly or +wrongly, to the baron. + +Baulked of his revenge hitherto, his passionate desire for it had +decreased rather than declined through his failures, and the very fact +of his failing was itself another charge for which the baron would +have to answer. Death, and death alone, would now be sufficient to +wipe out the stain, and Edmund had long cudgelled his wits to secure +the destruction of his foe. + +"Aye, Edmund, Edmund," exclaimed Sir Ronald Bury, as he broke in upon +Wynne's privacy, "at thy whimsical labours again, I see." + +"Nay, not whimsical, Ronald," was the gentle reply. "My elixir is +nearly right; only one ingredient more is wanted, and then!" + +"And then, what?" laughed the knight. + +"Why, then I shall have discovered what all the sages of the earth +have sought in vain." + +"A toadstone, I suppose?" replied Sir Ronald, lightly. + +"Ha, you may laugh, Ronald," said the astrologer, severely. "Fools +ever did mock the wise, like the rich despise the poor. You are but a +soldier, and I am a man of science--the great alchemyst! My name shall +live; yea, mark me, Ronald, it will be known and revered in time to +come, aye, even when this castle has crumbled into dust, and when the +name of Roger Bacon has been long forgotten." + +"Well, Edmund," responded the knight, gaily, "let us hope so; only one +more substance, eh?" + +"Only one," the enthusiast replied, while the look of triumph flashed +already from his eyes. + +"And then we shall--shall what, Edmund, what shall we do?" + +"Live for ages." + +"For ever, in fact, I suppose?" + +"My elixir will conquer disease, and man shall live until his feeble +frame has worn away," he responded grandly. + +"Lucky man," soliloquised Sir Ronald, facetiously. "But the dames, +Edmund, you said naught of them. Cannot you discover aught for them? +Surely they may share the blessing also!" + +"No more is wanted; my elixir will serve for both," majestically +responded Edmund, as he placed a cauldron over the fire. He was +too intensely in earnest himself to note that his companion was +sceptically making fun of him. + +"And will soldiers live for ages, too?" continued Sir Ronald. + +"Those who are killed my elixir is impotent to bring back again to +life. The dead are beyond all aid." + +"And the wounded?" persisted the knight. + +"I can but stave off disease, Ronald; but what a glorious achievement +have I accomplished then! Methinks I see the glory now, and when I am +in my grave, pilgrims shall come and worship at my shrine as they +have done these centuries at the altar of St. Thomas the Martyr at +Canterbury. What glory, what glory!" and in the exuberance of his +delight, Edmund Wynne gleefully rubbed his hands together. + +"I am forgetting my errand, though," exclaimed the deputy-governor, "I +have a visitor for thee." + +Edmund quailed. He was not in the habit of receiving visitors, for he +had few friends and many enemies, therefore the announcement gave him +very little pleasure. + +"For me?" he said, in a tone of unmistakable surprise, and equally +unmistakable displeasure. + +"Aye, for thee," Sir Ronald replied. "Shall I bring him to you?" + +"Bring him down here?" screamed Edmund, aghast at the very idea. "No, +never." + +"You will come up to him, then? It makes no matter!" + +"I am too busy," he evasively replied. "Tell me, Ronald, who it is." + +"'Tis a friend." + +"Humph! He has heard of my elixir and wants--ah, well, I shall have +friends enough now, I'll warrant me." + +"He is an enemy of Sir George Vernon, then," added the knight. + +"Hey! Bring him down, then," said the alchemyst. "I will meet him +outside the room." + +"Well, Master John Manners will be down by and bye. Lady Bury +meanwhile is entertaining him, for he was hungry." + +Edmund started. + +"Manners, John Manners!" he exclaimed. "Nay, then, bring him not +hither. Does he know that I am here?" + +"Aye, I have told him." + +"You have!" ejaculated Edmund, in a frenzy of terror. "I met him at +Haddon, he is a friend of the baron's." + +"He was," replied his friend; "but things have changed, and now he is +like to invoke thy aid. He will help us to have our revenge, maybe, +for I have been persuading him; he is very bitter now against the +Vernons, and will make thee a good accomplice." + +"Revenge," murmured Edmund, "ha! revenge is sweet. The baron shall be +punished; my machine--" + +"Never mind the machine now," broke in Sir Ronald, who was by no means +anxious to listen to the well-worn rigmarole again. "You can show +that to him, and tell him all about it. I shall bring him down, for he +knows not the way." + +"Well, I will yield to thee; do as you list," he replied, and the man +of science turned his back abruptly upon his friend, and vigorously +stirred the seething liquid which was beginning to boil over upon the +fire. + +In a few minutes Manners appeared, but Sir Ronald Bury had brought him +purposely with so little noise that the alchemyst was not aware of his +presence, and for a long time they stood in the doorway, and watched +his movements. + +He was talking to himself, as he often did. It was a habit into which +he had unconsciously fallen. He had persuaded himself to think that +the great posterity for which he laboured so hard could hear him, and +in his isolation the reflection was a great consolation to him. + +"Ha, ha," he muttered, "thou hast had thy little day, Sir George +Vernon. 'King of the Peak,' indeed--thy reign is o'er. And Margaret, +proud Margaret, and the haughty Lady Maude, aha! You shall all tremble +at my name." + +"Hist, move thee not," whispered Sir Ronald, "he is, about to test his +engine again; it blows off sparks of fire as if it were the smithy's +forge, but without the noise. I have seen him perform with it often. +Hark." + +Edmund had brought out his engine from a deep recess in the wall, and +a rough, unsightly piece of mechanism it was. It was intended to be +square, but constant testings and trials had caused it to assume more +the appearance of an octagon, and as the sides had thus bulged out, +the bands which had held the instrument together became loosened and +untrustworthy. + +Edmund surveyed it affectionately. It was the offspring of his genius, +and he blindly disregarded all its little imperfections amid the great +love he bore towards it. + +"Aha," he murmured, "thou art done, thou art ready now. Thou art an +angel of death, and thou"--turning to his elixir--"thou art an angel +of life." + +"Mix them up, Nathan, mix them up," gaily exclaimed Manners as he +stepped into the room. "We will give the Vernons a dose." + +Edmund was startled, and he hastily retreated to his engine to protect +it. + +"Avaunt!" he cried, "touch it not." + +"Nay, I want not to injure it," returned the other, whose smile +contrasted with the alchemyst's scowl. "Shake hands, man; I will do +thee no harm." + +"Beware," cried Edmund, distrustfully, as he covered over the angel. +"Beware!" + +"Edmund, thou speakest over rashly," interposed Sir Ronald. "Master +Manners would honour thee, and thou treatest him so lightly. Together +you may accomplish your designs and work whatever you will; the +past--" + +"Is buried with its forefathers and forgotten," quickly exclaimed +Manners. "Come, I greet thee on equal terms. I would be thy friend." + +Edmund shook the proffered hand as though it were a bar of red-hot +iron he had been commanded to hold, or a phial of his precious elixir +he was carrying, and he felt by no means flattered at the reference +to their equality, just as if he, too, had discovered such mighty +secrets. + +"I shall not want for friends soon, forsooth; the great have ever +many," he replied. + +Manners laughed. + +"Thou hast few enough as yet, I'll warrant, besides thy good friend, +Sir Ronald," he exclaimed. "I trow you cannot well afford to turn the +first comers away, Nathan." + +"I can do all with my elixir," was the proud response. + +"Sir Ronald Bury tells me thou hast prepared this engine for +Sir George," said Manners, abruptly changing the topic of the +conversation. "Is that so?" + +"Aha, for Sir George Vernon, yes." + +"Can'st thou direct it against the Stanleys, too? I would have them +punished if we could." + +"Thou art a friend of his," said Edmund, suspiciously, referring to +the baron. + +"Albeit I seek revenge, justice, anything!" he said bitterly. "I have +been spurned away from his door like as I had been a dog." + +Edmund looked at him incredulously. He was not convinced yet. + +"If you mean no treachery," he said cautiously, "call me by my name, +for I am Edmund Wynne. I like not to bethink me of the past until--," +and he approvingly looked at his instrument of death. + +"Until what?" + +"Ha, I will show thee," replied Edmund. "Stand not too near." + +Manners had not much faith in the destructive properties of the +instrument, but the command was given in such an earnest and +authoritative fashion that to have refused compliance would only have +caused offence. Probably, too, Edmund would not try the experiment +if he expressed his scepticism, and he was curious to see it, so he +retreated to the doorway to watch his movements. + +"This," Edmund went on, "is to be put in the baron's room." + +"Yes, but how?" asked Manners, perceiving that some sort of a remark +was expected of him. + +"Cannot I, who have invented it, find some means for conveying the +engine there?" replied the inventor, with staggering emphasis. + +Manners deferentially bowed his acquiescence, much to the amusement of +Sir Ronald. + +"You must not heed his words," whispered the knight. "He is infatuated +with his work. In all things else he is as timid as a mouse." + +"And then," pursued the mighty alchemyst, "and then--! Nay, I will +show thee, see!" and with some difficulty he forced open a little door +at the side. + +Both Manners and Sir Ronald moved forward to examine it, for the room +was but faintly lighted and they could barely see the dim outline of +the instrument. + +"Go back, go back," screamed Edmund. "Ronald, I look for no treachery +from thee." + +"Tush," contemptuously replied the knight, as he poured some more oil +into the lamp, "get on. We did but want to see." + +"This," continued Edmund, unabashed, "is more dreadful than Roger +Bacon's powder;" and pulling out a short, stout iron canister, he +poured some crystals into a hole. "Look and behold," he added. "I +invoke no saints, nor do I seek the aid of any deity, but see;" and +rolling some of the crystals tightly up in some parchment, he dropped +it into the midst of the fire. + +For a few moments nothing was seen or heard of it, and the onlookers +were smiling to each other when the wonderful crystals began to +splutter and fizz, till the packet suddenly exploded with a loud +report, rattling the bottles and jars together, while the rumbling +report rolled up the long subterranean passage. + +"Ha!" exclaimed Edmund, triumphantly. "You shudder at the sight; that +is nothing, I can do infinitely more than that. I will do it with more +crystals now." + +"Nay, we are convinced of thy prowess; when the fumes have cleared +away, show us this engine," replied Manners. "It is full of wheels; +show us their purpose." + +"That shook this chamber," Edmund replied, "but this could well nigh +shatter it." + +"Great man, we acknowledge thy mighty genius," responded Sir Ronald. +"Reveal the limit of thy powers." + +"I will," said Edmund, enthusiastically, "I will." + +All his reserve was worn off now, and he expatiated at length upon the +wonderful powers of his mighty engine. No such power had been known +before; nothing would stand against it; it was indeed a miracle of +force. + +"But, prithee," asked Manners, heartily sick of the ceaseless +explanations, and anxious to see the practical outcome of it all, "how +worketh it? Show us, let it move this piece of rock." + +"You doubt me; I will show it thee; I will test it but this once +again, and then the baron, curse him! dies." + +Edmund busied himself for some time in compounding some evil-smelling +ingredients in a huge mortar, and, as he stirred the pestle round and +round, the contents hissed and crackled, and emitted sparks of fire. +At length, after many bottles had been partially emptied, and many +powders and the like had been employed, the mysterious substance was +obtained, and he sprinkled a little of it upon the red embers, when a +series of miniature explosions followed. + +"Look, see!" he passionately exclaimed, "I have discovered something +still more powerful; nay, stand back. I found it once before, but lost +the art. Now we shall see; hey, hey." + +Slowly and cautiously the canister was replaced; the requisite powder +was carefully measured and inserted, and after many an examination had +been made, Edmund declared that everything was in readiness for the +wheels to be set in motion. + +"Stand back, venture not too near," he commanded, and placing a heavy +piece of loose rock upon the case, he set the wheels in motion and +stepped back proudly behind his handiwork. + +"Thou shalt be convinced shortly, Master Manners," he exclaimed. "Ha, +ha, I shall have many friends soon. None know the power I have at my +command, and princes and queens will court me to possess it. I can +either kill or keep alive, my elixir--" + +His voice was lost in the din of a great explosion. Bottles and jars +were rattled together and smashed. The chamber was full of smoke and +flame. Everything was suddenly thrown into frightful disorder, all was +in confusion. Solid masses of rock were detached from the walls and +roof, and went crashing across the room, destroying everything with +which they came into contact, or else burst through the wall and +bounded down the steep rock outside. The very room seemed to spin +around, and Sir Ronald and Manners were thrown headlong upon the +pavement of the passage outside. + +What could it all mean? + +Simply that the engine had done its work. Edmund had overcharged it, +and it had exploded. The angel of death had slain its creator, and the +wonderful elixir of life was lost to the world for ever. + + + + +CHAPTER XXX. + +STOLEN SWEETS. + + All close they met again, before the dusk + Had taken from the stars its pleasant veil; + Close in a bower of hyacinth and musk, + Unknown of any, from whispering tale. + Ah! better had it been for ever so, + Than idle ears should pleasure in their woe. + + KEATS. + + +It was within a week off Christmas, and at Haddon all was in confusion +and disorder amid the preparations for the forthcoming wedding. +Manners had now relinquished all hope of Sir George ever relenting, +and he waited with feverish impatience the time when, once more, he +might clasp his darling to his heart, and pour again into her ears the +oft-told story of his undiminished love. + +He longed to see her again, or to be seen by her, even though no words +were spoken; for he had been away awhile, and though he had bidden +Roger send Dorothy word of his absence through Lettice, yet he feared +lest the message had not been delivered, and she would feel alarmed at +his being away. + +Ill news awaited his return. Dorothy was to go away with Margaret, +for she was ill, and Benedict had prescribed a change of air. He was +desperate, and in his desperation he was prepared to hazard anything +which promised the remotest chance of success; but alas! his ventures, +while resulting harmlessly, brought him no nearer the goal of his +ambition than he had been before. + +"Roger," he said, "I shall get me to the Hall. Lettice should come +soon; bid her hasten back and tell her mistress I am there awaiting +her." + +"Aye, I will tell her," replied the honest woodsman, "but methinks it +is a sorry chance. Thou art far more likely to be discovered than +to succeed, for there be many folks at the Hall, and few dare to be +friends of thine." + +"Nevertheless, I shall attempt it, good Roger; dissuade me not." + +"Faith, not I. 'Tis not for such as me to interfere. Thou art brave, +Master Manners, and art worthy of success; may it come to thee, say I. +But the Hall is full big to seek each other in; where shalt thou be?" + +"In the dining-room." + +"In the dining-room!" quoth Roger, in surprise. "The dining-room! +Thou'lt surely never look there? 'Tis as bare of hiding places as the +flat of my hand. Why not in the archer's room, or the tower?" + +"I shall hide me behind the arras till she comes," replied Manners. + +"The arras," laughed his companion, "why it will bulge out like the +monuments in Bakewell Church; the first who comes will spy thee out. +Take my advice, master, and wait in the tower. Why, the buttery were +safer than the dining-room." + +"Tut, I shall go," he replied; "there is more to hide one than you wot +of, but my Dorothy knows it, and I shall meet her there;" and picking +up a bundle of wood he started off to the Hall. + +He was not long upon the way, and when he arrived at his destination +there was no difficulty in getting into the kitchens, for he had been +there scores of times before, and his was quite a familiar figure now. + +"Ho, Hubert," called one of the busy cooks as he entered the room, +"lend a hand with this steer; thou hast the strength of a bullock, I +verily believe." + +Manners dropped the wood and good-naturedly lent the desired +assistance. + +"An thou would'st chop it with this cleaver thou wert a good fellow," +continued the cook, as, having got the beast upon the bench, he +surveyed its goodly proportions, and handed the cleaver to his +newly-found helpmate. + +"Nay, I am no butcher, I am but a woodsman, and should cut it wrong, +I fear," returned Manners, as he laid the chopper down. "Were it a +tree--" + +"Now, come," interrupted the cook, persuasively. "I am wearied out; +I have no strength left in my arm. See you, here, here, and here, and +the thing is done." + +"I will do it an you will serve me a good turn, too?" he replied. + +"Done, then," said the other; "what is it?" + +"Show me the Hall; I have long wished to see the ballroom. 'Tis a fine +room, Roger says." + +"Fine!" exclaimed the cook. "I should think it is fine. There's not +another in all Queen Elizabeth's land to equal it. I will show it thee +afterwards." + +"Help me with this sack of flour," exclaimed the baker, "and I will +show it thee now." + +Manners chopped the carcase up, for which he was promised a share of +the pie, and quickly satisfied the baker. His strength, indeed, was +wonderful, and what two bakers had failed to do together, he easily +accomplished alone. + +"Thou shalt have a cake to-night," exclaimed the baker, admiringly. +"A milk-white cake hot off the hearthstone, such as my lord the baron +loveth so well," and they passed through the stone-flagged passage +into the banqueting-room beyond to see the wonders of the Hall. + +"Nay," exclaimed the chamberlain, as they attempted to pass up the +steps leading to the upper part of the Hall. "'tis against the rules, +you know." + +"All right, John, 'tis all right," replied the baker. "Hubert is going +to help me, and you cannot stay me, I trow, or Lady Vernon will come +upon thee about the cakes for the feast." + +There was no gainsaying this argument, for John stood in mortal fear +of his mistress, and at the mention of her name he stepped aside and +allowed them to pass by. + +"John likes to be flattered," laughed the baker, as the door closed +upon them, "but I use a different weapon. I speak of Lady Vernon, and +he always yields." + +"I saw he was there," replied Manners, "else I had needed no +assistance to pass through. He despises us, I verily believe, +and likes to show his power. So this is the ballroom, eh? 'Tis a +magnificent room, surely," he exclaimed in well-feigned innocence. + +"The ballroom!" laughed the other, contemptuously. "No, this is but +the dining-room. Come, I will show thee the ballroom." + +"I would linger here awhile," responded Manners, with charming +simplicity, "this tapestry takes my fancy so; and the ceiling, with +such quaint devices. Nay, there can be naught to better this, I +swear." + +"Then you must stay alone, for I am busy," replied his companion. + +This was exactly what Manners wanted, and as he offered no opposition, +the baker left him alone on the threshold of the ballroom, and +returned to attend to his duties. + +It was a matter of little difficulty to find the hiding, place, for +Manners knew it well, and pulling the arras aside, he slid an old oak +panel along and stepped into the cavity it disclosed to await with +as much patience as he could command the well-known footstep of his +beloved. + +A long time he waited; each passing footstep caused his heart to +flutter with expectation, only, however, to leave it to quieten in +disappointment as the sounds receded and died away in the echoing +ballroom above, or else mingled, maybe, in the turmoil of the busy +kitchens below. No Dorothy appeared, and his heart at last began to +fail. + +"Surely she will not come," he murmured at length. "Lettice cannot +have been," and his spirit sank within him at the thought. He was cold +and fatigued, and once being infected with the idea that he was doomed +to disappointment, he quickly discovered all the discomforts of +his position and aggravated his misery by adding to them by his own +imagination. + +He had made up his mind to depart, and was about to put his resolution +into practice, when a gentle voice broke the stillness of the room. He +held his breath to listen. There was surely someone at the door, for +he heard the handle turn; it creaked upon its hinges, and a moment +later a gentle step resounded on the floor, and he knew that he was +not alone. Could it be Dorothy? He pushed the door of his retreat ajar +and listened intently, but only the responsive throbbing of his own +heart could he hear. + +"Doll!" he exclaimed. + +There was no reply. + +"Doll," he repeated, in a little louder tone as he pushed door and +tapestry aside and entered the room. "Doll!" + +"It is not Dorothy, Master Manners," replied a gentle voice, "it is I, +Lettice, her maid." + +His heart stood still; chilled with despair. + +"Where is she?" he cried. "Tell me, will she come?" + +"Nay, she cannot come; Dame Maude is with her, getting ready for the +feast. + +"And Dorothy cannot come," he repeated, with downcast eyes. "Hast thou +seen her; has she had my message?" + +"One may not speak with her when my lady is there," said the maid, +"but she read it in my eyes. I would, Master Manners, I could help +thee more, but I fear that cannot be." + +"Bid her keep her tryst to-night, Lettice," he replied, "and thou wilt +serve thee well." + +"I fear me she cannot. Oft has she tried and failed; she is watched +too well. An she were to pass the gate alone the whole Hall would know +of it." + +"Look, then, Lettice, could you come?" + +Lettice often had done so before to meet her own stalwart young lover +in the privacy of the wood, and she blushed at the question. + +"I come?" she replied, "happen I might were I but to speak to the +chamberlain first." + +"Speak to him, then, for mercy's sake, speak," replied the lover, +quickly. "Lend Doll your hood and shawl, none will know the difference +in the dark. Tell the porter to expect you. There, adieu; fail me not, +good Lettice," and without leaving her time to make reply he +rushed hastily out of the room, and left her alone to carry out his +instructions as best she could. + +Dusk was rapidly deepening into darkness when John Manners stole out +of his humble abode to wend his way to the old trysting place, whither +he had been so frequently of late. His progress was watched by a pair +of eager, jealous eyes, as their owner silently but surely dogged +his every footstep; and when the tree was reached at last Manners lay +wearily down at its foot, fully resolved not to depart from thence +until he had brought matters to a crisis. At the same moment the +figure of a young man glided stealthily into the cover of a bush +within a few yards of where the other lay. Manners was not aware of +the fact; he had neither seen nor heard his pursuer, and in happy +ignorance of the circumstance he awaited Dorothy's appearance. + +The night was chilly, for the snow had just departed from off the +ground, and the fast gathering leaden clouds threatened to quickly +cover it over again; but, buoyed up with hope and excitement, Manners +heeded it not. Quietly, but not calmly, he lay, impatiently awaiting +the coming of his love. + +At last she came, but she approached so silently that her lover was +not aware of her presence until she spoke. + +"John," she exclaimed, "I am here." + +He was upon his feet in an instant. + +"My darling, my beloved;" he cried, as he rapturously embraced her in +his arms. "This is good of thee, 'tis more than I deserve." + +"Say not so," she replied. "I would do aught for thy dear sake. I have +endured much for thee, but I have been happy in it because it was for +thee." + +"Thou would'st do aught for me, my precious one?" cried Manners. "I +have much to ask of thee. 'Tis well for me thou art so ready. None +shall part us, Doll." + +"No, never," she replied, firmly. + +"Then, Dorothy, we must flee together." + +"What!" she exclaimed, in surprise. "Leave Haddon?" + +"Hush, Doll, I fear it must be so." + +"Oh, John," she sobbed, "I cannot do it, indeed I cannot do it. Is +there no other way? Have you no other plan?" + +"Sir George will never relent," Manners replied, "and in another +month--" + +"Nay, nay, John, I have refused the one, I am resolved not to wed the +other." + +There was a painful pause for a minute or two, but at length Manners +spoke. His voice trembled and betrayed the depth of his feelings +plainly. + +"'Tis a hard choice, Doll," he said, "but you must choose betwixt +Haddon and me. If you say me nay, I shall lose you." + +"Wait, John, you can trust me?" she sobbed. + +"Aye, that I can," he returned, tenderly; "but the flower is +withering, and will soon be gone. This face was not so pale nor yet +so thin before. Dorothy, I cannot see thee droop like this before my +eyes." + +"You can trust me," she replied; "then wait awhile." + +"And then; what then?" + +"If they are against us then, I will do thy will and go with thee." + +"Nay, Doll, I should lose thee, and that would break my heart; it must +be yes or no, there is no other way of escape." + +Dorothy bowed her head upon his shoulders while the tears ran freely +down her cheeks, and Manners stood over her, his breast heaving in +fierce thrills of mingled emotions. + +"Choose for thine own happiness, Doll," he whispered, breaking again +another painful spell of silence. + +"I cannot leave my father so--and Margaret," she added, after a pause. + +"Margaret will leave thee soon enough," replied her lover, "and Sir +George would wed thee to Sir Edward Stanley in a month. Thou wilt have +to leave them soon, anyhow--why not with me? I would brave the world +for thy sake." + +"I know it," she replied, "but I cannot say 'yes.' Do not persuade me, +I will give thee an answer in a little while. + +"I have made arrangements," Manners answered. "Everything is ready. We +shall go to Nottingham; all our plans are laid ready for the wedding." + +"I cannot refuse thee, John," whispered Dorothy, as she dried her +tears, "but I cannot consent--not yet, at least. Lettice shall bring +thee word." + +"So be it, then," he said. "Kiss me, Doll, it may be for the last +time; an you decide to stay, I shall go to the wars again." + +"Hush, your words are over loud, John. If you go, I die. Listen!" + +Manners needed not the injunction, for someone was unmistakably +rushing towards them. He turned, and faced the intruder. + +"Hold!" he cried, "or you shall rue it. Stand back," he added, as the +figure of a man ran towards Dorothy. + +"Lettice," exclaimed the other, "could I think this of thee? I had +trusted thee better. What have I done that thou should'st treat me +thus? As for thee--" he said, turning to Manners. + +"Tut, man, doff thy cap," interrupted the latter. "This is Mistress +Dorothy Vernon." + +"Thou hast met here often enough before," continued the unbelieving +Will, "but I'll warrant me this shall be the last time. Mistress +Dorothy, indeed! A likely story that; but I know that hood too well to +be deceived. You are Sir Edward Stanley, or Master Manners, perchance, +I suppose. Roger Morton shall know of this." + +"Lettice is in the hall," said Dorothy. "I know thou art to be +trusted, Will, for Lettice ofttimes speaks of thee. This is Master +Manners. Hush! not a word, tell it not to anyone." + +It was the voice of Dorothy, beyond dispute, and not the voice of +Lettice, and the astonished youth dropped down upon his knees and sued +forgiveness. + +"And you knew me not?" asked Manners, as he clapped his companion +familiarly upon the back. "I deceived thee, then? Have not the others +found out my disguise? Methinks they have looked at me askance of +late." + +The young woodsman rubbed his eyes to convince himself that it was a +reality, and that it was not a vivid dream. + +"Nay," he replied, at length; "they said thou wert seeking to rob me +of my Lettice, for we knew thee not." + +"I am a craftsman still," returned Manners, "mind you tell them not. +There, I shall rejoin thee soon." + +Lettice's lover took the hint and departed, not at all loth to get out +of the way, and feeling mightily relieved that things happened to be +as they were, and were not any worse. + +"Doll," said her lover, as the retreating sound died away in the +distance, "we have another friend in him. Do thou tell this to +Lettice, happen it will enliven her. I will not press thee for thy +answer now; we shall love each other to the end, I know. Remember +this, Doll, thy happiness as well as mine is at stake. Sir George +cannot take back his words even though he repent them. He cannot +relent, for he has promised thee, and he is the very soul of honour, +but, an we please ourselves, he cannot help it, and all will come +right. Nay, interrupt me not, I have weighed my words, there will +never be such another chance for us to flee. There, now, thou knowest +all I can tell thee, thou shalt decide anon." + +Dorothy was silent, but if looks had speech, she had pleaded +eloquently. Her resolution swayed to and fro in the terrible struggle +of her affection: her soul was riven. She was too happy in the company +of her lover to say him nay, and yet, at the same time, the bond of +love which drew her to her father was far too strong to be suddenly +snapped. + +"I must go," she said, at last, "but whether it be aye or whether it +be nay, in life and in death I am thine alone. Kiss me, John, and let +me go." + +Manners was deeply agitated. He took her face in both his hands, and +stooping down, he kissed her again and again. + +"It may be the last time," he said, "but trust me, Doll, I am only +thine. I shall keep my love-troth true. Keep a stout heart, my sweet +one, and by my faith we shall be happy yet." + +They had approached the Hall as near as was safe, and now the moment +for parting had arrived Dorothy tried to speak, but her heart was too +full, and words failed to come at her command. She listened to her +lover's last injunction to keep up a brave heart, and wringing his +hands in agonised silence, she gathered her cloak around her, and +hastened into the Hall. + + + + +CHAPTER XXXI. + +THE TOKEN. + + And whilst the feast progressed apace, + The music swelled in joyous strain; + But midst the group was one fair face + That scarcely hid the look of pain. + And ever and anon she looked away; + And when the others went she turned to stay. + + +Early next morning, as Manners was engaged in collecting faggots +for the hungry fires at the Hall, he was startled to hear himself +addressed by his proper name. + +He turned round aghast, but was reassured when he saw that it was none +other than Lettice's lover who stood by his side. + +"Hush, Will," he said, "call me Hubert still; it were dangerous for my +name to be overheard. But thou hast news for me, I can read it in thy +face." + +"Aye," replied the youth, "Mistress Dorothy sent Lettice with a +message for thee, but old Roger knew not where thou would'st be +found." + +"Where is it?" cried the lover, impatiently, "let me see it; 'tis the +answer, I'll warrant me." + +"Nay, I have it not. Lettice awaits thee at the hut; she would not +even let me bring it to thee, for her mistress, she says, charged her +to tell it to none but thee." + +"At the hut," repeated Manners, as he started to return. Is she there +now?" + +"She is awaiting thee; but, Master Manners, let me crave a favour +first." + +"Quick, then," was the hasty reply, "tell me what it is, for I cannot +wait." + +"Lettice has been rating me well," returned the downcast lover, as +he started to return with Manners. "She is angered against me that I +followed thee last night. She will not look at me now, and if I open +my mouth about it she swears she will speak to me no more. A word from +thee, good sir, would set the matter right again, else I fear me I +have lost her favour, and there be many round about who would gladly +take my place." + +"Oh," laughed Manners, "I will see to that, and happen you may do me +some good service in return?" + +"Aye, master, that I will," he replied, mightily relieved. + +Manners said no more; his mind was too much occupied, his thoughts +were bubbling within him in furious turmoil. Leaving his companion +behind, he rushed hastily on, and never stayed his course until he had +reached his destination. + +"The letter, Lettice, the letter," he cried, as he entered the hut. + +"Nay, I have no letter, Master Manners," replied the maid. "My lady +bid me tell it thee instead." + +"What is it? Is it yes, or no?" he cried. + +"Neither, yet. My mistress went all through the weary night, and +thought of naught else but thee and the answer she should give." + +"Poor Doll," ejaculated her lover, tenderly. "'Tis time all this was +ended, Lettice; she is fading away, yes, fading away, and what will +come of it all, if she says me nay, I tremble to think." + +"She will not say thee nay, though, Master Manners," replied Lettice. +"I shall lose my mistress soon. She has told me all." + +"Told thee all?" he echoed. "She will not say me nay, and yet she +consents not! You speak in riddles. Come, explain it all." + +"She knoweth not her mind as yet," explained the maiden, "but I can +plainly see which way it will all end. Even as she poured her story +out to me I could see it; I could read it in her sobs and sighs. She +had not wept so long had she not loved thee so well; and her love for +thee is stronger than her other loves, else she had obeyed my lord the +baron by now. It needs no astrologer to tell all this." + +"Heaven grant it may be so," replied Manners, fervently; "but what did +my Dorothy bid thee say? Thy words have made a sore commotion in my +heart, fair Lettice." + +Lettice hung down her head and blushed at the unexpected compliment. + +"Thou art to come to the feast to-night," she replied, "and my lady +will give thee answer there." + +"I shall be there, Lettice," he promptly returned. "Tell her I shall +not fail her. But how shall I see her, has she thought of that?" + +"We have arranged it all, good sir; thou hast but to do her bidding, +and all will go well." + +She did not say that Dorothy had been too distracted in mind to make +any arrangements whatever, but, as a matter of fact, this duty had +devolved entirely upon the maid, for her mistress had done little +more than nod assent through her tears to all the propositions of +her companion. It was the ready wit of Lettice which had proposed +everything at just the time when Dorothy was quite unable to suggest +anything for herself. + +"The wedding ceremony will take place in four more days," Lettice +continued, "and the feasting begins to-night." + +Manners was aware of the fact, and he bowed his head in silent +acquiescence. + +"And thou art to come to the Hall," pursued the maid. "Thou art +skilful on the lute, my mistress says." + +"I can play the lute," he answered, "but what of that? Will she pipe +me an answer back?" + +"Nay, Master Manners, listen. Thou art to be a musician for the once, +and must join the minstrels in the gallery." + +"In the banqueting-room! Then I must seek a fresh disguise," he +said. "Hey, Lettice, I would it were night already, the day will +drag wearily enough for me, I trow; but I shall look for my reward +to-night. Thou art sure of what thou hast told me, Lettice, for were +she to refuse me after all, it were hard indeed!" + +"Trust me, I am not like to be deceived; she wears her heart upon her +sleeve. Unless she changes, I have told thee aright, but my lady never +changes in her love. Ah, me, I shall lose my mistress soon, and I am +sad to think of it." + +"Nay, Lettice," interposed Manners, "thou shalt marry honest Will, and +he shall be my chamberlain. Thou shalt be near Dorothy yet." + +The maid's countenance flushed with joy at the prospect of such bliss. + +"That were happiness, indeed," she cried, "for or! Master Manners, I +love her; I cannot help it--who could? I love her dearly; to part from +her--" + +"Aye," interrupted Manners, "who could help it indeed. Tell her I +shall see her, I shall be there." + +"And if it be 'yes,' my mistress will drop her fan upon the floor," +went on Lettice; "but if the answer is 'no' she will tie a black +ribbon on it. Thou must watch well, but it will surely fall." + +"Amen," said Manners. "Then I should be the happiest man on all the +earth." + +"But happen my lady will not be there," the maid went on. + +The lover groaned at the thought, and interrupted the maiden by so +doing. + +"Well, then," she continued, "either will I give thee a letter, or, +if that cannot be, thou must go to Bakewell Church to-morrow eve, and +thou shalt find the letter squeezed behind the font. But there, I must +away; the day will pass all too quickly for me, for I have much to +do." + +"Stay," he exclaimed, and plucking a sprig of holly from the bush +which grew beside the door, he placed it in the maiden's hand. + +"Give her this," he said, "and tell her it came from me. Bid her keep +a stout heart within her; she must smile to-night." + +Lettice took the little bunch of green and red, and making a +reverential curtsey to her lady's lover, she hastened away towards the +Hall; and, as Manners watched her retreating figure, he saw the form +of a man step out from among the bushes and join her company. It was +her lover, who had waited with an anxious heart to discover the effect +of the promised mediation. + +True to his promise, Manners presented himself at the appointed time +at the door of the orchestra, though not without inward misgivings as +to the character of the reception in store for him. He need, however, +have had no apprehension on that score, for everything had been +conveniently arranged. The leader of the musicians (they were +principally hired Derby men) had been bribed, and when the esquire +presented himself for admittance he was warmly greeted. + +"Well, Ralph!" exclaimed that worthy as he almost wrung Manners' +hands off in the heartiness of his embrace; "thou hast come to thy +old friend again, eh? We must cement the friendship this time with +a tankard of Haddon-brewed ale, and if thou hast not greatly altered +since I knew thee last, thou'lt not be averse to that." + +"Of course not," replied Manners, readily; "and these are all fresh +men? I cannot see one of the old faces among them all." + +"They are good fellows, though," returned their leader, proudly, "and +they play right well. Ha! here comes a messenger." + +The musicians, most of whom had until now been idly leaning over the +balcony, gazing, with an interest of which they were not fully aware, +at the servants below as they were putting the finishing strokes to +the preparation of the feast, immediately took their allotted places, +and Manners found himself at the end of the row within the shadow of +the wall, and separated from the rest by the intervening body of the +leader. + +"The baron sends this for the musicians," said the page, as he +deposited a large pitcher of ale upon the gallery floor. "They are +coming now, and he would like some merry tunes." + +Even as the lad spoke the guests came pouring into the room; laughing, +joking, talking; almost all of them in the merriest possible mood. + +Manners scrutinised their faces keenly, and he thought with regret of +the time not long ago, when he too had been one of the happiest of all +the merry guests of just such another party. But where was Doll? He +could not see her anywhere, and so intent was he on searching for his +beloved, that the blast of the trumpets by his side startled him and +made him fairly jump with surprise. + +Mechanically he took his instrument up. The tune was simple and he +knew it well, but even as he played his eye wandered from the sheet +before him to scan the merry throng below. + +Ha! there she was. He discovered her at last, but her gait was lively +and her dress was amongst the gayest of the gay; and as she entered +leaning upon Sir Edward Stanley's arm she wore a smile upon her face. +His heart misgave him at the sight. Had Lettice deceived him? For a +moment he entertained the thought, and he cursed the hope which she +had planted in his heart, and then in a fear of anxiety he lay the +lute down and looked to find the fatal bow of black. + +What was it he saw? His gaze was rivetted upon her dress, by the side +of which hung the long fan. His eyes seemed to dance about, his head +swam, and, before he could determine the question, Dorothy had passed +by and taken her place at the table. + +Father Nicholas asked a blessing which was even longer and more +wearisome than his predecessor had indulged in, and the occupants of +the gallery took advantage of the long interval to quaff the +greater portion of the refreshing beverage which Sir George, with +characteristic generosity, had sent up to them. + +The prayer had a conclusion though, and when the good father reached +it the fact was signalised by an unanimous, if not very sincere "amen" +from the guests, while the band struck up another lively tune. + +Throughout the meal the musicians had little rest. One tune was played +and immediately another was struck up to take its place, and the gay +company at the tables laughed and chattered the while with the utmost +vivacity and glee. + +For Manners it was a weary time! There appeared to be no end to the +succession of dishes, and he impatiently waited for the time when the +signal would be given which would give him unbounded joy or doom him +to perpetual misery. To him, at least, the time dragged wearily along, +the tunes were lifeless, the courses were inordinately long, and +it was a positive relief to him when Nicholas rose up again and +pronounced a benediction, equally as long and dreary as the opening +grace. + +The feast was over now, and as the guests defiled out of the room, +another air took the place of the one just concluded. As for Manners, +all his efforts were concentrated on watching Dorothy's every +movement. He ceased to play, for he had not the heart to continue, +and, without making any pretence to be playing his instrument, he laid +his lute down and watched with eager eyes. + +He noticed that his rival sat by her side, nor did she repel him. +When she arose he rose too, and together they started to go out of the +chamber. Dorothy lingered; Stanley lingered too. What, O what could +she be lingering for? In his anxiety Manners stood up to see the +better. His pulse moved in jerks and bounds; his heart rose to his +throat, and he gasped for very breath. + +The lively tune pursued the even tenour of its way; the burly form of +the leader screened him well from view, and that functionary was too +much engrossed in the execution of the piece to remark the peculiar +conduct of his companion. + +Dorothy lingered to look at the pictures she knew so well; but Sir +Edward tarried at her side. It was evident he was not at all disposed +to leave her, and Dorothy herself at last gave up all hopes of his +doing so. + +Sir Edward said something to her, but the noise drowned the sound of +his voice, and Manners could not hear what it was he had said, but the +next moment she permitted Stanley to lead her towards the door. +The poor minstrel's heart sank at the sight. Was this, then, the +fulfilment of Lettice's promise? Had he so misjudged the character +of his beloved? He dismissed the thought, for he could not believe it +even then. + +No, it was not so. Dorothy paused and turned back. Manners +involuntarily stood up and followed her with his eyes. Margaret and +her betrothed were behind, and to them she went. His spirits revived +again. + +She laughingly raised her fan and pointed to the carving on the wall. + +Was the black knot on? He gasped for breath as he anxiously looked to +see. It surely was not there. At all events he could not see it, but +then his eyes might be deceiving him, for she was at the further end +of the room. Ah! would she only drop the fan which was held up in her +trembling hand, and then-- + +With a clatter the fan dropped upon the pavement. Sir Edward gallantly +stooped down and returned it to its fair owner, but Manners waited to +see no more. She was his; the signal had been given, and picking +up his instrument he set to and contributed as good a share to the +gladsome melody as any of his fellows. + + + + +CHAPTER XXXII. + +PLAIN JOHN MANNERS WINS HIS BRIDE. + + One touch of her hand, and one word in her ear, + When they reached the hall-door the charger stood near: + So light to the croupe the fair lady he swung, + So light to the saddle before her he sprung! + "She is won! we are gone, over bank, bush, and scaur, + They'll have fleet steeds that follow," quoth young Lochinvar. + + SCOTT. + + +Fast waxed the fun at Haddon, and loud above the strains of music rose +the sounds of merriment in the grand old Hall. + +It was the bridal night. Margaret Vernon had redeemed her +troth-plight, given to Sir Thomas Stanley early in the summer, and in +the former part of the day she had been joined in holy wedlock with +her lover by Father Nicholas Bury, with more of the Roman Catholic +ritual than Queen Elizabeth's ministers would have approved of had +they known it. + +Never had Haddon been so full of visitors before. Never had it been so +gay. None who came had been turned away. The baron kept an open house, +and whilst the rooms of the Hall were strained to the uttermost to +find accommodation for the numerous guests, the gate had been thronged +throughout the livelong day by an eager crowd of expectant beggars, +none of whom had gone away with empty hands. + +But now the night was closing in, and the visitors were determined to +make the most of it. Sir George was almost ubiquitous. Here, there, +wherever the mirth was loudest, there the form of the jovial baron was +sure to be found. Old knights and equally elderly dames congregated +together in the capacious oriel windows, and, with the tapestry +curtains drawn aside, talked of the good old times of "Bluff King +Hal," and pointed out with pride of superiority of their own happy +age to these degenerate days. Middle-aged matrons sat proudly watching +their offspring as they flitted to and fro, and noted with much +satisfaction the matchless beauty of their own daughters, and the +mediocrity of the rest; or, were they so inclined, footed it, as of +old, with equally middle-aged gallants. Sir Benedict à Woode soon +retired from the scene, and taking advantage of his intimate knowledge +of the building, he led a few convivial spirits, like himself, into +the wine-cellar, which they did their utmost to empty, until, having +imbibed too much, they were fain to lie down, through sheer inability +to stand. + +It was from the rising generation, however, that the greatest +merriment arose. These, paired off in ever changing couples, whirled +from one end of the room to the other, and then, without a pause, +returned again, heedless alike of the gratulations of their elder +friends as they passed them by, and of the indifferent gaze of those +who were not their friends who looked at them with jealous eyes. + +Dorothy, with a heavy load at her heart, wore a bright and even +smiling face. She received the flattering service of her admirers as +of old, and danced impartially with all who asked for the privilege. + +Even Sir Edward Stanley, although she cordially disliked him, came +in for a goodly share of her favours. He had noted a change in her +conduct of late, and that change was for the better. He imagined that +she was readier to accept his advances, and when he had communicated +his thoughts to his brother, they were confirmed in almost every +respect. Sir Thomas had remarked exactly the same change, and they +readily ascribed it to a yielding of the maiden's spirit. + +Little did they suspect that this alteration in her bearing was due +to any other cause than that Manners was being forgotten, and in +his happiness at the change, Sir Edward was content to let her enjoy +herself as she listed, feeling sure that ere the end of another month +there would be another bridal party, in which Dorothy Vernon and +himself would be the principal actors. + +When the merriment was at its highest, and the boisterousness was at +its climax, Dorothy remembered that the time was fast approaching when +she would have to depart. Her lover--he who had risked so much for her +sake--would be waiting in the cold meadow with the horses waiting for +her! and she sank down to rest, well knowing the terrible strain she +would soon be called upon to endure. + +"Fair Mistress Dorothy is tired, I perceive," quoth a young knight, as +he approached her, longing for her company in another dance. + +"Aye," she answered. "I have danced too much, sir knight, and my shoe +pinches too," she added, with perfect truth. + +"Then by my troth," responded the gallant youth, "I swear you have a +full small shoe." + +"Come, Dorothy," said Margaret as she came up to her sister's side, +"here is a gentle knight who would dance with thee," and she gravely +introduced the veteran cavalier De Lacey. + +"You will forgive me awhile, will you not, Sir John?" said Dorothy, +"for I am wearied and the room is over hot," and smiling back at the +gracious reply of the old knight, who accepted her excuse, she retired +to the corner of the room, while the disappointed De Lacey proceeded +to join company with Sir Benedict à Woode, and found solace in +quaffing the baron's wine. + +Dorothy's heart was beating fast; the critical moment had come. She +was close beside the door which led into the ante-chamber, and a +slight noise in that apartment recalled to her memory the fact that +her faithful maid Lettice was waiting for her there. + +She lingered, and her resolution wavered. It was hard to go and +leave behind the scenes of merry childhood and all the pleasant +recollections connected with the home; and as she sat there undecided, +many pleasant recollections rushed back into her memory and pleaded +powerfully with her tender heart. But the greatest pang of all was the +parting from the baron. She loved him sincerely, and she knew that he +loved her dearly in return. This it was which now held her back, but +the movements of her maid in the adjoining room continually reminded +her that her lover would be waiting for her with an anxious heart. + +The struggle which raged in her breast was bitter, but short +and decisive. The love she bore to Manners outweighed all other +considerations, and casting a last fond look at the scene from which +she was about to tear herself, she chose a moment when a peal of +laughter at the further end of the room attracted the attention of the +company, and slipping behind the tapestry curtain, she pushed the door +gently open and stole quietly through. + +It was a desperate thing to do, and required all the nerve that +Dorothy had at her command. How the door creaked as she closed it +after her. It must, surely, call attention to the fact that she had +passed through. But no one came, and she flung herself into the arms +of her maid, trembling like an aspen leaf with fear. + +"Oh, Lettice," she sobbed, "tell the baron I love him still, and +Margaret, too. Poor Meg! 'tis hard to be severed thus." + +"Hush, my lady," replied the maid. "This is no time for weeping. +Master Manners hath been here awaiting thee. I bade him go, for that +were neither safe for him nor thee." + +"You shall join us soon, Lettice. But, O! give my duty to the baron. I +should care naught were it not for him--and Meg; but Margaret is happy +now." + +"And so shalt thou be soon. But haste! moments are precious now. Thy +gown and everything has gone, and the brave Master Manners waits for +thee alone. There, go. Hark! someone is coming," and throwing a shawl +over the graceful shoulders of her mistress, Lettice affectionately +embraced her, and watching her hasten down the steps she waited until +Dorothy was out of sight before shutting and barring the doors behind +her. + +As Dorothy passed the ballroom, she could hear distinctly the sounds +of merriment within, but she heeded them not. The lights shone through +the open oriel windows right upon her path, but she crept under the +shadow of the wall and passed hastily on. It was a trying time, but +she safely passed through it, and quickly found herself at the little +latchet gate below the bowling green. It stood open, and through it +she hastened, casting neither a look to the right nor to the left, nor +yet behind her, but only anxious that her escape should be unknown. +Down the slope she ran, nor did she stop until she found herself +clasped in the fond embrace of her lover, upon the footbridge. + +"My darling," murmured Manners, "thou art come at last. God bless +thee, my love," and he kissed the tear-stained face over and over +again. + +"I am ready, John," she murmured; "but quick, hasten! our start will +be short, for they will mark my absence soon." + +Bestowing another shower of kisses upon her, Manners led her across +the narrow bridge. How gaily the water danced and sparkled and made +melody amongst the stones! How the wind sighed sweetly and whispered +among the trees, and how the strains of music and the sounds of +revelry sounded through the open windows of the Hall. But of all the +sounds that Manners heard there was none which thrilled him so much, +or caused him so much happiness, as the sound of Dorothy's dress as +it rustled against the walls of the narrow bridge when they passed +through. + +Once on the other side there was no delay. The horses were in waiting, +and seizing the bridle of one, Manners helped Dorothy to mount into +the saddle, and then lightly springing into another, he set spurs to +his steed and away they started. + +The most sequestered roads were chosen, for they wished to see as few +people as possible, and to be seen by none. But Manners did not trust +to this alone. He felt the preciousness of his charge, and had brought +horses and men with him, whom he sent off in couples by different +roads, to lead their pursuers on a false scent if pursuit were made. + +All through the night they rode. Scenes which charmed them before +they now passed by unnoticed, and their grandeur was ignored. Masson's +heights, up which they had often wandered together, instilled no +pleasant thoughts within their breasts now; their one object, which +engrossed all their attention, was to hasten forward to gain a haven +of safety. + +As the grey light of the morning broke upon them, and the rising sun +began to make its appearance, they crossed the border, and passed out +of the county of Derby into the neighbouring shire of Leicester. Still +they pushed on, for there was no telling how soon their pursuers might +be upon them; nor did they draw rein until well into the morning, +when, though Dorothy, animated for the time being with a wonderful +amount of endurance, gave her voice for hastening forward, Manners +deemed it advisable, for her sake, to stay. + +They stopped their steeds at a wayside inn, but here so unusual a +sight as two travellers on horseback--one a maiden of surpassing +beauty, clothed in rare and costly silks, and the other a gallant +young knight--soon caused a little crowd of curious rustics to +congregate around the house. + +"Poor lady," exclaimed one tender-hearted matron, as she watched +Dorothy dismount. "She is of gentle blood; just see how weary she +looks." + +"Didst ever see the likes of such a riding dress afore?" asked her +neighbour, as she eyed Doll's dress admiringly. + +"Beshrew me," added an onlooker of the sterner sex, "'tis a runaway +match, I'll warrant me. These horses are ridden to death." + +Neither Dorothy nor Manners was disposed to stay any longer than was +necessary amid such a curious people, and after partaking of a good +breakfast, and indulging in a little rest, they started on their way +again, with a fresh relay of horses. + +This time they never stopped until they rode up to the little church, +within which the shivering clergyman sat, anxiously awaiting the +couple whom he had engaged to marry. + +He was ignorant of the plot, and though he might have guessed +it pretty well, he was by no means anxious to lose by +over-inquisitiveness the handsome fee which the young man had +promised. He only chafed at their delay, and when at length they +arrived and entered the sacred edifice he proceeded straightway with +the service, quite as anxious to get it over, so that he might partake +of his breakfast, as were the couple before him, and almost as quickly +as they could have wished. + +"Wilt thou have this woman to be thy wedded wife?" said the parson, as +he gabbled on with the service. + +"Aye, I will!" responded Manners, in a clear ringing voice which was +echoed among the rafters of the roof, and he took her to his bosom and +sealed the pledge with a kiss--a proceeding so unusual and peculiar +that the good clergyman opened his eyes and mouth, until finally he +came to a full stop. + +"I will!" repeated Manners, addressing the parson, "but why do you +stop?" and he looked suspiciously behind to see if his pursuers had +come to rob him of his prize. There was no one there, however, save a +few rustics, who, prompted by sheer curiosity, had entered the church +and stood lingering just within the sacred portal, and in a few +minutes more the lovers emerged from the little church, safely joined +together in the bonds of holy wedlock, followed by the parson, who +wore a smiling face, inasmuch as he had been rewarded with a gift far +beyond his utmost expectations. But the two lovers were far happier +than he, and with the certificate of marriage, signed, sealed, and +entered in the register, they remounted their steeds and proceeded at +a steady pace to Nottingham Castle, where, the Earl of Rutland having +unexpectedly returned, he extended a right hearty welcome to his +nephew and his beautiful bride. + + + + +CHAPTER XXXIII. + +PEACE AT LAST. + + Nor was she to be found! Her father cried, + "'Tis but to make a trial of his love!" + And filled his glass to all, but his hand shook, + And soon from guest to guest the panic spread. + + ROGERS. + + +Still at Haddon the fun maintained its uproarious course, and amid the +whirl of festivity Dorothy's absence was not remarked. + +Sir Edward Stanley was far too elated with the vision of success which +had opened out before him to bore Dorothy with his presence on this +occasion, but in spite of this he rarely let his eyes depart from +watching her. + +"Hi, Sir Edward," cried an inquisitive old dame from one of the deep +window recesses. "Hither, good knight, for I would talk with thee +awhile." + +He could not very well resist such a direct appeal, but he took his +seat beside her unwillingly enough. + +"I hear, Sir Edward," confidentially began the dame, "that in a month +you are to wed Mistress Dorothy Vernon; is that so?" + +"It is," he replied, curtly. + +"You are a lucky knight, then," she replied, "for, except my Isabel, +Dorothy is the fairest maiden I have ever clapt eyes on. But then, +Isabel, forsooth, is not so rich. We cannot all be Vernons, you know, +though if everybody had their deserts we--" + +"Yes, I trow that she is rich and fair; but for neither of these do I +care so much as her love," gallantly responded Stanley. + +"Tut, now, Sir Edward," pursued his tormentor, "both you and I know +full well that people marry for riches and rank, not for beauty. You +marry for riches, I suppose, and she for rank. Now, sir knight, am I +not right?" she asked triumphantly. + +"Nay, my lady, you are far from it. You will excuse me now, I am +sure; I am promised a dance with Dorothy shortly," and he got up and +departed, glad to get away so quickly, and deaf to her entreaty to +return. + +His temper was ruffled, and he walked away to look for his partner, to +lose his irritation in the sunshine of her company. + +But Dorothy was nowhere to be seen. + +He paced up and down the length of the room, chafing at her absence, +and peering into every corner and recess as he wandered along. The +dining-room and banqueting-hall were searched equally in vain, and +at last the baffled lover concluded that she had retired for a little +rest. + +He waited, irritated not a little at the long delay. His eye scanned +each passing figure again and again, and rigorously searched each +group, but it was all "love's labour lost;" Dorothy could not be +found; and finally, unable any longer to control the forebodings of +his suspicious heart, he hastened to the baron and acquainted him with +all his fears. + +"Tush, man," replied Sir George gaily; "maybe she is feeling somewhat +out of sorts, or happen she is tired. Margaret!" he called, as the +newly-married maiden was passing along, "do thou seek for Dorothy, my +Lady Stanley. Thy new brother, Sir Edward, is jealous of her absence." + +"Ah, prithee do, good Margaret," added that unhappy knight. "Her +absence just at this time bodes no good, I fear, and makes me feel +uneasy." + +"She shall be here soon," replied Lady Stanley, and she went away to +seek the truant sister, leaving her husband to beguile the tediousness +of the time by engaging in conversation with his brother. Sir Thomas +was in high glee, and could find no sympathy with the miserable +forebodings of his younger brother. + +"I tell thee what, Edward," he said, "thou must let her have more +freedom. You are too rash; you must be astute an you would succeed. +Dorothy is drawn by affection, not driven by ill words or sour looks. +It had been better for thee, I trow, an thou hadst not pressed for the +marriage so soon; but thou hast done it now." + +"Lady Maude advised me in it, and I cannot say I repent it now, though +my heart does misgive ever and again," he replied. + +"That John Manners," continued the elder Stanley, "is a good enough +man, a likely fellow, and would have done well for Dorothy; aye, and +had not you been in the way, he would have won her, too. Thou art no +match for him, Edward; thou art too impatient." + +Edward hung down his head, and gazed uncomfortably upon the floor. He +was conscious of the truth of his brother's statement, and could not +well refute it. He paused in silence, hoping that the subject would be +pursued no further. + +"Here comes Margaret," he said, lifting up his head and feeling +mightily relieved that the awkward pause had come to an end; but +sorely dismayed to see no Dorothy following behind. + +"Where is she?