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diff --git a/39786-0.txt b/39786-0.txt index 5c437a2..7baca85 100644 --- a/39786-0.txt +++ b/39786-0.txt @@ -1,30 +1,4 @@ - BEAU BROCADE - - - - -This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world 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 -http://www.gutenberg.org/license. If you are not located in the United -States, you’ll have to check the laws of the country where you are -located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Beau Brocade - A Romance -Author: Baroness Orczy -Release Date: May 24, 2012 [EBook #39786] -Language: English -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BEAU BROCADE *** - - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 39786 *** Produced by Al Haines. @@ -9689,382 +9663,4 @@ Outside the crowd of villagers were shouting lustily,— L. 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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 -http://www.gutenberg.org/license. If you are not located in the United -States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you are -located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Beau Brocade - A Romance -Author: Baroness Orczy -Release Date: May 24, 2012 [EBook #39786] -Language: English -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BEAU BROCADE *** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines. - - - - -[Illustration: Cover art] - - - -[Illustration: THE FIGHT IN THE FORGE] - - - - - BEAU BROCADE - - A ROMANCE - - - BY THE - - BARONESS ORCZY - - - - - _POPULAR EDITION_ - - _WITH FRONTISPIECE BY H. M. BROCK_ - - LONDON - - GREENING & CO. LTD. - - 1912 - - - - - Copyright - in the United Kingdom - of - Great Britain and Ireland - in the - Dominion of Canada - and in the - United States of America - - All dramatic rights - are strictly reserved - and protected. Entered - at Stationers' Hall, March 6th, 1906 - - - - CONTENTS - - - PART I.--THE FORGE. - -CHAP. - - I. BY ACT OF PARLIAMENT - II. THE FORGE OF JOHN STICH - III. THE FUGITIVE - IV. JOCK MIGGS, THE SHEPHERD - V. "THERE'S NONE LIKE HER, NONE!" - VI. A SQUIRE OF HIGH DEGREE - VII. THE HALT AT THE MOORHEN - VIII. THE REJECTED SUITOR - IX. SIR HUMPHREY'S FAMILIAR - X. A STRANGER AT THE FORGE - XI. THE STRANGER'S NAME - XII. THE BEAUTIFUL WHITE ROSE - XIII. A PROPOSAL AND A THREAT - XIV. THE FIGHT IN THE FORGE - - - - PART II.--THE HEATH. - - XV. THE OUTLAW - XVI. A RENCONTRE ON THE HEATH - XVII. A FAITHFUL FRIEND - XVIII. MOONLIGHT ON THE HEATH - XIX. HIS OATH - - - - PART III.--BRASSINGTON. - - XX. A THRILLING NARRATIVE - XXI. MASTER MITTACHIP'S IDEA - XXII. AN INTERLUDE - XXIII. A DARING PLAN - XXIV. HIS HONOUR, SQUIRE WEST - XXV. SUCCESS AND DISAPPOINTMENT - XXVI. THE MAN HUNT - XXVII. JOCK MIGGS'S ERRAND - XXVIII. THE QUARRY - XXIX. THE DAWN - - - - PART IV.--H.R.H. THE DUKE OF CUMBERLAND. - - XXX. SUSPENSE - XXXI. "WE'VE GOTTEN BEAU BROCADE" - XXXII. A PAINFUL INCIDENT - XXXIII. THE AWAKENING - XXXIV. A LIFE FOR A LIFE - XXXV. QUITS - XXXVI. THE AGONY OF PARTING - XXXVII. REPARATION -XXXVIII. THE JOY OF RE-UNION - - - - - BEAU BROCADE - - - - PART I - - THE FORGE - - - - CHAPTER I - - BY ACT OF PARLIAMENT - - -The gaffers stood round and shook their heads. - -When the Corporal had finished reading the Royal Proclamation, one or -two of them sighed in a desultory fashion, others murmured casually, -"Lordy! Lordy! to think on it! Dearie me!" - -The young ones neither sighed nor murmured. They looked at one another -furtively, then glanced away again, as if afraid to read each other's -thoughts, and in a shamefaced manner wiped their moist hands against -their rough cord breeches. - -There were no women present fortunately: there had been heavy rains on -the Moor these last three days, and what roads there were had become -well-nigh impassable. Only a few men--some half-dozen perhaps--out of -the lonely homesteads from down Brassington way, had tramped in the wake -of the little squad of soldiers, in order to hear this Act of Parliament -read at the cross-roads, and to see the document duly pinned to the old -gallows-tree. - -Fortunately the rain had ceased momentarily, only a cool, brisk -nor'-wester came blustering across the Heath, making the older men -shiver beneath their thin, well-worn smocks. - -North and south, east and west, Brassing Moor stretched its mournful -lengths to the distant framework of the Peak far away, with mile upon -mile of grey-green gorse and golden bracken and long shoots of -purple-stemmed bramble, and here and there patches of vivid mauve, where -the heather was just bursting into bloom; or anon a clump of dark firs, -with ruddy trunks and gaunt arms stretched menacingly over the sparse -young life below. - -And here, at the cross-roads, the Heath seemed more desolate than ever, -despite that one cottage with the blacksmith's shed beyond it. The -roads themselves, the one to Aldwark, the other from Wirksworth, the -third little more than a morass, a short cut to Stretton, all bore mute -testimony to the remoteness, the aloofness of this forgotten corner of -eighteenth-century England. - -Then there was the old gallows, whereon many a foot-pad or sheep-stealer -had paid full penalty for his crimes! True, John Stich, the blacksmith, -now used it as a sign-post for his trade: a monster horseshoe hung there -where once the bones of Dick Caldwell, the highwayman, had whitened in -the bleak air of the Moor: still, at moments like these, when no one -spoke, the wind seemed to bring an echo of ghostly sighs and laughter, -for Dick had breathed his last with a coarse jest on his lips, and the -ears of the timid seemed still to catch the eerie sound of his horse's -hoofs ploughing the ruddy, shallow soil of the Heath. - -For the moment, however, the cross-roads presented a scene of quite -unusual animation: the Corporal and his squad looked resplendent in -their scarlet tunics and white buckskins, and Mr Inch, the beadle from -Brassington, was also there in his gold-laced coat, bob-tailed wig and -three-cornered hat: he had lent the dignity of his presence to this -solemn occasion, and in high top-boots, bell in hand, had tramped five -miles with the soldiers, so that he might shout a stentorian "Oyez! -Oyez!" whenever they passed one of the few cottages along the road. - -But no one spoke. The Corporal handed the Royal Proclamation to one of -the soldiers; he too seemed nervous and ill at ease. The nor'-wester, -with singular want of respect for King and Parliament, commenced a -vigorous attack upon the great document, pulling at it in wanton frolic, -almost tearing it out of the hands of the young soldier, who did his -best to fix it against the shaft of the old gallows. - -The white parchment looked uncanny and ghost-like fluttering in the -wind; no doubt the nor'-wester would soon tear it to rags. - -"Lordy! Lordy! to think on it!" - -There it was, fixed up at last. Up, so that any chance traveller who -could might read. But those who were now assembled there--shepherds, -most of them, on the Moor--viewed the written characters with awe and -misgiving. They had had Mr Inch's assurance that it was all writ there, -that the King himself had put his name to it; and the young Corporal, -who had read it out, had received the document from his own superior -officer, who in his turn had had it at the hands of His Grace the Duke -of Cumberland himself. - - "It having come to the knowledge of His Majesty's Parliament - that certain subjects of the King have lately raised the - standard of rebellion, setting up the Pretender, Charles Edward - Stuart, above the King's most lawful Majesty, it is hereby - enacted that these persons are guilty of high treason and by the - laws of the kingdom are therefore condemned to death. It is - further enacted that it is unlawful for any loyal subject of the - King to shelter or harbour, clothe or feed any such persons who - are vile traitors and rebels to their King and country: and that - any subject of His Majesty who kills such a traitor or rebel - doth thereby commit an act of justice and loyalty, for which he - may be rewarded by the sum of twenty guineas." - -It was this last paragraph that made the gaffers shake their heads and -say "Lordy! Lordy! to think on it! to think on it!" For it seemed but -yesterday that the old Moor, aye, and the hamlets and villages of -Derbyshire, were ringing with the wild shouts of Prince Charlie's -Highland Brigade, but yesterday that his handsome face, his green bonnet -laced with gold, his Highland plaid and rich accoutrements, had seemed -to proclaim victory to the Stuart cause from one end of the county to -the other. - -To be sure, that glorious, mad, merry time had not lasted very long. -All the wiseacres had foretold disaster when the Prince's standard -broke, just as it was taken into my Lord Exeter's house in Full Street. -The shaft snapped clean in half. What could that portend but -humiliation and defeat? - -The retreat from Derby was still fresh in everyone's memory, and there -were those from Wirksworth who remembered the rear-guard of Prince -Charlie's army, the hussars with their half-starved horses and -bedraggled finery, who had swept down on the villages and homesteads -round about Ashbourne and had pillaged and plundered to their hearts' -content. - -But then those were the fortunes of war; fighting, rushing, running, -plundering, wild huzzas, mad cavalcades, noise, bustle, excitement, joy -of victory, and sorrow of defeat, but this!! ... this Proclamation which -the Corporal had brought all the way from Derby, and which had been -signed by King George himself, this meant silence, hushed footsteps, a -hidden figure perhaps, pallid and gaunt, hiding behind the boulders, or -amidst the gorse on the Moor, or perishing mayhap at night, lost in the -bog-land up Stretton way, whilst Judas-like treads crept stealthily on -the track. It meant treachery too, the price of blood, a -fellow-creature's life to be sold for twenty guineas. - -No wonder the gaffers could think of nothing to say; no wonder the young -men looked at one another shamefaced, and in fear. - -Who knows? Any Derbyshire lad now might become a human bloodhound, a -tracker of his fellow-creatures, a hunter of men. There were twenty -guineas to be earned, and out there on the Heath, in the hut of the -shepherd or the forge of the smith, many a pale wan face had been seen -of late, which... - -It was terrible to think on; for even out here, on Brassing Moor, there -existed some knowledge of Tyburn Gate, and of Tower Hill. - -At last the groups began to break up, the Corporal's work was done. His -Majesty's Proclamation would flutter there in the cool September wind -for awhile; then presently the crows would peck at it, the rain would -dash it down, the last bit of dirty rag would be torn away by an October -gale, but in the meanwhile the few inhabitants of Brassington and those -of Aldwark would know that they might deny a starving fellow-creature -bread and shelter, aye! and shoot him too, like a wild beast in a ditch, -and have twenty guineas reward to boot. - -"I've seen nought of John Stich, Master Inch," said the Corporal at -last. "Be he from home?" - -And he turned to where, just in the fork of the road, the thatched -cottage, with a glimpse of the shed beyond it, stood solitary and still. - -"Nay, I have not observated that fact, Master Corporal," replied Master -Inch, clearing his throat for some of those fine words which had gained -for him wide-spread admiration for miles around. "I had not observated -that John Stich was from home. Though in verity it behoves me to say -that I do not hear the sound of Master Stich's hammer upon his anvil." - -"Then I'll go across at once," said the Corporal. "Forward, my men! -John Stich might have saved me the trouble," he added, groping in his -wallet for another copy of His Majesty's Proclamation. - -"Nay, Master Corporal, do not give yourself the futile trouble of -traversing the muddy road," said Mr Inch, sententiously. "John Stich is -a loyal subject of King George, and by my faith! he would not -harbourgate a rebel, take my word for it. Although, mind you, Mr -Corporal, I have oft suspicionated..." - -Mr Inch, the beadle, looked cautiously round; all the pompousness of his -manner had vanished in a trice. His broad face beneath the bob-tailed -wig and three-cornered hat looked like a rosy receptacle of mysterious -information, as he laid his fat hand on the Corporal's sleeve. - -The straggling groups of yokels were fast disappearing down the muddy -tracks; some were returning to Brassington, others were tramping Aldwark -way; one wizened, solitary figure was slowly toiling up the road, little -more than a quagmire, that led northwards across the Heath towards -Stretton Hall. - -The soldiers stood at attention some fifteen yards away, mute and -disinterested. From the shed beyond the cottage there suddenly came the -sound of the blacksmith's hammer upon his anvil. Mr Inch felt secure -from observation. - -"I have oft suspicionated John Stich, the smith, of befriending the -foot-pads and highwaymen that haunt this God-forsaken Moor," he said, -with an air of excited importance, rolling his beady eyes. - -"Nay," laughed the Corporal, good-humouredly, as he shook off Master -Inch's fat hand. "You'd best not whisper this confidence to John Stich -himself. As I live, he would crack your skull for you, Master Beadle, -aye, be it ever so full of dictionary words. John Stich is an honest -man, I tell you," he added with a pleasant oath, "the most honest this -side of the county, and don't you forget it." - -But Mr Inch did not approve of the young soldier's tone of familiarity. -He drew up his five feet of broad stature to their full height. - -"Nay, but I designated no harm," he said, with offended dignity. "John -Stich is a worthy fellow, and I spoke of no ordinary foot-pads. My -mind," he added, dwelling upon that mysterious possession with conscious -pride, "my mind, I may say, was dominating on Beau Brocade." - -"Beau Brocade!!!" - -And the Corporal laughed with obvious incredulity, which further nettled -Mr Inch, the beadle. - -"Aye, Beau Brocade," he said hotly, "the malicious, pernicious, damned -rascal, who gives us, that representate the majesty of the law, a mighty -deal of trouble." - -"Indeed?" sneered the Corporal. - -"I dare swear that down at Derby," retorted Mr Inch, spitefully, "you -have not even heard of that personage." - -"Oh! we know well enough that Brassing Moor harbours more miscreants -than any corner of the county," laughed the young soldier, "but -methought Beau Brocade only existed in the imagination of your -half-witted yokels about here." - -"There you are in grave error, Master Corporal," remarked the beadle -with dignity. "Beau Brocade, permit me to observe, does exist in the -flesh. 'Twas only last night Sir Humphrey Challoner's coach was stopped -not three miles from Hartington, and his Honour robbed of fifty guineas, -by that pernicious highwayman." - -"Then you must lay this Beau Brocade by the heels, Master Inch." - -"Aye! that's easily said. Lay him by the heels forsooth, and who's -going to do that, pray?" - -"Nay, that's your affair. You don't expect His Grace the Duke of -Cumberland to lend you a portion of his army, do you?" - -"His Grace might do worse. Beau Brocade is a dangerous rascal to the -quality." - -"Only to the quality?" - -"Aye, he'll not touch a poor man; 'tis only the rich he is after, and -uses but little of his ill-gotten gain on himself." - -"How so?" asked the Corporal, eagerly, for in spite of the excitement of -camp life round about Derby, the fame of the daring highwayman had ere -now tickled the fancy of the young soldiers of the Duke of Cumberland's -army. - -"Why, I told you Sir Humphrey Challoner was robbed on the Heath last -night--robbed of fifty guineas, eh?" said Master Inch, whispering in -eager confidence. "Well, this morning, when Squire West arrived at the -court-house, he found fifty guineas in the poor box." - -"Well?" - -"Well, that's not the first time nor yet the second that such a matter -has occurred. The dolts round about here, the lads from Brassington or -Aldwark, or even from Wirksworth, would never willingly lay a hand on -Beau Brocade. The rascal knows it well enough, and carries on his -shameful trade with impunity." - -"Odd's fish! but meseems the trade is not so shameful after all. What -is the fellow like?" - -"Nay, no one has ever seen his face, though his figure on the Moor is -familiar to many. He is always dressed in the latest fashion, hence the -villagers have called him Beau Brocade. Some say he is a royal prince -in disguise--he always wears a mask; some say he is the Pretender, -Charles Stuart himself; others declare his face is pitted with smallpox; -others that he has the face of a pig, and the ears of a mule, that he is -covered with hairs like a spaniel, or has a blue skin like an ape. But -no one knows, and with half the villages on the Heath to aid and abet -him, he is not like to be laid by the heels." - -"A fine story, Master Inch," laughed the Corporal. "And is there no -reward for the capture of your pig-faced, hairy, blue-skinned royal -prince disguised as a common highwayman?" - -"Aye, a reward of a hundred guineas," said Mr Inch, in a whisper that -was hardly audible above the murmur of the wind. "A hundred guineas for -the capture of Beau Brocade." - -The Corporal gave a long significant whistle. - -"And no one bold enough to attempt the capture?" he said derisively. - -Mr Inch shook his head sadly. - -"No one could do it single-handed; the rascal is cunning as well as -bold, and..." - -But at this point even Mr Inch's voluble tongue was suddenly and -summarily silenced. The words died in his throat; his bell, the badge -of his important public office, fell with a mighty clatter on the -ground. - -A laugh, a long, loud, joyous, mirthful laugh, rang clear as a silver -gong from across the lonely Moor. Such a laugh as would make anyone's -heart glad to hear, the laugh of a free man, of a man who is -whole-hearted, of a man who has never ceased to be a boy. - -And pompous Mr Inch slowly turned on his heel, as did also the young -Corporal, and both gazed out upon the Heath; the patient little squad of -soldiers too, all fixed their eyes upon one spot, just beyond John -Stich's forge and cottage, not fifty yards away. - -There, clearly outlined against the cloud-laden sky, was the graceful -figure of a horse and rider; the horse, a sleek chestnut thoroughbred, -which filled all the soldiers' hearts with envy and covetousness; the -rider, a youthful, upright figure, whose every movement betokened -strength of limb and elasticity of muscle, the very pose a model of ease -and grace, the shoulders broad; the head, with a black mask worn over -the face, was carried high and erect. - -In truth it was a goodly picture to look upon, with that massive bank of -white clouds, and the little patches of vivid blue as a rich, shimmering -dome above it, the gold-tipped bracken, the purple heather all around, -and far away, as a mist-covered background, the green-clad hills and -massive Tors of Derbyshire. - -So good a picture was it that the tardy September sun peeped through the -clouds and had a look at that fine specimen of eighteenth-century -English manhood, then paused awhile, perchance to hear again that -mirthful, happy laugh. - -Then came a gust of wind, the sun retreated, the soldiers gasped, and -lo! before Mr Inch or Mr Corporal had realised that the picture was made -of flesh and blood, horse and rider had disappeared, there, far out -across the Heath, beyond the gorse and bramble and the budding heather, -with not a handful of dust to mark the way they went. - -Only once from far, very far, almost from fairy-land, there came, like -the echo of a silver bell, the sound of that mad, merry laugh. - -"Beau Brocade, as I live!" murmured Mr Inch, under his breath. - - - - - CHAPTER II - - THE FORGE OF JOHN STICH - - -John Stich too had heard that laugh; for a moment he paused in his work, -straightened his broad back and leant his heavy hammer upon the anvil, -whilst a pleasant smile lit up his bronzed and rugged countenance. - -"There goes the Captain," he said, "I wonder now what's tickling him. -Ah!" he added with a short sigh, "the soldiers, maybe. He doesn't like -soldiers much, doesn't the Captain." - -He sighed again and looked across to where, on a rough wooden bench, sat -a young man with head resting on his hand, his blue eyes staring moodily -before him. The dress this young man wore was a counterpart of that in -which John himself was arrayed; rough worsted stockings, thick flannel -shirt with sleeves well tucked up over fine, muscular arms, and a large, -greasy, well-worn leather apron, denoting the blacksmith's trade. But -though the hands and face were covered with grime, a more than casual -observer would soon have noticed that those same hands were slender and -shapely, the fingers long, the nails neatly trimmed, whilst the face, -anxious and careworn though it was, had in it a look of habitual -command, of pride not yet crushed out of ken. - -John Stich gazed at him for awhile, whilst a look of pity and anxiety -saddened his honest face. The smith was a man of few words, he said -nothing then, and presently the sound of his hammer upon the anvil once -more filled the forge with its pleasant echo. But though John's tongue -was slow, his ear was quick, and in one moment he had perceived the dull -thud made by the Corporal's squad as, having parted from Mr Inch at the -cross-roads, the soldiers ploughed their way through the mud round the -cottage and towards the forge. - -"Hist!" said John, in a rapid whisper, pointing to the fire, "the -bellows! quick!" - -The young man too had started in obvious alarm. His ear--the ear of a -fugitive, trained to every sound that betokened danger--was as alert as -that of the smith. With a sudden effort he pulled himself together, and -quickly seized the heavy bellows with a will. He forced his eyes to -glance carelessly at the door and his lips to whistle a lively country -tune. - -The Corporal paused a moment at the entrance, taking a quick survey of -the interior of the forge, his men at attention behind him. - -"In the King's name!" he said loudly, as he unfolded the Proclamation of -His Majesty's Parliament. - -His orders were to read it in every hamlet and every homestead in the -district; John Stich, the blacksmith, was an important personage all -around Brassing Moor, and he had not heard it read from beneath the old -gallows at the cross-roads just now. - -"Well, Corporal," said the worthy smith, quietly, as he put down his -hammer out of respect for the King's name. "Well, and what does His -Majesty, King George II., desire with John Stich, the blacksmith, eh?" - -"Not with you alone, John Stich," replied the Corporal. "This is an Act -of Parliament and concerns all loyal subjects of the King. Who be yon -lad?" he asked, carelessly nodding towards the young man at the bellows. - -"My nephew Jim, out o' Nottingham," replied John Stich, quietly, "my -sister Hannah's child. You recollect her, Corporal? She was in service -with my Lord Exeter up at Derby." - -"Oh, aye! Mistress Hannah Stich, to be sure! I didn't know she had such -a fine lad of her own," commented the Corporal, as the young man -straightened his tall figure and looked him fearlessly in the face. - -"Lads grow up fast enough, don't they, Corporal?" laughed honest Stich, -pleasantly; "but come, let's hear His Majesty's Proclamation since -you've got to read it. But you see I'm very busy and..." - -"Nay, 'tis my duty, John Stich, 'in every homestead in Derbyshire' 'tis -to be read, so says this Act of Parliament. You might have saved this -trouble had you come down to the cross-roads just now." - -"I was busy," remarked John Stich, drily, and the Corporal began to -read:-- - - "'It having come to the knowledge of His Majesty's Parliament - that certain subjects of the King have lately raised the - standard of rebellion, setting up the Pretender, Charles Edward - Stuart, above the King's most lawful Majesty, it is hereby - enacted that these persons are guilty of high treason and by the - laws of the kingdom are therefore condemned to death. It is - further enacted that it is unlawful for any loyal subject of the - King to shelter or harbour, clothe or feed any such persons who - are vile traitors and rebels to their King and country; and that - any subject of His Majesty who kills such a traitor or rebel - doth thereby commit an act of justice and loyalty, for which he - may be rewarded by the sum of twenty guineas.'" - -There was a pause when the Corporal had finished reading. John Stich -was leaning upon his hammer, the young man once more busied himself with -the bellows. Outside, the clearing shower of September rain began -pattering upon the thatched roof of the forge. - -"Well," said John Stich at last, as the Corporal put the heavy parchment -away in his wallet. "Well, and are you going to tell us who are those -persons, Corporal, whom our village lads are told to murder by Act of -Parliament? How shall we know a rebel ... and shoot him ... when we see -one?" - -"There were forty persons down on the list a few weeks ago, persons who -were known to be in hiding in Derbyshire," said the young soldier, -"but..." - -"Well, what's your 'but,' Corporal? There were forty persons whom 'twas -lawful to murder a few weeks ago.... What of them?" - -"They have been caught and hanged, most of them," replied the soldier, -quietly. - -"Jim, lad, mind that fire," commented John Stich, turning to his "nephew -out o' Nottingham," for the latter was staring with glowing eyes and -quivering lips at the Corporal, who, not noticing him, continued -carelessly,-- - -"There was Lord Lovat now, you must have heard of him, John Stich, he -was beheaded a few days ago, and so was Lord Kilmarnock ... they were -lords, you see, and had a headsman all to themselves on Tower Hill, -that's up in London: some lesser folk have been hanged, and now there -are only three rebels at large, and there are twenty guineas waiting for -anyone who will bring the head of one of them to the nearest -magistrate." - -The smith grunted. "Well, and who are they?" he asked roughly. - -"Sir Andrew Macdonald up from Tweedside, then Squire Fairfield, you'd -mind him, John Stich, over Staffordshire way." - -"Aye, aye, I mind him well enough. His mother was a Papist and he clung -to the Stuart cause ... young man, too, and hiding for his life.... -Well, and who else?" - -"The young Earl of Stretton." - -"What! him from Stretton Hall?" said John Stich in open astonishment. -"Jim, lad," he added sternly, "thou art a clumsy fool." - -The young man had started involuntarily at sound of the last name -mentioned by the Corporal; and the bellows which he had tried to wield -fell with a clatter on the floor. - -"Be gy! but an Act of Parliament can make thee a lawful assassin, it -seems," added honest John, with a laugh, "but let me perish if it can -make thee a good smith. What think you, Master Corporal?" - -"Odd's life! the lad is too soft-hearted mayhap! Our Derbyshire lads -haven't much sense in their heads, have they?" - -"Well, you mind the saying, Corporal, 'Derbyshire born and Derbyshire -bred...' eh?" - -"'Strong i' the arm and weak i' th' head,'" laughed the soldier, -concluding the apt quotation. "That's just it. Odd's buds! they want -some sense. What's a rebel or a traitor but vermin, eh? and don't we -kill vermin all of us, and don't call it murder either--what?" - -He laughed pleasantly and carelessly and tapped the side of his wallet -where rested His Majesty's Proclamation. He was a young soldier, -nothing more, attentive to duty, ready to obey, neither willing nor -allowed to reason for himself. He had been taught that rebels and -traitors were vermin ... egad! vermin they were, and as such must be got -rid of for the sake of the rest of the kingdom and the safety of His -Majesty the King. - -John Stich made no comment on the Corporal's profession of faith. - -"We'll talk about all that some other time, Corporal," he said at last, -"but I am busy now, you see..." - -"No offence, friend Stich.... Odd's life, duty you know, John, duty, -eh? His Majesty's orders! and I had them from the Captain, who had them -from the Duke of Cumberland himself. So you mind the Act, friend!" - -"Aye! I mind it well enough." - -"Everyone knows _you_ to be a loyal subject of King George," added the -Corporal in conciliatory tones, for John was a power in the district, -"and I'm sure your nephew is the same, but duty is duty, and no offence -meant." - -"That's right enough, Corporal," said John Stich, impatiently. - -"So good-morrow to you, John Stich." - -"Good-morrow." - -The Corporal nodded to the young man, then turned on his heel and -presently his voice was heard ringing out the word of command,-- - -"Attention!--Right turn--Quick march!" - -John Stich and the young man watched the half-dozen red-coated figures -as they turned to skirt the cottage: the dull thud of their feet quickly -dying away, as they wound their way slowly up the muddy path which leads -across the Heath to Aldwark village. - - - - - CHAPTER III - - THE FUGITIVE - - -Inside the forge all was still, whilst the last of the muffled sounds -died away in the distance. John Stich had not resumed work. It was his -turn now to stare moodily before him. - -The young man had thrown the bellows aside, and was pacing the rough -earthen floor of the forge like some caged animal. - -"Tracked!" he murmured at last between clenched teeth, "tracked like -some wild beast! perhaps shot anon like a dangerous cur behind a hedge!" - -He sighed a long and bitter sigh, full of sorrow, anxiety, -disappointment. It had come to this then! His name among the -others--the traitors, the rebels! and he an innocent man! - -"Nay, my lord!" said the smith, quietly, "not while John Stich owns a -roof that can shelter you." - -The young man paused in his feverish walk; a look of gentleness and -gratitude softened the care-worn expression on his face: with a boyish -gesture he threw back the fair hair which fell in curly profusion over -his forehead, and with a frank and winning grace he sought and grasped -the worthy smith's rough brown hand. - -"Honest Stich!" he said at last, whilst his voice shook a little as he -spoke, "and to think that I cannot even reward your devotion!" - -"Nay, my lord," retorted John Stich, drawing up his burly figure to its -full height, "don't talk of reward. I would gladly give my life for you -and your family." - -And this was no idle talk. John Stich meant every word he said. -Honest, kind, simple-hearted John! he loved those to whom he owed -everything, loved them with all the devotion of his strong, faithful -nature. - -The late Lord Stretton had brought him up, cared for him, given him a -trade, and set him up in the cottage and forge at the cross-roads, and -honest Stich felt that as everything that was good in life had come from -my lord and his family, so everything he could give should be theirs in -return. - -"Ah! I fear me," sighed the young man, "that it is your life you risk -now by sheltering me." - -Yet it was all such a horrible mistake. - -Philip James Gascoyne, eleventh Earl of Stretton, was at this time not -twenty-one years of age. There is that fine portrait of him at Brassing -Hall painted by Hogarth just before this time. The artist has well -caught the proud features, the fine blue eyes, the boyish, curly head, -which have been the characteristics of the Gascoynes for many -generations. He has also succeeded in indicating the sensitiveness of -the mouth, that somewhat feminine turn of the lips, that all too-rounded -curve of the chin and jaw, which perhaps robs the handsome face of its -virile manliness. There certainly is a look of indecision, of weakness -of will about the lower part of the face, but it is so frank, so young, -so _insouciant_, that it wins all hearts, even if it does not captivate -the judgment. - -Of course, when he was very young, his sympathies went out to the Stuart -cause. Had not the Gascoynes suffered and died for Charles Stuart but a -hundred years ago? Why the change? Why this allegiance to an alien -dynasty, to a king who spoke the language of his subjects with a foreign -accent? - -His father, the late Lord Stretton, a contented, unargumentative British -nobleman of the eighteenth century, had not thought it worth his while -to explain to the growing lad the religious and political questions -involved in the upholding of this foreign dynasty. Perhaps he did not -understand them altogether himself. The family motto is "Pour le Roi." -So the Gascoynes fought for a Stuart when he was King, and against him -when he was a Pretender, and old Lord Stretton expected his children to -reverence the family motto, and to have no opinions of their own. - -And yet to the hearts of many the Stuart cause made a strong appeal. -From Scotland came the fame of the "bonnie Prince" who won all hearts -where'er he went. Philip was young, his father's discipline was -irksome, he had some friends among the Highland lords: and while his -father lived there had as yet been no occasion in the English Midlands -to do anything very daring for the Stuart Pretender. - -When the Earl of Stretton died, Philip, a mere boy then, succeeded to -title and estates. In the first flush of new duties and new -responsibilities his old enthusiasm remained half forgotten. As a peer -of the realm he had registered his allegiance to King George, and with -his youthful romantic nature all afire, he clung to that new oath of -his, idealised it and loyally resisted the blandishments and lures held -out to him from Scotland and from France. - -Then came the news that Charles Edward, backed by French money and -French influence, would march upon London and would stop at Derby to -rally round his standard his friends in the Midlands. - -Young Lord Stretton, torn between memories of his boyhood and the duties -of his new position, feared to be inveigled into breaking his allegiance -to King George. The malevolent fairy who at his birth had given him -that weak mouth and softly rounded chin, had stamped his worst -characteristic on the young handsome face. Philip's one hope at this -juncture was to flee from temptation; he knew that Charles Edward, -remembering his past ardour, would demand his help and his adherence, -and that he, Philip, might be powerless to refuse. - -So he fled from the county: despising himself as a coward, yet boyishly -clinging to the idea that he would keep the oath he had sworn to King -George. He wished to put miles of country between himself and the -possible breaking of that oath, the possible yielding to the "bonnie -Prince" whom none could resist. He left his sister, Lady Patience, at -Stretton Hall, well cared for by old retainers, and he, a loyal subject -to his King, became a fugitive. - -Then came the catastrophe: that miserable retreat from Derby; the -bedraggled remains of a disappointed army; finally Culloden and complete -disaster; King George's soldiers scouring the country for rebels, the -bills of attainder, the quick trials and swift executions. - -Soon the suspicion grew into certainty that the fugitive Earl of -Stretton was one of the Pretender's foremost adherents. On his weary -way from Derby Prince Charles Edward had asked and obtained a night's -shelter at Stretton Hall. When Philip tried to communicate with his -sister, and to return to his home, he found that she was watched, and -that he was himself attainted by Act of Parliament. - -Yet he felt himself guiltless and loyal. He _was_ guiltless and loyal: -how his name came to be included in the list of rebels was still a -mystery to him: someone must have lodged sworn information against him. -But who?--Surely not his old friends--the adherents of Charles -Edward--out of revenge for his half-heartedness? - -In the meanwhile, he, a mere lad, became an outcast, condemned to death -by Act of Parliament. Presently all might be cleared, all would be well, -but for the moment he was like a wild beast, hiding in hedges and -ditches, with his life at the mercy of any grasping Judas willing to -sell his fellow-creature for a few guineas. - -It was horrible! horrible! Philip vainly tried all the day to rouse -himself from his morbid reverie. At intervals he would grasp the kind -smith's hand and mutter anxiously,-- - -"My letter to my sister, John?--You are sure she had it?" - -And patient John would repeat a dozen times the day,-- - -"I am quite sure, my lord." - -But since the Corporal's visit Philip's mood had become more feverish. - -"My letter," he repeated, "has Patience had my letter? Why doesn't she -come?" - -And spite of John's entreaties he would go to the entrance which faced -the lonely Heath, and with burning eyes look out across the wilderness -of furze and bracken towards that distant horizon where lay his home, -where waited his patient, loving sister. - -"I beg you, my lord, come away from the door, it isn't safe, not really -safe," urged John Stich again and again. - -"Then why will you not tell me who took my letter to Stretton Hall?" -said the boy with feverish impatience. - -"My lord..." - -"Some stupid dolt mayhap, who has lost his way ... or ... perchance -betrayed me..." - -"My lord," pleaded the smith, "have I not sworn that your letter went by -hands as faithful, as trusty as my own?" - -"But I'll not rest an you do not tell me who took it. I wish to know," -he added with that sudden look of command which all the Strettons have -worn for many generations past. - -The old habitual deference of the retainer for his lord was strong in -the heart of John. He yielded. - -"Nay, my lord, an you'll not be satisfied," he said with a sigh, "I'll -tell you, though Heaven knows that his safety is as dear to me as -yours--both dearer than my own." - -"Well, who was it?" asked the young man, eagerly. - -"I entrusted your letter for Lady Patience to Beau Brocade, the -highwayman--" - -In a moment Philip was on his feet: danger, amazement, horror, robbed -him of speech for a few seconds, but the next he had gripped the smith's -arm and like a furious, thoughtless, unreasoning child, he gasped,-- - -"Beau Brocade!! ... the highwayman!!! ... My life, my honour to a -highwayman!!! Are you mad or drunk, John Stich?" - -"Neither, my lord," said John with great respect, but looking the young -man fearlessly in the face. "You don't know Beau Brocade, and there are -no safer hands than his. He knows every inch of the Moor and fears -neither man nor devil." - -Touched in spite of himself by the smith's earnestness, Philip's wrath -abated somewhat; still he seemed dazed, not understanding, vaguely -scenting danger, or treachery. - -"But a highwayman!" he repeated mechanically. - -"Aye! and a gentleman!" retorted John with quiet conviction. "A -gentleman if ever there was one! Aye! and not the only one who has -ta'en to the road these hard times," he added under his breath. - -"But a thief, John! A man who might sell my letter, betray my -whereabouts!..." - -"A man, my lord, who would die in torture sooner than do that." - -The smith's quiet and earnest conviction seemed to chase away the last -vestige of Philip's wrath. Still he seemed unconvinced. - -"A hero of romance, John, this highwayman of yours," he laughed -bitterly. - -Honest John scratched the back of his curly black head. - -"Noa!" he said, somewhat puzzled. "I know nought about that or what's a -... a hero of romance. But I do know that Beau Brocade is a friend of -the poor, and that our village lads won't lay their hands on him, even -if they could. No! not though the Government have offered a hundred -guineas as the price of his head." - -"Five times the value of mine, it seems," said Philip with a sigh. -"But," he added, with a sudden return to feverish anxiety, "if he was -caught last night, with my letter in his hands..." - -"Caught!!! Beau Brocade caught!" laughed John Stich, "nay, all the -soldiers of the Duke of Cumberland's army couldn't do that, my lord! -Besides, I know he wasn't caught. I saw him on his chestnut horse just -before the Corporal came. I heard him laughing, at the red coats, -maybe. Nay! my lord, I beg you have no fear, your letter is in her -ladyship's hand now, I'll lay my life on that." - -"I had to trust someone, my lord," he said after awhile, as Lord -Stretton once more relapsed into gloomy silence. "I could do nothing -for your lordship single-handed, and you wanted that letter to reach her -ladyship. I scarce knew what to do. But I did know I could trust Beau -Brocade, and your secret is as safe with him as it is with me." - -Philip sighed wearily. - -"Ah, well! I'll believe it all, friend John. I'll trust you and your -friend, and be grateful to you both: have no fear of that! Who am I but -a wretched creature, whom any rascal may shoot by Act of Parliament." - -But John Stich had come to the end of his power of argument. Never a -man of many words, he had only become voluble when speaking of his -friend. Philip tried to look cheerful and convinced, but he was chafing -under this enforced inactivity and the dark, close atmosphere of the -forge. - -He had spent two days under the smith's roof and time seemed to creep -with lead-weighted wings: yet every sound, every strange footstep, made -his nerves quiver with morbid apprehension, and even now at sound of a -tremulous voice from the road, shrank, moody and impatient, into the -darkest corner of the hut. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - JOCK MIGGS, THE SHEPHERD - - -"Be you at home, Master Stich?" - -A curious, wizened little figure stood in the doorway peering cautiously -into the forge. - -In a moment John Stich was on the alert. - -"Sh!" he whispered quickly, "have no fear, my lord, 'tis only some fool -from the village." - -"Did ye say ye baint at home, Master Stich?" queried the same tremulous -voice again. "I didn't quite hear ye." - -"Yes, yes, I'm here all right, Jock Miggs," said the smith, heartily. -"Come in!" - -Jock Miggs came in, making as little noise, and taking up as little room -as possible. Dressed in a well-worn smock and shabby corduroy breeches, -he had a curious shrunken, timid air about his whole personality, as he -removed his soft felt hat and began scratching his scanty tow-coloured -locks: he was a youngish man too, probably not much more than thirty, -yet his brown face was a mass of ruts and wrinkles like a furrowed path -on Brassing Moor. - -"Morning, Mr Stich ... morning," he said with a certain air of vagueness -and apology, as with obvious admiration he stopped to watch the broad -back of the smith and his strong arms wielding the heavy hammer. - -"Morning, Miggs," retorted John, not looking up from his work, "how's -the old woman?" - -"I dunno, Mr Stich," replied Miggs, with a dubious shake of the head. -"Badly, I expec' ... same as yesterday," he added in a more cheerful -spirit. - -"Why! what's the matter?" - -"I dunno, Mr Stich, that there's anything the matter," explained Jock -Miggs with slow and sad deliberation, "but she's dead ... same as -yesterday." - -Involuntarily Philip laughed at the quaint, fatalistic statement. - -"Hello!" said Miggs, looking at him with the same apathetic wonder, "who -be yon lad?" - -"That's my nephew Jim, out o' Nottingham," said John, "come to give me a -hand." - -"Morning, lad," piped Miggs, in his high treble, as he extended a -wrinkled, bony hand to Stretton. - -"Lud, John Stich," he exclaimed, "any one'd know he was one o' your -family from the muscle he's got." - -And gently, meditatively, he rubbed one shrivelled hand against the -other, looking with awe at the fine figure of a man before him. - -"A banging lad your nephew too," he added with a chuckle; "he'll be -turning the heads of all the girls this side o' Brassington, maybe." - -"Oh! I'll warrant he's got a sweetheart at home, eh, Jim lad?--or maybe -more than one. But what brings ye here this day, friend Miggs?" - -The wizened little face assumed a puzzled expression. - -"I dunno..." he said vaguely, "maybe I wanted to tell ye about the -soldiers I seed at the Royal George over Brassington way." - -"What about 'em, Miggs?" - -"_I_ dunno.... I see a corporal and lots of fellers in red .... some -say there's more o' them ... I dunno." - -"Ha!" said Stich, carelessly, "What are they after?" - -"_I_ dunno," commented Miggs, imperturbably. "Some say they're after -that chap Beau Brocade. There was a coach stopped on the Heath 'gain -last night. Fifty guineas he took out of it, he did...." And Jock -Miggs chuckled feebly with apparent but irresponsible delight. "Some -folk say it were Sir Humphrey Challoner's coach over from Hartington, -and no one's going to break their hearts over that! he! he! he! ... but -_I_ dunno," he added with sudden frightened vagueness. - -"Be they cavalry soldiers over at the Royal George, Miggs?" asked John. - -"_I_ dunno ... I seed no horses ... looks more like foot soldiers ... -but _I_ dunno. The Corporal he read out something just now about our -getting twenty guineas if we shoot one o' them rebels. I'd be mighty -glad to get twenty guineas, Master Stich," he said reflectively, "but I -dunno as how I could handle a musket rightly ... and folks say them -traitors are mighty desperate fellows ... but I dunno..." - -Then with sudden resolution Jock Miggs turned to the doorway. - -"Morning, Master Stich," he said decisively. "Morning, lad! ... -morning." - -"Morning, Miggs." - -However, it seemed that Jock Miggs's visit to the forge was not so -purposeless as it at first appeared. - -"He! he! he!" he chuckled, as if suddenly recollecting his errand. "I'd -almost forgot why I came. Farmer Crabtree wanted to know, Master Stich, -if you'm got the wether's collar mended yet?" - -"Oh, yes, to be sure," replied the smith, pointing to a rough bench on -which lay a number of metal articles. "You'll find it on that there -bench, Jock. Farmer Crabtree sold his sheep yet?" - -Jock toddled up to the bench and picked up the wether's collar. - -"Noa!" he muttered, "not yet, worse luck! And his temper is that hot! -So don't 'ee charge him too much for the collar, Master Stich, or it's -me that'll have to suffer." - -And Miggs rubbed his shoulder significantly. Stich laughed. Philip -himself, in spite of his anxiety, could not help being amused at the -quaint figure of the little shepherd with his wizened face and gentle, -vaguely fatalistic manner. - -Thus it was that no one in the forge had perceived the patter of small -feet on the mud outside, and when Jock Miggs, with more elaborate -"Mornings" and final leave-takings, once more reached the doorway, he -came in violent collision with a short, be-cloaked and closely-hooded -figure that was picking its way on very small, very high-heeled shoes, -through the maze of puddles which guarded the entrance to the forge. - -The impact sent Jock Miggs, scared and apologetic, stumbling in one -direction, whilst the grey hood flew off the head of its wearer and -disclosed in the setting of its shell-pink lining a merry, pretty, -impudent little face, with brown eyes sparkling and red lips pouting in -obvious irritation. - -"Lud, man!" said the dainty young damsel, withering the unfortunate -shepherd with a scornful glance, "why don't you look where you're -going?" - -"I dunno," replied Jock Miggs, with his usual humble vagueness. -"Morning, miss ... morning, Master Stich ... morning." - -And still scared, still in obvious apology for his existence, he pulled -at his forelock, re-adjusted his hat over his yellow curls, took his -final leave, and presently began to wend his way slowly back towards the -Heath. - -But within the forge, at first bound of the young girl's voice, Stretton -had started in uncontrollable excitement. - -"Betty!" he whispered, eagerly clutching John Stich's arm. - -"Aye! aye!" replied the cautious smith, "but I beg you, my lord, keep in -the background until I find out if all is safe." - -Mistress Betty's saucy brown eyes followed Jock Miggs's quaint, -retreating figure. - -"Well! you're a pretty bit of sheep's wool, ain't ye?" she shouted after -him, with a laugh and a shrug of her plump shoulders. - -Then she peered into the forge. - -"Lud love you, Master Stich!" she said, "how goes it with you?" - -In obedience to counsels of prudence, Stretton had retired into the -remote corner of the forge. John Stich too was masking the entrance -with his burly figure. - -"All the better, Mistress Betty," he said, "for a sight of your pretty -face." - -He had become very red, had honest John, and his rough manner seemed -completely to have deserted him. In fact, not to put too fine a point -upon it, the worthy smith looked distinctly shy and sheepish. - -She looked up at him and laughed a pleased, coquettish little laugh, the -laugh of a woman who has oft been told that she is pretty, and has not -tired of the hearing. John Stich, moreover, was so big and burly, folks -called him hard and rough, and it vastly entertained the young damsel to -see him standing there before her, as awkward and uncomfortable as Jock -Miggs himself. - -"Am I not to step inside, Master Stich?" she asked. - -"Yes, yes, Mistress Betty," murmured John, who seemed to have lost -himself in admiration of a pair of tiny buckled shoes muddy to the -ankles--such ankles!--which showed to great advantage beneath Betty's -short green kirtle. - -An angry, impatient movement behind him, however, quickly recalled his -scattered senses. - -"Did her ladyship receive a letter, mistress?" he asked eagerly. - -"Oh, yes! a stranger brought it," replied Betty, with a pout, for she -preferred John's mute appreciation of her small person to his interest -in other matters. However, the demon of mischief no doubt whispered -something in her ear for the further undoing of the worthy smith, for -she put on a demure, mysterious little air, turned up her brown eyes, -sighed with affectation, and murmured ecstatically,-- - -"Oh! such a stranger! the fine eyes of him, Master Stich! and such an -air, and oh!" added little madam with unction, "such clothes!" - -But though no doubt all these fine airs and graces wrought deadly havoc -in poor John's heart, he concealed it well enough under a show of eager -impatience. - -"Yes! yes! the stranger," he said, casting a furtive glance behind him, -"he gave you a letter for my lady?" - -"La! you needn't be in such a hurry, Master Stich!" retorted Mistress -Betty, adding with all the artifice of which she was capable, "the -stranger wasn't." - -But this was too much for John. There had been such a wealth of meaning -in Betty's brown eyes. - -"Oh! he wasn't? was he?" he asked with a jealous frown, "and pray what -had he to say to you? There was no message except the letter." - -But the demon of mischief was satisfied and Betty was disposed to be -kind, even if slightly mysterious. - -"Oh, never mind!" she rejoined archly, "he gave me a letter which I gave -to my lady. That was early this morning." - -"Well? ... and?" - -But matters were progressing too slowly at anyrate for one feverish, -anxious heart. Philip had tried to hold himself in check, though he was -literally hanging on pretty Mistress Betty's lips. Now he could contain -himself no longer. Lady Patience had had his letter. The mysterious -highwayman had not failed in his trust, and the news Betty had brought -meant life or death to him. - -Throwing prudence to the winds, he pushed John Stich aside, and seizing -the young girl by the wrist, he asked excitedly,-- - -"Yes? this morning, Betty? ... then ... then ... what did her ladyship -do?" - -Betty was frightened, and like a child was ready to drown her fright in -tears. She had not recognised my lord in those dirty clothes. - -"Don't you know me, Betty?" asked Philip, a little more quietly. - -Betty cast a timid glance at the two men before her, and smiled through -the coming tears. - -"Of course, my lord ... I ..." she murmured shyly. - -"'Tis my nephew Jim out o' Nottingham, mistress," said John, sternly, -"try and remember that: and now tell us what did her ladyship do?" - -"She had the horses put to, not an hour after the stranger had been. -Thomas is driving and Timothy is our only other escort. But we've not -drawn rein since we left the Hall!" - -"Yes! yes!" came from two pairs of eager lips. - -"And my lady stopped the coach about two hundred yards from here," -continued Betty with great volubility, "and she told me to run on here, -to see that the coast was clear. She knew I could find my way, and she -wouldn't trust Timothy as she trusts me," added the young girl with a -pretty touch of pride. - -"But where is she, Betty? where is she?" - -Betty pointed to the clump of firs, which stood like ghostly sentinels -on the crest of the hill, just where the road turns sharply to the east. - -"Just beyond those trees, my lord, and she made Timothy watch until I -came round the bend and in sight of the forge. But la! the mud on the -roads! 'tis fit to drown you." - -But already John Stich was outside, beckoning to Mistress Betty. - -"Come, mistress, quick!" he said excitedly, "her ladyship must be nigh -crazy with impatience. By your leave, my lord, I'll help Mistress Betty -on her way, and I'll keep this place in sight. I'll go no further..." - -"Yes, yes," rejoined Philip, feverishly, "go, go, fly if you can! I'll -be safe! I'll not show myself. God give you both wings, for I'll not -live now till I see my sister." - -Eager, boyish, full of wild gaiety, he seemed to have thrown off his -morbid anxiety as he would a mantle. He even laughed whole-heartedly as -he watched Betty, with many airs and graces, "Luds!" and "I vows!" -making great pretence at being unable to walk in the mud, and leaning -heavily on honest Stich's arm. - -He watched them as they picked their way up the so-called road, a -perfect quagmire after the heavy September rains. - -The air seemed so different now, the Heath smelt good, there was vigour -and life in the keen nor'-wester; how green the bracken looked, and how -harmoniously it seemed to blend with the purple shoots of the bramble -laden with ripening fruit! how delicate the more tender green of the -gorse, and there that vivid patch of mauve, the first glimpse of opening -heather! the heavy clouds too were rolling away; the September sun was -going to have his own way after all and spread his kingdom of blue and -gold over the distant Derbyshire hills. - -Hope had come like the divine magician to chase away all that was grey -and sad and dreary, and Hope had met Youth and shaken him by the hand: -they are such friends, such inseparable companions, these two! - -What mattered it that some few yards away the old gallows, like some -eerie witch, still spread its gaunt arm over that fluttering bit of -parchment: the Proclamation of His Majesty's Parliament? What though it -spoke of death, of treachery, of bills of attainder, of Tower Hill? - -Did not the good nor'-wester from the Moor flutter round it, and in -wanton frolic attack it now with madcap fury and a shrill whistle, and -now with a long-drawn-out sigh. The parchment resisted with vigour, it -bore the onslaught of the wind twice, thrice, and once again. But the -nor'-wester was not to be outdone, and again it renewed the attack, took -the parchment by the corner, pulled and twisted at it, until at last -with one terrific blast it tore the Royal Proclamation off the old -gallows, and sent it whirling in a mad gallop across the Moor, far, very -far away on to Derby, to London, to the place where all winds go. - - - - - CHAPTER V - - "THERE'S NONE LIKE HER, NONE!" - - -There was something more than ordinary affection between Philip, Earl of -Stretton, and his sister, Lady Patience Gascoyne. Those who knew them -in the days of their happiness said they seemed more like lovers than -brother and sister, so tender, so true was their clinging devotion to -one another. - -But those who knew them both intimately said that they were more like -mother and son together; though Philip was only a year or two younger -than Patience, she had all a mother's fondness, a mother's indulgence -and sweet pity for him, he all a son's deference, a son's trust in her. - -Even now, as he instinctively felt her dear presence nigh, hope took a -more firm, more lasting hold upon him. He knew that she would act -wisely and prudently for him. For the first time for many days and -weeks he felt safe, less morbidly afraid of treachery, more ready to -fight adverse fate. - -The heavy coach came lumbering along the quaggy road, the old coachman's -"Whoa! whoa! there! there!" as he tried to encourage his horses in the -heavy task of pulling the cumbersome vehicle through the morass, sounded -like sweetest music in Philip's ear. - -He did not dare go to meet them, but he watched the coach as it drew -nearer and nearer, very slowly, the horses going step by step urged on -by the coachman and by Timothy, who rode close at their heads, spurring -them with whip and kind words, the wheels creaking as they slowly turned -on their mud-laden axles. - -Thus Patience had travelled since dawn, ever since the stranger had -brought her the letter which told her that her brother had succeeded in -reaching this secluded corner of Derbyshire, and was now in hiding with -faithful John Stich, waiting for her guidance and help to establish his -innocence. - -Leaning back against the cushions of the coach, she had sat with eyes -closed and hands tightly clutched. Anxious, wearied, at times hopeful, -she had borne the terrible fatigue of this lumbering journey from -Stretton Hall, along the unmade roads of Brassing Moor, with all the -fortitude the Gascoynes had always shown for any cause they had at -heart. - -At the cross-roads Thomas, the driver, brought his horses to a -standstill. Already, as the coach had passed some fifty yards from the -forge, Patience had leaned out of the window trying to get a glimpse of -the dear face which she knew would be on the lookout for her. - -John Stich had escorted Betty as far as the bend in the road, and within -sight of Timothy waiting some hundred yards further on, then he had -retraced his steps, and was now back at the cross-roads ready to help -Lady Patience to alight. - -"Let the coach wait here," she said to the driver, "we may sleep at -Wirksworth to-night." - -"Ah! my good Stich," she added, grasping the smith's hand eagerly, "my -brother, how is he?" - -"All the better since he knows your ladyship has come," replied Stich. - -A few moments later brother and sister were locked in each other's arms. - -"My sweet sister! My dear, dear Patience!" was all Philip could say at -first. - -But she placed one hand on his shoulder and with a gentle motherly -gesture brushed with the other the unruly curls from the white, moist -forehead. He looked haggard and careworn, although his eyes now gleamed -with feverish hope, and hers, in spite of herself, began to fill with -tears. - -"Dear, dear one," she murmured, trying to look cheerful, to push back -the tears. All would be well now that she could get to him, that they -could talk things over, that she could _do_ something for him and with -him, instead of sitting--weary and inactive--alone at Stretton Hall, -without news, a prey to devouring anxiety. - -"That awful Proclamation," he said at last--"you have heard of it?" - -"Aye!" she replied sadly, "even before you did, I think. Sir Humphrey -Challoner sent a courier across to tell me of it." - -"And my name amongst those attainted by Act of Parliament!" - -She nodded, her lips were quivering, and she would not break down, now -that he needed all her courage as well as his own. - -"But I am innocent, dear," he said, taking both her tiny hands in his -own, and looking firmly, steadfastly into her face. "You believe me, -don't you?" - -"Of course, Philip, I believe you. But it is all so hard, so horrible, -and 'tis Heaven alone who knows which was the just cause." - -"There is no doubt as to which was the stronger cause, at anyrate in -England," said Stretton, with some bitterness. "Charles Edward was very -ill-advised to cross the border at all, and in the Midlands no one cares -about the Stuarts now. But that's all ancient history," he added with a -weary sigh, "it's no use dwelling over all the wretched mistakes that -were committed last year, 'tis only the misery that has abided until -now." - -"Why did you run away, Philip?" she asked. - -"Because I was a fool ... and a coward," he added, while a blush of -shame darkened his young Saxon face. - -"No, no..." - -"I thought if I remained at Stretton Charles Edward would demand my help -... and you know," he said with a quaint boyish smile, "I was never very -good at saying 'Nay!' I knew they would persuade me. Lovat and -Kilmarnock were such friends, and..." - -"So you preferred to run away?" - -"It was cowardly, wasn't it?" - -"I am afraid it was," she said reluctantly, her tenderness and her -conviction fighting an even battle in her heart. "But why wouldn't you -tell me, dear?" - -"Because I was a fool," he said, cursing himself for that same folly. -"You were away in London just then, you remember?" - -She nodded. - -"And there was no one to advise me, except Challoner." - -"Sir Humphrey? Then it was he?..." - -Philip looked at her in astonishment. There was such a strange quiver -in her voice; a note of deep anxiety, of almost hysterical alarm. But -she checked herself quickly, and said more calmly,-- - -"What did Sir Humphrey Challoner advise you to do?" - -"He said that Charles Edward would surely persuade me to join his -standard, that he would demand shelter at Stretton Hall, and claim my -allegiance." - -"Yes, yes?" - -"And he thought that it would be wiser for me to put two or three -counties between myself and the temptation of becoming a rebel." - -"He thought!..." - -There was a world of bitter contempt in those two words she uttered. -Even Philip, absorbed as he was in his own affairs, could not fail to -notice it. - -"Challoner has always been my friend," he said almost reproachfully. "I -fancy, little sister," he added with his boyish smile, "that it rests -with you that he should become my brother." - -"Hush, dear, don't speak of that." - -"Why not?" - -She did not reply, and there was a moment's silence between them. She -was evidently hesitating whether to tell him of the fears, the -suspicions which the mention of Sir Humphrey Challoner's name had -aroused in her heart, or to leave the subject alone. At last she said -quite gently,-- - -"But when I came home, dear, and found you had left the Hall without a -message, without a word for me, why did you not tell me then?" - -The boy hung his head. He felt the tender reproach, and there was -nothing to be said. - -"I would have stood by you," she continued softly. "I think I might -have helped you. There was no disgrace in refusing to join a doomed -cause, and you were a mere child when you made friends with Lovat." - -"I know all that now, dear," he said with some impatience. "Heaven -knows I am paying dearly enough for my cowardice and my folly. But even -now I cannot understand how my name became mixed up with those of the -rebels. Somebody must have sworn false information against me. But -who? I haven't an enemy in the world, have I, dear?" - -"No, no," she said quickly, but even as she spoke the look of -involuntary alarm in her face belied the assurance of her lips. - -But this was not the moment to add to his anxiety by futile, worrying -conjectures. He had sent for her because he wanted her, and she was -here to do for him, to help and support him in every way that her -strength of will and her energy would dictate. - -"You sent for me, Philip," she said with a cheerful, hopeful smile. - -Her look seemed to put fresh life into his veins. In a moment he tried -to conquer his despondency, and with a quick gesture he tore open the -rough, woollen shirt he wore, and from beneath it drew a packet of -letters. Not only his hand now, but his whole figure seemed to quiver -with excitement as he gazed at this packet with glowing eyes. - -"These letters, dear," he said in a whisper, "are my one hope of safety. -They have not left my body day or night ever since I first understood my -position and realised my danger, and now, with them, I place my life in -your hands." - -"Yes, Philip?" - -"They prove my innocence," he continued, as nervously he pulled at the -string that held the letters together. "Here is one from Lovat," he -added, handing one of these to Patience, "read it, dear, quickly. You -will see he begs me to join the Pretender's standard. Here's another -from Kilmarnock--that was after the retreat from Derby--he upbraids me -for holding aloof. I was in hiding at Nottingham then, but _they_ knew -where I was, and would not leave me alone. They would have followed me -if they could. And here ... better still ... is one from Charles Edward -himself, just before he fled to France, calling me a traitor for my -loyalty to King George." - -Feverishly he tore open letter after letter, thrusting them into her -hand, scanning them with burning, eager eyes. She took them from him -one by one, glanced at them, then quietly folded each precious piece of -paper, and tied the packet together again. Her hand did not shake, but -beneath her cloak she pressed the letters to her heart, the letters that -meant the safety of her dear one's life. - -"Oh! if I had known all this sooner!" she sighed involuntarily. - -But that was the only reproach that escaped her lips for his want of -confidence in her. - -"I nearly yielded to Lovat's letter," said the boy, hesitatingly. - -"I know, I know, dear," she said with an infinity of indulgence in her -gentle smile. "We won't speak of the past any more. Now let us arrange -the future." - -He tried to master his excitement, throwing off with an effort of will -his feverishness and his morbid self-condemnation. - -He had done a foolish and a cowardly thing; he knew that well enough. -Fate had dealt him one of those cruel blows with which she sometimes -strikes the venial offender, letting so often the more hardened criminal -go scatheless. - -For months now Philip had been a fugitive, disguised in rough clothes, -hiding in barns and inns of doubtful fame, knowing no one whom he could -really trust, to whom he dared disclose his place of temporary refuge, -or confide a message for his sister. Treachery was in the air; he -suspected everyone. The bill of attainder had condemned so many men to -death, and rebel-hunting and swift executions were in that year of grace -the order of the day. - -"I could do nothing without you, dear," he said more quietly. "I must -hide now like a hunted beast, and must be grateful for the sheltering -roof of honest Stich. I have been branded as a traitor by Act of -Parliament, my life is forfeit, and it is even a crime for any man to -give me food and shelter. The lowest footpad who haunts the Moor has the -right to shoot me like a mad dog." - -"Don't! don't, dear!" she pleaded. - -"I only wished you to understand that I was not such an abject coward as -I seemed. I could not get to you or reach the Hall." - -"I quite understood that, dear. Now, tell me, you wish me to take these -letters to London?" - -"At once. The sooner they are laid before the King and Council the -better. I must get to the fountain head as quickly as possible. Once I -am caught they will give me no chance of proving my innocence. I have -been tried by Act of Parliament, found guilty and condemned to death. -You realise that, dear, don't you?" - -"Yes, Philip, I do," she replied very quietly. - -"Once in London, who do you think can best help you?" - -"Lady Edbrooke, of course. Her husband has just been appointed equerry -to the King." - -"Ah! that's well! Aunt Charlotte was always fond of me. She'll be kind -to you, I know." - -"I think you should write to her. I'd take that letter too." - -"When can you start?" - -"Not for a few hours unfortunately. The horses must be put up. We have -been on the road since dawn." - -They were both quite calm now, and discussed these few details as if -life or death were not the outcome of the journey. - -Patience was glad to see that the boy had entirely shaken off the almost -hysterical horror he had of his unfortunate position. - -They were suddenly interrupted by John Stich's cautious voice at the -entrance of the shed. - -"Your ladyship's pardon," said John, respectfully, "but there's a coach -coming up the road from Hartington way. I thought perhaps it might be -more prudent..." - -"Hartington!" - -Brother and sister had uttered the exclamation simultaneously. He in -astonishment, she in obvious alarm. - -"Who can it be, John, think you?" she asked with quivering lips. - -"Well, it couldn't very well be anyone except Sir Humphrey Challoner, my -lady. No one else'd have occasion to come down these God-forsaken -roads. But they are some way off yet," he added reassuringly, "I saw -them first on the crest of the further hill. Maybe his Honour is on his -way to Derby." - -Patience was trying to conquer her agitation, but it was her turn now to -seem nervous and excited. - -"Oh! I didn't want him to find me here!" she said quickly. "I ... I -mistrust that man, Philip ... foolishly perhaps, and ... if he sees me -... he might guess ... he might suspect..." - -"Nay, my lady, there's not much fear of that, craving your pardon," -hazarded John Stich, cheerfully. "If 'tis Sir Humphrey 'twill take his -driver some time yet to walk down the incline, and then up again to the -cross-roads. 'Tis a mile and a half for sure, and the horses'll have to -go foot pace. There's plenty of time for your ladyship to be well on -your way before they get here." - -She felt reassured evidently, for she said more calmly,-- - -"I'll have to put up somewhere, John, for a few hours, for the sake of -the horses. Where had that best be?" - -"Up at Aldwark, I should say, my lady, at the Moorhen." - -"Perhaps I could get fresh horses there, and make a start at once." - -"Nay, my lady, they have no horses at the Moorhen fit for your ladyship -to drive. 'Tis only a country inn. But they'd give your horses and men -a feed and rest, and if your ladyship'll pardon the liberty, you'll need -both yourself." - -"Yes, yes," said Philip, anxiously regarding the beautiful face which -looked so pale and weary. "You must rest, dear. The journey to London -will be long and tedious ..." - -"But Aldwark is not on my way," she said with a slight frown of -impatience. - -"The inn is but a mile from here, your ladyship," rejoined Stich, "and -your horses could never reach Wirksworth without a long rest. 'Tis the -best plan, an your ladyship would trust me!" - -"Trust you, John!" she said with a sweet smile, as she extended one tiny -hand to the faithful smith. "I trust you implicitly, and you shall give -me your advice. What is it?" - -"To put up at the Moorhen for the night, your ladyship," explained John, -whose kindly eyes had dropped a tear over the gracious hand held out to -him, "then to start for London to-morrow morning." - -"No, no! I must start to-night. I could not bear to wait even until -dawn." - -"But the footpads on the Heath, your ladyship..." hazarded John. - -"Nay, I fear no footpads. They're welcome to what money I have, and -they'd not care to rob me of my letters," she said eagerly. "But I'll -put up at the Moorhen, John. We all need a rest. I suppose there's no -way across the Heath from thence to Wirksworth." - -"None, your ladyship. This is the only possible way. Back here to the -cross-roads and on to Wirksworth from here." - -"Then I'll see you again, dear," she said tenderly, clinging to -Stretton, "at sunset mayhap. I'll start as soon as I can. You may be -sure of that." - -"And guard the letters, little sister," he said as he held her closely, -closely to his heart. "Guard them jealously, they are my only hope." - -"You'll write the letter to Lady Edbrooke," she added. "Have it ready -when I return, and perhaps write out your own petition to the King--I'll -use that or not as Lord Edbrooke advises." - -Then once more, womanlike, she clung to him, hating to part from him -even for a few hours. - -"In the meanwhile you will be prudent, Philip," she pleaded tenderly. -"Trust _nobody_ but John Stich. _Any_ man may prove an enemy," she -added with earnest emphasis, "and if you were found before I could reach -the King..." - -She tore herself away from him. Her eyes now were swimming in tears, -and she meant to seem brave to the end. Stich was urging her to hurry. -After all she would see Philip again before sunset, before she started -on the long journey which would mean life and safety to him. - -Two minutes later, having parted from her brother, Lady Patience -Gascoyne entered her coach at the cross-roads, where Mistress Betty had -been waiting for her ladyship with as much patience as she could muster. - -By the time Sir Humphrey Challoner's coach had reached the bottom of the -decline on the Hartington Road, and begun the weary ascent up to the -blacksmith's forge, Lady Patience's carriage was well out of sight -beyond the bend that led eastward to Aldwark village. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - - A SQUIRE OF HIGH DEGREE - - -The Challoners claimed direct descent from that Sieur de Challonier who -escorted Coeur de Lion to the crusade against Saladin. - -Be that as it may, there is no doubt that a De Challonier figures in the -Domesday Book, as owning considerable property in the neighbourhood of -the Peak. - -That they had been very influential and wealthy people at one time, -there could be no doubt. There was a room at Old Hartington Manor where -James I. had slept for seven nights, a gracious guest of Mr Ilbert -Challoner, in the year 1612. The baronetcy then conferred upon the -family dates from that same year, probably as an act of recognition to -his host on the part of the royal guest. - -Since that memorable time, however, the Challoners have not made -history. They took no part whatever in the great turmoil which, in the -middle of the seventeenth century, shook the country to its very -foundations, lighting the lurid torch of civil war, setting brother -against brother, friend against friend, threatening a constitution and -murdering a king. - -The Challoners had held aloof throughout all that time, intent on -preserving their property and in amassing wealth. The later conflict -between a Catholic King and his Protestant people touched them even -less. Neither Pretender could boast of a Challoner for an adherent. -They remained people of substance, even of importance, in their own -county, but nothing more. - -Sir Humphrey Challoner was about this time not more than thirty-five -years of age. Hale, hearty, boisterous, he might have been described as -a typical example of an English squire of those days, but for a certain -taint of parsimoniousness, of greed and love of money in his -constitution, which had gained for him a not too enviable reputation in -the Midlands. - -He was thought to be wealthy. No doubt he was, but at the cost of a -good deal of harshness towards the tenants on his estates, and he was -famed throughout Staffordshire for driving a harder bargain than anyone -else this country side. - -Any traveller--let alone one of such consequence as the Squire of -Hartington--was indeed rare in these out-of-the-way parts, that were on -the way to nowhere. Sir Humphrey himself was but little known in the -neighbourhood of Aldwark and Wirksworth, and only from time to time -passed through the latter village on his way to Derby. - -John Stich, the blacksmith, however, knew every one of consequence for a -great many miles around, and undoubtedly next to the Earls of Stretton -the Challoners were the most important family in the sister counties. -Therefore when Sir Humphrey's coach stopped at the cross-roads, and the -Squire himself alighted therefrom and walked towards the smith's -cottage, the latter came forward with all the deference due to a -personage of such consequence, and asked respectfully what he might do -for his Honour. - -"Only repair this pistol for me, master smith," said Sir Humphrey; "you -might also examine the lock of its fellow. One needs them in these -parts." - -He laughed a not unpleasant boisterous laugh as he handed a pair of -silver-mounted pistols to John Stich. - -"Will your Honour wait while I get them done?" asked John, with some -hesitation. "They won't take long." - -"Nay! I'll be down this way again to-morrow," replied his Honour. "I -am putting up at Aldwark for the night." - -John said nothing. Probably he mistrusted the language which rose to -his lips at this announcement of Sir Humphrey's plans. In a moment he -remembered Lady Patience's look of terror when the squire's coach first -came into view on the crest of the distant hill, and his faithful, -honest heart quivered with apprehension at the thought that a man whom -she so obviously mistrusted was so close upon her track. - -"I suppose there is a decent inn in that God-forsaken hole, eh?" asked -the Squire, jovially. "I've arranged to meet my man of business there, -that old scarecrow, Mittachip, but I'd wish to spend the night." - -"There's only a small wayside inn, your Honour..." murmured John. - -"Better than this abode of cut-throats, this Brassing Moor, anyway," -laughed his Honour. "Begad! night overtook me some ten miles from -Hartington, and I was attacked by a damned rascal who robbed me of fifty -guineas. My men were a pair of cowards, and I was helpless inside my -coach." - -John tried to repress a smile. The story of Sir Humphrey Challoner's -midnight adventure had culminated in fifty guineas being found in the -poor box at Brassington court-house, and Mr Inch, the beadle, had -brought the news of it even as far as the cross-roads. - -"I must see Squire West about this business," muttered Sir Humphrey, -whilst John stood silent, apparently intent on examining the pistols. -"'Tis a scandal to the whole country, this constant highway robbery on -Brassing Moor. The impudent rascal who attacked me was dressed like a -prince, and rode a horse worth eighty guineas at the least. I suspect -him to be the man they call Beau Brocade." - -"Did your Honour see him plainly?" asked John, somewhat anxiously. - -"See him?" laughed Sir Humphrey. "Does one ever see these rascals? -Begad! he had stopped my coach, plundered me and had galloped off ere I -could shout 'Damn you' thrice. Just for one moment, though, one of my -lanterns flashed upon the impudent thief. He was masked, of course, but -I tell thee, honest friend, he had on a coat the Prince of Wales might -envy; as for his horse, 'twas a thorough-bred I'd have given eighty -guineas to possess." - -"And everyone knows your Honour is clever at a bargain," said John, with -a suspicion of malice. - -"Humph!" grunted the Squire. "By Gad!" he added, with his usual jovial -laugh, "the rogue does not belie his name--'Beau Brocade' forsooth! -Faith! he dresses like a lord, and cuts your purse with an air of -gallantry, an he were doing you a favour." - -It was difficult to tell what went on in Sir Humphrey Challoner's mind -behind that handsome, somewhat florid face of his. The task was in any -case quite beyond the powers of honest John Stich, though he would have -given quite a good deal of his worldly wealth to know for certain -whether his Honour's journey across Brassing Moor and on to Aldwark had -anything to do with that of Lady Patience along the same road. - -Nothing the Squire said, however, helped John towards making a guess in -that direction. Just as Sir Humphrey, having left the pistols in the -smith's hands, turned to go back to his coach, he said quite casually,-- - -"Whose was the coach that passed here about half an hour before mine?" - -"The coach, your Honour?" - -"Aye! when we reached the crest of the hill my man told me he could see -a coach standing at the cross-roads, whose was it?" - -For one moment John hesitated. The situation was just a little too -delicate for the worthy smith to handle. But he felt, as Sir Humphrey -was going to Aldwark and therefore would surely meet Lady Patience, that -lying would be worse than useless, and might even arouse unpleasant -suspicions. - -"'Twas Lady Patience Gascoyne's coach," he said at last. - -"Ah!" said the Squire, with the same obvious indifference. "Whither did -she go?" - -"I was at work in my forge, your Honour, and her ladyship did not stop. -I fancy she drove down Wirksworth way, but I did not see or hear for I -was very busy." - -"Hm!" commented his Honour, whilst a shrewd and somewhat sarcastic smile -played round the corners of his full lips. - -"I'll stay the night at Aldwark," he said, nodding to the smith. -"Faith! no more travelling after dark for me on this unhallowed Moor; -and for sure my horses could not reach Wirksworth now before nightfall. -So have the pistols ready for me by seven o'clock to-morrow morning, eh, -mine honest friend?" - -Then he entered his carriage, and slowly, with many a creak and a groan, -the cumbersome vehicle turned down the road to Aldwark, whilst John -Stich, with a dubious, anxious sigh, went back into his forge. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - - THE HALT AT THE MOORHEN - - -Patience herself would have been quite unable to explain why she -mistrusted, almost feared, Sir Humphrey Challoner. - -The fact that the Squire of Hartington had openly declared his -admiration for her, surely gave her no cause for suspecting him of -enmity towards her brother. She knew that Sir Humphrey hoped to win her -hand in marriage--this he had intimated to her on more than one -occasion, and had spoken of his love for her in no measured terms. - -Lady Patience Gascoyne was one of the richest gentlewomen in the -Midlands, having inherited vast wealth from her mother, who was sister -and co-heiress of the rich Grantham of Grantham Priory. No doubt her -rent-roll added considerably to her attractions in the eyes of Sir -Humphrey; that she was more than beautiful only helped to enhance the -ardour of his suit. - -Women as a rule--women of all times and of every nation--keep a kindly -feeling in their heart for the suitor whom they reject. A certain -regard for his sense of discrimination, an admiration for his -constancy--if he be constant--make up a sum of friendship for him -tempered with a gentle pity. - -But in most women too there is a subtle sense which for want of a more -scientific term has been called an instinct: the sense of protection -over those whom they love. - -In Patience Gascoyne that sense was abnormally developed: Philip was so -boyish, so young, she so much older in wisdom and prudence. It made her -fear Sir Humphrey, not for herself but for her brother: her baby, as in -her tender motherly heart she loved to call him. - -She feared and suspected him, she scarce could tell of what. Not open -enmity towards Philip, since her reason told her that the Squire of -Hartington had nothing to gain by actively endangering her brother's -life, let alone by doing him a grievous wrong. - -Yet she could not understand Sir Humphrey Challoner's motive in -counselling Philip to play so cowardly and foolish a part, as the boy -had done in the late rebellion. Vaguely she trembled at the idea that -he should know of her journey to London, or worse still, guess its -purpose. Philip, she feared, might have confided in him unbeknown to -her: Sir Humphrey, for aught she knew, might know of the existence of -the letters which would go to prove the boy's innocence. - -Well! and what then? Surely the Squire could have no object in wishing -those letters to be suppressed: he could but desire that Philip's -innocence _should_ be proved. - -Thus reason and instinct fought their battle in her brain as the heavy -coach went lumbering along the muddy road to the little wayside inn, -which stood midway between the cross-roads and the village of Aldwark. - -Here her man Timothy made arrangements for the resting and feeding of -himself, the horses and Thomas, the driver, whilst Lady Patience asked -for a private room wherein she and her maid, Betty, could get something -to eat and perhaps an hour's sleep before re-starting on their way. - -The small bar-parlour at the Moorhen was full to overflowing when her -ladyship's coach drove up. Already there had been a general air of -excitement there throughout the day, for the Corporal in his red coat, -followed by his little squad, had halted at the inn, and there once more -read aloud the Proclamation of His Majesty's Parliament. - -The soldiers had stayed half an hour or so, consuming large quantities -of ale the while, then they had marched up to the village, read the -Proclamation out on the green, and finally tramped along the bridle-path -back to Brassington. - -And now here was the quality putting up at the Moorhen. A most -unheard-of, unexpected event. Mistress Pottage, the sad-faced, -weary-eyed landlady, had never known such a thing to happen before, -although she had been mistress of the Moorhen for nigh on twenty years. -Usually the quality from Stretton Hall or from Hartington, or even Lady -Rounce from the Pike, preferred to drive a long way round to get to -Derby, sooner than trust to the lonely Heath, with its roads almost -impassable four days out of five. - -Master Mittachip, attorney-at-law, who had ridden over from Wirksworth -with his clerk, Master Duffy, recognised her ladyship as she stepped out -of her coach. - -"Sir Humphrey will be astonished," he whispered to Master Duffy, as he -rubbed his ill-shaven chin with his long bony fingers. - -"He! he! he!" echoed the clerk, submissively. - -Master Mittachip, who transacted business for the Squire of Hartington, -and also for old Lady Rounce and Squire West, knew the exact shade of -deference due to so great a lady as Lady Patience Gascoyne. He stood at -the door of the parlour and had the honour of bowing to her as she -followed Mistress Pottage quickly along the passage to the inner room -beyond, her long cloak flying out behind her, owing to the draught -caused by the open doors. - -Alone in the small, dingy room, Patience almost fell upon the sofa in a -stupor of intense fatigue. When Mistress Pottage brought the meagre, -ill-cooked food, she felt at first quite unable to eat. She lay back -against the hard pillows with eyes closed, and hands tightly clutching -that bundle of precious letters. - -Betty tried to make her comfortable. She took off her mistress's shoes -and stockings and began rubbing the cold, numb feet between her warm -hands. - -But by-and-by youth and health reasserted themselves. Patience, -realising all the time how much depended upon her own strength and -energy, roused herself with an effort of will. She tried to eat some of -the food, "the mess of pottage" as she smilingly termed it, but her eyes -were for ever wandering to the clock which ticked the hours--oh! so -slowly!--that separated her from her journey. - -As for buxom little Betty, she had fallen to with the vigorous appetite -of youth and a happy heart, and presently, like a tired child, she -curled herself up at the foot of the couch and soon dropped peacefully -to sleep. - -After awhile, Patience too, feeling numb and drowsy with the weariness -of this long afternoon, closed her eyes and fell into a kind of stupor. -She lay on the sofa like a log, tired out, dreamless, her senses numbed, -in a kind of wakeful sleep. - -How long she lay there she could not have told, but all of a sudden she -sat up, her eyes dilated, her heart beating fast; she was fully awake -now. - -Something had suddenly roused her. What was it? She glanced at the -clock; it was just half-past three. She must have slept nearly half an -hour. Betty, on the floor beside her, still slumbered peacefully. - -Then all her senses woke. She knew what had aroused her: the rumbling -of wheels, a coach pulling up, the shouts of the driver. And now she -could hear men running, more shouting, the jingle of harness and horses -being led round the house to the shed beyond. - -The small lattice window gave upon the side of the house, she could not -see the coach or who this latest arrival at the Moorhen was; but what -mattered that? she knew well enough. - -For a moment she stopped to think; forcibly conquering excitement and -alarm, she called to her reason to tell her what to do. - -Sir Humphrey Challoner's presence here might be a coincidence, she had -no cause to suspect that he was purposely following her. But in any -case she wished to avoid him. How could that best be done? - -Mittachip, the lawyer, had seen and recognised her. Within the next few -moments the Squire would hear of her presence at the inn. He too, -obviously, had come to rest his horses here. How long would he stay? - -She roused Betty. - -"Betty! child!" she whispered. "Wake up! We must leave this place at -once." - -Betty opened her eyes: she saw her mistress's pale, excited face bending -over her, and she jumped to her feet. - -"Listen, Betty," continued Patience. "Sir Humphrey Challoner has just -come by coach. I want to leave this place before he knows that I am -here." - -"But the horses are not put to, my lady." - -"Sh! don't talk so loud, child. I am going to slip out along the -passage, there is a door at the end of it which must give upon the back -of the house. As soon as I am gone, do you go to the parlour and tell -Thomas to have the horses put to directly they have had sufficient rest, -and to let the coach be at the cross-roads as soon as may be after -that." - -"Yes, my lady." - -"Then as quickly as you can, slip out of the house and follow the road -that leads to the forge. I'll be on the lookout for you. I'll not have -gone far. You quite understand?" - -"Oh, yes! my lady!" - -"You are not afraid?" - -Mistress Betty shrugged her plump shoulders. - -"In broad daylight? Oh, no, my lady! and the forge is but a mile." - -Even as she spoke Patience had wrapped her dark cloak and hood round -her. She listened intently for a few seconds. The sound of voices -seemed to come from the more remote bar-parlour: moreover, the narrow -passage at this end was quite dark: she had every chance of slipping out -unperceived. - -"Sh! sh!" she whispered to Betty as she opened the door. - -The passage was deserted: almost holding her breath, lest it should -betray her, Patience reached the door at the further end of it, Betty -anxiously watching her from the inner room. Quickly she slipped the -bolt, and the next instant she found herself looking out upon a dingy -unfenced yard, which for the moment was hopelessly encumbered with the -two huge travelling coaches: beyond these was a long wooden shed whence -proceeded the noise of voices and laughter, and the stamping and -snorting of horses: and far away the Moor to the right and left of her -stretched out in all the majesty of its awesome loneliness. - -The wind caught her cloak as she stepped out into the yard: she clutched -it tightly and held it close to her. She hoped the two coaches, which -stood between her and the shed, would effectively hide her from view -until she was past the house. The next moment, however, she heard an -exclamation behind her, then the sound of firm steps upon the -flagstones, and a second or two later she stood face to face with Sir -Humphrey Challoner. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - - THE REJECTED SUITOR - - -Whether he was surprised or not at finding her there, she could not say: -she was trying with all her might to appear astonished and unconcerned. - -He made her a low and elaborate bow, and she responded with the deep -curtsey the fashion of the time demanded. - -"Begad! the gods do indeed favour me!" he said, his good-looking, jovial -face expressing unalloyed delight. "I come to this forsaken spot on -God's earth, and find the fairest in all England treading its unworthy -soil." - -"I wish you well, Sir Humphrey," she said gently, but coldly. "I had no -thought of seeing you here." - -"Faith!" he laughed with some bitterness, "I had no hope that the -thought of seeing me had troubled your ladyship much. I am on my way to -Derby and foolishly thought to take this shorter way across the Moor. -Odd's life! I was well-nigh regretting it. I was attacked and robbed -last evening, and the heavy roads force me to spend the night in this -unhallowed tavern. But I little guessed what compensation the Fates had -in store for me." - -"I was in a like plight, Sir Humphrey," she said, trying to speak with -perfect indifference. - -"You were not robbed, surely?" - -"Nay, not that, but I hoped to reach Derby sooner by taking the short -cut across the Heath, and the state of the roads has so tired the -horses, I was forced to turn off at the cross-roads and to put up at -this inn." - -"Your ladyship is on your way to London?" - -"On a visit to my aunt, Lady Edbrooke." - -"Will you honour me by accepting my protection? 'Tis scarce fit for your -ladyship to be travelling all that way alone." - -"I thank you, Sir Humphrey," she rejoined coldly. "My man, Timothy, is -with me, besides the driver. Both are old and trusted servants. I meet -some friends at Wirksworth. I shall not be alone." - -"But..." - -"I pray you, sir, my time is somewhat short. I had started out for a -little fresh air and exercise before re-entering my coach. The inn was -so stifling and..." - -"Surely your ladyship will spend the night here. You cannot reach -Wirksworth before nightfall now. I am told the road is well-nigh -impassable." - -"Nay! 'tis two hours before sunset now, and three before dark. I hope -to reach Wirksworth by nine o'clock to-night. My horses have had a good -rest." - -"Surely you will allow me to escort you thus far, at least?" - -"Your horses need a rest, Sir Humphrey," she said impatiently, "and I -beg you to believe that I have sufficient escort." - -With a slight inclination of the head she now turned to go. From where -she stood she could just see the road winding down towards Stich's -forge, and she had caught sight of Betty's trim little figure stepping -briskly along. - -Sir Humphrey, thus obviously dismissed, could say no more for the -present. To force his escort upon her openly was unfitting the manners -of a gentleman. He bit his lip and tried to look gallantly disappointed. -His keen dark eyes had already perceived that in spite of her -self-control she was labouring under strong excitement. He forced his -harsh voice to gentleness, even to tenderness, as he said,-- - -"I have not dared to speak to your ladyship on the subject that lay -nearest my heart." - -"Sir Humphrey..." - -"Nay! I pray you do not misunderstand me. I was thinking of Philip, -and hoped you were not too unhappy about him." - -"There is no cause for unhappiness just yet," she said guardedly, "and -every cause for hope." - -"Ah! that's well!" he said cheerfully. "I entreat you not to give up -hope, and to keep some faith and trust in your humble servant, who would -give his life for you and yours." - -"My faith and trust are in God, Sir Humphrey, and in my brother's -innocence," she replied quietly. - -Then she turned and left him standing there, with a frown upon his -good-looking face, and a muttered curse upon his lips. He watched her -as she went down the road, until a sharp declivity hid her from his -view. - - - - - CHAPTER IX - - SIR HUMPHREY'S FAMILIAR - - -Mistress Pottage, sad-eyed, melancholy, and for ever sighing, had been -patiently waiting to receive Sir Humphrey Challoner's orders. She had -understood from his man that his Honour meant to spend the night, and -she stood anxiously in the passage, wondering if he would consider her -best bedroom good enough, or condescend to eat the meals she would have -to cook for him. - -It was really quite fortunate that Lady Patience had gone, leaving the -smaller parlour, which was Mistress Pottage's own private sanctum, ready -for the use of his Honour. - -Sir Humphrey's mind, however, was far too busy with thoughts and plans -to dwell on the melancholy landlady and her meagre fare, but he was glad -of the private room, and was gracious enough to express himself quite -satisfied with the prospect of the best bedroom. - -Some ten minutes after his brief interview with Lady Patience he was -closeted in the same little dingy room where she had been spending such -weary hours. With the healthy appetite of a burly English squire, he -was consuming large slabs of meat and innumerable tankards of small ale, -whilst opposite to him, poised on the extreme edge of a very hard oak -chair, his watery, colourless eyes fixed upon his employer, sat Master -Mittachip, attorney-at-law and man of business to sundry of the quality -who owned property on or about the Moor. - -Master Mittachip's voice was thin, he was thin, his coat looked thin: -there was in fact a general air of attenuation about the man's whole -personality. - -Just now he was fixing a pair of very pale, but very shrewd eyes upon -the heavy, somewhat coarse person of his distinguished patron. - -"Her ladyship passed me quite close," he explained, speaking in a low, -somewhat apologetic voice. "I was standing in the door of--er--the -parlour, and she graciously nodded to me as she passed." - -"Yes! yes! get on, man," quoth Sir Humphrey, impatiently. - -"The door was open, your Honour," continued Master Mittachip in a weak -voice, "there was a draught; her ladyship's cloak flew open." - -He paused a moment, noting with evident satisfaction the increasing -interest in Sir Humphrey's face. - -"Beneath her cloak," he continued, speaking very slowly, like an actor -measuring his effects, "beneath her cloak her ladyship was holding a -bundle of letters, tightly clutched in her hand." - -"Letters, eh?" commented Sir Humphrey, eagerly. - -"A bundle of them, your Honour. One of them had a large seal attached -to it. I might almost have seen the device: it was that of..." - -"Charles Edward Stuart, the Pretender?" - -"Well! I could not say for certain, your Honour," murmured Master -Mittachip, humbly. - -There was silence for a few moments. Sir Humphrey Challoner had -produced a silver tooth-pick, and was using it as an adjunct to deep -meditation. Master Mittachip was contemplating the floor with rapt -attention. - -"Harkee, Master Mittachip," said Sir Humphrey at last. "Lady Patience -is taking those letters to London." - -"That was the impression created in my mind, your Honour." - -"And why does she take those letters to London?" said Sir Humphrey, -bringing his heavy fist crashing down upon the table, and causing -glasses and dishes to rattle, whilst Master Mittachip almost lost his -balance. "Why does she take them to London, I say? Because they are -the proofs of her brother's innocence. It is easy to guess their -contents. Requests, admonitions, upbraidings on the part of the -disappointed rebels, obvious proofs that Philip had held aloof." - -He pushed his chair noisily away from the table, and began pacing the -narrow room with great, impatient strides. - -But while he spoke Master Mittachip began to lose his placid air of -apologetic deference, and a look of alarm suddenly lighted his meek, -colourless eyes. - -"Good lack," he murmured, "then my Lord Stretton is no rebel?" - -"Rebel?--not he!" asserted Sir Humphrey. "His sympathies were thought to -be with the Stuarts, but he went south during the rebellion--'twas I who -advised him--that he might avoid being drawn within its net." - -But at this Master Mittachip's terror became more tangible. - -"But your Honour," he stammered, whilst his thin cheeks assumed a leaden -hue, and his eyes sought appealingly those of his employer, "your Honour -laid sworn information against Lord Stretton ... and ... and ... I drew -up the papers ... and signed them with my name as your Honour -commanded..." - -"Well! I paid you well for it, didn't I?" said Sir Humphrey, roughly. - -"But if the accusation was false, Sir Humphrey ... I shall be disgraced -... struck off the rolls ... perhaps hanged..." - -Sir Humphrey laughed; one of those loud, jovial, laughs which those in -his employ soon learnt to dread. - -"Adsbud!" he said, "an one of us is to hang, old scarecrow, I prefer it -shall be you." - -And he gave Master Mittachip a vigorous slap on the shoulder, which -nearly precipitated the lean-shanked attorney on the floor. - -"Good Sir Humphrey..." he murmured piteously, "b ... b ... b ... but -what was the reason of the information against Lord Stretton, since the -letters can so easily prove it to be false?" - -"Silence, you fool!" said his Honour, impatiently, "I did not know of -the letters then. I wished to place Lord Stretton in a perilous -position, then hoped to succeed in establishing his innocence in certain -ways I had in my mind. I wished to be the one to save him," he added, -muttering a curse of angry disappointment, "and gain _her_ gratitude -thereby. I was journeying to London for the purpose, and now..." - -His language became such that it wholly disconcerted Master Mittachip, -accustomed though he was to the somewhat uncertain tempers of the great -folk he had to deal with. Moreover, the worthy attorney was fully -conscious of his own precarious position in this matter. - -"And now you've gained nothing," he moaned; "whilst I ... oh! oh! I..." - -His condition was pitiable. His Honour viewed him with no small measure -of contempt. Then suddenly Sir Humphrey's face lighted up with -animation. The scowl disappeared, and a shrewd, almost triumphant smile -parted the jovial, somewhat sensuous lips. - -"Easy! easy! you old coward," he said pleasantly, "things are not so bad -as that.... Adsbud! you're not hanged yet, are you? and," he added -significantly, "Lord Stretton is still attainted and in peril of his -life." - -"B ... b ... b ... but..." - -"Can't you see, you fool," said Sir Humphrey with sudden earnestness, -drawing a chair opposite the attorney, and sitting astride upon it, he -viewed the meagre little creature before him steadfastly and seriously; -"can't you see that if I can only get hold of those letters now, I could -_force_ Lady Patience into accepting my suit?" - -"Eh?" - -"With them in my possession I can go to her and say, 'An you marry me, -those proofs of your brother's innocence shall be laid before the King: -an you refuse they shall be destroyed.'" - -"Oh!" was Master Mittachip's involuntary comment: a mere gasp of -amazement, of terror at the enormity of the proposal. - -He ventured to raise his timid eyes to the strong florid face before -him, and in it saw such a firm will, such unbendable determination, that -he thought it prudent for the moment to refrain from adverse comment. - -"Truly," he murmured vaguely, as his Honour seemed to be waiting for him -to speak, "truly those letters mean the lady's fortune to your Honour." - -"And on the day of my marriage with her, two hundred guineas for you, -Master Mittachip," said Challoner, very slowly and significantly, -looking his man of business squarely in the face. - -Master Mittachip literally lost his head. Two hundred guineas! 'twas -more than he earned in four years, and that at the cost of hard work, -many kicks and constant abuse. A receiver of rents has from time -immemorial never been a popular figure. Master Mittachip found life -hard, and in those days two hundred guineas was quite a comfortable -little fortune. The attorney passed his moist tongue over his thin, -parched lips. - -The visions which these imaginary two hundred guineas had conjured up in -his mind almost made his attenuated senses reel. There was that bit of -freehold property at Wirksworth which he had long coveted, aye, or -perhaps that partnership with Master Lutworth at Derby, or... - -"'Twere worth your while, Master Mittachip, to get those letters for me, -eh?" - -His Honour's pleasant words brought the poor man back from the land of -dreams. - -"I? I, Sir Humphrey?" he murmured dejectedly, "how can I, a poor -attorney-at-law...?" - -"Zounds! but that's your affair," said his Honour with a careless shrug -of his broad shoulders, "Methought you'd gladly earn two hundred -guineas, and I offer you a way to do it." - -"But how, Sir Humphrey, how?" - -"That's for you to think on, my man. Two hundred guineas is a tidy sum. -What? I have it," he said, slapping his own broad thigh and laughing -heartily. "You shall play the daring highwayman! put on a mask and stop -her ladyship's coach, shout lustily: 'Stand and deliver!' take the -letters from her and 'tis done in a trice!" - -The idea of that meagre little creature playing the highwayman greatly -tickled Sir Humphrey's fancy, for the moment he even forgot the grave -issues he himself had at stake, and his boisterous laugh went echoing -through the old silent building. - -But as his Honour spoke this pleasant conceit, Master Mittachip's thin, -bloodless face assumed an air of deep thought, immediately followed by -one of eager excitement. - -"The idea of the highwayman is not a bad one, Sir Humphrey," he said -with a quiet chuckle, as soon as his patron's hilarity had somewhat -subsided, "but I am not happy astride a horse, and I know nought of -pistols, but there's no reason why we should not get a footpad to steal -those letters for you. 'Tis their trade after all." - -"What do you mean? I was but jesting." - -"But I was not, Sir Humphrey. I was thinking of Beau Brocade." - -"The highwayman?" - -"Why not? He lives by robbery and hates all the quality, whom he -plunders whene'er he has a chance. Your Honour has had experience, only -last night ... eh?" - -"Well? What of it? Curse you, man, for a dotard! Why don't you -explain?" - -"'Tis simple enough, your Honour. You give him the news that her -ladyship's coach will cross the Heath to-night, tell him of her money -and her jewels, offer him a hundred guineas more for the packet of -letters.... He! he! he! He'll do the rest, never fear!" - -Master Mittachip rubbed his bony hands together, his colourless eyes -were twinkling, his thin lips quivering with excitement, dreams of that -freehold bit of property became tangible once more. - -Sir Humphrey looked at him quietly for a moment or two: the little man's -excitement was contagious and his Honour had a great deal at stake: a -beautiful woman whom he loved and her large fortune to boot. But reason -and common-sense--not chivalry--were still fighting their battle against -his daring spirit of adventure. - -"Tush, man!" he said after awhile, with the calmness of intense -excitement, "you talk arrant nonsense when you say I'm to give a -highwayman news of her ladyship's coach and offer him money for the -letters. Where am I to find him? How speak with him?" - -Mittachip chuckled inwardly. His Honour then was not averse to the -plan. Already he was prepared to discuss the means of carrying it out. - -"'Tis a lawyer's business to ferret out what goes on around him, Sir -Humphrey. You can send any news you please to Beau Brocade within an -hour from now." - -"How?" - -"John Stich, the blacksmith over at the crossroads, is his ally and his -friend. Most folk think 'tis he always gives news to the rogue whene'er -a coach happen to cross the Moor. But that's as it may be. If your -Honour will call at the forge just before sunset, you'll mayhap see a -chestnut horse tethered there and there'll be a stranger talking to John -Stich; a stranger young and well-looking. He's oft to be seen at the -forge. The folk about here never ask who the stranger is, for all have -heard of the chivalrous highwayman who robs the rich and gives to the -poor. He! he! he! Do you call at the forge, Sir Humphrey, you can -arrange this little matter there.... Your news and offer of money will -get to Beau Brocade, never fear." - -Sir Humphrey was silent. All the boisterous jollity had gone out of his -face, leaving only a dark scowl behind, which made the ruddy face look -almost evil in its ugliness. Mittachip viewed him with ill-concealed -satisfaction. The plan had indeed found favour with his Honour; it was -quick, daring, sure: the fortune of a lifetime upon one throw. Sir -Humphrey, even before the attorney had finished speaking, had resolved -to take the risk. He himself was safe in any case, nothing could connect -his name with that of the notorious highwayman who had cut his purse but -the night before. - -"I'd not have her hurt," was the first comment he made after a few -minutes' silent cogitation. - -"Hurt?" rejoined Mittachip. "Why should she be hurt? Beau Brocade -would not hurt a pretty woman. He'll get the letters from her, I'll -stake my oath on that." - -"Aye! and blackmail me after that to the end of my days. My good name -would be at the mercy of so damned a rascal." - -"What matter, Sir Humphrey, once Lady Patience is your wife and her -fortune in your pocket? Everything is fair in love, so I've been told." - -Sir Humphrey ceased to argue. Chivalry and honour had long been on the -losing side. - -"Moreover, Sir Humphrey," added the crafty attorney, slily, "once you -have the letters, you can denounce the rogue yourself, and get him -hanged safely out of your way." - -"He'd denounce me." - -"And who'd believe the rascal's word against your Honour's flat denial? -Not Squire West, for sure, before whom he'd be tried, and your Honour -can have him kept in prison until after your marriage with Lady -Patience." - -It seemed as if even reason would range herself on the side of this -daring plan. There seemed practically no risk as far as Sir Humphrey -himself was concerned, and every chance of success, an that rascal Beau -Brocade would but consent. - -"He would," asserted Mittachip, "an your Honour told him that the coach, -the money, and the letters belonged to Lady Rounce, and the young lady -travelling in the coach but a niece of her ladyship. Lady Rounce is a -hard woman who takes no excuse from a debtor. He! he! he! she has the -worst reputation in the two counties, save your Honour!" - -The lawyer chuckled at this little joke, but Sir Humphrey was too -absorbed to note the impertinence. He was pacing up and down the narrow -room in a last agony of indecision. - -Mittachip evidently was satisfied with his day's work. The two hundred -guineas he looked upon as a certainty already. After a while, noting -the look of stern determination upon his Honour's face, he turned the -conversation to matters of business. He had been collecting some rents -for Sir Humphrey and also for Squire West and Lady Rounce, and would -have to return to Wirksworth to bank the money. - -Since Sir Humphrey Challoner was occupying the only available bedroom at -the Moorhen, there would be no room for Master Mittachip and Master -Duffy, his clerk. He hoped to reach Brassington by the bridle path -before the footpads were astir, thence at dawn on to Wirksworth. - -He had shot his poisonous arrow and did not stop to ascertain how far it -had gone home. He bade farewell to his employer, with all the deference -which many years of intercourse with the quality had taught him, and -never mentioned Beau Brocade, Lady Patience or John Stich's forge again. -But when he had bowed and scraped himself out of his Honour's presence, -and was sitting once more beside Master Duffy in the bar-parlour, there -was a world of satisfaction in his pale, watery eyes. - - - - - CHAPTER X - - A STRANGER AT THE FORGE - - -In the meanwhile Lady Patience, with Betty by her side, had been walking -towards the forge as rapidly as the state of the road permitted. - -A sudden turn of the path brought her within sight of the cross-ways and -of the old gallows, on which a fragment of rain-spattered rag still -fluttered ghostlike in the wind. - -But here, within a few yards of her goal, she stopped suddenly, with -eyes dilated, and hands pressed convulsively to her heart, in an agony -of terror. Walking quickly on the road from Wirksworth towards Stich's -cottage were some half-dozen red-coated figures, the foremost man -amongst them wearing three stripes upon his sleeve. - -Soldiers with a sergeant at the forge! What could it mean but awful -peril for the fugitive? - -Her halt had been but momentary, the next instant she was flying down -the pathway closely followed by Betty, and had reached the shed just as -the soldiers were skirting the cottage towards it. - -She glanced within, and gave a quick sigh of relief: there was no sign -of her brother, and John was busy at his anvil. - -Already the smith had caught sight of her. - -"Hush!" he whispered reassuringly, "have no fear, my lady. I've had -soldiers here before." - -"But they'll recognise me, perhaps ... or guess..." - -"No, no! my lady! Do you pretend to be a waiting wench. They are men -from Derby mostly, and not like to know your face." - -There was not a moment to be lost. Patience realised this, together -with the certainty that her own coolness and presence of mind might -prove the one chance of safety for her brother. - -"Halt!" came in loud accents from the sergeant outside. - -"The lock, Master Stich," said Patience, loudly and carelessly, as the -sergeant stepped into the doorway, "is it ready? Her ladyship's coach -is following me from Aldwark, and will be at the cross-roads anon." - -"Quite ready, mistress," replied the smith, casting a rapid glance at -the soldier, who stood in the entrance with hand to hat in military -salute. - -The latter took a rapid survey of the interior of the forge, then said -politely,-- - -"Your pardon, ladies!" - -"Well, and what is it now, Sergeant?" queried John, with affected -impatience. - -"I have heard that there's a stranger at your forge, smith," replied the -soldier. "My corporal came down from Aldwark early this afternoon and -told me about him. I'd like just to have a talk with him." - -"One moment, Sergeant," said John, interposing his burly figure between -Patience and the prying eyes of the young soldier. - -"I think you'll find the lock quite secure now, mistress," he said, -trying, good, honest fellow that he was, to put as much meaning into the -careless sentence as he dared. She mutely thanked him with her eyes, -took the padlock from his hands, and gave him over some money for his -pains, the while her heart was nearly bursting with the agony of -suspense. - -"No stranger, Sergeant," rejoined the smith, once more turning with -well-assumed indifference to the soldier, "only my nephew out o' -Nottingham. Your corporal was a Derby man, and knew the lad's mother, my -sister Hannah!" - -"Quite so, quite so, smith," quoth the Sergeant, pleasantly; "then you -won't mind my searching your forge and cottage just for form's sake." - -Even then Patience did not betray herself either by a look or a quiver -of the voice. - -"Lud! how tiresome be those soldiers," she said with an affected pout. -"I'd hoped to wait here in peace, friend smith, until the arrival of her -ladyship's coach." - -"Nay, mistress, you need not be disturbed," said the smith, jovially, -"the Sergeant is but jesting, eh, friend?" he added, turning to the -soldier. "There! I give you my word, Master Sergeant, that there is -nought here for you to find." - -"I've my orders, smith," said the Sergeant, more curtly. - -"Nay, friend," interposed Lady Patience, "surely you overstep your -orders. John Stich is honest and loyal, you do him indignity by such -unjust suspicions." - -"Your pardon, ma'am, but I know my duty. There's no suspicion against -the smith, but there are many rebels in hiding about here, and I've -strict orders to be on the lookout for one in particular, Philip -Gascoyne, Earl of Stretton, who is known to be in these parts." - -John Stich interrupted him with a loud guffaw. - -"Lud, man!" he said, "there's no room for a noble lord in a wayside -smithy; you waste your time." - -"My orders say I've the right to search," quoth the Sergeant, firmly, -"and search I'm going to." - -Then he turned to his squad, who were standing at attention outside. - -"Follow me, men," he said, as he stepped forward into the forge. - -Fortunately the remote corners of the shed were dark, and Patience still -had her hood and cloak wrapped closely round her, or her deathlike -pallor, the wild, terrified look in her eyes, would at this moment have -betrayed her in spite of herself. - -But honest John was standing in the way of the Sergeant. - -"Look'ee here, Sergeant," he said quietly, "I'm a man of few words, but -I'm a free-born Englishman, and my home is my castle. It's an insult to -a free and loyal citizen for soldiers to search his home, as if he were -a felon. I say you _shall not_ enter, so you take yourself off, before -you come by a broken head." - -"Smith, you're a fool," commented the Sergeant with a shrug of the -shoulders, "and do yourself no good." - -"That's as it may be, friend," quoth John. "There are fools in every -walk in life. You be a stranger in these parts and don't know me, but -folk'll tell you that what John Stich once says, that he'll stick to. -So forewarned is forearmed, friend Sergeant. Eh?" - -But to this the Sergeant had but one reply, and that was directed to his -own squad. - -"Now then, my men," he said, "follow me! and you, John Stich," he added -loudly and peremptorily, "stand aside in the name of the King!" - -The men were ranged round the Sergeant with muskets grasped, ready to -rush in the next moment at word of command. John Stich stood between -them and a small wooden door, little more than a partition, behind which -Philip, Earl of Stretton, was preparing to sell his life dearly. - -That death would immediately follow capture was absolutely clear both to -him and to his devoted sister, who with almost superhuman effort of will -was making heroic efforts to keep all outward show of alarm in check. -Even amongst these half-dozen soldiers any one of them might know Lord -Stretton by sight, and was not likely to forget that twenty guineas--a -large sum in those days--was the price the Hanoverian Government was -prepared to pay for the head of a rebel. - -Philip was a man condemned to death by Act of Parliament. If he were -captured now, neither prayer, nor bribes, nor even proofs of innocence -would avail him before an officious magistrate intent on doing his duty. -A brief halt at Brassington court-house, an execution in the early -dawn!... these were the awesome visions which passed before Patience's -eyes, as with a last thought of anguish and despair she turned to God -for help! - -No doubt John Stich was equally aware of the imminence of the peril, -and, determined to fight for the life of his lord, he brandished his -mighty hammer over his head, and there was a look in the powerful man's -eyes that made even the Sergeant pause awhile ere giving the final word -of command. - -Thus there was an instant's deadly silence whilst so many hearts were -wildly beating in tumultuous emotion. Just one instant--a few seconds, -mayhap, whilst even Nature seemed to stand still, and Time to pause -before the next fateful minute. - -And then a voice--a fresh, young, happy voice--was suddenly heard to -sing, "My beautiful white rose." - -It was not very distant: but twenty yards at most, and even now seemed -to be making for the forge, drawing nearer and nearer. - -Instinctively--what else could they do?