--she has gone!" he almost screamed as he saw the look +of consternation on her face. + +"I cannot find her," Margaret replied, addressing herself to Sir +Thomas. "I have searched her rooms, but all in vain; and no one knows +aught of her, no one has seen her." + +"Said I not so?" furiously exclaimed Sir Edward. "She has gone; the +bird has flown." + +"What bird?" asked the baron, coming up. + +"Dorothy, Sir George. Dorothy has fled." + +"Fled; nay it cannot be," returned the baron, stoutly. He had too much +faith in Dorothy to believe that. + +"They are searching for her now," said Margaret. "Nobody knows where +she is, and Sir Edward has missed her long. I cannot understand it." + +"Her clothes are gone. Her riding habit has gone," exclaimed one of +the domestics, rushing breathlessly up to the group. "Father Nicholas +hath just come in and he says two horses, galloping, passed him on the +Ashbourne road. One, he thinks might have been a lady, but it was too +dark to see distinctly." + +This she gasped out in jerks, but her news was intelligible enough, +and it threw the whole assembly at once into a ferment of confusion, +amid which could be heard the voice of Sir Edward Stanley exclaiming, +in a tone far above the rest of the babel--"That was Dorothy." + +"Gone!" exclaimed the baron, aghast. "Nay, search the Hall." + +"Out; to your saddles, ye gallant knights," commanded Sir Thomas +Stanley, promptly. "Here is a prize worth the capturing. She must be +stopped!" and he quickly led the way to the stables, and in a very +short space of time was mounted and urging his steed to the utmost +along the Ashbourne road. + +Sir George stayed behind; he could not believe that Dorothy had +really gone; but when a thorough investigation of the Hall, and the +outbuildings also, revealed the fact that she was nowhere there, he +was stricken with dismay, and succumbed, for a time, to a feeling of +despair. + +"Nicholas," he said, as the worthy father approached to comfort him, +"thou art sure that one was a lady?" + +"It was dark, Sir George," the priest replied. "I was unsuspicious, +and deep in meditation, but I fear it was so." + +"Was it my Doll?" + +"I cannot say," he replied. "I never saw the face, and did but +imperfectly see the form." + +The baron sank back, regardless of the ladies who crowded round him, +commiserating his ill fortune. He remained silent, with a bowed head +and bleeding heart. + +All night long the pursuit was kept up. Every lane was searched, every +innkeeper was severely catechised, and although in several instances +they had the satisfaction of hearing that couples, either on horses or +in conveyances, had passed, yet when the quarry was hunted down, if it +did not turn out to be an inoffensive market gardener and his worthy +spouse returning from Derby Christmas market, in almost every other +instance the horsemen were the decoys that Manners had so carefully +provided. + +At last the chase was given up. Dorothy had proved one too many for +them, and with mingled feelings her pursuers turned their steeds again +towards Haddon, curious to learn if any of the others had been more +fortunate than themselves. + +The two Stanleys were the last to return, but after having been out in +the saddle for more than a whole day, and that upon the right scent, +they were obliged to return without having met with success. + +The next day was spent in searching the neighbourhood. Every inn and +every house was visited, but the night falling, they returned again +empty-handed, and very disconsolate. + +News came with the next day's courier, for Dorothy dutifully +acquainted her father, in a touching letter, with all the details of +the engagement, the elopement, and the marriage. Manners, too, sent a +note to the baron, in which he pathetically pleaded Dorothy's +cause. "And sure," the epistle concluded, "so doting a father as you +undoubtedly are would not force so loving a daughter to wed against +her will. You clearly sought her welfare and, in choosing Sir Edward +Stanley, thought you were doing well for her, but it was a sad +mistake. I have her undivided love, and even if we are for ever +banished from 'dear old Haddon,' as Doll delights to call it, we shall +be happy in each other's confidence and love; though I confess that +Dorothy hath a tender heart and grieves to think how you must regard +her. None but myself, she declares, could ever have led her to leave +thee. I feel for thee, but I feel for my sweet Doll, too. At thy +bidding, whenever given, we will gladly visit thee. Till then--adieu." + +"Married!" cried Lady Vernon, aghast, as Sir Thomas Stanley read the +letter aloud. She was speechless with rage and could say no more, but +her looks betokened the feelings of her heart." + +"Married!" echoed Sir Edward, in dismay. + +"Aye, married," responded Sir Thomas. "You have lost her, Edward; it +is as I said." + +"Poor, foolish Dorothy," exclaimed the baron, in a decidedly +sympathetic frame of mind. "Poor Doll." + +"Poor Dorothy, indeed," retorted Lady Maude, sharply. "Wicked, +perverse Dorothy, you mean, Sir George. I shall never look at her +again. We must make her undo the marriage bond again, Sir Edward," she +continued, turning to the disappointed lover. + +Even that rash knight could see the futility of such advice, and he +despondently shook his head. + +"Nay," he said, "I fear that cannot be easily done." + +"Easily done, sir knight," tauntingly replied the dame. "Who talks of +ease in a matter like this? It must--it shall be done." + +"It cannot be done," replied Sir Thomas, promptly. "Manners will have +been too careful to allow of that. We must resign ourselves to the +loss; and you, Edward, will have to seek elsewhere for a bride." + +"'Resign' and 'cannot,'" continued Lady Vernon, contemptuously. +"Did'st ever hear the like of it, Margaret?" + +But Margaret was mercifully inclined, and by siding with Dorothy she +would be supporting her husband. Therefore she could not agree with +the angry declamations of her stepmother. + +"Poor Dorothy," she exclaimed, "I pity her, but she has done foolishly +indeed." + +Lady Vernon was astonished; she had counted upon Margaret's support at +least. + +"Pity her, indeed!" she scornfully laughed. "She shall have little +enough of my pity if ever I clap my eyes on her again," replied Lady +Vernon. "She shall never come here again." + +"Hush, Maude," interrupted the baron, "I shall settle that." + +Lady Vernon had never been spoken to in such a manner since she had +wedded Sir George, and she staggered back in surprise as though she +had been struck by an invisible hand. + +"You will--!" she began, but checked herself. The baron's brow was +forbidding. She had never seen him look so threatening before, and she +cowered back in fear and kept a discreet silence. + +"I am furious," the baron burst out, with a sudden revulsion of +feeling. "To think that my Dorothy should serve me thus! and as she +has chosen, so shall it be. She prefers Manners to me, then she shall +have him. I disown her, she is none of mine. She shall never return." + +Flesh and blood, however, is very human, and, in spite of his stern +resolve never to see Dorothy again, the baron's naturally kind heart +soon began to soften, and in a short space of time his feelings had +entirely undergone a change. He longed to clasp his lost darling to +his heart again, and tell her she was forgiven, but he was proud, and +his pride held him back from declaring his sentiments. + +It was not long to be endured. He became anxious. Dorothy was ill. Sir +Ronald Bury had sent him word of that in a letter which was calculated +to stab the baron to the very heart. He grew restless; his conscience +pricked him day and night, until, unable to bear it any longer, he +declared himself. + +"Maude," he said, as together they sat in the lonely dining-room, +"Dorothy has been a month gone now." + +"Yes," she carelessly replied. + +"And I hear she is sorely ill." + +"Like enough," said Lady Vernon, not unwilling to make the knight +suffer a little, for she had not forgiven him yet. "She was ill enough +when she went." + +"Then," returned the baron, "she shall come back; we cannot do without +her." + +Lady Vernon turned sharply round to expostulate with her lord, but +seeing his forbidding countenance, she desisted, and her silence Sir +George tacitly construed as acquiescence. + +"I shall send for her this very day," pursued the good old knight, "we +must try to forget the past, Maude--for, in good sooth, we have all +done amiss--and begin again. We have no Margaret now, and without +Doll, gone in such a fashion withal, we were miserable indeed." + +"We must have more balls and feasts," quickly suggested Lady Maude. +"They will heal our wounds." + +"Balls and feasts!" repeated the baron. "Nay, we are too old for those +now. We should only get Benedict and old De Lacey to come, for, by my +halidame, squires and knights won't come to see us now Meg and Doll +are gone, and then, Maude, after all, you know," he continued slyly, +"love will have its own way, and you trow full well that folk blamed +me enough when I wedded." + +Lady Maude blushed. The comments on her marriage with the baron had +been by no means what she might have wished, as the remembrance of +them was not particularly pleasant to her even now, so she discreetly +held her peace. + +"We cannot blame her, Maude," went on Sir George, waxing enthusiastic +as the love of Dorothy asserted itself more and more within him. "We +are all alike to blame, and had I been John Manners myself, I should +maybe have done just what he has done. Who could help it, eh, Maude? +Not I, in truth; and then, Manners has done us good service, too. We +must welcome them back, and make them happy if we can. I shall send a +message off now." + +Before his feelings had found time to change--even had he so +wished--he scrawled a note of forgiveness to the fugitives, praying +them to return, and before he returned to his wife the messenger was +on his way. + + * * * * * + +A warm welcome awaited gallant John Manners and his beautiful lady as, +a week later, they were met by the fond father just outside Haddon. + +Impatiently, the baron had awaited their return. For two whole days +he had done little else than watch for their coming, from the loftiest +portion of the tall eagle tower, and when at last the little cavalcade +could be distinguished in the far distance, wending its way with all +possible haste towards the Hall, he started off to meet them. + +It was a glad reunion. Even Lady Maude was touched, as she met them in +the courtyard, and with much more kindliness than she had been wont +to treat Doll for some time, she kissed the upraised face; Manners +received a stately bow. He, at all events, had much to be forgiven +yet; but the baron, casting the last particle of pride to the winds, +warmly and repeatedly embraced his daughter, and frankly greeted her +husband. + +The menials with one accord united to welcome back the youthful +couple, for Dorothy was universally beloved, and somehow or other +the story of Manners' disguise had got abroad and had made hosts of +admiring friends for him, both high and low. + +Even Lady Maude melted at last and regarded him with favour, but +whether this was because she learned that his uncle, the earl, +favoured his nephew and petted his bride, or whether the highly +satisfactory conduct of Master Manners himself gained her esteem, must +be left for the courteous reader to determine. + +Happiness now reigned once more in Haddon. The old Hall rung again +with shouts of gladness, and in a short space of time Manners had +the satisfaction of promoting Lettice's husband to a more honourable +position than he had formerly occupied. + +At the end of a year, as the oft-falling snows betokened the coming +of another Christmas, sad news reached Haddon. Margaret was dead. The +dampness of Castle Rushen had brought on a fever, to which she soon +had succumbed. Thus the whole estates of Haddon fell, ultimately, +to Dorothy's share, which she presented to her faithful lover as her +dowry. John Manners' descendants, the Rutlands, have had reason to be +thankful for this, for it added largely to their riches, but Manners +himself declared that had she brought him all the wealth that "Good +Queen Bess" possessed, he had not been one whit the happier. He could +see nothing he prized so highly as his wife, and in her he found his +all in all. + +It is only necessary to add that discord, never again invaded the +domain of Haddon. The marriage proved a happy one; and no one, except +the Stanleys, regretted it in + +THE END. + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's Heiress of Haddon, by William E. 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Thus, we do not necessarily +keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. + + +Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: + + https://www.gutenberg.org + +This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, +including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary +Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to +subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/15443-8.zip b/15443-8.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..fec144f --- /dev/null +++ b/15443-8.zip diff --git a/15443.txt b/15443.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6612270 --- /dev/null +++ b/15443.txt @@ -0,0 +1,10773 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Heiress of Haddon, by William E. Doubleday + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Heiress of Haddon + +Author: William E. Doubleday + +Release Date: March 23, 2005 [EBook #15443] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HEIRESS OF HADDON *** + + + + +Produced by S.R.Ellison,Julie Barkley, and the PG Online +Distributed Proofreading Team. + + + + + + +[EIGHTH EDITION.] + +THE + +HEIRESS OF HADDON. + +BY + +WM. E. DOUBLEDAY. + + +LONDON: + +SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT AND CO., LIMITED. + + +BUXTON AND BAKEWELL: + +U.F. WARDLEY, "HIGH PEAK NEWS" OFFICES. + + + + +PREFACE + + +The real romance of Haddon Hall is a sweet, old-world idyll of +singular attractiveness and interest. The gems of the story have been +reset by dramatists in different surroundings; but while, as in the +Sullivan-Grundy opera, many of its chief incidents have been retained, +many have been omitted. + +In the old story there are no Puritans, and not one solitary Scotchman +appears upon the scene. The original drama was enacted in the pastoral +days of "Good Queen Bess," when the Tudor Queen was still young and +beautiful, and + + "When all the world was young, lad, + And all the trees were green; + And every goose a swan, lad, + And every lass a queen." + +Haddon Hall, the scene of the story, is situated at the foot of the +Peak, between Bakewell and Chatsworth, close to Matlock, and not far +from Buxton. Far from the madding crowd the hoary old edifice stands, +carefully preserved, and generously thrown open to public view by its +princely owners, the Dukes of Rutland, who, though for more than a +century back they have ceased to inhabit it, have yet most carefully +protected the building from falling into the slightest disrepair. + +In our own day, the Hall stands very much as it did in the heyday of +its glory, when the sisters Margaret and Dorothy received the homage +of their numerous admirers, or the "King of the Peak" himself passed +to and fro within its walls. But it is more beautiful now than it was +then, for now it is tinged with a beauty which age alone can bestow, +and mellowed with a charm that none of the Vernons ever knew. + +And of this charm Dorothy Vernon herself is assuredly the central +figure. For three centuries her romantic career has been a favourite +theme with minstrel, poet, and painter; and during all this time--like +the ivy which grows and clusters around the walls and nooks and +crannies of what, generations ago, were the abiding-places of kings +or nobles, scenes of splendour and animation--so, during the lapse of +time, there has grown a beautiful and romantic web of legendary lore +which clings tenaciously to every wall, window, and stone of the old +Hall, until every room and every corner of old Haddon seems to tell +the story of the beautiful maiden who, once upon a time, fell in love +with a certain plain John Manners, whom she was determined to wed, in +spite of all the obstacles that were placed in her way. + +The story telling how she accomplished this has been told in many +varying forms, but in the following pages the writer has sought to +incorporate the essence of nearly all the legends, concerning not only +Dorothy, but also of Sir George Vernon. A considerable amount of fresh +matter has been introduced, and, without unduly intruding the dry +facts of history, a few of the great events and persons of the time +have been pressed into service; whilst at the same time, some of the +old English customs of the days of "Good Queen Bess" have been made to +serve the purpose of the narrative. + +W.E.D. + + + + +CONTENTS. + + CHAPTER. PAGE. + + I.--AT FIRST SIGHT 1 + II.--A JEALOUS HEART AND CRAFTY 7 + III.--THE CLOSE OF THE DAY 13 + IV.--DAME DURDEN'S ORDEAL 19 + V.--A VISIT TO NOTTINGHAM 26 + VI.--DE LA ZOUCH INDULGES IN A + LITTLE VILLAINY 32 + VII.--DOROTHY OVERHEARS SOMETHING 42 + VIII.--A TOURNAMENT; THE COMBAT 49 + IX.--AT THE COCK TAVERN, LONDON 55 + X.--IN DIRE STRAITS 63 + XI.--AN UNFORTUNATE DENOUEMENT 71 + XII.--A CONFESSION OF LOVE 79 + XIII.--FATHER PHILIP'S ACCIDENT 88 + XIV.--AN UNPLEASANT NIGHT 94 + XV.--SIR GEORGE AT WESTMINSTER 101 + XVI.--A NIGHT ADVENTURE 107 + XVII.--A DALE ABBEY HERMIT 114 + XVIII.--THE CHAMBER OF DEATH 120 + XIX.--"THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE." 126 + XX.--THE TROTH-PLIGHT 133 + XXI.--THE PLOT IN PROGRESS 139 + XXII.--ON A FALSE SCENT 147 + XXIII.--DARK SUSPICIONS 153 + XXIV.--THE ESCAPE 159 + XXV.--THE LAST OF DE LA ZOUCH 166 + XXVI.--A DISGUISED LOVER 174 + XXVII.--A NARROW ESCAPE 180 + XXVIII.--"NOT YET" 188 + XXIX.--THE ANGELS OF LIFE AND DEATH 197 + XXX.--STOLEN SWEETS 206 + XXXI.--THE TOKEN 215 + XXXII.--PLAIN JOHN MANNERS WINS HIS + BRIDE 222 + XXXIII.--PEACE AT LAST 229 + + + + +THE HEIRESS OF HADDON. + + + + +CHAPTER I. + +AT FIRST SIGHT. + + There is a spirit brooding o'er these walls + That tells the record of a bygone day, + When 'mid the splendour of these courtly halls, + A pageant shone, whose gorgeous array + Like pleasure's dream has passed away. + + ANON. + + Where both deliberate the love is slight; + Who ever loved that love not at first sight? + + MARLOWE. + + +Amid the hills of Derbyshire which cluster around the Peak there +rises, in a lovely dale slyly peeping out from behind the surrounding +trees, the fine old pile of Haddon Hall. + +Perhaps the old shire of Derby, with its many rich examples, can +present to view nothing equal in historic and legendary interest to +this old mansion. Its turrets and towers, its windows and its +walls, its capacious kitchens, and its fine halls and banqueting +rooms--unspoiled by the hands of the "restorer"--have gained for +it the almost unchallenged position of being the finest baronial +residence which still exists. + +There stand the grey old walls whose battlements have proudly bidden +defiance to the storms and blasts of half a thousand winters, and +there still stand the gnarled old trees which have gently swayed to +and fro while many a baron has ruled the Hall, and whose leaves after +growing in superlative beauty, seeming to partake in the grandeur and +pride of the "King of the Peak," have drooped and fallen, after having +made, with their rich autumnal tints, a succession of beautiful living +pictures which have delighted the lords and ladies of Haddon for +almost twenty generations. + +When William the Conqueror had invaded England and had succeeded in +seating himself upon his somewhat insecure throne, he began to reward +his followers with liberal grants of the land he had won. Among these +fortunate individuals was one, William Peveril, said to be a son of +the Conqueror, and to him, in common with many other estates in and +around Derbyshire, was given the manor of Haddon. Part of the fabric +which was then erected is still standing, and it is surmised by some +that traces are still left of a previous Saxon erection. In the year +1154, the estate was forfeited to the Crown, and it was granted by +King Henry II. to the Avenals, from which family, two hundred years +later, it was transferred by marriage to the Vernons. + +Its fate has been strangely wrapped up in the history of its women, +for as it passed from the Avenals to the Vernons by marriage, so +again, three centuries later, by a similar process, it passed from the +Vernon family to the Rutland, which ever since has retained it in its +possession. + +Everything around, both inside and out, is fragrant with interest. +Everything seems to breathe out the spirit of departed ages. It is one +vast relic of "Merrie England's" bygone splendour. + +It was the old original "Palace of the Peak," nor was it unworthy of +the name. The glory of many royal palaces of its time indeed might +well have paled beside its splendour, and as a matter of fact the +baron of Haddon was a king within his own domain, who wielded a +power which few around dared to question, and fewer still resist. Its +hospitality was lavish, as the poor of a neighbourhood of no small +radius knew full well; and the vastness and riches of the property +which accompanied the ownership of Haddon was enough to maintain its +lord in an almost regal state. + +What happy scenes have taken place within its walls! How many fair +ladies have stepped off the riding stone outside its gate, helped by +the gallant but superfluous aid of chivalrous knights, each striving +to outdo the others by gentle acts of courtesy! What brilliant +cavalcades have issued from its portals! How many merry hunting +parties have started from its iron-studded gate; and what jovial +monster feasts have taken place within its rooms. If walls could +speak, what a tale would Haddon have to tell. + +The spring of the year of grace 1567 had just commenced, and the trees +were beginning to adorn themselves once again in their green array, +when the Knight of Haddon, Sir George Vernon, led out a merry company +for the first hawking expedition of the year. The winter had been +unusually long, and more than extraordinarily severe; and whilst the +knight and his sturdy friends had been enabled to pursue their sport +by submitting to a more than usual amount of inconvenience, yet the +ladies had been almost entirely confined within the limits of the +Hall. Winter at Haddon was by no means a dreary imprisonment, for +fetes and balls were continually taking place, and however rough the +weather might be, and the condition of the miserable tracts which in +those days did duty for roads, there were not a few cavaliers, both +old and young, who would gladly adventure the discomforts of a journey +to Haddon, even were it to be only rewarded by a smile, or perchance +a dance with the two daughters of the host, whose beauty, though of +different types, many were ready to swear, and to maintain it, if +need be, at the point of the sword, could not be surpassed in all the +counties of the land. + +Indeed, the beauty of Margaret and Dorothy was almost as famous as +the reputation of the "King of the Peak" himself, and the old knight, +owner as he was of immense wealth, was often heard to assert that his +two daughters were the greatest treasures he possessed. + +Many eyes were cast upon these two fair maidens, and many hearts were +laid at their feet. Margaret, the elder, was already being wooed by +Sir Thomas Stanley, and some gossips even went so far as to say +that she had already plighted her troth to him. The younger sister, +however, had kept her heart intact, and in spite of the persuasions of +Sir George and the threats of Lady Maude, had refused to comply with +their request to accept Sir Henry de la Zouch as her betrothed. + +Although by no means dreary, yet the continual round of winter feasts +had at last begun to assume an aspect of staleness, and lords and +ladies alike had for some time past been eagerly anticipating the time +when they might once more pursue their noble sports. As the winter +had gradually withdrawn its ice and snow, and occasional gleams of +sunshine appeared, hearalding the advent of spring, the excitement had +increased. Dancing was discarded, the tapestry work was laid aside, +and all with one mind began to make preparations for the coming +excursions. + +And now the long wished for day had come. The number of guests at the +Hall had been largely augmented by fresh arrivals, and as the jovial +baron looked round the table at the feast of the previous evening, he +declared that a better company could not be found in all the land. + +The scene as they started out was animated in the extreme. The ladies, +in their many-coloured dresses, riding on horseback, were gracefully +coquetting with the knights and squires who surrounded them and +dutifully paid their court to them with all the reverence of a +fast-departing chivalry. + +The chase was to be on foot, and in the rear followed a number of +pages, each leading his dogs and carrying his own as well as his +master's jumping pole. Everything promised well. The turf had dried +after the recent floods, with a pleasing elasticity. The sun shone +brilliantly upon the gold-trimmed jerkins of the hawks, and the hum of +conversation, with its occasional outburst of merry ringing laughter, +added to the tinkling of the sonorous little falcon bells, or the bark +of the dogs every now and again as they ineffectually tried to break +away from the leashes in which they were held, all tended to put the +party in the best of spirits. + +Dorothy Vernon, as usual, was surrounded by a circle of admirers, +each of whom was anxious to bring himself under her especial notice by +anticipating her wishes, or quickly fulfilling her slightest commands. + +Sir Henry de la Zouch was there, as a matter of course. He was most +assiduous in his attentions, and although it was plainly visible that +his presence was as little appreciated as his suit, yet he still kept +by her side. + +"Methinks, fair demoiselle," he began, "thou art hardly so sprightly +this morning as the occasion might warrant. Now, Mistress Margaret, +there--" + +"Aye, Margaret again, Sir Henry," interrupted the maiden; "thou art +for ever placing me beside my sister Margaret. He bears too hardly +upon a simple maiden, does he not, Sir John?" + +Sir John de Lacey, a little fidgety old man on the wrong side of +sixty, nervously played with his collar, and, delighted at the +opportunity thus afforded him of paying back a grudge of long +standing, he summoned to his aid all the dignity he was capable of +assuming, and declared that the whole of Sir Henry's conduct was +ungallant to the last degree. + +De la Zouch darted a look of intense wrath at the old man, but as the +latter was yet rearranging his collar, the effort was lost. + +"Nay, nay, sweet Dorothy," he said, "I meant to say naught that would +vex thee, for I would have thee smile upon me and not frown; and if my +words have not been pleasing to thee in the past, I am sorry for it, +and will endeavour to amend my ways in the future." + +"Where do we go to-day?" asked Dorothy, not noticing his last remark. +"We are full late for the woodcock, and the partridges are not yet +ready." + +"There are plenty of sparrows on the wing," exclaimed Sir Benedict a +Woode, who had been anxiously awaiting an opportunity to join in the +conversation. + +"Aha! Sir Benedict," she replied. "Methought thou wert too unwell to +join us to-day, but thou hast weathered the attack, I see." + +"Now, could I stay away, fair cousin, when I knew thou wert among the +merry company?" gallantly responded the knight. + +"'Twas but the wine got into his head, Dorothy," insinuated Sir Henry. + +Dorothy, according to the fashion of the time, was carrying a hawk, +one which she herself had trained, upon her wrist, which was protected +from the beak and talons of the bird by a large thick glove. She +looked upon the noble bird, and felt proud of her treasure. + +"St. George," she said, "would scorn a sparrow, though, or else, +I fear, most noble Benedict, he shares not in the pride of his +mistress." + +St. George cocked his head on one side, as if to receive the +compliment in a most befitting manner, and catching sight of a hand +upon the saddle, it rapidly dipped down its head and made a vicious +peck at the intruding fingers. + +It was the hand of De la Zouch, and he withdrew with an ejaculation of +anger. + +"There, Mistress Dorothy," he exclaimed, "did I not say the bird was +but imperfectly taught, and now see here;" and he ruefully pointed to +the bleeding finger. + +Dorothy was so overcome by the tragic attitude Sir Henry assumed, +that instead of offering him her sympathy, she burst out into an +uncontrollable fit of laughter, in which the rest of the company +joined; and, burning with indignation, the unlucky knight hastened +away to join the group around the elder sister. + +Having fallen behind, Dorothy and her companions had now to hurry +forward, for they learned by the blowing of the horns and signals of +Sir George Vernon that they were now close upon the scene of the day's +sport. + +"Come, Doll," shouted the baron, "we are waiting for you; we are ready +to begin, and there are some strangers with whom I must acquaint you." + +They soon joined company, and Master John Manners, together with his +friend, Sir Everard Crowleigh, had soon passed through the pleasant +formality of an introduction to one of the prettiest and wealthiest +heiresses in England. + +John Manners, who plays a prominent part in this veracious narrative, +was the nephew of the Earl of Rutland. As he reverently kissed the +dainty hand which Dorothy held out to him he was so smitten with the +charm of her beauty that Cupid led him, an unresisting captive, to +yield his heart to the keeping of the maid. He was deeply smitten, +nor was Dorothy herself insensible to the more masculine beauty of the +scion of the house of Rutland, for as his dark, flashing eyes met her +own, in spite of herself, she felt the power of a strange attraction +which drew her towards him. The sprightly god of love had already done +his work, and, although perhaps neither of them was aware of the fact, +they were each being bound by his chains. + +It was a case of love at first sight. + + + + +CHAPTER II. + +A JEALOUS HEART AND CRAFTY. + + He that sows in craft does reap in jealousy. + + MIDDLETON. + + Vengeance is in my heart, death in my hand; + Blood and revenge are hammering in my head. + + SHAKESPEARE. + + +The scene of the pastime had been reached, and the preparations for +the hawking had already begun. The falconers brought up their birds, +the pages gave up their masters' jumping poles, and the dogs were +sniffing the air, eager for the chase to commence. + +At last the jerkins were taken off, and the straps which had held the +hawks were unloosed; the dogs were sent to the front, and the real +work of the day began. + +Sir George was in capital humour, and closely followed by Sir Benedict +a Woode and the others, he led off at a rare pace, with the ladies +following upon their steeds a little distance in the rear, and, behind +all, a number of admiring rustics, eager to see a little of the sport +in which it was not their lot to participate. + +Sparrows were plentiful, but no other kind of bird was to be seen, and +Sir Benedict was just thinking that Sir George would have to humble +himself, when the dogs began to bark. + +"Quails, as I'm alive! See!" shouted the baron, in high delight. + +"And a whole bevy of them, too," added De la Zouch, turning round to +the ladies. + +The excitement, which had simmered before, now suddenly became +intense, and away went lord and lady, knight and esquire, over wall +and ditch, in their eagerness to keep up with the hunt. + +Dorothy had not flown her bird, for she had noticed that Master +Manners was without a hawk, and now she sent it forward to him by her +page, and waited with a beating heart to learn whether her offer had +been accepted. + +Manners himself came back and thanked her. + +"But marry, fair Mistress Vernon," said he, "I could no more rob you +of your bird than I could steal away your beauty or take possession of +your heart." + +"Nay, now," replied Dorothy, not paying the proper amount of regard to +the truth, "I am already for-wearied of the hawking; and it were more +to my taste to follow on in a more leisurely fashion," she added, +seeing that he was about to refuse. "St. George is a good bird, and is +anxious to try a flight; and thou art a stranger, too; thou must take +it," and she placed the merlin on his wrist. + +Manners had never felt more embarrassed in the course of his life, +and, ready-witted though he was, he found himself at a loss how to +reply. Before he had collected his scattered senses, Dorothy had +gone, and he, left alone, was a long way in the rear. The horns of the +hunters, which were continually sounding, proved a sufficient guide, +and being nimble of foot, he started off in great haste to rejoin the +party, which was now well out of sight. + +All this had not escaped the jealous eyes of De la Zouch, for, +securely hidden within the friendly foliage of a patch of brushwood, +he had seen and heard all, and, with perceptions sharpened by the +jealous spirit which raged within his breast, he had at once divined +the secret which neither of the two, as yet, understood. + +As Manners departed, he emerged from his hiding-place, gnashing his +teeth with rage. His anger was terrible to behold. + +"So, so!" he exclaimed, as he watched the retreating figure, "it +has come to this, then, that I am to yield my share of the riches of +Haddon to this usurping churl. But no; it shall never, never be! John +Manners shall lie in six feet of solid earth ere I forego the prize!" + +Had he been more careful, Sir Henry would have discovered that he was +not alone. Had he been less rash, whatever he might have thought, he +would have kept his opinions to himself; for hardly had he spoken, +when a rough voice at his elbow awakened him from the reverie into +which he had fallen. + +"Such words, noble sir, are costly, and I ween thou hadst rather not +have them repeated to the King of the Peak." + +De la Zouch turned sharply round and fiercely confronted the +well-known figure of the Derby packman. + +"Thou art over bold for a knave," he exclaimed; "get thee gone." + +"Not till I am the richer, or I will hie me to Sir George, and tell my +tale to him," was the cool reply. + +"Villain!" hissed Sir Henry, "begone!" and obeying the impulse of the +moment, he dealt the pedlar a blow which felled him to the ground. + +"There will be a few more nobles for that," groaned the man as he +slowly regained his feet. + +De la Zouch glanced contemptuously at him and turned to depart, but he +was not to go so easily. + +"Nay, forsooth," cried the pedlar, clapping his hands upon the +shoulders of the nobleman. "And thou wilt forget thy debts it behoves +me to insist." + +With a curse the latter turned round again, but seeing the determined +aspect of the man, he pulled out three golden nobles and offered them +to him. + +The packman laughed. + +"What!" he exclaimed. "I must have more than that for my bruises +alone." + +"Thou art insolent; that is all I shall give thee; take it or leave it +and get thee gone. Thy word would never weigh against mine." + +"Well, master," returned the other, "it is a case of life or death, +and you value your life at three sorry nobles? I would take that +rather than the money, for Manners is a friend to the poor," and +grasping his thick stick with both his hands he struck at De la Zouch +with all his might. + +The blow was parried by Sir Henry, who received it upon his jumping +pole, and with blood now thoroughly aroused and life on either side to +fight for, the conflict was furiously sustained. + +The packman's attack was at no time equal to the defence of his +adversary, and as he rained down blow after blow they were coolly +caught upon the pole, which, used in skilful hands in much the same +fashion as the quarter-staff, made quite an admirable weapon both for +attack and defence. + +Such an unequal contest could not long continue. Science must ever +triumph over mere brute force, and this occasion proved to be no +exception to the rule, and as the man tired, his blows perceptibly +weakened. Had Sir Henry by any piece of misfortune failed to protect +himself, the end might have been different. His skill, however, saved +him in the end, and as the fury of his opponent abated the knight +became more vigorous in his attack. + +The end soon came, for, raising his stout ash pole high up in the +air, De la Zouch brought it down with, tremendous force, and easily +breaking through the pedlar's guard, it alighted heavily upon his +head. With a groan the unlucky man staggered back and fell upon the +turf. The blow had struck home, and the Derby packman was no more. + +Whilst this scene was being enacted, Sir Henry's page, missing his +master from amongst the hawking party, had turned back in great +trepidation to seek him. Guided by the sound of the blows, the youth +had experienced little difficulty in attaining the object of his +search, and, standing at a respectable distance, he had been a silent +witness of the tragic conclusion of the encounter. Seeing that all was +over, he slowly advanced, in a very uncertain state of mind as to the +character of his reception. + +De la Zouch was too busily engaged in a scrutiny of his late opponent +to notice the arrival of his page, and upon the latter devolved the +unpleasant duty of announcing himself. + +"That was a featly stroke, my lord," he began. + +Sir Henry turned round, and a sigh of relief escaped him as he found +it was not a fresh combatant with whom he would have to contend. + +"Ha, Eustace," he said, "There are many who would like to learn the +trick of it; 'tis known to few besides myself, but I will teach it +thee some future time." + +Eustace, too, gave a sigh of relief. His master was unusually +gracious. + +When Sir Henry spoke again, his voice was changed. + +"Hast thou seen all?" he asked. + +"I saw the end of it." + +"But the commencement?" + +"No! I was--" + +"Ah, well," interrupted the knight, "'twas not my fault; I would fain +have had thee witness its commencement, for, by my troth, the knave +brought his fate upon himself." + +He rolled the corpse over and they turned to go, but ere they had +proceeded many yards they came to a halt. De la Zouch had an idea, and +they wheeled about and returned to the body once more. + +"Empty the jerkin," said Sir Henry, as he pointed to the man's jacket. + +Eustace shuddered, but the command was given in so peremptory a tone +that there was no option but to comply. He stooped down and emptied +the capacious pockets of the dead man's jerkin, wondering the +while-time whether or no his master had suddenly turned robber. + +"There is little enough to take," said he. + +"Tut, I want none of it," replied the knight, and picking up the +assortment, which consisted of a huge jack-knife, a pair of spectacles +with monstrously wide rims, some bootlaces, a broken comb, and a few +coins, he carefully scattered them about the scene where the struggle +had taken place. He was not yet satisfied, though, for espying the +hollow trunk of an old tree close by, he made the unwilling page help +him to deposit the body there. + +Eustace wonderingly helped him. He would much preferred to have left +it alone, but he dared offer no resistance. He could only hope that +if the matter were heard of again, he might not be implicated in the +plot. + +De la Zouch critically surveyed the scene, and after lightly covering +the body over with grass and twigs, he turned to depart. + +They walked on in silence for some distance before either of them +spoke: the knight deeply wrapped in thought; the page eager and yet +fearful to learn the particulars, yet not daring to question his +master. + +At last Sir Henry spoke. + +"Mind you, Eustace," said he, "say naught of this affair. I would not +have my name mixed up with it, and if they ask thee, say thou knowest +naught." + +Eustace felt mightily relieved, and readily gave the required promise. +He was used to these little deceptions which his master was wont to +use on pressing occasions. + +"And see," continued the knight, after a pause, "I am hurt, for +although I have come off victor without a scratch, I have not come out +of the tussle without a bruise or two. I shall tell them I have had a +fall. You understand!" + +The page acquiesced, the conversation ceased, and the two walked on in +silence to rejoin their companions. + + + + +CHAPTER III. + +THE CLOSE OF THE DAY. + + See how the wily rascal plays his part. + With many a groan and many a practised art. + Around his victims he the net entwines, + Nor rests till he is snared within its lines. + But sure such hurtsome craft and wicked toil, + Will eftsoon on the villain's head recoil. + + +In the meantime the chase had grown in excitement. The hawks were as +eager to distinguish themselves as the birds were to escape, and the +sport waxed fast and furious. + +As the sun declined, the scattered hawkers struggled back to the +appointed rendezvous to partake of refreshment ere they began their +return journey. By ones and twos they came, bearing with them the +trophies of their sport, which they deposited in a heap before the +ladies. + +No one missed De la Zouch at first, and it was not until nigh upon the +conclusion of the meal that his absence was remarked. + +"Why, where is Sir Henry de la Zouch?" asked the old knight. + +No one had seen him for some time. + +"Ah, well," exclaimed Sir George, "'tis a bad plan to be betwixt towns +at mealtimes, eh, Doll? I suppose he'll come soon, though. Perhaps +he's having the best run of the day all alone;" and the knight sighed +at the bare thought of his being away from it. + +But Sir George's anticipations were not fulfilled, for when the meal +was finished De la Zouch had not appeared. + +"He may have met with an accident?" suggested Manners. + +"I rather think Sir Henry is afraid of me," stammered old Sir John de +Lacey, as he buried his face in the last tankard of ale. + +"Then he were wise indeed to stay away," added Sir Thomas Stanley, +with a sly wink. "I, for one, would not lightly risk a combat with so +doughty a knight as yourself, else Margaret might eftsoon weep for a +lover departed." + +As there was still some time left, and there was no certain knowledge +that Sir Henry needed their assistance, it was determined to return +slowly homewards, and if sport offered itself upon the way to turn +aside and follow it. The party had not been long in motion before it +roused a "fall" of woodcocks, the very sight of which--so excessively +rare at such a time--infused into the sportsmen all the animation +of which they were capable. The hawks shot up after them, and their +bells, which could be heard tinkling even when the birds were beyond +the range of vision, served in some degree to inform the hunters which +direction they should take. + +"Well, if De la Zouch is doing better than this, why then he is +welcome to it," said Sir George, as with his coat sleeve he wiped away +the perspiration which was streaming down his face. "'Tis fine sport, +this, Master Manners," he added, and the old baron chuckled with glee. + +It was at this moment that the head falconer approached. + +"We have found Sir Henry, my lord," he said. "He is sorely injured by +a fall." + +"Ha! is that so? Then you were right, Master Manners," exclaimed Sir +George, as he turned round to the falconer. "Where is he?" he asked. + +"Over the ditch, my lord, close by the wall where his page is standing +by his side," and he pointed to where Eustace stood. + +Sir George blew his horn, and in answer to the signal the eager +hunters broke off their chase and returned, puzzled in no small degree +by the summons they had received. In a few brief words the situation +was explained to them, and the party rapidly pushed on to rejoin their +injured companion. + +De Lacey, upon hearing that his quondam friend was hurt, was so +overcome by a most chivalric spirit of forgiveness that he determined +to be the first to reach his side, and to offer him what relief lay +within his power. Filled with this noble resolve, he hurried forward, +but, unfortunately for him, he was not destined to accomplish his +mission, for as he was crossing the ditch his pole snapped asunder, +and he suddenly found himself located in the very centre of the rank +mud dyke. There he was, and all his efforts to free himself caused him +only to sink deeper and deeper. + +"O, Blessed Mary, save me; save me!" he yelled out in an agony +of anguish as he felt himself slowly but surely sinking; but not, +apparently, feeling very much assured about the answer to his prayer, +he turned from things spiritual to things visible and mortal. + +"Help me; save me, George," he cried. + +Sir George Vernon was too much overcome by the ludicrous aspect of +the affair to lend any assistance just then, for he well knew that two +feet, if not less than that, was the excess of its depth. + +"Let him alone," he cried. "If he had not so befuddled his head with +ale he would remember as well as I do that twenty inches would reach +the bottom of the mud." + +Had Lady Maude been there she would in all probability have sent +her lord and master to aid the poor unfortunate, but she was safe +at Haddon, and, rejoicing in his freedom from restraint, he laughed +louder and louder as he watched the frantic efforts of his friend. + +"Don't let me die," pleaded poor De Lacey. "Don't let me die like a +dog. Oh, dear, I'm going, I'm going! Blessed Virgin, help me; save +me!" and the old man made a last great struggle to free himself. + +Manners could bear it no longer. He clearly perceived that what +was fun to them was mortal terror to the pitiable object of their +merriment, and, advancing to the edge of the dyke, he held out his +pole at arm's length to render him what assistance he could. + +"Here, take hold of it," he cried. + +Sir John endeavoured to obey the injunction, but he could not even +touch it, and he sank back again in despair. + +"Why, man," laughed Sir George, "as I'm a Vernon, you know as well as +I do that thou canst never sink deep in two feet of mud." + +The words roused De Lacey to struggle to his feet and attempt to +extricate himself. He staggered forward and advanced a foot or +two, but the slimy mud had such a determined hold of him that he +overbalanced himself, and fell forward at full length into the ditch. +This time, however, he was closer to the bank, and making another +effort, he grasped the pole which was still held out to help him. +Manners leaned forward, and pulled with all his might, but for some +time it was an open question whether he would go in or Sir John come +out. + +At this critical juncture Dorothy arrived upon the scene of the +disaster. The sight of the old man's distress at once appealed to her +womanly nature, and she had but to murmur a word of pity, when, in a +moment, half-a-dozen knights leapt over to fulfil her unspoken wish. +With this accession of strength the captive was easily freed, and a +queer figure he was. It would have been difficult for a stranger to +have determined exactly what he was; for, covered as he was to the +depth of several inches with black mud, he looked more like an animal +of prehistoric times--such as we see represented by fossils--than any +human being. + +De Lacey was promptly rolled upon the turf, and the pages set to work +and endeavoured to reach his person by scraping away the adhesive +slime with the aid of sticks and stones. + +"Get up, man, get up," exclaimed Sir George. "Here is Doll waiting to +honour thee with a dance." + +Dorothy shrank back, while Sir John, utterly exhausted, sank back +again helplessly upon the ground. Seeing that he was totally unable +to walk of his own accord, and in too dirty a condition to lean +upon anyone's arm, a rough extempore litter was made, upon which the +unfortunate knight was set and carried away, loudly lamenting the +unkindness of the fate which had brought him to such a sorry plight. + +"And now let us see what we can do for De la Zouch," said Sir George +Vernon, and they proceeded to the spot where the injured knight was +lying. + +"How now, Sir Henry? What's this, any bones broken, eh? How did you do +it, man; was it here?" and having delivered himself of this string of +questions, the King of the Peak leaned against the wall and awaited +the reply. + +"More hurt than injured, I believe," replied the other, "but Eustace +here will tell thee all about it;" and Eustace, who had carefully got +the story by heart, recounted how, when they were after a fine bevy +of quail, his master's pole had snapped as he was springing up, and +instead of clearing the wall he had fallen heavily against it. + +The pole, broken in twain, which lay upon the grass close by, attested +the truth of the statement. + +"Sir Benedict," exclaimed the baron, "thou art somewhat learned in +leechcraft; see if thou canst do aught. Tell us what is amiss." + +A Woode stooped down, and after a prolonged examination he gave it as +his opinion that some of his friend's ribs were broken. + +Another litter was quickly made up and De la Zouch, who was now +feeling the full effects of the injuries he had received, and who in +reality stood in need of assistance, was placed upon it and carried +off in the wake of Sir John de Lacey. + +Leaving them to pursue their way homewards, the hunting party set off +once more to make a fresh attempt at sport ere the day should close. +But now the fortune which had so favoured them during the day deserted +them. Not a bird was seen, and after vainly beating about for some +time the party at last reluctantly determined to wend its way once +more towards Haddon. Sir George sounded his horn again, and in answer +the wanderers returned from all quarters of the wood, all of them +light-hearted and most of them light-handed too. + +The route now taken was precisely the same by which they had advanced +during the day, and they soon arrived at the spot where the struggle +had taken place. Dorothy discovered the first signs of the conflict. + +"Why, what in the name of faith is this?" she cried, as she pointed +down to the ground. "'Tis a noble, I declare." + +"And here is another," added Crowleigh, stooping down and picking up +the glittering coin. + +"And here's a comb, what a nice--" + +Sir Benedict never missed that sentence, for as he bent down to pick +it up he caught sight of the body of the packman, and he started back +affrighted at the sight. "Look!" he cried, "'Tis a--the blessed saints +protect us, 'tis a murder see!" and he pointed to the tree. + +"A what?" asked Sir George, coming up. "What's a murder? Where?" + +"Here, see!" and a Woode pulled away the twigs which had but half +hidden the body from view. + +"Heaven forfend us!" ejaculated the baron as he gazed horror-stricken +at the body. "'Tis a foul villainy, and so near Haddon, too." + +"'Tis the poor Derby pedlar," exclaimed Dorothy, "and it was but +yester e'en since he was at the Hall." + +"Ha! 'tis lately done, I see. Trust me, I shall see to this. We'll +have no ghosts round Haddon, Doll. To-morrow we'll enquire into it. I +must get to the root of this." + +"'Tis evident it was a robbery," suggested Manners. "Even now the +knaves may be lurking round." + +Sir George took the hint and the vicinity was closely examined, but, +of course, not a trace of the perpetrators could be found; so, leaving +the followers to bring on the body in the rear, the party hurried +forward to gain the friendly shelter of the Hall and to partake of the +bountiful feast which the Lady Maude had provided for them. + + + + +CHAPTER IV. + +DAME DURDEN'S ORDEAL. + + Fear fell on me and I fled. + * * * * * + I took the least frequented road, + But even there arose a hum; + Lights showed in every vile abode, + And far away I heard the drum. + Roused with the city, late so still; + Burghers, half-clad, ran hurrying by, + Old crones came forth, and scolded shrill, + Then shouted challenge and reply. + + AYTOUN. + + +Next morning the Hall was early astir. The news of the murder had +spread far and wide, and had caused a feeling of consternation in the +neighbourhood, which was intensified by the mystery in which it was +enshrouded. + +De la Zouch had grown worse during the night, and soon after the break +of day had departed, with Eustace, for Ashby Castle, declaring that +in spite of the good intentions of Sir Benedict his case was not +understood, and that it had been aggravated rather than improved by +the attentions he had received from his friend. + +Sir George, as magistrate of the district, had caused the body to be +dressed, and for a long time he sat in his dressing-room pondering +what steps he had better take next. There was absolutely no clue, yet +the baron was determined not only to discover the culprit, but to make +such an example of him as should effectually deter a repetition of +such a crime in the neighbourhood of Haddon, at least for some time to +come. + +At length he issued from his room, and, passing along the corridor, he +ascended a short flight of stairs, and stopped at the door of the +room in which Dorothy was busily engaged in making some new tapestry +hangings. He paused, uncertain whether to turn back or to enter. + +"Yes, I will," he muttered; "she has the clearest head of them all," +and suiting the action to the word he gently turned the handle and +went in. + +Dorothy had dropped her work, and so intently was she gazing through +the open lattice window that she did not notice the arrival of her +father. + +The knight stood still for a moment or two, and involuntarily admired +the graceful figure of his daughter, and stepping gently forward, he +tapped her lightly upon the shoulder. + +Dorothy turned hastily round, and as she did so he caught her deftly +in his arms and printed a loud, smacking kiss upon the fair girl's +cheek. + +"There," said he, "I'll warrant me thou wert longing for it; come now, +confess." + +Dorothy disdained any such idea. + +"Nay," she replied, "I was but thinking of the poor pedlar. I had +bought these from him only the day before," and she pointed to a +little heap of silks which lay upon the table. + +"I had come to talk it over with thee, Doll," replied the baron as he +sat himself comfortably down upon a chair. "I think it was a robbery, +eh?" + +"Yes," slowly replied the maiden, "I should think so, too. Meg and I +paid him six nobles." + +"And only two were found." + +"Only two?" asked Dorothy. + +"That is all," replied the knight. "The knaves must have made off with +the rest. That ill-favoured locksmith would be as likely a rascal as +any; I must examine him." + +"Nay, that cannot be, he was all day in the stocks." + +Sir George scratched his head in despair. He had privately determined +that the locksmith was the guilty one, but now that his idea was +entirely disproved he felt sorely at a loss how to proceed. + +Dorothy watched him in silence; she was as helpless as the baron. + +"Was the packman staying in the village?" asked Sir George, lifting up +his head after a long pause, during which he had kept his glance upon +his foot, as if seeking inspiration there. + +"He stayed at Dame Durden's, I believe." + +"What, the witch?" + +"Yes." + +"I have it, then," he exclaimed as he struck his hand heavily upon the +table. "I have it!" and without saying another word he hastened out of +the room. + +Although the knight had thus decisively declared that he "had it," yet +whatever it was that he had got, he did not feel equal to proceeding +in the matter alone, and before he had proceeded many steps he turned +back again. + +"Come, Doll," he said, as he opened the door again, "we will go +together," and the two went off in company to consult the rest of the +family. + +The Lady Maude was seated in a low, easy chair, And with an air of +languor upon every feature of her countenance was listening to Sir +John de Lacey, who was reading to her out of Roger Ascham's treatise +on Archery. As the knight stepped into the room the remembrance of the +previous day's mishap was strongly brought back to his memory. + +"What ho! sir knight," he exclaimed; "better, eh!" + +"A little stiff about the joints, mine host," he replied, "for which I +have thee to thank." + +"Tush, man, don't mention it," laughingly returned the baron. "There's +no question of thanks betwixt me and thee." + +"They gave me some hot sack, and then rolled me in the river," whined +De Lacey, "and the pity of it is I cannot remember which of them it +was, or else I'd--I'd--" + +Sir John de Lacey paused to consider what course of action he would +have taken, but ere he had resolved, the door opened, and Sir Thomas +Stanley entered, bringing in with him the Lady Margaret. + +"Well, well," returned Sir George, "since it baffles thy wits to +discover whom it was, thou hadst best have the grace of forgiveness, +it will become thee well. But a truce to this. I came to counsel with +you of the murder. Any more news, Sir Thomas?" + +"I hear that the old hag, Durden, had a quarrel with the pedlar the +day before his death," answered Stanley, "and she told him to his face +that he would come to no gentle end." + +"They have often quarrelled," added Margaret, who felt bound to add +something to her lover's statement. + +"Yes, then," said Sir George, "I have it now. I guessed it was her +from the very beginning." + +"Nay, nay," interrupted Dorothy, "you suspected the smith at first." + +"Well, Doll, it makes no matter of difference if I did. 'Tis the +old witch, sure enough, and she will either hang or drown for it, I +swear." + +"Not so fast, either though, worthy knight," interrupted Stanley. "I +am not yet satisfied that it really was the witch, for she seems to +have been at home all day, except when she was by the side of the +stocks." + +"Courting the proud smith," added Lady Vernon, referring to a rumour +in the neighbourhood. + +"But he was killed in the woods," said Dorothy. + +"Tut, there's not a doubt about the matter," pursued Sir George, "not +the shadow of a doubt." + +"Nevertheless there is something in what Dorothy urges, and we +had better make some sort of inquiry," suggested the more cautious +Stanley; "for thou hast many jealous enemies, Sir George, who would +gladly score a triumph over thee an they had but half a chance." + +"Sir Ronald Bury, for instance," added Margaret. + +"But why Sir Ronald?" asked De Lacey. "He is a simple enough knight, I +trow." + +"Pooh, I care naught for him," replied Sir George Vernon; "he is +jealous of the beauty of my daughters." + +"And wants a husband for his child," added Lady Maude. + +"Let him want, then," testily returned the baron. "He may turn green +with envy for aught I care. I'll do it to his face, I will." + +But in the end wiser counsels prevailed, and the knight gave way so +far as to order a trial of touch--a superstitious form of trial much +relied upon in the times when witchcraft was commonly believed in. + +The witching hour of twilight was chosen for this crude but solemn +trial, and at the time appointed a large crowd was gathered in the +great courtyard of Haddon in obedience to a mandate of the King of the +Peak, which they dared not disobey. + +As the crowd swayed to and fro it was in marked contrast to the usual +way in which they were wont to assemble within the great walls of +Haddon. No loud laugh or sound of boisterous merriment broke the +stillness of this solemn eventide; no tricks were attempted now upon +unconscious friends, and even the almost invariable little groups of +admirers listening to the marvellously strange tales of those who +had crossed the seas were not to be found. All was silent save the +screeching of the owls every now and again, and the subdued hum +of conversation which rose up from the awestruck assembly as they +patiently awaited the test which was to bring home the guilt of the +murderer. + +They had a long time to wait, and the moon had long been out before +the proceedings were properly commenced. + +A loud blast from the trumpets of the sentries gave the first +intimation of the approach of the head of the house of Vernon. The +great gates swung open and Sir George slowly advanced through the +throng, which respectfully fell back on either side and made an open +passage for him. A few yards behind followed a bare-headed priest, +chanting prayers for the departed, and heading a diminutive +procession, in the midst of which the body of the unfortunate pedlar +was carried on a bier. They stopped at the foot of the steps which +stretch across the courtyard; the doleful chant ceased, and an +impressive hush fell upon the assembly, as with bated breath they +awaited the next scene in the awful drama. + +Sir George did not hurry himself, for it was necessary to the success +of the ordeal that the culprit, whoever that was, should be duly +impressed with a sense befitting the character of the moment, and a +little suspense, he shrewdly guessed, would tend to make the guilty +one tremble and offer signs which would make detection the easier. + +At last he spoke. + +"Mary Durden, Joel Cobbe, Henry Bridge, and Nathan Grene, step out," +he said, "take the oath; touch the body in our presence, and prove +your innocence if you are able." + +Every whisper was smothered into silence as they watched to see the +individuals named perform the test. No one stirred, however, and the +order had to be repeated. + +"Mary Burden, Joel Cobbe, Henry Bridge, and Nathan Grene," thundered +the baron, "I command you to answer to your names, or by your silence +shall you be condemned." + +Joel Cobbe and Henry Bridge, two of the most disreputable men in the +whole district, went forward in company, and succeeded in touching the +body without a rupture of blood taking place or the body moving its +position one iota. + +"Mary Durden, spinster, Nathan Grene, locksmith," repeated Sir George, +"answer to this third, last challenge, or thy last hope of escape is +gone." + +Nathan Grene, fuming with ill-concealed rage, stepped out, and a loud +shriek announced the presence of Mary Durden, who was unwillingly +pushed into view by those around her. As soon as she had gained the +little open space that was yet left she fell upon the ground and +swooned away. + +"See," said one, "the witch is guilty, she dare not touch the body." + +"Drown her," shouted another. "Drown her or burn her." + +The clouds which for some time had been gathering together, and +which by this time had completely obscured the moon, now burst with a +torrent of rain. A flash of lightning for a brief moment illuminated +the scene, and then died away again, leaving it more weird even than +it had been before. A faint roll of thunder broke upon the unpleasant +reverie into which the company had fallen, and Sir George's voice +ordering the oil lamps to be lighted, somewhat reassured the more +fearful among the spectators. A long five minutes elapsed before the +lights appeared, minutes of darkness and suspense, disturbed only +by the flashes of lightning and peals of thunder, which rapidly grew +louder in sound. + +Nathan Grene had touched the body, and the trial had proclaimed him +innocent. Indeed, Sir George fully expected it would do so, seeing +that Nathan had been fast bound in the stocks at the time the crime +was perpetrated. His name had only been called out because the baron +had a standing dislike to the man. But the woman still lay on the +rough stones without offering a sign of life. + +"Sir George, is that the witch?" asked De Lacey. + +"It is." + +"Then she is praying to her master the devil. Listen!" + +In the dread stillness of those awful minutes it was not difficult to +discover that she was moaning. The crowd was stricken with terror, and +catching up the words which Sir John had let fall, reiterated the cry +which even yet added to the dismal terror of the scene. + +"This cannot long endure," said Sir George, as a vivid flash of +lightning almost, for the moment, blinded him. + +A long, loud roll of thunder, which terminated in a crashing peal, was +the only answer he received, and while the noise was at its loudest, +Mary Durden started to her feet and dashed forward to touch the body. + +She just reached the bottom of the steps when, catching her foot +on the uneven pavement of the yard, she over-balanced herself, and +tumbled heavily upon the bier, almost knocking the body off as she +fell. + +"Guilty!" eagerly shouted Sir George; "she is guilty; seize her." + +But before he had finished the sentence, Mary had turned and fled, +and far from attempting to hinder her in her headlong flight, the +awe-struck people, one and all, shrunk eagerly back to escape being +brought into contact with one who had just given such unmistakable +proofs of witchcraft, and who had been condemned a murderess by the +almost infallible ordeal of the bier. + + + + +CHAPTER V. + +A VISIT TO NOTTINGHAM. + + One sole desire, one passion now remains, + To keep life's fever still within his veins. + Vengeance, dire vengeance, on the wretch who cast + On him and all he had the ruinous blast. + + MOORE. + + +It was upon the third day after the occurrences narrated in the last +chapter had taken place that a lonely traveller might have been seen +urging his way across the fields just outside the town of Nottingham. +The gates closed at dusk: it was now past sunset, and he hastened +forward to gain admittance. + +It was the man known at Haddon by the name of Nathan Grene, the +locksmith, whose actions had ever been at variance with his character, +and whose nature had always seemed to have been unequally yoked with +the common occupation of a smith. + +Nathan, in fact, was no true smith. He was a brother-in-law of +Sir Ronald Bury, and having taken up the practice of astrology and +alchemy, this fact had been seized upon by his foes, and he had +been obliged to fly in disguise to save himself from one of those +persecutions which were so readily and frequently levelled against the +followers of the "black arts." + +In the character of a locksmith he had lived for some months in an +uneasy state of security at Haddon. The lack of comfort which he was +compelled to experience in his new position being compensated for in +some small degree by the kind attentions he had received at the hands +of the widow Durden, which began directly upon his arrival, and which +soon rapidly ripened into a sincere regard for each other, and from +that eventually progressed into love. + +Being well born, Nathan Grene--or rather Edmund Wynne, for such was +his proper name--had never taken kindly to the conditions imposed upon +him by the disguise he had chosen to assume. He had never sought for +work, and had done as little of it as he possibly could, and he +had held aloof from the people around him, treating them with a +supercilious indifference which they were not slow to resent. Under +such conditions it was by no means surprising that he was decidedly +unpopular in the neighbourhood, and the dislike to him was heightened +by the intimacy which grew up between himself and the woman who was +regarded as a witch. + +It was for his vigorous defence of Mary Durden that he had been placed +in the stocks. His whole spirit revolted from such a degradation; he +had pleaded and had raged, but all in vain, and even Dorothy's appeal +on his behalf had failed to save him from the bitter humiliation. + +The ordeal, again, had been a very trying scene for him, and his +annoyance was more than doubled when he saw how his beloved was +being persecuted by her neighbours and oppressed by the baron. As she +escaped through the gateway he made up his mind to strike Sir George +down, but in spite of his resistance he was carried out beyond the +limits of the Hall in the wild rush that took place when the first +moment of surprise and terror had passed away. + +All night long he lay upon the floor of his little smithy pondering +schemes of revenge, but when he ventured out on the following morning +all his ideas were dispelled by the sight which met his gaze, for +there was Mary Durden hanging from the branch of a tree at the foot of +the slope which led up to the gateway of the Hall. + +He rubbed his eyes in sheer astonishment and looked again, but the +second view only confirmed the vision of the first. His worst fears +were realised; his Mary was dead! + +Mechanically he walked to the tree; there was a paper fastened to it +upon which was some writing in the hand of the baron. He read it:-- + + MARY DURDEN. + + THE STORM AVAILED HER NAUGHT. + +Impatiently he snatched it down, and tearing it into a hundred +fragments, cast them down upon the ground, and slowly turning on his +heels, he walked homewards, utterly dejected and cast down, and with a +bitter heart. The last tie which bound him to Haddon was now severed, +and he longed to get away. + +In melancholy silence he dug a grave in the little garden behind +his lowly cottage, and then, with all the coolness which is lent by +desperation, he proceeded again to where the body was hanging, and cut +it down. He had brought another paper with him, and this he affixed in +exactly the same place as the one he had destroyed. It was laconical +enough, for it had but one word, and that was + + REVENGE! + +He laid the body in the grave, and put some plants upon the top, and +then, after watering them with the tears which copiously ran down his +cheeks, he turned his back on Haddon, and started for Nottingham with +few regrets, leaving behind him little enough to love, and much to be +revenged. + +Footsore and weary he hastened to the Chapel Bar, glad indeed to +find himself so near the end of his journey; but before he had quite +reached it he had the mortification to hear the sound of the closing +bell, and when he arrived there the gates were shut. + +"Ho, ho, there, porter!" he cried, and he violently kicked the iron +post by way of emphasis to the call. + +"Aye, aye, there; steady now, thou'rt over late," replied the burly +porter as he tantalisingly rattled the heavy keys in his hand. + +"Yes, but only a minute," Edmund replied; "you can let me in, and you +will." + +"Nay, master, not till next sunrise," he returned. Edmund groaned. + +"But I cannot stay outside all night," he said. "Come, open the gate, +there's a good fellow." + +"I were like to lose my position if I did," answered the other. "I +cannot unless--," and he significantly jingled some coins in his +pocket. + +"Unless what?" + +The gatekeeper thought Edmund Wynne uncommonly dull of comprehension, +and with a little hesitation he suggested that it were surely worth a +trifle if he did break through the rule. + +"Here, here's a groat then," exclaimed the smith, bringing out his +last coin as he saw the other moving away. + +"Pooh, a sorry groat!" said the keeper, "Make it two, and then!" + +"But I must get in to-night," expostulated Edmund, "I have urgent +business with Sir Ronald Bury. It is important, it is a matter of the +State." + +At the mention of Sir Ronald's name the key was inserted in the lock, +and by the time the sentence was completed the great gate was swung +open, and the visitor found himself, to his great satisfaction, beyond +the barrier. + +"I was but jesting," humbly said the man as he re-locked the gate; +"for you must well know that we are not allowed to take bribes, though +where the harm of it would be, I confess I cannot see." + +Having succeeded in passing the barrier, Edmund did not stay to argue +the question with the gatekeeper. He turned his steps towards the +Castle, and in a very few minutes found himself at its embattled +entrance. + +The gates, of course, were fastened, but the bell-rope was hanging +down, so seizing hold of that he gave it a vigorous pull. + +"Holloa, my hearty, what's amiss?" asked a stentorian voice. "That's +the third summons to-night." + +"I want to see the constable of the Castle," replied the traveller. + +"Well, thou hadst better hie thee to London, and happen, if you're +lucky, you may find him there." + +"Sir Ronald at London!" exclaimed Edmund, in blank dismay. + +"Sir Ronald!" repeated the other. "No, the Earl of Rutland." + +"But Sir Ronald Bury?" + +"He's the deputy-constable." + +"Well, I would see him. Is he here?" + +"Yes, he is here," responded a gruff voice. "I am Sir Ronald; who art +thou? What dost thou require at this time o' night?" + +"I want to see thee privately, upon a matter of much importance," +answered the pseudo smith, somewhat annoyed not to be recognised by +his brother-in-law. + +"See if he has any weapons on him, Wilton," said the knight, "and let +him enter if there is no suspicion of foul play. It will go badly with +him, though, I trow, has he ventured here on no sufficient reason." + +Wilton approached him to obey his master's commands, but Edmund waved +him back by an imperious gesture of the arm. + +"Nay, cousin Ronald," he exclaimed in high dudgeon. "It is beyond a +joke to take matters so far. Ellice might well expect that a little +kinder treatment would have been extended to her brother at the hands +of her husband." + +"Eh, what! Are you Edmund; risen from the grave?" asked the knight in +high surprise. + +"I am Edmund, sure enough," was the reply, "but I have not risen +from the grave. I am not astrologer enough for that. This is a sorry +welcome, and no mistake." + +"Faith, man, how could I tell it were thee? We thought thee dead +twelve months agone. Come in, man, come in; there's no occasion for +thee to tarry there now. Let him in, Wilton, and be sure the gates are +well fastened to-night. Robert and Lucy will be right glad to see you +again," he said, "especially Little Robert, who has never forgotten +those little iron toys that you made for him two years ago." + +Edmund Wynne needed no second invitation. He hurried through the open +portals and the two walked up together towards the inhabited part of +the building. + +"This is indeed a strange surprise," began Sir Ronald, as soon as they +were out of danger of being overheard. "We felt sure that thou wast +dead, and have often thought of thee. Where hast thou been?" + +"Hiding in the country. I have been a village smith." + +"A smith!" cried the knight. "Then that fancy of yours for working +with metals has stood thee in good stead for once?" + +"It has indeed; but it was a base use withal." + +"Thou has been well hidden, for Her Majesty's servants have scoured +the country to discover your where-about." + +"I have been at Haddon in the Peak," he replied. + +"Haddon: phew! Do you know that arrogant knight, Sir George Vernon?" + +"Do I know him?" echoed Edmund. "Would to heaven I had never cast my +eyes upon him." + +"Ah! he has stung thee too, I perceive?" exclaimed Sir Ronald. "I hate +him like poison. It should go ill with him did I ever have the power. +I hear he is a Papist; cannot we prove aught against him on that +score?" and the excited knight wistfully regarded his companion's +face, waiting for a favourable reply. + +"I should like some supper first," drily suggested the toil-worn +traveller, "and then," he added, "I may satisfy your eagerness to the +fullest extent. I have a score of my own against him to clear off yet, +and, what is more to the point, Ronald, I have the power. It was for +that I came to visit you." + +"Ha!" ejaculated the knight, expectantly. "He can satisfy my craving +to the fullest extent," he mused. "This is fortunate." + +"Yes," continued Edmund, "we shall have him cited to London; he is +surely within our power. He hath grievously broken the law, and will +have to answer to the charge of murder and treason; and if we cannot +compass his ruin, then, between us, I have other ways, of which no man +knows." + +"Hush," said Sir Ronald. "That led thee into trouble aforetime. Here +is Lettice coming down the steps." + +"That is not Nicholas with her, surely?" exclaimed Edmund. + +"No, Nicholas has discarded us and turned monk, I hear, but where +he is I cannot tell. That is John Manners, the nephew of the Earl of +Rutland. He is after my Lucy, I trow." + +"Manners, Manners, John Manners," murmured Edmund; "I have heard that +name before. I have met him somewhere I am sure." + +"Well, hither he comes," said the knight; "now do you remember him?" + +As soon as Edmund caught sight of the young man's face he recognised +him. + +"Why," he exclaimed, "that's--I know him well enough: I have seen him +at Haddon." + +"At Haddon!" + +"Yes, let me hide myself; I would rather not meet him here; it were +better so for both of us. Where shall I go, tell me; quick?" + +"Steady, ho! steady, man," said the knight. "Hie thee back again to +the lodge and wait for me there. Wilton shall let you share his supper +if thou wilt. I will tell them you are a gardener if they ask aught +about thee," and in answer to the beckoning of his wife, Sir Ronald +left his newly-discovered relation and hastened across the green. + + + + +CHAPTER VI. + +DE LA ZOUCH INDULGES IN A LITTLE VILLANY. + + If I can do it + By aught that I can speak in his dispraise, + She shall not long continue love to him. + + SHAKESPEARE. + + +The Courtly hall of Haddon was never quiet for long together, and very +soon both the death of the witch and the warning of the locksmith +were forgotten amid the preparations which were being made for a grand +ball. Sir Thomas Stanley, having wooed Margaret, had successfully +petitioned the sanction and blessing of Sir George and Lady Vernon, +and the event was to celebrate their betrothal. + +The morning of the festive day had opened fair, and as the day sped +on, the guests rapidly assembled. De Lacey was there, delighting the +ladies, as usual, with his braggadocio. Manners and Crowleigh were +both there too, by special invitation, and, of course, cousin Benedict +a Woode, who made no scruple of inviting himself to Haddon Hall if by +any means his invitation had not come; and also, to Dorothy's great +disgust, Sir Henry de la Zouch was there. + +The musicians struck up a lively tune, and very soon the steaming +boar's head was placed upon the table. Father Philip pronounced a very +long benediction, and the singing of an old Latin rhyme beginning-- + + "Caput apri defero," + +announced that the feast had commenced in earnest. The venison pasties +of Margaret's make disappeared with a truly marvellous rapidity, while +Dorothy's confections had a very short lease of life, and fared no +better, either because they were nice or that Dorothy was the maker of +them. + +"Pass round the wine," hailed the baron, "and drink to the health of +the ladies of Haddon Hall." + +"Hurrah!" vociferously replied the guests, "to the health of the +ladies of Haddon." + +"But stay; what's the matter with Master Manners?" asked De la Zouch, +whose eagle eye had discovered that HIS tankard was not upraised with +the rest. "A discourteous guest, upon my troth." + +"May I drink it in water?" asked Manners, as he felt the eyes of his +host fixed sternly upon him. + +"Nay, you must have the wine, sir," replied Sir George, "but whether +it goes down your throat or your arm makes little matter," and as he +spoke he pointed to the iron ring fastened in the door post ready for +such contingencies. + +"I suppose the arm must have it, then," he replied, "for I am sworn to +taste no wine until I have performed a solemn vow." + +"Waste good wine!" exclaimed De Lacey, as he gazed in blank +astonishment at the speaker; "what a pity." + +"Have you forsworn ale too?" asked Dorothy. + +"No, only wine, sweet demoiselle," replied Manners, smiling as he +caught the drift of the question. + +"Then fill his glass with ale," commanded Doll, "and drink the toast +without delay." + +This happy suggestion was loudly applauded, and the healths were drunk +off amid acclamation, the only one who did not heartily join in it +being Sir Henry de la Zouch, who was annoyed to find that his +petty attempt to spite his rival had failed, and that, too, by the +intervention of Dorothy herself. + +"Confound it all," he muttered, "he shall not escape me like this. +Eustace." + +"Did you call?" asked the page, bending down. + +"Yes," whispered De la Zouch. "Listen, you remember the Derby +packman?" + +"Aye, too well, I do." + +"Nonsense," he replied, softly; "Master Manners killed him." + +"Oh!" gasped the astounded page. + +"Remember," added his master, "it was Manners." + +"Yes, Master John Manners," repeated Eustace. + +"Hush, that is all. A little more of that delicious jelly of yours, +sweet Dorothy," he added in a louder tone as he turned round again to +the table. + +Whilst the feast was progressing, De la Zouch was pondering the +fittest way of broaching the topic which lay so heavily upon his mind. +Sir Thomas Stanley had won the elder sister, he argued, why should he +not win the younger? He clearly saw that Dorothy was receding from his +grasp, and that the longer he delayed, the fainter grew his chance of +success. Lady Vernon daily grew less favourable too, he noticed, and +so without delay he resolved to ask Dorothy for her hand. The present +occasion was most propitious, and he determined to carry his plan into +operation at once. + +When the meal was ended--and that was not very soon--the company broke +up into little parties and separated, to amuse themselves in whatever +fashion they liked best. Margaret, as the heroine of the day, was +surrounded by a number of knights and ladies, who contentedly watched +her as she played at chess with Benedict. Sir John de Lacey racked his +brains to the uttermost in order to sufficiently garnish the veracious +little scraps of his own autobiography, and succeeded both in making +the group around him open their eyes wide with surprise, and at the +same time in making his listeners roar with laughter. + +A marvellous hero was Sir John. He had been the ruling spirit in more +than one Continental Court during his one brief sojourn in France. He +had slain dragons, in different parts of the globe, in numbers enough +to make St. George turn green with envy; and only his excessive +modesty has prevented his name from being handed down to posterity. + +Manners, naturally enough, joined Dorothy's party, and went out upon +the lawn to take part in a game at bowls. + +"Dear me, how careless I am to-day," she exclaimed; "there are six of +us, and I have only brought four balls; I must fetch some more," and +she started to go back. + +"Let me go," said Manners. + +"You," replied Doll, "you could never find them; I will go, and you +must entertain the ladies while I am away," and she tripped across the +green to the Hall. + +"Ha, Doll, dearest," said a voice, as she turned the corner of the +terrace, "I have been searching for thee." + +Dorothy turned round and met the gaze of Sir Henry de la Zouch. + +"For me!" she exclaimed, without pausing. + +"Nay, prithee, now don't hurry so," he replied, catching hold of her +arm, "I would ask thee a weighty question." + +"But I am in a great hurry," she replied. + +"Then I shall not keep thee long, but thou canst stay a little while, +surely?" + +"Indeed, I cannot, Sir Henry," she replied. "There are some visitors +awaiting my return." + +"John Manners for one," sneered the knight. + +Dorothy blushed deeply, and bit her lip to repress the sharp retort +which came readily to her tongue. Sir Henry saw that he had committed +an error, and he endeavoured to recover his position. + +"Sir Thomas has wooed thy sister Margaret," he exclaimed, "and I have +long been wooing thee, and now the time has come when I am to offer +you my hand." + +Dorothy struggled to get away, but her suitor held her fast. + +"Nay, cruel one," he continued, "I must have an answer. I shall be +an earl in good time, perchance, and if you will but say 'aye' to my +proposal you may be a countess--think of it, Dorothy, a countess--and +the hostess of Ashby Castle." + +He let go his hold of her, and dropping down upon his knee, he +raised his clasped hand in the most approved fashion of the time, and +continued his suit. + +"Dorothy," he went on, "will you--?" + +"Never," she replied, cutting him short in the middle of his speech, +and, finding herself at liberty, she rushed precipitately into the +Hall. + +De la Zouch gazed after her in mute astonishment, and, staggered as he +was, he remained in the same position until he was startled by a voice +behind him. + +"At prayers, sir knight?" asked the baron. "Father Phillip's grace at +the table was long enough to serve me through the day." + +"No, Sir George," replied the crestfallen lover, "I have been pleading +my suit with Dorothy." + +"And what said she?" + +"She is bashful." + +"What! My Doll bashful? That were hardly polite to thee, methinks." + +"Perchance I should have more success with thee?" pleaded Sir Henry, +as pathetically as he could. + +"Let us withdraw into the bower, then," replied Sir George, "we can +talk it over there, and we shall not be disturbed. Ha! here comes Lady +Vernon, she will know what to do." + +Lady Vernon came up at the bidding of her lord. The lover would fain +have seen Sir George alone, but there was no help for it, and he had +to brave the circumstances with the best grace possible. + +"Maude, we must take your counsel," began the baron. "Sir Henry de la +Zouch would take advantage of to-day's festivity to ask for the hand +of Doll. What think you; can we spare her too, as well as Margaret? We +should lose them both together then. What dost thou advise?" + +"That depends upon many things," replied the stately dame, as she +seated herself. "Dorothy would be a splendid match for anybody. What +has Sir Henry to say?" + +"I hope to be an earl soon," he replied, "and she would be a countess +as you will. My father is infirm, he cannot live much longer, and +I expect news of his death from Florence every day. And as for the +estates, though they may not be equal to those of Haddon, yet they are +by no means insignificant." + +Dame Vernon knew all this, and the knowledge of it had influenced her +before; but lately she had heard ill tidings of Sir Henry, and she +was by no means so enthusiastic on his behalf. And, besides, a fresh +competitor had entered the lists. + +"Humph," growled the old knight, "we don't want to sell the girl." + +"Be quiet, Sir George," interrupted his worthy spouse. "The thing must +be done properly. Does Ashby Castle fall to your share, sir knight?" +she asked. + +"Certainly. To whom else should it go?" + +"Have you spoken to Doll about it?" continued the dame. + +"She is too dutiful a daughter to commit herself without the consent +of her parents," answered De la Zouch. "But I doubt not, that when +once again you have spoken to her, I shall speedily be rewarded with +success." + +"Ay," exclaimed Sir George, "Doll was ever a dutiful child." + +"She would bow to our will, anyway," replied Lady Vernon, "but I think +she has another suitor. We must think the matter well over ere we +settle anything." + +"Another suitor," laughed the baron; "why there are scores of them." + +"Ah, you see, Sir Henry, the baron has not the quick, discerning eye +of a mother--or a love either," she added shyly. "Bless his innocence, +he knows naught of it yet. Sir George, I trust Master Manners is a +trusty young man?" + +"John Manners is goodly enough, forsooth, for aught I trow," returned +the King of the Peak, reflectively. "Aye, and a likely enough young +man, too!" + +"But Manners cannot seek the hand of so guileless a maiden as sweet +Dorothy," interrupted the dismayed lover. "His hands are stained with +blood." + +"A soldier should do his duty," quickly returned Sir George." + +"But he is a murderer!" + +"That is a bold statement, De la Zouch, to make against a guest of +mine," exclaimed the baron quickly, "and I fear an thou persist in it +that it will prove awkward for thee if thou canst not prove it, and +worse still for him if it be true." + +"Are you certain of it?" asked Lady Maude. + +"I have a witness," was the calm reply. + +"Then by my halidame," quoth the irate knight, "as I'm a justice +o' the peace, he shall be faced with the offence. When was it +perpetrated?" + +"At the hawking party." + +"What, here at Haddon?" + +"You don't mean the pedlar, surely?" inquired Lady Vernon. + +"Aye, but I do; he was murdered in the wood." + +"Tut," angrily exclaimed Sir George, "'tis all a tale, and I for one +don't believe a word of it. The witch killed him, and was punished for +it too." + +"But I saw it," stubbornly returned Sir Henry, "and I have a witness; +one who saw it done." + +"We tried Dame Durden by the ordeal, an she was found guilty and +hanged," persisted the baron. "And, beshrew me, that's enough for any +man"; and the Lord of Haddon reverently crossed himself to show that +the trial had had the approval of his conscience. + +"But," urged De le Zouch, "I tell you I saw it done myself, and I am +ready to prove it any way you choose." + +"Come now, Sir George," interrupted Lady Vernon, "the trial may for +once have led us astray, as it did in the case of Thomas Bayford +sixteen years ago. Doubtless Mary Durden got no more than she +deserved, and mayhap she was punished for deeds we wot not of. +Perchance Master Manners would not deny the charge if he were here, +and faith! I remember me now that Margaret did say he was left behind +with Dorothy, and then Doll left him and galloped on." + +"Yes, that was it," Sir Henry said, "and Eustace, who was left behind, +saw them quarrelling and fetched me back to stay the strife." + +"Well, prithee now, go on," exclaimed the knight. "You saw him killed, +and said naught?" + +"No." + +"And let me hang another for it. Truly, 'tis a right noble way to +treat a host." + +"Nay, you are too hard upon me. I thought he was but thrashing +the knave, and as that was no affair of mine I left him to it, but +afterwards his body was found in exactly the same spot. I was away +when the ordeal was performed, else I had told thee what I had seen. +Eustace will bear me out in all I have told you; question him for +yourselves. But now, if you still think well enough of Master Manners +to mate him with the peerless Dorothy, I am sorry alike for her and +your vows of knighthood." + +"Come that is right enough," exclaimed the dame, "and Master Manners +has not denied the accusation yet." + +"Then he shall soon have the opportunity," said the baron, "for hither +he comes; he could not have come at a readier moment." + +John Manners had waited a long time for Dorothy's return, and now, +half fearing that some accident had befallen her, he had willingly +acceded to the request of the ladies and had set forth to find her. +Hearing voices in the house, he approached it to pursue his inquiries, +when the watchful eye of Sir George Vernon immediately espied him. + +"Pardon my intrusion," exclaimed Manners, "but I am in search +of Mistress Dorothy. She left us to fetch some balls and has not +returned." + +"Hie, man," interrupted Sir George, "we have a serious charge +preferred against thee; thou art just come right to answer it." + +"Have I been stealing some fair maiden's heart?" he laughingly +inquired. + +"Nay, listen! 'tis a charge of murder; but I tell thee frankly, I +don't believe a word of it." + +"A charge of murder," echoed Manners blankly, "a charge of murder, and +against me! This is past endurance, 'tis monstrous! Whom have I slain, +I pray thee tell me?" + +"The Derby packman," promptly returned De la Zouch, "and thou knowest +I saw thee do it." + +"You lie. I never saw the man until he was dead. Thou shalt prove thy +words, Sir Henry de la Zouch," returned the esquire, "or I shall have +thee branded as a knave. There is some cause for this, Sir George," +he added, turning to the baron, "of which I am in ignorance. I am the +victim of some plot." + +"Like enough, like enough," returned the baron, sympathetically. "Then +you deny the charge? I knew De la Zouch was wrong. The ordeal--" + +"But I saw him myself, and so did Eustace," stuck out the disappointed +lover; "and Margaret remembers that Master Manners was left behind." + +"And for the matter of that, so were you," said Sir George sharply. + +"And Eustace is but a page who must, perforce, obey his master's will +in everything," continued Manners. "Crowleigh was with me all the day, +save when I went back to Mistress Dorothy. How tallies that with your +account, eh?" + +"That was precisely the time it occurred, and bears me out in all that +I have said," glibly responded the scion of the house of Zouch. "It +all but proves his guilt, Sir George." + +"Nay, not so much as that," quoth Lady Maude; "but since it cannot be +agreed upon, I should advise you to let the matter drop." + +"Stop," exclaimed Manners. "If De la Zouch has a spark of honour left +within him he will step out and measure swords with me, for by my +troth I swear he will have to render me the satisfaction my honour +demands." + +This was by no means to the taste of the knight of Ashby. He had not +calculated for such a course as this; but, fortunately for him, Lady +Vernon spoke, and unwittingly released him from his difficulty. + +"Nay, not before me," she said, "and on so festal a day as this." + +"As you will it," said De la Zouch, assuming an air of injured +dignity. + +"They must settle it in true old knightly fashion at the tourney," +exclaimed Sir George decisively. + +"Since you command it I suppose I must obey," replied Sir Henry; "but +I had rather not have stained my weapons with the blood of so foul a +caitiff." + +"You will be good enough to leave me to decide that matter," said the +baron testily. + +"Then, by St. George, I shall be ready," replied Manners. "I am as +well born as he, and can give him a lesson or two in good breeding, +besides showing him a trick or two with the sword that I learned in +the Netherlands. In the meantime I disdain him as a dog;" and boiling +over with rage the maligned esquire left the little group and stalked +across the terrace to rejoin the ladies on the green. + + + + +CHAPTER VII. + +DOROTHY OVERHEARS SOMETHING. + + The cruel word her heart so tender thrilled, + That sudden cold did run through every vein; + And stoney horror all her senses filled + With dying fit, that down she fell for pain. + + SPENSER. + + +And, meanwhile, where was the innocent cause of this disturbance? + +Dorothy had been half expecting some such course of action on the +part of De la Zouch for some time past, and had carefully prepared +a stinging answer which should once and for ever decide the question +between them. Though she was petted and admired on almost every hand, +yet she had sense enough to value such conduct at its proper worth; +and whilst with the coquetry of a queen of hearts she accepted all the +homage that love-sick cavaliers brought to her, she looked below the +surface, and had a private opinion of her own about all those with +whom she was brought into contact. + +Her opinion of Sir Henry de la Zouch was distinctly unfavourable to +that knight; for, with the instinct of a woman, she had divined from +the very beginning that his motives were more mercenary than genuine, +and in spite of all his protestations of love towards her, he had +failed to convince her that he loved her for herself alone. A little +watching on her part had quickly convinced her that the dislike she +felt for him was not without sufficient reason, and as the evidence +against him accumulated, she congratulated herself that she had +escaped the clutches of a villain of so wily a disposition. + +Long before the appearance of John Manners she had determinedly +refused all the advances of her would-be lover, and his every attempt +had been met by her with chilling sarcasm; or, were she in a lighter +mood, she had retreated into safer ground under cover of a burst of +merriment. Had De la Zouch been possessed of ordinary perceptions he +would have noticed that his conduct was alienating Dorothy from him +more and more; but, like many others, he was so eager to gain his ends +that he was partially blind as to the means employed. + +The manner in which Sir Henry had just preferred his suit had taken +her so completely by surprise that she had entirely forgotten what she +meant to say; but the indignation she felt at his conduct in +detaining her against her will would have deprived her of the power +of expressing the prettily turned speech so long prepared, even if she +had remembered it. She fled into the house, and without casting a look +behind to see if she were being pursued or not, she rushed through the +deserted state chambers and never stopped until she found herself in +her own room and had turned the key in the lock. + +She flung herself down upon the bed, and her overwrought feelings +found relief in tears. How long she would have so remained would be +impossible to say, but she had barely succeeded in locking herself in +when she was startled by a gentle rap at the door. + +She stopped her sobbing and listened. Surely De la Zouch would never +venture to follow her to her own boudoir! No, it was incredible, and +she dismissed the idea. + +The silence was broken only by a second rap at the door. It was too +gentle for Sir Henry, it must be her tire-maid, Lettice, or her sister +Margaret, maybe. She rose up, and in a tremulous voice inquired who +was there. + +"It is I, Lettice, your maid," replied a gentle voice. + +Lettice was of all people just the one whom she stood in need of most +at such a moment, so she unfastened the door and let her in. + +"My lady is troubled," exclaimed the maid, as she entered. "Is there +aught that I may do for thee?" + +"Oh, Lettice," she sobbed, as the tears chased each other down her +cheeks in quick succession, "see that he does not come. Stop him, keep +him outside. Don't let him come to me." + +"Who, my lady, whom shall I stop? No one dare follow thee here." + +Dorothy returned no answer, she was trembling all over with +excitement; she fell upon the bed and wept, while the sympathetic +Lettice could only look on in silence, and wonder what it all meant. + +"My lady is troubled," she repeated at length. "Someone has been +frightening thee. Tell me who it was! Who is it thou art feared would +try to come at thee here?" + +Still there was no answer. + +"You ran through the hall," the maid went on, "just like a frightened +hare, and cast never a look at one of us, and now--the saints preserve +us, thou look'st as if thou hadst seen the ghost of Mary Durden." + +"Was he following me, Lettice?" asked Dorothy, raising her head from +the pillow. "Was he there?" + +"Following thee, no. Who's he? There was no one else went through." + +"I thought he was close behind." + +"Who?" + +"De la Zouch." + +"Sir Henry de la Zouch!" repeated the maid. "'Tis he then who has been +treating thee so ill. Were he not a noble, my Will should thrash him +soundly for daring to offend so sweet a lady." + +"Take these balls to Master Manners, Lettice," said her mistress, +composing herself as well as she was able. "You will find him waiting +for them on the bowling green. Tell him I will rejoin him soon." + +Lettice unfastened the door and disappeared down the passage in +obedience to the command whilst Dorothy re-arranged her disordered +head-dress, hesitating the while whether to venture out again or to +stay within doors. + +Ere she had decided which course to take, Lettice returned. Her face +was deeply flushed and her manner unusually agitated. + +"Why, what's the matter?" asked Dorothy. "Has he assailed thee, too?" + +"He is telling the baron such a tale," replied the maid. "He says thou +lovest him, and he is asking Sir George and my lady for thy hand. O, +Dorothy, believe me, 'tis only that thou art so fair and so rich that +he seeks thee, and when he has thy gold and the bloom of thy beauty +begins to fade (which God forfend!) he will care naught for thee, and +leave thee for another." + +"I know it, Lettice." + +"They are in the little bower, and I could hear everything," pursued +the maid. "That De la Zouch is jealous of another, and is seeking to +get him out of the way. He says that Master Manners killed the pedlar, +and 'fore heaven, we all know it was the witch." + +"Master Manners?" echoed Dorothy. + +"Yes," returned the maid, "and he says he can prove it, but the good +knight, your father, won't believe him. Master Manners denies it, of +course--but lack-a-day, what ails thee now? Thou art as white as the +veriest ghost!" + +"'Tis nothing," replied Doll, as she sank down into a chair. "I am a +trifle faint; give me some water, Lettice." + +"Nay, but it is something," returned the other, as she speedily +complied with her mistress's behest. "Thou canst not throw me off like +that. Come, my good lady, tell me what it is; there are few things you +hide from me." + +"There is nothing to tell you, Lettice," she replied, "but prithee go +on; what did Sir Henry de la Zouch make answer?" + +"He said he had a witness, but I had to hasten away, for I heard +footsteps approaching; but come, I can read your secret; Master +Manners will make a worthy knight." + +"Keep such thoughts to thyself, Lettice," Dorothy blushingly replied. + +"Trust me," said the maid, with a toss of her pretty head. "I will do +thy bidding; but faith! you will be a comely pair." + +"Hush, or I shall be angry with thee. I tell thee he has said naught +yet." + +"And I tell thee, Mistress Dorothy," returned Lettice, "he is head and +ears in love with thee. I would stake my troth on it; there!" + +"I wish it were so," sighed Dorothy, "for I love him dearly." + +"It is so, assuredly it is," replied her companion, decisively. "Let +me give him a hint, my lady." + +"No, Lettice, not another word; don't breathe it to a soul unless I +bid thee." + +"My Will could do it," continued the other, "an you would but let him +try. He can do anything that way, Will can." + +"Be quiet, Lettice; and mind you take care of your tongue. No one must +even so much as guess at the truth; there, begone." + +"Happen you would like to see if they have settled the matter?" +suggested the tire-maid; "let us go and see." + +Dorothy willingly agreed, and away they went through room after room, +until at last Lettice stopped. + +"Let me open the window," she said; "we shall hear better here than +anywhere else," and she stepped upon a chair and silently pushed the +latticed window open. The balmy breeze came pouring into the room, +bringing in with it the sound of the conversation from outside. + +"That's splendid," she said. "Now, my lady, listen." + +"I tell you it's of no use, Sir Henry. I don't believe a word of it." + +"Nevertheless, Sir George, it's perfectly true." + +"Well, I cannot believe it," returned the baron, sharply, "but all +the same, you will have to fight him now. We shall make quite a grand +affair of it; 'tis a rare long time since there was a tournament at +Haddon." + +"I had rather it passed off quietly," suggested De la Zouch, who was +by no means confident of his own prowess in a stern contest with naked +weapons. "It is only by thy direct command that I have consented to +enter the lists to fight him. 'Tis more a case for the assize than for +thee. Sir George, and I have my honour to maintain." + +"You must let that remain with me," replied the baron. "Eustace is +but a page, and as Manners rightly enough pointed out, his word would +count for little in such a circumstance. But apart from all such +considerations, I flatly tell you, Sir Henry, that I don't for a +minute think him guilty. The ordeal--" + +"Tut, bother the ordeal," broke in De la Zouch, who was rapidly losing +control of his temper. "Then you doubt me?" + +"You are rash, sir knight," interrupted Lady Maude. "You do not do +proper justice to the baron." + +"Hark! what's that?" whispered Lettice, "There's someone coming." + +"Inside?" + +"No, don't you hear them coming on the gravel?" + +"Listen," exclaimed Doll, nervously, "'twas but Eustace, the page, +stealing away; he's been playing eavesdropper." + +"Like us," laughed the maid. + +"Hush! Sir Henry is talking. How excited he is. Listen." + +"I humbly crave his pardon then, fair lady. When shall I learn what +fate you have in store for me?" + +"Not till after the tournament, at least," promptly replied Lady +Vernon. + +"And that will be--prithee when?" + +"This day week, and in the meantime I would advise you as a friend to +practise well with your arms," and, added the baron with grim humour, +"say your prayers day by day, Sir Henry, for Manners has not fought in +the Netherlands for naught." + +"Then I shall present myself before you, Lady Vernon, at the +conclusion of the tourney," he loftily replied, "and I will have my +answer then." + +"If so be, that is, that there be aught left of thee to come," +supplemented Sir George, considerably nettled at the other's tone, +"for I hear that Manners is terrible with the sword." + +"Thank you, sir baron," was the proud retort, "but I have learnt +ere now how to hold the lance, and can wield the mace;" and without +deigning to cast a look behind him he strode away in an ill humour +with himself and everybody else, to scowl in silence at the group of +merrymakers on the green. + +"There, a pretty lover!" exclaimed Dorothy, as her suitor walked away, +"but I have given him his answer." + +"Hush, my lady," whispered the maid. + +"We shall be able to get it all arranged for a week to-day, and you +shall be queen of the tourney, Maude, if it so please you." + +"I, Sir George? I indeed!" replied the dame. "Pooh! my queening days +are gone. It must be either Margaret or Dorothy." + +"Fancy," whispered Lattice, "you the queen of the tournament!" + +"Hush!" + +"But I hear he is likely to lose the Ashby estates. Think of that, Sir +George; think of that. He would be a poor man directly." + +"Why, how?" + +"The Ashby estates were forfeited to the De la Zouches, but King Henry +granted them back before he died, and I hear they are like to go at +last." + +"It were a pity for Sir Henry, but in truth, Maude, I like him not." + +"Pooh, nonsense! He wants none of our pity, but I tell thee Dorothy is +too good a match to throw away upon him." + +"Perhaps so, Maude," replied the baron; "it may be so, but I shall +be much mistaken if, after the tournament, he is able to ask for her +again, but if he does I will refer him to you." + +"That will do, Lettice," said Dorothy. "I have heard quite sufficient. +Shut the window; I will go now and see how they are faring on the +bowling green. I have a lighter heart now." And followed by a "God +speed you" from her maid, she opened the door and passed out of the +room. + + + + +CHAPTER VIII. + +A TOURNAMENT. THE COMBAT. + + At this the challenger, with fierce defy, + His trumpet sounds; the challenged makes reply. + + DRYDEN. + + +Grass did not grow beneath the feet of the good people of Haddon +during the week which ensued. Inside the Hall everything was in +confusion and disorder. Rooms were being emptied of hangings which had +lain undisturbed repose for many a long year, and everybody was eager +to bring to light such old relics of previous tourneys which had ever +taken place there as could be discovered outside, and the stir was not +one whit less. The level sward through which the Wye rippled on its +way to join the Derwent, having once been selected as the battle +ground, was immediately transformed from a scene of lovely rustic +peacefulness to a very pandemonium of noisy workmen, out of which +slowly evolved tents and pavilions for the accommodation of the +numerous visitors who were expected to witness the struggle. + +The news had spread far and wide, and a large number of persons, +attracted by the well-known splendour and hospitality of the King of +the Peak, as well as by the desire to witness the rare exhibition of +a tournament, which was now about extinct, assembled at Haddon as the +time appointed for the fray drew nigh. + +At length the eventful morning dawned. Everything was fully prepared. +The white tents, with their fluttering pennons of many lines, occupied +one side of the ground; the balconies, decked with their brightly +coloured hangings, faced them from the other side, and a slightly +elevated platform, upon which was the throne for the queen of the +tourney, filled one end, while the other was left open for such of the +neighbouring villagers as liked to come. + +Long before the appointed hour the space had been filled up by eager +sightseers. Men and women, lads and lasses, old folk and young, +all alike were there, tricked out in holiday attire. Not a coign of +vantage was lost sight of, and every tree which might reasonably have +been expected to yield a glimpse of the scene was crowded by rustics, +eager to gaze upon so rare an exhibition. Behind all rose the grey old +towers of the Hall, which presented a very picturesque appearance as +the sun flashed upon its turrets, and its flags waved to and fro in +the gentle breeze. Haddon had witnessed many stirring scenes before, +but surely never a more brilliant one than was about to be enacted. + +Jousts were divided into two classes. The "joust a plaisir" was a mere +knightly display of skill, and was fought with weapons, the edges of +which were dulled; but the other, the "joust a l'outrance," was of +a far more dangerous kind. Lances, swords, and even, occasionally, +mace-like weapons with sharp spikes were used, and it rarely happened +that serious injuries did not result, while not unfrequently it was +accompanied by a fatal termination. + +Additional interest was attached to this tournament, inasmuch as it +was of the latter class, and when the sound of the herald's trumpets +was heard, a shout of admiration went up from the assemblage, as the +gates swung open and the party descended from the Hall; and round +after round of praise was accorded by the crowd as the cavalcade +wended its way through it, and took up its allotted position in the +tents and on the balconies. + +Without waiting any time Dorothy seated herself upon the throne, and +giving the signal to commence by waving a dainty little flag, the +trumpeters took it up and blew a loud blast upon their instruments. + +This was the summons for the combatants to appear, and amid the +tumultuous greetings of the whole assembly, Manners and De la Zouch +came forward from either side of the balcony, and each, well protected +with armour, stood leaning upon his charger while the herald read +aloud the order of the King of the Peak, by whose command the tourney +was held. + +Having read it out, this functionary retired with all the grace +and speed at his command; the trumpet sounded again, and the two +assailants leapt simultaneously into the saddle. A minute later the +galloping rush, the sound of contending horsemen, and the noise of +shivering lances told the outsiders that the conflict had begun. + +So terrible was the shock as the two met together in the centre of +the ring that it seemed utterly impossible that either of them could +recover from it, but after the first thrust and parry they each passed +on, apparently uninjured, and wheeling their horses around, with +lances couched they paused to spy out a weak point in the other's +defence. + +Every breath was hushed, and every eye was strained, to the uttermost +as the anxious onlookers stood on tiptoe to follow every movement of +the competitors. + +But neither the knight nor the esquire appeared to be particularly +eager to commence the struggle. Each waited for the other to advance, +and for a moment or two they stood perfectly still, keenly regarding +each other through the bars of their visors. + +"They are not going to fight, Sir George," exclaimed De Lacey, in +piteous, tones, "and I've come all this weary way to see the sport." + +"Never fear, Sir John," replied the baron cheerily, "you'll see +sport enough soon; they will begin directly, but they don't know each +other's mettle yet." + +Even as he spoke Manners rode forward and the conflict was renewed. + +Sir Henry de la Zouch was famous at the London schools for his +brilliant lance play, and many of his friends had accepted his +invitation to witness his triumph; but, although it was anticipated +that he would win easily enough with that weapon, it was feared by his +well-wishers that unless he succeeded in placing his combatant hors +de combat then, his chance of doing so with the sword would be +considerably less. + +De la Zouch himself knew this, although he would not own it, and it +made him cautious. For a long time he stood carefully upon his guard, +but at last, espying a favourable opportunity, he darted a fierce +blow at the vizor of his opponent, hoping it would pierce the bars and +transfix itself there. It was a well-aimed thrust, and almost proved +successful, but, unfortunately for De la Zouch, Manners unwittingly +foiled him by rising in his saddle at the same time to deliver a +similar blow at him, and instead of receiving the lance upon his +helmet, he caught it in the very centre of his breast-plate. Still +the blow was delivered with so powerful a stroke that, standing in the +stirrups as Manners was, it completely upset his balance, and he fell +over. + +A great shout rose up at this feat, but Dorothy turned her face aside, +fearing that he whom she loved was stricken down never to rise again, +and wishing, for the fiftieth time, that she was in her own chamber, +peacefully occupied in stitching at her tapestry. + +But the shout was broken off suddenly--to be succeeded the next moment +by another, louder and more prolonged, for, although taken unawares +and overturned, Manners put into execution a trick he had learned in +Holland, and sliding under the belly of the horse, he nimbly swung +himself up by the girths on the other side, and reseated himself in +the saddle, much to the astonishment of De la Zouch, who imagined +he had unhorsed him, and much to the delight of the audience, which +greeted him with plaudits again and again renewed. + +"See!" exclaimed De Lacey, with eyes wide open with astonishment, +"where's he come from?" + +"Never saw a neater thing in my life," replied Sir George, enraptured +at the trick. "Look now!" + +Sir John looked as he was bidden, and saw the astounded De la Zouch +receive a stinging blow on his arm from his opponent ere he had +recovered from his surprise. + +As the lances of both were now broken, the trumpet sounded, and the +combatants, nothing loth, rode off for a few minutes' rest, and a +fresh supply of weapons. + +The latter having been procured, they very quickly renewed the +struggle, and this time De la Zouch had better fortune, for just as +the bugles were sounding for them to cease he pierced the joint of +Manners' armour, and inflicted a nasty flesh wound upon his elbow. + +As the latter would not own himself vanquished, even at Dorothy's +request, the conflict was resumed, and this time with swords, and here +the inferiority of De la Zouch was soon apparent. Though he was no +mean swordsman, yet his opponent was far more than a match for him, +and blow after blow was rained down upon him, whilst on his own part +Sir Henry was too busily engaged in defending himself to attempt to +act on the offensive. He was hard pressed, and it was fortunate indeed +for him when the signal was given which called upon them both to +desist awhile, in order to gain fresh breath, and to put to rights, as +far as they were able, the damages they had already received. + +The interval was filled up by the shouts of the onlookers, who now +made up for their previous silence by loudly criticising the deeds +of their respective champion, and vociferously calling out their +particular favourite worthless instructions how to proceed when the +conflict was continued. + +Eustace stood ready to receive his master, and give him cordials +wherein to reinvigorate his nerves, while Crowleigh was in waiting in +lieu of a page, to bathe his friend's wounds with water. + +The sight of blood, which slowly trickled from Manners' arm, reminded +a Woode that he was a doctor, and, leaping from his seat, he clambered +over the balcony and rushed across the arena to where the wounded +esquire was standing. + +"Let me see it," he cried. "This must be stopped at once. Sir Henry, I +declare you the winner of the----" + +"Hold there," cried Manners, "I have not yielded yet." + +"Leave him alone, Sir Benedict," added Crowleigh. "He will make a +sorry example of De la Zouch even yet." + +"But," persisted the old knight, "I declare----" + +His speech was rudely cut short, for with a yell of pain he darted off +across the arena, closely followed by a huge mastiff, whose tail he +had been unfortunate enough to tread upon. + +With the doctor out of the way the conflict was speedily renewed. It +was a terrible combat. De la Zouch, intent on ridding himself of +his adversary, declared he would give no quarter, and, altering his +tactics, he hewed and lunged away with all the temerity of a man who +fights for death or victory. + +Manners' superiority with the sword, however, was so apparent that +after the restarting of the contest the final issue of it was never +for a moment doubted, not even by the veriest tyro present. Sir +Henry's wild thrusts were parried with consummate ease, and while the +knight's sword moved hither and thither with lightning-like rapidity, +the trusty blade of the other moved equally quick, but with far more +certainty. + +He waited until De la Zouch began to tire before he exerted himself. +The time came at last, and then with a few quick strokes he laid his +foeman before him on the ground. + +"Strike!" shouted a score of voices. "Strike!" + +The victor uplifted his sword, and poised it high above his head to +bring it down with all his might. The people waited with throbbing +hearts to witness the stroke which should finish the combat, but +instead of striking Manners paused and turned round. + +"Strike, man, strike!" yelled a chorus of onlookers. + +Humbly bowing before Dorothy, he magnanimously declared that the fate +of his rival rested with her. + +"'Tis a tournament, not a murder," decided Doll promptly; "you have +proved your cause, and if your foe will yield we are ready to spare +him." + +Amid the plaudits of the crowd, Manners bowed low upon his knee, +kissed the hand held graciously out towards him. He murmured his +perfect acquiescence to her will, and was about to pass out of the +ring, an easy victor, when a horseman rode in, and without in anyway +announcing himself, he sprang off his horse and scanned the company. + +"What does this fellow want?" growled Sir George, as with knitted +eyebrows he scrutinised the intruder. "Thou art a Royal messenger," he +added, turning to the man, who had advanced until he stood before the +baron. + +There was little sympathy between the Court at London and the King of +the Peak, and the baron surmised little good from the arrival of the +courtier. As the latter urged his horse through the crowd, and entered +the arena, Sir George anticipated trouble. + +"I want the King of the Peak," replied the new comer. + +"I am Sir George Vernon." + +"Then," replied the other, "I deliver into thine hand this summons, +which cites thee to appear at Westminster to answer the charge of +slaying Mary Durden." + +The baron started with surprise, and thought for a moment of laying +violent hands upon the man, but a moment's reflection convinced him of +the unwisdom of such an act. + +"And if I refuse to come," he doggedly said, "what then?" + +"Then you do so at your peril," he replied, and leaping again upon +his horse, he departed as suddenly as he had appeared, leaving the +awe-stricken assembly to disperse with much less pleasure than they +had anticipated from the scene of such an exciting exhibition of manly +prowess. + + + + +CHAPTER IX. + +AT THE COCK TAVERN, LONDON. + + London! the needy villain's general home, + The common sewer of Paris and of Rome. + Here malice, rapine, accident conspire, + And now a rabble rages, now a fire; + Their ambush mere relentless villains lay, + And here the fell attorney prowls for prey. + + JOHNSON. + + +Five days after the tournament had taken place, two travellers reined +in their steeds at the gates of the Cock Hostelry, just within the +Temple Bar. They were dusty with hard riding, and evidently in no good +humour with themselves nor with anyone with whom they were brought +into contact--a result doubtless attributable to the discomforts of a +long journey on roads rough enough to try the patience of any man. + +The elder of the two, throwing the reins upon his horse's neck, +alighted, and leaving the ostler to take the steed away, he strode +quickly into the inn without uttering a word. The young man, however, +got off his saddle in a more leisurely fashion, and before he followed +his companion he proceeded to the stable to see that the horses were +properly attended to. + +"The old man is a trifle out of sorts," the ostler ventured to remark, +as they entered the yard together. + +"Perchance so," returned the other, "but that is no affair of thine; +but an you keep good care of his horse he will think well of thee." + +"Yes, yes; certainly!" replied the man, grinning. "I always look well +after gentlemen's horses, I do. You'll not be wanting them in the +morning, I suppose? + +"Yes, no; that is--I don't think we shall, but anyway you had better +have them in readiness, we may possibly want them for the return +journey to-morrow: tend them well;" and leaving a few final +instructions, Sir Thomas Stanley, for he it was, passed out of the +stables and entered the parlour of the inn. + +Sir George Vernon was so engrossed in poring over a document which +lay stretched out on the table before him that he did not notice +the approach of his friend, and it was not until the latter inquired +whether the meal was already ordered that the baron looked up and saw +him. + +"Oh, it's you," he exclaimed; "yes, we shall fall to directly; but I +want you just to look at this first." + +"What is it," inquired Stanley, "the summons again?" + +"The summons, of course," replied Sir George, as he thrust it into the +other's hands. + +"What did the attorney say?" + +"He said it was a bad case; a very bad case. He said, in fact, that he +never came across a more unpromising case for a client of his since he +set himself up as a lawyer." + +"Humph!" returned Sir Thomas, "they always do say so. I tell you it +will come out all right in the end." + +"Happen so; but he says the ordeal would go for nothing, they don't +count now in courts of law here. They would do if the trial came off +at Derby, I know." + +"Aye," assented his friend, "I'll warrant it would count there, for +no one would dare to resist thee; but you see, Sir George, it's at +London, and that makes all the difference." + +"Warder, read the summons through," pursued the baron. "I could not +understand it, of course, I'm not much of a lawyer; but he says 'tis +the work of that villainous locksmith. I wish I had hanged him at the +same time, and then--" + +"Well, what then?" + +"It's too late, now," said Sir George, bitterly. "If they do condemn +me I shall claim the benefit of clergy. I know some of the prayers, +and if I can only find the right page I shall get on well enough. They +will only fine me, though, at worst." + +"But you have enemies at Court, remember." + +"Well, let them do their worst. I shall not disgrace myself when +the time comes, and in the meantime I will address myself to Lord +Burleigh; he is all-powerful now." + +"And if he fail us," added Sir Thomas, "I will take thee to Sir +Nicholas Bacon." + +"The Lord Keeper?" + +"Yes, why not?" + +"He is a hard man." + +"He is honest, and will take no bribe, if that is what you mean, Sir +George; but if there is a flaw in the proceedings he will point it +out for us, and that will be better than naught. We shall have the +satisfaction of knowing that everything was properly done, at least." + +"We will try my Lord Burleigh first," sighed the knight. + +"Sir Nicholas might intercede for thee with the Queen," Stanley went +on. "He owes me some service, and is not ungrateful." + +"Hush! there is someone coming," interposed the baron. "Let us say no +more at present." + +It was the maid bringing in the dinner; and, folding up the paper, Sir +George carefully deposited it within his breast pocket, and relapsed +into a moody silence as they began and continued the meal. + +Meanwhile, outside the inn a very different scene was being enacted. + +No sooner had Sir Thomas Stanley entered the house than the ostler, +having quickly stabled the horses, emerged into the yard again, and +putting his fingers into his mouth he blew a soft peculiar whistling +note, and reared himself up beside the wall to await the answer. + +It was not long in coming, for almost directly the door of the +stable loft above him opened, and the head of the locksmith of Haddon +cautiously peeped out. + +"Is all clear?" he inquired. + +"Yes, they have both gone in to dine. I didn't know you were there. I +will come up and join you." + +In another minute the ostler stood beside the once more disguised +Edmund Wynne, and the two, secure from intrusion, began to converse +with unrestrained freedom. + +"Well, are they the right ones?" he asked, as he fastened the +trap-door down. + +"Yes," replied Edmund; "what did Sir Thomas say to you; I could hear +him speaking?" + +"Who's Sir Thomas?" + +"Sir Thomas Stanley, of course." + +"Oh! He didn't mention the affair at all." + +"H'm! Did he say aught about me?" + +"How should I know even if he had?" returned the ostler, "for I don't +know your name yet. He did not mention anybody, only to say how that +the old man, the baron would think well of me when parting time came +if I took good care of his horse." + +"Call me James," quickly replied Edmund. + +"Very well," returned the other, "it shall be so; but I don't believe +your name is James, nor do I think you are a broken-down wool merchant +either; but so long as you pay me what we have bargained for, I don't +care a straw what you are or what you call yourself." + +"Just so, that will do exactly," Edmund promptly replied. "That is +just what I require." + +"I'll call you James, then, and if anybody asks about you I don't know +aught of any such person." + +"Exactly; yes." + +"And I will get to know as much as I can from the maids, and will keep +you well informed of the movements of your friends. Their trial comes +off, you say, to-morrow?" + +"I think it does." + +"They will not go far to-day, then?" + +"I cannot say, but they will be well watched. What accommodation have +you here for half-a-dozen stalwart fellows?" + +"Plenty in the inn." + +"I don't need telling that: but here---in the yard. I am expecting +some guests for the night." + +"Let me see. It means money." + +"Of course it does." + +"And I shall run great risks." + +"You will be well repaid, though," said Edmund, "and they might as +well be here, I trow, as elsewhere; only see that they don't have too +much drink, and be careful that they are not seen lounging together +about in the yard." + +"Trust me," laughed the ostler, "I shall manage that easily enough. +I shall bolt the doors and fasten them in, and nothing except a rat +could get out then." + +"Nay, you misunderstand me. They are not prisoners, but men who have +been hired for the journey." + +"I see now; ah, I see," returned his companion in the most unconcerned +manner possible. "In that case they only want a little watching." + +"And, mayhap, a little restraining, yes. Here is a shilling for some +ale, which they will be expecting. You will meet them for me, and take +charge of them?" + +"Very well, James, so be it; where shall I meet though? It would never +do for them to hang about here that's very certain, for our landlord +would have his eyes upon them in a minute. He is awfully sharp on +tramps and beggars and such." + +"No, certainly not," agreed Edmund; "meet them at the Temple Gates at +six." + +"It shall be done; and in the meanwhile you will have a first-rate +view of the entertainment from here." + +"What entertainment?" + +"The players are here to-day. See, there is the stage and everything. +'Tis the Earl of Leicester's company, too," and pushing the door still +farther open, he pointed out to Edmund Wynne's astonished eyes one +of the rudely extemporised platforms which passed in those days for +stages. + +Those who have witnessed the splendid scenic triumphs which have been +achieved by managers of late years would be astonished indeed were +they confronted by one of the theatres of the earliest dramatic times. +Nothing could present a much greater contrast than the elaborate +drapery and the ingenious trap-doors, side wings, and numerous other +mechanical contrivances which are now a necessary complement of the +modern stage, and the superlative simplicity which characterised the +theatres of three hundred years ago. + +Theatres, indeed, there were none, and the troupes of players wandered +about from city to town, and from village to hamlet, giving their +performances in open-air; or, if they were fortunate, in the +courtyards of inns. + +It was a scene such as this that the two men gazed upon. + +A slight wooden shed afforded protection to the actors from the +burning rays of the sun or the more uncomfortable showers of rain. The +stage, which was a movable wooden platform, was supported at a little +distance from the ground by a number of empty boxes--which a torn +piece of faded tapestry vainly endeavoured to hide from view. A small +gallery ran along the wall at the rear of the stage, which was ready +to do duty as the wall of a castle, a fort, a mountain, an upper room, +or a window, or anything else, just as the necessity might be; while +a flag, which floated in the breeze from the summit of a stunted pole, +announced to the general public that the play was about to commence. + +Edmund Wynne had never witnessed such an elaborate display before, +and for a time he watched in silent wonder as the people congregated +below. + +"There will be a goodly company to-day, my lord," exclaimed the +ostler, as he drew his head in after a prolonged look round the yard. +"'Twill be a notable day, will this." + +"I tell you I am not a lord," angrily interrupted Edmund Wynne. "I +only wish I were." + +"So do I, James, with all my heart, but look here; here is a proper +lord for you, a great lord, too. See, do you know him?" + +"No, where?" he quickly replied. + +"Do you see that little platform there?" + +"With a lamp hanging from the roof?" + +"No, that's the moon for the players. They will light it soon, and +we shall know that it is night then, and folks can't see each other +without the moon. Look there;" and he pointed to where two or three +gaily-bedecked ladies and some equally gaily-attired gallants were +conversing together in a part of the courtyard which was separated +from the rest by a rope which stretched from end to end. + +"Well, I see them," he said. "Who might they be, prithee?" + +"They might be Pope Joan and the cardinals, but they are not." + +"Then who are they?" + +"That thin man, with the big buckles on his shoes, is Sir Henry +Sidney." + +"Never!" ejaculated Edmund, "he is too gray haired." + +"Even so, James. He is the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and that +light-haired boy beside him is little Philip. He is the pet of the +Court already, but heigho! whom have we here? Why, it is, yes--it is +the Lord High Treasurer himself!" + + +"So it is," murmured Edmund, as he carefully retreated well into the +shade. "This door won't attract attention, eh?" + +"No, thank goodness, for I can't very well get out now. You see, 'tis +only a loft door, and it is as often open as shut. They will think I +have been pitching some hay in." + +Nevertheless, Edmund was by no means satisfied. There was only the +distance now of a few yards which separated him from his persecutor, +and he feared, in spite of his disguise, lest he should be discovered. +He upbraided himself a thousand times for his foolhardiness in +exposing himself to the perils which he knew beforehand would beset +him in the capital; and in the extremity of his fear he absolutely +shook with terror. Fortunately, however, for him, his companion was +too engrossed in watching the new arrivals, as they rapidly flocked +in, to notice his agitation, and for some time he was left to his own +uncomfortable reflections. In vain he wished himself safe within the +walls of Nottingham Castle. Even Haddon would have been preferable, +but even that sorry refuge was denied him too. However much he wished +it, he could not break away from the fact that he was at London, +almost within arm's length of his persecutor, and he already began to +look upon himself as lost. + + + + +CHAPTER X. + +IN DIRE STRAITS. + + And if the worst had fall'n which could befall, + He stood, a stranger in this breathing world, + An erring spirit from another hurled; + A thing of dark imaginings, that shaped + By choice the perils he by chance escaped; + But 'scaped in vain. + + +Edmund Wynne was rudely awakened from the train of thought into which +he had fallen by the rough hand of the ostler, which alighted upon his +shoulders with a smack which was re-echoed in the farthest corner of +the yard. + +"Now, James," said his companion, whose ready familiarity was becoming +exceedingly distasteful, "they are about to begin, see!" + +The courtyard was, in fact, already more than comfortably filled. +Those of the audience who formed the pit squatted unceremoniously down +in groups upon the ground, and having brought with them a plentiful +supply of fruit and provisions, they were already busily engaged in +discussing them; whilst the more select company, which paid a higher +price and represented the modern gallery, occupied the reserved part +on the other side of the rope, and was amusing itself in a general +way, by looking down with supercilious contempt upon the common folk +below. + +Edmund stretched himself slightly forward, and peering out of the +darkness of his retreat, was just in time to witness the appearance +of the musicians, who, after making their bow to the audience, passed +along the stage and made their exit through a doorway at the other +end. A profound silence fell upon the company, and as the music of +the violins floated gently on the breeze, the players made their +appearance on the stage. + +"What grotesque figures," he exclaimed, as an involuntary smile stole +across his face; "why, they are covered with ivy leaves." + +"See how Lord Burleigh cheers," interrupted the delighted ostler, as +the play commenced, "and Sir Henry, too; see! Hang him, that's old +Boniface rooting about; what can he want, I wonder? I believe he is +looking for me." + +"Who is Boniface?" meekly asked Edmund. + +"The landlord, of course; and your friends are with him, too," was the +curt reply. + +Edmund shrank back still further into the shadow of the room. "It +would never do for them to see me here," he explained; "it would upset +all our plans. You must screen me somehow, won't you?" + +"Take care of yourself, sir," returned the ostler as he snatched up +the pitchfork and began to toss the hay about. "Take care of yourself, +sir, for he's coming up here, upon my faith he is. Here's luck!" and +the hay flew about in all directions. + +No second bidding was required. Edmund scrambled over the heaps of hay +and