--soldiers and Sergeant turned to -look out upon the Heath. There was such magic in that merry, boyish -voice, clear as that of the skylark, singing the quaint old ditty. - -They looked and saw a stranger dressed in elegant, almost foppish -fashion, his brown hair free from powder, tied with a large bow at the -nape of the neck, dainty lace at his throat and wrists, scarce a speck -of mud upon his fine, well-cut coat. He was leading a beautiful -chestnut horse by the bridle and had been singing as he walked. - -Patience, too, catching at this happy interruption like a drowning man -does at a straw, turned to look at the approaching stranger. - -Her eyes were the first to meet his as he reached the entrance of the -forge, and with an elaborate, courtly gesture he raised his -three-cornered hat and made her a respectful bow. - -Then he burst out laughing. - -"Ho! ho! ho! but here's a pretty to-do. Why, John Stich, my friend, you -look a bit out of temper." - -He stood there framed in the doorway, with the golden light of the -afternoon sun throwing into bold silhouette his easy, graceful stature, -and the pleasant picture of him, with one arm round the beautiful -horse's neck and his slender fingers gently fondling its soft, quivering -nose. - -John Stich, at first sound of the stranger's voice, had relaxed from his -defiant attitude, and a ray of hope had chased away the threatening look -in his eyes. - -"So would you be, Captain," he said gruffly, "with these red coats -inside your house, and all their talk of rebels." - -"Captain?" murmured the Sergeant. - -"Aye, Captain Bathurst, my man, of His Majesty's White Dragoons," said -the stranger, carelessly, as without more ado he led his horse within -the forge and tethered it close to the entrance. Then he came forward -and slapped the Sergeant vigorously on the back. - -"And I'll go bail, Sergeant, that John Stich is no rebel. He's far too -big a fool!" he added in an audible whisper, and with a merry twinkle in -his grey eyes. - -Patience still stood rigid, expectant, terrified in the darker corner of -the shed. She had not yet realised whether she dared to hope, whether -this young stranger, with his pleasant, boyish voice and debonnair -manner, would have the power to stay the hand of Fate, which was even -now raised against her brother. - -Betty, behind her mistress, was too terrified to speak. - -But already the Sergeant had recovered from his momentary surprise. At -mention of the stranger's military rank he had raised his hand to his -tricorne hat. Now he was ready to perform his duty, and gladly noted -the smith's less aggressive attitude. - -"At your service, Captain," he said, "and now I have my orders. I've a -right o' search and..." - -But like veritable quicksilver, Captain Bathurst was upon him in a -moment. - -"A right o' search!" he said excitedly. "A right o' search, did you -say, Sergeant? Odd's my life, but I'm in luck! Sergeant, you're the -very man for me." - -And he pulled the Sergeant by the sleeve. - -"I pray you, sir..." protested the latter. - -But the young man was not to be denied. - -"Sergeant," he whispered significantly, "would you like to earn a -hundred guineas?" - -"One hundred guineas," rejoined the soldier readily enough; "that I -would, sir, if you'll tell me how." - -He kept an eye on the little wooden door behind John Stich, but his ear -leaned towards the stranger; the bait was a tempting one, a hundred -guineas was something of a fortune to a soldier of King George II. - -"Listen then," said Bathurst, mysteriously. "You've heard of Beau -Brocade, the highwayman, haven't you?" - -"Aye, aye," nodded the Sergeant, "who hasn't?" - -"Well then you know that there is a price of a hundred guineas for his -capture, eh? ... Think of it, Sergeant! ... A hundred guineas! ... a -little fortune, eh?" - -The Sergeant's eyes twinkled at the thought. The soldiers too listened -with eager interest, for the stranger was no longer talking in a -whisper. A hundred guineas! three little words of wondrous magic, which -had the power to rouse most men to excitement in those days of penury. - -Lady Patience's whole soul seemed to have taken refuge in her eyes. Her -body leaning forward, her lips parted with a quick-drawn breath, she -gazed upon the stranger, wondering what he would do. That he was -purposely diverting the Sergeant's attention from his purpose she did -not dare to think, that he was succeeding beyond her wildest hopes was -not in doubt for a moment. - -And yet there did not seem much gained by averting the fearful -catastrophe for the span of a few brief minutes. - -"Aye! a fortune indeed!" sighed the Sergeant, with obvious longing. - -"And I have sworn to lay that dare-devil highwayman by the heels," -continued the young man. "I know where he lies hidden at this very -moment, but, by Satan and all his crew, I cannot lay hands upon the -rascal." - -"How so?" - -"The house is private! worse luck! _I_ have no right of search!" - -The Sergeant gave a knowing wink. - -"Hm!" he said. "I understand." - -Then he added significantly,-- - -"But the reward?" - -"Odd's life! you shall have the whole of that, Sergeant, and, if your -men will help me, there shall be another hundred to divide between them. -I have sworn to lay the rogue by the heels for my honour's sake. Would -you believe me, Sergeant, 'tis but a week ago that rascally highwayman -robbed me in broad daylight! ... fifty guineas he took from me. Now -I've a bet with Captain Borrowdale, five hundred guineas aside, that -I'll bring about the rogue's capture." - -There was no doubt now that the Sergeant's interest was fully aroused; -the soldiers, at mention of the reward which was to be theirs, hung upon -their Sergeant's lips, hoping for the order to march on this very -lucrative errand. - -"Hm!" muttered the latter, with a knowing wink, "perhaps that highwayman -is a personal enemy of yours as well, sir!" - -"Aye!" sighed Captain Bathurst, pathetically, "the worst I ever had." - -"And you'd be mightily glad to see him hanged, an I mistake not. What?" - -"Zounds! but I wouldn't say that exactly, Sergeant, but ... I have no -love for him ... 'tis many an ill turn he has done me of late." - -"I understand! Then the reward?" - -"You shall have every penny of it, friend, and a hundred guineas for -your men. What say you, gallant soldiers?" And he turned gaily to the -little squad, who had stood at very close attention all this while. - -But there was no need to make this direct appeal. The men were only too -ready to be up and doing, to earn the reward and leave John Stich and -the very problematical rebel to look after themselves. - -"Now, quick's the word," said the young man, briskly, "there's not a -moment to be lost." - -"At your service, Captain," replied the Sergeant, turning once more -towards the inner door before which John Stich still held guard, "as -soon as I've searched this forge..." - -"Nay, man, an you waste a minute, you and your men will miss Beau -Brocade and the hundred guineas reward. Quick, man!" he added -hurriedly, seeing that the soldier had paused irresolute, "quick! with -your fellows straight up the road that leads northward. I'm on -horseback--I'll overtake you as soon as may be." - -"But..." - -"You'll see a lonely cottage about half a mile from here, then a bridle -path on the left; follow that, you'll come to a house that was once an -inn. The rascal is there. I saw him not half an hour ago." - -"But the rebel, Captain..." feebly protested the Sergeant, "my duty..." - -"Nay, Sergeant, as you will," said Bathurst, coolly, with a great show -of complete indifference; "but while you parley here, Beau Brocade will -slip through your fingers. He is at the house now: he may be gone by -sunset. Odd's life! search for your rebels! go on! waste time! and the -hundred guineas are lost to you and your men for ever." - -It was obvious that both sergeant and men were determined not to lose -this opportunity of a bold bid for fortune. - -"Done with you, sir," he said resolutely. "After all," he added, as a -concession to his own sense of duty, "I can always come back and search -the forge afterwards." - -All the soldiers seemed as one man to be uttering a sigh of relief and -eager anticipation, and even before the Sergeant had spoken the word, -they turned to go. - -"You are a wise man, Sergeant," said Bathurst, jovially. "Off with you! -straight along that road you see before you. The cottage is just beyond -that clump of distant firs, there you'll see the bridle path. But I'll -overtake you before then, never fear. Time to give my horse a handful -of oats..." - -But even while he spoke the Sergeant had called "Attention!" - -"I'll not fail you, sir," he shouted excitedly. "A hundred guineas! -odd's my life! 'tis a fortune! Left turn! Quick march!" - -The young man stood in the doorway and watched the little squad as, -preceded by their Sergeant, they plodded their way northwards in quest -of fortune. John Stich too followed them with his eyes, until the bend -in the road hid the red coats from view. Then both turned and came -within. - -But Lady Patience through it all never looked at the soldiers; her eyes, -large, glowing, magnetic, were fixed upon the stranger in the forge, as -if in a trance of joy and gratitude. - - - - - CHAPTER XI - - THE STRANGER'S NAME - - -Mistress Betty was the first to recover from terror and surprise. She -too had fixed a pair of large and wondering eyes upon the stranger. - -"'Tis the gentleman who brought the letter from his lordship last -night," she whispered to her mistress. - -Patience closed her eyes for a moment: her spirit, which had gone -a-roaming into the land of dreams, where dwell heroes and proud knights -of old, came back to earth once more. - -"Then he must have guessed my brother was here," she murmured, "and did -it to save him." - -But the tension being relaxed, already the bright and sunny nature, -which appeared to be the chief characteristic of the stranger, quickly -re-asserted itself, and soon he was laughing merrily. - -"Oh! ho! gone, by my faith!" he said to John. "Odd's life! but he -swallowed that, clean as a mullet after bait, eh, friend Stich?" - -It seemed as if he purposely avoided looking at Patience: perhaps, with -the innate delicacy of a kindly nature, he wished to give her time to -recover her composure. But now she came forward, turning to him with a -gentle smile that had an infinity of pathos in it. - -"Sir," she said, "I would wish to thank you..." - -He put up his hand, with a gesture of self-deprecation. - -"To thank me, madam?" he said, with profound deference. "Nay! you do -but jest. I have done nothing to deserve so great a favour." - -He bowed to her with perfect courtly grace, but she would not be -gainsaid. She wished to think that he had acted thus for her. - -"Sir, you wrong your own most noble deed," she said. "Will you not -allow me to keep the sweet illusion, that what you did just now, you did -from the kindness of your heart, and because you saw that we were all -anxious ... and that ... I was unhappy..." - -She looked divinely fair as she stood there beside him, with the rays of -the slanting September sun touching the halo of her hair with a wand of -gold. Her voice was musical and low, and there was a catch in her throat -as she held out one tiny, trembling hand to him. - -He took it in his own strong grasp, and kept it a prisoner therein for -awhile, then he bent his slim young figure and touched her finger-tips -with his lips. - -"Faith, madam!" he said, "by that sweet illusion, an it dwell awhile in -your memory, I am more than repaid." - -In the meanwhile John had pushed open the small door which led to the -inner shed. - -"Quite safe, my lord!" he shouted gaily, "only friends present." - -Brother and sister, regardless of all save their own joy in this averted -peril, were soon locked in each other's arms. Captain Bathurst had -heard her happy cry: "Philip!" had seen the look of gladness brighten -her tear-dimmed eyes, and a curious feeling of wrath, which he could not -explain, caused him to turn away with a frown and a sigh. - -Patience was clinging to her brother, half hysterical, nervous, excited. - -"You are safe, dear," she murmured, touching with trembling motherly -hands the dear head so lately in peril, "quite safe ... let me feel your -precious hands ... oh! it was so horrible! ... another moment and you -were discovered! ... Sir!" she added once more, turning to the stranger -with the sweet impulse of her gratitude, "my thanks just now must have -seemed so poor ... I was nervous and excited ... but see! here is one -who owes you his life, and who, I know, would wish to join his thanks to -mine." - -But there was a change in his manner now. He bowed slightly before her -and said very coldly,-- - -"Nay, madam! let me assure you once again that I have done naught to -deserve your thanks. John Stich is my friend, and he seemed in trouble -... if I have had the honour to serve you at the same time, 'tis I who -should render thanks." - -She sighed, somewhat disappointed at his coldness. But Philip, with -boyish impulse, held out both hands to him. - -"Nay, sir," he said, "I know not who you are, but I heard everything -from behind that door, and I know that I owe you my life..." - -"I beg you, sir..." - -"Another moment and I had rushed out and sold my life dearly. Your -noble effort, sir, did more than save that life," he added, taking -Patience's hand in his, "it spared a deep sorrow to one who is -infinitely dear to me ... my only sister." - -"Your ... your sister?" - -"Aye! my sister, Lady Patience Gascoyne, I am the Earl of Stretton, -unjustly attainted by Act of Parliament. The life you have just saved, -sir, is henceforth at your command." - -"Indeed, Philip," added Patience, gently, "we already are deeply in this -gentleman's debt. Betty, who saw him, tells me that it was he who -brought me your letter yester night." - -"You, sir!" exclaimed Stretton in profound astonishment, "then you -are..." - -He paused instinctively, for he had remembered his conversation with -John Stich earlier in the day; he remembered the anger, the wonder, -which he had felt when the smith told him that he had entrusted the -precious letter for Lady Patience to Beau Brocade, the highwayman ... - -"Then you are...?" repeated Philip, mechanically. - -Patience was clinging to her brother, with her back towards the -stranger, so she did not see the swift look of appeal the slender finger -put up in a mute, earnest prayer for silence. But now she turned and -looked inquiringly at him, her eyes asking for a name by which she could -remember him. - -"Captain Jack Bathurst," he said, bowing low, "at your command." - - - - - CHAPTER XII - - THE BEAUTIFUL WHITE ROSE - - -But of course there was no time to be lost. Captain Jack Bathurst was -the first to give the alarm. - -"Those gallant lobsters won't be long in finding out that they've been -hoodwinked," he said, "an I mistake not, they'll return here anon with a -temper slightly the worse for wear. They must not find your lordship -here at anyrate," he added earnestly. - -"But what's to be done?" asked Patience, all her anxiety returning in a -trice, and instinctively turning for guidance to the man who already had -done so much for her. - -"For the next hour or two at anyrate his lordship would undoubtedly be -safer on the open Moor," said Bathurst, decisively. "'Tis nigh on -sunset, and the shepherds are busy gathering in their flocks. There'll -be no one about, and 'twould be safer." - -"On the open Moor?" - -"Aye! 'tis not a bad place," he said, with a touch of sadness in his -fresh young voice. "I myself..." - -He checked himself and continued more quietly,-- - -"Your lordship could return here after sundown. You'd be safe enough for -the night. After that, an you'll grant me leave, my friend Stich and I -will venture to devise some better plan for your safety. For the moment, -I pray you, be guided by this good advice, and seek the protection of -the open Moor." - -He had spoken so earnestly, with such obvious heartfelt concern, and at -the same time with such quiet firmness, that instinctively Philip felt -inclined to obey; the weaker nature turned for support to the stronger -one, to whose dominating influence it felt compelled to yield. He -turned to Patience, and her eyes seemed to tell him that she was ready -to trust this stranger. - -"Aye! I'll go, sir!" he sighed wearily. - -He kissed his sister with all the fondness of his aching heart. All his -hopes for the future were centred in her and in the long journey she was -about to undertake for his sake. - -Bathurst discreetly left brother and sister alone. He knew nothing of -their affairs, of their plans, their hopes. Stich was too loyal to -speak of his lord, even to a man whom he trusted and respected as he did -the Captain. The latter knew that a hunted man was in hiding in the -smith's forge, he had taken a message from the man to the lady at -Stretton Hall, now he knew for certain that the fugitive was the Earl of -Stretton. But that was all. - -Being outside the pale of the law himself, his sympathies at once ranged -themselves on the side of the fugitive. Whether the latter were guilty -or innocent mattered little to Jack Bathurst; what did matter to him was -that the most beautiful woman he had ever set eyes on was unhappy and in -tears. - -Philip, seeing that he could talk to his sister unobserved, whispered -eagerly,-- - -"The letters, dear, have a care; how will you carry them?" - -"In the drawer underneath the seat of the coach," she whispered in -reply. "I'll not leave the coach day or night until I've reached -London. From Wirksworth onwards I'll be travelling with relays: I need -neither spare horses nor waste a moment's time. I can be in town in -less than six days." - -"When will your coach be ready?" - -"In a few minutes now, and I'll start at once: but go, go now, dear," -she urged tenderly, "since Captain Bathurst thinks it better that you -should." - -She kissed him again and again, her heart full of hope and excitement at -thought of what she could do for him, yet aching because of this -parting. It was terrible to leave him in this awful peril, to be far -away if danger once again became imminent! - -When at last he had torn himself away from her, he made quickly for the -door, where Bathurst had been waiting for him. - -"Ah, sir!" sighed Philip, bitterly, "'tis a sorry plight for a soldier -and a gentleman to hide for his life like a coward and a thief." - -But Bathurst before leaving was looking back at the beautiful picture of -Patience's sweet face bathed in tears. - -"Like a thief?" he murmured. "Nay, sir, thieves have no angels to guard -and love them: methinks you have no cause to complain of your fate." - -There was perhaps just a thought of bitterness in his voice as he said -this, and Patience turned to him, and gazed at him in tender womanly -pity through her tears. At once the electrical, sunny nature within him -again gained the upper hand. Laughter and gaiety seemed with him to be -always close to the surface, ready to ripple out at any moment, and -calling forth hope and confidence in those around. - -"An you'll accept my escort, sir," he said cheerfully to Philip, "I'll -show you a sheltered spot known only to myself ... and to Jack o' -Lantern," he added, giving a passing tender tap to his beautiful horse. -"He and I are very fond of the Moor, eh, Jack, old friend? ... We are -the two Jacks, you see, sir, and seldom are seen apart. Together we -discovered the spot which I will show you, sir, and where you can lie -_perdu_ until nightfall. 'Tis safe and lonely and but a step from this -forge." - -Philip accepted the offer gratefully. Like his sister, he too felt that -he could trust Jack Bathurst. As he walked by his side along the -unbeaten track on the Heath, he viewed with some curiosity, not unmixed -with boyish admiration, the tall, well-knit figure of his gallant -rescuer. He tried to think of him as the notorious highwayman, Beau -Brocade, on whose head the Government had put the price of a hundred -guineas. - -A hero of romance he was in the hearts of the whole country-side, yet a -felon in the eyes of the law. Philip could just see his noble profile, -with the well-cut features, the boyish, sensitive mouth, firm chin and -straight, massive brow, over which a mass of heavy brown curls clustered -in unruly profusion. - -A brave man, surely--Philip had experienced that; a wise one too in -spite of his youth. Stretton guessed his companion to be still under -thirty years of age, and yet there was at times, in spite of the -inherently sunny disposition below, a look of melancholy, of -disappointment, in the deep, grey eyes, which spoke of a wasted life, of -opportunities lost perhaps, or of persistent adverse fate. - -Through it all there was that quaint air of foppishness, the manners and -appearance of a dandy about the Court. The caped coat was dark and -serviceable, but it was of the finest cloth and of the latest, most -fashionable cut, and beneath it peeped a dainty silk waistcoat, -delicately embroidered. - -The lace at throat and wrists was of the finest Mechlin, and the boots, -though stout and heavy, betrayed the smallness and the arch of the foot. -Though Jack Bathurst had obviously been riding, he carried neither whip -nor cane. - -All that Philip observed in this rapid walk to the place of shelter -which Bathurst had thought out for him, Patience, with a woman's quick -perception, had noted from the first. To her, of course, the Captain -was but a gallant stranger, good to look at and replete with all the -chivalrous attributes this troublous century called forth in the hearts -of her sons. She knew naught of Beau Brocade the highwayman, and -probably would have recoiled in horror at thought of connecting the name -of a thief with that of her newly-found hero of romance. - -She stood in the doorway for some time, watching with glowing eyes the -figures of the two men, until they disappeared behind a high clump of -gorse: then with a curious little sigh she turned and went within. - -John Stich and Mistress Betty were carrying on an animated conversation -in a remote corner of the forge. Patience did not wish to disturb them: -she was deeply grateful to John, and felt kindly disposed towards the -suggestion of romance conveyed by the smith's obvious appreciation of -pretty Mistress Betty. - -She crossed the shed, and opening the door at the further end of it, she -found that it gave upon a small yard which separated the forge from the -cottage, and in which Stich and his mother, who kept house for him, had -with tender care succeeded in cultivating a few flowers: only one or two -tall hollyhocks, some gay-looking sunflowers, and a few sweet-scented -herbs. And on the south aspect a lovely trail of creeping white rose, -the kind known as "Five Sisters," threw its delicate fragrance over this -little oasis in the wilderness of the Moor. - -And, almost mechanically, whilst her fancy once more went a-roaming in -the land of dreams, Patience began to hum the quaint old ditty: "My -beautiful white rose." - -Suddenly--at a quick thought mayhap--her eyes grew dim, her cheeks began -to burn: she drew towards her a cluster of snowy blossoms, on which the -earlier rains had left a mantle of glittering diamonds, and buried her -glowing face in its pure, cool depths. Then she detached one lovely -white rose from the parent bough, and, sighing, pinned it to her belt. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - - A PROPOSAL AND A THREAT - - -Sir Humphrey Challoner had not been long in making up his mind to take -Master Mittachip's pernicious advice. He twisted the old adage that -"everything is fair in love" to a justification of his own evil purpose. -He was not by any means a bad man. Save for his somewhat inordinate -love of money, he had none of the outrageous vices which were looked -upon with leniency in the quality in those days. - -He drank hard, and exacted his pound of flesh equally from all his -tenants, but neither of these characteristics was unusual in an English -squire of the early eighteenth century: a great many of them were -impecunious, and all were fond of good cheer. Originally he had meant -no harm to the young Earl of Stretton. His plan, as he clumsily -conceived it, was to get Philip into trouble first, then to extricate -him from it, for the sake of earning the gratitude of the richest -heiress in the Midlands and the most beautiful woman in England to boot. - -Sir Humphrey Challoner was not a diplomatist: he was a rough country -gentleman of that time, with but scant notions of abstract right and -wrong where his own desires were at stake. - -His original plan had failed through that very Act of Parliament which -placed Philip's life in immediate and imminent peril. Sir Humphrey did -not desire the lad's death: of course not. He had nothing to gain -thereby, and only wished for the sister's hand in marriage. He started -for London post-haste, hoping still to use what influence he had, and -also what knowledge he possessed of Philip's attitude at the time of the -rebellion, in order to bring about the boy's justification and release. - -That Patience had evidently found a means of proving her brother's -innocence without his help was a bitter disappointment to Sir Humphrey. -He knew that she would never marry him of her own free will, but only on -compulsion or from gratitude. - -The latter was now out of the question. He could do nothing to earn it. -Compulsion was the only course, and Mittachip, with crafty persuasion, -had shown him the possible way; therefore he went to the forge of John -Stich to carry through the plan to that end. - -It was close on sunset. On the Moor, gorse, bramble and heather were -bathed in ruddy gold, the brilliant aftermath of this glowing September -afternoon. - -Sir Humphrey had walked over from the Moorhen; as soon as he entered the -forge, the first thing he noticed was the beautiful chestnut horse -tethered against the door-post, the same which he himself had declared -that very day to be worth a small fortune. Fate was obviously playing -into his hands. Mittachip had neither deceived him nor lured him with -false hopes. - -Otherwise the shed was empty: there was no sign of John Stich, or of the -stranger who rode the chestnut horse. Sir Humphrey went within and, as -patiently as he could, set himself to wait. - -When therefore Jack Bathurst returned to the forge some few minutes -later, he found that her ladyship, Betty and Stich had gone, whilst, -sitting on the edge of the rough deal table, and impatiently tapping his -boot with a riding-whip, was no less a personage than the Squire of -Hartington. - -Jack had caught a glimpse of his Honour the night before on the Heath, -under circumstances which even now brought a smile to his lips, and -which incidentally had made the poor of Brassington richer by fifty -guineas. - -For a moment he hesitated whether he would go in or no. He had been -masked during that incident, of course, and knew not even the ABC of -fear. His dare-devil spirit of fun and adventure quickly gained the -upper hand, and the next moment he had greeted his Honour with all the -courtly grace he had at command. - -Sir Humphrey looked at him keenly for a moment or two. Young and -well-looking! Oft to be seen at the forge at sundown! ... Odd's life -but... - -"Your servant, sir!" he said, returning the salutation. - -Sir Humphrey was in no hurry. He firmly believed that Fate had decided -to be kind to him in this matter, but he feared to brusque the -situation, and thereby to imperil the successful issue of his scheme. - -Therefore he passed the time of day with this well-looking stranger, he -talked of the weather and the rains on the Moors, the bad state of the -roads and the insufficiency of police in the county, of the late -rebellion and the newest fashion in coats. - -Jack Bathurst seemed to fall into his mood. He was shrewd enough to -perceive that Sir Humphrey Challoner was in his own estimation playing a -diplomatic game of cat and mouse, and it much intrigued Bathurst to know -what his ultimate purpose might be. He had not long to wait; after some -five minutes of casual conversation, Sir Humphrey went straight for his -goal. - -"Odd's life!" he said suddenly, interrupting his own flow of small talk, -"it wonders me how long that rascally smith'll stay away from his work. -Adsbud! but he's a lazy vagabond. What say you, sir?" - -"Nay! you, sir, wrong an honest man," replied Bathurst. "John Stich is -a steady worker. Shall I call him for you? I know my way about his -cottage." - -"Nay, I thank you, sir! my purpose can wait. Truth to tell," added his -Honour, carelessly, "'twas not the blacksmith's work I needed, but his -help in a trifling matter of business." - -"Indeed?" - -"You'll be surprised perhaps at my question, sir, but have you ever -heard mention of that fellow, Beau Brocade?" - -"Oh! ... vaguely..." - -"A highwayman, sir, and a consummate rogue, yet your honest John Stich -is said to be his friend." - -"Indeed?" - -"Now, an you'll believe me, sir, I have a mind to speak with the -rascal." - -"Indeed? then you are bolder than most, sir," said Jack, cheerfully. He -was really beginning to wonder what the Squire of Hartington was driving -at. - -"It seems strange, doesn't it? but to be frank with you, I'm in two -minds about that rogue." - -"How so?" - -"Well! I have a score to settle with him, and a business to propose; -and I cannot decide which course to adopt." - -"You, sir, being so clever, might perhaps manage both," said Bathurst -with a touch of sarcasm. - -"Hm! I wonder now," continued Sir Humphrey, not wishing to notice the -slight impertinence. "I wonder now what an independent gentleman like -yourself would advise me to do. I have not the honour of knowing who -you are," he added with grave condescension, "but I can see that you -_are_, like myself, a gentleman." - -Bathurst bowed in polite acknowledgment. - -"I should be proud to serve you with advice, sir, since you desire it." - -"Well! as I have said, I have a score to settle with the rogue. He -stole fifty guineas from me last night." - -"Ah me!" sighed Jack, with a melancholy shake of the head, "then I fear -me he'll never haunt the Heath again." - -"What mean you, sir?" - -"Nay! I can picture the rascal now, after you, sir, had punished him -for his impudence! A mangled, bleeding wreck! But there! I have no -pity for him! Daring to measure his valour against your noted prowess!" - -"Quite so! quite so!" quoth his Honour, whilst smothering a curse at -this more obvious piece of insolence. - -"But I entreat your pardon. I was interrupting the story." - -"I saw the rogue, sir," said Sir Humphrey, glancing significantly at the -young man, "saw him clearly by the light of my carriage lanthorns. He -was masked, of course, but I'd know him anywhere, and could denounce him -to-morrow." - -He had risen to his feet, and with legs apart, standing face to face -with Bathurst, he spoke every word as if he meant them to act as a -threat. - -"There are plenty of soldiers about these parts now, even if the country -folk won't touch their vaunted hero of romance. I could get him hanged, -sir, within a week. A cordon of soldiers round this Heath, my word to -swear his identity, and.... But there!" he added with a jovial laugh, -"'tis no concern of yours is it, sir? You were kind enough to promise -me your advice. This is one of my alternatives, the score I'd wish to -settle; there's still the business I could offer the rogue." - -Sir Humphrey had looked the young man squarely in the face whilst he -uttered his threat, but had seen nothing there, save the merriest, the -most light-hearted of smiles. - -"I can scarce advise you, sir," said Bathurst, still smiling, "unless I -know the business as well." - -"Well, sir, you know of old Lady Rounce, do you not? the meanest, -ugliest old witch in the county, eh? Well! she is on her way to London, -and carries with her a mass of money, wrung from her miserable tenants." - -"Faith, sir! you paint a most entrancing picture of the lady." - -"Now, an that rascal Beau Brocade were willing to serve me, he could at -one stroke save his own neck from the gallows, enrich himself, right the -innocent and confound a wicked old woman." - -"And how could this galaxy of noble deeds be accomplished at one stroke, -sir?" - -"Her ladyship's coach will pass over the Heath to-night. It should be -at the cross-roads soon. There will be all the old harridan's money and -jewels to be got out of it." - -"Of course." - -"And also a packet of love-letters, which doubtless will be hidden away -in the receptacle beneath the seat." - -"Letters?" queried Bathurst. "Hm! I doubt me if love-letters would -tempt a gentleman of the road." - -"Nay, sir," replied his Honour, now dropping his voice to a confidential -whisper, "these are letters which, if published, would compromise an -artless young lady, whom old Lady Rounce pursues with her hatred and -spite. Now I would give a hundred guineas to any person who will bring -me those letters at the Moorhen to-morrow. Surely to a gentleman of the -road the game would be worth the candle. Lady Rounce carries money with -her besides, and her diamonds. What think you of it, sir?" - -"'Tis somewhat difficult to advise," said Bathurst, meditatively. - -"Ah well!" said Sir Humphrey with affected indifference, "'tis really -not much to me. On the whole perhaps I would prefer to deliver the -rascal into the hands of my friend Squire West at Brassington. Anyway, I -have the night to think the matter over; 'tis too late now to wait for -that lout, John Stich. I would have preferred to have had your advice, -sir. I daresay 'tis difficult to give. And you a stranger too. I -would have liked to save a young girl from the clutches of that old -witch, Lady Rounce, and if Beau Brocade rendered me that service, I'd be -tempted to hold my tongue about him.... He should have the hundred -guineas to-morrow and have nought to fear from me, if he brought me -those letters. If not ... well! ... well! ... we shall see.... The old -gallows here have long been idle ... we shall see ... we shall see.... -Good-day to you, sir ... proud to have met you.... No ... I'll not wait -for John Stich. Is this your horse? ... pretty creature! ... Good-day, -sir ... good-day." - -His Honour was extremely condescending and pleasant. He bowed very -politely to Bathurst, patted the beautiful chestnut horse, and showed no -further desire to talk with John Stich. - -Bathurst, with a frown on his handsome face, watched the Squire of -Hartington's burly figure disappear round the bend in the road. - -"I wonder now," he mused, "what mischief he's brewing. He seemed to me -up to no good. I suppose he guessed who I was." - -While he stood there watching, John Stich quickly entered the forge from -the rear. - -"I was in the cottage, Captain," he said, "my mother was serving the -ladies with some milk. But just now I saw Sir Humphrey Challoner -walking away from the forge. I feared he might see you." - -"He did see me, honest friend," said Jack, lightly. "His Honour and I -have just had a long and animated conversation together." - -"Great Heavens! the man is furious with you, Captain!" said the smith, -with genuine anxiety in his gruff voice, "he saw you distinctly on the -Heath last night. He may have recognised you to-day." - -"He did recognise me." - -"And may be brewing the devil's own mischief against you." - -"Oh, ho!" laughed the young man, with a careless shrug of the shoulders, -"against me? ... Well! you know, honest John, I am bound to end on the -gallows..." - -"Sooner or later! Sooner or later!" he added merrily, noting John's -look of sorrowful alarm. "They've not got me yet, though there are so -many soldiers about, as that piece of underdone roast-beef said just -now." - -"You'll not tell me what Sir Humphrey Challoner spoke to you about?" - -"No, friend, I will not," said Jack, with a look of infinite kindness -and placing a slender white hand on the smith's broad shoulder. "You -are my friend, you know, you shoe and care after my horse, you shelter -and comfort me. May Heaven's legions of angels bless you for that. Of -my life on the Heath I'll never tell you aught, whatever you may guess. -'Tis better so. I'll not have you compromised, or implicated in my -adventures. In case ... well! ... if they do catch me, you know, -friend, 'tis better for your sake that you should know nothing." - -"But you'll not go on the Heath to-night, Captain," pleaded the smith, -with a tremor in his voice. - -"Aye! that I will, John Stich," rejoined Bathurst, with a careless -laugh, which now had an unmistakable ring of bitterness in it, "to stop -a coach, to lift a purse! that's my business.... Aye! I'll to the -Heath, friend, 'tis my only home, you know, ere I find a resting-place -on the gallows yonder." - -John sighed and turned away, and thus did not hear the faint murmur that -came of a great and good heart over-full with longing and -disappointment. - -"My beautiful white rose! ... how pale she looked ... and how -exquisitely fair! ... Ah! me ... if only.... Jack! Jack! don't be a -fool!" he added with a short, deep sigh, "'tis too late; remember, for -Beau Brocade to go galloping after an illusion!" - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - - THE FIGHT IN THE FORGE - - -John Stich ventured no further opposition, well knowing the reckless -spirit which his own quiet devotion was powerless to keep in check; -moreover, Lady Patience, closely followed by the ever-faithful Betty, -had just entered by the door that gave from the yard. - -"I was wondering, honest Stich," she said, "if my coach were yet in -sight. Meseems the horses must have had sufficient rest by now." - -"I'll just see, my lady," said John. - -At first sound of her low, musical voice, Bathurst had turned to her, -and now his eyes rested with undisguised admiration on her graceful -figure, dimly outlined in the fast-gathering shadows. She too caught -sight of him, and sorely against her will a vivid blush mounted to her -cheeks. She pulled her cloak close to her, partly to hide the bunch of -white roses that nestled in her belt. - -Thus there was an instant's silent pause, during which two hearts, both -young, both ardent, and imbued with the spirit of romance, beat--unknown -to one another--in perfect unison. - -And yet at this supreme moment in their lives--supreme though they -themselves knew it not--neither of them had begun to think of love. In -her there was just that delightful feeling of feminine curiosity, -mingled with the subtle homage of a proud woman for the man who, in her -presence, and for her sake, had proved himself brave, resourceful, full -of invention and of pluck: there was also an unexplainable sense of the -magnetism caused by the real _personality_, by the unmistakable -_vitality_ of the man. He lived, he felt, he thought differently to -anyone else, in a world quite apart and entirely his own, and she felt -the magic of this sunny nature, of the merry, almost boyish laugh, -overlying as it were the undercurrent of disappointment and melancholy -which had never degenerated into cynicism. - -But in him? Ah! in him there was above all a wild, passionate longing! -the longing of an intensely human, aching heart, when it is brought nigh -to its own highest ideal, and knows that that ideal is infinitely beyond -his reach. - -The broken-down gentleman! the notorious hero of midnight adventures! -highwayman! robber! thief! what right had he even to look upon her, the -perfect embodiment of exquisite womanhood, the beautiful realisation of -man's tenderest dreams? - -Perhaps at this one supreme moment in his reckless career the wild -adventurer felt the first pang of humbled pride, of that pride which had -defied existing laws and built up a code of its own. He understood then -all at once the stern, iron-bound rule which makes of man--free lord of -creation though he be--the slave of those same laws which he himself has -set up for his own protection. - -Beau Brocade, the highwayman, closed his eyes, and no longer dared to -look on his dream. - -He turned to his horse, and with great tenderness began stroking Jack o' -Lantern's soft, responsive nose. - -The next moment Stich, who had been busy with his work, looked up in -sudden alarm. - -"The soldiers!" he said briefly, "all running ... the Sergeant's at the -head o' them, and some of the shepherds at their heels." - -At first Patience did not understand where the actual danger lay. - -"My brother!" she gasped, terrified. - -But a look from Bathurst reassured her. - -"Absolutely safe," he said quickly and decisively, "a hiding-place known -to no one but me. I give your ladyship my word of honour that there is -not the remotest danger for him." - -She felt all her terrors vanishing. But these few words spoken to -comfort her went nigh to costing Bathurst dear. In those few brief -seconds he had lost the opportunity of jumping on Jack o' Lantern's back -and getting well away before the soldiers had reached the entrance of -the forge, and had effectually barred his chance of escape. - -As it was, he had only just undone the halter, and before he had time to -lead Jack o' Lantern out, the voice of the Sergeant was heard quite -close to the doorway, shouting breathlessly,-- - -"Forward! quick! Arrest that man!" - -"My sword, John! for your life!" was Bathurst's ready answer to the -challenge. - -Stich darted to a corner of the forge. Lady Patience gave a quick, -short gasp, she had suddenly realised that for some reason which she -could not quite fathom, the man who had so pluckily saved her brother -from the soldiers an hour ago, was now himself in imminent danger. - -Jack snatched the sword eagerly which the smith was holding out to him, -and resting the point of the blade on the ground before him, he tested -with evident satisfaction the temper of the steel. Not a moment too -soon this, for already the Sergeant, running, panting, infuriated by the -trick played upon him, had appeared in the doorway, closely followed by -two of his men. - -Caught like a rat in a hole, Jack was prepared to fight. Perhaps at -bottom he was glad that circumstances had not compelled him to show a -clean pair of heels before this new danger to himself. Alone, he might -have liked to flee, before _her_ he preferred to fight. - -"Odd's my life!" he said merrily, "'tis my friend, the Sergeant." - -"You sent me on a fool's errand," shouted the latter as loudly as his -scant breath would allow, "and 'tis my belief you are one of them rebel -lords yourself: at anyrate you shall give an account of yourself before -the magistrate. And if the smith dares to interfere, he does so at his -peril," he added, seeing that John Stich had seized his hammer, and was -handling it ominously, fully prepared to resist the established -authority on behalf of his friend. - -But whilst the Sergeant parleyed, Jack, with the rapid keen eye of a -practised fencer, and the wary glance of a child of the Moor, had taken -note of every advantage, however slight, which his present precarious -position had left him. - -The Sergeant and two men were in the doorway, momentarily pausing in -order to recover their breath. Three more of the squad were running -forward along the road, but were still some little distance off, and -would be a few minutes before they reached the smithy. - -Further on still there were the others, at present only appearing as -scarlet dots on the Heath. Close on the heels of the Sergeant, two or -three shepherds, with Jock Miggs in their rear, had come to see what was -happening in the forge. - -It had taken Jack Bathurst only a couple of seconds to note all these -details. Luck so far favoured him that, for the next minute or two at -least, he would only have to deal with the Sergeant and two soldiers. - -"Into it, my men! Arrest him in the name of the King!" shouted the -Sergeant, and the two soldiers, grasping their bayonets, made a rush for -the interior of the shed, ready to surround Jack and his horse. - -But quick as a lightning flash, Bathurst gave Jack o' Lantern a slight -prick in the ribs with his sword; the nervous creature, already rendered -restive by the sudden noise, began to plunge and rear, and thus, as his -master had hoped, scattered the compact group of assailants momentarily -away from the vicinity of his hoofs. - -This gave the young man the desired opportunity. Nimble as a fox when -hotly pursued, he stepped back and with one bound took up a position on -the top of a solid oak table, which stood in the deep shadow caused by -the doorway, thus, for the moment, leaving Jack o' Lantern as a barrier -between himself and his enemies. - -"Friend Stich," he shouted from this exalted height, "do you stand by -the ladies. Stir not from their side whatever happens, nor interfere -'tween me and the soldiers at your peril." - -The lust of battle was upon him now. He was satisfied with his position -and longed to begin the fight. On his left was the outside wall of the -shed, and guarding his right was the huge furnace of the smithy, out of -which the burning embers cast fitful flickering lights upon his tall, -slim figure, and drew from his blade sparks of blood-red gold. - -He had wrapped the thick capes of his heavy cloth coat round his left -arm: the folds of it hung down to his feet, forming a shield round the -lower part of his figure. - -Already the soldiers had recovered from the short panic caused by Jack -o' Lantern's timely rearing. One of them now seized the horse by the -bridle and led him out into the open, thus exposing Bathurst more fully -to the onslaught of their bayonets. - -Jack was fully prepared for them, and as soon as the Sergeant had given -the order to attack, his steel began to dart in and out of the gloom -like some live snake, with tongue of steel; illumined by the fitful -embers of the furnace fire, it seemed to give forth a thousand sparks of -witch-like flame with every turn of the cunning wrist. The outline of -his head and shoulders was lost in the dense shadows above, whilst his -assailants stood in the full glare of the setting sun, which, hot and -blinding, came streaming into the shed. - -Dazed by the flickering light of the furnace and the sunset glow beyond, -the soldiers made very ineffectual plunges into the dark shadow, whence, -fencing and parrying, and with many a quip and sally, Jack had at first -an easy task in keeping them at bay. - -This was mere child's play to him; already one of the men had an ugly -gash in his cheek, and the next moment saw the Sergeant reeling -backwards, with a well-directed thrust through his right arm. - -But easy and exciting as was this brilliant sword-play, it could not in -the long run be of much avail. Hardly had the Sergeant fallen back than -three more soldiers, also hot and furious, came rushing in to reinforce -their comrades. Bathurst had in his day been counted the finest fencer -in England, his wrist was as fresh and strong as the steel which he -held, but the odds were beginning to accumulate against him. - -Five men in the shed, and the others could not be very far away! - -John Stich felt his muscles nearly cracking with the vigorous effort to -maintain his quiescent position and not to come to the rescue of his -hard-pressed friend. - -Suddenly one of the soldiers levelled his musket. - -Patience saw it and gave a cry of horror. Stich, throwing prudence to -the winds, would have rushed forward, to prevent this awful thing at any -cost, but the Sergeant, though wounded, had lost none of his zest, and -his eye had been fixed on the smith. - -"Keep back the smith!" he shouted, "use your bayonets! quick!" - -And as two of his men obeyed him, he himself threw his full weight -against John, and together the three men succeeded in rendering the -worthy fellow momentarily powerless. - -"Captain! Captain!" he shouted desperately, "have a care!" - -Of course Jack had realised his danger. The group of his assailants -stood out in every detail before him, like a clear-cut sunlit picture. -But against the musket levelled at him he could do nothing, it was -Luck's chance to do him a good turn; he himself was hard pressed by two -men close to his knees. - -Patience felt as if her heart would cease to beat, her impulse was to -rush blindly, stupidly forward, when suddenly a piping voice, vague and -uncertain, was heard above the click of Jack's sword. - -"Don't 'ee let 'em get 'ee, sir!" and Jock Miggs, with trembling, yet -determined hands, gave a vigorous tug to the coat tails of the soldier, -who was even now pulling the trigger of his musket. The latter, who had -been aiming very deliberately for the one bright patch on Jack's person -caused by the red glow of the furnace, lost his aim: there was a loud -report, and a bullet went whizzing high above Bathurst's head, and -buried itself in the woodwork above him. - -This was the signal for a new phase of this curious and unequal -struggle. The shepherds, at first, knowing nothing of the cause of this -quarrel, had stood open-mouthed, somewhat frightened and awaiting -events, at a short distance from the scene of the scuffle. - -But when the chestnut horse had been led out into the open, they -suddenly had an inkling as to who its owner was. Jack o' Lantern, -bearing the masked highwayman on his back, was well known to the poor -folk on Brassing Moor. - -Beau Brocade, who but yesterday had left fifty guineas in the -Brassington poor box! Beau Brocade, the hero of the Heath! He! to be -caught by a parcel of red coats? - -Never! Jock Miggs but voiced the feeling of the majority. - -"Noa! Noa!" they shouted lustily. "Don't 'ee let 'em get 'ee, sir!" - -"Not if I can help it, friends!" rejoined Bathurst in gay response. - -They did not resist the soldiers; not they! Your Derbyshire yokel is -too cautious an individual to run absolutely counter to established -authority, but they saw their friend, their helper and benefactor, in -trouble and they did what they could to help him. They got in the way, -jostled the soldiers when they dared, kept the attention of one or two -occupied, preventing a general onslaught on the oak table, on which -Bathurst, still alert, still keen, was holding his own against such -terrible odds. - -"There's for you, my gallant lobster," quoth Jack, gaily. - -He was standing far back on the table, entrenched between the wall on -one side and the furnace on the other, and every time one of the -soldiers ventured too near, his sword would dart out of the gloom: it -seemed like a living creature of fire and steel, so quick and bold were -his feints and parries, his sudden attacks in quarte and sixte, and all -the while he kept one eye on the open Moor, where Jack o' Lantern, -quivering with impatience, stood pawing the ground, and sniffing the -keen evening air, ready to carry his master away, out upon the Heath, -out of sight and out of danger. - -Obviously the unequal contest could not last much longer. Jack knew -that as well as any one. Already the red dots in the far distance had -drawn considerably nearer, the next few minutes would bring this fresh -reinforcement to the wearied, exhausted assailants. - -The Sergeant too was ready to seize his best opportunity. He still kept -two men on guard over the smith, but he soon saw that the two, who were -storming Bathurst's improvised citadel, were no match with their clumsy -bayonets against a brilliant fencer who, moreover, had the advantage of -light and shadow, and of his elevated position. - -Though he was wounded, and bleeding profusely, he had set his heart on -the capture of this mysterious stranger, and having cast a glance on the -open Moor beyond, he saw with renewed zest two more of his men hurrying -along. With all the strength he had left he shouted to them to come on, -and then turned to encourage the others. - -"Take it easy, my men! Hold out a moment longer. We've got the rebel -at last." - -But Jack too had seen and understood. He was neither tired nor hurt, -but two more men against him would inevitably prove his undoing. -Already he could hear the shouts of the soldiers hurrying in response to -their Sergeant's call. The next minute they would be in the forge. - -A sudden change of tactics led his two assailants to venture nearer than -they had done hitherto; he drew back into the shadows, and they, fired -by the lust of capture, under the impression that he was at last -exhausted, ventured nearer and nearer still; already they were leaning -over the edge of the table, one man was thrusting at Bathurst's legs, -when the latter, with a rapidity that seemed quicker than a flash of -lightning, disengaged his left arm from his heavy coat, and with both -hands threw it right over the heads of the two men. Before they had -time to release themselves from its folds, Jack, with one bound was off -the table, and the next instant he had torn open the door of the furnace -and dragged out the huge iron poker with which the smith raked his fire, -and with a cry of triumph slung this new and formidable weapon high over -his head. - -The effect of this sudden move was one of uncontrollable panic: the -red-hot metal, as he swung it over his head, dropped a far-reaching -shower of burning sparks; soldiers and Sergeant all drew back -instinctively, and Jack, still brandishing his weapon, reached the -entrance and was out in the open before any one dared to stop him. - -There he flung the great glowing thing in the direction of his -assailants, who even now were rallying to the attack. - -But the moment had been precious to Bathurst, and Jack o' Lantern was a -king among horses. Without use of stirrup or rein, Jack, like the true -child of the wild Moor that he was, flung himself upon the beautiful -creature's back. - -Thus Patience saw him for one brief second, framed in the doorway of the -forge, the last rays of the setting sun forming a background of crimson -and gold for his slim, upright figure, and the brown curls on his head. - -It was but a moment's vision, but one she would carry enshrined in her -memory through all the years to come. His eyes, large, glowing, -magnetic, met hers in a flash, and hers, bright with unshed tears, met -his in quick response. - -"Soldiers!" he shouted, as he rode away, "an you think I am a rebel -lord, then after me, quick! whilst I ride towards the sunset." - - - - - PART II - - THE HEATH - - - - CHAPTER XV - - THE OUTLAW - - -Beau Brocade drew rein on the spur of the hill. He had galloped all the -way from the forge, out towards the sunset, then on, ever on, over gorse -and bracken, on red sandy soil and soft carpet of ling, on, still on! - -Overhead, on the blue-green dome of the evening sky, a giant comet, made -up of myriads of tiny, rose-tipped clouds, formed a fairy way, ever -diminishing, ever more radiant, pointing westwards to the setting sun, -where orange and crimson and blue melted in one glorious mist of gold. - -Out far away, the distant Tors glowed in the evening light, like great -barriers to some mystic elusive land beyond. - -Jack o' Lantern had responded to his master's mood. The reins falling -loosely on his neck, needing neither guide nor spur, save the excitement -of his own mad career, he had continued his wild gallop on the Heath, -until a sudden jerk of the reins brought him to a standstill on the very -edge of a steep declivity, with quivering flanks and sensitive nerves -all a-tremble, even as the last ruddy glow died out in the western sky. - -One by one the myriads of rose-tipped clouds now put on their grey -cloaks of evening. From the rain-soaked ground and dripping branches of -bramble or fern, a blue mist was rising upwards, blending deep shadows -and tender lights in one hazy monotone. - -Gradually every sound died out upon the Heath, only from afar came -intermittently the mournful booming of a solitary bittern, astray from -its nest, or now and then the sudden quaking of a tuft of grass, a -tremor amidst the young fronds of the bracken, there, where a melancholy -toad was seeking shelter for the night. - -Awesome, silent, majestic, the great Moor was at peace. The passions, -the strife, the turmoil of mankind seemed far, very far away: further -than that twinkling star which peeped down, shy and solitary, from -across the rolling billows of boundless universe. - -Beau Brocade stretched out both arms, and sighed in an agony of longing. -Fire was in his veins, a burning thirst in his heart, for something he -dared not define. - -How empty seemed his life! how wrecked! how hopelessly wasted! - -Yet he loved the Moor, the peace, the solitude: he loved the sunset on -the Heath and every sound of animal life in this lonesome vastness. - -But to-night!... - -One smile from a woman's lips, a glow of pride in her eyes, just one -cluster of snow-white roses at her breast, and all the glories of Nature -in her most lavish mood seemed tame, empty, oh! unutterably poor. - -Nay! he would have bartered his very soul at this moment to undo the -past few years. To be once more Jack Bathurst of His Majesty's regiment -of Guards, before one evening's mistake ruined the whole of his life. A -quarrel over a game of cards, a sudden blind, unreasoning rage, a blow -against his superior officer, and this same Jack Bathurst, the dandy -about town, the gallant, enthusiastic, promising young soldier, was -degraded from his military rank and thrown, resourceless, disgraced, -banished, upon a merciless world, that has neither pity nor pardon for -failures or mistakes. - -But, quite unlike the young Earl of Stretton, Jack Bathurst indulged in -no morbid self-condemnation. Fate and he had thrown the dice, and he had -lost. But there was too much of the untamed devil in him, too much -spirit of wild adventure, to allow him to stoop to the thousand and one -expedients, the shifts, the humiliations which the world holds in store -for the broken-down gentleman. - -Moneyless, friendless, with his career irretrievably ruined, he yet -scorned the life of the outcast or the pariah, of that wretched fragment -of humanity that hangs on the fringe of society, envying the pleasures -it can no longer share, haunting the gambling booths or noisy brothels -of the towns, grateful for a nod, a handshake, from some other fragment -less miserable than itself. - -No! a thousand times no! - -Jack Bathurst looked the future that was before him squarely in the -face, then chose the life of the outlaw with a price upon his head. -Aye! and forced that life to yield to him its full measure of delights: -the rough, stormy nights on the Moor! the wild gallops over gorse and -bramble, with the keen nor'-wester lashing his face and whipping up his -blood, and with a posse of soldiers at his heels! the devil-may-care, -mad, merry existence of the outlaw, who cuts a purse by night, and -carries his life on his saddle-bow! - -That he chose and more! for he chose the love of the poor for miles -around! the blessings spoken by suffering and patient lips upon the name -of the highwayman, of Beau Brocade, who took from the rich at risk of -his life in order to give to the needy. - -And now at even, on Brassing Moor, when a lonely shepherd caught sight -of a chestnut horse bearing a slim, masked figure on its back, or heard -in the distance a young voice, fresh as a skylark, singing some -half-sad, half-lively ditty, he would turn his weary eyes in simple -faith upwards to the stars and murmur gently,-- - -"God bless Beau Brocade!" - -Perhaps He had! - -The stars knew, but they did not tell! - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - - A RENCONTRE ON THE HEATH - - -Master Mittachip, on his lean nag, with his clerk, Master Duffy, on the -pillion behind him, was on his way to Brassington. - -Sir Humphrey Challoner had not returned to the Moorhen after his visit -to the forge until the sun was very low down in the west. He had bidden -the attorney to await him at the inn, and Master Mittachip had not dared -to disobey. - -Yet the delay meant the crossing of the Heath along the bridle path to -Brassington, well after the shadows of evening had lent the lonely Moor -an air of awesome desolation. There were the footpads, and the pixies, -the human and fairy midnight marauders, who all found the steep -declivities, the clumps of gorse and bracken, the hollows and the pits, -safe resting-places by day, but who were wont to emerge from their lair -after dark for the terror and better undoing of the unfortunate, belated -traveller. - -Then there was Beau Brocade! - -Master Duffy too was very timid, and clung with trembling arms to the -meagre figure of the attorney. - -"Nay! Master Duffy!" quoth Mittachip, with affected firmness, "why do -you pry about so? Are you afraid?" - -"Nay! nay! Master Mittachip," replied the clerk, whose teeth were -chattering audibly, "I am ... n ... n ... not af ... f ... f ... fraid." - -"Tush, man, you have me near you," rejoined Mittachip, boldly. "See! I -am armed! Look at my pistols!" - -And he leant back in the saddle, so as to give Master Duffy a good view -of a pair of huge pistols that protruded ostentatiously from his belt. - -Yet all around the air was still, the solitary Heath was at peace, even -the breezy nor'-wester, that had blustered throughout the day, seemed to -have lain down to rest. - -Far out eastwards, the moon, behind a fast dispersing bank of clouds, -was casting a silver radiance that was not yet a light, but only a -herald of the glittering radiance to come. - -The Moor was silent and at peace: only at times there came the sound of -a gentle flutter, a moorhen perhaps within its nest, or a belated lizard -seeking its home. - -Whenever these slight sounds occurred, Master Mittachip's hands that -held the reins trembled visibly, and his clerk clung more closely to -him. - -"What was that?" said the attorney in an awed whisper, as his frightened -ears caught a more distinct noise. - -"W ... w ... why don't you draw your p ... p ... pistols, Master -Mittachip?" murmured Duffy, in mad alarm. - -The noise was hushed again, but to the overwrought nerves of the two men -in terror, there came the certain, awful perception that someone was on -the Heath besides themselves, someone not far off, whom the mist hid -from their view, but who knew that they were travelling along the bridle -path, who could see and perhaps hear them. - -"Truth to tell, Master Duffy," whispered the attorney, whose teeth too -had begun to chatter. "Truth to tell, it's no use my drawing them ... -they ... they are not loaded." - -Master Duffy nearly fell off the pillion in his fright. - -"What?" - -"There's neither powder nor shot in them," continued Master Mittachip, -ruefully. - -"Th ... th ... then we are lost!" was Master Duffy's ejaculation of woe. - -"Eh?--what?" quoth Mittachip, "but your pistols are charged." - -And his pointed elbow sought behind it for the handles of two formidable -weapons, which were stuck in Master Duffy's belt. - -"N ... n ... nay!" whispered the clerk, who now was blue with terror. -"I dared not carry the weapons loaded.... I trusted to your valour, -Master Mittachip, to protect us." - -"What was that?" - -Again that noise! this time a good deal nearer, and it seemed to Master -Mittachip's affrighted eyes as if he saw something moving on the bridle -path before him. But he would not show too many signs of fear before -his own clerk. - -"Tush, man!" he said with as much boldness as he could command. "'Tis -only a lizard in the grass mayhap. We'll ride on quite boldly. We -can't be far from Brassington now, and no footpads would dare to attack -two lusty fellows on horseback, with pistols showing in their belts! ... -Lord!" he added with a shudder, "how lonely this place appears!" - -"And that rascal, Beau Brocade, haunts this Heath every night, I'm -told," murmured Master Duffy, who felt more dead than alive. - -"Sh! sh! sh! speak not of the devil, Master Duffy, lest he appear!..." - -"Hark!!!" - -The two men now clung trembling to one another; not ten paces from them -there came the sound of a horse's snorting, then suddenly a voice rang -out clearly through the mist-laden air,-- - -"Hello! who goes there!" - -"The Lord have mercy upon us!" whispered Mittachip. - -"It must be Beau Brocade himself," echoed the clerk. - -The next moment a horse and rider came into view. Master Mittachip and -his clerk were too terrified even to look. The former had jerked the -reins and brought his lean nag to a standstill, and both men now sat -with eyes closed, teeth chattering, their very faces distorted with -fear. - -Beau Brocade had reined his horse quite close to them, and was peering -through his black mask at the two terror-stricken faces. Evidently they -amused him vastly, for he burst out laughing. - -"Odd's my life! here's a pretty pair of scarecrows! ... Well! I see -you can stand, so now let's see what you've got to deliver!" - -At this Master Mittachip contrived to open his eyes for a second; but -the black mask, and the heavily cloaked figure looked so ghostlike, so -awful in the mist, that he promptly closed them again, and murmured with -a shudder.-- - -"Mercy, oh, noble sir! We ... we are poor men!..." - -"Poor-spirited men, you mean?" quoth Beau Brocade, giving the trembling -figure a quick, vigorous shake. "Now then! off that nag of yours! -Quick's the word!" - -But even before this word of command Master Mittachip, dragging his -clerk after him, had tumbled, quaking, off his horse. They now stood -clinging to each other, a miserable bundle of frightened humanity. - -"Come!" said Beau Brocade, looking down with some amusement at the -spectacle. "I'm not going to hurt you--I never shoot at snipe! But -you'll have to turn out your pockets and sharp too, an you want to -resume your journey to-night." - -He had seized Master Duffy by the collar. The clerk was an all -too-ready prey for any highwayman, and stooping from his saddle, Beau -Brocade had quickly extracted a leather bag from the pocket of his coat. - -"Oho! guineas, as I live!" - -"Kind sir," began Duffy, tremblingly. - -"Now, listen to me, both of you," said Beau Brocade, trying to hide his -enjoyment of the scene under an air of great sternness. "I know who you -are. I know what work you've been doing this afternoon. Extorting -rents barely due from a few wretched people, for your employers as -hard-hearted as yourselves." - -"Kind sir..." - -"Silence! or I shoot! Besides, 'twere no use to tell me lies. The -people about here know me. They call me Beau Brocade. I know them and -their troubles. I happened to hear, for instance, that you extracted -two guineas from the Widow Coggins, threatening her with a process for -dilapidations unless she gave you hush money." - -"'Twas not our fault, kind sir..." - -"Then there was Mistress Haddakin, from whom you extracted fifty -shillings for a new gate, which you don't intend to put up for her: and -this, although she has only just buried her husband, and had a baby sick -at home. You put on finer airs with the poor people than you do with -me, eh?" - -"'Tis not our money, sir," protested Master Mittachip, humbly. - -"Some of it goes into your own pockets. Hush money, blood money, I call -it. That's what I want from you, and then a bit over for the poor box -on behalf of your employers." - -He weighed the leather bag which he had taken out of Master Duffy's -pocket. - -"This'll do for the poor box. Now I want the five pounds you extorted -from Widow Coggins and Mistress Haddakin. The poor women'll be glad of -it on the morrow." - -"I haven't a penny more than that bagful, sir," protested Master -Mittachip. "My employers took all the money from me. 'Twere their -rents I was collecting. I swear it, sir, kind sir! on my word of -honour! And I am an honest man!" - -"Come here!" - -And Beau Brocade reined his horse back a few paces. - -"Come here!" he repeated. - -Mittachip was too frightened to disobey. He came forward, limping very -perceptibly. - -"Why do you walk like that?" asked Beau Brocade. - -"I'm a feeble old man and rheumatic," whined Mittachip, despondently. - -"Then 'twere better to ease the load out of your boot, friend. Sit down -here and take it off." - -And he pointed to a piece of boulder projecting through the shallow -earth. - -But this Master Mittachip seemed very loth to do. - -"Kind sir..." he protested again. - -"Sit down and take off the right boot!" repeated Beau Brocade more -peremptorily, and with a gay laugh and mock threatening gesture he -pointed the muzzle of his pistol at the terror-stricken attorney. - -There was naught to do but to obey: and quickly too. Master Mittachip -cursed the rascally highwayman under his breath, and even consigned him -to eternal damnation, before he finally handed him up his boot. - -Beau Brocade turned it over, shook it, and a bag of jingling guineas -fell at Jack o' Lantern's feet. - -"Give me that bag!" - -"Sir! kind sir!" moaned Master Mittachip, as he obediently handed up the -bag of gold to his merciless assailant. "Have pity! I am a ruined man! -'Tis Sir Humphrey Challoner's money. I've been collecting it for him -... and he's a hard man!" - -"Oh!" said Beau Brocade, "'tis Sir Humphrey Challoner's money, is it? -Nay! you old scarecrow, but 'tis his Honour himself sent me on the Heath -to-night. Oho!" he added, whilst his merry, boyish laugh went echoing -through the evening air, "methinks Sir Humphrey will enjoy the joke. Do -you tell him, friend--an you see him in the morn--that you've met Beau -Brocade and that he'll do his Honour's bidding." - -He counted some of the money out of the bag and put it in his pocket: -the remainder he handed back to the astonished lawyer. - -"There!" he said with sudden earnestness, "I'll only make restitution to -the poor whom you have robbed. You may thank your stars that an angel -came down from heaven to-day and cast eyes of tender pity upon me, so -that I care not to rob you, save for those in dire want. You may mount -that nag of yours now, and continue your journey to Brassington. No -turning aside, remember, and answer me when I challenge your -good-night." - -Master Mittachip and his clerk had no call to be told twice. They -mounted with as much agility as their trembling limbs would allow. -Truly they considered themselves lucky in having saved some money out of -the clutches of the rogue, and did not care to speculate on the cause of -their good fortune. - -A few minutes later their lean horse was once more on its way, bearing -its double burden. At first they had both looked back, attracted--now -that their terror was gone--by the sight of that tall, youthful figure -on the beautiful thoroughbred standing there on the crest of the hill -and gradually growing more and more dim in the fast-gathering mist. - -The bridle path at this point dips very suddenly and a sharp declivity -leads thence, straight on to Brassington. - -Beau Brocade's sharp eyes, accustomed to the gloom, watched horse and -riders until the mist enveloped them and hid them from his view. Then -he called loudly,-- - -"Good-night!" - -And faintly echoing came the quaking reply,-- - -"Good-night!" - -After that there was silence again. The outlaw was alone upon the Heath -once more, the Heath which had been his home for so long. - -For him it had no cruelty and held no terror: the tall gorse and bracken -oft sheltered him from the rain! Wrapped in his greatcoat, he had oft -watched the tiny lizards darting to and fro in the grass, or listened to -the melancholy cry of moorhen or heron. The tiny rough branches of the -heather had been a warm carpet on which he had slept on lazy afternoons. - -The outlaw found a friend in great and lonely Nature, and when he was -aweary he laid his head on her motherly breast, and like a child found -rest. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - - A FAITHFUL FRIEND - - -How long he stood there on the spur of the hill he could not afterwards -have told. It may have been a few seconds, perhaps it was an eternity. - -During those few seconds or that eternity, the world was re-created for -him: for him it became more beautiful than he had ever conceived it in -his dreams. A woman's smile had changed it into an earthly paradise. A -new and strange happiness filled his being, and set brain and sinews on -fire. A happiness so great that his heart well nigh broke with the -burden of it, and the bitter longing for what could never be. - -The cry of a moorhen thrice repeated at intervals roused him from his -dreams. - -"John Stich," he murmured, "I wonder now what brings him out to-night!" - -And with a final sigh of deep regret, a defiant toss of the head, Beau -Brocade turned Jack o' Lantern's head northwards whence the cry had -come. - -There a rough track, scarce perceptible amongst the bracken, led -straight up to the forge of John Stich. Horse and rider knew every inch -of the way, although for the moment the fitful moon still hid her light -behind a bank of clouds, and the mist now enveloped the Moor in a thick -mantle of gloom. - -Soon the sensitive ears of the highwayman, accustomed to every sound, -had perceived heavy footsteps on the unbeaten track, and presently a -burly figure detached itself from the darkness beyond and came rapidly -forward. - -"Odd's my life! but it's friend John!" said Beau Brocade, with a great -show of severity. "Zounds! but this is rank insubordination! How dare -you follow me on the Heath, you villain, and leave your noble guest -unprotected? What?" - -"His lordship is safe enough, Captain," said the smith, who at sight of -the young man had heaved an obvious sigh of relief, "and I could not -rest until I'd seen you again." - -"Faith! you can't do that in this confounded mist, eh, John?" quoth -Bathurst, lightly. But his fresh young voice had softened with a quaint -tenderness, whilst he looked down, smiling, at the upturned face of his -devoted friend. - -"Well! what about my friend, the Sergeant and the soldiers, eh?" he -added gaily. - -"Oh! the Sergeant is too sick to speak," rejoined the smith, earnestly, -"but the men vow you're a rebel lord. Those that were fit walked down -to Brassington directly after you left: one man, who was wounded in the -arm, started for Aldwark: they've gone to get help, Captain; either more -soldiers, or loafers from the villages who may be tempted by the reward. -They'll scour this Heath for you, from Aldwark to the cross-roads, and -from Brassington to Wirksworth, and..." - -"And so much the better, friend Stich, for while they hunt for me his -lordship will be safe." - -"But have a care, Captain! they're determined men, now, for you've -fooled them twice. Be gy! but you've never been in so tight a corner -before." - -"Pshaw!" quoth Beau Brocade, lightly, "life is none too precious a boon -for me that I should make an effort to save it." - -"Captain..." murmured Stich, reproachfully. - -"There, friend John," added the young man, with that same touch of -almost womanly tenderness, that had endeared him to the heart of honest -Stich, "there! there! have no fear for me! I tell thee, man, they'll -not get me on this Heath! Think you the furze and bracken, the heron or -peewit would betray me? Me, their friend! Not they! I am safe -enough!" he continued, while a strange ring of excitement made his young -voice quiver. "Let them after me, and leave _her_ brother in peace! And -then, John! when he is safe ... perhaps I may see her smile once more! -... Heigh-ho! A fool am I, friend! A fool, I tell thee! fit for the -gallows-tree outside thy forge!" - -John said nothing: he could not see Jack's face in the gloom, and did -not understand his wild, mad mood, but his faithful heart ached to hear -the ring of bitter longing in the voice of his friend. - -There was a moment's pause, whilst Bathurst made a visible effort to -control his excitement. Then he said more calmly,-- - -"Here, John! take this money, friend!" - -He dived in the pocket of his big caped coat and then placed in John's -hand the two bags of money he had extracted from Master Mittachip and -his clerk. - -"I've just got it from a blood-sucking agent of Sir Humphrey -Challoner's: 'tis money wrung from poor people, who can ill afford it." - -"Aye! aye!" quoth John, with a sigh. - -"I want two guineas to go to Mistress Haddakin, who has just lost her -husband: the poor wretch is nigh to starving. Then thirty shillings are -for the Widow Coggins, up Hartington way: those blood-suckers took her -last shilling yesterday. Wilt see to it, friend John?" - -"Aye! aye!" - -"The rest is for the poor box at Aldwark this time. Perhaps there'll be -more before the morn." - -"Captain..." - -"Hush! don't begin to lecture, John!" said Beau Brocade, with curious -earnestness. "I tell thee, friend, there's madness in my veins -to-night. I pray thee go back home, and leave me to myself." - -"Don't send me away, Captain," pleaded John, "I ... I ... am uneasy, -and..." - -"Dear, kind, faithful John," murmured Bathurst. "Zounds! but I'm an -ungrateful wretch, for I vow thou dost love me, friend." - -"You know I do, Captain. I ... I ... I'd give..." - -"Nay ... nothing!" interrupted Jack, quickly, "give me nothing but that -love of thine, friend ... it is more precious than life ... but I pray -thee, let me be to-night ... I swear to thee I'll do no harm.... I'll -see thee in the morn, John.... I'll be safe ... never fear!" - -John Stich sighed. He knew that further protest was useless. Already -Beau Brocade had turned Jack o' Lantern's head once more towards the -crest of the hill. The smith waited awhile, listening while he could to -the sound of the horse's hoofs on the rain-sodden earth. His honest -heart was devoured with anxiety both for his friend and for the brave -young lady who was journeying townwards to-night. - -Suddenly it seemed to him as if far away he could hear the creaking of -wheels on the distant Wirksworth road. The air was so still, that -presently he could hear it quite distinctly. 'Twas her ladyship's -coach, no doubt, plying its slow, wearying way along the quaggy road. - -It would be midway to the little town by now. The narrow track on which -John stood cut the road at right angles, about a mile and a half away. -The smith took to blaming himself that he had kept her ladyship's -journey a secret from Beau Brocade. The latter was a monarch on the -Heath: he would have kept footpads at bay, watched and guarded the -coach, and seen it, mayhap, safely as far as Wirksworth. - -Never for a moment did the slightest fear cross the smith's mind that -the notorious highwayman would stop Lady Patience's coach. Still, a -warning would not have come amiss. Perhaps it was not too late. The -road wound in and out a good deal, skirting bogland or massive boulders. -John hoped that on the path he might yet come across Jack o' Lantern and -his master, before they had met the coach. - -He started to run and had covered nearly a mile when suddenly he heard a -shout, which made his honest heart almost stop in its beating, a shout, -followed by two pistol shots in rapid succession. - -The shout had rung out clear and distinct in the fresh, lusty voice of -Beau Brocade. - -"Stand and deliver!" - -John dared not think what the pistol shots had meant. - -With elbows now pressed to his sides, he began running at a wild gallop -along the rough, unbeaten track, towards the point whence shots and -shout had come. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - - MOONLIGHT ON THE HEATH - - -The jolting of the carriage along the quaggy road had been well nigh -unendurable. Mistress Betty was groaning audibly. But Lady Patience, -with her fair head resting against the cushions, was forgetting all -bodily ailments, whilst absorbed in mental visions that flitted, swift -and ever-changing, before her excited brain. - -There was the dear brother in peril of his life, his young face looking -wan and anxious, then Sir Humphrey Challoner, the man she instinctively, -unreasonably dreaded, and John Stich, the faithful retainer, brave and -burly, guarding his lord's life with his own. These faces and figures -wandered ghostlike before her eyes, and then vanished, leaving before -her mental vision but one form and face, a pair of merry, deep-set grey -eyes, that at times looked so inexpressibly sad, a head crowned with a -mass of unruly curls, a figure, lithe and active, sitting upon a -chestnut horse and riding away towards the sunset. - -It was a pleasant picture: no wonder Patience allowed her mind to dwell -on it, and in fancy to hear that full-toned voice either in lively song -or gay repartee, or at times with that ring of tenderness in it, which -had brought the tears of pity to her eyes. - -The hours sped slowly on, the cumbrous vehicle jostled onwards, plunging -and creaking, whilst Thomas urged the burdened horses along. - -Suddenly a jerk, more vigorous than before, roused Patience from her -half-wakeful dreams. The heavy coach had seemed to take a plunge on its -side, there was fearful creaking, and much swearing from the driver's -box, a shout or two, panting efforts on the part of the horses, and -finally the vehicle came to a complete standstill. - -Mistress Betty had started up in alarm. - -"Lud preserve us!" she shouted, putting a very sleepy head out of the -carriage window, "what's the matter now, Thomas?" - -"We be stuck in a quagmire," muttered the latter worthy, vainly trying -to smother more forcible language, out of respect for her ladyship's -presence. - -Timothy, the groom, had dismounted: lanthorn in hand, he was examining -the cause of the catastrophe. - -"Get the other lanthorn, Thomas!" he shouted to the driver, "and come -and give me a hand, else we'll have to spend the night on this -God-forsaken heath." - -"Is it serious, Timothy?" queried Lady Patience, anxiously. - -"I hope not, my lady. The axle is caked with mud on this side, and we -do seem stuck in some kind of morass, but if Thomas'll hurry himself..." - -The latter, with many more suppressed oaths, had at last got down from -his box, and had brought a second lanthorn round to the back of the -coach, where Timothy had already started scraping shovelfuls of inky mud -from the axle of the off-wheel. - -It was at this moment, and when the two men were intent upon their work, -that a voice, loud and distinct, suddenly shouted behind them,-- - -"Stand and deliver!" - -Thomas, who was of a timorous disposition, dropped the lanthorn he held, -and in his fright knocked over the other which was on the ground. He -was a man of peace, and knew from past experience that 'tis safer not to -resist these gentlemen of the roads. - -When therefore the highwayman's well-known challenge rang out in the -night, he threw up both hands in order to testify to his peaceful -intentions; but Timothy, who was younger and more audacious, drew a -couple of pistols from his belt, and at all hazards fired them off, one -after the other, in the direction whence had come the challenge. The -next moment he felt a vigorous blow on his wrists and the pistols flew -out of his hand. - -"Hands up or I shoot!" - -Thomas was already on his knees. Timothy, thus disarmed, thought it -more prudent to follow suit. - -From within the coach could be heard Mistress Betty's shrill and -terrified voice,-- - -"Nay! nay! your ladyship shall not go!" followed by her ladyship's -peremptory command,-- - -"Silence, child! Let me go! Stay you within an you are afraid!" - -There was a moment's silence, for at sound of her voice Beau Brocade had -started, then he leaned forward on his horse, listening with all his -might, wondering if indeed his ears had not misled him, if 'twas not a -dream-voice that came to him out of the gloom. - -"Have I the honour of addressing Lady Rounce?" he murmured mechanically. - -At this moment the darkness, which up to now had been intense, began -slowly to give place to a faint, silvery light. The moon, pale and -hazy, tried to pierce the mist that still enveloped her as with a cold, -blue mantle, and one by one tipped blackthorn and gorse with a cluster -of shimmering diamonds. - -Like a ghostly panorama the heath revealed its thousand beauties, its -many mysteries: the deep, dark tangle of bramble and ling, beneath which -hide the gnomes and ghouls, the tiny blue cups of the harebells, wherein -the pixies have their home; the fairy rings in the grass, where the -sprites dance their wild saraband on nights such as this, with the -crickets to play the tunes, and the glow-worms to light them in their -revels. - -But to Beau Brocade the dim radiance of the moon, shy and golden through -her veil of mist, only revealed one great, one wonderful picture: that -of his dream made real, of his heavenly vision come down to earth, the -picture of _her_ stepping out of the coach that she might speak to him. - -She came forward quickly, and the hood flew back from her face. She was -looking at him with a half-puzzled, half-haughty expression in her eyes, -and Beau Brocade thought he had never seen eyes that were so deeply -blue. He murmured her name,-- - -"The Lady Patience!" - -"Nay, sir, since you know my name," she said, with a quaint, almost -defiant toss of her small, graceful head. "I pray you, whoever you may -be, to let me depart in peace. See," she added, holding a heavy purse -out to him, "I have brought you what money I have. Will you take it and -let me go?" - -But he dared not speak. He longed to turn Jack o' Lantern's head and to -gallop away quickly out of her sight, before she had recognised him and -learnt that the man on whom she had looked with such tender pity, and -with such glowing admiration, was the highway robber, the outlaw, the -notorious thief. Yet so potent was the spell of her voice, the moist -shimmer of her lips, the depth and glitter of her blue eyes, that he -felt as if iron fetters held him fast to the ground, there enchained -before her, until at least she should speak again. - -He dismounted and she stepped a little closer to him, so close now that, -had he stretched out his hand, he might have touched her cloak, or even -those white finger-tips which... - -"Believe me, sir," she said a little impatiently, seeing that he did not -speak, "I give you all I have freely an you molest me no more. I have -urgent, very urgent business in London, which brooks of no delay. -Kindly allow my men to go free." - -She was pleading now, all the haughtiness vanished from her face. Her -voice, too, shook perceptibly; the tall, silent figure before her was -beginning to frighten her. - -Yet he dared not trust himself to speak, lest by a word he should dispel -this dream. This golden vision of paradise that heaven had so -unaccountably sent to him this night! it might vanish again amidst the -stars and leave the poor outlaw to his loneliness. - -This moment was so precious, so wonderful. - -Madly he longed for the god-like power to stop Time in its relentless -way, to make sun, moon and stars, the earth and all eternity pause -awhile, whilst he looked upon her, as she stood there, with the pleading -look in her eyes, the honey-coloured moon above throwing a dim and -flickering light upon her upturned face ... her golden hair ... that -tiny hand stretched out to him. - -She seemed to wait for his reply, and at last in a low voice, which he -tried to disguise, he murmured,-- - -"Madam, I entreat you, have no fear! Believe me, I would sooner never -see the sun set again than cause you even one short moment's anxiety." - -Again that quaint puzzled look came into her eyes, she looked at the -black mask that hid his face, as if she would penetrate the secret which -it kept. - -"Will you not take this purse?" she asked. - -"Nay! I will not take the purse, fair lady," he said, still speaking -very low, "but I would fain, an you would permit it, hold but for one -instant your hand in mine. Will you not let me?" - -The impulse was irresistible, the desire to hold her hand so strong that -he had no power to combat it. She seemed puzzled and not a little -frightened, but neither haughty nor resentful at his presumption: -perhaps she felt the influence of the mystery which surrounded the dark, -cloaked figure before her, or the more subtle spell of the mist-covered -moon. She made no movement towards him, her hand which he craved to -hold had dropped to her side. - -There was magic in the vast stillness of the Moor; on each dew-tipped -point of grey-green gorse, from every frond of emerald bracken, there -glistened a tiny crystal. Timothy and Thomas had retreated to a safer -position, out of sight behind the huge vehicle, and inside the coach -Betty was cowering in terror. They stood alone, these two, away from all -the world, in a land all their own, a land of dreams, of poetry, and -romance, where men died for a look from women's eyes, and conquered the -universe for a smile. - -How silent was the Heath while he looked at her, and she returned his -gaze half-trembling, wholly puzzled. - -"Will you not let me?" he pleaded. And instinctively his voice trembled -in the pleading, and there came back to her mind the memory of this same -voice, young and tender, as she had heard it in the forge. But she -would not let him know that she had guessed. - -"Sir," she said with sudden, unaccountable shyness, "you have -overpowered my men, they are but loutish cowards, and you are heavily -armed. I am a defenceless woman.... How can I refuse if you command?" - -He took the pistols from his belt and laid them on the ground at her -feet. - -"Nay, fair lady!" he said, "there is no question of command. See! I am -unarmed now, and your men are free. Give them the word and I'll not -stir hand or foot till you have worked your will with me. You see, 'tis -I am at your mercy ... yet I still crave to hold your hand ... for one -moment ... in mine..." - -For one second more she hesitated: not because she was afraid, but -because there was a subtle sweetness in this moment of suspense, a -delicious feeling of expectancy for the joy that was to come. - -Then she gave him her hand. - -"Why! ... how it trembles," he said, "like some tiny frightened bird. -See how white it looks in my rough brown hand. You are not afraid?" - -"Afraid? ... oh, no! ... but ... but the hour is late ... I pray you let -me depart ... I must not tarry ... for so much depends upon my -journey.... I pray you let me go." - -"No, no! don't go," he pleaded, clinging to the little hand whose cool -touch had made his very senses reel, "don't go ... not just yet.... See -how glorious is the moon above those distant hills ... and the -mist-laden air which makes your hair glisten with a thousand diamonds, -whilst I, poor fool, holding your cool, white hand in mine, stand here -gazing on a vision that whispers to me of things which can never, never -be.... No! no, don't go just yet ... let the moon hide her light once -more behind the mist ... let the Heath sink into darkness ... let me -live in my dream one moment longer ... it will be dispelled all too -soon." - -He had spoken so low, she scarce could hear, but she could feel his hand -scorching hers with its fever-heat, and when he ceased speaking she -heard a sigh, like a sob, a sigh of bitter longing, of hopeless regret, -that made her heart ache with a new pain which was greater, more holy -than pity. - -A strange excitement seemed to pervade him. Madness was in his veins. -He longed to seize her, to lift her up on Jack o' Lantern's back and -gallop away with her over the Moor, far, far out beyond bracken and -heather, over those distant Tors, on, on to the mountains of the moon, -to the valley of the shadows, she lying passive in his arms, whilst he -looked for ever into the clear blue depths of her eyes. Perhaps she too -felt this excitement gradually creeping over her; she tried to withdraw -her hand, but he would not let it go. To her also there came the sense -of unreality, of a vision of dreamland, wherein no one dwelt but she and -this one man, where no sound came save that of his voice, rugged and -tender, which brought tears of joy and pity to her eyes. - -In the grass at her feet a cricket began to chirp, and suddenly from a -little distance there came the quaint, sweet sound of a shepherd's pipe, -playing an old-time rigadoon. - -"Hark!" she whispered. - -The sound came nearer and nearer: she loved to hear the faint, elusive -echo, the fairy accompaniment to her own dreamlike mood. - -"What a sweet tune," she murmured, as instinctively her foot began -tapping the measure on the ground. "I mind it well! How oft have I -danced to it beneath the Maypole!" - -"Will you then dance it with me to-night?" - -"Nay, sir ... you do but jest..." - -But his excitement was at fever-point now. The outlaw at least could -work his will upon this Heath, of which he alone was king. He could not -carry her away on Jack o' Lantern's back, but he could make her stay -with him a while longer, dance with him, here in the moonlight, her hand -in his, his arm at times round her waist in the mazes of the dance, her -cheeks flushed, her eyes bright, her breath panting, aye! for she should -feel too that reckless fire that scorched him. All the fierce, untamed -blood in him ran like molten lava in his veins. Aye! for one more brief -half-hour he--the lonely dweller on the Moor--the pariah, the outcast, -would taste the joys of the gods. - -"I was never more earnest in my life!" he vowed, with that gay, mad, -merry laugh of his, "a dance with you here in the moonlight! Aye! a -dance in the midst of my dreams!" - -"But indeed, indeed, sir," she pleaded, "the hour is late and my -business in London is very urgent." - -"Nay, ten minutes for this dance will not much delay your journey, and I -swear by your sweet eyes that after that you shall go unmolested." - -"But if I refuse?" - -"An you refuse," he said, bending the knee before her, and bowing humbly -at her feet, "I will entreat you on my knees..." - -"And if I still refuse?" she murmured. - -"Then will I uproot the trees, break the carriage that bears you away, -tear up the Heath and murder yon knaves! God in heaven only knows what -I would _not_ do an you refuse." - -"No, no, sir, I pray you..." she said, alarmed at his vehemence, -puzzled, fascinated, carried away by his wild, reckless mood and the -potent spell of the witching moon. "Nay! how can I refuse? ... I am in -your power ... and must do as you bid me.... An you really wish for a -dance..." - -She allowed him to lead her away to a short distance off the beaten -track, there, where a carpet of ling and grass, and walls of bramble and -gorse formed a ball-room fit for gods and goddesses to dance in. At the -further end of this clearing the quaint, shrivelled figure of Jock -Miggs, the shepherd, had just come into view. At a little distance to -the left, and close to the roadside, there was a small wooden shed, and -beyond it a pen, used by the shepherds as a shelter on rough nights when -tending their sheep on the Heath. - -For the moment the pen was empty, and Jock Miggs was evidently making -his way to the hut for a few hours' sleep, and had been playing his pipe -for the sake of company. - -"Aye! a dance here!" said Beau Brocade, "with the moon and stars to -light us, a shepherd to play the tune, and the sprites that haunt the -Heath for company! What ho! there! friend shepherd!" he shouted to -Miggs. - -The worthy Jock caught sight of the two figures standing in the centre -of the clearing, not twenty paces away from him. - -"Lud have mercy upon me!" he gasped. "Robbery! Violence! Murder!" - -"Nay, friend! only merry-making," quoth Beau Brocade, gaily. "We want -to dance upon this Heath, and you to play the tune for us." - -"Eh? what?" muttered the shepherd, in his vague, apologetic way, -"dancing at this hour o' the night?" - -"Aye!" - -"And me to play for a parcel of mad folk?" - -"Well said, honest shepherd! Let us all be mad to-night! but you shall -play for us, and here!--here is the wherewithal to set your pipe in -tune." - -He threw a heavy purse across to Miggs, who, still muttering something -about lunatics on the Heath, slowly stooped and picked it up. - -"Guineas!" he muttered, weighing it in his hand, "guineas, as I live! -Guineas for playing a dance tune. Nay, sir, you're mad, sure enough." - -"Wilt play the tune, shepherd?" shouted Beau Brocade in wild impatience. - -Jock Miggs shook his head with a determined air. - -"Nay! your madness is nought to me. You've paid for a tune, and you -shall have the tune. But, Lordy! Lordy! these be 'mazing times." - -He settled himself down on a clump of grass-covered earth, and stolidly -began piping the same old-time rigadoon. These were a pair of lunatics, -for sure, but since the gentleman had paid for this extraordinary -pleasure, 'twas not for a poor shepherd to refuse to earn a few honest -guineas. - -Beau Brocade bowed to his lady with all the courtly grace of a town -gallant. - -"Madam! your most humble, and most obedient servant." - -As in a dream Patience began to tread the measure. It was all so -strange, so unreal! surely this was a dream, and she would wake anon. - -She turned and twisted in the mazes of the dance, gradually the -intoxication of it all had reached her brain; she seemed to see round -her in the grass pixie faces gazing curiously upon her. All the -harebells seemed to tinkle, the shepherd's pipe sounded like fairy -bells. Through the holes in the black mask she could see a pair of -burning eyes watching her as if entranced. - -She felt like a creature of some other world, a witch mayhap, dancing a -wild saraband with this man, her lord and master, a mad, merry sprite -who had arranged this moonlight Sabbath. - -Her cheeks began to glow, her eyes were sparkling with the joy of this -dance. Her breath came panting through her parted lips. - -Aye! mad were they both! what else? Their madness was the intoxication -which man alone can feel when his joy equals that of the gods! Quicker, -shepherd! quicker! let thy pipe wake all the fairy echoes of this -mystic, ghostlike Moor! Let all the ghouls and gnomes come running -hither, let the stars pale with envy, let fairies and sprites clap their -hands for joy, since one man in all this world was happier than all the -spirits in heaven! - -How long it lasted neither of them could tell. The honey-coloured moon -lighted them all the while, the blue mist wrapped them as in a mystic -veil. Still they danced on; at times she almost lay in his arms, hot, -panting, yet never weary, then she would slip away, and with eyes aglow, -cheeks in rosy flame, beckon to him, evade, advance, then once more put -her hand in his and madden him with the touch. - -Oh! that heaven-born hour! why did it ever cease? - -A wild shriek, twice repeated, brought them both to a standstill. - -She, with heart beating, and hand pressed to her panting bosom, was -unable to stir. Whilst the excitement kept her up she had danced, but -now, with that piercing shriek, the dream had vanished and she was back -on earth once more. - -"What was that?" - -Thomas and Timothy, attracted by the strange spectacle, had gradually -crept up to the clearing, and through a clump of gorse and bracken had -been watching the weird, midnight dance. On the further side, and close -to Jock Miggs, John Stich had been standing in the shadow of a thorn -bush. He had been running all the way, ever since he heard the two -pistol-shots. Amazed at the strange sight that met his honest eyes, he -had not dared to interfere. Perhaps his honest faithful heart felt with, -even if it did not altogether comprehend, the wayward, half-crazy mood -of his friend. - -Betty alone, terrified and not a little sulky, had remained in the -coach. It was her shriek that roused the spectators and performers of -this phantasy on the Heath. - -"My lady! my lady!" screamed Betty once more at the top of her voice. - -Then, all of a sudden, Patience understood. Fairyland had indeed -vanished. The awful reality came upon her with appalling cruelty. - -"My letters!" she gasped, and started running towards the coach. - -But already Jack Bathurst had bounded across the clearing, closely -followed by John Stich. Patience's cry of mad, terror-stricken appeal -had gone straight to his brain, and dissipated in the fraction of a -second the reckless excitement of the past hour. - -The wild creature of one moment's wayward mood was in that same fraction -of time re-transformed into the cool and daring dweller of the Moor, on -whose head the law had set a price, and who in revenge had made every -law his slave. - -His keen, quick eye had already sighted the smith. - -"After me, John!" he commanded, "and run for your life." - -When the two men had fought their way through the clumps of gorse and -bracken which screened the clearing from the road, they were just in -time to see a man quickly mounting a dark brown horse, which stood some -twenty yards in front of the coach. - -The carriage door nearest to them was open, and poor Mistress Betty lay -on the ground close beside it, still screaming at the top of her voice. - -With one bound Beau Brocade had reached Jack o' Lantern, who, accustomed -to his unfettered life on the Heath, had quietly roamed about at will, -patiently waiting for his master's call. The young man was unarmed, -since he had placed his pistols awhile ago at Patience's feet, but Jack -o' Lantern was swift-footed as the deer, and would overtake any strange -horseman easily. - -Beau Brocade's hand was on his horse's bridle and there were barely a -few yards between him and the mysterious horseman, who was preparing to -gallop away, when the latter turned, and suddenly pointing a pistol at -his pursuer, fired two shots in rapid succession. - -The young man did not stop at once. He clutched Jack o' Lantern's -bridle and tried to mount, but he staggered and almost fell. - -"After him, John," he cried in a hoarse voice, as, staggering once more, -he fell upon one knee. "After him! quick! take Jack o' Lantern, don't -mind me!" - -John had no need to be told twice. He seized the horse's bridle and -swung himself into the saddle as quickly as he could. - -But these few seconds had given the horseman a sufficient start. -Although the moon was bright the mist was thick, and the bracken and -thorn bushes very dense on the other side of the road. Already he had -disappeared from view, and John's ears and eyes were not so keen as -those of Beau Brocade, the highwayman, the wounded monarch of the Heath. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - - HIS OATH - - -Patience's first thought as soon as she reached the road was for Betty; -she helped the poor girl to her feet and tried to get some coherent -explanation from her. - -"I was listening to the tune, my lady, and leaning my head out of the -window," moaned Mistress Betty, who was more frightened than hurt, "when -suddenly the carriage door was torn open, I was dragged out and left -screaming on the ground.... That's all I know." - -But one glance at the interior of the coach had revealed the whole awful -truth. It had been ransacked, and the receptacle beneath the cushions, -where had lain the all-important letters, was now obviously empty. - -"The letters! oh, the letters!" moaned Patience in an agony of misery -and remorse. "Philip, my dear, dear one, you entrusted your precious -life in my hands, and I have proved unworthy of the trust." - -Her spirit wholly broken by the agony of this cruel thought, she cowered -on the step of the carriage, her head buried in her hands, in a passion -of heart-broken tears. - -"My lady..." - -She looked down, and by the dim light of the moon she saw a figure on -its knees, dragging itself with a visibly painful effort slowly towards -her. - -In a moment she was on her feet, tall, haughty, a world of scorn in her -eyes; she looked down with horror at the prostrate figure before her. - -"Nay, sir," she said with icy contempt, "an you have a spark of honour -left in you, take off that mask, let me at least see who you are." - -The agony of shame was more than she could bear. She who had deemed -herself so proud, so strong, that she should have been thus fooled, -duped, tricked, and by this man! this thief! this low class robber who -had dared to touch her hand! All the pride of race and caste rose in -revolt within her. Who was he that he should dare to have spoken to her -as he did? Her cheeks glowed with shame at the memory of that voice -which she had loved to hear, the tender accent in it, and oh! she had -been his plaything, his tool, for this infamous trick which had placed -her dear, dear brother's life in peril worse than before. - -Meekly he had obeyed her, his own proud spirit bent before her grief. -His face--ashy pale now and drawn with pain and weakness--looked up in -mute appeal for forgiveness. - -"A poor wretch," he murmured feebly, "whose mad and foolish whim..." - -But she turned from him in bitter loathing, drawing herself up to her -full height, trying by every means in her power to show the contempt -which she felt for him. So absorbed was she in her grief and -humiliation, in her agony of remorse for her broken trust, that she did -not realise that he was hurt, and fainting with loss of blood. - -"You ... you..." she murmured with horror and contempt. "Nay! I pray -you do not speak to me.... You ... you have duped and tricked me, and I -... I ... Oh!" she added with a wealth of bitter reproach, "what wrong -had I or my dear brother done to you that you should wish to do him so -much harm? What price had his enemies set upon his head that you should -_sell_ it to them?" - -He tried to interrupt her, for her words hurt him ten thousand times -more than the wound in his shoulder: with almost superhuman effort he -dragged himself to his feet, clinging to the bracken to hold himself -upright. He would not let her see how she made him suffer. She! his -beautiful white rose, whom unwittingly he had, it seemed, so grievously -wronged. Her mind was distraught, she did not understand, and oh! it -was impossible that she _could_ realise the cruelty of her words, more -hard to endure than any torture the fiendish brain of man could devise. - -"I'd have given you gold," she continued, whilst heavy sobs choked the -voice in her throat, "if 'twas gold you wanted.... Here is the purse -you did not take just now! Two hundred guineas for you, sir, an you -bring me back those letters!" - -And with a last gesture of infinite scorn she threw the purse on the -ground before him. - -A cry escaped him then: the terrible, heart-rending cry of the wild -beast wounded unto death. But it was momentary; that great love he bore -her helped him to understand. Love is never selfish--always kind. Love -_always_ understands. - -He could scarcely speak now, and the seconds were very precious, but -with infinite gentleness he contrived to murmur faintly,-- - -"Madam! I swear by those sweet lips of yours now turned in anger -against me that you do me grievous wrong. My fault, alas! is great! I -cannot deny it, since in this short, mad hour of the dance my eyes were -blind and mine ears deaf to all save to your own dear presence." - -"Aye! 'twas a clever trick," she retorted, lashing herself to scorn, -wilfully deaf to the charm of that faint voice, turning away from the -tender appeal of his eyes: "a trick from beginning to end! Your -chivalry at the forge! your _rle_ of gallant gentleman of the road! the -while you plotted with a boon companion to rob me of the very letters -that would have saved my brother's life." - -"Letters? ... that would have saved your brother's life? ... What -letters?..." - -"Nay, sir! I pray you fool me no further. Heaven only knows how you -learnt our secret, for I'll vouch that John Stich was no traitor. Those -letters were stolen, sir, by your accomplice, whilst you tricked me into -this dance." - -He pulled himself together with a vigorous effort of will, forcing -himself to speak quietly and firmly, conquering the faintness and -dizziness which was rapidly overpowering him. - -"Madam!" he said gently, "dare I hope that you will believe me when I -say that I know naught of those letters? ... John Stich, as you know, is -loyal and true ... not even to me would he have revealed your secret ... -nay, more! ... it seems that I too have been tricked to further a -villain's ends. Will you not try and believe that had I known what -those letters were I would have guarded them, for your sweet sake, with -my last dying breath?" - -She did not reply: for the moment she could not, for her tears choked -her, and there was the magic of that voice which she could not resist. -Still she would not look at him. - -"Sir!" she said a little more calmly, "Heaven has given you a gentle -voice, and the power of tender words, with which to cajole women. I -would wish to believe you, but..." - -She was interrupted by the sound of voices, those of Thomas and Timothy, -her men, who had kept a lookout for John Stich. The next moment the -smith himself, breathless and panting, came into view. He had ridden -hard, for Jack o' Lantern's flanks were dripping with sweat, but there -was a look of grave disappointment on the honest man's face. - -"Well?" queried Beau Brocade, excitedly, as soon as John had dismounted. - -"I'm feared that I've lost the scoundrel's track," muttered John, -ruefully. - -"No?" - -"At first I was in hot pursuit, he galloping towards Brassington; -suddenly he seemed to draw rein, and the next moment a riderless horse -came tearing past me, and then disappeared in the direction of Aldwark." - -"A riderless horse?" - -"Aye! I thought at first that maybe he'd been thrown; I scoured the -Heath for half a mile around, but ... the mist was so thick in the -hollow, and there was not a sound.... I'd have needed a blood-hound to -track the rascal down." - -An exclamation of intense disappointment escaped from the lips of Lady -Patience and of Beau Brocade. - -"Do you know who it was, John?" queried the latter. - -"No doubt of that, Captain. It was Sir Humphrey Challoner right -enough." - -"Sir Humphrey Challoner!" cried Patience, in accents of hopeless -despair, "the man who covets my fortune now holds my brother's life in -the hollow of his hand." - -Excitedly, defiantly, she once more turned to Beau Brocade. - -"Nay, sir," she said, "an you wish me to believe that you had no part in -this villainy, get those letters back for me from Sir Humphrey -Challoner!" - -He drew himself up to his full height, his pride at least was equal to -her own. - -"Madam! I swear to you..." he began. He staggered and would have -fallen, but faithful Stich was nigh, and caught him in his arms. - -"You are hurt, Captain?" he whispered, a world of anxiety in his kindly -eyes. - -"Nay! nay!" murmured Beau Brocade, faintly, "'tis nothing! ... help me -up, John! ... I have something to say ... and must say it ... standing!" - -But Nature at last would have her will with him, the wild, brave spirit -that had kept him up all this while was like to break at last. He fell -back dizzy and faint against faithful John's stout breast. - -Then only did she understand and realise. She saw his young face, once -so merry and boyish, now pale with a hue almost of death; she saw his -once laughing eyes now dimmed with the keenness of his suffering. Her -woman's heart went out to him, she loathed herself for her cruelty, her -heart, overburdened with grief, nearly broke at the thought of what she -had done. - -"You are hurt, sir," she said, as she bent over him, her eyes swimming -in tears, "and I ... I knew it not." - -The spell of her voice brought his wandering spirit back to earth and to -her. - -"Aye, hurt, sweet dream!" he murmured feebly, "deeply wounded by those -dear lips, which spoke such cruel words; but for the rest 'tis naught. -See!" he added, trying to raise himself and stretching a yearning hand -towards her, "the moon has hid her face behind that veil of mist ... and -I can no longer see the glory of your hair! ... my eyes are dim, or is -it that the Heath is dark? ... I would fain see your blue eyes once -again.... By the tender memory of my dream born this autumn afternoon, -I swear, sweet lady, that your brother's life shall be safe! ... Whilst -I have one drop of blood left in my veins, I will protect him." - -With trembling hand he sought the white rose which still lay close to -her breast: she allowed him to take it, and he pressed it to his lips. - -Then, with a final effort he drew himself up once more, and said loudly -and clearly,-- - -"By this dear token I swear that I will get those letters back for you -before the sun has risen twice o'er our green-clad hills." - -"Sir ... I..." - -"Tell me but once that you believe me ... and I will have the strength -that moves the mountains." - -"I believe you, sir," she said simply. "I believe you absolutely." - -"Then place your dear hand in mine," he whispered, "and trust in me." - -And the last thought of which he was conscious was of her cool, white -fingers grasping his fevered hand. Then the poor aching head fell back -on John's shoulder, the burning eyes were closed, kindly Nature had -taken the outlaw to her breast and spread her beneficent mantle of -oblivion over his weary senses at last. - - - - - PART III - - BRASSINGTON - - - - CHAPTER XX - - A THRILLING NARRATIVE - - -Mr Inch, beadle of the parish of Brassington, was altogether in his -element. - -Dressed in his gold-laced coat, bob-tail wig and three-cornered hat, his -fine calves encased in the whitest of cotton stockings, his buckled -shoes veritable mirrors of shiny brilliancy, he was standing, wand of -office in hand, outside the door of the tiny Court House, where Colonel -West, Squire of Brassington, was sitting in judgment on the poachers and -footpads of the neighbourhood. - -Before Mr Inch stood no less a person than Master Mittachip, -attorney-at-law. Master Mittachip desired to speak with Squire West, -and the pompous beadle was in the proud position of standing between -this presumptuous desire and the supreme Majesty of the Law. - -"Them's my orders, sir," he said, with all the solemnity which this -extraordinary event demanded. "Them's my orders. Squire West's own -orders. 'Inch,' he says to me--my name being Jeremiah Inch, sir--'Inch,' -he says, 'the odours which perambulate the court-room'--and mind ye, -sir, he didn't use such polite language either--'the odours is more than -I can endurate this hot morning!' As a matter of fact, sir, truth -compellates me to state that Squire West's own words were: 'Inch, this -room stinks like hell! too many sweating yokels about!' Then he gave me -his orders: 'The room is too full as it is, don't admit anyone else, on -any pretext or cause whatsoever.'" - -Master Mittachip had made various misguided efforts to interrupt Mr -Inch's wonderful flow of eloquence. It was only when the worthy beadle -paused to take breath, that the attorney got in a word edgewise. - -"Harkee, my good man..." he began impatiently. - -"I am extra-ordinarily grieved, sir," interrupted Master Inch, who had -not nearly finished, "taking into consideration that I am somewhat -dubersome, whether what his Honour said about the odours could apply -individually to you, but orders is orders, sir, and the Squire as a -legal luminosity must be obeyed in all things." - -Mr Inch heaved a deep sigh of satisfaction. It was not often that he -had the opportunity of showing off his marvellous eloquence and -wonderful flow of language before so distinguished a gentleman as Master -Mittachip, attorney-at-law. But the latter seemed not to appreciate the -elegance of the worthy beadle's diction; on the contrary, he had -throughout shown signs of the greatest impatience, and now, directly Mr -Inch heaved this one sigh, Master Mittachip produced a silver -half-crown, and toying with it, in apparent indifference, said -significantly,-- - -"I am sure, friend Beadle, that if you were to acquaint Squire West that -his Honour, Sir Humphrey Challoner, desired to speak with him..." - -Mr Inch stroked his fat, clean-shaven chin, and eyed the silver -half-crown with an anxious air. - -"Ah! perhaps!" he suggested with as much dignity as the new circumstance -allowed, "perhaps if I did so far contravene my orders..." - -"I feel sure that Sir Humphrey would see fit to reward you," suggested -the attorney, still idly fingering that tempting half-crown. - -But Master Inch was still "dubersome." - -"But then, you understand," he said, "it is against the regulations that -I should vacuate my post until after the sitting is over ... so..." - -"Sir Humphrey Challoner is partaking of breakfast at the Royal George, -Master Inch, he would wish Squire West to know that he'll attend on him -here in half an hour." - -Master Inch closed one eye, and with the other keenly watched Master -Mittachip's movements. The attorney turned the half-crown over in his -lean hand once or twice, then he made as if he would put it back in his -pocket. - -This decided the beadle. - -"I'll go and reconnoitre-ate," he said, "and perhaps I can despatch a -menial to impart to the Squire, Sir Humphrey's wishes and cognomen." - -Thus the majestic beadle felt that his dignity had not been impaired. -With a magnificent turn of his portly person, and an imposing flourish -of his wand of office, he disappeared within the precincts of the Court. - -Master Mittachip slipped the half-crown back in his pocket, and did not -wait for the beadle's return. He was quite satisfied that Sir Humphrey's -wishes would be acceded to. He turned his back on the Court House and -slowly crossed the green. - -Opposite to him was the Royal George, where he and Master Duffy had put -up for the night. In the small hours of the morning he had been aroused -from peaceful slumbers by a great disturbance at the inn. Sir Humphrey -Challoner, booted and spurred, but alone, on foot, and covered with mud, -was peremptorily demanding admittance. - -Since then Master Mittachip had had an interview with his employer, -wherein his Honour had expressed the desire to speak with Squire West -after he, himself, had partaken of late breakfast. That interview had -been a very brief one, but it had sufficed to show to the lean attorney -that Sir Humphrey's temper was none of the best this morning. - -His Honour had desired Master Mittachip's presence again, and the latter -was now making his way slowly back to the Royal George, his knees -quaking under him, his throat dry, and his tongue parched with terror. -Sir Humphrey Challoner was not pleasant to deal with when his temper was -up. - -The attorney found his Honour installed at breakfast in the private -parlour of the inn, and consuming large mugs full of ale and several -rashers of fried bacon. - -"Well?" queried Sir Humphrey, impatiently, as soon as the attorney's -lean, bird-like face appeared in the doorway. - -"I sent word to his Honour, Squire West," explained the latter, coming -forward timidly, "saying that you would wish to see him at the Court -House in half an hour. And, unless your Honour would wish me to speak -to the Squire for you..." - -"No!" rejoined his Honour, curtly. "'Sdeath! don't stand there -fidgeting before me," he added. "Sit down!" - -Master Mittachip meekly obeyed. He selected the straightest chair in -the room, placed it as far away from his Honour as he could, and sat -down on the extreme edge of it. - -"Well! you lean-faced coward," began his Honour, whose temper did not -seem to have improved after his substantial breakfast, "you allowed -yourself to be robbed of my money last night, eh?" - -Thus much Sir Humphrey knew already, for his first inquiry on meeting -Mittachip at the inn had been after his rents. Since then the attorney -had had half an hour in which to reflect on what he would say when his -Honour once more broached the subject. Therefore he began to protest -with a certain degree of assurance. - -"On my honour, Sir Humphrey, you misjudge me," he said deliberately. -"As my clerk and I passed the loneliest spot on the Heath, and without -any previous warning, two masked men leapt into the path in front of us, -and presented pistols. A third man called to us to stand." - -Here Master Mittachip made an effective pause, the better to watch the -impression which his narrative was making on his employer. The latter -was quietly picking his teeth, and merely remarked quietly,-- - -"Well? and what did you do?" - -Thus encouraged Mittachip waxed more bold. - -"In a flash I drew a pistol," he continued glibly, "and so did Duffy ... -for I must say he bore himself bravely. We both fired and my ball -knocked the hat off the fellow nearest to me, but Master Duffy's ball -unfortunately missed. I was drawing my other pistol, determined to make -a desperate fight, and I believe Duffy did as much.... I was amazed -that the fellows did not fire upon us in return..." - -He was distinctly warming up to his subject. But here he was interrupted -by a loud guffaw. Sir Humphrey was evidently vastly amused at the -thrilling tale, and his boisterous laugh went echoing along the -blackened rafter of the old village inn. - -"Odd's my life! 