straw which lay upon the floor and never slackened his haste until +he found himself hidden from view behind the stack in the further-most +corner of the loft. Barely had he succeeded in ensconcing himself +there, when footsteps were heard ascending the ladder, and a moment +later a sharp knocking at the door announced to the only too conscious +conspirators that the landlord was waiting to enter. + +"Halloa," shouted the ostler, as he stamped upon the floor with his +fork, to convey the impression that he was busily engaged, at work. +"You can't get in here, I've got my work to do." + +Edmund was astonished at the cool impudence of his friend, and he +lifted his head to accord him a nod of approval, but a bundle of straw +which the ostler purposely tossed at him from the other side of the +room made him quickly withdraw his cranium again into the shelter. + +"Let me in, I say," shouted a voice from below. "You knave, let me in, +I tell you." + +The ostler had played his little game, and, having sheltered his +companion, he now anxiously awaited the result. Glancing round to +see that Edmund was completely buried from sight, he dropped upon his +knees, and moving the catch on one side he slowly raised the door. + +"You knave! you villain!" exclaimed his irate master, as he stepped +into the room. "Wasting your time in looking at puppet-shows. How dare +you, sir; how dare you? Get you gone, sirrah!" and he gave him a kick +which considerably accelerated the speed with which he disappeared +below. + +Having thus satisfactorily vented his displeasure, his brow relaxed +and he turned to the baron and Sir Thomas and conducted them to a seat +so lately vacated by the guilty pair, with an urbanity which looked +positively impossible to ruffle. + +"You see, my lord, there is a seat ready provided," he exclaimed, as +he pointed to the bale of hay which stood beside the wall. "Perhaps +your lordships will be pleased to seat yourself on that? I'll warrant +me 'tis clean enough, for I espied the rogue sitting on it." + +Sir George Vernon, nothing loth, accepted the proffered seat. + +"I will reach another bundle down for you," continued the loquacious +innkeeper, turning to the younger knight. "I will get you one of a +convenient size; most of them are far too big to be comfortable, +I fear, but I have them in all shapes and sizes; you shall be made +comfortable in a trice, my lord." + +He cast his eyes about in search of the bundle "of convenient size," +and his choice fell upon the one which covered the gap where Edmund +Wynne lay hidden. Having once selected this he proceeded straightway +to climb over the impeding bundles to reach it from the corner where +the ostler had tossed it just before. + +This, however, proved no slight task. He was burly and heavy, while +the bundles were frail and loosely stacked and failed to yield to his +feet that amount of support which, of all men, the stouter ones are +supposed most to require. This being so, it was not surprising to find +that ere he reached it he stumbled and fell several times, until at +last Sir Thomas took pity upon him and told him to desist. + +"I would stand, my good man," he said, "rather than thou should'st +break thy neck, or I might lay upon some of this soft straw for the +nonce." + +"A prison bed," chimed in Sir George. "Well, some folks like one thing +and some another, there's no accounting for tastes." + +The landlord scouted the proposal at once. He felt that somehow he was +on his mettle, and it was incumbent upon him to vindicate the honour +of his house. "Had the kind nobleman been possessed of a better +acquaintance with him," he said, "he would have known that it was not +in his nature to be overcome by trifles. Things, thank goodness, were +managed better than that at the Cock hostelry," and to support his +statement he wiped away the perspiration from his brow, and made a +further attempt to reach it down. + +Edmund's feelings during these critical moments would be easier to +imagine than describe. Every moment he expected that the bundle would +be lifted off, and he anticipated the mortification of being dragged +out and being brought face to face with the man whom he now most +dreaded. As the other advanced and the unstable walls of his shelter +quivered until they threatened to fall upon him, he crouched down +further and further into the corner, preferring rather to be buried +under the solid squares of hay than to be discovered in such a +position. Sir Thomas' words inspired him with a ray of hope, but his +expectations were dashed as suddenly as they had arisen by the words +of the baron and the action of the busy landlord, who, all unconscious +of the torture he was inflicting, struggled valiantly on towards his +quarry. + +At last his perseverance was rewarded, and he found himself able to +grasp the object of his toil; but Edmund as he felt the protecting +roof of hay departing, snatched at the withes which bound it round, +and dragged it down with all his might. + +In vain did the furious landlord pull and tug. Try as he would, it +would not move an inch, and he was about to give it up in disgust and +offer some reason for his lack of success, when Stanley again came to +his aid. + +"Stand aside, man; thou art too old for such a task, and too fat, too, +perchance. Let me get it out. Odd's fish, my good fellow, but there's +been much to do about a little thing. Here it is, see." + +Edmund had, for the moment relaxed his hold, and it was at precisely +that same moment that Sir Thomas Staley took hold of the top of the +bundle to pull it up. There was but one chance left, and although it +promised a little hope of success, he deemed his position desperate +enough to warrant him in attempting it. He decided to leap out +simultaneously with the withdrawal of the bundle, and, trusting to the +confusion his unexpected appearance would create, to escape through +the trap-door, and race away for his life. + +However, when he saw the sole protection which had hidden him from +his enemies begin to move away his courage failed him, and he had not +sufficient boldness to carry out the plan he had so neatly arranged. +Instinctively he threw his arms up to clutch the rope again, but +it was too late, it had already passed beyond his reach; there was +nothing left to save him. Another moment and his hiding place would +be discovered, when----, Sir Thomas missed his footing, and with a +gesture of impatience he let the bundle fall again, and turned his +back upon it in disgust. + +It alighted heavily upon the luckless Edmund's shoulders, and it +struck him with so much force that almost before he was aware of +it, he found himself most uncomfortably doubled up, and tight pinned +beneath its weight upon the floor. He could neither free himself nor +ease his position without attracting attention, for his arms were +tightly wedged underneath him, while his legs had found a resting +place between two lots of hay, at a height somewhat above the level +of his head. One thing, and one alone, was at his command. He could +at least, he thought, remain quietly there, an unwilling eavesdropper, +until his persecutors had gone. This he resolved to do; meanwhile +he could only submit to the conditions which a series of unfortunate +incidents had brought upon him, and listen to the conversation in +the hope that some of it, at least, might at some time or other prove +profitable to him in the accomplishment of the object he had in view. + +"How long will they be, mine host?" inquired Sir George, to whom the +circumlocution of the stage proved uninteresting indeed. + +"About two hours, my lord," suavely replied that individual, as he +gazed proudly at the brilliant company assembled in the yard below, +wondering the while how much they would expend at the inn when the +play was over. + +"Two hours!" Edmund groaned inwardly, but the groan was none the less +sincere because it was inaudible. + +"Two hours!" exclaimed the astonished baron, "then I'm off." + +Hope again revived within the heart of the prisoner. + +"Nay, stop, Sir George," interrupted the younger knight; "you cannot +see a play like this at any time you choose. Stay awhile and bid me +company, and forget your troubles in a stoup of ale." + +"Aye, I have the best in the town," added the host; "there is nothing +like it in all London." + +This was quite a new idea, and Sir George scratched his head, as if +by so doing he might facilitate his judgment, and then he did what so +many other troubled ones have done, both before his time and since, +he sought to drown his troubles by gorging himself with his favourite +liquor. + +"Ha! well," he muttered, "the ale is good, as London ale goes, I trow, +but----" + +"It is indeed," added the tavern-keeper promptly. "There's none +better, though I say it." + +"But I think I will have cider," continued the baron, not heeding the +interruption. + +"I will fetch it myself," exclaimed the proprietor of the Cock; "and +sure I am, 'twill be the best that ever you have tasted." + +"Nay, hold," interrupted Sir George, "I will go with thee. I will +trust none to spice my drink except it be Lady Maude, or Dorothy. I +will go with thee and spice it myself." + +"And I will have some simple sack," said Sir Thomas. + +Sir George Vernon and the landlord descended the ladder, and threaded +their way through the crowd into the tavern, while Sir Thomas Stanley, +left to his own devices, continued to lie quietly down upon his couch +of straw, watching with intense interest the progress of the play. + +Edmund, meanwhile, hearing no one stirring, and not being in a +position to see, concluded that all three had descended together, and +that he was the sole occupant of the room. He waited for a moment or +two, and then, as the silence confirmed him in his opinion, he began +to make strenuous efforts to free himself. There was no sign made +in response to the noise he made in the attempt, and, without any +interruption, he released himself from his uncomfortable position. + +Slowly and painfully he raised himself up, but as he reached the top, +the thrill of triumph to which his new-born hopes of liberty had given +birth, died away, and a sigh of dismay escaped him as he discovered +that he was not alone. + +For a time he stood perfectly motionless, too terrified to advance, +and too paralysed by fear to regain his hiding-place. Fortunately, +however, for him, Sir Thomas Stanley's back was turned towards him, +and so intently had he fixed his attention upon the scene which was +being acted on the stage before him, that he was in complete ignorance +of the events which were transpiring in his rear. Edmund wistfully +cast a look at the ladder which protruded temptingly through the +trap-door, but the look more than satisfied him that he could not +hope to gain it without attracting the attention of his most unwelcome +companion. + +There was only one idea which presented itself to the unlucky man's +mind which promised any fair successes, and that left no alternative. +He must put Sir Thomas out of the way! + +However repugnant this plan might be, and Edmund felt all its +hideousness, he felt every moment more and more convinced that it +was the only safe way. He had suffered too much already to venture +willingly back into the torture-chamber from which he had just +escaped, even if he could safely have regained its shelter--in itself +no mean feat; and at the bare idea of spending two more hours of like +agony he trembled. He resolved that rather than he would be driven +to that uncertain refuge again, Sir Thomas should pay the penalty of +death. + +At this stage of his reflections he was rudely stopped, for the young +knight, as if conscious of some impending danger, withdrew his head +into the room and rolled over upon his back, leaving Edmund so little +time in which to screen himself from view, that in attempting to +secure a cover he toppled right over and fell back upon a thin +scattering of straw. + +Sir Thomas stopped the yawn with which he was indulging himself, and +got upon his feet, surprised in no small degree to find that no one +had entered the room. He went to the ladder to satisfy himself, but +meeting with a like measure of ill-success there, he came away in a +discontented mood; not perceiving Edmund, who lay, holding his breath, +behind a heap of hay. + +"I thought it was my sack coming," he muttered; "but it was only those +confounded rats. What a time they are gone, to be sure," and as a last +resource he sat himself down upon Sir George's seat and watched the +play afresh. + +Edmund during all this time was slowly making up his wavering mind. +The memory of Dame Durden was still fresh within him, and it was in +fulfilment of his scheme of revenge for that that he had united with +Sir Ronald Bury to bring the baron to book for his misdeeds, and was +now in London. Why should he not wreak his vengeance upon Sir Thomas +Stanley, and then at once accomplish the work on which his heart was +set? In the intensity of his passion he could find no satisfactory +answer to the question. There were powerful reasons both for and +against such a plan. Sir Thomas was seriously jeopardising his present +safety; but would his death at all affect the baron? Margaret would +feel it, mayhap, and so might Sir George to some extent, but he was +fully aware that Sir Ronald's aim would be by no means compassed by +such a termination; nor was he at all certain his own desire would be +accomplished even then. The danger of his present position, however, +was too apparent to be lightly put aside, and it proved too much for +him. Were the others to return now his ruin would be assured; and +realising this, he cautiously raised his head, and finding the young +nobleman again deeply interested in the progress of the scene before +him, he quickly drew out his knife and crept silently on towards his +unsuspicious prey. + + + + +CHAPTER XI. + +AN UNFORTUNATE DENOUEMENT. + + But + In proving foresight may be vain: + The best laid schemes o' mice and men + Gang aft a-gley. + + BURNS. + + +As Edmund drew nearer to Sir Thomas Stanley his heart began to fail +him, and when at last he was sufficiently near the knight to have +carried out his design, his courage oozed out at his finger ends and +he felt powerless to strike. + +Finally he relinquished the attempt altogether, and a new idea +flashing upon him, he tossed the knife into the furthest corner of the +room, and rising to his feet, he tapped the still unconscious nobleman +upon the shoulder, trusting that his careful disguise would preserve +him from being recognised by Sir Thomas at least, for circumstances +at Haddon had brought them into connection with each other but a few +times at most. + +"Come at last, eh! and time, too," exclaimed the young knight, as +he listlessly held out his hand for his potion of sack. "What, not +brought it yet?" he added, as he saw the other's empty hands; "I have +been kept waiting for it more than a quarter of an hour." + +"Will you have it cool or spiced, my lord?" meekly asked Edmund, +following up the idea thus thrown out. "I have but just received the +order for it." + +"Spiced, indeed!" replied the knight contemptuously; "not I, let me +have it fresh from the cellar, and that quickly. No, here, stay," he +added by the way of afterthought, "where is Sir George?" + +"Sir George! Is that the oldish gentleman with the master?" + +"That is Sir George Vernon, yes." + +"He is lying down in the parlour," was the ready reply. + +"Humph, that's queer, poring over that confounded document again, I'll +warrant me. I will go back with you," returned Sir Thomas. + +"I will bring it to you in half a minute," gasped Edmund. + +"Nay," returned the other, "I will accompany thee. Ha! here he is, +coming up again. He's crossing the yard now, and Sir Nicholas Bacon is +with him, I perceive." + +Edmund had played his last card, and the game was lost. Fortune had +forsaken him at every turn; not one of his efforts had met with any +success, and after all his endeavours he found himself as securely +caught as the rat which was even then writhing within a few inches of +his feet, in its last vain endeavour to free itself from the trap in +which it was held. + +For a moment or two he stood irresolute, but then, quickly gaining +a mastery over the feeling of despair which had at first stolen over +him, he made for the ladder, only to find, as he put his foot on the +topmost step, that Sir George had set his foot upon the one at the +bottom. + +There was no help for it. He could neither advance nor retreat, so he +stood at the top, carefully selecting the darker side, to await the +course of events which could bring him no good fortune, but only evil +in a greater or lesser degree. The completeness of his disguise, which +had so completely deceived Sir Thomas, encouraged him to hope, for +the moment, that he might also pass unrecognised even before the eagle +eyes of the King of the Peak, and he solaced himself by trusting that +if he were discovered the landlord might dismiss him in as summary a +manner as he had done the ostler before him. + +As Sir George passed him by, deep in conversation with Sir Nicholas +Bacon, Edmund's hopes were considerably augmented, but the same +ill-luck which had followed him heretofore did not desert him now. +His hopes were dashed as soon as they had arisen, for the eye of the +worthy Boniface was fixed upon him ere that person had fully entered +the room. + +Had he been attired in a manner more befitting his station, Edmund +would undoubtedly have received a more befitting reception; but +clothed as he was in shabby knee-breeches, loosely tied at the knees, +a coat which was out at the elbows, a hat minus a portion of its brim, +and with a dilapidated ruffle round his neck, which had been in its +prime years ago, he presented a striking similarity in appearance +to the ordinary marauding beggar of the period, such as were then so +exceedingly common, and for one of whom, indeed, the landlord took him +to be. + +As soon as this worthy had ascended, Edmund coolly made for the +ladder, but he was motioned back by a sweep of the arm, as the +landlord loosely fastened down the door. + +"Who might you be, pray?" he asked, turning to the terror-stricken +captive; "and what are you doing here, eh?" + +At this sally Sir Thomas Stanley, who had just been exchanging +compliments with the Lord Keeper, turned round. + +"Who might he be," he laughed, repeating the words he had just +overheard; "well, by my troth, Sir George, he does not remember his +own servant, even the one he sent about my sack. You have been priming +him with his own ale and this is the result. + +"Not a drop," interrupted the baron. + +"What do you say?" gasped out the astonished innkeeper. "This rascally +knave a servant of mine! Pooh, does he look like it, I ask you? You +impudent jackanapes," he pursued, as he clutched the unfortunate +Edmund by the collar. "What are you here for, eh? What are you here +for? Speak." + +So far was Edmund from complying with this command that he remained +absolutely silent. He dare not open his mouth for fear that Sir George +would recognise his voice. + +"Prowling about for as much as he can lay hold of, I'll warrant me," +continued his captor, addressing Sir Thomas Stanley, who had advanced +towards them. "How long has he been here, my lord?" + +"Nay, I know not," said Sir Thomas. "I saw him but just before you +came up." + +"Then you may satisfy yourself that he had watched us out," replied +the other sharply, "and was surprised enough to find anyone left up +here." + +"Like enough," assented the baron. + +"He was pretty smart with his tricks, then," said Sir Thomas. "How was +he to know I wanted any sack, I should like to know?" + +The question was unanswerable, and no one attempted to reply. + +"How did you know that, eh?" asked the proprietor, emphasising the +question by a series of hearty shakings. + +Still there was no answer; Edmund would not speak. + +"Did you see him enter?" asked Sir Nicholas. + +"I did not know he was in the room until he tapped me on the shoulder. +I was watching the play." + +"These rogues are wonderfully sharp," muttered Sir George. + +"Then probably he was in the room all the time," suggested the Lord +Keeper. + +"What did the rascal say to you, my lord?" went on the tavern keeper. + +"He asked me whether I would have my sack spiced or no." + +"Ha! ha! ha!" laughed Sir George; "that was cool enough, at any rate. +I think we ought to let the knave free this time for his wit." + +"And let him prey on somebody else?" added Sir Nicholas. + +"Bad policy, Sir George, bad policy. He might try his hand on you next +time." + +"I wonder how much property of mine he has taken already?" continued +the host. "I will have him thoroughly searched. I know the rascal well +enough, he's been here before now many a time. There's a whole lot of +them prowling around the neighbourhood; a regular gang. I'll make an +example of this one, I will. You might as well give me what you have +taken," he added, turning to his captive, "and save me the labour of +taking it from you." + +"I have nothing of yours," replied Edmund, in a strangely foreign +voice. + +"Not been through the house yet, maybe, eh!" + +"No." + +"Humph, I don't believe you. Here, Hugh," he cried, hearing the ostler +moving about below, "come up here." + +Edmund's quondam friend and fellow conspirator came up in answer +to the summons in no very enviable frame of mind, anticipating very +correctly what was about to take place, and debating within himself +what course of action to pursue. He quickly decided, however, that +inasmuch as he had not yet possessed himself of the money due to +him from the captive, that he would screen him as far as he was +able--compatibly with his own safety. + +"What's this fellow doing here?" demanded his master, as soon as Hugh +stepped into the room. + +"Can't say, sir," replied Hugh, gazing at Edmund with well-simulated +surprise, "maybe he's in drink." + +"A likely story, that. Do drunken folk climb up ladders, eh?" + +"Not always, sir." + +"How long has he been up here, now?" + +"Never seen him afore, sir," returned the unabashed ostler, with an +air of perfect candour. + +"You will be getting into serious trouble some day if you don't be +careful to speak the truth," exclaimed his master, "so I warn you, +sir. Now, out with it; he was here when you went down." + +"I had not seen him then, by the blessed Virgin I had not. I have +never clap't eyes on the knave before!" + +"Now, mind, I warn you, so be careful." + +"I had only just got up, master; upon my word I had. I had not +sufficient time to see anybody before you came and sent me down," +and at the remembrance of that event he stepped back a pace or two in +order that his previous experience might not be repeated. + +"You good-for-nothing rascal you!" broke out the landlord. "I stood +and watched you myself, you were looking at the play. Get you gone, +you idle vagabond," he added, in high dudgeon, "get you gone, and +bring me up some stout cord." + +Glad to escape, Hugh quickly made his exit, having come off far more +easily than at one time he feared. He reappeared in a short time, but +with empty hands. + +"Well, where's the cord?" angrily enquired his master. + +"An it please you, sir," he replied, with a sly wink at Edmund, "I +cannot find one strong enough to bear him." + +"You can't hang him yet; let him have a proper trial. There has been +naught proved against him as yet," eagerly interrupted the baron, upon +whom the lesson of his own trouble had not been lost. + +"He shall have a proper trial, my lord," exclaimed the landlord, "and +to-morrow we shall have him in the pillory. The proprietor of the Cock +Tavern is no hangman; I only wanted to bind him. Fetch me a piece of +cord, you knave, and be quick, or I'll lay it about your back when it +does come. Nay, you don't do that," he added, turning to Edmund, who +was struggling to free himself; "not yet, my fine fellow. I have not +done with thee yet," and by Sir Nicholas' timely help the prisoner was +laid upon his back and then firmly secured with the cords which the +ostler brought up a minute later. + +Leaving Edmund to bemoan his fate to himself, the party drew nigh +to the window to witness the play afresh. They were just in time to +witness the advent of another "silent scene." + +"Let me explain it to you," proffered the once more equable Boniface. +"I know all about these things, they oft-times visit us here. I know +every bit of this play as well as I know my creed." + +"Happen you may not be very familiar with the creed, though," laughed +Sir Thomas. + +"Don't I know it, though?" he replied. "Sir Nicholas, if I might be +pardoned for mentioning it, knows full well that every citizen of +London knows the creed by heart." + +"Yes," assented the Lord Keeper, "everyone is compelled to attend some +church at least once a Sabbath." + +"Or else they are smartly fined for staying away, as I was," ruefully +added the landlord. "Yes, my lords, I know my creed full well." + +"Well, what's that fellow drinking now?" asked Sir George. + +"He's fainting, poor fellow," replied Sir Thomas. + +"Fainting," laughed the host, "fainting! not a bit of it. He is +drinking some of my best Malmesey wine, that's what he is doing; only +you must think he is taking poison. He is Gorboduc, the king." + +"Well?" + +"Oh, I forgot, you know naught of him as yet. Well, he, a king of +Britain years ago, has just told everybody that the kingdom is to +be divided between his two sons, Ferrex and Porrex. Some of his +councillors advised 'Yes,' and some said 'No,' but the old king was +decided upon having his own way, and the land had just been divided +between them." + +"Get on," said the baron impatiently, as the other paused and finally +came to a dead stop. "They are beginning to act again." + +"And one of the old councillors strongly advised the king to keep his +realm entire," continued the man, "I remember his very words. He told +the king how bad any division would be, not only for himself, but also +for his sons. He says:-- + + But worst of all for this our native land. + Within one land one single rule is best, + Divided reigns do make divided hearts, + But peace preserves the country and the prince." + +"As correct as the creed itself," whispered Sir Nicholas. + +"It may be so," exclaimed the young knight, "but we will let the +poetry go. For my part I can't understand that new-fashioned poetry, +and I don't want to either. I only like it when it rhymes, like +Chaucer." + +"That all means," resumed the landlord, "that Queen Mary of Scotland +had far better leave our gracious Queen Elizabeth (God bless her) +to herself. We don't want Roman Catholic princesses here again, Sir +Nicholas." + +"No, indeed not. Mary was enough." + +Sir George Vernon frowned heavily. He was too sincere a Papist himself +to relish such remarks, but he dared not show his displeasure in the +face of the Queen's minister. + +"And I don't care for poetry anyhow," he gruffly said, "so finish +without any more of it if you can." + +"I will then. You saw those two mugs offered to the king?" + +"Both made of common horn, yes." + +"They both came from my bar. One was full of wine, but the other held +water." + +"Then when my sack comes I would prefer it without the water," Sir +Thomas replied, amid a chorus of laughter. + +"You exercise your wit upon me, my lord," replied the landlord with +some asperity, "but I have not the means wherewith to retort. I am a +man of business, not a Court fool." Here he paused, astonished at his +own trepidity, and also in fear lest his aristocratic customers should +be offended. As he stopped his virtuous indignation passed away, and +when he resumed again it was in a tone at once apologetic and placid. + +"The water," he continued, "was offered by the good councillors, but +Gorboduc took the poison, and now he has drunk it off, so----" + +"Look at your prisoner," interrupted Sir Nicholas, "or very soon you +will not have one to look after." + +Edmund had, in fact, been thrown down just over his knife, and +very soon finding this out he had, by dint of considerable trouble, +succeeded in cutting the cord which bound his wrists, and was busily +engaged in freeing his legs by a similar process when he unfortunately +attracted the attention of the Queen's Councillor. + +No time was lost in securing him afresh. In spite of his strenuous +efforts he was quickly overpowered, and after all his labour he only +found himself more hopelessly a prisoner than he had been before. + +"Why, the fellow must be bewitched," exclaimed Sir George, "I never +saw his like before. Take him away before he does us any injury. Take +him away, we don't want him here." + +"He is safe enough now, my lord." + +"Take him away, I say," repeated the baron. "We want him here no +longer. Do you hear me, sirrah! Take him away I say, and lock him +up in safety," and amid the oft-continued reiteration of the baron's +order, Edmund Wynne was carried below and consigned to the care of +the ostler until such time as the gaol officials could be conveniently +communicated with. + + + + +CHAPTER XII. + +A CONFESSION OF LOVE. + + It was my fortune, common to that age, + To love a lady fair, of great degree, + The which was born of noble parentage. + And set in highest seat of dignity. + + SPENSER. + + +The sun was declining, after a gorgeous display of its fiery hues; +gilding with a translucent light the grey walls of Haddon, and casting +weird shadows on the closely-cropped bowling green, when two figures +emerged from the shades of the neighbouring wood and passed into the +meadow which lies below the Hall. + +Sir George Vernon had not yet returned from London; indeed, nothing +but a note from Margaret's lover had given them any information about +the two travellers since they had departed, six days ago, and although +news of them was now considered overdue, yet, in those days of bad +roads and slow travelling, communications from distant places were +never, or seldom at best, rapidly transmitted, and, bearing this in +mind, no concern was felt on that account. + +Haddon, usually so gay, wore for the time being a sombre aspect. Sir +George was its life and soul, and now that he was away and exposed to +the machinations of enemies who were hungering and thirsting after a +share of his riches, a gloom settled down upon the place and enveloped +it in an ill-befitting aspect of dreariness. Baits and hunting parties +were alike abandoned; no one felt in the humour to participate in +gaieties, of whatever kind, so long as the baron was away; and the +guests who had assembled to witness the tournament had, with few +exceptions, returned to their homes feeling deprived, in a large +measure, of that succession of festivities and enjoyments to which +they had looked forward with so much expectancy. + +Sir Henry was still confined to his room from the injuries which he +had received in his encounter with Manners; and Cousin Benedict, who +had stayed to take the baron's place during his enforced absence, had +found his position so intolerably lonely that he at last took refuge +in such copious libations of wine that henceforward his interest in +contemporary events entirely ceased. + +This air of desolation had infected Lady Vernon, too. Her temper, +never of the mildest disposition, now became exceedingly irritable, +and finding little consolation forthcoming from Sir Benedict, she +vented her spleen with all those with whom she came into contact, and +finally shut herself up within her own room and added to the misery of +the household by obstinately refusing to hold any intercourse with the +family. + +Margaret and Dorothy were thus thrown much upon their own resources, +and they managed to spend the time wearily enough at the tapestry +frame until Manners and Crowleigh paid a visit to the Hall--ostensibly +to inquire after the health of the wounded knight. Their arrival, as +might be readily imagined, was cordially welcomed by the girls, +and nothing beyond a first request was required to induce the two +gentlemen to stay; and, so once again, Manners found himself, to his +heart's great contentment, housed under the same roof as the lady of +his love. + +This time, however, he had come with the firm determination to bring +matters to a crisis. He felt that his passion for Dorothy could be no +longer controlled. Her bearing towards him had fired him with hope, +but her position and her surpassing beauty had brought so many suitors +to worship at her shrine that he was driven to despair between the +conflicting emotions of hope and fear. + +For a whole day he waited a favourable opportunity to carry out his +purpose, and in vain. The two sisters seemed to be inseparable in this +time of trouble, and try as he might he could not get the interview +for which he so ardently longed. The fates were unpropitious, and one +after another his artifices were defeated until at last he was obliged +to fall back upon the assistance of his friend, and ask him, as a last +resource, to help him out of his difficulty. + +As the shades of evening crept silently on, and the cooler air began +to assert itself over the torrid atmosphere of the day, Sir Everard +Crowleigh opened the campaign on behalf of his companion by suggesting +that a walk would not only be refreshing to the two maidens, but also +positively beneficial. "I don't pretend to know much of the skill +of the leech," he added, "but I think that fresh country air is the +finest physic out for young ladies, both for health and beauty too." + +"And maybe 'tis good for gentlemen as well," laughed Dorothy. + +"It is the true elixir of life, for which the alchemysts labour in +vain to find," exclaimed Manners. "Sir Benedict knows leechcraft, let +us take his opinion upon its merits. + +"Nay," laughingly responded Margaret, "Cousin Benedict, I fear, is too +much engaged in other affairs to attend to us just now." + +"Why, how?" asked Crowleigh in surprise, "surely no one would be +ungallant enough not to lend their services to two such fair maidens. +Never! I cannot conceive it." + +"Margaret means," interposed Dorothy, "that he has been taking too +much wine again, and then he goes wandering about the cellars and +passages until he falls down and goes to sleep. Nobody takes any +notice of him now, though, we have all got too familiar with his +ways." + +"Well, we will go," decided the elder sister, "but which way--north, +south, east, or west? Bakewell, Rowsley, or where? Let us determine +quickly, for it will soon be dark." + +"We are at your service," gallantly responded John Manners. "Any way +will suit us equally well." Certainly, provided that the walk was long +enough, the direction they should take was of little importance to +him. He had a more important matter on his mind. + +"Let it be Rowsley way, Margaret," asked Dorothy. + +"Well, then," she agreed, "we will say Rowsley, 'tis a pretty walk; +but we might first see our venerable protector in safety, then nothing +could be nicer. Follow me, brave gentlemen," said Margaret, and +the two girls led the way through the banqueting-room and down the +stone-flagged passage into the capacious wine cellar below. + +Benedict was not there, but it was evident, from signs which could +not be mistaken, that he had been there shortly before. All the +neighbouring cellars were thoroughly explored, but to no purpose; he +could not be discovered, and, finding that he had just been seen in +the vicinity of the old archer's room, they turned their feet in that +direction, only to find themselves once more baffled when they arrived +there. + +"No, your ladyships," replied the serving-maid, in answer to their +inquiry, "he has gone again just now; you will be sure to find him in +the kitchen, though." + +"'Tis as good as a badger hunt," laughed Crowleigh, as they trailed +into the kitchen again, "but prithee, fair mistress, what shall we +gain by discovering the august knight?" + +"In truth I cannot tell," replied Dorothy; "but, trust me, Margaret +has some plan or other in her head. + +"Yes," said Margaret, "but see him, here he is; the master of the +house, our guardian, our protector; behold him where he lies," and she +pointed to where the too festive knight lay doubled uncomfortably up +in the salting trough. + +"I expected about as much," she went on, "and I want to cure him; what +shall we do?" + +"Salt him," slyly suggested Dorothy, "that is the usual way." + +"Fasten him down in the box for the night," suggested Crowleigh. + +"We will," she said; "here is the lid, we can easily fasten it down so +that he cannot undo it, and we will have a peep at him to see that he +is not smothered when we come back." + +In accordance with this decision Sir Benedict was unconsciously made a +prisoner, as securely as any culprit in Derby gaol, and leaving him +in this position the merry quartette started off upon their evening +stroll. + +Disdaining the highway, they followed the beaten path which led +through the wood to Rowsley, Crowleigh doing his part to aid his +friend by walking on with Margaret in front, and so deeply engaged her +interest by recounting some of his adventures in badger hunting that +she entirely forgot her sister, who followed behind her in a more +leisurely fashion with Master Manners. + +In vain the anxious esquire sought to broach the topic which lay so +near to his heart; the words would not come, and beyond a few gallant +and courtier-like remarks--to the like of which Dorothy had often +listened beforetimes with impatience--he could not succeed; and when +at last he began to give expression to his feelings, it was in a wild +and almost incoherent manner. + +As for the maiden who lightly tripped by his side, although she wore +a sober, pensive look, yet she was filled with a silent joy, and the +great fire of love which was burning in her breast she found difficult +to control. With that quick and subtle faculty which belongs to +womankind alone she had intuitively guessed his mission at the outset, +and with perceptions rendered keener by the intensity of her passion, +she was on the alert to detect his advances and respond to them with +a due amount of proper maidenly reserve. Finding, however, that he was +slow to approach the subject, yet feeling sure of his intentions and +fearing lest the opportunity should slip by, she sought to precipitate +his movements by a few, delicate hints. + +"Why, we are all alone," she exclaimed, "Wherever can my sister be? +Let us hasten on." + +"She is in safe hands, fair Dorothy," he replied, "and you will not be +missed awhile." + +Dorothy noted with satisfaction that he had dropped the "Mistress" +from before her name, and this, she argued, denoted that he was +awakening at last, and encouraged her to venture again with another +remark. + +"Margaret is such a scold," she teasingly said; "I fear we must really +hasten forward." + +"Nay, we will not hurry, we should not catch her now were we to try." + +"Why not, prithee?" + +"Because--because: well, do not let us try," he responded. He had +fully meant to have declared his love to her then, but that "because" +stuck in his throat and blocked up all the other words he would have +said. The very intensity of his love hindered him from declaring his +passion. + +"What would Sir Thomas Stanley say if he knew Sir Everard were out +courting with Meg?" wickedly suggested Dorothy. "Would he not be in a +towering rage?" + +"There would be another tournament, maybe," laughed Manners, not +noticing the tender tone in which his fair companion had addressed +him. + +"Poor De la Zouch will remember his attempt to provide amusement for +us for some time yet, I fear," she continued coquettishly. As her +previous efforts had led to nothing, she had started afresh in another +vein, mentally resolving that her companion was wretchedly slow in +responding to her advances. + +"I fear he will," he replied; "but he is improving, I hear. Sir +Benedict seems to understand his case." + +"He is like to be scarred for life, though," Dorothy returned. "Poor +Sir Henry." + +"You are sorry for him," exclaimed Manners, who felt a little piqued +at the tone of Dorothy's reply, as, indeed, she intended he should be. + +"Yes," she said, "I am; very sorry." + +Manners bit his lip with annoyance, and made a foolish remark. + +"Ha, he was your lover, perchance?" he said. + +Dorothy flushed up hotly at the taunt. Manners saw it, and would have +done much to have recalled his hasty words, but they were gone. + +"Master Manners!" Doll exclaimed, turning quickly round upon him; "I +have spurned him; I have told him what I think. Once and for ever have +I refused him, and he knows I shall not change." + +"Fair Dorothy, sweet Dorothy," Manners penitently exclaimed, dropping +hurriedly upon his knees; "you shall be my queen. Forgive me--or +condemn. I sue you for your pardon, nor will I rise until I have +gained it." + +"I will visit you to-morrow, then," she said, turning to go. +"Farewell." + +Her voice was sweet again, and her brow was once more clear. + +"You have forgiven me?" he cried, rising up and following her. + +"What, sir knight?" she exclaimed, in feigned surprise, "risen, eh? +Upon my word, you are a fickle cavalier. Well, I suppose I must extend +my clemency to you. At what price will you be willing to purchase my +forgiveness?" + +Manners was just going to tell her he would give himself and all he +had to her if she would take it, but a sudden bend in the path brought +them face to face with Margaret and Crowleigh, and the words were left +unspoken. + +It needed no question to inform Sir Everard that his friend's mission +was not accomplished yet. He looked to see the sparkling eyes and +a countenance beaming with delight, but was met by a face the very +picture of disappointment; and shrewdly seeing that their company +would be in no wise acceptable at such a juncture, he adroitly led +Margaret on, still an interested listener to his wonderful tales, and +intimating that they were returning to Haddon, they passed the lovers +by. + +For a time Dorothy and Manners walked on in perfect silence, the one +preparing to pour out the story of his love, and the other waiting and +expecting the declaration. + +"We had better retrace our steps now," exclaimed Dorothy at length. + +They turned round and began to wend their way again towards the Hall, +in a silence that was positively painful to both. + +"You are dreaming, Master Manners," she exclaimed, as they neared the +narrow bridge which spans the Wye just outside the gates of Haddon. + +"Come, sir, declare your thoughts; let me be your confessor, for +I will shrive thee right easily, and the penance shall be pleasant +enough, I assure thee. Now confess!" + +"I was thinking of--of love," he stammered out. + +"Love! then I forgive thee," she exclaimed with a beating heart, "'tis +a common sin. Proceed, my son." + +"I was thinking of a little poem." + +"Oh!" That was a disappointing continuation. + +"'Twas a verse of Sir Thomas Wyatt's. Shall I tell it thee?" + +"'Hide nothing from me,' as Father Philip says," replied Doll, +brightening up again, for she was well acquainted with the verse of +that unfortunate nobleman, which was almost all on the subject of +love. She thought she knew the verse which he would tell her, nor was +she mistaken. Almost everyone knew that verse, even if they knew none +other. + +The young esquire fixed his eyes upon her, and began-- + + A face that should content me wondrous well. + Should not be fair, but lovely to behold; + Of lively look, all grief for to repel, + With right good grace as would I that it should + Speak, without words, such words as none can tell, + Her tress also should be of crisped gold; + With wit, and these, I might perchance be tried, + And knit again with knot that should not slide. + +"Then I perceive you are difficult to please, my son," she replied. + +"Listen, stay Dorothy," he said, quickly, as she stepped upon the +footbridge, "surely that means you. Oh, Dorothy, let me speak. I must +tell you. I cannot let you depart yet. I love you. I have loved you +ever since I saw you first." + +He paused, but as the maiden did not speak, he continued. + +"Ever since the hawking party I have loved you. Do you remember that?" + +"I do," she demurely replied. + +"Nay, stay, leave me not thus," he cried, as Dorothy unconsciously +moved. "You must stay, you must listen. Dorothy, I cannot flatter you +like some; I speak the truth. I cannot live without you make me happy. +Will you be mine?" + +"But, sir knight--" + +"Nay," he interrupted, "say it is so. I am no knight, I am but a +simple esquire, but though you be the daughter of the rich King of the +Peak--" + +"Nay, do not talk like that," she interrupted quickly. + +"Let me do something to show the vastness of my love," he went on. +"What shall it be? Bid me do aught, or go anywhere; command me what +you will, but say you love me." + +"And if I do, what then?" + +"What then?" he echoed; "I would live or die for you--for you alone." + +"I do love you, then," she replied, with downcast eyes and blushing +face. + +Manners stood up erect, and glanced straight into the honest eyes of +the beautiful girl as she stood on the bridge beside him. + +"You do?" he exclaimed; "say it again." + +"I do love you." she repeated; "and will be yours for ever if you love +me as you say." + +"What!" he cried, "you, the fair Dorothy Vernon, the Princess of the +Peak, the fairest jewel in the land, you give yourself to me--John +Manners, a simple esquire? I can scarce believe my ears." + +"I will show you. John," she replied; "my life shall prove it. I have +loved you dearly ever since that self-same hunt"; and permitting her +love-troth to be sealed by a kiss, she buried her fair face in his +bosom and quietly wept in the excess of her joy. + + + + +CHAPTER XIII. + +FATHER PHILIP'S ACCIDENT. + + And thou hast loved him! Faith, what next? + It had been better far for thee + That thou had'st ne'er been born, than this. + Brood on thy folly, and return, + But when thou hast repented on't. + + A WOMAN'S WHIM. + + +As the two lovers, happy in their newly-pledged love-troth, entered +the gateway of the Hall they were encountered by the news that Father +Philip had met with an accident. Margaret and Sir Everard Crowleigh +had not yet returned, and messengers were even then, by the +chamberlain's commands, preparing to go out to secure aid. + +"'Tis a sad mishap, my lady," said that functionary, as Dorothy +entered. "That stupid old horse of his threw him against a tree, and +we cannot find Sir Benedict anywhere; the poor father is bleeding +to death. He's dying, my lady, dying; what will the baron do if he +return?" + +"Hush! Thomas, of course he will return." + +"May the blessed Virgin take pity on us," pursued the wretched man, +"there is an evil spirit o'er the place. Someone is working a spell +against us." + +"Where is the father?" asked Manners abruptly. + +"He lies in the chaplain's room; I can hear him groaning now. The +saints look down in----" + +Dorothy passed on, heeding not the continued invocations which the old +man made to all the saints in the calendar, and led her lover into the +little room in which the unfortunate priest lay. + +The portly form of Father Philip lay stretched at full length upon a +wooden bench, and the room resounded with his painful groans. As they +approached nearer to him they could see the fearful injuries he had +received; and the continued reiteration of the sufferer that he was +about to die needed no other confirmation than a glance at his pale +face, upon which the mark of death was plainly written. + +Father Philip, despite his faults, was universally beloved in the +neighbourhood--by the poor for the bounty he dispensed at the gates +from the well-stocked larder of the knight; by the rich because he +was by far the best tale-teller of the district, and the success of a +feast at which he was present was at once assured; and by the children +generally, for the confections and little silver pence he bestowed +upon them, along with his kind word and cheery smile, in a most +liberal manner. + +At Haddon he was a prime favourite with all alike. He had entered the +service of the Vernons soon after the monasteries were dissolved, in +the time of Henry VIII., and had grown old in his office. Throughout +the critical and changeful reigns of Edward and Mary, as well as the +early years of Elizabeth's time, he had, in spite of all the attempts +made to oust him, retained his position as confessor to the family and +priest of the chapel at Haddon, and, as he had christened Margaret, he +was looking forward with pleasurable expectancy to the occasion when +he would be called upon to marry her also. + +Leaving Dorothy standing on the threshold of the doorway, Manners +advanced to the injured man's side, and endeavoured to sooth him by +instilling into his mind a ray of hope. + +"O, Dorothy," gasped the priest, disregarding the words of his +would-be comforter, "I am dying, dying like a dog. O, for some of +Dame Durden's simples now. For the blessed Virgin's sake fetch Sir +Benedict. O, dear! O, dear!" and he sank back with a groan. + +Dorothy turned, and with a fast-beating heart hastened to deliver the +captive knight, while her lover endeavoured to staunch the flow of +blood by binding the wound tightly up in strips of cloth. + +By dint of much shaking and shouting cousin Benedict was at last +roused from his drunken sleep, and also at last was made to understand +somewhat of the exigencies of the case for which his aid was needed. + +"I will come soon," he exclaimed, in answer to Dorothy's entreaties. + +"You must come now!" she replied, in a peremptory tone, which admitted +of no prevarication. + +"Where is the wine?" he asked, as he rubbed his eyes and glanced +around; "why, this is the kitchen." + +"Come along, Benedict; Father Philip is dying, I tell you. Do you +understand?" + +Benedict a Woode stood up as still as he was able, and rubbed off a +quantity of the salt which tenaciously adhered to his garments, then, +noticing for the first time that he was in the great salt trough, he +exclaimed in a tone of great surprise, "What! have I been here?" + +"You have," she answered severely, "but why do you not come and +succour Father Philip? He is bleeding to death, while you, who are +staying here, might help him." + +As the knight rapidly collected his scattered senses, he became +more and more ashamed of himself; and now, clambering out of his +ignominious confinement, with bowed head and tottering feet he humbly +followed his fair companion across the yard. Not even the gigantic +vat, which was still steaming from a recent brew, the pungent odour +of which could be plainly scented, induced him to alter his course; he +meekly entered the room at Dorothy's heels. + +Whatever effects of his recent indulgence remained with him before he +entered the room, they were quickly dispelled as he beheld the +pallid countenance of his friend, and falling down upon his knees, he +scrutinised the injuries the venerable father had received. + +A brief examination satisfied Benedict that, unskilled as he was, the +case was entirely beyond his power, and he knew not what to do. He +unloosened the bandages which Manners had made, and let the already +over-bled man bleed still more; and then, bethinking himself of +summoning superior aid, he hastily concocted a dose of simples, +which the sufferer could with difficulty be prevailed upon to take, +despatched a mounted messenger to Derby, and sat himself down at the +foot of the bench to await the course of events. + +The effect produced by the dose was evidently what Benedict had +wished, and for a long time the sufferer was far more quiet. + +"O, Benedict," he feebly exclaimed, "my head, my head!" + +"Well, it will be better soon." + +"Nay, I know I'm dying; 'twas a fatal fall, and I cannot shrive +myself." + +Benedict saw that his patient was getting excited, and he mixed +another draught, which the father absolutely refused to take. + +"Oh, dear, I'm dying, dying," he gasped. + +"Tut, man! rubbish. There's life enough left yet in you. We shall be +out together again in a day or two." + +"Send for another brother," pursued the unfortunate man. "I am dying; +my end has come, and I know it." + +"Tut, man!" returned the knight, "I tell you you will be better soon." + +"A witch told me I should die like this," continued the father +obstinately, "and the time has come. I am too old to survive it now." + +"Go to sleep, father," interrupted Manners, "you ought not to talk +now; you want rest." + +"Yes, sleep," assented a Woode. + +"I cannot, I am dying," he gasped; and he groaned in agony again and +again. + +"Father Philip," interposed Dorothy, "you must rest yourself. Master +Manners is a soldier and has seen many hurt like you, and even worse; +you must do his bidding an you would get well again." + +"What in the name of faith does all this mean?" asked Margaret, as she +stepped into the room. "What is all this stir and commotion about?" + +"I am dying, Margaret," repeated the confessor, as he gasped for very +breath. "I thought to marry thee, my daughter, but now it is denied +me. You will pray for the repose of the soul of Father Philip, will +you not?" he inquired, looking up into her face as she bent over him. + +"When you are dead, yes," she replied, "but not until." + +"Don't talk to him, Mistress Margaret," said Manners; "he will only +injure himself by talking in return. I have enjoined quietness, but he +will take no heed. He ought to refresh himself by quietness, and sleep +if possible, does he not; is not that correct, Everard?" + +"Aye, it is indeed," + +"I shall be dead soon, Margaret, and--" + +"Go to sleep, man, or at least lie still," growled a Woode. "What is +the use of all my care and simples if you won't do as I order you?" + +"And you will ask the baron to forgive an old man's follies, +Margaret?" slowly pursued the father, between the gasps, quite +heedless of the counsel given him to remain silent. + +"I'll stop this," Sir Benedict broke in savagely, as he proceeded to +tie the bandages on afresh. "Father Philip, you shall be silent, or +die you must. That's better," he exclaimed, as his patient fell back +unconscious. "He will, perforce, be quiet now awhile, and we may +safely remove him to his room." + +"Is he badly hurt, think you?" asked Margaret. + +"I don't think he will ever get better again," Benedict gravely +replied; "he is old, and it is a terrible wound." + +"Neither do I think he will weather it," added Crowleigh; "I have seen +men hurt like that before, fair Mistress Margaret, and we soldiers +soon recognise the mark of death." + +Slowly and with great care the poor father was carried into the hall, +and as soon as he was laid upon his bed, seeing that there were +no signs of returning consciousness, Margaret and Dorothy quietly +retired. + +"Meg," exclaimed the younger sister, with glistening eyes, as they sat +in cheerless solitude before the blazing logs in their own room, "I +have something to tell thee, and I shall mayhap want your aid ere I +have done." + +She stopped short, to see if her sister had guessed her secret, but it +was apparently undiscovered, so she went on. + +"I don't expect Lady Maude will be very willing; she always opposes +us, does she not?" + +"Sometimes," said Margaret drily. + +"He is not so rich as De la Zouch," pursued Dorothy, "so I don't think +she will agree to it at first." + +"To what? What do you mean? Father Philip's accident has turned your +head, I verily believe," replied her sister, as a terrible suspicion +of the truth flashed into her imagination. + +"Nay, Meg, dear, listen. I have plighted my troth to-night." + +Margaret jumped from her seat as if stung, and her face turned livid +with anger. + +"What!" she exclaimed, "you have dared to plight your troth to Master +Manners?" + +"To John Manners, yes." + +Her voice was quiet and her bearing firm, nor was she half so agitated +as her sister, a fact which Margaret was slow to understand. + +"Speak fair, Dorothy," she said, as she tried to persuade herself that +she had misunderstood her meaning. "None of your riddles for me. You +are joking, surely." + +"Nay, I am in earnest, Meg. Ask him yourself; he will tell you whether +I was joking an hour ago. De la Zouch knows I would perish rather +than be his countess. I told him so myself. And oh! Meg, dear, I am so +happy now, for I love John Manners so very, very much." + +"'Tis a sad night's work for _you_", burst out Margaret. "What right +have you, prithee, to make arrangements such as these? You are to be +betrothed to a brother of Sir Thomas Stanley. Edward is coming from +the Isle of Man within a month to arrange it all, and a nice affair +have you made it with your forwardness." + +"Edward Stanley?" echoed Doll, in blank dismay. + +"Yes, surely." + +"Never," she replied, decisively; "I will have none of him, nor could +I if I would. I am betrothed already." + +"You foolish child," returned Margaret. I must rate this Master +Manners for his presumption. Sir Thomas will have talked the matter +over with your father ere now, as they journeyed up to London." + +"It will be of no use even if he has. John Manners has my pledge, and +I shall keep it with him, too." + +"Tut, child, this is idle talk. By now the matter is all arranged +for you, and very thankful ought you to be. If Master Manners is a +gentleman----" + +"He _is_ a gentleman." + +"He will think no more about you, then, after he knows the facts," +said Margaret sharply, and passing out of the room she left Dorothy +alone to her tears, while she tried to discover the happy esquire to +give him a piece of her mind. + + + + +CHAPTER XIV. + +AN UNPLEASANT NIGHT. + + But justice though her dome she doe prolong, + Yet at the last she will her own cause right. + + SPENSER. + + +When the landlord of the Cock Tavern thoughtlessly gave his prisoner +into the custody of the ostler he put Edmund Wynne in the way of the +only piece of good fortune which fell to his share on that unlucky +day. + +No sooner did the two conspirators find themselves alone than Edmund +began to implore his companion to set him at liberty, offering large +prospective bribes for freedom; but quickly perceiving that his keeper +was inexorable, he turned his attention to the best possible provision +for the safety of those who had embarked on the expedition along with +him. + +It was patent to both that for the meeting of Edmund's associates +to take place, as had been arranged just previously, would now only +involve them all in one common ruin; and arrangements were accordingly +made for them to be warned of the danger their presence would incur. +The conference, however, was prematurely ended by the advent of +the minions of the law, who, for once in a way, were prompt in the +execution of their duty, and in a very short space of time Edmund +found himself securely lodged within the precincts of Fleet Market +Gaol. + +Little ceremony was shown him at his new resting-place, for no sooner +had the outer doors of the prison closed upon him than he was rapidly +dragged forward across the courtyard and thrust into a dimly-lighted, +evil-smelling room, the very appearance of which, with its +strongly-barred windows high up in the wall, and the massive studded +door which was closed and double locked upon him almost before he had +entered the room, struck a feeling of shrinking terror deeply into +the prisoner's heart. He sank disconsolately down upon the cold stone +bench just beside the door, and placing his elbows upon his knees, he +propped his head up between his hands, and peering into the dimness +bitterly bewailed his fate. + +He was startled from the train of thought into which he had +unconsciously fallen by hearing a sound not far from him. He raised +his head and rubbed his eyes, half expecting to be confronted by a +spectral visitor; but not being able to distinguish anything in the +deep gloom to which his eyes were not yet accustomed, he dismissed +that theory, and ascribed the noise to the rats. + +"Rats, ugh!" he exclaimed, and he lowered his head down again, feeling +a trifle less dejected because of the trivial interruption which had +for the moment excited him, and changed his dismal channel into which +his thoughts had flown. + +"Who says rats?" exclaimed a voice in tremulous tones, evidently from +the corner of the room. + +Edmund's head was upraised in a moment. His hair stood on end, for, as +he hastily glanced around, his eye lighted upon a form enshrouded in +white. He was convinced that he was at last confronted by one of the +ghostly fraternity, of whose existence he was a firm believer; and +hastily springing from his seat, he retreated as far as he could in +the opposite direction. + +To his terror the figure rose up at the same time, and advancing +towards him, frantically waving its arms, and repeating the words +Edmund had just uttered. He was in a frenzy of despair, and rushing +to the door, as the spectre had come up to him, he had made an +ineffectual effort to open it, and was busily engaged in kicking its +stout timbers to attract the attention of the gaolers. + +All this took but a moment, but it was a terrible time to Edmund, and +he found himself, in spite of his efforts, completely nonplussed by +the unearthly foe beside him. + +"Rats, who says rats?" piped the figure again in its shrill, thin +voice. "Where are they?" + +For answer Edmund turned round, and in his desperation lunged out with +his foot towards his persecutor. It struck something solid, and to +Edmund's intense relief the spectre limped away with a howl of pain +just as the key turned in the lock outside. + +A moment later the door swung slowly back upon its creaking hinges, +admitting the gaoler, and, at the same time a flood of light, which +disclosed to view the form of a haggard man writhing in pain upon the +wooden bed, sparsely covered with straw, in the very corner of the +room. + +"Here's a pretty pickle," quoth the new comer, as he stood upon the +threshold of the door. "Which of you made all the din? Halloa, why +Peter," he added, as he stepped up to the side of the bed and gazed +upon the emaciated form of an old and well-known inmate of the Hut, +"what does all this portend?" + +No sooner had he stepped into the room than Edmund, seeing the doorway +clear, bolted out on an ill-timed venture of escape. He rushed +along the passage, hotly pursued by his custodian, and ran without +interruption into the yard; but here, alas, he was at bay. It was not +the same yard through which he had entered so shortly before, and he +could find no way of exit. It was futile to attempt anything further, +and, discovering this unwelcome fact, he passively yielded himself up, +and was rewarded for so doing by receiving sundry cuffs and jerks from +his captors, who carried him straightway before the governor. + +There are some people in the world who seem to have been born under a +lucky star. Everything upon which their hands are laid at once turns +into gold; all their ventures are successful, or if they have a slight +mishap it is more than compensated for directly afterwards by a grand +success. Fortune is never weary of smiling upon them; they are her +prime favourites, and she marks her approval by heaping favours upon +them in a most indiscriminate and prodigal manner. Upon others she +continually frowns. All their efforts uniformly bring back a plentiful +harvest of disappointment. Their labour is ever in vain, they are left +to languish in misery and to repine over the illusion which tempted +them with a feigned promise of success ever nearer and nearer to ruin. + +Edmund was one of these last, and this was the more inexplicable both +to himself and a certain number of his friends, inasmuch as he, being +an astrologer, had discovered that he was born under a lucky star. + +His interview with the governor was short, but decisive. The gaoler +stated the case against him, adding to the facts here and there +to embellish his story; and in a very short space of time he found +himself manacled with heavy chains, which fastened him down to the +floor of the damp cell into which he had been thrust. + +At the Cock Tavern Sir George was ill at ease when he retired to rest +that night. His slumber was broken, and when he slept it was only to +dream of his trial on the morrow. Hobgoblins were judges, and legions +of little imps bore witness against him. Old Dame Durden rose up from +her grave on purpose to bear witness against him in person, and as, in +his vision, he saw her stretch out her long, bony arms towards him, he +felt her cold, clammy hand upon his head, and awoke to find himself in +a cold perspiration. + +He attempted to quieten his fears, and tried to reassure himself, and, +having succeeded in some degree in doing this, he fell asleep again. + +It was a vain search for rest. This time a myriad of hostile pygmies +were dragging him down into a bottomless pit. They tugged, and pushed, +and danced upon his helpless body, and laughed in spiteful glee as he +descended further and further into the dread abyss. + +He rose at cock-crow, unrefreshed both in body and mind, and, +descending into the lower regions, he paced abstractedly through each +tenantless room in turn. + +He found it, however, a forlorn and cheerless way of killing the time. +Everything seemed dead; not a sign of life was visible. The rooms were +desolate, and looked the worst, while the fire grate, empty save for a +few dead ashes, seemed but a picture of his own misery, and instead of +yielding him even a grain of comfort, its bars, appeared to grin upon +him with solid defiance. Everything seemed comfortless in the extreme, +and as the melancholy train of thought into which he had fallen was +in no wise cheered by this manner of proceeding, he passed into the +library, which seemed least cheerless of all, and sat himself down. + +Still he could not enliven himself nor shake off the gloomy feeling +which had settled upon him; all around was perfectly still, and the +very silence palled upon his fancy. It was, he imagined, the calm +before the storm; the tempest would be raging round him soon in all +its fury; and moving the empty horn cups aside--the relics of the +night's carousal--he reached down a volume from the thinly-populated +bookshelf, hoping to calm his excited feelings by arousing an interest +which might for a time distract his attention from the forthcoming +trial. It was a book of poems, and with a contemptuous "tush!" he +impatiently replaced it upon its shelf, and sank down into his seat +and fell into a fitful doze, only to be tormented afresh by hosts of +enemies, each of whom was eager to destroy him, while he could only +look on in dismay and witness his own fall. + +Sir George was no light weight, and under the pressure of his body +the table was gradually pushed further and further away from the bench +upon the smoothly polished boards, until at length it failed to offer +him any support and he was suddenly awakened by falling heavily upon +the floor. + +Half dazed by the fall, and still uncertain whether he were awake or +asleep, the good knight rubbed his eyes and looked around. He heaved +a sigh of relief to find that he was yet alive, for he had at first +imagined that the furies had succeeded in encompassing his ruin. He +ran his fingers through his iron-grey locks of dishevelled hair, and +comprehending that he was seated upon the floor, he made an effort to +rise. + +As he placed his hand upon the floor it touched something which +yielded to the pressure. Involuntarily he drew it back and placed +himself instinctively in an attitude of defence. He hated vermin +of every kind, and this he instantly resolved was a rodent of some +description. + +His first hurried glance showed him that he was mistaken. It was but +an innocent roll of paper, and laughing at his fears, he picked it up, +and placing it upon the table, regained his seat. + +He turned it over, but there was no superscription on its exterior to +offer any clue as to its owner, and taking it with him to the window, +he pushed the lattice open and removed the shutter. The dial pointed +to six, and the sun had risen. He peered closely into the roll he +held in his hand, and pressing the packet slightly open, he slowly +deciphered the writing. It was that of a lawyer. The first word he +encountered was his own name, and brushing all scruples hastily aside, +the baron burst the package open, and with little compunction sat down +to peruse its contents. + +It took the knight, who was no fluent scholar, some considerable time +to read it through, and when, after the exercise of much patience, +he had reached the end, the legal terms, which were so profusely +employed, so baffled his simple understanding that he had decidedly +failed to grasp its true intent. Of one thing, however, and only one, +was he perfectly sure, and that was that he had come across the name +of Mary Burden and Nathan Grene several times in close connection +with his own; but what heightened his surprise and added to his +discomfiture was that the name of Sir Ronald Bury also appeared. + +In this predicament he bethought himself of seeking aid to unravel the +mystery, and he hastened up to arouse his companion. + +Sir Thomas was dressed, and he met the baron at the top of the +stairs--much to their mutual surprise. + +"Good morrow, Thomas," exclaimed the baron, "I had come to awaken +thee; see here!" and holding up the document he had discovered, he +dragged the heir to the Derby estates downstairs without uttering +another word or allowing any time for explanations. + +"Read that," he said, as soon as they were seated. + +Sir Thomas took the roll from the other's hand, and after a +superficial scrutiny he was soon deeply engrossed in carrying out +the command, while Sir George leaned his elbows upon the table and +carefully studied the changing emotions which followed each other in +rapid succession upon the young man's face. + +Sir Thomas Stanley read it through twice, and then carefully folding +it up, he gave the baron a prolonged inquiring look. + +"Well," exclaimed Sir George, "you have read it?" + +"I have." + +"Is it important?" + +"Assuredly it is. What have you done in the matter?" + +"Naught, save that I have shown it thee." + +"Is that all, Sir George?" + +"All! yes. Why?" + +"It is valuable; where did you get it?" + +"I found it upon the floor under the table. What is it, though?" + +"Show me your summons first. You have discovered information, I +believe, which will tide you safely over the trial." + +"Eh!" ejaculated the old knight, dropping the bulky summons upon the +table; "found what?" + +Sir Thomas returned no answer to the query, for, leaving his companion +to grasp the importance of the words he had just uttered, he spread +out the two documents side by side upon the table and busied himself +in comparing them together. + + + + +CHAPTER XV. + +SIR GEORGE AT WESTMINSTER. + + Go, let the treacherous throw their darts + And sore the good malign + Perjure their conscience, stain their hearts, + To gain their foul design. + Yet shall right triumph at the end; + And virtue fortune shall defend. + + ANON. + + +For some time the two noblemen sat in silence, but at length Sir +Thomas Stanley looked up and gave the baron some very pleasant news. + +"You are safe," he said. "You need no longer fear this Nathan Grene, +nor Sir Ronald Bury, nor anybody else for the matter of that; you are +perfectly safe." + +Sir George Vernon simply opened his eyes and his mouth wide in sheer +surprise, and seeing that he made no attempt to speak, Sir Thomas +proceeded. + +"This is a letter from Grene's own counsel. It is of the utmost +importance. Nathan Grene must have been here yesterday." + +"What! at the inn here? This very inn?" + +"Aye! and in this very room. Here is his signature, dated yesterday. +Maybe he is above even now." + +"Like enough," said the baron fiercely, and he looked as if he would +like to search each separate chamber in the house there and then. + +"Listen," said Stanley, "this is what the lawyer says: 'I am doubtful +if, after all, the prosecution will not fall through. The summons was +issued by your direction against "The King of the Peak," whereas it +ought to have read "Sir George Vernon." Warder, who, I hear, is the +agent of the Vernon family, will surely recognise this, and if the +baron refuses to answer the title contained in the summons, then our +case will fall to the ground. We must hope for the best, as we can do +no more. It is too late to rectify the error now.'" + +"Here," said Sir Thomas, looking up, "the counsellor stops; but our +friend Grene has added a few notes of his own, evidently directions to +some of his friends." + +"Go on, then," commanded Sir George impetuously. + +"'We must get Warder out of the way till the trial is over,' he +writes. 'The ostler here, who brings this message to thee, is in our +confidence, and may be trusted. Meet as arranged to-night. If we fail +at the trial we will have our revenge elsewhere. I am in danger, and +may not meet you yet, but follow Sir Ronald and he will reward you.'" + +He stopped reading, for while they had been thus together the +household had become astir, and it was evident that someone was about +to enter the room in which they were seated. + +His conjecture was right, for barely had he paused ere the door was +pushed open, and the ostler stepped quickly in, startled indeed to +find the library already occupied. He started to retire, but the baron +called him back. + +"Come hither, sirrah," he cried, regardless of his friend's wiser +counsel to desist. + +Hugh unwillingly returned. + +"Do you know that?" Sir George exclaimed, holding up the packet he had +discovered. + +Hugh had come purposely to seek it, but deeming it unwise to admit +the fact, he boldly answered in the negative. "That will do," said the +younger knight quietly; "you can depart." + +Again he started to go, but again Sir George called him back. + +"Read it," he said peremptorily, and he thrust the parchment into the +ostler's hands. + +"I cannot read," he replied; but suddenly bethinking himself that he +was implicated by the written evidence, he quickly changed his mind, +and eagerly snatching the document from the baron, he hastened out of +the room and turned the lock sharply upon the wonder-stricken knights. + +No time was to be lost; Hugh knew their knocking would soon be heard, +and that before long they would be released, when there would be +hue and cry after him; so, rapidly catching up a few of his own +things--and he had few of his own handy enough to take--and adding +a few convenient valuables belonging to his master to pay for his +services, he quickly passed out of the house and sped on his way to +join the confederates of Edmund Wynne. + +Edmund, too, had passed a sleepless night. At first he had attempted +to burst his chains asunder, but soon realising the utter uselessness +of such conduct, and being also covered with bruises, he desisted and +passed the next hour in calling out for relief. No relief came; only +the mice and the insects heard his cries, and the former affrighted, +sought seclusion in their holes, leaving the latter to survey in +silent surprise the new comer who had intruded upon their privacy. + +Wearied out, he gave over shouting at last, and lay upon the floor of +his damp cell, tossing uneasily about from side to side. The sun set; +the dark night came and went; the morning sun arose, and yet he knew +it not. It was too dark for him to see anything, for even no ray of +light found its way inside to gladden the heart of the prisoner. He +was altogether shut off from the world; he was, for the time being, to +all intents and purposes, buried alive. + +At length, after a night of abject misery, which seemed as if it never +would end, he heard the key turned in the lock, and in another moment +the gaoler entered. He fastened Edmund's hands securely behind his +back, and unlocking the fetters he bade him follow him to the court. + +The landlord of the Cock Tavern was already there, much enraged at the +loss of his property and the conduct of his servant, which he laid to +the charge of the prisoner. In a very short space of time Edmund Wynne +was convicted as a vagabond, and he listened akin to relief as the +Judge sentenced him to be kept in the stocks for the rest of the day +and threatened him with a whipping in the pillory if he were brought +before him on a second occasion. Much to the annoyance of the +innkeeper, the attempt to connect the prisoner with the loss of his +property and the ostler's flight entirely broke down; and disgusted +with everybody and everything, the good man returned to the tavern to +smile with counterfeited pleasure at his customers, and to vent his +rage upon the servants who were left him. + +The loss of the paper somewhat disconcerted Sir George Vernon, and +after the disappearance of the ostler he sat for a minute or two quite +dumbfounded, gazing in speechless surprise at the closed door. His +companion was a man of action, however, and undaunted by finding the +door locked, he hastened to the window, and would have attempted an +exit there had it not been that the windows were too narrow for such a +procedure. + +Baffled again, but in nowise disheartened, he began to thunder at the +door, and with the assistance of Sir George Vernon he soon made noise +enough to attract attention. + +The first to hear them was the chambermaid, and she, very naturally +suspecting that thieves were in the room, ran out into the yard and +intimated as much, at the top of her voice, to all the neighbours. + +Meanwhile the knocking continued, and was, if anything, more vigorous +than before. Startled by such an unusual din, the worthy Boniface +awoke from his slumbers, and, in no very enviable frame of mind, set +off, poker in hand, to summon aid. Help soon came, and, armed with +pokers, brooms, and pitchforks, the door was quickly broken open +and the gallant company rushed in, knocking Sir George over as they +entered. + +In the pause that followed the first rush the mistake was discovered, +and the situation was explained. The landlord was profuse in his +apologies, the more so as he caught the look of anger in the baron's +eye, but peace being quickly made, he rewarded his followers and +sallied out to discover the whereabouts of his delinquent servant, +breathing out dire threatenings against him. He searched in vain, and +after a thorough examination, returned in ill mood to partake of the +first meal of the day, and to discover the extent of his losses ere he +proceeded to appear against the unfortunate Edmund Wynne. + +As the baron and Sir Thomas rode together to Westminster a few hours +later, it was with spirits considerably higher than they could have +expected four-and-twenty hours earlier. Sir George had resumed his +haughty bearing, but he was, in truth, though he would never have +confessed it, more than a trifle nervous. At last the great Justice +Hall was reached, and, with a parting injunction not to answer to the +challenge, Sir Thomas separated from him, passing in by one door while +the baron entered by another. + +Sir George's nervous temperament was severely tried upon this +occasion, for he had a considerable time to wait, and he found no +better plan of whiling it away than that of impatiently pacing up +and down in the little room allotted to him; and he imagined himself +suffering all sorts of horrible tortures. + +At last his turn came. The door opened; his name was called; and +composing himself as well as he was able, he stepped into the crowded +hall with considerable dignity, accompanied by a pompous member of the +Court, and at once became the cynosure of all eyes. + +He stood impassively, casting his eyes around in search of Sir Thomas +Stanley, and curious to recognise as many as he could among the motley +crowd which had come to see him tried. During the time the charge was +being read, and just as he had discovered his companion in the throng +straight before him, he was challenged by the Clerk of the Crown to +plead. + +"King of the Peak," cried the officer of the law, "hold up thine hand. +Thou art accused of the murder of Mary Durden, spinster. Art thou +guilty or art thou not guilty?" + +Instinctively he held up his hand as directed, and in a bold and +fearless voice which echoed along the passages answered, "_Not +guilty_." + +As soon as he had uttered the words he remembered that he had done +wrong, but it was too late to recall it now, and filled with no +pleasant forebodings by learning that the one who had just stepped out +of the place in which he had stood had been committed to the Tower, he +watched the swearing-in of the jury with stolid indifference. + +It was soon evident that something was wrong somewhere. The minions +of the court rushed hither and thither in the utmost haste; messages +passed from the Judge to the clerks who sat at the table below; and +by-and-bye the fact leaked out that neither the prosecutor nor the +witnesses were in attendance. + +"Nathan Grene," called the clerk, "stand forth." There was no answer. + +"Nathan Grene," he repeated in a louder voice, "come forward and +accuse this man." + +The cry was taken up both inside the hall and without; but still no +Nathan Grene appeared, nor was he likely to, for at that time he was +sitting securely in the stocks; the sport of every passer-by, and +the delight of some little mischievous urchins, who were amusing +themselves by pulling his hair and sprinkling him with dirty water, +while he was powerless to defend himself in any way. + +"Nathan Grene," exclaimed the Judge in tones of awful dignity, "you +are called upon to support the charge of murder against the King of +the Peak; a charge made by yourself. This is the last time thou wilt +be summoned to answer, and unless you now appear, or afterwards show +good, full, and sufficient cause for thine absence, the law shall turn +its course on thee." + +The long silence which followed this speech was broken only by the +Judge, who rose again from his seat, and turning to Sir George told +him he was free; and amid the congratulations of his friends and the +concealed disappointment of his enemies, he passed triumphantly out of +the hall which had proved so fatal to so many of the nobility before +him, as it has also done since. + + + + +CHAPTER XVI. + +A NIGHT ADVENTURE. + + But whatsoe'er his crime, than such a cave + A worse imprisonment he could not have. + * * * * * + But here a roaring torrent bids you stand. + Forcing you climb a rock on the right hand, + Which, hanging penthouse-like, does overlook + The dreadful channel of the rapid brook. + Over this dangerous precipice you crawl, + Lost if you slip, for if you slip you fall. + + WONDERS OF THE PEAK, 1725. + + +Elated by their success, the two noblemen at once left London and +hastened on towards Haddon, and leaving the city behind them with +few regrets, they arrived at Derby late in the afternoon of the day +following the trial. + +It was Sir Thomas Stanley's time to be impatient now He was anxious +to behold Margaret again, and leaving the baron behind him to settle +a few matters of business he rode off upon a fresh horse to carry the +good news to the Hall, and to herald the approach of the knight. + +John Manners was keeping Dorothy company on the top of the Eagle Tower +when Sir Thomas appeared in sight. A "look out" had been on the watch +for the last three days, waiting to announce the approach of the +expected messenger from London, and each night a beacon fire had been +lighted, that in the darkness he might not pass by. But no messenger +came, and anxiety was beginning to make itself apparent on more faces +than one when the two lovers espied the fast-approaching rider, and +proclaimed the news to the household below. + +Margaret soon joined them company. She was burning with impatience to +read the long-expected missive and she eagerly watched the horseman +draw nearer who was bringing her tidings from her betrothed. + +"See Meg," exclaimed the overjoyed Dorothy, "thither he comes!" and +she pointed to a cloud of dust in the far distance, in the midst of +which might be seen every now and again the indistinct form of a horse +and its rider. + +"Maybe he will pass by," exclaimed Manners. + +"Not he!" scornfully replied Margaret, "he will none pass by. None +other than a messenger to Haddon would ride like that. The steed is +hard put to it; surely it is near its journey's end." + +"Well, we shall soon see," interposed Doll, "he is making good speed." + +It was as Dorothy said. Even while they had been talking, the rider +had considerably lessened the distance which separated him from the +Hall, and, had it not been for the dim twilight which was then slowly +deepening, they would have been enabled to distinguish more than they +had already done. + +"He rides well," said Margaret, more to herself than to either of the +others. "Methinks I know that ride." + +"'Tis like Crowleigh's," said Manners. + +"But Sir Everard is with Father Philip. It cannot be him," returned +Dorothy. + +"There is but one man who bestrides a saddle in such a fashion," +exclaimed Margaret, as she carefully scanned the horseman. "But no! it +cannot be so. I thought it was Sir----" + +"Sir Thomas Stanley," exclaimed Dorothy, taking the words out of her +sister's mouth. + +"I thought it was he," she confessed; "and see," she added, raising +her voice, "it is Sir Thomas; I thought it was," and she left the +lovers as she had found them, and hastened down, greatly excited, +to meet her own beloved, and not without some feelings of dismay at +seeing him return alone. + +Leaving the succeeding scene to be imagined rather than described, we +will hark back to Sir George at Derby. + +He accomplished his business more expeditiously than he had +anticipated, and in a very brief space of time started out of +the town, hoping with a hope soon to be dispelled that he might, +perchance, overtake Sir Thomas. + +Without a halt he arrived at Matlock at just about the same time as +his companion reached Haddon, and reining up his steed at the village +inn close by the churchyard, he alighted for a short rest and some +refreshment ere he finished what remained of his journey. + +He was well known here, and his peremptory commands were obeyed with +the utmost alacrity. + +His first enquiry was about Sir Thomas Stanley, and he learned to his +satisfaction that he had passed safely through there a good hour or so +before. + +"In good sooth, your lordship is surely going no further to-night," +exclaimed the host, as Sir George made the preliminary preparation for +resuming his journey. + +"Tut, man, why not? Of course I shall." + +"Your horse is stabled," responded the landlord; "surely you will not +attempt to ride further to-night." + +"My horse stabled," thundered the baron, "I said not so; 'tis fresh +from Derby. Out with it, man, and let me away." + +The horse was quickly unstabled, and brought round to the tavern door, +but the innkeeper was loth to let the good knight depart. It was a +thing he would not do for a trifle, and he feared for the safety of +the baron. + +"The roads are very bad," he exclaimed, as they stepped into the +little passage together, "and it will be dark ere you reach the Hall, +my lord. Had you not better change your mind?" + +The knight declined the request in the most emphatic manner, and +placed his foot upon the stirrup to mount. + +"There be many rogues and footpads in the neighbourhood of late, and +especially to-day," pursued the other. "I have had as ill-looking a +crew in my house to-day as I ever clapt eyes upon; I am sure they bode +no good." + +Nothing, however, could persuade Sir George to stay, and seeing that +his guest was obdurate, the host continued, + +"Stay awhile, Sir George, an' thou wilt, thou shalt at least have a +man of mine to accompany thee. The neighbourhood is full of knaves of +late, and I like it not that thou should'st go alone." + +But the offer was lightly refused; and fearing nothing for his own +safety, the old knight spurred his horse forward, and in a few moments +was lost to sight in the fast-settling gloom. + +Little time as he and Sir Thomas had lost in leaving London, and quick +as they had been in reaching Derby, there had yet been those who had +been more expeditious than they. + +Upon the receipt of the unwelcome news which the ostler had brought to +them, Edmund Wynne's confederates at once departed from the city, and +under the leadership of Sir Ronald Bury hastened on, with few rests, +to the wilds of Derbyshire, to perform the deed, still enshrouded in +mystery, which they had been hired, if necessary, to perform. + +Blissfully unconscious of the trap into which he was rushing, and +wholly contemptuous of the idea of being benighted, the lord of Haddon +rode fearlessly on. The way was dark to be sure, but he knew it well, +and what added to his confidence was the fact that he was right in the +very heart of his own possessions. + +He had barely ridden a couple of furlongs, though, before his horse +became restive, and in response to a free application of both whip and +spur only pricked up its ears and advanced in a more unsatisfactory +manner than before. + +Still suspecting nothing, the baron applied the whip more vigorously. +He perceived, clearly enough, that his charger was frightened at +something or other, and to inspire it with a little of his own courage +he started to whistle a lively tune which he had heard Dorothy play +upon the spinet till he got it well by heart. + +The tune was never finished, for barely had he begun it when the +branch of a tree, which was hurled at him from the side of the road, +completely unhorsed him and sent him rolling into the ditch on the +other side. + +Before he could rise or place himself in any posture of defence he +was roughly seized, and in spite of his struggles was carried away as +helpless as a child, whilst to aggravate his position his eyes were +tightly blindfolded. + +"What does this mean?" he shouted out in desperation; but no one +deigned to answer. + +"I am Sir George Vernon," he added stoutly, but if he had thought that +this was information, or that his captors would be inclined to +quake before this declaration of his rank and person, he was sorely +mistaken, and the brief answer they returned soon convinced him on the +point. + +"We know it," they laughed; "we are no fools." + +"Nathan Grene," he passionately shouted, "you shall rue this day." He +no longer wondered now at the non-appearance of his adversary; he felt +confident that the recreant smith was there, and the thought of being +thus within his power goaded him into a frenzy of passion. + +"Thou shalt live to rue this bitterly," he repeated, but before he +could say anything further his mouth was filled with grass, and in +spite of his attempts to speak he could no longer succeed in making +himself heard. + +How far he was being carried he knew not, nor yet did he know the way; +and beyond making a few desultory attempts to disengage his nether +limbs from the vice-like grasp in which they were enclosed, the baron +made no further attempts to free himself. + +It was quite dark before they stopped, and when his bandages were +taken off he had only sufficient time to discover that they had halted +at the mouth of a cave before his captors seized hold of his +person and unceremoniously pushed him in, sending, after a brief +consultation, one of their number after him to see that he made no +effort to escape. + +"Where is Nathan Grene?" inquired the outraged nobleman, as soon as he +found himself at liberty; "I want to see him." + +"Happen you do!" replied his keeper, who was none other than the +ostler; "then, maybe, you will find him at London. You were near +enough to him in the stable loft; maybe he is out of the stocks again +now." + +"Don't talk with him," commanded an imperious voice from the exterior, +"or he will be taking you unawares." + +The order was literally complied with, and to all his queries +thenceforward the baron could gain no reply. At length he gave up the +attempt, and watched in sullen silence his captors kindle a fire just +within the cavern mouth. + +He meditated a dash out, but the venture seemed to promise little +hope, and seeing, after a time, that the man had fallen asleep, he +proceeded to explore his prison. + +It was a long cave, and there were many fissures and passages +branching out on either side, but he found to his intense disgust that +instead of leading out into the open they all terminated after a few +yards in a solid wall of rock. + +Nothing daunted by his successive disappointments, the lord of Haddon +carefully wound his way round the circuitous cavern path. He found it +difficult work, however, to walk in darkness in an unknown way, and he +made little progress until, suddenly remembering that the ostler had +charge of the tinder and flint which his associates had thrown in +after kindling their fire, he stole back as quickly as he could to +fetch it. + +He found everything exactly as it was when he left it. The ostler was +still asleep and loudly snoring; the noisy gang beyond were cooking +their evening meal, and without attracting their attention he +succeeded in gaining the coveted articles, and rapidly retreated with +them in his possession. + +He waited before obtaining a light, until a sharp bend in the cave +secured his position, and then, stooping down, he struck the flint +and steel together and made a torch of his cravat. He was now able to +hasten forward, and fearful lest his torch should burn away ere he +had effected his escape, he pushed quickly on, and soon reached the +farthest end. + +The cave, which had been gradually narrowing as Sir George advanced, +instead of suddenly rising up into the ground above, or ending in a +narrow opening, as the good knight had fervently hoped, terminated +in a deep chasm, and far down below there rushed a tumultuous stream. +Even as he stopped short, startled by the discovery, a stone rolled +over the brink, and after a pause of several seconds' duration the +forlorn explorer was suddenly recalled to a sense of his position by +hearing a faint splash in the deep waters far below. + +He turned round regretfully, and commenced to return, fully decided, +unless he quickly discovered a way of escape, to attempt to surprise +his captors by rushing through their midst, trusting to the darkness +of the night to favour his escape. + +He had not gone far before he discovered that his absence had been +noticed. The ostler must have awaked; the echoing cavern resounded +with the imprecations of his companions, and their approaching +footsteps warned him that they were coming in search of him. Not a +moment was to be lost, and espying a large shelving rock which jutted +out from a side passage, Sir George Vernon hastily clambered up and +extinguished his light. The mass of rock upon which he had taken +refuge was fairly flat, and he was able to maintain his position upon +it; but he soon discovered that it would not be big enough to screen +him from view were the searchers to look in that direction. It was too +late to think of moving now, for his pursuers were close at hand; he +could even distinguish the reflection of their torches; there was only +one course open for him, and that was to endeavour to squeeze through +the narrow fissure at the end of the ledge on which he lay. + +A squeeze and a cut or two, a tug and a stifled groan; another squeeze +more violent by far than the former one, and the portly baron rolled +panting through the jagged briar-covered little crevice, just as the +light of the searchers illuminated the place from which he had only a +moment before released himself. + +Some painful moments elapsed ere he stopped rolling, and then it +was not until he found himself entangled in the strong but friendly +embrace of one of the tough blackberry bushes which were growing +in profusion, and still continue to do so, on the hill sides of +Derbyshire. He had, in fact, found out a way of escape just as he had +abandoned all hope of doing so, and carefully extricating himself from +his uncomfortable position, he pursued his way by Masson's shadowy +heights, boiling over with rage against his ruffianly captors, and +made the best of his way to the nearest inn to secure a horse to carry +him home. + + + + +CHAPTER XVII. + +A DALE ABBEY HERMIT. + + Far in a wild, unknown to public view, + From youth to age, a reverend hermit grew; + The moss his bed, the cave his humble cell, + His food the fruits, his drink the crystal well; + Remote from man, with God he passed his days, + Prayer all his business, all his pleasure praise. + + PARNELL. + + +Sir George's first care upon his arrival at Haddon was to send off a +number of his retainers to capture, if possible, the gang which had +entrapped him; but after searching for nearly a couple of days they +were obliged to return and communicate their failure to their lord. +The villains had all made off and left not a clue behind them. + +His next care was to calm the overwrought feelings of Lady Maude and +his daughters, to whom the suspense of the last few hours had been +painful in the extreme; and then after he had refreshed his inner man, +he retired to seek that repose for which he was so well prepared. + +Time sped on; the days soon passed into weeks, and the lovely spring +had merged into a still more lovely summer. John Manners' visit had +come to a close, and he was longing for an invitation for another +visit and seeking to find some decent excuse for becoming a +self-invited guest. + +At last, much to his relief, he received the long-wished-for +invitation. He and Crowleigh were invited together to one of the +numerous feasts of Haddon's hospitable Hall, and De la Zouch, whose +wounds were now fast healing, was wishful that a reconciliation should +take place between them, and professed himself even anxious to make +some advances towards his late adversary. + +Without loss of time the two guests sped on their way at the appointed +time, and were amongst the very first of the visitors. Disappointment, +however, awaited them. Father Philip was dying. The Derby leech +had done his best to restore the injured man, and although he had +succeeded in prolonging the patient's life for a little while, all +his efforts to save the unfortunate confessor failed, and seeing the +father suddenly begin to sink, he had, the night before John Manners +arrived, given up all hope of saving his life, and announced that the +end was nigh at hand. + +Under these circumstances mounted messengers were at once despatched +to inform the invited guests that it had been found necessary to +postpone the feast, and asking them to defer their visit until they +should hear again from Haddon. This, in almost every other instance, +had succeeded in staying the visitors; but Manners and Crowleigh had +started at the break of day, and were well on their way before the +messenger had found his way to stop them. + +A little manoeuvring on Dorothy's part gained, to Margaret's qualified +delight, an invitation for them to stay from no less a personage than +the dying man himself. Father Philip had taken kindly to Crowleigh +from the first, and was grateful to him for the skill and patience he +had bestowed upon him on his previous visit, and he was ready enough +to accede to any request, whatever it might be, that his Dorothy, his +beloved Dorothy, thought well to ask. + +Not a brother of the cloth could be found to take the father's place, +and this loss proved exceedingly awkward to all at Haddon at this +juncture. + +The Reformation had come in with so much vigour; the enactments +against the Roman Catholics were so stringent, that not even another +priest could be found to shrive him. The pendulum of fortune had +indeed swung back again with a vengeance. From one extreme the +religious laws had gone to the other; and so it befell that the +father, to his exceeding great regret, found himself dying with never +a minister of his own persuasion near at hand. + +Crowleigh again came to his relief. He had a friend, a staunch +Catholic who had been expelled from Oxford University soon after +Elizabeth's accession on account of his strong religious views. He had +turned monk, and, during the recent pitiless times, it had frequently +fallen to Sir Everard's lot to befriend him. He was at this time in +hiding at no great distance from Crowleigh's estate, and the latter +had sufficient confidence in his friend's willingness to come to +promise Sir George Vernon that he would fetch him. + +The offer was gladly accepted. Without any delay the two best horses +in the stable were saddled, and within a very short space of time +both horses and rider were well started on their way towards the +south-western boundary of the shire. + +Nicholas Bury had for two years lived the life of a hermit. In his +seclusion he had become happy, and though the reverence was denied him +which the early hermits had accustomed themselves to receive, yet he +was at least unmolested, and thanks to Sir Everard, who ever assisted +him in time of need, he was never left to want for the few necessaries +of life that he required. + +Sir Everard Crowleigh rode hard all the morning, and stopping on his +errand but once--to partake of a light meal--he arrived at the abode +of his friend as the twilight put forth its gentle mask of gloom. + +Deepdale was an attractive spot, but it was not the natural beauty of +the scene which had first attracted the eyes of Nicholas Bury so much +as the facilities it offered for his purpose. Centuries before a +pious Derby baker had retired to the self-same spot, and besides this +hallowed memory there was the still more substantial cell to hand +which the saintly old recluse had left behind him. + +This, cut out of the solid rock, and situated at the summit of a deep +declivity, was overgrown by a curtain of ivy, which not only screened +its tenant from the wintry winds, but also hid his retreat from +the gaze of the innocent passer-by. The Abbey, hard by, had +been dismantled before Nicholas knew it, but it was a source of +gratification to him to be so near so sacred a building, and at +eventide he would wander fondly about its walls and murmur his vespers +to himself. + +Sir Everard paused before entering upon the solitude of his friend, +and would fain have rested his weary limbs on the mossy banks of +the slope, but remembering how nearly Father Philip was to death he +overruled his feelings, and, brushing through the ivy covering of the +doorway, he entered quietly into the sanctum of the hermit. + +Nicholas was evidently deeply engaged in his devotions, for he was +kneeling before the little altar of his cell, and, catching somewhat +of the spirit of reverence, Everard paused upon the threshold, loth +to penetrate any further. The lamp gave but a fitful flickering light, +hut the devotee heeded not; and, by-and-bye, as the knight stood +spellbound, the wick sputtered in the oil, and making a final effort +the flame shot up for a moment with a brilliant glare and then died +slowly out, leaving nothing but a fragment of smouldering wick and a +sickly odour to attest its presence. + +Crowleigh roused himself as it died away, and came to the resolution +that it was high time to announce his presence; and failing to +distinguish any signs to intimate that his friend's prayers were +nearing conclusion he advanced towards him. + +He had scarcely moved a step when he started back with horror. There +was little enough light entered within this solitary abode, but yet +there was quite enough to enable him to see curled up together upon a +bed of leaves a number of snakes of different kinds. His first impulse +was to rush out and escape, but bethinking himself of the defenceless +position of his friend, he picked up a huge stone and let it fall upon +them. + +Still Nicholas did not stir, and heedless of the badger, which +fiercely showed its teeth and looked as if it meditated an attack upon +him, Sir Everard strode softly up to his friend's side and tapped him +lightly on the shoulder. + +"Nicholas," he exclaimed. + +Nicholas returned no answer, and his friend stood dumbfounded. Surely +that pale face and that emaciated form could not belong to the once +sturdy companion, or--and he noticed that the eyes were closed; or +else--and he trembled at the bare idea--Nicholas Bury must be dead! + +He put out his hand and shook it gently, and he was speedily rewarded +by seeing his friend open his eyes. + +"Lie still, Leo," he commanded, addressing the badger. + +The faithful animal, which had regarded the intruder with marked +disfavour, rolled itself up again in obedience to the command, and +remained in the corner watching the knight with glistening eyes. + +"Nicholas," repeated Crowleigh, for he had not yet been noticed. +Nicholas turned slowly round, as if his ears had not deceived him, +but on seeing his friend and benefactor standing by his side, his face +lighted up with pleasure, and he quickly arose. + +"My good friend, Everard," he exclaimed, as he warmly shook the +proffered hand, "thou art indeed a stranger here." + +"Aye, I have a mission to thee," he replied. + +"A mission," the hermit echoed. Art thou, then, the bearer of +ill-tidings to me? Is my safety jeopardised, or what? Tell me, +Everard, let me know it all. I have done no man evil that I wot +of--unless in these evil days it be wrong to visit the sick and the +afflicted; but I am ready for aught, even though it were instant +death." + +"Nay, Nicholas," returned his friend, "thou art in a gloomy strain. +I am a messenger of peace; I bear good tidings to thee, not ill-news. +Thou must away with me at once." + +"I cannot go; but see! my lamp is out. I must light it again. You +see how indifferent I am," he apologetically exclaimed, "I even fall +asleep over my prayers." + +"Ha! I perceive thou art over-weary; take my advice for the once, and +do not rise so soon, nor pray so long." + +"Ah, Everard, 'tis not that," replied the holy man; "I have not been +to my poor couch since yester morning. I have been praying through the +night for the speedy restoration of our holy Church." + +"And see, whilst thou hast been sleeping I have saved thy life," +interjected Everard; "but I must tell thee on my journey. I would have +thee accompany me back to Haddon." + +"My poor pets!" exclaimed the hermit sorrowfully, as he lifted up the +stone; "they are all killed." + +"'Tis a case of death, I fear," pursued Crowleigh, referring to the +father's illness. + +"I fear it is," replied the other, looking ruefully at his dead pets. +"Thou hast killed my companions, Everard." + +"Ugh! pretty companions, I trow," said the knight, scornfully; "but we +must hasten. I will acquaint thee with the whys and wherefores as +we go. Nay, never mind the lamp, thou can'st say adieu to that. Our +horses are tethered to a tree below, and thou must shrive a friend who +is at death's door--a priest. I have ridden throughout the livelong +day to fetch thee. Art thou ready now?" + +"What, so soon? This is sudden indeed." + +"Aye, man, so soon. Death tarries for no man, and, beshrew me, it will +not tarry for us either." + +"I must take Leo, then." + +"Very well, pick him up, but let us be off I pray." + +"This is _too_ sudden, Everard, indeed it is. I have many sick to +visit, and I would fain go to the monastery just once again, to +bid----" + +"There must be no buts about it, Nicholas," returned his friend +quickly, "the father is dying, and the baron expects you." + +"Give me but an hour, then I will go with thee. 'Tis sad to break +away from a spot hallowed by so many sacred memories, and at so short +warning, too. I am loth to go, Everard, even now. There is no other +spot on earth like this to me." + +"'Tis a cold and cheerless home, truly," exclaimed the knight, +sympathetically, "and I will find thee a far better one, Nicholas. +See, I will give thee half-an-hour, and then you must bid adieu to +this place or I must return alone and leave thee." + +Nicholas submitted to the decision of his friend, and in less than the +stipulated time they had both turned their backs upon the hospitable +shelter which had been a home to the monk when every door seemed shut +against him, and were on their way to Haddon. + + + + +CHAPTER XVIII. + +THE CHAMBER OF DEATH. + + Child, if it were thine error or thy crime, + I care no longer, being all unblest; + Wed whom thou wilt; but I am sick of time. + And I desire to rest. + + TENNYSON. + + +Haddon Hall was sighted by the two travellers just before mid-day, and +long before they reached it Manners had been despatched in great haste +to hasten them forward with the news that the poor father was almost +at his last gasp. + +They needed not the urging, for they had ridden hard, almost without a +rest, and not only was Nicholas thoroughly wearied out by the unusual +exertion of riding but the horses were sorely jaded too. + +In a few minutes they all three rode up to the doorway together, and +leaving their steeds to Manners, Sir Everard Crowleigh took the priest +to the sick man's chamber. + +Father Philip was reclining upon the well-cushioned couch when they +entered. His eyes were closed, but he was not asleep; he had +not enjoyed the luxury of a sleep for days past, and the haggard +expression of his face, and the twitching muscles of his body, +foretold only too truly that the end of the father was not very far +away. + +The sick man knew it, and was willing to escape from his agony as +soon as he had received the proper consolation and preparation of his +religion. His only fear was that he would not linger long enough +to receive it, but that he might his lips were even then moving in +prayer. + +Dorothy was sitting by his bedside, and as Nicholas Bury stepped +gently forward she silently arose, and, with a heart too full to +permit her to speak, she offered him her hand as a token of welcome, +and led him up to the chair upon which she had just been sitting. + +Her courtesy was acknowledged by a most profound bow, but, refusing +the seat she proffered him, Nicholas reached another for himself and +sat down upon it by the side of the maiden. + +It was a long time since Nicholas had witnessed so much magnificence +gathered together in one room, and tired by his long ride and soothed +by the grateful odour of the incense which filled the room, and also +struck by a feeling of reverential awe by the solemnity of the +whole scene, which readily appealed to his religious instincts, he +remembered nothing of what had just transpired, but leaned his head +upon his hand and fell into a reverie, such as he had allowed himself +to indulge in when alone in his solitary Deepdale cell. + +"He is not asleep," said Dorothy, stretching forward and laying her +hand upon his arm. "He has been waiting long for thee." + +Her voice startled Nicholas, who had become sublimely unconscious of +his surroundings; and incoherently murmuring some remark, maybe the +conclusion of one of his prayers, he turned round and fixed his gaze +upon the form of the dying man. + +"Reverend father," he exclaimed in a subdued and quiet voice, "I am +here to aid thee." + +Father Philip turned himself round with difficulty and faced the +speaker. + +"Dorothy," he called. + +"I am here, father," she replied, "I have never left thee." + +"Take it away from my eyes, child," he commanded. + +Father Philip never called her child except on rare occasions when +her conduct displeased him, and she would have felt hurt at the +appellation now had it not been for the unusual circumstances of the +case. She looked inquiringly at him to fathom his meaning, but, seeing +nothing to remove, she would have asked him what it was he meant, had +he not interrupted her. + +"Take it away, Dorothy," he repeated, "I cannot see." + +"Poor brother," exclaimed Nicholas, noticing the discomfiture. "I fear +me thou art blind. There is naught to take away, save the film from +off thine eyes." + +"Brother, did you say?" asked the dying man. "Did you say brother; are +you then the priest? Praise be to God; I shall die easy now," and he +buried his face in the pillow and wept for joy. + +"Let him lie as he is," whispered Nicholas; "he will be far easier so. +Poor man, he is indeed at the portals of death." + +"The leech said so," replied the heart-broken Dorothy, and then for a +long time they sat motionless, watching with intense earnestness each +movement of the dying man. + +The good father wept unrestrainedly. His whole frame quivered with +emotion as the sobs escaped his breast; until, after a time, the +sounds gradually and yet perceptibly grew weaker and fainter, and +finally died away altogether. + +"He is dead!" sobbed Dorothy, after a long pause. + +"Nay, see," replied her companion, "his bosom heaves, but the end is +very near. May my last hour be as calm as this," he added earnestly, +as he gazed as the father. + +"Amen, so be it, Nicholas Bury," said a voice from the region of the +doorway. + +The monk started at the sound of his name, but did not move; the +tapers were burning before the altar, and the curtain was drawn, and +he failed to distinguish the features of the visitor. + +Dorothy, even through her ears, noticed that he was startled and +discomposed, and she hastened to reassure him. + +"No harm, no harm, good father; 'tis but Master John Manners," she +said. + +"You have not forgotten me, surely?" inquired Manners, stepping +forward, and throwing the light upon his face. + +The priest gave a start of surprise as he recognised the visage of the +new comer. + +"Forgotten a Rutland?" he exclaimed. "No, never! Right glad am I to +meet with thee again, but hush! This is the chamber of death. I will +see thee afterwards. The father moves, see." + +Father Philip endeavoured to turn himself over, but he was too weak to +succeed, and he fell back exhausted. + +"Oh, dear," he groaned, "I am a sinful man." + +"So are we all, brother," returned Nicholas. "The best of us are very +sinful." + +"Dorothy." + +Doll stood up and leaned over the bed. + +"Give me your hand, my daughter." + +She placed her hands between the thin hands which the father held out +feebly to her, while the hot tears trickled down her face and fell in +rapid succession upon the quilted coverlid beneath. + +"Will you kiss me, Doll?" he asked. "I shall never ask aught of thee +again. Tell the baron," he slowly continued, addressing the priest +now, "tell him that I blessed her and told her yes." + +Dorothy bent down thoroughly heartbroken, and kissed the marble-like +forehead, dropping as she did a shower of tears upon his face. + +"What is that, the holy water?" he asked, placing his finger upon one +of the drops. + +"I could not help it, father," she sobbed aloud, "indeed I could not. +They are tears, but I will wipe them off." + +"God bless thee, Doll, thou hast a tender heart. Nay, nay, leave them +on I beseech thee, they shall be thy last gift to the old man; I will +take them with me into my grave." + +He paused, but Dorothy could not speak. She covered her face with her +hands and wept on. + +"May the Blessed Virgin ever be your friend," he continued, resting +his hand upon her head, "and may the saints protect thee. I have +naught to give thee, Doll, but thou shalt have my blessing. God bless +thee, Doll, God bless thee and thy lover," and he sank back upon the +bed completely exhausted. + +They sat motionless by his side for some minutes, only Dorothy's sobs +and the sick man's broken sighs breaking upon the silence, until at +last Manners advanced, and taking the hand of his betrothed, led her +unresistingly out into the garden. + +Nicholas sat, after their departure, until well into the night, +watching by the bedside, before Father Philip opened his eyes again. +Many inquirers had visited the room, but they had departed again, and, +though they knew it not, they had looked for the last time upon the +familiar form of the confessor, ere he breathed his last. + +As the morrow dawned the old man passed away, happy, inasmuch as +Nicholas had afforded him the last rites of his religion. As the +twilight descended the chapel bell rung out upon the stillness of the +eventide. It was the Sabbath, but amid the sorrow and the gloom which +reigned around, this fact had been well-nigh forgotten. + +The summer breeze carried the sound a long way along the dale. It +had not been heard since the day of Father Philip's accident, and its +sound had been sorely missed. + +But now it was no longer the herald of peace, nor the token of joy, +for the villagers knew full well that it was tolling the knell of +the departed priest, and their hearts were heavy with sorrow for the +friend they knew had just passed away. + +The chapel was open. It was free for the once to as many as could +enter, and there were few around who did not wish to show respect to +the man who had surely, in one way or another, proved himself their +friend. + +The limited number that the chapel could accommodate took their places +long before the vesper bell stopped ringing, and when Sir George came +in, bringing in with him the Lady Maude, and followed by his daughters +and the two guests, there was a large concourse of disappointed +worshippers outside who were bent on remaining as near the sacred +edifice as they might get. Though they were denied admittance, they +would hear the solemn chant as it sounded through the open windows, +and they felt that they would fall under the same sacred influence as +those who were inside; and whilst these latter were favoured by the +hallowing influences of the sanctuary, they were compensated for this +by the rustling of the leaves, which seemed to moan in sympathy with +them as the wind swept gently by. + +Of all who mourned the loss of the father--and there were many who +regretted that he was taken from their midst--none was more sincere in +her grief than Dorothy, and none apparently was so little affected by +the loss as Margaret. + +This maiden had watched the growing familiarity of the intercourse +between her sister and John Manners with no friendly eyes. She had +perceived that it was necessary to take action at once in the matter, +and at her express command her lover was even now on a mission to his +brother to secure the double alliance between the two houses of Vernon +and Stanley, upon which she and Lady Vernon had set their minds. + +The absence of Sir Thomas had intensified her feelings in the matter, +and seeing Manners leading Dorothy out of the sick man's chamber with +his arm interlinked with hers, it had goaded her to such a frenzy +that, regardless of the inopportunity of the time, she had proceeded +straightway to Sir George and Lady Maude and had laid the matter +before them in a most unfavourable light. + +And now, as the impressive requiem was about to be sung--a dirge full +of soul-stirring reflections and sacred grandeur--Margaret's head +was full of bitterness, and she failed to respond to the sympathetic +sublimity of the service, or to notice its serene beauty either. To +her it was nothing more than a tiresome form; her interest was centred +on Dorothy alone, and she heartily condemned herself for not arranging +that. Dorothy should not sit beside the esquire. It was a dreary and +unpleasant time to her, and when she raised her eyes from her +sister it was only impatiently to watch the deepening shades of the +approaching night as they registered themselves upon the glass-panes +at her side. The windows gradually became more and more difficult to +see through; each time she looked it had grown a shade darker, until +at length the pure glass had changed, to her unmitigated satisfaction, +in hue from clear transparency to green, and from that to black. + +At length the service was over. She hailed its conclusion with a sigh +of relief, mentally promising the new confessor but a small portion +of her favour if he were always as long-winded as he had been on this +occasion; and she anxiously awaited the moment when Sir George would +rise from his knees and lead the way out, so that she might carry +Dorothy off in safety. + +The time came in due course. The baron rose; the others followed his +example, and as Lady Maude, less haughty than usual, led the way out +of the chapel, Margaret eagerly caught hold of her sister and led her +away in silence across the courtyard and into the hall. + + + + +CHAPTER XIX. + +"THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE." + +'Twere wild to hope for her, you say, I've torn and cast those words +away, Surely there's hope! For life 'tis well Love without hope's +impossible. + +--COVENTRY PATMORE. + + + +Father Philip had lain under the sod but one sunset before the fruits +of Margaret's intriguing began to make themselves apparent. + +It was with a secret sense of misgiving that Manners received an +invitation, which he readily construed into a command, to attend the +baron in his private room, and it was with a fluttering heart that he +prepared himself to meet Dorothy's father. Nor were his forebodings +set at rest or in anywise lightened by the first view he got of the +baron. + +Sir George was pacing up and down the room, but hearing the door open +he stopped suddenly, and when Manners entered he saw upon the knight's +face a look which at once struck a chill to his heart. + +"Sit down, Manners, sit down," said the baron curtly. + +He was nervous and excited, and as Manners obeyed the injunction +he clearly perceived this fact, and it afforded him a little +satisfaction. + +"You wished to see me?" he exclaimed, breaking the awkward silence +which ensued after he had sat down. + +"Eh, yes, I did." + +Another long pause followed, which was painful alike to both. + +The baron's agitation increased, and it did not need any great +exercise of shrewdness to guess the cause. The lover guessed it +intuitively, and deftly altered the topic which was just about to be +broached. + +"Poor Father Philip is gone," he exclaimed in a sympathetic tone. + +"Ye-e-s," slowly assented the baron. + +"And you miss him, I perceive," pursued the esquire tremulously. + +"Very true, but--" + +"And I hear Nicholas Bury is about to depart," hazarded Manners, +interrupting the baron. + +"Eh! what?" exclaimed Sir George. "Father Nicholas going?" + +"He has informed Everard so." + +"No, he must stay," returned the knight, banishing the wrinkles that +had contracted his brow; "of course he must stay." + +He was clearly off his guard now, and Manners breathed easier again; +for, thanks to the efforts of Dorothy and Crowleigh, as well as to +his own perceptions, he was by no means ignorant of the conspiracy of +which he was the victim, and he wished to procrastinate the inevitable +interview until a more favourable time presented itself for the +purpose. + +"Where did he come from?" continued the baron, drifting innocently +farther and farther away from the purpose of the interview. + +"Am I to trust thee with his secret then?" asked the lover. + +"Of course, let me know all. I shall protect him, come what will." + +"Then he is Sir Ronald Bury's brother." + +"He is a better man than his brother, then," exclaimed Sir George, +when he had overcome his astonishment. "Did Sir Everard fetch him from +Nottingham?" + +"Nay, from Dale Abbey." + +"Ha!" ejaculated the baron, "say you so? The abbey is dismantled, and +methought I knew every Catholic in the shire." + +"Then, Sir George, you forgot the hermitage," was the prompt reply. + +Sir George had just caught sight of his good lady through the open +lattice window, and as he saw her wending her way quickly along the +path it painfully recalled him to a sense of his position. + +"I sent for thee," he said suddenly, changing the conversation and +knitting his brow, "because I wished to see thee on a matter of much +importance." + +"I am honoured by your confidence," promptly returned the esquire, +making a gallant effort to escape the subject, "but pray on no +account tell either Everard or Nicholas that it was I who gave the +information. I was charged to tell no man, by my honour." + +Unluckily, Lady Vernon passed the door just as he was speaking, and +the sound of her footsteps kept the subject too well in the baron's +mind for him to wander from it again. + +"About Dorothy," he explained, ignoring the last remark. + +Manners was nonplussed; he attempted no rejoinder, and the baron paced +the room again in great perturbation. At length he stopped. + +"'Tis an awkward piece of business," he said, "and I had much rather +it had not fallen so; but I suppose it must be done." + +Still Manners vouchsafed no reply, and his silence added to the +baron's discomfiture. + +For a long time neither of them spoke. The baron wiped the +perspiration from his brow and tried to frame together the words +which proved so troublesome to utter, while Manners sat, ill at ease, +waiting to hear the worst. + +"Most young men fall in love," exclaimed the knight at length. He +jerked the words out rather than spoke them, but they were at least +uttered, and feeling that he had broken the ice he heaved a sigh of +relief. + +"I did so myself," he innocently rambled on, "more than once." He had +almost said "and once too many," but he paused with the words upon +his lips, and the recollection that Lady Maude might not be far away +decided him to leave the remark unexpressed. + +"I have done so, too, once and for ever," exclaimed Manners, mustering +up courage enough to break into the subject at a stroke. He felt +that it must all come out now, and the sooner it was over the better +pleased would he be; therefore he plunged headlong into it, hoping, +perchance, to fire the baron with a little of the same enthusiasm with +which he was himself possessed. + +"It has been my good fortune," he continued boldly, "to fall deeply in +love with your daughter, your Dorothy--and she has not spurned me." + +"No, Doll is a rare girl, a bonnie girl, and a good one, too. I love +her better than I love myself, and forsooth, young man, we value +ourselves at no sorry figure neither." + +"I wonder whoever saw her that did not love her," said the +deeply-smitten swain sententiously. + +They were both engaged in conversation now in common sympathy, and the +eyes of the old knight sparkled with joy as he thought of his darling +and her many charms. + +"She is the light of my life," he replied. "See, there she goes, with +her bewitching grace," and he caught hold of Manners and drew him into +the recess of the oriel window and pointed out where Dorothy and her +sister were talking together on the green. + +"Margaret is to wed Sir Thomas Stanley this autumn, I hear," ventured +the esquire. + +"Yes--and Dorothy is to be wedded this winter also," replied the baron +as he heard the partner of his joys pass again outside the door. + +"This winter!" echoed Manners in blank dismay. "Dorothy to be wedded +this winter! To whom, I pray?" + +"To Sir Edward Stanley." + +Manners staggered back against the wall as though he had been smitten +by some invisible hand. His face blanched, his lips quivered, and he +gasped for very breath. This was news indeed, far beyond his worst +anticipations, and he was almost crushed by the blow. + +The baron watched him with a feeling akin to dismay. He hated his +unpleasant task, and half regretted the promise he had made Sir Thomas +Stanley. He pitied the unfortunate esquire who stood before him, and +sincerely blamed himself for accepting the business, and the dame for +thrusting it upon him. + +Manners soon rallied, much to Sir George's relief; and the two sat +down together at the little table. The baron, tried to express his +sympathy with him in his great disappointment which had just come upon +him, but his words were clumsy, and afforded no relief. + +"It is not yet quite decided upon, is it?" asked the young man. + +"We expect Sir Edward now at any time," the knight replied. + +"But, Sir George, Dorothy has plighted her troth to me." + +"Ah, we know it; Margaret has told us of it. 'Twas a foolish thing to +do." + +"And Father Philip blessed the match," pursued Manners. + +"But she has been promised to Edward Stanley," was the quiet reply, +"and a Vernon's promise is never broken, never." + +The two remained silent awhile. Sir George had made wonderful progress +with his mission of late--a fact due to the knowledge that Lady Vernon +was standing just outside the door; and before either of them spoke +again she entered the room, and making a formal courtesy to the +visitor, she advanced to her husband's side. + +"You have told Master Manners, I suppose?" she inquired in a harsh, +unfeeling voice that stabbed the lover's heart by every word. + +"Yes, my dear," he replied, looking as if he were ashamed of the whole +business, "I have told him all." + +"But surely you cannot understand Dorothy's feelings in the----" + +"Dorothy will do as we desire," interrupted Lady Maude, severely. + +"Do you really love your daughter, Sir George?" asked Manners, in +desperation. "Then I conjure you by all the affection towards her you +possess, that in this, matter you consult her happiness. I cannot live +without her, and she will fade away like a tender flower if you baulk +her choice." + +"Do I love her?" repeated Sir George, impatiently. "Aye, that I do; am +I not her father?" + +"Hush, Sir George," interrupted Lady Vernon, "Master Manners is +outrageous. I will talk with him, and you can depart an you wish it." + +Nothing loth, Sir George turned to go; glad to wash his hands of the +whole affair, and feeling thoroughly ashamed that it had ever fallen +to his lot to treat a guest in so inhospitable a fashion. + +"I am sorry, Master Manners," continued the dame, as she watched the +retreating figure of her lord, "that Sir George has played his part so +ill. It had been kinder on his part had he introduced the subject in +another way, but he is ill-fitted for matters of business." + +Manners had heard the rustle of her gown outside the door some time +before Lady Vernon had entered, and he shrewdly suspected that she had +been listening to the conversation. The manner in which she re-opened +the subject at once convinced him that his conjecture was right, and +knowing the integrity of the baron he was ready to defend him. + +"Sir George meant well enough," he said. + +"Come now, Master Manners, that was bravely said," replied the lady. +"He has a kind heart, but it is apt to be too kind at times, and then +I have to go over it all again; you understand?" + +"Perfectly, but Lady Vernon----" + +"And you will perceive that we are within our rights in disposing of +Dorothy as we wish," she continued. "Of course, she will consent to it +in time." + +"Never," returned Manners, stoutly. + +"You are but a youth, therefore you are bold, but mark my words, young +man, you will have less faith and more caution as your years come on." + +"Will you accept Dorothy's choice?" asked Manners bluntly, +disregarding the last remark. + +"Do you suppose, Master Manners," replied Lady Vernon, "that Dorothy +will withstand us? We are all agreed in the matter." + +"All except Dorothy, maybe." + +"And _she_ will soon----" + +"I tell you never!" he replied hotly. + +Lady Vernon laughed; a light, incredulous sort of laugh, which only +tended to enstrange them farther still. + +"There are considerations of which you appear to be ignorant, sir," +she replied, "but I am not willing to wound your feelings." + +"That may be, and yet, perchance, there may be somewhat to be said on +the other side," he calmly rejoined. + +Lady Vernon fixed her eyes upon him, astounded at his presumption, +but instead of crushing him under an avalanche of her wrath, she +restrained herself, and broke into another superficial burst of +laughter. + +"Pooh," she said, "you are simply an esquire, and he is a knight." + +"And he a knight," echoed Dorothy's lover, scornfully. "As if he were +aught the better for that." + +"A knight is a knight," replied the lady stiffly; "and he is the son +of an earl." + +"And I, by the favour of fortune, am the nephew of an earl; and, +moreover, Dorothy and I have plighted our troth together." + +"Then you were over bold." + +"I might accept your decision for myself, Lady Vernon," he said; +"indeed, I had done so ere now, but Dorothy's happiness is at stake as +well as mine." + +"You accept it perforce, then?" + +"Nay, I will abide by Dorothy's decision alone. She shall have the +ruling of it, and I know what she will say." + +"I must be plain with you, Master Manners," said Lady Maude, with +considerable asperity. "It can never, no, never be as you desire. We +have other designs for Dorothy than that she should marry a soldier of +fortune. Her portion," she continued, curling her lips in scorn, "is a +half of the whole estate of Haddon, which, you must admit, is no small +dowry; and what have you to set against that? Your lands would not +maintain yourself alone," and, having delivered herself thus, she cast +a triumphant glance upon the young man who stood before her. + +"I may win renown," he quickly replied. + +"You possibly might," she replied, with another contemptuous curl of +her lip, "but that is a shadow, a mere myth. Besides, you can put no +value on fame; you cannot even live upon it." + +"I have a true and loving heart, and a strong arm." + +"Tut, man," she laughed; "so has every beggar. Prithee, now, as a +matter of business, what have you to offer? Nothing." + +"What! Surely you do not want to barter her away?" cried Manners. "Why +talk of business?" + +"Certainly not," she replied; "but it is our duty to make as good an +alliance for her as we can. You ought to perceive that this is to her +advantage, and if you care for her welfare as much as you would have +us believe, you would help us to secure it for her, instead of placing +her in a position which can only breed discontent and mischief," and +without giving Manners time to reply she swept proudly out of the room +and left him alone with his sorrow. + + + + +CHAPTER XX. + +THE TROTHPLIGHT. + + Yet even now it is good to think, + While my few poor varlets grumble and drink, + In my desolate hall where the fires sink; + Of _Dorothy_ sitting glorious there, + In glory of gold and glory of hair, + And glory of glorious face most fair; + Likewise to-night I make good cheer, + Because this battle draweth near, + For what have I to love or fear? + + W. MORRIS (adapted). + + +John Manners sought out Dorothy as soon as the interview was +concluded, and he was fortunate enough to find her alone. + +Poor Dorothy; she had long expected this meeting, and she had tried +to prepare herself to face it. Her love, subjected to such a terrible +strain, had come like gold out of the refining fire. It had grown +stronger and better, and as she saw her lover emerge from the room she +realised for the first time how much she really loved him. + +The tale was soon told, and as he poured into her ears the unwelcome +tidings her tender heart was lacerated by each successive word. + +"And now, my own sweet Dorothy," he concluded, "you know all. I have +told thee all the pitiful story. Would to God it had been a pleasant +tale I had to tell thee, but alas! I have told thee but the truth." + +He looked fondly into her face, and wondered how often he would be +permitted to see it more. It was deadly pale, and her lips quivered +again as she endeavoured to keep them tightly closed. + +"John," she murmured, "in any matter but this I should obey them; +but--but----" She broke down under the mental strain. It was a +terrible struggle between conflicting affections, and, unable to +sustain it, she would have fallen in a faint upon the ground had not +the strong arms of her lover supported her. + +Manners laid her gently down upon the bank and sprinkled some water +upon her, for they were on the slopes of the Wye, and in a few moments +she mastered her feelings and opened her eyes. + +"I am dizzy," she apologetically exclaimed, as she saw the form of her +beloved bending over her. "I shall be better soon." + +She fulfilled her prediction quickly, and when he would have led her +back into the Hall she begged him to wait. + +"Nay, nay, John," she said, "the Lady Maude will soon devise a plan +for separating us, but let us remain together while we may." + +"But, Doll, you are ill," he exclaimed, "and I must take good care of +thee." + +"I should be worse were I severed from thee," she sweetly replied, +"and, John, I have somewhat to tell thee." + +"Speak on then, sweet one." + +"You will be true to me, John, whatever happens?" she asked. + +She was timid to approach the subject, and blushed deeply at the sound +of her own sweet voice. She had more than half a mind to take the +words back lest they should strike a single pang into his heart, but +they were spoken, and before she could enter into any explanation, he +had bent down and kissed her. + +"My precious darling!" he passionately exclaimed. "I never could +forget thee; thy name is written on my heart; I shall never cease to +love thee. The saints forfend me, Doll. I were a miscreant indeed were +I to play traitor to thy love." + +"I shall trust you, John," she replied, bestowing upon him a look of +undisguised affection; "I do trust thee; I shall be happy in thy love. +Whatever trouble comes I shall be happy, because I shall know your +heart is trusty and true." + +"That it shall be, Doll," he cried, "a right trusty heart--though they +do make thee wed Edward Stanley." + +"John!" she exclaimed quickly, flushing scarlet again, "have I not +given my troth to thee? They shall not force me into it. You can trust +me." + +"O, Doll. My love, my darling, it would break my heart to give thee +up; but I must do it for the sake of thy happiness." + +Poor heart, he spoke but the truth, but he spoke it as bravely as he +could. + +"Hush, John," Dorothy hastily broke in; "you must not say such +things." + +"Alas! you little know, my sweet one, to what misery you would consign +yourself if you proved staunch to me," he continued. "This fragile +form was not made to suffer, but to recline in ease," he added, as he +gazed fondly at the graceful form of the maiden. + +"I have recked the cost," she simply replied. "You do not doubt me, do +you, John?" she asked, looking up into his troubled face. + +"Doubt thee, no;" he replied, "but I would save thee from a host of +sorrows." + +Dorothy held her head down in silence, and seeing that she did not +answer. Manners continued. + +"I must be frank with you, Doll. The husband they have chosen thee may +be an earl in time to come, and is a Derby to boot. He is rich, and +mayhap he may love thee, too, and I--and I----" + +"Stop, John, stop," she commanded. "Would you thus trifle with my +love? I have seen in thee a noble heart, a kind heart, a loving heart. +I have refused many before thee. I have just refused one lord, and +I shall refuse the other. You would not so dispraise yourself but to +dissuade me; but you have yet to learn the constancy of a maiden's +love." + +"Are you resolved?" he asked, almost choked by the feelings of joy her +words had caused. + +"I am," she firmly replied; "I shall brave the worst, and be happy in +your love. What more can I desire?" + +Manners was too much overcome to speak. He could only weakly +articulate a fervent "God bless you, my love;" but if Dorothy had +desired anything more to prove the intensity of his feelings, she +would have found it had she looked to see it in his eyes. + +While matters had been progressing thus at Haddon, Sir Henry de la +Zouch had been gradually improving in health, until by now he had +found himself almost as well as he had been of yore, and he had +intimated that he was fast getting ready to return to Ashby Castle. + +His passion for Dorothy had not abated one whit, and he was deeply +mortified to find how rapidly Manners had been wooing and winning the +maiden. + +Yet, although his suit had been rebuffed at every point, he was +not discouraged. Indeed, had his other qualities equalled his +perseverance, he had richly merited a full and good reward; but, +unfortunately, this was his only redeeming trait, and the baseness of +that motive which prompted it poisoned that very virtue too. + +He was neither dejected nor cast down, because he felt that he had +within his power a mode of wooing the maiden which, were he but to +use it, could not fail to insure complete success. The plan had its +drawbacks, to be sure, but it was the only one at his command, and +even as he lay upon the sick bed, tossing in agony from side to side, +he was considering whether or no he should carry it out. When he was +better he determined to put it into force upon the first opportunity, +but every relapse undid his resolution, and made him pay attention to +his conscience, which bade him reject the idea. + +As a compromise he determined at last to ask Dorothy again for her +hand, and he availed himself of an early opportunity of doing this. He +used all his persuasive eloquence in vain. He pointed to his haggard +face, and told her that a refusal would inevitably complete the work +that Manners had begun, but she was firm; and seeing that nothing +would shake her resolution, he resolved to put his plan into operation +immediately upon his recovery. + +It was a deeply-laid scheme, the scheme of a villain, and it revealed +its author in its proper light. As he communicated his plan to his +page, when the latter paid him his final visit, his face glowed with +satisfaction, and he imagined the chagrin his dupes would feel when +they found themselves within his power. + +It was necessary, in the first place, to throw Manners off his +guard, and, smarting under the humiliation of his defeat, De la Zouch +determined that his victor should also come within the reach of +his net; and, as he witnessed the growing familiarity which existed +between his rival and Dorothy, he was more than ever determined +to have vengeance upon him, and more jubilant at the prospect of +attaining the consummation of his wish. + +This was the motive which caused his readiness to meet Manners as a +friend. He rightly judged that Manners once put off the scent, the +rest would follow his example, so he appeared to accept Dorothy's +refusal with a better grace, as a thing inevitable; and once face to +face again with his gallant foe, nothing could exceed the extravagance +of the language he employed to convince him that he regretted the +follies of the past and to instil into his mind that he wished for the +future to be counted as his friend. + +It is a noticeable feature about villains that they almost always +overreach themselves at some point or other--in story-books they +always do--and to this characteristic De la Zouch proved no exception, +for the very intensity of the words he chose, and the excessive +flattery he employed, instead of gaining their object, aroused in +John Manners' mind a feeling of suspicion of which he could in nowise +dispossess himself. He would have communicated his fears to Dorothy, +but he feared lest she should misjudge him and interpret it as an +ebulition of jealousy, and there was none other except his friend +Crowleigh in whom he could confide. Unwilling, however, to wound +the susceptibilities of De la Zouch, who, after all, might have been +actuated by the best of motives, he fairly met all his advances, and +though he was all along mistrustful of his intentions, yet he was +careful that Sir Henry should perceive no signs of it. + +Lady Vernon soon gave Manners a hint that his visit to Haddon might +terminate at any time he chose; but, although wounded in spirit by her +words, he was in no great hurry to depart from Dorothy's side, and Sir +George, eager to make amends for his dame's shortcomings, and ashamed +that the traditional hospitality of his mansion should be so roughly +contradicted while he was the lord of Haddon, appeared most anxious to +prolong the visit, and endeavoured to make the enjoyment of his guest +as complete as it could possibly be, the circumstances being duly +considered. + +To the surprise of them all, De la Zouch added his request to the +baron's, declaring that he and Manners would depart together in a few +days, and if his late antagonist did not offer any serious opposition +to the plan, he intended to entertain him for a short time at Ashby, +adding that he had already given commands that the castle should be +prepared for their reception. + +The request was couched in such a manner that Manners could do no +other than accept it, but he immediately resolved to curtail his visit +into Leicestershire as much as he possibly could, and he felt that it +would be a relief to him when the visit was concluded. + +The days swiftly passed; all too quickly for the two lovers. Sir +Thomas Stanley had sent a messenger to inform them that his brother +had met with an accident, and was too ill to travel then, and he +feared he would be obliged to return to Haddon alone; but the letter +brought the unwelcome news to Dorothy that Edward Stanley would come +and claim her as his bride before the year had passed. + + + + +CHAPTER XXI. + +THE PLOT IN PROGRESS. + + His eyebrow dark, and eye of fire + Showed spirit proud, and prompt to ire; + Yet lines of thought upon his cheek, + Did deep design and counsel speak. + + SCOTT. + + +It was with mingled feelings of sorrow, suspicion, and gladness that +John Manners received news from Sir Henry de la Zouch, who had gone +over to his castle some days before, that he was coming back upon the +morrow to escort his guests to Ashby. + +Sir Thomas Stanley had returned to Haddon, and though he was well +satisfied, upon the whole, with the result of his mission, yet he +clearly perceived the real state of affairs, and was far too astute +not to make strenuous efforts to alter their course. + +He had interposed himself as much as possible between Dorothy and +her forbidden lover, and had succeeded in some degree in keeping +them apart. He might, however, have spared himself the trouble, for, +although he prevented their meeting on some occasions, yet love was +conqueror in the end, and with Lettice as a trusty helpmeet, the two +lovers found ways and means by which to see each other of which he +never dreamed. + +Sir Thomas was too much of a gentleman to affront Manners, as he had +been secretly urged to do, but he made no secret of his opinion that +it would be a relief to him when the time came for the visitors to +depart. + +True to his word, Sir Henry arrived at Haddon on the following day, +bringing with him an invitation for Sir Thomas Stanley and Crowleigh +to accompany him on his return. + +Sir Thomas refused it, as indeed he was expected to do, but Sir +Everard Crowleigh, glad to be able to bear his friend company, +promptly accepted the offer, and Manners began to look upon the +prospect of his stay at Ashby with a little more hopefulness. + +Sir George Vernon was too hospitable a host to let even De la Zouch +depart again upon the self-same day upon which he had arrived. He +would not tolerate the idea for a single moment; there must be a +carousal and a dance at night in honour of the departing guests, and +then they would be at liberty to depart upon the first grey streaks of +dawn if they were so minded. + +De la Zouch, well aware that the King of the Peak was the soul +of hospitality itself, had calculated upon the offer, and at once +accepted it; while the baron, not content with what he had already +done, when the morrow came, drew the designing Stanley with himself +into his private room, and, under the pretext of taking counsel with +him, kept him by his side, leaving the way open for Manners to have a +farewell afternoon with Dorothy. + +De la Zouch proposed a ride, and as there appeared to be little +prospect of enjoying undisturbed peace at Haddon, the two lovers fell +in with the suggestion, and very soon after the mid-day meal they met, +booted and spurred, at the gate of the hall. + +"Aye, aye, there," hailed a voice, as Manners was helping Dorothy off +the riding-stone into the saddle, "whither away so gaily?" + +"Aye, Everard," replied his friend, as he turned round and saw who it +was that called. "Hurry up, we are off for a ride." + +"Shall I come, too?" he inquired, as he hastened up and stood beside +them. + +"Do," returned Dorothy. "Make haste, though, for time is precious with +us now." + +"I will not keep you waiting, fair Mistress Dorothy," he gallantly +responded; "I will follow thee anon. Which way am I to come, Bakewell, +Cromford, or which?" + +"Oh, Cromford," replied Sir Henry quickly. "See how restive my horse +is, he will bolt off if I try to hold him in much longer. Are we +ready? Let us go then; time is short, remember," and giving the rein +to his steed he started off at a good pace, whilst the others followed +quickly in his wake. + +It was a beautiful day, and the scenery around was so majestically +grand that even its familiarity did not detract from its beauty in the +eyes of the little party as it rode laughingly by. The early leaves +were just beginning to drop from off the parent stems; the ferns and +bracken, which grew in abundance on either side of the road, were just +assuming their peculiar fading, golden hue, whilst the hardier leaves +were just beginning to bedeck themselves in the full glory of their +rich autumnal tints. + +"This is beautiful," exclaimed Dorothy, enthusiastically, as she gazed +enraptured at the rich variety of form and colour which met them at +every turn. "Look at those cliffs. It is lovely, it is grand." + +They had just passed the little hamlet of Matlock Bath, and were +approaching Cromford. There were no stone walls then to hide from view +even the smallest portion of the gorgeous picture. From the road +to the Derwent there sloped a narrow strip of marshy meadow, which +covered itself with a superabundance of luxurious tall grasses and +tough bracken. Beyond the stream there rose, standing straight up by +the water's edge, a wall of jagged and scarred rock, overgrown with +trees and climbing foliage, which was faithfully mirrored in the +placid water below. The scene could hardly fail to appeal to their +sense of beauty. + +Manners avowed that he thought it the fairest spot on earth, and De la +Zouch, not to be outdone in gallantry, added that the presence of so +fair a maiden as Dorothy Vernon in the midst of so much natural beauty +made a picture a better than which he never desired to see. + +"And, after all, fair Dorothy," he concluded, "I wot that it is but +the reflection of thine own sweet form and peerless grace." + +Dorothy frowned. She did not care for compliments from Sir Henry de +la Zouch; she always feared them, for they generally had a sting +somewhere, and she had noticed that, as a rule, they were followed by +something more or less unpleasant. + +"Sir Everard has not come yet," she exclaimed, turning round in her +saddle, "perhaps he is not coming after all?" + +"He is sure to follow us," replied Manners. "Maybe he has been +delayed, and yet we have come slowly. Hark! I hear the ring of hoofs +upon the road even now." + +They halted to await their companion, but they soon discovered, as the +sound of the galloping grew rapidly more and more distinct, that the +horseman was advancing towards them from the opposite direction. + +"He is hindered, surely," exclaimed De la Zouch, who heartily wished +he was stating the truth, "and it will soon be time for us to turn our +faces again towards the Hall." + +"Not just yet, Sir Henry," Dorothy quickly replied; "but you may; and +you will." + +"Not yet, eh! Then let us have a race along this lane," suggested +De la Zouch, evading the hint and pointing to a long lane almost +completely overarched with the massive branches of the overhanging +trees which grew on either side. + +Dorothy looked at Manners appealingly. + +"What say you, Doll?" he inquired. "You shall determine." + +"Nay, you decide." + +"To that clump of trees," interposed De la Zouch. + +"Well, if Dorothy does not object--" + +"Not I, in truth," she interrupted. + +"Away we go, then," replied Manners. "There and back at once?" he +asked. + +"No, only there," replied Sir Henry, ill-concealing a malicious grin. +"It will be a long, long time before you come back this way, I trow," +he added under his breath. + +"But we are not yet placed," said Dorothy's lover, as De la Zouch was +about to start away. "We two must fall in the rear, Sir Henry." + +"Nay, I am equally as well mounted as you," returned the maiden. "We +will run upon our merits, or I shall withdraw." + +In a few minutes they were careening along the course in gallant +style, as nearly as possible all three abreast, but as they neared the +trees which formed the winning mark, Sir Henry fell behind and left +the other two to finish the exciting race alone. + +"Curse them, a murrain on them!" he muttered, as he pulled his horse +to a standstill; "where can the fellows be?" + +His objurgation might have been heard, for no sooner were the words +out of his mouth than he saw, rising up from the brushwood, the men of +whom he had just spoken in such uncomplimentary terms. + +Burdened as he was with anxiety for the successful issue of his plot, +and fearful lest at the last stage it should miscarry and snatch away +the prize for which he had struggled so long, and which already seemed +to be within his grasp, De la Zouch was in a terrible ferment of hope +and fear. + +"The villains," he muttered, as he sat still in his saddle impatiently +watching; "why don't they move? It will be too late in a minute. I'll +thrash every mother's son of them when we get back to Ashby, that I +will. Dear me! what a fool I am to forget the signal;" and putting his +hand to his mouth he blew a loud shrill whistle through his fingers. + +Manners and Dorothy had just raced up together to the trees, and +hearing the unusual sound that their companion made, they turned +round at the same instant to see how much they were before him, and to +ascertain the meaning of the noise. Just at this juncture, in answer +to the signal of their lord, De la Zouch's hirelings rushed through +the already prepared gaps in the tall hedges and fell upon the lovers, +taking them completely by surprise. + +Dorothy was quickly unhorsed with no more roughness than her own +resistance necessitated, but it was not so with her lover. Though +Manners had nothing to defend himself with, except the stock of his +riding-whip, yet he gave so good an account of himself, and wielded +his paltry weapon to so much purpose that he quickly freed himself, +and rushed to aid poor Doll. This purpose, however, he failed to +accomplish. The odds were ten to one, but even then it was for some +time an open question whether the one would not prevail over the ten. +All his skill was brought into play. He laid about him right and left +until his weapon broke, and then, undismayed, he lunged out with the +remnant, and succeeded in wresting a bludgeon from one of his injured +opponents, and plunged into the fray with renewed vigour. + +In spite of his efforts, however, he was unable to rescue Dorothy. +Having once got her into their possession the men were determined +to keep her, and she was borne away from the contest ineffectually +struggling with her captors, who, having retired to a safe distance, +awaited with their quarry until Manners himself was captured too. + +De la Zouch sat aghast at this exhibition of his rival's prowess. +Whatever the cost might be it was imperative that Manners should not +escape to tell the tale at Haddon, and he alternately groaned and +cursed each time he witnessed his followers quail and fall beneath the +terrific blows of their antagonist. He had come, he thought, prepared +for any contingency, but it appeared as though his force was by no +means strong enough to achieve the desired end. + +Manners himself, suspicious of De la Zouch, as he all along had been, +perceived at the outset the trap into which he had been led, and now, +finding it useless to attempt Dorothy's rescue any longer, and feeling +the first approach of weariness come warningly over him, set spurs +to his horse and galloped back again towards Sir Henry de la Zouch, +intent on wreaking a full vengeance upon him, and at the same time +determined to make an effort to escape in order to discover aid by +which to rescue his betrothed. + +"Villain!" he hissed, "thou shalt pay dearly for this." + +De la Zouch did not wait to meet the overpowering fury of his foe. +He no longer marvelled at the result of the tournament. He had seen +enough of Manners' prowess already to have much faith left in his own +powers of defense. To him distance lent enchantment to the view, so +turning his horse sharply round he galloped away, bidding Manners do +his worst. + +It would have fared ill with the knight of Ashby had his foe but once +reached within arm's length of him; but Fortune, after wavering about +as if uncertain which way to make up its mind, declared itself at +last upon the side of villainy, and Manners was stretched low upon the +ground by a stone hurled at him by one of his assailants. + +With his fall Dorothy's last chance of escape was taken from her. + +De la Zouch heard the groan of his injured foe, and turning his face +round to ascertain its meaning, he was just in time to see his rival +drop from his saddle upon the road, where he was quickly surrounded +amid a considerable show of bravery by the minions of De la Zouch to +whom he had just given such a terrible exhibition of his skill. + +"You cowardly knaves," cried that worthy, "secure him ere he escapes +again." + +Not a man stirred, for Manners had inspired them with so wholesome a +dread of the power of his arm that, although he was sorely wounded, no +one was willing to venture within his reach. + +"Secure him, I say," imperiously repeated Sir Henry, who, from his +safe position on horseback, could well afford to ridicule their fears +and give his commands with confidence. + +Manners with difficulty managed to raise himself upon his elbow, +and he looked so fierce and desperate that the solitary man who had +advanced towards him retreated with dismay. + +"By St. George, seize him, sirrah," exclaimed the knight, springing +off his saddle in high dudgeon. "You are all cowards together." + +"Seize him, do you say," returned the man, insolently; "seize him, +do you say? Seize him yourself, then, for I vow I have had more than +enough of it already. He fights like a dragon; see here," and the +man bared his arm and showed a number of bruises upon it. "Now then, +master," he continued, "seize him yourself, say I, for I will have +no more to do with the affair;" and to this his companions sullenly +murmured assent. + +"A woman would have less fear than thee," returned the knight +contemptuously, as he glanced at the arm held out before him. "Why, I +have fought for hours after being grievously wounded in the fray." + +It had been more to Sir Henry's mind to have struck the man down to +the ground for his insolence, and this he felt strongly impelled +to do, but seeing the threatening aspect of the man's companions he +restrained his fury, promising himself that his punishment should lose +nothing by the fact of it being reserved to another and a safer time. +It was with difficulty that he had contented himself with returning +so mild an answer, but the man's retort drove him at once beyond the +bounds of prudence and patience, and made him utterly reckless. + +"Mayhap you have," returned the man incredulously, "but I'll warrant +me it was no fault of thine. You showed us some of your skill just +now." + +"I will prove it," shouted the knight, furiously, and, suiting the +action to the word, he seized hold of the nearest weapon, a stout ash +stick, and advancing towards the dazed and bleeding esquire, he dealt +him a blow on the head which stretched him insensible upon the turf. + +"Coward!" cried the man, springing forward from among his companions. +"You are the coward. I will be no party to such a cold-blooded murder +as this," and his bosom swelled with indignation as he turned round to +his companions and pointed to where Manners lay. + +"Who says I am a coward? Who dares to speak such insolence?" demanded +De la Zouch, trembling all over with rage. + +"I do, and I repeat it," replied the other, bending over the prostrate +form of his late antagonist. + +For a moment Sir Henry stood in speechless amazement at such +unlooked-for presumption, and then suddenly raising his weapon, he +brought it down upon his offending servant, and stretched him beside +the object of his sympathy. + +"Who says I am a coward now?" he fiercely asked, turning upon the +abashed companions of the latest victim of his temper. + +Whatever the others thought, they wisely held their peace, and, +terrified and cowed by the lesson their lord had taught them, they +silently raised the two inanimate bodies, and, according to their +instructions, proceeded to rejoin Dorothy and her guard ere they began +their journey back to the castle at Ashby. + + * * * * * + + + + +CHAPTER XXII. + +ON A FALSE SCENT. + + I can counterfeit the deep tragedian! + Speak, and look back, and pry on every side, + Tremble, and start at wagging of a straw. + Pretending deep suspicion; ghastly looks + Are at my service like enforced smiles, + And both are ready in their offices, + At any time to grace my stratagems. + + SHAKESPEARE. + + +Dorothy Vernon had impatiently awaited the conclusion of the +contest, and the prodigious amount of faith she had in her lover's +capabilities, coupled with what she had already witnessed of the +fight, led her to hope that he would yet return victorious to deliver +her. + +She had ceased to struggle ere the victors returned, partly because +of the hope with which she had deluded herself, and partly because +her attempts had only wearied her without bringing her any nearer to +success; but at the first glimpse of the slowly approaching company +she broke away from her too trustful captors and fled precipitately +towards the advancing party. + +"Let me go to him; is he hurt?" she cried, as one of her guardians +overtook her and pulled her to a standstill, and starting forward +again she left a fragment of her dress between the man's fingers, and +hastened on again until she reached her lover's side. + +"Speak, John," she exclaimed in piteous tones, as she gazed upon his +pallid face and livid form. "Speak just one word to me." + +But Manners did not speak. Thoroughly stunned by the blows he had +received, he lay quite unconscious in the position in which he had +been placed, and he was so weakened by the loss of blood from his +wounds that his immediate return to consciousness was exceedingly +problematical. He lay deaf, and apparently dead, whilst Dorothy +pleaded in vain for a word from his lips. + +"Just one word," she repeated, pathetically. + +"Poor Lady," exclaimed Sir Henry's page, who was in charge of the +party. "Don't take it to heart so much; he will come round soon, and +be himself again. Nay, touch her not," he commanded, as one of the men +was about to take her away, "she will do no harm." + +"He is dead," she sobbed, and ere she could be assured that her +conjecture was wrong she fainted away, and was gently laid beside +her lover, while they were borne swiftly and silently, by sequestered +roads, from the scene of the adventure. + +Sir Henry watched them departing till a turn in the road hid them from +view, and then, bethinking himself of his position, he mounted his +steed and rode rapidly away, feeling immensely relieved that, after +all, he had proved successful. + +A few minutes in the saddle sufficed him, and then dismounting, he +took of his hat and belaboured it well with the stock end of his whip. + +He satisfied himself at length, and ceasing from his efforts in that +direction he laid it on the ground and surveyed the effect. + +It looked battered indeed, and evidently well pleased with the result, +the knight set busily to work upon his clothes. He carefully tore them +here and there with a sharp-pointed piece of wood, while to complete +the deception, he spoiled the appearance of his attire by daubing it +freely with dirt. + +"I trow that will be enough," he murmured, as ceasing his labours he +complacently gazed upon the transformation he had effected; "but no!" +he added, "I had best be on the safe side," and he gently scratched +his hands to give himself the appearance of having passed through a +long and stern struggle. + +"A bruise or two would improve my appearance considerably," he added, +"but then bruises hurt and are apt to turn awkward; I think I might +safely spare myself the pain; but I might, at all events, break my +whip-stock and carry the end of it back;" and having settled these +points to his own satisfaction, he mounted his saddle afresh, and +setting spurs to his horse he never drew rein until long after he had +passed out of the lane, and was well on the high road to Haddon. + +As he neared the vicinity of the Hall he proceeded to put into +practice what yet remained unfinished of his disguise. He had treated +his own person, and now he turned his attention to the faithful steed +which had carried him often and well. + +There was no time to waste. He had lost much precious time already. He +would have found little time in which to be sentimental had he been +so inclined, but such an idea never entered into his head, and pulling +his jack-knife out of his pocket, he opened the blade and stabbed the +horse in the shoulder. + +As previously related, De la Zouch had thought of ornamenting himself +with a few slight bruises, but he had decided to forego whatever +advantages might accrue to him from such a course of conduct, but +now the matter was decided for him in a manner which he had never +considered. + +It had never flashed upon the heated brain of the malignant knight +that wounding a horse was a very delicate operation to perform, and in +his reckless hurry he had never taken into account that such conduct +would be attended with any danger, or he would have proceeded to +accomplish his design in a more cautious fashion; and it was not until +the horse kicked out after the first blow that Sir Henry de la Zouch +became suddenly aware of the danger of his position. He had not the +power to stay the second thrust, and before he could retreat out of +danger he was sent sprawling into the hedge bottom. + +Fortunately, the effects of the blow were considerably diminished, +inasmuch as its greatest force was already spent ere De la Zouch was +struck. Had it not been for this circumstance he would have come +off ill indeed, but even as it was he was sorely injured, and lay +insensible in the place where he had fallen until he opened his eyes +at dusk and found himself being lifted up. + +"Where am I?" he gasped, as he mechanically rubbed his eyes and gazed +around. "I am hurt." + +"Lie still awhile," returned Crowleigh, for he it was who stood over +him. "You will be yourself again directly," and raising his horn to +his lips he blew a loud, clear note upon the still evening air. + +"What does that portend?" asked the conscience-stricken and +mistrustful knight. He feared that he was about to be carried off to +answer for his misdeeds. + +"There will be help soon," said Crowleigh. "Lie still, for you are +hurt. You will be better by-and-by. Drink this," and he filled his +horn with water and offered it to him. + +De la Zouch took the water and drank it off. It appeared to do him +good, for he rapidly rallied, and the reassuring words of Crowleigh +had a magical effect in clearing his brow and helping on his recovery. + +"Am I much hurt?" he inquired with a look of intense agony upon his +brow. + +"Bruised and stunned, I think, that is all. Ha, here they come;" and, +as he suddenly stopped speaking, the sound of the replying horns +could be distinctly heard, and within a few minutes, from different +quarters, over walls and fences, the horsemen came riding in by ones +and twos until at last there numbered a full dozen. + +"Oh!" groaned De la Zouch, loudly, "it is painful, cannot you relieve +me?" + +"Where is Sir George Vernon?" inquired Sir Everard; "have none of you +seen him of late?" + +No one had, but they had all blown their horns, so he was sure to be +in soon. + +De la Zouch shuddered at the mention of the King of the Peak--he was +hardly himself again as yet, but he was fast rallying, and by the time +that the baron arrived he was quite ready to meet him. + +"Heigho! found at last;" exclaimed the baron, as he made his way +through the group. "But whom have we here; tush, where is my Doll?" + +De la Zouch, for answer, began to play his game, and he only replied +to the query with a deceitful and prolonged groan. + +"Where's my Dorothy?" impatiently repeated the baron, disregarding the +agonised look which met his gaze. + +"There--miles on," gasped Sir Henry, jerking his thumb over his +shoulder, and pointing along the road by which he had just travelled; +and then, as if the effort had been too much for him, he fell back +panting upon the turf. + +Sir George Vernon waited for no more, but hastily bestriding his +saddle, he galloped away, bidding the others disperse again upon their +search. Only Sir Thomas Stanley and one solitary retainer remained, +and these from very different reasons; the former because he suspected +foul play, and wished for the immediate future to have De la Zouch +under his own eye; and the latter, much against his will, was +constrained to tarry behind to help the unfortunate nobleman back to +Haddon. + +"Twenty nobles for the man who finds my Dorothy," shouted the baron as +he rode off, "and twice twenty if there has been any knavery and the +rogues are caught"; and as the knight of Ashby heard the sound of +the galloping grow fainter he was fain to own himself so far only +partially successful, and as he was lifted up to be carried away, he +shut his eyes and ruminated on the probable present condition of his +captives, and wondered where they were. + +Dorothy soon awoke from the swoon into which she had fallen on seeing +the prostrate condition of her lover, and being graciously permitted +by the page to have a considerable amount of liberty, she soon busied +herself in trying to restore Manners to consciousness. + +Eustace, the page in question, had judged her aright. There was +little fear now of her attempting to escape. Indeed, the thought never +entered into her head; her whole attention was concentrated upon the +one effort of restoring her lover to consciousness, and even the heart +of the hardest of the rough men around her was softened by the picture +of grief which she presented. + +At last John Manners opened his eyes, and as he caught sight of +Dorothy's tear-stained face bending over him, he smiled. His smile +dispelled all Dorothy's fears, as the rising sun dispels the morning +mist, and through her grief she smiled responsively back upon her +lover. + +Eustace witnessed his recovery with a profound sense of relief. It was +in ignorance of the plot that he had been inveigled to obey his lord's +behests, for though at Haddon De la Zouch had acquainted him with +a part of the conspiracy, yet he had grossly deceived him. He had +informed him that it was Dorothy Vernon's wish to flee to Ashby, +and it was not until he was undeceived by the conduct of the maiden +herself that the fullness of his master's treachery revealed itself to +him. + +True, he had been engaged on sundry occasions with his master in +unworthy and unknightly deeds, but never until now had he perceived +the outrageous conduct of his lord. His whole nature recoiled from the +task which had been imposed upon him, and nothing but the extreme fear +with which De la Zouch had inspired him during a long acquaintanceship +held him back from releasing the two lovers on the way, and helping +them back to Haddon. + +He was not yet courageous enough to pursue such a course, however. He +felt that his master's eye was upon him, and he could not shake the +evil influence off; but, although failing in this particular, he gave +them a practical token of his sympathy by offering them such food +as he possessed--a small flagon of wine, purloined from Sir Henry's +store, together with a rough rye cake, which were gratefully accepted +as a token of friendship, and before long were thankfully consumed. + +He tendered them gracefully to the captives, and without waiting to be +thanked he made his way to the rear, where, forming the men in order, +he divided them into two companies, and sending the one on in front, +the other half walked a little distance behind, leaving Dorothy and +her lover free to converse as they chose. In this order, without +molestation or accident, they reached their destination as the grey +light of the succeeding morning melted into the clearer light of riper +day. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIII. + +DARK SUSPICIONS. + + But oh, that hapless maiden?-- + Where may she wander now, whither betake her, + From the chill dew, amongst rude burrs and thistles? + Perhaps some cold bank is her bolster now. + Or, 'gainst the rugged bark of some broad elm + Leans her unpillowed head, fraught with sad fears. + What, if in wild amazement and affright + Or while we speak, within the direful grasp + Of savage hunger. + + MILTON. + + +The liberal offer which the King of the Peak made for the recovery of +his daughter fired his followers with enthusiasm; for, although they +had searched willingly enough before, both for the sake of love and +duty, yet the tempting reward added to their zeal, and each one set +out on his journey anew, feeling pretty confident that very soon he +would be at least twenty nobles the richer. + +As the shades of evening fell, and the twilight began to fade into +darkness, the prospect of finding the maiden grew fainter and fainter, +until at length the most hopeful gave up the search and returned +disconsolately to Haddon, hoping that the maiden would be found at the +Hall, and that with her return the chance of gaining the twenty nobles +was irretrievably lost. Sir George was the last to return, and the +jaded condition of his horse told far more plainly than ever words +could have done how far he had ridden. + +He had hoped, amid fear and trembling, that his lost darling had been +found. He even half expected her to meet him upon his return; but all +his anticipations were rudely dispelled. Not a trace of her had been +found, and crushed by the ill news, he retired to the solitude of his +dressing room, with his riding accoutrements unremoved, and gazed for +a time meditatively into the empty fireplace, in an agony of fear as +to the fate which had befallen her. So far, there was no clue to guide +him; he could not even imagine or suspect any adequate reason for her +absence; he could only ruminate sorrowfully on the fact that she was +gone, and lament his inability to find her. + +He was pondering in this fashion when a gentle knock at the door +aroused him from his reverie. + +"Enter," he gruffly and impatiently responded. + +The door opened and Lettice entered. Her face was suffused with tears. + +"Well, Lettice," he inquired in a somewhat gentler voice, "what is it, +eh?" + +"Is there any news of my mistress?" she tremblingly asked. + +"None," he replied, "would God there were." + +The maid curtsied and withdrew, but ere she had closed the door, the +baron called her back. + +"Lettice!" he cried. + +She was in the room again in an instant. + +"Is Sir Thomas Stanley here?" he asked. + +"He is with Mistress Margaret, keeping watch in Sir Henry's room," she +replied. + +"Bid him attend me here, then," he commanded. Lettice closed the door +again, and with a feeling of keen disappointment went off to discharge +her mission. + +Sir Thomas received the summons ungraciously, but feeling constrained +to obey it, he bade the maid keep his betrothed company, and telling +her not to let her eyes depart from De la Zouch he hastened to see Sir +George. + +When the good folk of Haddon awoke next morning, they were summoned +to the Hall by the sound of the bell. The news of Dorothy's mysterious +disappearance had quickly spread, and feeling sure that some +announcement concerning her was about to be made, they quickly flocked +into the courtyard curious to learn the latest tidings. + +They were not disappointed. Sir George repeated his offer of the +previous day, increasing it upon the impulse of the moment to fifty +nobles, and he at once despatched a number of his household to renew +the search. + +Meanwhile De la Zouch, to revenge himself upon the baron for +his behaviour to him on the preceding afternoon, continued in a +well-feigned semi-unconscious state, and throughout the day he +declared himself too faint and dazed and altogether unfit to explain +Dorothy's absence. Although besieged with inquiries from early +morning, he remained obstinately deaf to all entreaties, nor was it +until the evening that he professed himself able to understand their +inquiries or returned intelligent answers to their questions. + +"I was almost killed by that treacherous esquire," he whined, as he +began his explanation. + +"Never mind that, tell us about Dorothy," interrupted the baron. + +"I am coming to that," he replied. "No sooner were we started than I +began to suspect mischief. I could see that Manners did not want me." + +"Very like," interrupted Sir Thomas dryly. + +De la Zouch felt hurt by the unfeeling remark, and he looked hurt, +too, but Sir Thomas took no note of it, and the effort was futile. + +"Why did you not come, Crowleigh?" he continued, changing the +expression of his countenance from anger to agony, "then all would +have been different." + +It would, indeed, but not as Sir Henry implied. + +"I was hindered," returned Sir Everard, highly nettled at the other's +tone and speech. "My horse fell lame with a stone in his shoe, and I +had to return." + +"At Cromford he set a pack of knaves upon me," pursued De la Zouch, +with the coolest audacity. "I was almost murdered; I tried to save +her, but what could I do? They were ten to one, and whilst I fought +like a madman, Dorothy and Manners laughed at me to my face and rode +off together." + +"You lie," returned Crowleigh, hotly. + +"Do I?" he replied with a sneer, "then prithee what does this bespeak, +and this, and this?" and he showed in turn the scratches and bruises +on the various parts of his body. + +"At Cromford?" inquired the baron. "Did you say at Cromford?" + +"Aye, at Cromford, Sir George. I struggled hard to rescue Dorothy for +thee, but it was of no avail. No man can combat ten and win." + +"I passed Cromford myself and saw naught of it, nor yet had any of the +villagers," said the baron severely. + +"And what means this?" continued De la Zouch, pointing to the battered +hat and soiled and torn clothes. "Do not these alone prove that I am +speaking but the truth? Can you doubt me longer now?" and he glanced +round indignantly, and acted his part so well that he almost persuaded +himself that he was a much-abused and persecuted person. + +"Did no one witness the struggle, Sir Henry?" asked the sceptical +Stanley. "Was there not one during all that time passed by?" + +"In faith, Sir Thomas, I know not," he replied. "I found no time to +look. I had work enough to do to save my skin, I assure you. He has +taken her to London." + +"The ingrate!" warmly exclaimed Lady Maude, who had just entered the +room. "And Dorothy is worse than he. Let them go, Sir George, they are +not worth the finding; let them go." + +"Well, 'twas a knightly thing to do, to leave a lady; a right gallant +thing, nay by my troth it was," said Stanley, severely. "And my +brother is on his way here, too; what will Edward say?" + +"Poor Sir Henry, we have judged thee hardly, I fear, but we must try +to make amends for it now," said the dame sympathetically. + +"She _must_ be found; she _shall_," interrupted the baron, emphasising +the last word with a stamp of the foot. "Manners shall suffer though +I--" + +"Tush, Sir George, let them go," interrupted his good lady. "They will +want to return soon enough." + +"Nay, she must be traced and brought home again," said Stanley. +"Edward would die of chagrin else." + +"She shall be found," repeated the baron decisively. + +De la Zouch had mentally calculated that a slight relapse in his +condition would probably arouse a wider feeling of sympathy for him, +and to secure this end he closed his eyes and gasped for breath, but +the feeling of suspicion was too firmly rooted to be dispelled so +easily, and he opened his eyes again to find his companions as cold +and unsympathetic as before. + +"You have not told us all," exclaimed Crowleigh. "Manners would never +leave his host in so graceless a style, I know." + +"Have I not told thee the truth, Sir George?" De la Zouch meekly +appealed, "and do not these rents and scars bear me out? 'Tis a pretty +reward for a noble fight is this," and he finished with a sigh of +profound discontent. + +"I believe thee," returned the baron slowly, to whom the evidence of +the torn garments and De la Zouch's wounds appeared irresistible. + +"And was not my poor horse lamed by the miscreants, who would have +killed it outright had I not interposed myself?" continued Sir Henry. +"Are all these things to count as naught, and is not the absence of +the lovers itself sufficient proof? What more do you require? What +have you to disprove these things? Why should you doubt me?" and he +looked round in triumph, feeling sure that his reply was perfectly +unanswerable. + +"He speaks the truth, Sir Thomas," said the old knight. "We owe a debt +of gratitude to thee, Sir Henry." + +"I found this knife where De la Zouch was lying," said Stanley +bluntly. "I thought it was his, and so I brought it for him." + +De la Zouch gazed with horror upon the tell-tale weapon, but in an +instant he decided how to parry the thrust. + +"'Tis mine," he cried, hastily snatching it away. "The villains +wrested it from my grasp." + +"And part of the blade was buried in the horse's flank," pursued Sir +Thomas. "I discovered it there when the horse dashed into the yard +covered with blood and foam." + +"The wretches!" interjected De la Zouch. + +"And yet, Sir Henry, methought the struggle took place at Cromford, +and that would be nigh three miles from where I found the knife." + +Sir Henry turned livid with anger, and was at a loss how to reply, +when Lady Vernon fortunately came to the rescue. + +"You struggled worthily, sir knight," said she, "and I would that the +cause had been more worthy of thy mettle. We cannot doubt thee more." + +"I cannot contradict thee," went on Margaret's lover, "but you will +show us the exact scene of the fray, Sir Henry, of course?" + +"Assuredly I will, to-morrow--if I am well enough," he added +carefully. + +Sir George Vernon noted the answer with displeasure. He was not very +strong in his belief of Sir Henry's innocence as yet, though the +evidence in De la Zouch's favour would have been decisive enough for +him had not Stanley shaken it so. + +"Has thy Dorothy forsaken thee, then, Sir George?" asked Crowleigh +pertinently. + +"Why no, Sir Everard--yes; that is--I cannot say," he hopelessly +replied. "It must be so, and yet, no! I cannot believe it either." + +De la Zouch ground his teeth in ill-suppressed rage. Matters had taken +a decidedly unfavourable turn; he was being sorely worsted, and he +wished himself far away. The suspicions of Sir Thomas Stanley were +pressing uncomfortably near him, and he found himself in a quandary +how to evade them. + +"I am doubted, Sir George, I see," he said angrily. "Lady Vernon +is the only one who does me justice. I will go. Your deed shall be +blazoned to the world. Is this the boasted hospitality of the King of +the Peak?--then I disdain it. I shall shake the dust off my feet and +shall depart at once, and you will find out when too late that you +drove away in such a scurvy fashion the truest friend you ever had," +and boiling over with well-simulated fury, De la Zouch leapt from +his chair and passed through the doorway, chuckling to himself at the +success of his little scheme to extricate himself. + +He was liberated now from the awkwardness of his false position. His +day's rest and the attention he had received had done wonders towards +effecting his recovery, and ordering a horse to be saddled, a few +minutes later he passed out of the precincts of the Hall, and hoping +that he would never have occasion to return, he mustered up his +strength and started out upon a midnight ride to Ashby. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIV. + +THE ESCAPE. + + But in these cases + We still have judgment that we but teach + Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return + To plague th' inventor; this evil-handed justice + Commends th' ingredients of our poisoned chalice + To our own lips. + + SHAKESPEAKE. + + +When Eustace delivered his charges into the hands of the chamberlain +at Ashby his task was ended, and he had no further responsibility in +the matter. + +The rest afforded him by the journey had the effect of refreshing John +Manners to a considerable degree, and when he stood before Sir Henry's +deputy he felt well able to take care of himself and quite capable of +resisting any unwarrantable liberties that they might attempt to take +with him. + +Simon Greenwood, the chamberlain of Ashby Castle, was a fit person +to represent his lord. Indeed, had Sir Henry searched throughout +the length and breadth of the land, he would probably never have +discovered a man more after his own heart, or a servant who would have +so faithfully aided him in the many questionable transactions in which +he was from time to time engaged. He had grown up on the estate. His +father had served the former lord of the manor, and entering into +his master's service when quite a youth, Simon had flourished on the +success of his numerous petty stratagems; he had supplanted those who +had been above him, and now, as the right hand of his lord, he was +ever eager to distinguish himself in Sir Henry's eyes. + +He glanced at the two prisoners with an air of haughty contempt which +would have done credit to De la Zouch himself. + +"So you are John Manners, eh?" he drawled out at length. + +Manners looked at him disdainfully, but returned no answer. + +"And you be Miss Dorothy, I suspect," he went on with a most +unprepossessing leer. + +"You will remember my lord's instructions, Simon," interrupted the +page. + +"Yes, yes, of course; be off, I know. I am not going to hurt her," +replied the chamberlain. "Well, Mistress Dorothy, I have got to take +particular care of you," he continued, ironically. + +"And of Master Manners, too, I hope," she fearlessly replied, not +noticing the hidden meaning of his remark. "Remember that he is a +gentleman." + +"Yes, oh yes," returned the man, with a hideous grin, "we have got +to take particular care of him as well. He will sleep downstairs +for awhile," and he laughed with a coarse guffaw, again and again +repeated, at his own joke. + +"Enough of this, sirrah," broke in Manners, sternly. + +"We are not here to amuse you. There will be a host of our friends +here soon to deliver us, so thou had'st best beware of what thou +do'st." + +Simon scowled darkly, but Manners's threat had its effect, and he +restrained his temper. + +"I care not," he replied, "so long as Sir Henry be here. I shall but +obey my instructions nor more nor less." + +"And what are they?" + +"You shall find that out for yourself in good time." + +"And remember that though I am within your power, I am the nephew of +an earl, and have friends at Court who will avenge me on your lord," +Manners pursued. + +"Then I shall put you in a safe place." + +The man was longing to assert his authority, but the bearing of the +prisoner thoroughly cowed him, and he felt helplessly bound to be more +civil to him than he wished. + +"And what about this lady?" asked Manners. + +"Sir Henry's instructions apply equally to her as to you," he replied. + +"If she is treated ill you shall answer for it," said Manners, +fiercely, "so I bid you look to it that you treat her well." + +"Teach me not," Simon hastily broke in. "I know what is expected +of me, and, mark me, I shall do it. Captives ought not to be too +conceited, mark that, too, an it please you." + +"Enough, sirrah, cease thy prating. I am no fool." + +"Take him away; take him to the old dungeon," cried Simon, whose +wrath was fast gaining mastery over him; "and mind you double lock the +door." + +"The dungeon!" shrieked Dorothy. "No, not the dungeon." + +Manners looked round, but there was no chance of escape, nor would he +have cared to have left Dorothy in such a position, even had the way +been clear. + +"Sir Henry said he was to be kept in the North Tower," ventured +Eustace. + +"Did he, indeed," sneeringly retorted the chamberlain. "You had better +be off or I will have you whipped;" and smarting under the rejoinder, +Eustace, who considered prudence the better part of valour, took the +hint so broadly given and retired. + +An hour later, as Manners sat brooding in his deep and lonely dungeon, +he was startled by hearing the key turn slowly in the lock, and a +moment later Eustace slipped into the cell and the door was closed and +locked again. + +"Oh, Master Manners," he cried, as he dropped on his knees, "this is +a shameful thing; what can I do, I would help thee if I might? I am +disgusted with my lord; I loathe him and I shall flee from him." + +"'Tis no fault of thine, thou art young," kindly responded Manners, +"but canst thou tell me aught of Mistress Dorothy Vernon?" + +"She is safe in the topmost room of the tower," he replied. + +"Is she in danger yet?" + +"Nay, she is safe, and will be treated well. Simon Greenwood's dame +says my lord left strange commands about her comfort, and she has +already rated Simon soundly for his rudeness to the maiden." + +"Hist," whispered a voice through the keyhole, "Simon is coming." + +Eustace threw up his hands in blank despair. "O, Master Manners," he +ejaculated, "I am lost; Simon, would kill me if he finds me here." + +"Creep under there," replied the prisoner, quickly; "it is dark, and I +will befriend thee." + +The page obeyed, and he was not a moment too soon; before he could +comfortably ensconce himself in the damp and fusty hole under the +stone bench, the door opened and the chamberlain entered. + +He was flushed with wine, and not at all the same cool, calculated man +who had stood before the captive an hour before. + +"Well, my hearty," he exclaimed, as he seated himself upon the stone +bench just over the gasping page, "things are rather bad, eh?" + +"Begone," said Manners, curtly. + +"Nay, now, that's hardly polite," he replied. "We will tame you down +with the chains; 'tis many a year since I saw them used, and it would +be quite a treat to see them on somebody once again," and he kicked +the rusty manacles which lay upon the ground. + +"You dare not, and you know it," retorted Manners fiercely; and, drunk +as the man was, he cowered back beneath the glance. + +"Ah, well, you are safe enough as you are, I reckon," he returned, +"and I am taking care of Doll for you," he added with a sickening +grin. + +Dorothy's lover started forward as the name of the maiden was +pronounced. + +"Scoundrel!" he cried, "weak as I am I would thrash thee well for such +presumption, were I sure you would not visit your displeasure upon +her." + +"Do as you list," was the coarse reply, "but I swear Doll is a pretty +lass." + +"Come here, you lout," exclaimed a shrill voice, as the door opened +and admitted a buxom woman of forty or thereabouts. "I have found you +at last; come out with you," and she emphasised the command by a smart +clout on his head. + +Simon turned quickly round and prepared to retaliate, but quailing +under the stern glance of his better half, he obeyed her will, and +meekly slunk out through the open door. + +"I'll teach him, sir, how to behave to his betters," said the woman, +turning to Manners. "He shall have a thrashing for this." + +Much amused, the captive esquire thanked her warmly for her kindness. +"But I have another favour to seek at your hands," he said. "I have +had naught to eat as yet, and it is now evening." + +"The dial only points to three as yet, sir knight," replied the dame, +who was not quite certain of the quality of the prisoner, "but you +shall have some food." + +"Only three! Ah, well. And Mistress Dorothy?" he anxiously inquired. + +"She is doing well. She has had a meal already. I have her under my +own care, the sweet creature; heaven bless her! I had come to thee at +her request to bid thee be of good cheer." + +"Aye, heaven bless her, for she is in a sorry fix," assented Manners. +"Tend her well, and I will well reward thee. Thou shalt have such +gauds as thy neighbours shall turn green with envy at the sight of +thee." + +"I want them not," was the short reply, and Simon Greenwood's dame +passed out of the dungeon, leaving Manners alone with the page. + +The door had barely closed before Eustace emerged from his +uncomfortable retreat, covered with insects of many kinds. + +"Ha, ha!" he laughed. "Simon boasts that he cares for no man, save his +lord; but he has to care for Dame Greenwood, though, ha, ha! I would +even venture in that vile hole once more to see him thwacked again." + +"Thank heaven Mistress Vernon is safe," said Manners. "Simon will not +disturb her, think you?" + +"Not he, sir, never fear. Simon Greenwood knows better than that; and, +see, I have brought thee this," and the page pulled out a dagger and +offered it to him. + +"Nay, put it back," said Manners kindly. "I would not kill my gaoler, +he is but performing his commands." + +"But if it were for Sir Henry De la Zouch?" + +"Ha! then I might, perchance." + +"You have much to forgive me," continued the page, "for I have done +thee grievous wrong." + +"How? Thou art but a lad, and I have seen thee only once before?" + +"It was then, at the hawking party, when Sir Henry slew the pedlar. It +has haunted me ever since." + +Manners was intensely surprised at this announcement. It was, indeed, +startling and important news. The mystery was solved at last. + +"It was Sir Henry, then!" he exclaimed. "I might have guessed as +much." + +"It was Sir Henry, and I witnessed it, but I will tell thee +afterwards. Listen, for time is short. Pierce this corner with the +dagger; do it quickly, for the wall is thick. There is a passage on +the other side, of which none knows save my master and myself. The +wall is softest here, and I will help thee from the other side: but +I must make thy gaoler drunk. He is full fond of ale, so you may be +assured that you will be unmolested, and I will have horses saddled +at a distance. Adieu until to-night," and not heeding the thanks which +Manners poured out from his grateful heart, he rapped at the door so +that he might pass out. + +The meal arrived in good time. A tankard of ale and a slice of bacon +with wheaten bread, more than he could eat. + +It was not long before Manners had satisfied his hunger, and in his +feverish anxiety he could barely wait to hear Eustace's cheery voice +exclaim to the gaoler, "Mat, I have brought thee some ale for letting +me in to see the prisoner." + +"Welcome it is," was the reply, and very soon a stentorian snore +announced to the captive that his guardian had fallen into a drunken +slumber, and told him that he might venture to set about his work with +safety. + +An hour's labour proved very unsatisfactory, for the wall was much +harder than he had anticipated, and in spite of the goodwill with +which he worked, the injuries he had received the day before seriously +retarded his efforts. + +Eustace, however, was working with more success on the other side, and +in a couple more hours a hole, sufficiently wide for Manners to creep +through, had been made, and in a few more minutes Dorothy's betrothed +was a free man again, urging his steed to the utmost, to fetch help +from Haddon, and to capture the miscreant knight who had effected so +much evil. + + + + +CHAPTER XXV. + +THE LAST OF DE LA ZOUCH. + + Face to face with the past he stands, + With guilty soul, and blood-stained hands; + And his deeds rise up against him. + Too weak to win, he cannot fly, + He begs for life and fears to die, + But justice overtakes him. + + +The second day's search for Dorothy proved as ineffectual as the +first, and yielding with ill grace to the counsel of his friends, Sir +George Vernon submitted to retire from active search, and agreed +to remain at Haddon while others scoured the country round for the +truants. + +"It is of no use," said the baron, "I cannot sleep. I shall not +attempt it to-night either. It is enough that I should consent to stay +at home." + +"But you must have rest," expostulated Stanley, "or you will quickly +break down under the strain." + +"I shall stay here, I tell you," was the dogged reply, "and receive +the reports as they come in. There are four or five out yet." + +"Has Crowleigh returned?" asked Sir Thomas abruptly. + +"Not yet; may he bring her back." + +"'Tis most queer," soliloquised the young knight. "I cannot understand +it, I confess. Do you suspect him, Sir George?" + +"No, I don't," he replied, bluntly, "do you?" + +"I do now. I suspect the whole lot of them; and that Manners and De la +Zouch are at heart at daggers drawn." + +"And Doll?" + +"As for her," continued Sir Thomas, demurely; "she is far too fond +of Manners. I thought we should have trouble with her, for she has a +stubborn will." + +"Like Lady Maude," exclaimed Sir George sententiously, "but go! Leave +me alone; you must be in the saddle early in the morning, and you at +all events require rest." + +"Will nothing shake your determination?" pursued Stanley, as he looked +in unfeigned pity at the toil-worn, care-riven brow of the unfortunate +baron. "You will make yourself far worse else." + +"I shall sit and wait. Send me in Father Nicholas, for he alone shall +bear me company." + +"Well, well," he replied, "I would persuade thee if I could Sir +George, but since I cannot do that I will go, but you should rest," +and leaving these words to ring in the baron's ears, the young +nobleman retired to his couch and left the baron alone. + +The sun had not long risen ere he was with Sir George Vernon again. +His horse was ready to carry him once more upon the search, and he +himself was ready for the ride. He had expected to find the baron +asleep, but in this he was disappointed, for Sir George sat beside the +table deep in converse with the priest. Crowleigh had returned, and so +had the rest, but their tales were alike despondent; none of them had +discovered a trace, and good Father Nicholas had found it a difficult +task under the circumstances to revive the drooping spirit of his +master. + +"No luck, Sir Thomas, naught but ill news," said the baron, as he +replied to his friend's greeting; "'tis an ill wind this. There is +never a trace as yet, and----" + +"Hist!" interrupted Margaret's lover. "I hear the sounds of galloping +hoofs." + +Sir George opened the casement window, and peered out into the gloom. + +"I cannot see them yet," he exclaimed, "but there are more than one, +and they are nearing fast. If it should be Dorothy," he said with a +sigh of intense feeling; "what joy!" + +"Aye, there are more than one," said Stanley. "We cannot see them +here. Hark, they are thundering at the gate even now; let us go and +meet them, and heaven grant, whoever it may be, that they bring good +news." + +"Amen," ejaculated the baron fervently, and his prayer was echoed by +the rest. + +Before they could reach the gate, the horseman had been admitted; +and as Sir George and his friends stepped into the yard they +recognised--not the features of Sir Edward Stanley, as Margaret's +lover secretly thought, but the well-known form of Manners. + +"How!--by my halidame, what meaneth this?" exclaimed the baron, +delighted beyond measure to see the esquire again. "Tell me, Manners, +where my Dorothy is?" + +"Speak fair words," cautioned Stanley, with a frown. + +"Dorothy!" gasped her lover. "Hasten, I beseech thee. She is at Ashby. +Where is De la Zouch, the villain?" + +"On his way home," answered Sir Thomas. + +Manners groaned aloud. + +"Heaven forfend us, then," he cried. "He is a monster of iniquity. We +must hasten back, an you would rescue Dorothy." + +"There is some conspiracy in this," exclaimed Stanley. "Here is De la +Zouch's page lurking behind these horses. Come hither, sirrah, for I +recognise thee well. 'Twere a bold thing of thee to venture on so rash +an errand here." + +Eustace was pushed unwillingly forward, and as he stood before the +knight his knees knocked together under the terrible frowns that were +bestowed upon him. + +"Nay, it is right," expostulated Manners. "Leave him alone, Sir +Thomas, he will be of service to us yet." + +"But where is Dorothy?" asked the impatient baron. "What has become of +her? Why does she not return with thee?" + +"De la Zouch waylaid us," answered the esquire, "and we fell into his +trap. I have ridden hard from Ashby since the sun last set. I escaped +his dungeon by the aid of this, his page, to save poor Dorothy. I am +faint from my bruises and hard riding. Cannot you believe me?" + +"Sir Henry," replied the baron, with a sneer. "Sir Henry told us a +similar story, but then it was you who had waylaid him." + +"The villain!" groaned Manners, "I will have revenge." + +"That's just what he called you," said Sir Thomas, promptly. "Two of a +trade never agree." + +"My master felled Master Manners to the ground himself," interposed +the page; "or rather, I mean he struck him senseless while he lay +injured on the ground." + +"And he carried Doll away to his castle," said Manners. "I shall +avenge her, though. I can understand your suspicions now, and forgive +you, for De la Zouch has played you false as well as me, and has +returned to his castle now to reap the reward of his villainy. I shall +pursue him, though. He sought my life, defamed my name, imprisoned me, +and now he has gone when I get here. Eustace," he added, turning to +the page, "let us return; I will gather friends of my own with which +to rescue her, and I shall be strong till I have met and paid my +enemy. God grant we may yet be in time. Crowleigh, you believe me? You +will come, and, mayhap, we may intercept him ere his journey's end, +for he cannot long be gone." + +"Nay, nay, man; stay and have thy wound attended to," said the baron +sympathetically. "Thou'rt honest, I would swear." + +"And yesterday he seemed well nigh dead," said Eustace, referring to +Manners. "Sure I am he can ride no longer. We rode hard here, and well +I trow his wound--" + +"Stay not for me," interrupted Manners. "This is precious time. I +command you to hasten or it will be too late, for when De la Zouch +discovers I am gone, he will certainly remove her to another place." + +"We will," enthusiastically shouted Sir George, and in the twinkling +of an eye he seized hold of the alarm-bell rope and in an instant +awakened the tired sleepers of the neighbourhood by its clang. + +"And thou art his page," said Stanley. "Thou wilt show us the way." + +"Aye, that I will an it please you, my lord, but I will never return +to him." + +"Meg, we are off," exclaimed Sir Thomas to his betrothed, who had +hastily descended from her own room, startled at the unusual noise +in the courtyard at that early hour. "We are going to bring Dorothy +back."' + +"Where is she?" + +"At Ashby Castle, so Master Manners saith," he replied. "You will go +with us, I hope," he added, turning round to the esquire. "You will +want to revenge yourself." + +"I will avenge her, yes;" he responded, not heeding the convert sneer, +"that I will right heartily." + +Meanwhile lanterns had been glimmering in the lower portion of the +yard; men had been frantically shouting to each other, and their +voices had mingled with the trampling of horses' feet; and now, +everything being ready, the fact was announced, and in a few minutes +the cavalcade started out upon its expedition, determined not only +to rescue the maiden, but also to administer a sharp and well-merited +rebuke upon the faithless knight who had decoyed her away. + +De la Zouch arrived at his castle soon after the party started from +Haddon, and although he had failed to lull the Vernons into a false +belief in his fidelity, yet he had put them on a wrong scent, and he +congratulated himself inasmuch as he had left behind him no strong +suspicion of the truth. + +Simon Greenwood had retired to rest. Sir Henry was not expected home +so soon. Indeed, he had told his chamberlain confidentially that if +events progressed aright he should probably not return for a week or +maybe more, and the sudden return of his lord found the worthy deputy +in nowise prepared to meet him, and he had his good dame to thank +that, inasmuch as she had deprived him of liquor sufficient to make +him drunk, he was in no worse condition than he happened to be. + +"Ha, Simon," exclaimed the knight, as that functionary put in an +appearance, "I am back again, you see." + +"Troth, and in good time, too, my lord." + +"Aye, I have come pretty quick, I assure you. The birds are safe, eh?" + +"Safe enough, I would stake my head on that." + +"That's right, I knew I could trust you, Simon. I am hungry though, +and by all the saints in the calendar, I am sore and stiff as well. I +am injured, too, for my horse fell down with me and crushed my leg." + +"You look it, my lord, and worse," exclaimed Dame Greenwood. "You look +badly hurt." + +"Ah, my own fault, my own fault; I have been a fool. Eustace himself +could not have ridden worse. Where is Eustace, I have not seen him +yet?" + +Simon looked inquiringly at his better half, and to his discomfiture, +she stolidly returned the glance. Neither of them appeared to know +anything of his whereabouts. In the scuffle and worry of the time he +had been forgotten, and they had to make the best defence they could. + +"Methinks he is paying a visit to some fair damsel of the town, Sir +Henry, with his dulcimer," suggested the dame. "I saw him with the +music some while before the gates were closed." + +"He was prating this and that to me, my lord," added Simon, who found +his tongue at length, "until I threatened to whip him. He sneaked away +quick enough then, ha, ha!" + +"Ha, ha!" laughed the knight, as he divested himself, with Simon's +aid, of his riding coat, "he would order thee about, eh? But, by my +faith, man, I am hungry, I swear. I am quite ready to sup when I have +seen my prisoners." + +Dame Greenwood took the hint and went out to procure the meal. "Sir +Henry is in wonderful good humour to-night," she murmured, "and 'tis a +good thing, too for Simon, that he is. What a fool he would be without +me," and comforting herself with this reflection, she hastened to obey +her lord's behests. + +"Dorothy is in the tower?" asked Sir Henry as he ravenously fell upon +his meal. "How is she now? Proud, I suppose, eh?" + +"Humph! well enough, though a trifle obstinate." + +"Well, we will go and see her. And Manners, what of him?" + +"Ha! high and haughty. Rides the high horse, my lord. Has friends at +Court and friends all around coming to release him." + +"A pretty tale, truly, Simon," laughed the knight, as he finished his +hasty meal and ordered some more spiced wine to drink. + +"Yes, my lord," replied the chamberlain. "So I put him in the old +dungeon." + +"Eh, what! You have put him where?" asked Sir Henry, turning back +breathlessly. "You idiot, you; where are the keys?" + +"In the old dungeon, I said," explained the wonder-stricken +chamberlain. "The safest part of the castle, my lord." + +"Where are the keys?" thundered his master. "Quick!" + +Simon handed them over, and struck with intense amazement at the +sudden and complete change in his master's manner, he awaited the +course of events. + +"Follow me," said the knight, sharply, as he opened the door and +started across the yard. "Did I not command thee to put him in the +tower?" he cried. + +Simon returned no answer. He was stupified. His head swam, and he half +persuaded himself as he followed his master across the yard that he +was the victim of some dread nightmare. + +"See here!" exclaimed Sir Henry as he kicked the drunken gaoler +aside and sharply awoke him; "and here!" he added, as he unlocked +the ponderous door and held the glimmering lantern up. "See here," he +cried, "what's this?" and he pushed the wondering Simon in. + +"Why--how! He has gone," he gasped. + +"Of course he has." + +And true it was. The worst fears of De la Zouch were realised. +Manners, as we already know, had found out the secret of the dungeon, +and his flight was only just discovered. + +Sir Henry de la Zouch was prompt in action, and immediately upon +satisfying himself of Dorothy's safety, he set out, accompanied by +a number of his retainers, to find her lover, feeling pretty well +convinced that he would be discovered lurking somewhere in the +neighbouring woods. It was in vain they searched. Under the eye of +their ubiquitous lord, the tired followers beat every copse and glade, +and it was not until the afternoon was well advanced that the Knight +of Ashby relinquished the search and thought of turning back. + +"Hark!" said Simon to his master, as the latter gave the order to +return, "I hear the tread of horse." + +"We will advance, then," was the reply, and the unwilling company once +more turned their backs upon their homes, and marched further into the +forest. + +The two parties had for some time unconsciously been approaching each +other, and when the quick ears of the chamberlain had detected the +proximity of Sir George Vernon and his followers, they were only +separated from each other by a narrow strip of thickly-grown wood, and +a minute or two sufficed to bring them into collision. + +"Ha, ha!" shouted Sir George, as he sighted the faithless knight. +"Ha, ha, torn clothes, we have you now. Here the villain is," and he +spurred his horse forward to cope with his enemies single-handed. + +De la Zouch was amazed and staggered at the sight, and without waiting +to meet the baron he rode back to his party, hotly pursued by the King +of the Peak and his men of Derbyshire. + +"Stay," cried Manners, "we will settle this between ourselves"; and +without waiting for assistance he dashed forward at De la Zouch, and +made a furious onslaught upon him. + +It was no tournament now; it was a struggle for life itself! And +whilst Dorothy's lover was animated by a stern resolve to punish his +foe, at whatever the cost, De la Zouch fought like a madman, because +he fought with a halter round his neck. + +As for the latter's followers, at the first charge, with one accord +they turned, and leaving their lord, for whom they had little love, to +meet his fate, they tried to save themselves by flight. + +The struggle was not prolonged. Manners was by far the better +swordsman of the two, and De la Zouch, disheartened at the flight of +his followers gradually weakened in his attack, and at length fell +mortally wounded, leaving no one now to hinder them from marching +victoriously on to Ashby. + + + + +CHAPTER XXVI. + +A DISGUISED LOVER. + + Imperious beauty, + Treading upon the neck of understanding, + Compelled me to put off my natural shape + Of loyal duty, to disguise myself. + + MASSINGER + +The autumn winds were howling among the trees and scattering the later +leaves in all directions, when, with the fall of twilight, a gentle +knock was heard at the door of the hut of the chief forester of +Haddon. + +A lonely traveller stood outside, shivering in his rough and scanty +garments as he stood in the still evening breeze, and as he waited +expectantly at the unopened door he heard a gruff voice inside the +cottage trolling forth a simple ballad of the chase. + +He waited patiently until the song was finished, and then, taking +courage, he tapped again much louder than before, and was rewarded by +hearing footsteps advance towards the threshold, and a moment later +the crazy portal was standing open, and the unkempt head of the +forester peered inquiringly out. + +"What now, what now," he inquired, as his eye lighted upon the strange +figure before him; "who and what art thou?" + +"Art thou Roger the forester?" asked the wanderer in reply. + +"Roger Morton, at your service, yes." + +"Then, by the love of heaven, I beseech thee let me in." + +"Well, there are few ask that favour off me, but none shall ever say +I turned an empty mouth away at night, e'en though it were a beggar's. +Come in." + +Thankful indeed to receive so ready an invitation, the traveller +entered the hospitable cottage. + +"I am not a beggar, though, forsooth," he began, as he seated himself +upon the log which did duty for a seat. "You do not recognise me, +Roger, I perceive." + +"Roger Morton, I repeat it, at your service." + +"Well, then, Roger Morton, be it so, but yet you seem to know me not." + +"Odds, troth," ejaculated the forester, "I seem to know thee somewhat; +we have met before." + +"A many times, Roger." + +"Roger Morton." + +"Well, well, Roger Morton, I am apt to forget myself." + +"Ha! you are Nathan Grene," interrupted the man, as he laid before his +guest some cheese and a mug of new milk. "I know your voice." + +"Are we alone?" whispered the traveller. + +"We are," replied Roger, as he picked up a stout stick with which to +defend himself, "but he would be a bold man to tackle me alone, for I +can take care of myself full well;" and he quickly placed himself in +an attitude of defence. + +"Tut, I mean no ill, 'tis a matter of secrecy which I am about to +entrust you with; read this," and pulling up a piece of cord which +suspended from his neck, he drew up a tiny casket from his bosom, and, +opening it, he drew out a neatly-folded slip of paper and held it out. + +Slowly and laboriously Roger spelled the missive out, and having +succeeded at last in making himself master of its contents, he +whistled with surprise, and closely scanned the visage of his guest. + +"What a change!" he exclaimed at length. "What will the baron say?" + +"Hush, speak gently, or we shall be overheard. The baron must not +know. Can you be trusted?" + +"Surely. And you are Master Manners who killed that De la Zouch. To +think of it, now." + +John Manners it was. His rescue of Dorothy had advanced his suit but +little. Lady Vernon had been too proud to own herself defeated, and +Sir George had passed his word to the Stanleys and was bound to keep +to his promise, while Edward Stanley, who had arrived at Haddon soon +after the maiden's rescue, had taken a dislike to his rival and had +made matters so uncomfortable for him at the Hall that the unfortunate +esquire had found it necessary to take the hint and withdraw himself +from Haddon. + +But though driven away he was not defeated, for he yet found means of +hearing from his betrothed, and even occasionally to correspond +with her, but he soon found that the long absence grew more and more +unendurable, until at last he determined to venture forward at every +risk to be near her again. + +"And so they would force Mistress Dorothy to marry Sir Thomas +Stanley's brother?" said the forester after a pause, as he handed the +little missive back. + +"Yes, and Dorothy conjures you to help us. You will do it, will you +not?" + +"So good as she has been to my poor little Lettice, yes, that I will +do; but how?" + +"I must be a forester." + +"'Tis a rough life for such as thee, Master Manners." + +"Yes." + +"And it is dangerous, too, at times." + +"Aye, I know." + +"And then if you were to be discovered?" + +"Don't talk of ifs, man. I talked it all over with Dorothy long ago. +She could not dissuade me, nor can you. I am ready for anything for +her sake." + +"Heaven bless her. I--" + +"Aye, heaven bless her," interrupted Manners. "I shall wed her yet, if +heaven does but bless her." + +"You are decided to join our craft, then?" asked Roger. "We are two +woodmen short, as luck will have it." + +"I have come to be one, then," replied Manners. "I am disguised for +that alone." + +And so it came to pass that John Manners, the nephew of an earl, +whose uncle, even now, was high in favour with the Queen, and who had +himself bowed the knee on more than one occasion before her throne, +had become a woodsman, and joined the foresters of Sir George Vernon. +Love, and love alone, could have induced him to humble himself so +much. It was for love of Dorothy that he turned his back upon the +Royal Court; and now, to win his bride, he was content, nay happy, to +discard his own station in life, and take upon himself the lot of a +common woodsman. + +Fortune was indeed leading him by strange paths, but he trusted she +would lead him to the prize at last. + +Dorothy's lot, meanwhile, had not been a bright one. Edward Stanley +was relentless, and in answer to her piteous appeals that she loved +him not, he cited the baron's words, referred her to the promise Sir +George had rashly made to Sir Thomas; he declared that he loved her +fervently, and, had it not been for the baron's interference, would +have carried her off at the end of a month and have married her +straightway. + +Manners was sternly forbidden her; the gates of Haddon were closed +against him, and even an excuse was found to keep Crowleigh away as +well. It was fondly hoped that these stringent measures would have the +effect of bringing Dorothy to her senses, but their plans completely +failed. The maiden began to sicken. The colour fled from her rosy +cheeks, and she began to grow rapidly worse. Lady Vernon ascribed it +to mere obstinacy, and grew impatient with her, and made her worse +than she would otherwise have been by finding fault with everything +she did; and by setting her long tasks of tenter-stitching to perform, +making her unhappy lot more miserable still. The only friend she had +to whom she could unbosom her secrets was her maid Lettice, and during +this time the hearts of the two girls were knitted closely together, +the one by a craving for sympathy, and the other drawn to love by the +dual bond of love and pity. + +Many a night had these two wept together in the darkness and silence +of an unlighted room, and many a time had Dorothy laid her head upon +her tire-maid's knee and sobbed until with swollen eyes she had sobbed +herself to sleep; and many a night had Dorothy sat alone, forbidden to +leave the Hall, while her maid had gone out on a fruitless errand to +discover if her lover had yet come. + +"Not yet?" she would ask, as the maid returned, and Lettice had echoed +"Not yet," in reply, until she hated the very sound of the words. + +"O, Lettice, he has not forgotten me?" she would sob distractedly, as +she saw the disappointed face return. + +"No, never, my lady. Something has happened, surely." + +"It must be so," her mistress would reply, and then she would relapse +into silence. + +To-night Dorothy sat alone. Her eyes were heavy, for she had +been weeping long. Her sky seemed overcast; there was not a rift +discoverable anywhere, and she was almost broken-hearted. Nearly two +months had passed, and no sign of her lover had she seen to brighten +her. Edward had told her that her lover had renounced her, and in +spite of herself she almost began to believe the story. Lettice had +gone out on her mission once more, but she questioned whether she +would ever go again, and she prepared herself, as the time for the +maid's return drew nigh, to receive the usual answer, "No, my lady, +not yet." + +Later than usual Dorothy heard her well-known footstep lightly +tripping along the passage. The very lateness of her return inspired +her with a ray of hope, and opening the door, she went out to meet +her. + +"Has he come, Lettice, has he come?" she eagerly exclaimed, varying +for once her usual despondent query. And, as she asked, her heart +fluttered wildly within her, and the hot blood mounted to her cheeks. + +"I have news of him for thee," returned the maid, gaily. + +Dorothy was too overcome to speak. The long-expected news had come at +last; she fell upon the tire-maid's neck and wept tears of joy, while +Lettice drew her unresistingly along, and led her to her little room +again. + +"There," she said, as she closed the doors so that none might hear. +"Master Manners sends his duty to thee, my lady." + +"His _duty_, indeed," she exclaimed, with drooping eyes; "why not his +love forsooth?" + +"'Twas love he said," returned the maid. "He is a forester." + +"A forester!" echoed Dorothy in amazement. "My John a forester! Not a +common woodman, Lettice, surely?" + +"Aye, but he is. He has done it for thy sake. It was the only way." + +"And they told me he had forsaken me. Was ever man so noble as he?" + +"He has sent thee this," said Lettice, as she handed a letter to her +mistress. "'Tis but roughly done, but he said you would forgive it, +and he sealed it with a score of kisses before he gave it me." + +Dorothy hastily took up the note and read it. Evidently it pleased +her well, for as she perused its contents her countenance flushed with +pleasure. + +"Lettice," she exclaimed, "only you and I, besides your father, know +that Hubert is the same as Master Manners. We must keep it secret as +the grave itself. Is he well disguised?" + +"In truth, I knew him not until he called me by name." + +"'Tis well. He runs a fearful risk. Edward or Thomas Stanley would as +lief kill him as they would a dog did they but recognise him again." + +"He has been ill, and he is deadly thin." + +"Poor John. He tells me so. I understand all now." + +"That will disguise him better than aught else, he said." + +"Perhaps it is so, but 'tis a cruel disguise," said Dorothy +sympathetically. "Did he give thee any word for me?" + +"Naught, save that I was to tell thee he would write anon, as he could +not see thee. He will hide the letters in the tree that Father Philip +fell against; there is a hole in it, and he has shown it me. But you +will see him soon; he wears a peacock's feather in his cap." + +"I should know him well enough without a sign," said Dorothy +decisively, "and he were best without it, for it might lead him into +peril." + +"Father will send him with the logs," pursued Lettice. "He came but +yesternight." + +"Hush, Lettice, is not that Lady Maude coming?" + +"Gramercy no, I hope not, or it might fare ill with us," said the +maid, "but hide the letter, for the love of heaven do," she added +quickly as the footsteps quickly approached. + +Quick as thought Doll transferred the missive into her pocket, and, +with a guilty look which she vainly strove to hide, she turned to +brave Lady Vernon. + +Lady Vernon it was, but she passed hurriedly along the corridor, and +having escaped thus luckily so far, they waited not to tempt fortune +again, but bidding each other an affectionate "Good-night," Lettice +withdrew, and left Dorothy alone with her newly-gotten joy. + + + + +CHAPTER XXVII. + +A NARROW ESCAPE. + + The moon in pearly light may steep + The still blue air; + The rose hath ceased to droop and weep, + For lo! her joy is there. + He sings to her, and o'er the trees + She hears his sweet notes swim, + The world may weary--she but hears + Her love, and hears but him. + + P.J. BAILEY. + +John Manners found life uncomfortable enough in the new condition of +life in which he had placed himself. The work was hard, and the fare +was rough. There was no difference between his lot and the lot of +those around him, and yet, in spite of this, he was looked at +askance by his new companions, while to crown all, he found very few +opportunities of meeting or seeing his beloved Dorothy. + +Often had he made arrangements to meet her at different trysting +places, but, just as often had he waited patiently, only to be +disappointed by the non-arrival of his lady-love. In this sorry plight +he had been obliged to content himself with sending messages to her +through Lettice, whom he constantly met at her father's hut; or, +failing her, as a last resource he fell back upon communicating with +his lover through the unsatisfactory medium of the tree, where, not +unfrequently, as he placed a fresh note in he found the previous one +untouched. + +At last, however, after many fruitless attempts which would assuredly +have effectually daunted less ardent lovers, they found themselves +once more together in the woods. What bliss, what rapture, what +delight, filled the heart of each as they gazed fondly at the other! +Dorothy felt bright and lithesome as of yore, as she felt the touch +of her lover's hands again. The weeks of misery through which she had +just passed seemed but as a dream to her as she once more heard his +cheery voice, and the haggard, careworn look, which had settled +upon her fair face of late, was instantly dispelled as her betrothed +imprinted a warm kiss upon her blushing cheeks. As for Manners, he was +completely transported with delight, and for some moments he bathed +his hungry eyes in the sunshine of her beauty. To see her again had +been his dearest wish, and now she stood before him, and he felt that +all the sacrifices he had been called upon to make for the sake of his +love were more than compensated for as he heard her gently call him by +the old familiar name. + +"John," she said. + +"Well, dearest one; we are met once more." + +"You can trust me now?" + +"Aye, indeed, I can," he replied, with glistening eyes. "Forgive me, +Doll, I know you will." + +"I do; I did long ago. I knew you could not doubt me long. How good of +you to come, and to risk so much--for my sake," she added, raising her +lustrous eyes up to his. + +"Nay, Doll, it were for my sake, too. I could not be far from thee +long; the saints forfend I should. But tell me, Dorothy, how go our +fortunes now; I fear not well?" + +"Alas, no! Lady Maude is stricter than ever," she replied. "Were I a +lazy serving-maid mine were a happier lot." + +"And Sir Edward, what of him?" + +"He wooes me with threats. Was ever a maiden won thus, John? He vows I +shall be his bride, and O--" + +"What, dearest?" + +"Margaret is to be wedded soon, and Sir Edward swears there shall be +two weddings at the same time. He says I shall like him well enough +in time to come. Margaret wishes it, Lady Maude wishes it, Sir Thomas +wishes it, and Edward Stanley says it shall be." + +"He knows it not," sturdily replied Manners, as he clasped her to his +breast. "Our love is strong enough to conquer all that, Doll." + +"I hope it will. I think it will in the end," she replied, "but the +way is very dark for us at present. But naught shall stay us now. Our +love is too true not to win." + +"It shall!" he returned, decisively. "Be of good heart, my precious +one, we shall soon have passed all this and be happy together." + +"Heaven grant it," replied Dorothy, fervently, "but it is a terrible +time now. With you exposed to danger every hour outside, and every +hand against me in the house, save Lettice, 'tis terrible, terrible!" +and the maiden burst into tears. + +"Poor Doll," said Manners, as he tenderly supported her. "Your lot is +hard, but there will be a change ere long. The wind does not always +blow from one quarter, you know; it will alter soon." + +"I fear me not," replied the maiden disconsolately. + +"Oh, surely, when they see what an unconquerable will thou hast. Sir +George loves thee too well to lightly disregard thy happiness. He +loves you dearly; he will surely repent ere the time comes, for he +hath a tender heart for thee." + +Dorothy laid her hand upon his arm and beckoned him to be still, +pointing at the same time to a thick mass of the thick foliage with +which they were surrounded. + +"Hist," she whispered. "Methought I heard the sound of footsteps, +listen!" + +She paused, and together they bent their heads and listened, but +nothing was to be heard save the rustling of the leaves. + +"'Twas thy fancy," exclaimed Manners, "thou art frightened." + +"I thought I saw the form of a man pass by those trees," she replied. +"It must be fancy, though, and yet, methought I saw him stop and then +pass on again." + +"Sir George will stand by thee," pursued Manners, "he loves thee +better than himself." + +"I know it, I know he loves me much, John; but he has promised me to +the Stanleys, and when I told him of our trothplight he laughed, and +said he was doing it all for the best. He forbade me to mention your +name ever more, or even think of you again--as if you were not ever in +my mind." + +"Does not Lady Maude relent at all?" + +"Lady Maude relent! Nay, rather does she grow more bitter against me +day by day, and that I may forget thee she makes me tenter-stitch from +morn till eve. Even Margaret gives her voice bitterly against me now." + +"Thou hast no one to console thee, then?" + +"Save Lettice, no." + +"Poor Dorothy. And Father Nicholas, what saith he? He is a friend of +mine." + +"He is so grave I have not mentioned it to him." + +"Then by my troth, Doll, bid him meet me here to-morrow night. He +shall help us, he shall befriend thee. Tell him all, he can be well +trusted, I wot, unless he has strangely changed since he hath taken +the cowl. Bid him come here alone and without fail." + +Soon, all too soon, the brief interview came to an end, and Dorothy +had to go back to the Hall, while her lover, having reluctantly parted +from her when he dare accompany her no further, slowly wound his way +back to the sorry hut which served him, in common with the rest of his +fellows, as a home. + +He had no heart to join in the boisterous fun with which his +companions were making themselves merry as he entered, and passing +them unnoticed by, he took a seat in the furthest corner of the room +and watched the faggots as they blazed and burned away upon the hearth +in front of him. + +Dorothy returned with a sad heart, too. The moment of bliss which had +so transported her with delight had passed away again, and she found +herself in pretty well the same downcast frame of mind in which she +had been before, for she knew not when she would see her lover again, +and she dare not let herself ponder on the terrible risks her noble +lover ran. + +"Well, Dorothy," said Lady Maude, as she burst into the maiden's room +ere Doll had found time to divest herself of hood and wimple, "thou +art serving us a pretty trick. Thou would'st meet thy whilom lover all +unbeknown to us, eh? Pick up thy things and follow me." + +It would have been worse than useless to have refused, and argument, +Dorothy knew of old, at such a time would have been equally futile; +so, while her blood almost froze with terror in her veins, she meekly +obeyed her step-mother and followed her through the long ballroom into +the banqueting-room below in a perfect agony of terror lest her lover +had been taken and was about to be confronted with her. + +The stone-flagged chamber, in which the festive table, which has +creaked under many a load of beef and venison, still stands in +grandeur all unique, was in full glory then. The musicians' gallery +was richly bedecked with gilt, and was adorned with antlers, the +trophies of many a chase, in place of the dingy, whitewash-spotted, +pictures which, hang upon its walls to-day (and look as if they were +sadly in need of a washing). Gay hunting-scenes, and a canvas on +which, were delineated the forms of the Virgin and her Babe, met the +eye and pleased it. A savoury odour of newly-baked cakes floated along +the passage from the kitchens right into the room, and a piece of +tapestry, one of Dorothy's first attempts, depended over the doorway +of the carved wooden screen to keep out draughts, and at the same time +give a warm and pleasing effect to the interior. + +It was into this room, in which sat the baron and Sir Thomas Stanley, +looking terribly grave and severe, that Lady Vernon led poor Dorothy. + +"Come hither, Dorothy," said the baron, as she entered. + +The "Dorothy" sounded ominous, and she advanced in great trepidation. + +"You have been out without our knowledge," he exclaimed. + +"Out; of course she has," interrupted Lady Vernon. "See, she cannot +deny it, she has the tokens of guilt upon her now," and she derisively +pointed at the tell-tale garments she had made her carry in. + +"Hush, Maude," said the baron, "you will frighten her. Dorothy, you +have been with Manners," he added, turning severely towards her. + +Dorothy hung down her head, but vouchsafed no reply. She was in an +agony of fear for the safety of her lover, but amid all her terrors +she was resolved that no words should fall from her lips which might +bring trouble upon him. + +"Aye, and with Master Manners again," repeated the dame. + +"What have you to say, Dorothy?" asked Sir George quickly. + +"Nothing," she replied. + +"Then you _have_ been with him?" + +"Nay, I said not so." + +"Of course she has," exclaimed Lady Vernon, "who can doubt it?" + +"We heard Manners speaking; I could swear to it now," said Sir Thomas +Stanley. + +"I fear it is even so, Dorothy," said the baron, not unkindly. "There +is a guilty look upon thy face. Now tell us where he is and we will +forgive thee thy share." + +Dorothy returned no answer. She was determined that no words of hers +should injure him. + +"He saved my life," she replied, as the question was repeated. + +"Tut, tell us where to find him, else thou wilt have enough to +thank that stubborn will of thine for," interrupted the baroness, +impatiently. + +There was a sound of footsteps just outside, and they all paused to +listen. + +"'Tis Edward bringing Manners back," said Sir Thomas quietly. "Here +they come." + +The tapestry was quickly pushed aside, and the ruddy face of Sir +Edward Stanley insinuated itself between, the fringes and the screen, +but it was not the face of a contented man, for it wore a disappointed +look. + +"Bring him in," commanded the baron. + +"Nay, I have not caught him yet," he ruefully replied. "Come and help +us, he has hidden himself amid the woodsmen's huts." + +"You go," said the baron, addressing Sir Thomas. "I will stay with +Dorothy"; and without waiting to be bidden a second time Sir Thomas +Stanley left his untasted supper on the table and joined in the search +for Dorothy's forbidden lover. + +Meanwhile, the subject of all this commotion sat innocently gazing +at the burning embers, watching the logs as they blazed up and then +gradually disappeared into powder to be blown away by the first slight +breath of wind. Surely, he reflected, 'tis so with the baron's will; +he is in the height of his determined fury now. But soon--and as the +door opened, another puff of wind blew away the airy ashes of a once +stout log--aye, surely, his opposition will vanish like as that. + +"Never a soul came in here, your lordship, for a long time back," +said Roger, deferentially doffing his cap. "Your lordship must be +mistaken." + +Manners turned round and beheld, with a feeling akin to dismay, Sir +Thomas Stanley and his brother just within the threshold of the door. + +"Tut, tut, man," replied the knight, "I say he came in here; he was +seen to enter, and no one has passed out since then." + +Sir Thomas appealed to the others, but they were all unanimous in +supporting their master, and replied in one chorus of surprise. +Manners had not been seen for weeks, and not a soul among them had any +idea of his whereabouts. + +"I suppose no one entered, then?" sneered the knight. + +"No," replied Roger complacently, "not for a long time back." + +"Did he not come in here?" appealed Sir Thomas to those outside. + +"Aye, aye," came the answer, "he did." + +"Then where is he?" demanded the knight fiercely. + +"Nay, I swear by the Holy Virgin I saw him not," replied the sturdy +forester, in perfect truth, for he had not noticed his arrival. + +"Hugh came in last," said Lettice's lover, Will. "Hast thou seen aught +of this Manners of late, Hugh?" + +Manners' first impulse was to grapple with his pursuers, but he +controlled himself, and trusting to the perfection of his disguise to +screen him, without a moment's hesitation he boldly answered in the +negative. + +"Not I," he said, emphatically. "I left my axe just outside, and it +looks so like rain that I went to fetch it in, but I saw nobody; no, +not a soul. Methinks it will rain hard, too, before the morning." + +"Tut," interrupted Sir Edward. "Did you hear anybody?" + +"No, not even a mouse." + +"Then we must search. Out, men, and help us. The man that catches +him shall be rewarded well. We must find him; he is hereabouts, for +I heard his voice. A murrain on the fellow--all this trouble for a +woman's whim." + +He glanced suspiciously round the cot, but finding no suspicious +tokens he led them out and set them to work to discover him. Few of +them, however, were zealous, for Manners had made himself popular +among them during his visits to the Hall. Dorothy they adored and +they were not at all anxious to bring sorrow upon her to oblige the +imperious Stanleys. Besides these considerations, the whole affair was +so romantic that it seemed more like an acted ballad than a serious +reality while Manners' position appealed to them in such a powerful +fashion that they sympathised with him, and had not the search been +conducted immediately under the eyes of the two nobles it would have +been far more half-hearted than it was. A few, and a few only, were +tempted to diligence by the offer of reward, and made a display of +alacrity, and amongst the busiest, with a price upon his head, John +Manners searched vigilantly for himself. + + + + +CHAPTER XXVIII. + +NOT YET + + You might esteem him + A child for his might, + Or you may deem him + A coward through his flight. + But if she whom love honours + Be concealed from the day, + Set a thousand guards on her, + Love will find out the way. + + ANON. + + +If love cannot sharpen the faculties of mankind; if it cannot quicken +the perceptions; if it has not the power to make the deaf hear, +the blind see, the lame walk--at least, sufficient for its own +success--then, indeed--! But it is possessed of all these virtues, and +more. If necessity be the mother of invention, then is love the mother +of both; and surely the most ingenious devices and the cleverest +productions had been connected with this subtle passion. + +Divers and many were the plans which Manners devised to meet his +beloved Dorothy again, but the success he so richly merited was tardy +in coming, and one after another his schemes were frustrated, until +success seemed to have receded from his grasp for ever. + +Dorothy, in fact, was too carefully watched to permit of her meeting +her lover easily, and she was kept too busy at the tapestry frame +to allow her much time for writing to him had she been so disposed. +Whenever she went out she was well attended, and for a long time +Manners was fain to content himself with an occasional glimpse of +her pale face as she rode by, or by sending love-notes and receiving +messages back by the kindly aid of the faithful Lettice. + +Still he persevered, and was rarely absent from the trysting place at +the appointed time, for Dorothy might come on any night, and when she +came he was determined she should find him there. But she never came. +Lettice occasionally he met, but even she was suspected and was kept +indoors as much as possible, and more often than not he sat his weary +vigils out alone. + +Good Roger Morton did his utmost to further his friend's design, +sending him up as often as possible on missions to the Hall, and he +went so frequently both with messages and faggots, that, seeing him +so often, no one suspected that the young woodsman was any other than +what he professed to be. + +Time flew on: weeks passed by. Autumn brought its coldest and chillest +weather for the winter to take up and carry forward. The steers were +fattening in the stalls, or salting in the troughs, for the Christmas +festivities. The capacious larders of Haddon were replenished to the +full, ready to withstand the attack of the cooks; large piles of wood +lay stacked up in the yard, ready to supply the many fires which were +to cook the victuals for the feast; and the servants themselves grew +daily more surprised at the constant arrival of fresh stores, and +wondered if ever so magnificent a feast had taken place before. + +With Dorothy the time passed slowly and painfully along. Her position +had not improved one whit, and she was wearied of the life of +restraint and imprisonment to which she was subjected. Her fingers +were sore and ached again with the continual tenter-stitching she had +to perform, and her whole nature revolted at the system of espionage +which Lady Vernon and Sir Edward Stanley had set upon her. The daily +visits of that unfeeling and determined nobleman with whom they would +force her into marriage, Edward Stanley, always left her with a sadder +heart than she had had before. + +With Manners the time flew by quickly. He sorely wanted to see +Dorothy again, and as the days rapidly passed he recked not of the +disappointments of the past, but only thought of the few days which +intervened between them and Christmas. + +Surely the rumour must be wrong. There would never be two weddings at +the Hall this Christmastide. He, at least, would not believe it. + +"Nicholas," he said, as he met that worthy at last, "thou wilt only +marry one?" + +"The baron bids me marry the other as well. I would it were not so, +for the maiden cares naught for him. I like not this brother; he is +worse than Margaret's betrothed." + +"You must help us, then." + +"I must do my duty, but if in doing that I can aid thee thou hast but +to speak the word." + +"But you shall help us, Nicholas." + +"Why, how?" + +"I will tell thee." + +"I am a priest, remember. I cannot do anything unworthy even for a +friend like thee; though thou wert my benefactor." + +He paused, as if unwilling to wound his friend by his words, and +seeing the look of dismay upon the other's face, he stopped. + +"Nicholas," said Manners, "thou shalt do naught but stand. I must see +Dorothy. I shall," he added determinedly. "Some way or other I +shall see her; even though blood be shed I shall do it," and in the +intensity of his feelings he involuntarily put his hand down to his +side to feel for the dagger which was not there. + +"I fear thou art too venturesome," expostulated his friend, quietly. + +"I am desperate," he replied; "and you, Nicholas, by simply standing +still might help me as much as I require, and might, perchance, +prevent bloodshed, too." + +"Hush, friend John, talk not thus foolishly." + +"And the blood will be upon your head," continued the distracted +lover. "With or without your aid I must, I shall, see Doll; and that +soon. You know my word is not lightly broken. Did I not succour thee +and save thy life when all conspired against thee?" + +"Aye, in truth, and--" + +"And I call upon you now, Nicholas, to discharge that debt," pursued +Manners, hotly. "You must; I am resolved, I am well nigh desperate; +and Father Philip sanctioned the troth, Nicholas, and blessed us ere +he died." + +"Is that so?" + +"Assuredly it is. Thou shalt help us, nor shalt thou be dishonoured in +the deed." + +"An you will lead me into no evil I will consent, but I fear to trust +thee, thou wert ever rash and headstrong." + +Two days later, ere the Sabbath mass began, there stole into the +little chapel of Haddon the figure of a man, which ever since the +break of day might have been observed crouched down at the bottom of +the mighty brewing vat. Had anyone cared to look under the cloth which +covered it they would assuredly have discovered him there. + +The door of the sanctuary had just been thrown open, somewhat later +than usual, for the servants had evidently overslept themselves, and +were now to be heard throwing the shutters open, and bustling about in +the kitchens, trying to make up for the time they had lost. + +The man, by his garb, might have been taken for a labourer. His black +hair hung in matted patches upon his shoulders; his clothes were torn +and patched, and the coarse leather jerkin he wore, which was almost +ready to be replaced by a new one, gave unmistakable tokens that the +wearer was a man of toil. + +In spite of all these signs the face of the man was handsome, and not +without traces of hauteur. His hands were red and rough, but not hard +and horny as those of other craftsmen were; and his whole bearing +would have impressed a critical observer that this man at least was +worthier of a better lot. + +Yes, it was John Manners. He was bearding the lion in his den. + +Pushing the inner door ajar, and casting a look around the yard at +the same time to satisfy himself that he was not observed, he quietly +entered the edifice, and closed the door. + +"Ha, ha," he mused. "At last we shall meet again," and at the thought +of it he heaved a sigh of relief. + +Seating himself in the family pew, he pulled out a book from his +capacious breast-pocket, and as he anticipated a long period of +uninterrupted peace, he commenced to peruse it. It was "Tottel's +Miscellany," a collection of amorous sonnets, and little love sonnets +and little love songs, and he read page after page, to the delight +of his heart, until he was startled to a sense of his position by the +sound of voices just outside. + +"No, no, Sir Edward. We must give her a little longer time, she will +come round soon to our opinion," were the words he unmistakably heard. + +"But you promised her to me this Christmas, remember," was the quick +reply. + +"Aye, so I did," returned the first speaker. "I would that I had not +promised her at all, she is so unhappy over it." + +"And I have laid my plans according to that promise," rejoined his +companion. + +"We must allow her a little longer time," replied the baron, +decisively. "Manners has been again to flame her passion for him anew. +She will be ready to accept thee soon, but not just yet." + +"I tell her John Manners has forsaken her, but she will persist in her +waywardness, and I expect, forsooth, she will do so until--" + +"Tut, tut, man," interposed Sir George, "it shall not be at Christmas, +as we would have had it; but even as she comes not to her senses soon, +you shall take her away. Say another month, Sir Edward, another month. +There, that is settled, trouble me no more, and now we will off to +mass." + +They were in the garden, and through the open lattice window Manners +could hear them without the slightest trouble. At the mention of mass +he abruptly closed his book, and replacing it in his pocket, he crept +carefully into the dismal hollow under the pulpit, and pulling the +panel to after him he hid himself securely in the dark recess. + +"So ho!" he murmured, as he fixed himself in his retreat; "the baron +is good. Another month and then, oh! and then?" + +He stopped and relapsed into thought. His brow contracted, his lips +were tightly pressed, and his eyes stared fixedly through the darkness +of his retreat at the chinks of the panels in front, through which he +could see the place where his beloved would shortly sit. + +"Aye, aye," he muttered, as he fiercely clapped his hand upon his +thigh. "It cannot be the worse for her, nor yet much worse for me. She +must do it; I will broach it to her now. Here they come." + +The pulpit was none too strong, and as Nicholas ascended the stair and +shut the door, it distinctly shook and tottered to and fro over the +esquire. + +"Why, by my halidame," thought Manners, "the whole contrivance will +fall down together and crush me." + +This fear was strengthened soon, for as the priest fixed himself +conveniently in his elevated position, the floor above the esquire's +head creaked and groaned and threatened every minute to fall. + +The service quickly began, much to Manners' relief; but oh, horrors! +Father Nicholas began to preach, and by the time the lover expected to +have clasped his darling in his arms, the discourse was just getting +into full swing. + +"Stop, Nicholas, in the name of mercy, stop," he whispered through the +floor; but Nicholas heard him not, and quietly pursued the even tenour +of his way. + +Another half-hour had elapsed, and the situation had become well +nigh intolerable. Apart from being cramped, Manners was uncomfortable +enough. He felt that it would have immensely relieved him to have +screamed, but he dared not do it. He wanted to cough, or sneeze, but +he had to repress his feelings. The place in which he was boxed up +was damp and humid, and the darkness in which he was enveloped was +oppressive. He could bear it no longer, and raising himself up he +groped around with his hands, and easily lifting a piece of the old +pulpit flooring, he looked up at Nicholas and groaned. + +Nicholas involuntarily started at the sound, but recollecting the +voice, he screened his friend by his presence of mind. Without a +moment's pause he stopped and indulged in a prolonged fit of coughing, +while the little congregation, which had been startled by the groan, +attributed the noise to a premonitory symptom of the attack, and +thought no more about it. + +"For mercy's sake, stop," muttered Manners. But the priest placidly +resumed his discourse, and drowned Manners' voice by his own. + +The sand-glass, which was affixed to the pulpit desk to mark the limit +of the time allowed for the sermon, had long indicated that Father +Nicholas was trespassing upon the indulgence of his hearers before he +stopped; but it was over at last, and confession time had arrived. + +Well knew the wily preacher that the second part of the service would +not be prolonged. Sir George had never much to confess while there +was a good meal awaiting him, and what Lady Maude would have said upon +such occasions was always cut short when the sermon had been long, and +was reserved for a more fitting occasion. + +Neither Sir Thomas Stanley nor his brother ever stayed for confession. +They generally found some more attractive way of spending the time; +and as soon as they could do so they slipped out, heartily cursing the +long-winded priest, and wishing that Sir George were not, by far, so +good a Catholic. + +Margaret stayed longer than the rest, and when her confession had +ceased she kept the father and took occasion to consult him about the +marriage ceremony. + +She went at last, and then it was Dorothy's turn. The way was once +more open for the brave-hearted Manners to meet his betrothed again. + +"Stop!" exclaimed Nicholas, as Manners eagerly kissed the maiden's +blushing cheek. "Let Mistress Dorothy perform her duty first." + +There was no gainsaying this. The good father would not be argued +with, and so Dorothy bended her knee, and in humble penitence +confessed her misdeeds and prayed forgiveness for her sins. + +The confession, though well meant, was constrained and short. The +maiden was absent-minded, and though she would have entered into it +with heart and soul, she found herself unable to bend her will, and +even while confessing, her thoughts were fixed on her lover, whom +she knew was impatiently waiting to embrace her as soon as she had +finished her devotions. + +"And now, my own peerless Doll," said Manners, as she rose and came to +him, "at last I may talk with thee once more." + +"Yes, John," replied the maiden, "at last! We have waited long for +this." + +"Nicholas, you will listen and warn us if anyone approaches," said +Manners. + +"I pray thee forget not that the time goes on apace," replied the +confessor. "I will guard the door for thee." + +The lovers were alone; they were free to enjoy each other's +company for a little while, and in a short time the sound of eager +conversation filled the room. + +"Come, now, 'tis time," broke in the priest, after a long pause. "Sir +George will be wondering at the long delay." + +"A minute more, Nicholas, a minute more," was the excited reply. + +"Now, Doll," Manners appealed, "I have told you all. What say you?" + +"Not yet, John, not yet," she demurely replied. + +"O, say not so, Doll," he pleaded, "they will never relent." + +"I cannot do it, John; indeed, I cannot. I would refuse thee naught +save this, but this I must refuse." + +Her lover looked at her sadly. "Then we may not see each other again," +he said, "till thou art Lady Stanley." + +"Nay, nay," she replied quickly, "I shall never be that. My heart +would break first. I shall never be that." + +"Or I may be discovered, and--and then, Doll, what?" + +"O don't, don't say that," she cried. "You tear my heart. I cannot do +it, John; at least--at least not now." + +"Mistress Dorothy, we must go now. I cannot, I dare not tarry any +longer," said the priest as he came up and stood beside the lovers. +"We must go at once." + +"A minute more, just a minute, Nicholas." + +"Nay," he replied, "we must not linger any more." + +"Go, then, I will follow thee," said Dorothy, and taking her at +her word the father bowed himself low before the little altar and +departed. + +"Not yet," said Manners, "you cannot yet! Doll, it must come to this, +and why not do it now?" + +"Nay, nay, John, ask me not. I cannot, I cannot do it. Adieu, we shall +meet again soon, trust me till then"; and giving him a farewell kiss, +she left him alone and hastened into the Hall. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIX. + +THE ANGELS OF LIFE AND DEATH. + + He said no more, + For at that instant flashed the glare, + And with a hoarse, infernal roar, + A blaze went up and filled the air! + Rafters, and stones, and bodies rose + In one quick gush of blinding flame, + And down, and down, amidst the dark, + Hurling on every side they came. + + AYTOUN. + + +Deep down in the rock upon which Nottingham Castle proudly stands, +there winds a passage which was used in the centuries long gone by as +the readiest way of bringing the victuals in the castle, and which has +long been commonly accepted as the veritable "Mortimer's Hole." + +A man was busily engaged in arduous toil in one of the cavities +hollowed out in the very heart of the rock. It was the chamber in +which the dissolute Mortimer and the faithless Isabella had been +captured by the youthful monarch, Edward III., two centuries and +a half earlier, but no traces of its former grandeur--if it ever +possessed any--now remained. It was changed into the abode of an +alchemyst, and as Edmund Wynne ever and anon tapped an iron vessel his +eyes sparkled with delight. + +The room was full of fumes and smoke. Phials of many shapes and +various sizes were ranged around on every side, filled with liquids of +every imaginable odour and hue. A long rude bench, which ran along +the farther side of the room, was crowded with boxes of crystals, +crucibles, and bottles, and, to complete the scene, a log fire was +smouldering away on the centre of the solid rock floor. + +Edmund had long sought the elixir of life, but it had proved as +delusive as a will-o'-the-wisp to him, and ever, just as he felt +assured of success, the prize had slipped away from his grasp, leaving +him further away from success than he had been before. But now it was +not the elixir that he was seeking to find. From trying to discover +something that should rob the grave of its prey, he had turned his +attention towards the invention of an engine to hasten death. His +heart was all aflame with the passion of revenge. The lord of Haddon +had incurred his intense and undying hatred. He had heaped indignities +upon him; he had slain the object of his affections; and the disgrace +into which he had fallen at London was also ascribed, rightly or +wrongly, to the baron. + +Baulked of his revenge hitherto, his passionate desire for it had +decreased rather than declined through his failures, and the very fact +of his failing was itself another charge for which the baron would +have to answer. Death, and death alone, would now be sufficient to +wipe out the stain, and Edmund had long cudgelled his wits to secure +the destruction of his foe. + +"Aye, Edmund, Edmund," exclaimed Sir Ronald Bury, as he broke in upon +Wynne's privacy, "at thy whimsical labours again, I see." + +"Nay, not whimsical, Ronald," was the gentle reply. "My elixir is +nearly right; only one ingredient more is wanted, and then!" + +"And then, what?" laughed the knight. + +"Why, then I shall have discovered what all the sages of the earth +have sought in vain." + +"A toadstone, I suppose?" replied Sir Ronald, lightly. + +"Ha, you may laugh, Ronald," said the astrologer, severely. "Fools +ever did mock the wise, like the rich despise the poor. You are but a +soldier, and I am a man of science--the great alchemyst! My name shall +live; yea, mark me, Ronald, it will be known and revered in time to +come, aye, even when this castle has crumbled into dust, and when the +name of Roger Bacon has been long forgotten." + +"Well, Edmund," responded the knight, gaily, "let us hope so; only one +more substance, eh?" + +"Only one," the enthusiast replied, while the look of triumph flashed +already from his eyes. + +"And then we shall--shall what, Edmund, what shall we do?" + +"Live for ages." + +"For ever, in fact, I suppose?" + +"My elixir will conquer disease, and man shall live until his feeble +frame has worn away," he responded grandly. + +"Lucky man," soliloquised Sir Ronald, facetiously. "But the dames, +Edmund, you said naught of them. Cannot you discover aught for them? +Surely they may share the blessing also!" + +"No more is wanted; my elixir will serve for both," majestically +responded Edmund, as he placed a cauldron over the fire. He was +too intensely in earnest himself to note that his companion was +sceptically making fun of him. + +"And will soldiers live for ages, too?" continued Sir Ronald. + +"Those who are killed my elixir is impotent to bring back again to +life. The dead are beyond all aid." + +"And the wounded?" persisted the knight. + +"I can but stave off disease, Ronald; but what a glorious achievement +have I accomplished then! Methinks I see the glory now, and when I am +in my grave, pilgrims shall come and worship at my shrine as they +have done these centuries at the altar of St. Thomas the Martyr at +Canterbury. What glory, what glory!" and in the exuberance of his +delight, Edmund Wynne gleefully rubbed his hands together. + +"I am forgetting my errand, though," exclaimed the deputy-governor, "I +have a visitor for thee." + +Edmund quailed. He was not in the habit of receiving visitors, for he +had few friends and many enemies, therefore the announcement gave him +very little pleasure. + +"For me?" he said, in a tone of unmistakable surprise, and equally +unmistakable displeasure. + +"Aye, for thee," Sir Ronald replied. "Shall I bring him to you?" + +"Bring him down here?" screamed Edmund, aghast at the very idea. "No, +never." + +"You will come up to him, then? It makes no matter!" + +"I am too busy," he evasively replied. "Tell me, Ronald, who it is." + +"'Tis a friend." + +"Humph! He has heard of my elixir and wants--ah, well, I shall have +friends enough now, I'll warrant me." + +"He is an enemy of Sir George Vernon, then," added the knight. + +"Hey! Bring him down, then," said the alchemyst. "I will meet him +outside the room." + +"Well, Master John Manners will be down by and bye. Lady Bury +meanwhile is entertaining him, for he was hungry." + +Edmund started. + +"Manners, John Manners!" he exclaimed. "Nay, then, bring him not +hither. Does he know that I am here?" + +"Aye, I have told him." + +"You have!" ejaculated Edmund, in a frenzy of terror. "I met him at +Haddon, he is a friend of the baron's." + +"He was," replied his friend; "but things have changed, and now he is +like to invoke thy aid. He will help us to have our revenge, maybe, +for I have been persuading him; he is very bitter now against the +Vernons, and will make thee a good accomplice." + +"Revenge," murmured Edmund, "ha! revenge is sweet. The baron shall be +punished; my machine--" + +"Never mind the machine now," broke in Sir Ronald, who was by no means +anxious to listen to the well-worn rigmarole again. "You can show +that to him, and tell him all about it. I shall bring him down, for he +knows not the way." + +"Well, I will yield to thee; do as you list," he replied, and the man +of science turned his back abruptly upon his friend, and vigorously +stirred the seething liquid which was beginning to boil over upon the +fire. + +In a few minutes Manners appeared, but Sir Ronald Bury had brought him +purposely with so little noise that the alchemyst was not aware of his +presence, and for a long time they stood in the doorway, and watched +his movements. + +He was talking to himself, as he often did. It was a habit into which +he had unconsciously fallen. He had persuaded himself to think that +the great posterity for which he laboured so hard could hear him, and +in his isolation the reflection was a great consolation to him. + +"Ha, ha," he muttered, "thou hast had thy little day, Sir George +Vernon. 'King of the Peak,' indeed--thy reign is o'er. And Margaret, +proud Margaret, and the haughty Lady Maude, aha! You shall all tremble +at my name." + +"Hist, move thee not," whispered Sir Ronald, "he is, about to test his +engine again; it blows off sparks of fire as if it were the smithy's +forge, but without the noise. I have seen him perform with it often. +Hark." + +Edmund had brought out his engine from a deep recess in the wall, and +a rough, unsightly piece of mechanism it was. It was intended to be +square, but constant testings and trials had caused it to assume more +the appearance of an octagon, and as the sides had thus bulged out, +the bands which had held the instrument together became loosened and +untrustworthy. + +Edmund surveyed it affectionately. It was the offspring of his genius, +and he blindly disregarded all its little imperfections amid the great +love he bore towards it. + +"Aha," he murmured, "thou art done, thou art ready now. Thou art an +angel of death, and thou"--turning to his elixir--"thou art an angel +of life." + +"Mix them up, Nathan, mix them up," gaily exclaimed Manners as he +stepped into the room. "We will give the Vernons a dose." + +Edmund was startled, and he hastily retreated to his engine to protect +it. + +"Avaunt!" he cried, "touch it not." + +"Nay, I want not to injure it," returned the other, whose smile +contrasted with the alchemyst's scowl. "Shake hands, man; I will do +thee no harm." + +"Beware," cried Edmund, distrustfully, as he covered over the angel. +"Beware!" + +"Edmund, thou speakest over rashly," interposed Sir Ronald. "Master +Manners would honour thee, and thou treatest him so lightly. Together +you may accomplish your designs and work whatever you will; the +past--" + +"Is buried with its forefathers and forgotten," quickly exclaimed +Manners. "Come, I greet thee on equal terms. I would be thy friend." + +Edmund shook the proffered hand as though it were a bar of red-hot +iron he had been commanded to hold, or a phial of his precious elixir +he was carrying, and he felt by no means flattered at the reference +to their equality, just as if he, too, had discovered such mighty +secrets. + +"I shall not want for friends soon, forsooth; the great have ever +many," he replied. + +Manners laughed. + +"Thou hast few enough as yet, I'll warrant, besides thy good friend, +Sir Ronald," he exclaimed. "I trow you cannot well afford to turn the +first comers away, Nathan." + +"I can do all with my elixir," was the proud response. + +"Sir Ronald Bury tells me thou hast prepared this engine for +Sir George," said Manners, abruptly changing the topic of the +conversation. "Is that so?" + +"Aha, for Sir George Vernon, yes." + +"Can'st thou direct it against the Stanleys, too? I would have them +punished if we could." + +"Thou art a friend of his," said Edmund, suspiciously, referring to +the baron. + +"Albeit I seek revenge, justice, anything!" he said bitterly. "I have +been spurned away from his door like as I had been a dog." + +Edmund looked at him incredulously. He was not convinced yet. + +"If you mean no treachery," he said cautiously, "call me by my name, +for I am Edmund Wynne. I like not to bethink me of the past until--," +and he approvingly looked at his instrument of death. + +"Until what?" + +"Ha, I will show thee," replied Edmund. "Stand not too near." + +Manners had not much faith in the destructive properties of the +instrument, but the command was given in such an earnest and +authoritative fashion that to have refused compliance would only have +caused offence. Probably, too, Edmund would not try the experiment +if he expressed his scepticism, and he was curious to see it, so he +retreated to the doorway to watch his movements. + +"This," Edmund went on, "is to be put in the baron's room." + +"Yes, but how?" asked Manners, perceiving that some sort of a remark +was expected of him. + +"Cannot I, who have invented it, find some means for conveying the +engine there?" replied the inventor, with staggering emphasis. + +Manners deferentially bowed his acquiescence, much to the amusement of +Sir Ronald. + +"You must not heed his words," whispered the knight. "He is infatuated +with his work. In all things else he is as timid as a mouse." + +"And then," pursued the mighty alchemyst, "and then--! Nay, I will +show thee, see!" and with some difficulty he forced open a little door +at the side. + +Both Manners and Sir Ronald moved forward to examine it, for the room +was but faintly lighted and they could barely see the dim outline of +the instrument. + +"Go back, go back," screamed Edmund. "Ronald, I look for no treachery +from thee." + +"Tush," contemptuously replied the knight, as he poured some more oil +into the lamp, "get on. We did but want to see." + +"This," continued Edmund, unabashed, "is more dreadful than Roger +Bacon's powder;" and pulling out a short, stout iron canister, he +poured some crystals into a hole. "Look and behold," he added. "I +invoke no saints, nor do I seek the aid of any deity, but see;" and +rolling some of the crystals tightly up in some parchment, he dropped +it into the midst of the fire. + +For a few moments nothing was seen or heard of it, and the onlookers +were smiling to each other when the wonderful crystals began to +splutter and fizz, till the packet suddenly exploded with a loud +report, rattling the bottles and jars together, while the rumbling +report rolled up the long subterranean passage. + +"Ha!" exclaimed Edmund, triumphantly. "You shudder at the sight; that +is nothing, I can do infinitely more than that. I will do it with more +crystals now." + +"Nay, we are convinced of thy prowess; when the fumes have cleared +away, show us this engine," replied Manners. "It is full of wheels; +show us their purpose." + +"That shook this chamber," Edmund replied, "but this could well nigh +shatter it." + +"Great man, we acknowledge thy mighty genius," responded Sir Ronald. +"Reveal the limit of thy powers." + +"I will," said Edmund, enthusiastically, "I will." + +All his reserve was worn off now, and he expatiated at length upon the +wonderful powers of his mighty engine. No such power had been known +before; nothing would stand against it; it was indeed a miracle of +force. + +"But, prithee," asked Manners, heartily sick of the ceaseless +explanations, and anxious to see the practical outcome of it all, "how +worketh it? Show us, let it move this piece of rock." + +"You doubt me; I will show it thee; I will test it but this once +again, and then the baron, curse him! dies." + +Edmund busied himself for some time in compounding some evil-smelling +ingredients in a huge mortar, and, as he stirred the pestle round and +round, the contents hissed and crackled, and emitted sparks of fire. +At length, after many bottles had been partially emptied, and many +powders and the like had been employed, the mysterious substance was +obtained, and he sprinkled a little of it upon the red embers, when a +series of miniature explosions followed. + +"Look, see!" he passionately exclaimed, "I have discovered something +still more powerful; nay, stand back. I found it once before, but lost +the art. Now we shall see; hey, hey." + +Slowly and cautiously the canister was replaced; the requisite powder +was carefully measured and inserted, and after many an examination had +been made, Edmund declared that everything was in readiness for the +wheels to be set in motion. + +"Stand back, venture not too near," he commanded, and placing a heavy +piece of loose rock upon the case, he set the wheels in motion and +stepped back proudly behind his handiwork. + +"Thou shalt be convinced shortly, Master Manners," he exclaimed. "Ha, +ha, I shall have many friends soon. None know the power I have at my +command, and princes and queens will court me to possess it. I can +either kill or keep alive, my elixir--" + +His voice was lost in the din of a great explosion. Bottles and jars +were rattled together and smashed. The chamber was full of smoke and +flame. Everything was suddenly thrown into frightful disorder, all was +in confusion. Solid masses of rock were detached from the walls and +roof, and went crashing across the room, destroying everything with +which they came into contact, or else burst through the wall and +bounded down the steep rock outside. The very room seemed to spin +around, and Sir Ronald and Manners were thrown headlong upon the +pavement of the passage outside. + +What could it all mean? + +Simply that the engine had done its work. Edmund had overcharged it, +and it had exploded. The angel of death had slain its creator, and the +wonderful elixir of life was lost to the world for ever. + + + + +CHAPTER XXX. + +STOLEN SWEETS. + + All close they met again, before the dusk + Had taken from the stars its pleasant veil; + Close in a bower of hyacinth and musk, + Unknown of any, from whispering tale. + Ah! better had it been for ever so, + Than idle ears should pleasure in their woe. + + KEATS. + + +It was within a week off Christmas, and at Haddon all was in confusion +and disorder amid the preparations for the forthcoming wedding. +Manners had now relinquished all hope of Sir George ever relenting, +and he waited with feverish impatience the time when, once more, he +might clasp his darling to his heart, and pour again into her ears the +oft-told story of his undiminished love. + +He longed to see her again, or to be seen by her, even though no words +were spoken; for he had been away awhile, and though he had bidden +Roger send Dorothy word of his absence through Lettice, yet he feared +lest the message had not been delivered, and she would feel alarmed at +his being away. + +Ill news awaited his return. Dorothy was to go away with Margaret, +for she was ill, and Benedict had prescribed a change of air. He was +desperate, and in his desperation he was prepared to hazard anything +which promised the remotest chance of success; but alas! his ventures, +while resulting harmlessly, brought him no nearer the goal of his +ambition than he had been before. + +"Roger," he said, "I shall get me to the Hall. Lettice should come +soon; bid her hasten back and tell her mistress I am there awaiting +her." + +"Aye, I will tell her," replied the honest woodsman, "but methinks it +is a sorry chance. Thou art far more likely to be discovered than +to succeed, for there be many folks at the Hall, and few dare to be +friends of thine." + +"Nevertheless, I shall attempt it, good Roger; dissuade me not." + +"Faith, not I. 'Tis not for such as me to interfere. Thou art brave, +Master Manners, and art worthy of success; may it come to thee, say I. +But the Hall is full big to seek each other in; where shalt thou be?" + +"In the dining-room." + +"In the dining-room!" quoth Roger, in surprise. "The dining-room! +Thou'lt surely never look there? 'Tis as bare of hiding places as the +flat of my hand. Why not in the archer's room, or the tower?" + +"I shall hide me behind the arras till she comes," replied Manners. + +"The arras," laughed his companion, "why it will bulge out like the +monuments in Bakewell Church; the first who comes will spy thee out. +Take my advice, master, and wait in the tower. Why, the buttery were +safer than the dining-room." + +"Tut, I shall go," he replied; "there is more to hide one than you wot +of, but my Dorothy knows it, and I shall meet her there;" and picking +up a bundle of wood he started off to the Hall. + +He was not long upon the way, and when he arrived at his destination +there was no difficulty in getting into the kitchens, for he had been +there scores of times before, and his was quite a familiar figure now. + +"Ho, Hubert," called one of the busy cooks as he entered the room, +"lend a hand with this steer; thou hast the strength of a bullock, I +verily believe." + +Manners dropped the wood and good-naturedly lent the desired +assistance. + +"An thou would'st chop it with this cleaver thou wert a good fellow," +continued the cook, as, having got the beast upon the bench, he +surveyed its goodly proportions, and handed the cleaver to his +newly-found helpmate. + +"Nay, I am no butcher, I am but a woodsman, and should cut it wrong, +I fear," returned Manners, as he laid the chopper down. "Were it a +tree--" + +"Now, come," interrupted the cook, persuasively. "I am wearied out; +I have no strength left in my arm. See you, here, here, and here, and +the thing is done." + +"I will do it an you will serve me a good turn, too?" he replied. + +"Done, then," said the other; "what is it?" + +"Show me the Hall; I have long wished to see the ballroom. 'Tis a fine +room, Roger says." + +"Fine!" exclaimed the cook. "I should think it is fine. There's not +another in all Queen Elizabeth's land to equal it. I will show it thee +afterwards." + +"Help me with this sack of flour," exclaimed the baker, "and I will +show it thee now." + +Manners chopped the carcase up, for which he was promised a share of +the pie, and quickly satisfied the baker. His strength, indeed, was +wonderful, and what two bakers had failed to do together, he easily +accomplished alone. + +"Thou shalt have a cake to-night," exclaimed the baker, admiringly. +"A milk-white cake hot off the hearthstone, such as my lord the baron +loveth so well," and they passed through the stone-flagged passage +into the banqueting-room beyond to see the wonders of the Hall. + +"Nay," exclaimed the chamberlain, as they attempted to pass up the +steps leading to the upper part of the Hall. "'tis against the rules, +you know." + +"All right, John, 'tis all right," replied the baker. "Hubert is going +to help me, and you cannot stay me, I trow, or Lady Vernon will come +upon thee about the cakes for the feast." + +There was no gainsaying this argument, for John stood in mortal fear +of his mistress, and at the mention of her name he stepped aside and +allowed them to pass by. + +"John likes to be flattered," laughed the baker, as the door closed +upon them, "but I use a different weapon. I speak of Lady Vernon, and +he always yields." + +"I saw he was there," replied Manners, "else I had needed no +assistance to pass through. He despises us, I verily believe, +and likes to show his power. So this is the ballroom, eh? 'Tis a +magnificent room, surely," he exclaimed in well-feigned innocence. + +"The ballroom!" laughed the other, contemptuously. "No, this is but +the dining-room. Come, I will show thee the ballroom." + +"I would linger here awhile," responded Manners, with charming +simplicity, "this tapestry takes my fancy so; and the ceiling, with +such quaint devices. Nay, there can be naught to better this, I +swear." + +"Then you must stay alone, for I am busy," replied his companion. + +This was exactly what Manners wanted, and as he offered no opposition, +the baker left him alone on the threshold of the ballroom, and +returned to attend to his duties. + +It was a matter of little difficulty to find the hiding, place, for +Manners knew it well, and pulling the arras aside, he slid an old oak +panel along and stepped into the cavity it disclosed to await with +as much patience as he could command the well-known footstep of his +beloved. + +A long time he waited; each passing footstep caused his heart to +flutter with expectation, only, however, to leave it to quieten in +disappointment as the sounds receded and died away in the echoing +ballroom above, or else mingled, maybe, in the turmoil of the busy +kitchens below. No Dorothy appeared, and his heart at last began to +fail. + +"Surely she will not come," he murmured at length. "Lettice cannot +have been," and his spirit sank within him at the thought. He was cold +and fatigued, and once being infected with the idea that he was doomed +to disappointment, he quickly discovered all the discomforts of +his position and aggravated his misery by adding to them by his own +imagination. + +He had made up his mind to depart, and was about to put his resolution +into practice, when a gentle voice broke the stillness of the room. He +held his breath to listen. There was surely someone at the door, for +he heard the handle turn; it creaked upon its hinges, and a moment +later a gentle step resounded on the floor, and he knew that he was +not alone. Could it be Dorothy? He pushed the door of his retreat ajar +and listened intently, but only the responsive throbbing of his own +heart could he hear. + +"Doll!" he exclaimed. + +There was no reply. + +"Doll," he repeated, in a little louder tone as he pushed door and +tapestry aside and entered the room. "Doll!" + +"It is not Dorothy, Master Manners," replied a gentle voice, "it is I, +Lettice, her maid." + +His heart stood still; chilled with despair. + +"Where is she?" he cried. "Tell me, will she come?" + +"Nay, she cannot come; Dame Maude is with her, getting ready for the +feast. + +"And Dorothy cannot come," he repeated, with downcast eyes. "Hast thou +seen her; has she had my message?" + +"One may not speak with her when my lady is there," said the maid, +"but she read it in my eyes. I would, Master Manners, I could help +thee more, but I fear that cannot be." + +"Bid her keep her tryst to-night, Lettice," he replied, "and thou wilt +serve thee well." + +"I fear me she cannot. Oft has she tried and failed; she is watched +too well. An she were to pass the gate alone the whole Hall would know +of it." + +"Look, then, Lettice, could you come?" + +Lettice often had done so before to meet her own stalwart young lover +in the privacy of the wood, and she blushed at the question. + +"I come?" she replied, "happen I might were I but to speak to the +chamberlain first." + +"Speak to him, then, for mercy's sake, speak," replied the lover, +quickly. "Lend Doll your hood and shawl, none will know the difference +in the dark. Tell the porter to expect you. There, adieu; fail me not, +good Lettice," and without leaving her time to make reply he +rushed hastily out of the room, and left her alone to carry out his +instructions as best she could. + +Dusk was rapidly deepening into darkness when John Manners stole out +of his humble abode to wend his way to the old trysting place, whither +he had been so frequently of late. His progress was watched by a pair +of eager, jealous eyes, as their owner silently but surely dogged +his every footstep; and when the tree was reached at last Manners lay +wearily down at its foot, fully resolved not to depart from thence +until he had brought matters to a crisis. At the same moment the +figure of a young man glided stealthily into the cover of a bush +within a few yards of where the other lay. Manners was not aware of +the fact; he had neither seen nor heard his pursuer, and in happy +ignorance of the circumstance he awaited Dorothy's appearance. + +The night was chilly, for the snow had just departed from off the +ground, and the fast gathering leaden clouds threatened to quickly +cover it over again; but, buoyed up with hope and excitement, Manners +heeded it not. Quietly, but not calmly, he lay, impatiently awaiting +the coming of his love. + +At last she came, but she approached so silently that her lover was +not aware of her presence until she spoke. + +"John," she exclaimed, "I am here." + +He was upon his feet in an instant. + +"My darling, my beloved;" he cried, as he rapturously embraced her in +his arms. "This is good of thee, 'tis more than I deserve." + +"Say not so," she replied. "I would do aught for thy dear sake. I have +endured much for thee, but I have been happy in it because it was for +thee." + +"Thou would'st do aught for me, my precious one?" cried Manners. "I +have much to ask of thee. 'Tis well for me thou art so ready. None +shall part us, Doll." + +"No, never," she replied, firmly. + +"Then, Dorothy, we must flee together." + +"What!" she exclaimed, in surprise. "Leave Haddon?" + +"Hush, Doll, I fear it must be so." + +"Oh, John," she sobbed, "I cannot do it, indeed I cannot do it. Is +there no other way? Have you no other plan?" + +"Sir George will never relent," Manners replied, "and in another +month--" + +"Nay, nay, John, I have refused the one, I am resolved not to wed the +other." + +There was a painful pause for a minute or two, but at length Manners +spoke. His voice trembled and betrayed the depth of his feelings +plainly. + +"'Tis a hard choice, Doll," he said, "but you must choose betwixt +Haddon and me. If you say me nay, I shall lose you." + +"Wait, John, you can trust me?" she sobbed. + +"Aye, that I can," he returned, tenderly; "but the flower is +withering, and will soon be gone. This face was not so pale nor yet +so thin before. Dorothy, I cannot see thee droop like this before my +eyes." + +"You can trust me," she replied; "then wait awhile." + +"And then; what then?" + +"If they are against us then, I will do thy will and go with thee." + +"Nay, Doll, I should lose thee, and that would break my heart; it must +be yes or no, there is no other way of escape." + +Dorothy bowed her head upon his shoulders while the tears ran freely +down her cheeks, and Manners stood over her, his breast heaving in +fierce thrills of mingled emotions. + +"Choose for thine own happiness, Doll," he whispered, breaking again +another painful spell of silence. + +"I cannot leave my father so--and Margaret," she added, after a pause. + +"Margaret will leave thee soon enough," replied her lover, "and Sir +George would wed thee to Sir Edward Stanley in a month. Thou wilt have +to leave them soon, anyhow--why not with me? I would brave the world +for thy sake." + +"I know it," she replied, "but I cannot say 'yes.' Do not persuade me, +I will give thee an answer in a little while. + +"I have made arrangements," Manners answered. "Everything is ready. We +shall go to Nottingham; all our plans are laid ready for the wedding." + +"I cannot refuse thee, John," whispered Dorothy, as she dried her +tears, "but I cannot consent--not yet, at least. Lettice shall bring +thee word." + +"So be it, then," he said. "Kiss me, Doll, it may be for the last +time; an you decide to stay, I shall go to the wars again." + +"Hush, your words are over loud, John. If you go, I die. Listen!" + +Manners needed not the injunction, for someone was unmistakably +rushing towards them. He turned, and faced the intruder. + +"Hold!" he cried, "or you shall rue it. Stand back," he added, as the +figure of a man ran towards Dorothy. + +"Lettice," exclaimed the other, "could I think this of thee? I had +trusted thee better. What have I done that thou should'st treat me +thus? As for thee--" he said, turning to Manners. + +"Tut, man, doff thy cap," interrupted the latter. "This is Mistress +Dorothy Vernon." + +"Thou hast met here often enough before," continued the unbelieving +Will, "but I'll warrant me this shall be the last time. Mistress +Dorothy, indeed! A likely story that; but I know that hood too well to +be deceived. You are Sir Edward Stanley, or Master Manners, perchance, +I suppose. Roger Morton shall know of this." + +"Lettice is in the hall," said Dorothy. "I know thou art to be +trusted, Will, for Lettice ofttimes speaks of thee. This is Master +Manners. Hush! not a word, tell it not to anyone." + +It was the voice of Dorothy, beyond dispute, and not the voice of +Lettice, and the astonished youth dropped down upon his knees and sued +forgiveness. + +"And you knew me not?" asked Manners, as he clapped his companion +familiarly upon the back. "I deceived thee, then? Have not the others +found out my disguise? Methinks they have looked at me askance of +late." + +The young woodsman rubbed his eyes to convince himself that it was a +reality, and that it was not a vivid dream. + +"Nay," he replied, at length; "they said thou wert seeking to rob me +of my Lettice, for we knew thee not." + +"I am a craftsman still," returned Manners, "mind you tell them not. +There, I shall rejoin thee soon." + +Lettice's lover took the hint and departed, not at all loth to get out +of the way, and feeling mightily relieved that things happened to be +as they were, and were not any worse. + +"Doll," said her lover, as the retreating sound died away in the +distance, "we have another friend in him. Do thou tell this to +Lettice, happen it will enliven her. I will not press thee for thy +answer now; we shall love each other to the end, I know. Remember +this, Doll, thy happiness as well as mine is at stake. Sir George +cannot take back his words even though he repent them. He cannot +relent, for he has promised thee, and he is the very soul of honour, +but, an we please ourselves, he cannot help it, and all will come +right. Nay, interrupt me not, I have weighed my words, there will +never be such another chance for us to flee. There, now, thou knowest +all I can tell thee, thou shalt decide anon." + +Dorothy was silent, but if looks had speech, she had pleaded +eloquently. Her resolution swayed to and fro in the terrible struggle +of her affection: her soul was riven. She was too happy in the company +of her lover to say him nay, and yet, at the same time, the bond of +love which drew her to her father was far too strong to be suddenly +snapped. + +"I must go," she said, at last, "but whether it be aye or whether it +be nay, in life and in death I am thine alone. Kiss me, John, and let +me go." + +Manners was deeply agitated. He took her face in both his hands, and +stooping down, he kissed her again and again. + +"It may be the last time," he said, "but trust me, Doll, I am only +thine. I shall keep my love-troth true. Keep a stout heart, my sweet +one, and by my faith we shall be happy yet." + +They had approached the Hall as near as was safe, and now the moment +for parting had arrived Dorothy tried to speak, but her heart was too +full, and words failed to come at her command. She listened to her +lover's last injunction to keep up a brave heart, and wringing his +hands in agonised silence, she gathered her cloak around her, and +hastened into the Hall. + + + + +CHAPTER XXXI. + +THE TOKEN. + + And whilst the feast progressed apace, + The music swelled in joyous strain; + But midst the group was one fair face + That scarcely hid the look of pain. + And ever and anon she looked away; + And when the others went she turned to stay. + + +Early next morning, as Manners was engaged in collecting faggots +for the hungry fires at the Hall, he was startled to hear himself +addressed by his proper name. + +He turned round aghast, but was reassured when he saw that it was none +other than Lettice's lover who stood by his side. + +"Hush, Will," he said, "call me Hubert still; it were dangerous for my +name to be overheard. But thou hast news for me, I can read it in thy +face." + +"Aye," replied the youth, "Mistress Dorothy sent Lettice with a +message for thee, but old Roger knew not where thou would'st be +found." + +"Where is it?" cried the lover, impatiently, "let me see it; 'tis the +answer, I'll warrant me." + +"Nay, I have it not. Lettice awaits thee at the hut; she would not +even let me bring it to thee, for her mistress, she says, charged her +to tell it to none but thee." + +"At the hut," repeated Manners, as he started to return. Is she there +now?" + +"She is awaiting thee; but, Master Manners, let me crave a favour +first." + +"Quick, then," was the hasty reply, "tell me what it is, for I cannot +wait." + +"Lettice has been rating me well," returned the downcast lover, as +he started to return with Manners. "She is angered against me that I +followed thee last night. She will not look at me now, and if I open +my mouth about it she swears she will speak to me no more. A word from +thee, good sir, would set the matter right again, else I fear me I +have lost her favour, and there be many round about who would gladly +take my place." + +"Oh," laughed Manners, "I will see to that, and happen you may do me +some good service in return?" + +"Aye, master, that I will," he replied, mightily relieved. + +Manners said no more; his mind was too much occupied, his thoughts +were bubbling within him in furious turmoil. Leaving his companion +behind, he rushed hastily on, and never stayed his course until he had +reached his destination. + +"The letter, Lettice, the letter," he cried, as he entered the hut. + +"Nay, I have no letter, Master Manners," replied the maid. "My lady +bid me tell it thee instead." + +"What is it? Is it yes, or no?" he cried. + +"Neither, yet. My mistress went all through the weary night, and +thought of naught else but thee and the answer she should give." + +"Poor Doll," ejaculated her lover, tenderly. "'Tis time all this was +ended, Lettice; she is fading away, yes, fading away, and what will +come of it all, if she says me nay, I tremble to think." + +"She will not say thee nay, though, Master Manners," replied Lettice. +"I shall lose my mistress soon. She has told me all." + +"Told thee all?" he echoed. "She will not say me nay, and yet she +consents not! You speak in riddles. Come, explain it all." + +"She knoweth not her mind as yet," explained the maiden, "but I can +plainly see which way it will all end. Even as she poured her story +out to me I could see it; I could read it in her sobs and sighs. She +had not wept so long had she not loved thee so well; and her love for +thee is stronger than her other loves, else she had obeyed my lord the +baron by now. It needs no astrologer to tell all this." + +"Heaven grant it may be so," replied Manners, fervently; "but what did +my Dorothy bid thee say? Thy words have made a sore commotion in my +heart, fair Lettice." + +Lettice hung down her head and blushed at the unexpected compliment. + +"Thou art to come to the feast to-night," she replied, "and my lady +will give thee answer there." + +"I shall be there, Lettice," he promptly returned. "Tell her I shall +not fail her. But how shall I see her, has she thought of that?" + +"We have arranged it all, good sir; thou hast but to do her bidding, +and all will go well." + +She did not say that Dorothy had been too distracted in mind to make +any arrangements whatever, but, as a matter of fact, this duty had +devolved entirely upon the maid, for her mistress had done little +more than nod assent through her tears to all the propositions of +her companion. It was the ready wit of Lettice which had proposed +everything at just the time when Dorothy was quite unable to suggest +anything for herself. + +"The wedding ceremony will take place in four more days," Lettice +continued, "and the feasting begins to-night." + +Manners was aware of the fact, and he bowed his head in silent +acquiescence. + +"And thou art to come to the Hall," pursued the maid. "Thou art +skilful on the lute, my mistress says." + +"I can play the lute," he answered, "but what of that? Will she pipe +me an answer back?" + +"Nay, Master Manners, listen. Thou art to be a musician for the once, +and must join the minstrels in the gallery." + +"In the banqueting-room! Then I must seek a fresh disguise," he +said. "Hey, Lettice, I would it were night already, the day will +drag wearily enough for me, I trow; but I shall look for my reward +to-night. Thou art sure of what thou hast told me, Lettice, for were +she to refuse me after all, it were hard indeed!" + +"Trust me, I am not like to be deceived; she wears her heart upon her +sleeve. Unless she changes, I have told thee aright, but my lady never +changes in her love. Ah, me, I shall lose my mistress soon, and I am +sad to think of it." + +"Nay, Lettice," interposed Manners, "thou shalt marry honest Will, and +he shall be my chamberlain. Thou shalt be near Dorothy yet." + +The maid's countenance flushed with joy at the prospect of such bliss. + +"That were happiness, indeed," she cried, "for or! Master Manners, I +love her; I cannot help it--who could? I love her dearly; to part from +her--" + +"Aye," interrupted Manners, "who could help it indeed. Tell her I +shall see her, I shall be there." + +"And if it be 'yes,' my mistress will drop her fan upon the floor," +went on Lettice; "but if the answer is 'no' she will tie a black +ribbon on it. Thou must watch well, but it will surely fall." + +"Amen," said Manners. "Then I should be the happiest man on all the +earth." + +"But happen my lady will not be there," the maid went on. + +The lover groaned at the thought, and interrupted the maiden by so +doing. + +"Well, then," she continued, "either will I give thee a letter, or, +if that cannot be, thou must go to Bakewell Church to-morrow eve, and +thou shalt find the letter squeezed behind the font. But there, I must +away; the day will pass all too quickly for me, for I have much to +do." + +"Stay," he exclaimed, and plucking a sprig of holly from the bush +which grew beside the door, he placed it in the maiden's hand. + +"Give her this," he said, "and tell her it came from me. Bid her keep +a stout heart within her; she must smile to-night." + +Lettice took the little bunch of green and red, and making a +reverential curtsey to her lady's lover, she hastened away towards the +Hall; and, as Manners watched her retreating figure, he saw the form +of a man step out from among the bushes and join her company. It was +her lover, who had waited with an anxious heart to discover the effect +of the promised mediation. + +True to his promise, Manners presented himself at the appointed time +at the door of the orchestra, though not without inward misgivings as +to the character of the reception in store for him. He need, however, +have had no apprehension on that score, for everything had been +conveniently arranged. The leader of the musicians (they were +principally hired Derby men) had been bribed, and when the esquire +presented himself for admittance he was warmly greeted. + +"Well, Ralph!" exclaimed that worthy as he almost wrung Manners' +hands off in the heartiness of his embrace; "thou hast come to thy +old friend again, eh? We must cement the friendship this time with +a tankard of Haddon-brewed ale, and if thou hast not greatly altered +since I knew thee last, thou'lt not be averse to that." + +"Of course not," replied Manners, readily; "and these are all fresh +men? I cannot see one of the old faces among them all." + +"They are good fellows, though," returned their leader, proudly, "and +they play right well. Ha! here comes a messenger." + +The musicians, most of whom had until now been idly leaning over the +balcony, gazing, with an interest of which they were not fully aware, +at the servants below as they were putting the finishing strokes to +the preparation of the feast, immediately took their allotted places, +and Manners found himself at the end of the row within the shadow of +the wall, and separated from the rest by the intervening body of the +leader. + +"The baron sends this for the musicians," said the page, as he +deposited a large pitcher of ale upon the gallery floor. "They are +coming now, and he would like some merry tunes." + +Even as the lad spoke the guests came pouring into the room; laughing, +joking, talking; almost all of them in the merriest possible mood. + +Manners scrutinised their faces keenly, and he thought with regret of +the time not long ago, when he too had been one of the happiest of all +the merry guests of just such another party. But where was Doll? He +could not see her anywhere, and so intent was he on searching for his +beloved, that the blast of the trumpets by his side startled him and +made him fairly jump with surprise. + +Mechanically he took his instrument up. The tune was simple and he +knew it well, but even as he played his eye wandered from the sheet +before him to scan the merry throng below. + +Ha! there she was. He discovered her at last, but her gait was lively +and her dress was amongst the gayest of the gay; and as she entered +leaning upon Sir Edward Stanley's arm she wore a smile upon her face. +His heart misgave him at the sight. Had Lettice deceived him? For a +moment he entertained the thought, and he cursed the hope which she +had planted in his heart, and then in a fear of anxiety he lay the +lute down and looked to find the fatal bow of black. + +What was it he saw? His gaze was rivetted upon her dress, by the side +of which hung the long fan. His eyes seemed to dance about, his head +swam, and, before he could determine the question, Dorothy had passed +by and taken her place at the table. + +Father Nicholas asked a blessing which was even longer and more +wearisome than his predecessor had indulged in, and the occupants of +the gallery took advantage of the long interval to quaff the +greater portion of the refreshing beverage which Sir George, with +characteristic generosity, had sent up to them. + +The prayer had a conclusion though, and when the good father reached +it the fact was signalised by an unanimous, if not very sincere "amen" +from the guests, while the band struck up another lively tune. + +Throughout the meal the musicians had little rest. One tune was played +and immediately another was struck up to take its place, and the gay +company at the tables laughed and chattered the while with the utmost +vivacity and glee. + +For Manners it was a weary time! There appeared to be no end to the +succession of dishes, and he impatiently waited for the time when the +signal would be given which would give him unbounded joy or doom him +to perpetual misery. To him, at least, the time dragged wearily along, +the tunes were lifeless, the courses were inordinately long, and +it was a positive relief to him when Nicholas rose up again and +pronounced a benediction, equally as long and dreary as the opening +grace. + +The feast was over now, and as the guests defiled out of the room, +another air took the place of the one just concluded. As for Manners, +all his efforts were concentrated on watching Dorothy's every +movement. He ceased to play, for he had not the heart to continue, +and, without making any pretence to be playing his instrument, he laid +his lute down and watched with eager eyes. + +He noticed that his rival sat by her side, nor did she repel him. +When she arose he rose too, and together they started to go out of the +chamber. Dorothy lingered; Stanley lingered too. What, O what could +she be lingering for? In his anxiety Manners stood up to see the +better. His pulse moved in jerks and bounds; his heart rose to his +throat, and he gasped for very breath. + +The lively tune pursued the even tenour of its way; the burly form of +the leader screened him well from view, and that functionary was too +much engrossed in the execution of the piece to remark the peculiar +conduct of his companion. + +Dorothy lingered to look at the pictures she knew so well; but Sir +Edward tarried at her side. It was evident he was not at all disposed +to leave her, and Dorothy herself at last gave up all hopes of his +doing so. + +Sir Edward said something to her, but the noise drowned the sound of +his voice, and Manners could not hear what it was he had said, but the +next moment she permitted Stanley to lead her towards the door. +The poor minstrel's heart sank at the sight. Was this, then, the +fulfilment of Lettice's promise? Had he so misjudged the character +of his beloved? He dismissed the thought, for he could not believe it +even then. + +No, it was not so. Dorothy paused and turned back. Manners +involuntarily stood up and followed her with his eyes. Margaret and +her betrothed were behind, and to them she went. His spirits revived +again. + +She laughingly raised her fan and pointed to the carving on the wall. + +Was the black knot on? He gasped for breath as he anxiously looked to +see. It surely was not there. At all events he could not see it, but +then his eyes might be deceiving him, for she was at the further end +of the room. Ah! would she only drop the fan which was held up in her +trembling hand, and then-- + +With a clatter the fan dropped upon the pavement. Sir Edward gallantly +stooped down and returned it to its fair owner, but Manners waited to +see no more. She was his; the signal had been given, and picking +up his instrument he set to and contributed as good a share to the +gladsome melody as any of his fellows. + + + + +CHAPTER XXXII. + +PLAIN JOHN MANNERS WINS HIS BRIDE. + + One touch of her hand, and one word in her ear, + When they reached the hall-door the charger stood near: + So light to the croupe the fair lady he swung, + So light to the saddle before her he sprung! + "She is won! we are gone, over bank, bush, and scaur, + They'll have fleet steeds that follow," quoth young Lochinvar. + + SCOTT. + + +Fast waxed the fun at Haddon, and loud above the strains of music rose +the sounds of merriment in the grand old Hall. + +It was the bridal night. Margaret Vernon had redeemed her +troth-plight, given to Sir Thomas Stanley early in the summer, and in +the former part of the day she had been joined in holy wedlock with +her lover by Father Nicholas Bury, with more of the Roman Catholic +ritual than Queen Elizabeth's ministers would have approved of had +they known it. + +Never had Haddon been so full of visitors before. Never had it been so +gay. None who came had been turned away. The baron kept an open house, +and whilst the rooms of the Hall were strained to the uttermost to +find accommodation for the numerous guests, the gate had been thronged +throughout the livelong day by an eager crowd of expectant beggars, +none of whom had gone away with empty hands. + +But now the night was closing in, and the visitors were determined to +make the most of it. Sir George was almost ubiquitous. Here, there, +wherever the mirth was loudest, there the form of the jovial baron was +sure to be found. Old knights and equally elderly dames congregated +together in the capacious oriel windows, and, with the tapestry +curtains drawn aside, talked of the good old times of "Bluff King +Hal," and pointed out with pride of superiority of their own happy +age to these degenerate days. Middle-aged matrons sat proudly watching +their offspring as they flitted to and fro, and noted with much +satisfaction the matchless beauty of their own daughters, and the +mediocrity of the rest; or, were they so inclined, footed it, as of +old, with equally middle-aged gallants. Sir Benedict a Woode soon +retired from the scene, and taking advantage of his intimate knowledge +of the building, he led a few convivial spirits, like himself, into +the wine-cellar, which they did their utmost to empty, until, having +imbibed too much, they were fain to lie down, through sheer inability +to stand. + +It was from the rising generation, however, that the greatest +merriment arose. These, paired off in ever changing couples, whirled +from one end of the room to the other, and then, without a pause, +returned again, heedless alike of the gratulations of their elder +friends as they passed them by, and of the indifferent gaze of those +who were not their friends who looked at them with jealous eyes. + +Dorothy, with a heavy load at her heart, wore a bright and even +smiling face. She received the flattering service of her admirers as +of old, and danced impartially with all who asked for the privilege. + +Even Sir Edward Stanley, although she cordially disliked him, came +in for a goodly share of her favours. He had noted a change in her +conduct of late, and that change was for the better. He imagined that +she was readier to accept his advances, and when he had communicated +his thoughts to his brother, they were confirmed in almost every +respect. Sir Thomas had remarked exactly the same change, and they +readily ascribed it to a yielding of the maiden's spirit. + +Little did they suspect that this alteration in her bearing was due +to any other cause than that Manners was being forgotten, and in +his happiness at the change, Sir Edward was content to let her enjoy +herself as she listed, feeling sure that ere the end of another month +there would be another bridal party, in which Dorothy Vernon and +himself would be the principal actors. + +When the merriment was at its highest, and the boisterousness was at +its climax, Dorothy remembered that the time was fast approaching when +she would have to depart. Her lover--he who had risked so much for her +sake--would be waiting in the cold meadow with the horses waiting for +her! and she sank down to rest, well knowing the terrible strain she +would soon be called upon to endure. + +"Fair Mistress Dorothy is tired, I perceive," quoth a young knight, as +he approached her, longing for her company in another dance. + +"Aye," she answered. "I have danced too much, sir knight, and my shoe +pinches too," she added, with perfect truth. + +"Then by my troth," responded the gallant youth, "I swear you have a +full small shoe." + +"Come, Dorothy," said Margaret as she came up to her sister's side, +"here is a gentle knight who would dance with thee," and she gravely +introduced the veteran cavalier De Lacey. + +"You will forgive me awhile, will you not, Sir John?" said Dorothy, +"for I am wearied and the room is over hot," and smiling back at the +gracious reply of the old knight, who accepted her excuse, she retired +to the corner of the room, while the disappointed De Lacey proceeded +to join company with Sir Benedict a Woode, and found solace in +quaffing the baron's wine. + +Dorothy's heart was beating fast; the critical moment had come. She +was close beside the door which led into the ante-chamber, and a +slight noise in that apartment recalled to her memory the fact that +her faithful maid Lettice was waiting for her there. + +She lingered, and her resolution wavered. It was hard to go and +leave behind the scenes of merry childhood and all the pleasant +recollections connected with the home; and as she sat there undecided, +many pleasant recollections rushed back into her memory and pleaded +powerfully with her tender heart. But the greatest pang of all was the +parting from the baron. She loved him sincerely, and she knew that he +loved her dearly in return. This it was which now held her back, but +the movements of her maid in the adjoining room continually reminded +her that her lover would be waiting for her with an anxious heart. + +The struggle which raged in her breast was bitter, but short +and decisive. The love she bore to Manners outweighed all other +considerations, and casting a last fond look at the scene from which +she was about to tear herself, she chose a moment when a peal of +laughter at the further end of the room attracted the attention of the +company, and slipping behind the tapestry curtain, she pushed the door +gently open and stole quietly through. + +It was a desperate thing to do, and required all the nerve that +Dorothy had at her command. How the door creaked as she closed it +after her. It must, surely, call attention to the fact that she had +passed through. But no one came, and she flung herself into the arms +of her maid, trembling like an aspen leaf with fear. + +"Oh, Lettice," she sobbed, "tell the baron I love him still, and +Margaret, too. Poor Meg! 'tis hard to be severed thus." + +"Hush, my lady," replied the maid. "This is no time for weeping. +Master Manners hath been here awaiting thee. I bade him go, for that +were neither safe for him nor thee." + +"You shall join us soon, Lettice. But, O! give my duty to the baron. I +should care naught were it not for him--and Meg; but Margaret is happy +now." + +"And so shalt thou be soon. But haste! moments are precious now. Thy +gown and everything has gone, and the brave Master Manners waits for +thee alone. There, go. Hark! someone is coming," and throwing a shawl +over the graceful shoulders of her mistress, Lettice affectionately +embraced her, and watching her hasten down the steps she waited until +Dorothy was out of sight before shutting and barring the doors behind +her. + +As Dorothy passed the ballroom, she could hear distinctly the sounds +of merriment within, but she heeded them not. The lights shone through +the open oriel windows right upon her path, but she crept under the +shadow of the wall and passed hastily on. It was a trying time, but +she safely passed through it, and quickly found herself at the little +latchet gate below the bowling green. It stood open, and through it +she hastened, casting neither a look to the right nor to the left, nor +yet behind her, but only anxious that her escape should be unknown. +Down the slope she ran, nor did she stop until she found herself +clasped in the fond embrace of her lover, upon the footbridge. + +"My darling," murmured Manners, "thou art come at last. God bless +thee, my love," and he kissed the tear-stained face over and over +again. + +"I am ready, John," she murmured; "but quick, hasten! our start will +be short, for they will mark my absence soon." + +Bestowing another shower of kisses upon her, Manners led her across +the narrow bridge. How gaily the water danced and sparkled and made +melody amongst the stones! How the wind sighed sweetly and whispered +among the trees, and how the strains of music and the sounds of +revelry sounded through the open windows of the Hall. But of all the +sounds that Manners heard there was none which thrilled him so much, +or caused him so much happiness, as the sound of Dorothy's dress as +it rustled against the walls of the narrow bridge when they passed +through. + +Once on the other side there was no delay. The horses were in waiting, +and seizing the bridle of one, Manners helped Dorothy to mount into +the saddle, and then lightly springing into another, he set spurs to +his steed and away they started. + +The most sequestered roads were chosen, for they wished to see as few +people as possible, and to be seen by none. But Manners did not trust +to this alone. He felt the preciousness of his charge, and had brought +horses and men with him, whom he sent off in couples by different +roads, to lead their pursuers on a false scent if pursuit were made. + +All through the night they rode. Scenes which charmed them before +they now passed by unnoticed, and their grandeur was ignored. Masson's +heights, up which they had often wandered together, instilled no +pleasant thoughts within their breasts now; their one object, which +engrossed all their attention, was to hasten forward to gain a haven +of safety. + +As the grey light of the morning broke upon them, and the rising sun +began to make its appearance, they crossed the border, and passed out +of the county of Derby into the neighbouring shire of Leicester. Still +they pushed on, for there was no telling how soon their pursuers might +be upon them; nor did they draw rein until well into the morning, +when, though Dorothy, animated for the time being with a wonderful +amount of endurance, gave her voice for hastening forward, Manners +deemed it advisable, for her sake, to stay. + +They stopped their steeds at a wayside inn, but here so unusual a +sight as two travellers on horseback--one a maiden of surpassing +beauty, clothed in rare and costly silks, and the other a gallant +young knight--soon caused a little crowd of curious rustics to +congregate around the house. + +"Poor lady," exclaimed one tender-hearted matron, as she watched +Dorothy dismount. "She is of gentle blood; just see how weary she +looks." + +"Didst ever see the likes of such a riding dress afore?" asked her +neighbour, as she eyed Doll's dress admiringly. + +"Beshrew me," added an onlooker of the sterner sex, "'tis a runaway +match, I'll warrant me. These horses are ridden to death." + +Neither Dorothy nor Manners was disposed to stay any longer than was +necessary amid such a curious people, and after partaking of a good +breakfast, and indulging in a little rest, they started on their way +again, with a fresh relay of horses. + +This time they never stopped until they rode up to the little church, +within which the shivering clergyman sat, anxiously awaiting the +couple whom he had engaged to marry. + +He was ignorant of the plot, and though he might have guessed +it pretty well, he was by no means anxious to lose by +over-inquisitiveness the handsome fee which the young man had +promised. He only chafed at their delay, and when at length they +arrived and entered the sacred edifice he proceeded straightway with +the service, quite as anxious to get it over, so that he might partake +of his breakfast, as were the couple before him, and almost as quickly +as they could have wished. + +"Wilt thou have this woman to be thy wedded wife?" said the parson, as +he gabbled on with the service. + +"Aye, I will!" responded Manners, in a clear ringing voice which was +echoed among the rafters of the roof, and he took her to his bosom and +sealed the pledge with a kiss--a proceeding so unusual and peculiar +that the good clergyman opened his eyes and mouth, until finally he +came to a full stop. + +"I will!" repeated Manners, addressing the parson, "but why do you +stop?" and he looked suspiciously behind to see if his pursuers had +come to rob him of his prize. There was no one there, however, save a +few rustics, who, prompted by sheer curiosity, had entered the church +and stood lingering just within the sacred portal, and in a few +minutes more the lovers emerged from the little church, safely joined +together in the bonds of holy wedlock, followed by the parson, who +wore a smiling face, inasmuch as he had been rewarded with a gift far +beyond his utmost expectations. But the two lovers were far happier +than he, and with the certificate of marriage, signed, sealed, and +entered in the register, they remounted their steeds and proceeded at +a steady pace to Nottingham Castle, where, the Earl of Rutland having +unexpectedly returned, he extended a right hearty welcome to his +nephew and his beautiful bride. + + + + +CHAPTER XXXIII. + +PEACE AT LAST. + + Nor was she to be found! Her father cried, + "'Tis but to make a trial of his love!" + And filled his glass to all, but his hand shook, + And soon from guest to guest the panic spread. + + ROGERS. + + +Still at Haddon the fun maintained its uproarious course, and amid the +whirl of festivity Dorothy's absence was not remarked. + +Sir Edward Stanley was far too elated with the vision of success which +had opened out before him to bore Dorothy with his presence on this +occasion, but in spite of this he rarely let his eyes depart from +watching her. + +"Hi, Sir Edward," cried an inquisitive old dame from one of the deep +window recesses. "Hither, good knight, for I would talk with thee +awhile." + +He could not very well resist such a direct appeal, but he took his +seat beside her unwillingly enough. + +"I hear, Sir Edward," confidentially began the dame, "that in a month +you are to wed Mistress Dorothy Vernon; is that so?" + +"It is," he replied, curtly. + +"You are a lucky knight, then," she replied, "for, except my Isabel, +Dorothy is the fairest maiden I have ever clapt eyes on. But then, +Isabel, forsooth, is not so rich. We cannot all be Vernons, you know, +though if everybody had their deserts we--" + +"Yes, I trow that she is rich and fair; but for neither of these do I +care so much as her love," gallantly responded Stanley. + +"Tut, now, Sir Edward," pursued his tormentor, "both you and I know +full well that people marry for riches and rank, not for beauty. You +marry for riches, I suppose, and she for rank. Now, sir knight, am I +not right?" she asked triumphantly. + +"Nay, my lady, you are far from it. You will excuse me now, I am +sure; I am promised a dance with Dorothy shortly," and he got up and +departed, glad to get away so quickly, and deaf to her entreaty to +return. + +His temper was ruffled, and he walked away to look for his partner, to +lose his irritation in the sunshine of her company. + +But Dorothy was nowhere to be seen. + +He paced up and down the length of the room, chafing at her absence, +and peering into every corner and recess as he wandered along. The +dining-room and banqueting-hall were searched equally in vain, and +at last the baffled lover concluded that she had retired for a little +rest. + +He waited, irritated not a little at the long delay. His eye scanned +each passing figure again and again, and rigorously searched each +group, but it was all "love's labour lost;" Dorothy could not be +found; and finally, unable any longer to control the forebodings of +his suspicious heart, he hastened to the baron and acquainted him with +all his fears. + +"Tush, man," replied Sir George gaily; "maybe she is feeling somewhat +out of sorts, or happen she is tired. Margaret!" he called, as the +newly-married maiden was passing along, "do thou seek for Dorothy, my +Lady Stanley. Thy new brother, Sir Edward, is jealous of her absence." + +"Ah, prithee do, good Margaret," added that unhappy knight. "Her +absence just at this time bodes no good, I fear, and makes me feel +uneasy." + +"She shall be here soon," replied Lady Stanley, and she went away to +seek the truant sister, leaving her husband to beguile the tediousness +of the time by engaging in conversation with his brother. Sir Thomas +was in high glee, and could find no sympathy with the miserable +forebodings of his younger brother. + +"I tell thee what, Edward," he said, "thou must let her have more +freedom. You are too rash; you must be astute an you would succeed. +Dorothy is drawn by affection, not driven by ill words or sour looks. +It had been better for thee, I trow, an thou hadst not pressed for the +marriage so soon; but thou hast done it now." + +"Lady Maude advised me in it, and I cannot say I repent it now, though +my heart does misgive ever and again," he replied. + +"That John Manners," continued the elder Stanley, "is a good enough +man, a likely fellow, and would have done well for Dorothy; aye, and +had not you been in the way, he would have won her, too. Thou art no +match for him, Edward; thou art too impatient." + +Edward hung down his head, and gazed uncomfortably upon the floor. He +was conscious of the truth of his brother's statement, and could not +well refute it. He paused in silence, hoping that the subject would be +pursued no further. + +"Here comes Margaret," he said, lifting up his head and feeling +mightily relieved that the awkward pause had come to an end; but +sorely dismayed to see no Dorothy following behind. + +"Where is she?--she has gone!" he almost screamed as he saw the look +of consternation on her face. + +"I cannot find her," Margaret replied, addressing herself to Sir +Thomas. "I have searched her rooms, but all in vain; and no one knows +aught of her, no one has seen her." + +"Said I not so?" furiously exclaimed Sir Edward. "She has gone; the +bird has flown." + +"What bird?" asked the baron, coming up. + +"Dorothy, Sir George. Dorothy has fled." + +"Fled; nay it cannot be," returned the baron, stoutly. He had too much +faith in Dorothy to believe that. + +"They are searching for her now," said Margaret. "Nobody knows where +she is, and Sir Edward has missed her long. I cannot understand it." + +"Her clothes are gone. Her riding habit has gone," exclaimed one of +the domestics, rushing breathlessly up to the group. "Father Nicholas +hath just come in and he says two horses, galloping, passed him on the +Ashbourne road. One, he thinks might have been a lady, but it was too +dark to see distinctly." + +This she gasped out in jerks, but her news was intelligible enough, +and it threw the whole assembly at once into a ferment of confusion, +amid which could be heard the voice of Sir Edward Stanley exclaiming, +in a tone far above the rest of the babel--"That was Dorothy." + +"Gone!" exclaimed the baron, aghast. "Nay, search the Hall." + +"Out; to your saddles, ye gallant knights," commanded Sir Thomas +Stanley, promptly. "Here is a prize worth the capturing. She must be +stopped!" and he quickly led the way to the stables, and in a very +short space of time was mounted and urging his steed to the utmost +along the Ashbourne road. + +Sir George stayed behind; he could not believe that Dorothy had +really gone; but when a thorough investigation of the Hall, and the +outbuildings also, revealed the fact that she was nowhere there, he +was stricken with dismay, and succumbed, for a time, to a feeling of +despair. + +"Nicholas," he said, as the worthy father approached to comfort him, +"thou art sure that one was a lady?" + +"It was dark, Sir George," the priest replied. "I was unsuspicious, +and deep in meditation, but I fear it was so." + +"Was it my Doll?" + +"I cannot say," he replied. "I never saw the face, and did but +imperfectly see the form." + +The baron sank back, regardless of the ladies who crowded round him, +commiserating his ill fortune. He remained silent, with a bowed head +and bleeding heart. + +All night long the pursuit was kept up. Every lane was searched, every +innkeeper was severely catechised, and although in several instances +they had the satisfaction of hearing that couples, either on horses or +in conveyances, had passed, yet when the quarry was hunted down, if it +did not turn out to be an inoffensive market gardener and his worthy +spouse returning from Derby Christmas market, in almost every other +instance the horsemen were the decoys that Manners had so carefully +provided. + +At last the chase was given up. Dorothy had proved one too many for +them, and with mingled feelings her pursuers turned their steeds again +towards Haddon, curious to learn if any of the others had been more +fortunate than themselves. + +The two Stanleys were the last to return, but after having been out in +the saddle for more than a whole day, and that upon the right scent, +they were obliged to return without having met with success. + +The next day was spent in searching the neighbourhood. Every inn and +every house was visited, but the night falling, they returned again +empty-handed, and very disconsolate. + +News came with the next day's courier, for Dorothy dutifully +acquainted her father, in a touching letter, with all the details of +the engagement, the elopement, and the marriage. Manners, too, sent a +note to the baron, in which he pathetically pleaded Dorothy's +cause. "And sure," the epistle concluded, "so doting a father as you +undoubtedly are would not force so loving a daughter to wed against +her will. You clearly sought her welfare and, in choosing Sir Edward +Stanley, thought you were doing well for her, but it was a sad +mistake. I have her undivided love, and even if we are for ever +banished from 'dear old Haddon,' as Doll delights to call it, we shall +be happy in each other's confidence and love; though I confess that +Dorothy hath a tender heart and grieves to think how you must regard +her. None but myself, she declares, could ever have led her to leave +thee. I feel for thee, but I feel for my sweet Doll, too. At thy +bidding, whenever given, we will gladly visit thee. Till then--adieu." + +"Married!" cried Lady Vernon, aghast, as Sir Thomas Stanley read the +letter aloud. She was speechless with rage and could say no more, but +her looks betokened the feelings of her heart." + +"Married!" echoed Sir Edward, in dismay. + +"Aye, married," responded Sir Thomas. "You have lost her, Edward; it +is as I said." + +"Poor, foolish Dorothy," exclaimed the baron, in a decidedly +sympathetic frame of mind. "Poor Doll." + +"Poor Dorothy, indeed," retorted Lady Maude, sharply. "Wicked, +perverse Dorothy, you mean, Sir George. I shall never look at her +again. We must make her undo the marriage bond again, Sir Edward," she +continued, turning to the disappointed lover. + +Even that rash knight could see the futility of such advice, and he +despondently shook his head. + +"Nay," he said, "I fear that cannot be easily done." + +"Easily done, sir knight," tauntingly replied the dame. "Who talks of +ease in a matter like this? It must--it shall be done." + +"It cannot be done," replied Sir Thomas, promptly. "Manners will have +been too careful to allow of that. We must resign ourselves to the +loss; and you, Edward, will have to seek elsewhere for a bride." + +"'Resign' and 'cannot,'" continued Lady Vernon, contemptuously. +"Did'st ever hear the like of it, Margaret?" + +But Margaret was mercifully inclined, and by siding with Dorothy she +would be supporting her husband. Therefore she could not agree with +the angry declamations of her stepmother. + +"Poor Dorothy," she exclaimed, "I pity her, but she has done foolishly +indeed." + +Lady Vernon was astonished; she had counted upon Margaret's support at +least. + +"Pity her, indeed!" she scornfully laughed. "She shall have little +enough of my pity if ever I clap my eyes on her again," replied Lady +Vernon. "She shall never come here again." + +"Hush, Maude," interrupted the baron, "I shall settle that." + +Lady Vernon had never been spoken to in such a manner since she had +wedded Sir George, and she staggered back in surprise as though she +had been struck by an invisible hand. + +"You will--!" she began, but checked herself. The baron's brow was +forbidding. She had never seen him look so threatening before, and she +cowered back in fear and kept a discreet silence. + +"I am furious," the baron burst out, with a sudden revulsion of +feeling. "To think that my Dorothy should serve me thus! and as she +has chosen, so shall it be. She prefers Manners to me, then she shall +have him. I disown her, she is none of mine. She shall never return." + +Flesh and blood, however, is very human, and, in spite of his stern +resolve never to see Dorothy again, the baron's naturally kind heart +soon began to soften, and in a short space of time his feelings had +entirely undergone a change. He longed to clasp his lost darling to +his heart again, and tell her she was forgiven, but he was proud, and +his pride held him back from declaring his sentiments. + +It was not long to be endured. He became anxious. Dorothy was ill. Sir +Ronald Bury had sent him word of that in a letter which was calculated +to stab the baron to the very heart. He grew restless; his conscience +pricked him day and night, until, unable to bear it any longer, he +declared himself. + +"Maude," he said, as together they sat in the lonely dining-room, +"Dorothy has been a month gone now." + +"Yes," she carelessly replied. + +"And I hear she is sorely ill." + +"Like enough," said Lady Vernon, not unwilling to make the knight +suffer a little, for she had not forgiven him yet. "She was ill enough +when she went." + +"Then," returned the baron, "she shall come back; we cannot do without +her." + +Lady Vernon turned sharply round to expostulate with her lord, but +seeing his forbidding countenance, she desisted, and her silence Sir +George tacitly construed as acquiescence. + +"I shall send for her this very day," pursued the good old knight, "we +must try to forget the past, Maude--for, in good sooth, we have all +done amiss--and begin again. We have no Margaret now, and without +Doll, gone in such a fashion withal, we were miserable indeed." + +"We must have more balls and feasts," quickly suggested Lady Maude. +"They will heal our wounds." + +"Balls and feasts!" repeated the baron. "Nay, we are too old for those +now. We should only get Benedict and old De Lacey to come, for, by my +halidame, squires and knights won't come to see us now Meg and Doll +are gone, and then, Maude, after all, you know," he continued slyly, +"love will have its own way, and you trow full well that folk blamed +me enough when I wedded." + +Lady Maude blushed. The comments on her marriage with the baron had +been by no means what she might have wished, as the remembrance of +them was not particularly pleasant to her even now, so she discreetly +held her peace. + +"We cannot blame her, Maude," went on Sir George, waxing enthusiastic +as the love of Dorothy asserted itself more and more within him. "We +are all alike to blame, and had I been John Manners myself, I should +maybe have done just what he has done. Who could help it, eh, Maude? +Not I, in truth; and then, Manners has done us good service, too. We +must welcome them back, and make them happy if we can. I shall send a +message off now." + +Before his feelings had found time to change--even had he so +wished--he scrawled a note of forgiveness to the fugitives, praying +them to return, and before he returned to his wife the messenger was +on his way. + + * * * * * + +A warm welcome awaited gallant John Manners and his beautiful lady as, +a week later, they were met by the fond father just outside Haddon. + +Impatiently, the baron had awaited their return. For two whole days +he had done little else than watch for their coming, from the loftiest +portion of the tall eagle tower, and when at last the little cavalcade +could be distinguished in the far distance, wending its way with all +possible haste towards the Hall, he started off to meet them. + +It was a glad reunion. Even Lady Maude was touched, as she met them in +the courtyard, and with much more kindliness than she had been wont +to treat Doll for some time, she kissed the upraised face; Manners +received a stately bow. He, at all events, had much to be forgiven +yet; but the baron, casting the last particle of pride to the winds, +warmly and repeatedly embraced his daughter, and frankly greeted her +husband. + +The menials with one accord united to welcome back the youthful +couple, for Dorothy was universally beloved, and somehow or other +the story of Manners' disguise had got abroad and had made hosts of +admiring friends for him, both high and low. + +Even Lady Maude melted at last and regarded him with favour, but +whether this was because she learned that his uncle, the earl, +favoured his nephew and petted his bride, or whether the highly +satisfactory conduct of Master Manners himself gained her esteem, must +be left for the courteous reader to determine. + +Happiness now reigned once more in Haddon. The old Hall rung again +with shouts of gladness, and in a short space of time Manners had +the satisfaction of promoting Lettice's husband to a more honourable +position than he had formerly occupied. + +At the end of a year, as the oft-falling snows betokened the coming +of another Christmas, sad news reached Haddon. Margaret was dead. The +dampness of Castle Rushen had brought on a fever, to which she soon +had succumbed. Thus the whole estates of Haddon fell, ultimately, +to Dorothy's share, which she presented to her faithful lover as her +dowry. John Manners' descendants, the Rutlands, have had reason to be +thankful for this, for it added largely to their riches, but Manners +himself declared that had she brought him all the wealth that "Good +Queen Bess" possessed, he had not been one whit the happier. He could +see nothing he prized so highly as his wife, and in her he found his +all in all. + +It is only necessary to add that discord, never again invaded the +domain of Haddon. The marriage proved a happy one; and no one, except +the Stanleys, regretted it in + +THE END. + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's Heiress of Haddon, by William E. 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