'tis perfect! marvellous, I call it! And tell me, -Master Mittachip," added his Honour, whose eyes were streaming and whose -sides were shaking with laughter, "tell me, why did they not fire? Eh?" - -From past experience Master Mittachip should have known that when Sir -Humphrey Challoner laughed his loudest, then was he mostly to be -dreaded. Yet in this instance the attorney's delight at his own -realistic story drowned the wiser counsels of prudence. He took his -Honour's hilarity as a compliment to his own valour, and continued -proudly,-- - -"The reason was not far to seek, for at that very moment we were both -seized upon from behind by two big fellows. Then all five of them fell -upon us and dragged us aside into the darkness; they tied scarves about -our mouths, so that we could not cry out.... Aye! and had some -difficulty in doing it, for believe me, Sir Humphrey, I fought like mad! -Then they rifled us of everything ... despoiled us absolutely..." - -At this point it struck Master Mittachip that his Honour's continued -gaiety was somewhat out of place. The narrative had become thrilling -surely, exciting and blood-curdling too, and yet Sir Humphrey was -laughing more lustily than ever. - -"Go on, man! go on," he gasped between his paroxysms of merriment. -"Odd's fish! but 'tis the best story I've heard for many a day!" - -"I will swear to the truth o' it in any court of law," protested the -attorney with somewhat less assurance. "The fifth man was Beau Brocade. -I heard the others address him so, while I was lying gagged and bound." - -"Aye! you would _lie_ anywhere," commented his Honour, "gagged and bound -or not." - -"From your observation, Sir Humphrey, I gather that you somewhat ... er -... doubt my story!" murmured Master Mittachip in a quavering voice. - -"Doubt it, man? ... doubt it?" laughed his Honour, holding his sides, -"nay! how can I doubt it? I saw it all..." - -"You, Sir Humphrey?" - -"I was there, man, on the Heath. I saw it all ... your vigorous -defence, your noble valour, your ... your..." - -Master Mittachip's sallow face had assumed a parchment-like hue. He -passed his dry tongue over his parched lips, great drops of moisture -appeared beneath his wig. That his fears were not unfounded was -presently proved by Sir Humphrey's sudden change of manner. - -The hilarious laugh died down in his Honour's throat, an ugly frown -gathered above his deep-set eyes, and with a violent curse he brought -his heavy fist down crashing upon the table. - -"And now, you lying, lumbering poltroon, where's my money?" - -"B ... b ... but, Sir Humphrey..." stammered the attorney, now pallid -with terror. - -"There's no 'but' about it. You collected some rents for me, thirty -guineas in all, that money must lie to my account in the bank at -Wirksworth to-morrow, or by G---- I'll have you clapped in jail like the -thief that you are." - -"B ... b ... but, your Honour..." - -"Silence! I've said my last word. If that money is not in the bank by -noon to-morrow, I'll denounce you to the Wirksworth magistrate as a -fraudulent agent. Now hold your tongue about that. I've said my last -word. The rest is your affair, not mine. I've more important matters to -think on." - -Master Mittachip, half dead with fear, dared not offer further argument -or pleading. He knew his employer well enough to realise that his -honour meant every word he said, and that he himself had nothing more to -hope for in the matter of the money. The deficiency extracted from him -by that rascal Beau Brocade would have to be made good somehow, and -Master Mittachip bethought him ruefully of his own savings, made up of -sundry little commissions extorted from his Honour's tenants. - -No wonder the attorney felt none too kindly disposed towards the -highwayman. He watched Sir Humphrey's face as a hungry dog does his -master's, and noted with growing satisfaction that his Honour's anger -was cooling down gradually, and giving place to harder and more cruel -determination. As he watched, the look of terror died out of his bony, -sallow face, and his pale, watery eyes began to twinkle with keen and -vengeful malice. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI - - MASTER MITTACHIP'S IDEA - - -He waited a little while, and gradually a smile of the deepest -satisfaction spread over his bird-like countenance; he rubbed his meagre -knees up and down with his thin hands, in obvious delight, and as soon -as he saw his opportunity, he remarked slily,-- - -"An your Honour was on the Heath last night, you can help me testify to -highway robbery before Squire West. There are plenty of soldiers in -this village. His Honour'll have out a posse or two; the rascal can't -escape hanging this time." - -Sir Humphrey's florid, sensual face suddenly paled with a curious -intensity of hatred. - -"Aye! he shall hang sure enough," he muttered, with a loud oath. - -He dragged a chair forward, facing Mittachip, and sat astride on it, -drumming a devil's tattoo on the back. - -"Listen here, you old scarecrow," he said more quietly, "for I've not -done with you yet. You don't understand, I suppose, what my presence -here in Brassington means?" - -"I confess that I am somewhat puzzled, your Honour," replied the -attorney, meekly. "I remarked on it to Master Duffy, just before he -started off for Wirksworth this morning. But he could offer no -suggestion." - -"Odd's life, man! couldn't you guess that having made my proposal to -that rascally highwayman I could not rest at Aldwark unless I saw him -carry it through?" - -"Ah?" - -"I got a horse at the Moorhen, and at nightfall I rode out on the Heath. -I feared to lose my way on the bridle path, and moreover, I wished to -keep her ladyship's coach in view, so I kept to the road. It must have -been close on midnight when I sighted it at last. It was at a -standstill in the midst of a quagmire, and as I drew near I could see -neither driver on the box, nor groom at the horses' heads." - -"Well?" - -"Well! that's all! there was a wench inside the coach; I threw her out -and searched for the letters; I found them! That rascally highwayman -had played me false. Some distance from the road I spied him dancing a -rigadoon in the moonlight with her ladyship, whilst her men, the dolts, -were watching the spectacle! Ha! ha! ha! 'twas a fine sight too, I tell -you! So now the sooner I get that chivalrous highwayman hanged, the -better I shall like it." - -"Then ... am I to understand that your Honour has the letters?" - -"Aye! I have the letters right enough!" said Sir Humphrey, with an oath -between his clenched teeth, "but I fear me her ladyship has cajoled the -rogue into her service. Else why this dance? I did not know what to -make of it. Madness, surely, or she never would have left the letters -unprotected. He bewitched her mayhap, and the devil, his master, lent -him a helping hand. I'll see him hang, I tell you.... Hang.... Hang!" - -Master Mittachip's attenuated frame quaked with terror. There was so -much hatred, so much lust for revenge in Sir Humphrey's half-choked -voice, that instinctively the attorney cowered, as before some great and -evil thing which he only half understood. After awhile Sir Humphrey -managed to control himself. He was ashamed of having allowed his agent -this one peep into the darkness of his soul. His love for Patience, -though brutish and grasping, was as strong as his sensuous nature was -capable of: his jealousy and hatred had been aroused by the strange -scene he had witnessed on the Heath, and he was as conscious now of the -longing for revenge, as of the desire to possess himself of Lady -Patience and her fortune. - -"'Sdeath!" he said more calmly, "Beau Brocade and that rascal John Stich -were after me in a trice, and they'd have had the letters back from me, -had I not put a bullet into the damned thief!" - -"And wounded him, your Honour?" queried Mittachip, eagerly. - -"Nay! I could not wait to see! but I hoped I had killed him, for 'twas -John Stich who rode after me, fortunately. He was too big a fool to do -me any harm and I quickly made him lose my track." - -"And you've destroyed the letters, Sir Humphrey?" - -"Destroyed them, you fool? Nay, it would ill suit my purpose if -Stretton were to die. Can't you see that _now_," he said excitedly, -"with those letters in my hand, I can force Lady Patience's acceptance -of my suit? While her brother's life hangs in the balance I can offer -her the letters, on condition that she consent to marry me, and threaten -to destroy them if she refuse!" - -"Aye! aye!" murmured the attorney, "'twere a powerful argument!" - -"And remember," added his Honour, significantly, "there'll be two -hundred guineas for you the day that I wed Lady Patience. That is, _if_ -you render me useful assistance to the end." - -"Two hundred guineas!!! Good lack, Sir Humphrey, I hope you've got -those letters safe!" - -"Aye! safe enough for the present!" - -"About your person?" - -"Nay! you idiot! about my person? With so cunning a rascal as Beau -Brocade at my heels!" - -"Then in your valise, Sir Humphrey?" - -"What? in a strange inn? Think you the fellow would be above breaking -into my room? How do I know that mine host is not one of his boon -companions? The rascal has many friends hereabouts." - -"B ... b ... but what have you done with them, Sir Humphrey?" queried -the attorney, in despair. - -"In your ear, Master Mittachip," quoth his Honour, instinctively -lowering his voice, lest the walls of the old inn had ears. "I thought -the best plan was to hide the letters there, where Lady Patience and her -chivalrous highwayman would least expect to find them." - -"How so, good Sir Humphrey?" - -"I was hard pressed, mind you, and had but a few seconds in which to -make up my mind. I dismounted, then lashed my horse into a panic. As I -expected he made straight for his own stables, at anyrate, he galloped -off like mad in the direction of Aldwark, whilst I remained cowering in -the dense scrub, grateful for the mist, which was very dense in the -hollow. There I remained hidden for about half an hour, until all sound -died away on the Heath. What happened to that damned highwayman or to -John Stich I know not, but I did not feel that the letters were safe -whilst they were about my person. I knew that I was some distance from -this village, and still further from Aldwark, and feared that I should -be pursued and overtaken. At any rate, I crept out of my hiding-place -and presently found myself close to a wooden hut, not far from the -roadside: and there, underneath some bramble and thorny stuff, I hid the -letters well out of sight." - -"Oh! but they won't be safe there, Sir Humphrey," moaned Mittachip, who -seemed to see the golden vision of two hundred guineas vanishing before -his eyes. "Think of it. Any moment they might be unearthed by some -dolt of a shepherd!" - -"'Sdeath! I know that, you fool! They're in a dry place now, but I -only mean them to remain there until you can take them to your own house -at Wirksworth, and put them in your strong room till I have need of -them." - -But this suggestion so alarmed Master Mittachip that he lost his balance -and nearly fell off the edge of his chair. - -"I, Sir Humphrey? .... I ... cross that lonely Heath again? ... and with -those letters about my person?..." - -"Tush, man! the footpads wouldn't take letters from you, and Beau -Brocade will be keeping an eye on me, and wouldn't again molest you..." - -"Aye! but he knows I enjoy the honour of your confidence, good Sir -Humphrey! Believe me, the letters would not be safe with me." - -"Adsbud!" said his Honour, firmly, "then I'll have to find someone else -to take care of those letters for me, and," he added significantly, "to -earn the two hundred guineas." - -Master Mittachip gave an anxious gasp. That two hundred guineas!!! the -ultimate ambition of his sordid, miserable existence! No! he would not -miss that! ... and yet he dreaded the Heath ... and was in terror of -Beau Brocade ... and he dreaded his Honour's anger ten thousand times -more than either: that anger would be terrible if, having taken charge -of the letters, he should be robbed of them. - -The alternative was an awful one! He racked his tortuous brain for a -likely issue. Sir Humphrey had risen, kicked his chair to one side, and -made as if he would go. - -"Now, harkee, friend Mittachip," he said firmly, "I want those letters -placed somewhere in absolute safety, where neither Lady Patience's -influence nor her chivalrous highwayman could possibly get at them. If -you find a way and means of doing this for me, the two hundred guineas -are yours. But if I have to manage this business myself, if I have to -take the almost certain risk of being robbed of the letters, if I carry -them about my own person, then you shall not get another shilling from -me. Now you can think this matter over. I'll across to speak to Squire -West, and see if I can't get that rascally highwayman captured and -clapped into jail before the day is done." - -He took up his hat, and threw his coat over his arm. The situation was -getting desperate. - -Then suddenly Master Mittachip had an idea. - -"I have it, Sir Humphrey," he cried excitedly. "I have it! A perfectly -safe way of conveying those letters to my strong room at Wirksworth!" - -"Let's have it, then." - -"I have bought some sheep of a farmer from over Aldwark way, for a -client at Wirksworth. Here," he added, pulling a paper out of his -pocket and handing it up to Sir Humphrey, "is the receipt and tally for -them. Jock Miggs--Master Crabtree's shepherd--is taking the sheep to -the town to-day. He'll most likely put up for the night on the Heath." - -"Well?" queried Sir Humphrey. - -"Well! Jock Miggs can neither read nor write." - -"Of course not." - -"Let us send _him_ to Wirksworth and tell him to leave the packet of -letters at my house in charge of my clerk, Master Duffy, who will put it -in the strong room until you want them. Duffy started for Wirksworth at -daybreak this morning, and should be there by nightfall." - -"Pshaw, man! would you have me trust such valuable letters to a fool of -a shepherd?" - -"Nay, Sir Humphrey, but that is our safeguard. Beau Brocade never -touches the poor or the peasantry, and certainly would never suspect -Jock Miggs of being in your Honour's confidence, whilst the ordinary -footpads would take no count of him. He is worth neither powder nor -shot." - -"That's true enough!" - -"I should tell Miggs that the papers are accounts for the sheep, and -promise him a silver crown if he delivers them safely at my door. We -can put the letters in a sealed packet; no one would ever suspect him." - -There was silence in the inn parlour for awhile. His Honour stood with -legs apart, opposite the tiny leaded window, gazing out into vacancy, -whilst Master Mittachip fixed his eyes meditatively on the broad back of -his noble patron. What a deal depended on what was going on at the -present moment in Sir Humphrey's active brain. - -Suddenly his Honour turned on his heel. - -"Odd's fish, Master Mittachip," he said, "but your plan is none so bad -after all." - -The attorney heaved a deep sigh of relief, and began mopping his beady -forehead. The tension had been acute. This lengthy, agitating -interview had been extremely trying. So much hung in the balance, and -so much had depended upon that very uncertain quantity, his Honour's -temper. But now the worst was over. Sir Humphrey was a man of -determination, who never changed his mind once that mind was made up, -and who carried any undertaking through with set purpose and unflinching -will. - -"Well! and when can I see that shepherd you speak of?" he asked. - -"If your Honour would ride over on the Heath with me this afternoon," -suggested the attorney, "I doubt not but we should come across Jock -Miggs and his sheep, and in any case he would be at the hut by -nightfall." - -"Very good!" rejoined his Honour. "Do you see that a couple of horses -be ready for us. We can start as soon as I have spoken with Squire West -and laid my information against that d--d Beau Brocade. With a posse of -soldiers at his heels he's less likely to worry us, eh, old scarecrow?" - -"We shall not be safe, your Honour," assented worthy Master Mittachip, -"until the rascal is dangling six feet above the ground. In the -meanwhile," he added, seeing that Sir Humphrey was making for the door, -"your Honour will be pleased to give me back that receipt and tally for -the sheep I showed you just now." - -But already his Honour was hurrying down the narrow passage, eager to -get through the business that would lay his enemy by the heels, and -render him safe in the possession of the important letters which were to -secure him Lady Patience's hand and fortune. - -"All right!" he shouted back lustily, "it's safe enough in my pocket. -I'll give it you back on my return." - -Left alone in the dingy, black-raftered parlour, Master Mittachip sat -pondering for awhile, his pale, watery eyes blinking at times with the -intensity of his satisfaction. Now for a little good luck--and he had -no cause to fear the reverse--and that glorious vision of two hundred -golden guineas would become a splendid reality. The advice he had given -Sir Humphrey was undoubtedly the safest which he could offer. Beau -Brocade, even with a posse of soldiers at his heels, was still a potent -personality on the Heath, and it certainly looked as if her ladyship had -cajoled him into her service. No one knew really who his friends and -accomplices were: on and about Brassing Moor he could reckon on the help -of most of the poorer villagers. - -But Jock Miggs at any rate was safe, alike from the daring highwayman -and the more humble footpad. The former would not suspect him, and the -latter would leave a poor shepherd severely alone. The footpath from the -hut by the roadside to the town of Wirksworth was but a matter of three -or four miles, and for a silver crown the shepherd would be ready enough -to take a sealed packet to the house of Master Mittachip in Fulsome -Street. - -Yes! it was all going to be for the best, in this best possible world, -and as Master Mittachip thought over it all, he rubbed his thin, -claw-like hands contentedly together. - - - - - CHAPTER XXII - - AN INTERLUDE - - -The Packhorse Inn, lower down the village, was not nearly so frequented -as was the Royal George. Its meagre, dilapidated appearance frightened -most customers away. A few yokels only patronised it to the extent of -sipping their small ale there, in the parlour when it was wet, or -outside the porch when it was fine. - -The few--very few--travellers, whom accident mostly brought to -Brassington, invariably preferred the more solid, substantial inn on the -green, but when it was a question of finding safe shelter for his -wounded friend, John Stich unhesitatingly chose the Packhorse. He had -improvised a rough kind of stretcher, with the help of the cushions from -Lady Patience's coach, and on this, with the aid of Timothy the groom, -he had carried Bathurst all the way across two miles of Heath into -Brassington. The march had been terribly wearisome: the wounded man, -fevered with past excitement, had become light-headed, and during -intervals of lucidity was suffering acutely from his wound. - -Lady Patience could not bring herself to leave him. A feeling she could -not have described seemed to keep her enchained beside this man, whom -but a few hours ago she had never seen, but in whom she felt now that -all her hopes had centred. He had asked her to trust him, and since -then had only recovered consciousness to plead to her with mute, aching -eyes not to take away that trust which she had given him. - -Fortunately, the noted bad state of the roads on Brassing Moor, which at -any time might prove impassable for the coach, had caused her to take -her own saddle as part of her equipment for her journey to London. This -John Stich had fixed for her on Jack o' Lantern's back, and the faithful -beast, as if guessing the sad plight of his master, carried her -ladyship, with Mistress Betty clinging on behind, with lamb-like -gentleness down the narrow bridle-path to Brassington. - -Thomas, the driver, had been left in charge of the coach, with orders to -find his way as quickly as may be along the road to Wirksworth. - -It had been Bathurst's firmly-expressed wish that they should put up at -Brassington, at any rate for the night. Besides being the nearest -point, it was also the most central, whence a sharp lookout could be -kept on Sir Humphrey Challoner's movements. Everything depended now on -how serious the young man's wound turned out to be. - -Patience felt that without his help she was indeed powerless to fight -her cunning enemy. She was never for one moment in doubt as to the -motive which prompted Sir Humphrey Challoner to steal the letters. He -meant to hold them as a weapon over her to enforce the acceptance of his -suit; this she knew well enough. Her instincts, rendered doubly acute -by the imminence of the peril, warned her that the Squire of Harrington -meant to throw all scruples to the wind, and would in wanton revenge -sacrifice Philip by destroying the letters, if she fought or defied him -openly. - -Patience bethought her of the scene at the forge, when Bathurst's ready -wit had saved her brother from the officious and rapacious soldiers: now -that the terrible situation had to be met with keenness and cunning, she -once more turned, with hope in her heart, to the one man who could save -Philip again: but he, alas! lay helpless. And all along the weary way -to Brassington she was listening with aching heart and throbbing temples -to his wild, delirious words and occasional, quickly-suppressed moans. - -However, they reached the Packhorse at last in the small hours of the -morning: money, lavishly distributed by Lady Patience, secured the one -comfortable room in the inn for the wounded man. - -As soon as the day broke John Stich went in quest of Master Prosser, the -leech, a gentleman famed for his skill and learning. Already the rest -on a good bed, and Lady Patience's cool hand and gentle words, had done -much to soothe the patient. Youth and an iron constitution quickly did -the rest. - -The leech pronounced the wound to be neither deep nor serious, and the -extraction of the ball caused the sufferer much relief. - -Within an hour after the worthy man's visit, Jack Bathurst had fallen -into a refreshing sleep, and at John Stich's earnest pleading, Lady -Patience had thrown herself on a bed in the small room which she had -secured for herself and Mistress Betty, and had at last managed to get -some rest. - -The sun was already well up in the heavens when Jack awoke. His eyes, -as soon as they opened, sought anxiously for her dear presence in the -room. - -"Feel better, Captain?" asked John Stich, who had been watching -faithfully by his side. - -"I feel a giant, honest friend," replied the young man. "Help me up, -will you?" - -"The leech said you ought to keep quiet for a bit, Captain," protested -the smith. - -"Oho! he did, did he?" laughed Jack, gaily. "Well! go tell him, friend, -from me, that he is an ass." - -"Where is she, John?" he asked quietly, after a slight pause. - -"In the next room, Captain." - -"Resting?" - -"Aye! she never left your side since you fainted on the Heath." - -"I know--I know, friend," said Jack, with a short, deep sigh; "think you -I could not feel her hand..." - -He checked himself abruptly, and with the help of John Stich raised -himself from the bed. He looked ruefully at his stained clothes, and a -quaint, pleasant smile chased away the last look of weariness and -suffering from his face. - -"Nay! what a plight for Beau Brocade in which to meet the lady of his -dreams, eh, John? Here, help me to make myself presentable! Run down -quickly to mine host, borrow brushes and combs, and anything you can lay -hands on. I am not fit to appear before her eyes." - -"Then will you keep quite still, Captain, until I return? And keep your -arm quietly in the sling? The leech said..." - -"Never mind what the leech said, run, John ... the sight of myself in -that glass there causes me more pain than this stupid scratch. Run -quickly, John, for I hear her footstep in the next room.... I'll not -move from the edge of this bed, I swear it, if you'll only run." - -He kept his word and never stirred from where he sat; but he strained -his ears to listen, for through the thin partition wall he could just -hear her footstep on the rough wooden floor, and occasionally her voice -when she spoke to Betty. - -Half an hour later, when John Stich had done his best to valet and dress -him, he waited upon her ladyship at breakfast in the parlour downstairs. - -She came forward to greet him, her dainty hand outstretched, her eyes -anxiously scanning his face. - -"You should not have risen yet, sir," she said half shyly as he pressed -her finger-tips to his lips, "your poor wounded shoulder..." - -"Nay, with your pardon, madam," he said lightly, "'tis well already -since your sweet hand has tended it." - -"'Twas my desire to nurse you awhile longer, and not allow you to risk -your life for me again." - -"My life? Nay! I'll trust that to mine old enemy, Fortune: she has -ta'en care of it all these years, that I might better now place it at -your service." - -She said nothing, for she felt unaccountably shy. She, who had had half -the gilded youth of England at her feet, found no light bantering word -with which to meet this man; and beneath his ardent gaze she felt -herself blushing like a school miss at her first ball. - -"Will you honour me, sir," she said at last, "by partaking of breakfast -with me?" - -All cares and troubles seemed forgotten. He sat down at the table -opposite to her, and together they drank tea, and ate eggs and bread and -butter: and there was so much to talk about that often they would both -become quite silent, and say all there was to say just with their eyes. - -He told her about the Heath which he knew and loved so well, the beauty -of the sunrise far out behind the Tors, the birds and beasts and their -haunts and habits, the heron on the marshy ground, the cheeky robins on -the branches of the bramble, the lizards and tiny frogs and toads: all -that enchanting world which peopled the Moor and had made it a home for -him. - -And she listened to it all, for he had a deep, tender, caressing voice, -which was always good to hear, and she was happy, for she was young, and -the world in which she dwelt was very beautiful. - -Yet she found this happiness which she felt, quite incomprehensible: she -even chid herself for feeling it, for the outside world was still the -same, and her brother still in peril. He, the man, alone knew whither -he was drifting; he knew that he loved her with every fibre of his -being, and that she was as immeasurably beyond him as the stars. - -He knew what this happiness meant, and that it could but live a day, an -hour. Therefore he drained the cup to its full measure, enjoying each -fraction of a second of this one glorious hour, watching her as she -smiled, as she sipped her tea, as she blushed when she met his eyes. -And sometimes--for he was clumsy with his one arm in a sling--sometimes -as she helped him in the thousand and one little ways of which women -alone possess the enchanting secret, her hand would touch his, just for -one moment, like a bird on the wing, and he, the poor outlaw, saw heaven -open before him, and seeing it, was content. - -Outside an early September sun was flooding the little village street -with its golden light. They did not dare to show themselves at the -window, lest either of them should be recognised, so they had drawn the -thin muslin curtain across the casement, and shut out the earth from -this little kingdom of their own. - -Only at times the bleating of a flock of sheep, or the melancholy lowing -of cattle would come to them from afar, or from the window-sill the -sweet fragrance of a pot of mignonette. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII - - A DARING PLAN - - -It was close on ten o'clock when they came back to earth once more. - -A peremptory knock at the door had roused them both from their dreams. - -Bathurst rose to open, and there stood John Stich and Mistress Betty, -both looking somewhat flurried and guilty, and both obviously brimming -over with news. - -"My lady! my lady!" cried Betty, excitedly, as soon as she caught her -mistress's eye, "I have just spied Sir Humphrey Challoner at the window -of the Royal George, just over the green yonder." - -"Give me leave, Captain," added John Stich, who was busy rolling up his -sleeves above his powerful arms, "give me leave, and I'll make the rogue -disgorge those letters in a trice." - -"You'd not succeed, honest friend," mused Bathurst, "and might get -yourself in a devil of a hole to boot." - -"Nay, Captain," asserted John, emphatically, "'tis no time now for the -wearing of kid gloves. I was on the green a moment ago, and spied that -ravenous scarecrow, Mittachip, conversing with the beadle outside the -Court House, where Squire West is sitting." - -"Well?" - -"When the beadle had gone, Master Mittachip walked across the green and -went straight to the Royal George. Be gy! what does that mean, -Captain?" - -"Oho!" laughed Jack, much amused at the smith's earnestness, "it means -that Sir Humphrey Challoner intends to lay information against one Beau -Brocade, the noted highwayman, and to see how nice he'll look with a -rope round his neck and dangling six foot from the ground." - -An involuntary cry from Lady Patience, however drowned the laughter on -his lips. - -"Tush, man!" he added seriously, "here's a mighty fine piece of work -we're doing, frightening her ladyship..." - -But John Stich was scowling more heavily than ever. - -"If the scoundrel should dare..." he muttered, clenching his huge fists. - -His attitude was so threatening, and his expression so menacing, that in -the midst of her new anxiety Lady Patience herself could not help -smiling. Beau Brocade laughed outright. - -"Dare?..." he said lightly. "Why, of course he'll dare. He's eager -enough in the pursuit of mischief, and must save the devil all the -trouble of showing him the way. But now," he added more seriously, and -turning to Mistress Betty, "tell me, child, saw you Sir Humphrey -clearly?" - -"Aye! clear as daylight," she retorted, "the old beast..." - -"How was he dressed?" - -"Just like he was yesterday, sir. A brown coat, embroidered waistcoat, -buff breeches, riding-boots, three-cornered hat, and he had in his hand -a gold-headed riding-crop." - -"Child!--child!" cried Bathurst, joyfully, "an those bright eyes of -yours have not deceived you, yours'll be the glory of having saved us -all." - -"What are you going to do?" asked Patience, eagerly. - -"Pit my poor wits against those of Sir Humphrey Challoner," he replied -gaily. - -"I don't quite understand." - -He came up quite close to her and tried to meet her eyes. - -"But you trust me?" he asked. - -And she murmured,-- - -"Absolutely." - -"May Heaven bless you for that word!" he said earnestly. "Then will you -deign to do as I shall direct?" - -"Entirely." - -"Very well! Then whilst friend Stich will fetch my hat for me, will you -write out a formal plaint, signed with your full name, stating that last -night on the Heath you were waylaid and robbed by a man, whom I, your -courier, saw quite plainly, and whom you have desired me to denounce?" - -"But..." - -"I entreat you there's not a moment to be lost," he urged, taking pen, -ink and paper from the old-fashioned desk close by, and placing them -before her. - -"I'll do as you wish, of course," she said, "but what is your purpose?" - -"For the present to take your ladyship's plaint over to his Honour, -Squire West, at the Court House." - -"You'll be seen and recognised and..." - -"Not I. One or two of the yokels may perhaps guess who I am, but they'd -do me no harm. I entreat you, do as I bid you. Every second wasted may -imperil our chance of safety." - -He had such an air of quiet command about him that she instinctively -obeyed him and wrote out the plaint as he directed, then gave it in his -charge. He seemed buoyant and full of hope, and though her heart -misgave her, she managed to smile cheerfully when he took leave of her. - -"I humbly beg of you," he said finally, as having kissed her finger-tips -he prepared to go, "to wait here against my return, and on no account to -take heed of anything you may see or hear for the next half-hour. An I -mistake not," he added with a merry twinkle in his grey eyes, "there'll -be strange doings at Brassington this noon." - -"But you...?" she cried anxiously. - -"Nay! I pray you have no fear for me. In your sweet cause I would -challenge the world, and, if you desired it, would remained unscathed." - -When he had gone, she sighed, and obedient to his wish, sat waiting -patiently for his return in the dingy little parlour which awhile ago -his presence had made so bright. - -It was at this moment that Master Mittachip, after his interview with -the beadle, was in close conversation with Sir Humphrey Challoner at the -Royal George. - -Outside the inn, Bathurst turned to John Stich, who had closely followed -him. - -"How's my Jack o' Lantern?" he asked quickly. - -"As fresh as a daisy, Captain," replied the smith. "I've rubbed him down -myself, and he has had a lovely feed." - -"That's good. You have my saddle with you?" - -"Oh, aye! I knew you'd want it soon enough. Jack o' Lantern carried it -for you himself, bless 'is 'eart, along with her ladyship and Mistress -Betty." - -"Then do you see at once to his being saddled, friend, and bring him -along to the Court House as soon as may be. Hold him in readiness for -me, so that I may mount at a second's notice. You understand?" - -"Yes, Captain. I understand that you are running your head into a -d----d noose, and..." - -"Easy, easy, friend! Remember..." - -"Nay! I'll not forget for whose sake you do it. But you are at a -disadvantage, Captain, with only one good arm." - -"Nay, friend," rejoined Bathurst, lightly, "there's many a thing a man -can do with one arm: he can embrace his mistress ... or shoot his -enemy." - -The sleepy little village of Brassington lay silent and deserted in the -warmth of the noon-day sun, as Bathurst, having parted from John Stich, -hurried across its narrow streets. As he had passed quickly through the -outer passage of the Packhorse he had caught sight of a few red coats at -the dingy bar of the inn, and presently, when he emerged on the green, -he perceived another lot of them over at the Royal George yonder. - -But at this hour the worthy soldiers of His Majesty, King George, were -having their midday rest and their customary glasses of ale, and were -far too busy recounting their adventure with the mysterious stranger at -the forge to the gaffers of Brassington, to take heed of anyone hurrying -along its street. - -And thus Bathurst passed quickly and unperceived; the one or two yokels -whom he met gave him a rapid glance. Only the women turned round, as he -went along, to have another look at the handsome stranger with one arm -in a sling. - -Outside the Court House he came face to face with Master Inch, whose -pompous dignity seemed at this moment to be severely ruffled. - -"Hey, sir! Hey!" he was shouting, and craning his fat neck in search of -Master Mittachip, who had incontinently disappeared, "the Court is -determinating--Squire West will grant you the interview which you -seek.... Lud preserve me!" he added in noble and gigantic wrath, "I do -believe the impious malapert was trying to fool me ... sending me on a -fool's errand ... _me_ ... Jeremiah Inch, beadle of this parish!..." - -Bathurst waited a moment or two until the worst of the beadle's anger -had cooled down a little, then he took a silver crown from his pocket, -and pushed past the worthy into the precincts of the house. - -"The interview you've arranged for, friend," he said quietly; "will do -equally well for her ladyship's courier." - -Master Inch was somewhat taken off his balance. Mittachip's -disappearance and this stranger's impertinence had taken his breath -away. Before he had time to recover it, Bathurst had pressed the silver -crown into his capacious palm. - -"Now tell Squire West, friend," he said with that pleasant air of -authority which he knew so well how to assume, "that I am here by the -command of Lady Patience Gascoyne and am waiting to speak with him." - -Master Inch was so astonished that he found no word either of protest or -of offended dignity. He looked doubtfully at the crown for a second or -two, weighed it in his mind against the problematical half-crown -promised by the defaulting attorney, and then said majestically,-- - -"I will impart her ladyship's cognomen to his Honour myself." - -The next moment Jack Bathurst found himself alone in a small private -room of the Court House, looking forward with suppressed excitement to -the interview with Squire West, which in a moment of dare-devil, madcap -frolic, yet with absolute coolness and firm determination, he had -already arranged in his mind. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV - - HIS HONOUR, SQUIRE WEST - - -Squire West was an elderly man, with a fine military presence and a -pleasant countenance beneath his bob-tail wig: in his youth he had been -reckoned well-favoured, and had been much petted by the ladies at the -county balls. Owing to this he had retained a certain polish of manner -not often met with in the English country gentry of those times. - -He came forward very politely to greet the courier of Lady Patience -Gascoyne. - -"What hath procured to Brassington the honour of a message from Lady -Patience Gascoyne?" he asked, motioning Bathurst to a chair, and seating -himself behind his desk. - -"Her ladyship herself is staying in the village," replied Jack, "but -would desire her presence to remain unknown for awhile." - -"Oh, indeed!" said the Squire, a little flurried at this unexpected -event, "but ... but there is no inn fitting to harbour her ladyship in -this village, and ... and ... if her ladyship would honour me and my -poor house..." - -"I thank you, sir, but her ladyship only remains here for an hour or so, -and has despatched me to you on an important errand which brooks of no -delay." - -"I am entirely at her ladyship's service." - -"Lady Patience was on her way from Stretton Hall, your Honour," -continued Bathurst, imperturbably, "when her coach was stopped on the -Heath, not very far from here, and her jewels, money, and also certain -valuable papers were stolen from her." - -Squire West hemmed and hawed, and fidgeted in his chair: the matter -seemed, strangely enough, to be causing him more annoyance than -surprise. - -"Dear! dear!" he muttered deprecatingly. - -"Her ladyship has written out her formal plaint," said Jack, laying the -paper before his Honour. "She has sent her coach on to Wirksworth, but -thought your Honour's help here at Brassington would be more useful in -capturing the rogue." - -"Aye!" murmured the worthy Squire, still somewhat doubtfully, and with a -frown of perplexity on his jovial face. "We certainly have a posse of -soldiers--a dozen or so at most--quartered in the village just now, -but..." - -"But what, your Honour?" - -"But to be frank with you, sir, I fear me that 'twill be no good. An I -mistake not, 'tis another exploit of that rascal, Beau Brocade, and the -rogue is so cunning! ... Ah!" he added with a sigh, "we shall have no -peace in this district until we've laid him by the heels." - -It was certainly quite obvious that the Squire was none too eager to -send a posse of soldiers after the notorious highwayman. He had himself -enjoyed immunity on the Heath up to now, and feared that it would be his -turn to suffer if he started an active campaign against Beau Brocade. -But Bathurst, from where he sat, had a good view through the casement -window of the village green, and of the Royal George beyond it. Every -moment he expected to see Sir Humphrey Challoner emerging from under the -porch and entering this Court House, when certainly the situation would -become distinctly critical. The Squire's hesitancy nearly drove him -frantic with impatience, yet perforce he had to keep a glib tongue in -his head, and not to betray more than a natural interest in the subject -which he was discussing. - -"Aye!" he said gaily, "an it was that rogue Beau Brocade, your Honour, -he's the most daring rascal I've ever met. The whole thing was done in -a trice. Odd's fish! but the fellow would steal your front tooth whilst -he parleyed with you. He fired at me and hit me," he added ruefully, -pointing to his wounded shoulder. - -"You were her ladyship's escort on the Heath, sir?" - -"Aye! and would wish to be of assistance in the recovery of her -property: more particularly of a packet of letters on which her ladyship -sets great store. If the rogue were captured now, these might be found -about his person." - -"Ah! I fear me," quoth his Honour, with singular lack of enthusiasm, -"that 'twill not be so easy, sir, as you imagine." - -"How so?" - -"Beau Brocade is in league with half the country-side and..." - -"Nay! you say you have a posse of soldiers quartered here! Gadzooks! if -I had the chance with these and a few lusty fellows from the village, -I'd soon give an account of any highwayman on this Heath!" - -"Dear! dear!" repeated Squire West, sorely puzzled, "a very regrettable -incident indeed." - -"Can I so far trespass on your Honour's time," queried Bathurst, with a -slight show of impatience, "as to ask you at least to take note of her -ladyship's plaint?" - -"Certainly ... sir, certainly ... hem! ... er.... Of course we must -after the rogue ... the beadle shall cry him out on the green at once, -and..." - -It was easy to see that the worthy Squire would far sooner have left the -well-known hero of Brassing Moor severely alone; still, in his official -capacity he was bound to take note of her ladyship's plaint, and to act -as justice demanded. - -"'Tis a pity, sir," he said, whilst he sat fidgeting among his papers, -"that you, or perhaps her ladyship, did not see the rogue's face. I -suppose he was masked as usual?" - -"Faix! he'd have frightened the sheep on the Heath, maybe, if he was -not. But her ladyship and I noted his hair and stature, and also the -cut and colour of his clothes." - -"What was he like?" - -"Tall and stout of build, with dark hair turning to grey." - -"Nay!" ejaculated Squire West, in obvious relief, "then it was not Beau -Brocade, who is young and slim, so I'm told, though I've never seen him. -You saw him plainly, sir, did you say?" - -"Aye! quite plainly, your Honour! And what's more," added Jack, -emphatically, "her ladyship and I both caught sight of him in -Brassington this very morning." - -"In Brassington?" - -"Outside the Royal George," asserted Bathurst, imperturbably. - -"Nay, sir!" cried Squire West, who seemed to have quite lost his air of -indecision, now that he no longer feared to come in direct conflict with -Beau Brocade, "why did you not say this before? Here, Inch! Inch!" he -added, going to the door and shouting lustily across the passage, "where -is that cursed beadle? In Brassington, did you say, sir?" - -"I'd almost swear to it, your Honour." - -"Nay! then with a bit of good luck, we may at least lay _this_ rascal by -the heels. I would I could rid this neighbourhood of these rogues. -Here, Inch," he continued, as soon as that worthy appeared in the -doorway, "do you listen to what this gentleman has got to say. There's -a d----d rascal in this village and you'll have to cry out his -description at once, and then collar him as soon as may be." - -Master Inch placed himself in a posture that was alike dignified and -expectant. His Honour, Squire West, too, was listening eagerly, whilst -Jack Bathurst with perfect _sang-froid_ gave forth the description of -the supposed highwayman. - -"He wore a brown coat," he said calmly, "embroidered waistcoat, buff -breeches, riding-boots and three-cornered hat. He is tall and stout of -build, has dark hair slightly turning to grey, and was last seen -carrying a gold-headed riding-crop." - -"That's clear enough, Inch, is it not?" queried his Honour. - -"It is marvellously pellucid, sir," replied the beadle. - -"You may add, friend Beadle," continued Jack, carelessly, "that her -ladyship offers a reward of twenty guineas for that person's immediate -apprehension." - -And Master Inch, beadle of the parish of Brassington, flew out of the -door, and out of the Court House, bell in hand, for with a little bit of -good luck it might be that he would be the first to lay his hand on the -tall, stout rascal in a brown coat, and would be the one to earn the -twenty guineas offered for his immediate apprehension. - -Squire West himself was over pleased. It was indeed satisfactory to -render service to so great a lady as Lady Patience Gascoyne without -interfering over much with that dare-devil Beau Brocade. The -depredations on Brassing Moor had long been a scandal in the county: it -had oft been thought that Squire West had not been sufficiently active -in trying to rid the Heath of the notorious highwayman, whose exploits -now were famed far and wide. But here was a chance of laying a cursed -rascal by the heels and of showing his zeal in the administration of the -county. - -The Squire, in the interim, busied himself with his papers, whilst -Bathurst, who was vainly trying to appear serious and only casually -interested, stood by the open window, watching Master Inch's progress -across the green. - -Outside the Court House faithful John Stich stood waiting, with Jack o' -Lantern pawing the ground by his side. - - - - - CHAPTER XXV - - SUCCESS AND DISAPPOINTMENT - - -Thus it was that when Sir Humphrey Challoner, after his lengthy -interview with Mittachip, stepped out of the porch of the Royal George -on his way to the Court House, he found the village green singularly -animated. - -A number of yokels, including quite a goodly contingent of women and -youngsters, were crowding round Master Inch, the beadle, who was ringing -his bell violently and shouting at the top of his lusty voice,-- - -"Oyez! Oyez! Oyez! Take note that a robber, vagabond and thief is in -hiding in this village." - -Interested in the scene, Sir Humphrey had paused a moment, watching the -pompous beadle and the crowd of gaffers and women. He still carried his -riding-crop, and flicked it with a certain pleasurable satisfaction -against his boot, eagerly anticipating the moment when the village crier -would be giving forth in the same stentorian tones the description of -Beau Brocade, the highwayman. - -"Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!" continued Master Inch, with ever-increasing -vigour. "Take note that this vagabond is apparelled in a brown coat, -embroidered waistcoat, buff nether garments and riding-boots. Oyez! -Oyez! Oyez! take note that he carried with him this morning a -gold-headed riding-whip, that he is tall and slightly rotund in his -corporation and has raven hair slightly attenuated with grey. - -"Oyez! Oyez! Oyez! take note that if any of you observate such a -person as I have just descriptioned, you are to apprise me of this -instantaneously, so that I may take him by force and violence even into -the presence of his Honour. - -"Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!" - -The gaffers were putting their heads together, whilst the young ones -whispered eagerly,-- - -"Brown coat! ... embroidered waistcoat! ... a gold-headed whip!..." - -Nay, 'twas often enough that Master Inch had to cry out the description -of some wretched vagabond in hiding in the village, but it was not usual -that such an one was attired in the clothes of a gentleman. - -It even struck Sir Humphrey as very strange, and he pushed through the -group of yokels to hear more clearly Master Inch's renewed description -of the rogue. - -"Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!" - -At first the interest in Master Inch's pompous words was so keen that -Sir Humphrey remained practically unnoticed. One or two villagers, -noting that a gentleman was amongst them, respectfully made way for him, -then one youngster, struck by a sudden idea, stared at him and whispered -to his neighbour,-- - -"He's got a brown coat on..." - -"Aye!" whispered the other in reply, "and an embroiderated waistcoat -too." - -Some of them began crowding around Sir Humphrey, so that he raised his -whip and muttered angrily,-- - -"What the devil are ye all staring at?" - -It was at this very moment that Master Inch suddenly caught sight of -him, just in the very middle of a stentorian,-- - -"Oyez!" - -He gave one tremendous gasp, the bell dropped out of his hand, his jaw -fell, his round, beady eyes nearly bulged out of his head. - -"'Tis him!" murmured the yokel, who stood close to his ear. - -This remark brought back Master Inch to his senses and to the importance -of his position. He raised his large hand above his head and brought it -down with a tremendous clap on Sir Humphrey Challoner's shoulder. - -"Aye! 'tis him!" he shouted lustily, "and be gy! he's got guilt writ all -over his face, and 'tis a mighty ugly surface!" - -Sir Humphrey, taken completely by surprise, was positively purple with -rage. - -"Death and hell!" he cried, clutching his riding-whip significantly. -"What's the meaning of this?" - -But already the younger men, full of excitement and eagerness, had -closed round him, impeding his movements, whilst two more lusty fellows -incontinently seized him by the collar. They felt neither respect nor -sympathy for a vagabond attired in gentleman's clothes. - -Sir Humphrey tried to shake himself free, whilst the beadle majestically -replied,-- - -"You'll have it explanated to you, friend, before his Honour!" - -The excitement and lust of capture was growing apace. - -"Got him!" shouted most of the men. - -"Showin' his ugly face in broad daylight!" commented the women. - -"Hold him tight, beadle," was the universal admonition. - -"You rascal! you dare!..." gasped Sir Humphrey, struggling violently, -and shaking a menacing fist in the beadle's face. - -"Silence!" commanded Master Inch, with supreme dignity. - -"I'll have you whipped for this!" - -But this aroused the beadle's most awesome ire. - -"To the stocks with him!" he ordered, "he insultates the Majesty of the -Law!" - -"You low-born knave! Aye! you'll hang for this!" - -It was all this clamour that at last aroused Master Mittachip in the -parlour of the Royal George from the happy day-dreams in which he was -indulging. At first he took no count of it, then he quietly strolled up -to the window and undid the casement, to ascertain what all the tumult -was about. - -What he did see nearly froze the thin blood within his veins. He would -have cried out, but his very throat contracted with the horror of the -spectacle which he beheld. - -There! across the village green, he saw Sir Humphrey Challoner, his -noble patron, the Squire of Hartington, being clapped into the village -stocks, whilst a crowd of yokels, the clumsy, ignorant d----d louts! -were actually pelting his Honour with carrots, turnips and potatoes! - -Oh! was the world coming to an end? There! a peck of peas hit Sir -Humphrey straight in the eye. No wonder his Honour was purple, he would -have a stroke of apoplexy for sure within the next five minutes. - -At last Master Mittachip recovered the use of his limbs. With one bound -he was out of the inn parlour, and had pushed past mine host and -hostess, who, as ignorant as were all the other villagers of their -guest's name and quality, were watching the scene from the porch, and -holding their sides with laughter. - -Jack Bathurst had watched it all from the window of the Court House: his -dare-devil, madcap scheme had succeeded beyond his most sanguine hopes. -When he saw Sir Humphrey Challoner actually clapped in the village -stocks, with the pompous beadle towering over him, like the sumptuous -Majesty of the Law, he could have cried out in wild merry glee. - -But Jack was above all a man of prompt decision and quick action. For -his own life he cared not one jot, and would gladly have laid it down -for the sake of the woman he loved with all the passionate ardour of his -romantic temperament, but with him, as with every other human being, -self-preservation was the greatest and most irresistible law. He had -readily imperilled his safety in order to obtain possession of the -letters, which meant so much happiness to his beautiful white rose: but -this done, he was ready to do battle for his own life, and to sell his -freedom as dearly as may be. - -He hoped that he had effectually accomplished his purpose through the -arrest of Sir Humphrey Challoner, whose pockets Master Inch was even now -deliberately searching, in spite of vigorous protests and terrible -language from his Honour. His heart gave a wild leap of joy when he saw -the beadle presently hurrying across the green and holding a paper in -his hand. It looked small enough--not a packet, only a single letter: -but if it were the momentous one, then indeed would all risks, all -perils seem as nothing when weighed against the happiness of having -rendered _her_ this service. - -But Jack also saw Master Mittachip darting panic-stricken out of the inn -opposite. He knew of course that within the next few moments--seconds -perhaps--the fraud would be discovered and Sir Humphrey Challoner -liberated, amidst a shower of abject apologies from the Squire and -parish of Brassington combined. What the further consequences of it all -would be to himself was not difficult to foresee. - -He looked behind him. The Squire was sitting at his desk, apparently -taking no notice of the noise and shouting outside. Down below, John -Stich, who had been watching the scene on the green with the utmost -delight, stood ready, holding Jack o' Lantern by the bridle. In a -moment, with a few courteous words to the Squire, Bathurst had hurried -out of the Court House. He met the beadle at the door, who, paper in -hand, conscious of his own importance and flurried with wrath, was -hurrying to report the important arrest to Squire West. - -Bathurst stopped him with a quick,-- - -"'Twas well done, Master Inch!" - -And pressing a couple of guineas into the beadle's hand, he added,-- - -"Her ladyship will further repay when you've found the rest of her -property. In the meanwhile, these, I presume, are the letters she -lost." - -"Only one letter, sir," said Master Inch, as somewhat taken off his -pompous guard he allowed Jack to take the paper from him. - -There was not a minute to be lost. Master Mittachip, having vainly -tried to harangue the yokels, who were still pelting his Honour with -miscellaneous vegetables, was now hurrying to the Court House as fast as -his thin legs would carry him. - -Bathurst took one glance at the paper which Master Inch had given him. -A cry of the keenest disappointment escaped his lips. - -"What is it, Captain?" asked John Stich, who had anxiously been watching -his friend's face. - -"Nothing, friend," replied Bathurst, "only a receipt and tally for some -sheep." - -John Stich uttered a violent oath. - -"And the scoundrel'll escape with a shower of potatoes and no more -punishment than the stocks. And you've risked your life, Captain, for -nothing!" - -"Nay! not for nothing, honest friend," said Jack, in a hurried whisper, -as he mounted Jack o' Lantern with all the speed his helpless arm would -allow. "Do you go back to her ladyship as fast as you can. Beg her -from me not to give up hope, but to feign an illness and on no account -speak to anyone about the events of to-day until she has seen me again. -You understand?" - -"Aye! aye! Captain!" - -At this moment there came a wild cry from the precincts of the Court -House, and Master Mittachip, accompanied by Squire West himself, and -closely followed by the beadle, were seen tearing across the green -towards the village stocks. - -"The truth is out, friend," shouted Jack, as pressing his knees against -Jack o' Lantern's sides, and giving the gallant beast one cry of -encouragement, he galloped away at break-neck speed out towards the -Moor. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI - - THE MAN HUNT - - -By the time Squire West and the whole of the parish of Brassington had -realised what a terrible practical joke had been perpetrated on them by -the stranger, the latter was far out of sight, with not even a cloud of -dust to mark the way he went. - -But the hue-and-cry after him had never ceased the whole of that day. -Squire West, profuse and abject in his apologies, had told off all the -soldiers who were quartered in the village to scour the Heath day and -night, until that rogue was found and brought before him. The Sergeant, -who was in command of the squad, and the Corporal too, had a score of -their own to settle with the mysterious stranger, whom the general -consensus of opinion declared to have been none other than that -scoundrel unhung, the notorious highwayman, Beau Brocade. - -Master Inch, as soon as he had recovered his breath, distinctly -recollected now seeing a beautiful chestnut horse pawing the ground -outside the Court House during the course of the morning: he blamed -himself severely for not having guessed the identity of the creature, so -closely associated in every one's mind with the exploits of the -highwayman. - -The yokels, however, at this juncture, entrenched themselves behind a -barrier of impenetrable density. In those days, just as even now, it is -beyond human capacity to obtain information from a Derbyshire countryman -if he do not choose to give it. Whether some of those who had pelted -Sir Humphrey Challoner with vegetables had or had not known who his -Honour was, whether some of them had or had not guessed Beau Brocade's -presence in the village, remained, in spite of rigorous -cross-examination a complete mystery to the perplexed Squire and to his -valiant henchman, the beadle. - -Promises, threats, bribes were alike ineffectual. - -"I dunno!" was the stolid, perpetual reply to every question put on -either subject. - -Her ladyship, on the other hand, overcome with fatigue, was too ill to -see anyone. - -The posse of soldiers, a score or so by now, had however been reinforced -as the day wore on by a contingent of Squire West's own indoor and -outdoor servants, also by a few loafers from Brassington itself, of the -sort that are to be found in every corner of the world where there is an -ale-house, the idlers, the toadies, those who had nothing to lose and -something to gain by running counter to popular feeling and taking up -cudgels against Beau Brocade, for the sake of the reward lavishly -promised by Squire West and Sir Humphrey Challoner. - -The latter's temper had not even begun to simmer down at this late hour -of the day when, all arrangements for the battue after the highwayman -being completed, he at last found himself on horseback, ambling along -the bridle-path towards the shepherd's hut, with Master Mittachip beside -him. - -It had been a glorious day, and the evening now gave promise of a balmy -night to come, but the Heath's majestic repose was disturbed by the -doings of man. Beneath the gorse and bracken lizards and toads had gone -to rest in the marshy land beyond, waterhen and lapwing were asleep, but -all the while on the great Moor, through the scrub and blackthorn, along -path and ravine, man was hunting man and finding enjoyment in the sport. - -As Sir Humphrey Challoner and the attorney rode slowly along, they could -hear from time to time the rallying cry of the various parties stalking -the Heath for their big game. The hunt was close on the heels of Beau -Brocade. Earlier in the afternoon his horse had been seen to make its -way, riderless, towards the forge of John Stich. - -The quarry was on foot, he was known to be wounded, he must fall an easy -prey to his trackers soon enough: sometimes in the distance there would -come a shout of triumph, when the human blood-hounds had at last found a -scent, then Sir Humphrey would rouse himself from his moody silence, a -look of keen malice would light up his deep-set eyes, and reining in his -horse, he would strain his ears to hear that shout of triumph again. - -"He'll not escape this time, Sir Humphrey," whispered Mittachip, falling -obsequiously into his employer's mood. - -"No! curse him!" muttered his Honour with a string of violent oaths, "I -shall see him hang before two days are over, unless these dolts let him -escape again." - -"Nay, nay, Sir Humphrey! that's not likely!" chuckled Master Mittachip. -"Squire West has pressed all his own able-bodied men into the service, -and the posse of soldiers were most keen for the chase. Nay, nay, he'll -not escape this time." - -"'Sdeath!" swore his Honour under his breath, "but I do feel stiff!" - -"A dreadful indignity," moaned the attorney. - -"Nay! but Squire West was most distressed, and his apologies were -profuse! Indeed he seemed to feel it as much as if it had happened to -himself." - -"Aye! but not in the same place, I'll warrant! Odd's life, I had no -notion how much a turnip could hurt when flung into one's eye," added -his Honour, with one of those laughs that never boded any good. - -"A most painful incident, Sir Humphrey!" sighed Mittachip, brimming over -with sympathy. - -"'Twas not the incident that was painful! Zounds! I am bruised all -over. But I'll have the law of every one of those dolts, aye! and make -that fool West administer it on all of them! As for that ape, the -beadle, he shall be publicly whipped. Death and hell! they'll have to -pay for this!" - -"Aye! aye! Sir Humphrey! your anger is quite natural, and Squire West -assured me that that rascal Beau Brocade, who played you this impudent -trick, cannot fail to be caught. The hunt is well organised, he cannot -escape." - -As if to confirm the attorney's words, there rose at this moment from -afar a weird and eerie sound, which caused Master Mittachip's shrivelled -flesh to creep along his bones. - -"What was that?" he whispered, horror-struck. - -"A blood-hound, the better to track that rascal," muttered Sir Humphrey, -savagely. - -The attorney shivered; there had been so much devilish malice in his -Honour's voice, that suddenly his puny heart misgave him. He took to -wishing himself well out of this unmanly business. The horror of it -seemed to grip him by the throat: he was superstitious too, and firmly -believed in a material hell; the sound of that distant snarl, followed -by the significant yelping of a hound upon the scent, made him think of -the cries the devils would utter at sight of the damned. - -"The dog belongs to one of Squire West's grooms," remarked his Honour, -carelessly, "a savage beast enough, by the look of him. Luck was in our -favour, for our gallant highwayman had carried Lady Patience's plaint -inside his coat for quite a long time, and then left it on his Honour's -table ... quite enough for any self-respecting blood-hound, and this one -is said to be very keen on the scent.... Squire West tried to protest, -but set a dog to catch a dog, say I." - -Master Mittachip tried to shut his ears to the terrible sound. -Fortunately it was getting fainter now, and Sir Humphrey did not give -him time for much reflection. - -His Honour had stopped for awhile listening, with a chuckle of intense -satisfaction, to the yelping of the dog straining on the leash, then -when the sound died away, he said abruptly,-- - -"Are we still far from the hut?" - -"No, Sir Humphrey," stammered Mittachip, whose very soul was quaking -with horror. - -"We'll find the shepherd there, think you?" - -"Y ... y ... yes, your Honour!" - -"Harkee, Master Mittachip. I'll run no risk. That d----d highwayman -must be desperate to-night. We'll adhere to our original plan, and let -the shepherd take the letters to Wirksworth." - -"You ... you ... you'll not let them bide to-night where they are, Sir -Humphrey?" - -"No, you fool, I won't. They are but just below the surface, under -cover of some bramble, and once those fellows come scouring round the -hut, any one of them may unearth the letters with a kick of his boot. -There's been a lot of talk of a reward for the recovery of a packet of -letters! ... No, no, no! I'll not risk it." - -Sir Humphrey Challoner had thought the matter well out, and knew that he -ran two distinct risks in the matter of the letters. To one he had -alluded just now when he spoke of the probability--remote perhaps--of -the packet being accidentally unearthed by one of the scouring parties. -Any man who found it would naturally at once take it to Squire West, in -the hope of getting the reward promised by her ladyship for its -recovery. The idea, therefore, of leaving the letters in their -hiding-place for awhile did not commend itself to him. On the other -hand, there was the more obvious risk of keeping them about his own -person. Sir Humphrey thanked his stars that he had not done so the day -before, and even now kept in his mind a certain superstitious belief -that Beau Brocade--wounded, hunted and desperate--would make a final -effort, which might prove successful, to wrench the letters from him on -the Heath. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVII - - JOCK MIGGS'S ERRAND - - -Master Mittachip had tried to utter one or two feeble protests, but Sir -Humphrey had interrupted him emphatically,-- - -"The rascal may hope to win his pardon through the Gascoyne influence, -by rendering her ladyship this service. Where'er he may be at this -moment, I am quite sure that his eye is upon me and my doings." - -Mittachip shuddered and closed his eyes: he dared not peer into the dark -scrub beside him, and drew his horse in as close to Sir Humphrey's as he -could. - -"If you're afraid, you lumbering old coward," added his Honour, "go back -and leave me in peace. I'll arrange my own affairs as I think best." - -But the prospect of returning to Brassington alone across this awful -Heath sent Master Mittachip into a renewed agony of terror: though his -noble patron seemed suddenly to have become uncanny in this inordinate -lust for revenge, he preferred his Honour's company to his own, and -therefore made a violent effort to silence his worst fears. The Moor -just now was comparatively calm: the shouts of the hunters and the -yelping of the hound had altogether ceased; perhaps they had lost the -scent. - -Another half-hour's silent ride brought them to the spur of the hill, -along the top of which ran the Wirksworth Road, and as they left the -steep declivity behind them, their ears were pleasantly tickled by the -welcome and bucolic sound of the bleating of sheep. - -"Your friend the shepherd seems to be at his post," quoth Sir Humphrey -with a sigh of satisfaction. - -They were close to the point where on the previous night Lady Patience's -coach had come to a halt, and the next moment brought them in sight of -the shepherd's hut, with the pen beyond it, vaguely discernible in the -gloom. - -Sir Humphrey gave the order to dismount. Master Mittachip, feeling more -dead than alive, had perforce to obey. They tied their horses loosely -to a clump of blackthorn by the roadside and then crept cautiously -towards the hut. - -It suited their purpose well that the night was a dark one. The moon -was not yet high in the heavens, and was still half-veiled by a thin -film of fleecy clouds, leaving the whole vista of the Moor wrapped in -mysterious grey-blue semitones. - -"You have brought the lanthorn," whispered Sir Humphrey, hurriedly. - -"Y ... y ... y ... yes, your Honour," stammered Mittachip. - -"Then quick's the word," said his Honour, pointing to a thick clump of -gorse and bramble quite close to the shed. "The letters are in the very -centre of that clump, and only just below the surface. Do you creep in -there and get them." - -There was nothing for Master Mittachip to do but to obey, and that with -as much alacrity as his terror would allow. His teeth were chattering -in his head, and his hands were trembling so violently that he was some -time in striking a light for the lanthorn. - -Sir Humphrey suppressed an oath of angry impatience. - -"Lud preserve me," murmured the poor attorney, "if that highwayman -should come upon me whilst I am engaged in the task! ... You ... you'll -not leave me, Sir Humphrey?..." - -"I'll lay my stick across your cowardly shoulders if you don't hurry," -was his Honour's only comment. - -He watched Mittachip crawling on his hands and knees underneath the -bramble, and his deep stertorous breathing testified to the anxiety -which was raging within him. A few moments of intense suspense, and -then Master Mittachip reappeared from beneath the scrub, covered with -wet earth, still trembling, but holding the packet of letters -triumphantly in his hand. - -Sir Humphrey snatched it from him. - -"Quick! find the shepherd now! Don't waste time!" he whispered, pushing -the cowering attorney roughly before him. "One feels as if every blade -of grass had a pair of ears on this damned Heath!" he muttered under his -breath. - -Jock Miggs, the shepherd, had counted over his sheep, closed the gate of -the pen, and was just turning into the hut for the night, when he was -hailed by Master Mittachip. - -"Shepherd! hey! shepherd!" - -Miggs looked about him, vaguely astonished. - -Since his adventure of the previous night, when he had been made to play -a tune for mad folks to dance to, he felt that nothing would seriously -surprise him. - -When therefore he felt himself seized by the arm without more ado and -dragged into the darkest corner of the hut, he did not even protest. - -"Did you wish to speak with me, sir?" he asked plaintively, rubbing his -arm, for Sir Humphrey's impatient grip had been very strong and hard. - -"Yes!" said the latter, speaking in a rapid whisper, "here's Master -Mittachip, attorney-at-law, whom you know well, eh?" - -"Aye, aye," murmured Jock Miggs, pulling at his forelock, "t' sheep -belong to his Honour Oi believe." - -"Exactly, Miggs," interposed Master Mittachip, spurred to activity by a -vigorous kick from Sir Humphrey, "and I have come out here on purpose to -see you, for it is very important that you should go at once on to -Wirksworth for me, with a packet and a note for Master Duffy, my clerk." - -"What, now? This time o' night?" quoth Jock, vaguely. - -"Aye, aye, Miggs ... you are not afraid, are you?" - -Sir Humphrey had taken up his stand outside the hut, leaving Mittachip -to arrange this matter with the shepherd. He had leaned his powerful -frame against the wall of the shed, and was grasping his -heavily-weighted riding-crop, ready and alert in case of attack. The -darkness round him at this moment was intense, and his sharp eyes vainly -tried to pierce the gloom, which seemed to be closing in upon him, but -his ears were keenly alive to every sound which came to him out of the -blackness of the night. - -And all the while he tried not to lose one word of the conversation -between Mittachip and the shepherd. - -"That's true, Jock," the attorney was saying. "Well! then if you'll go -to Wirksworth for me, now, at once, there'll be a guinea for you." - -"A guinea!" came in bewildered accents from the worthy shepherd, "Lordy! -Lordy! but these be 'mazing times!" - -"All I want you to do, Jock, is to take a packet for me to my house in -Fulsome Street. You understand?" - -But here there was a pause. Miggs was evidently hesitating. - -"Well?" queried Mittachip. - -"Oi'm thinking, sir..." - -"What?" - -"How can Oi go on your errand when Oi've got to guard this 'ere sheep -for you?" - -"Oh, damn the sheep!" quoth Master Mittachip, emphatically. - -"Well, sir! if you be satisfied..." - -"You know my house at Wirksworth?" - -"Aye, aye, sir." - -"I'll give you a packet. You are to take it to Wirksworth now at once, -and to give it to my clerk, Master Duffy, at my house in Fulsome Street. -You are quite sure you understand?" - -"I dunno as I do!" quoth Jock, vaguely. - -But with an impatient oath Sir Humphrey turned into the hut: matters -were progressing much too slowly for his impatient temperament. He -pushed Mittachip aside, and said peremptorily,-- - -"Look here, shepherd, you want to earn a guinea, don't you?" - -"Aye, sir, that I do." - -"Well, here's the packet, and here's a letter for Master Duffy at Master -Mittachip's house in Fulsome Street. When Master Duffy has the packet -and reads the letter he will give you a guinea. Is that clear?" - -And he handed the packet of letters, and also a small note, to Jock -Miggs, who seemed to have done with hesitation, for he took them with -alacrity. - -"Oh! aye! that's clear enough," he said, "'tis writ in this paper that -I'm to get the guinea?" - -"In Master Mittachip's own hand. But mind! no gossiping, and no -loitering. You must get to Wirksworth before cock-crow." - -Jock Miggs slipped the packet and the note into the pocket of his smock. -The matter of the guinea having been satisfactorily explained to him, he -was quite ready to start. - -"Noa, for sure!" he said, patting the papers affectionately. "Mum's the -word! I'll do your bidding, sir, and the papers'll be safe with me, -seeing it's writ on them that I'm to get a guinea." - -"Exactly. So you mustn't lose them, you know." - -"Noa! noa! I bain't afeeard o' that, nor of the highwaymen; and Beau -Brocade wouldn't touch the loikes o' me, bless 'im. But Lordy! Lordy! -these be 'mazing times." - -Already Sir Humphrey was pushing him impatiently out of the hut. - -"And here," added his Honour, pressing a piece of money into the -shepherd's hand, "here's half-a-crown to keep you on the go." - -"Thank 'ee, sir, and if you think t' sheep will be all right..." - -"Oh, hang the sheep!..." - -"All right, sir ... if Master Mittachip be satisfied ... and I'll leave -t' dog to look after t' sheep." - -He took up his long, knotted stick, and still shaking his head and -muttering "Lordy! Lordy!" the worthy shepherd slowly began to wend his -way along the footpath, which from this point leads straight to -Wirksworth. - -Sir Humphrey watched the quaint, wizened figure for a few seconds, until -it disappeared in the gloom, then he listened for awhile. - -All round him the Heath was silent and at peace, the plaintive bleating -of the sheep in the pen added a note of subdued melancholy to the vast -and impressive stillness. Only from far there came the weird echo of -hound and men on the hunt. - -His Honour swore a round oath. - -"Zounds!" he muttered, "the rogue must be hard pressed, and he's not -like to give us further trouble. Even if he come on us now, eh, you old -scarecrow? ... the letters are safe at last! What?" - -"Lud preserve me!" sighed the attorney, "but I hope so." - -"Back to Brassington then," quoth Sir Humphrey, lustily. "Beau Brocade -can attack us now, eh? Ha! ha! ha!" he laughed in his wonted boisterous -way, "methinks we have outwitted that gallant highwayman after all." - -"For sure, Sir Humphrey," echoed Mittachip, who was meekly following his -Honour's lead across the road to where their horses were in readiness -for them. - -"As for my Lady Patience! ... Ha!" said his Honour, jovially, "her -brother's life is ... well! ... in my hands, to save or to destroy, -according as she will frown on me or smile. But meseems her ladyship -will have to smile, eh?" - -He laughed pleasantly, for he was in exceedingly good temper just now. - -"As for that chivalrous Beau Brocade," he added as he hoisted himself -into the saddle, "he shall, an I mistake not, dangle on a gibbet before -another nightfall." - -"Hark!" he added, as the yelping of the bloodhound once more woke the -silent Moor with its eerie echo. - -Mittachip's scanty locks literally stood up beneath his bob-tail wig. -Even Sir Humphrey could not altogether repress a shudder as he listened -to the shouts, the cries, the snarls, which were rapidly drawing nearer. - -"We should have waited to be in at the death," he said, with enforced -gaiety. "Meseems our fox is being run to earth at last." - -He tried to laugh, but his laughter sounded eerie and unnatural, and -suddenly it was interrupted by the loud report of a pistol shot, -followed by what seemed like prolonged yells of triumph. - -Master Mittachip could bear it no longer; with the desperation of -intense and unreasoning terror he dug his spurs into his horse's flanks, -and like a madman galloped at breakneck speed down the hillside into the -valley below. - -Sir Humphrey followed more leisurely. He had gained his end and was -satisfied. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVIII - - THE QUARRY - - -Some few minutes before this the hunted man had emerged upon the road. - -As, worn-out, pallid, aching in every limb, he dragged himself wearily -forward on hands and knees, it would have been difficult to recognise in -this poor, suffering fragment of humanity the brilliant, dashing -gentleman of the road, the foppish, light-hearted dandy, whom the -countryside had nicknamed Beau Brocade. - -The wound in his shoulder, inflamed and throbbing after the breakneck -ride from the Court House to the Heath, had caused him almost -unendurable agony, against which he had at first resolutely set his -teeth. But now his whole body had become numb to every physical -sensation. Covered with mud and grime, his hair matted against his damp -forehead, the lines of pain and exhaustion strongly marked round his -quivering mouth, he seemed only to live through his two senses: his -sight and his hearing. - -The spirit was there though, indomitable, strong, the dogged obstinacy -of the man who has nothing more to lose. And with it all the memory of -the oath he had sworn to her. - -All else was a blank. - -Hunted by men, and with a hound on his track, he had--physically--become -like the beasts of the Moor, alert to every sound, keen only on eluding -his pursuers, on putting off momentarily the inevitable instant of -capture and of death. - -Early in the day he had been forced to part from his faithful companion. -Jack o' Lantern was exhausted and might have proved an additional source -of danger. The gallant beast, accustomed to every bush and every corner -of the Heath, knew its way well to its habitual home: the forge of John -Stich. Jack Bathurst watched it out of sight, content that it would look -after itself, and that being riderless it would be allowed to wend its -way unmolested whither it pleased, on the Moor. - -And thus he had seen the long hours of this glorious September afternoon -drag on their weary course; he had seen the beautiful day turn to late, -glowing afternoon, then the sun gradually set in its mantle of purple -and gold, and finally the grey dusk throw its elusive and mysterious -veil over Tors and Moor. And he, like the hunted beast, crept from -gorse bush to scrub, hiding for his life, driven out of one stronghold -into another, gasping with thirst, panting with fatigue, determined in -spirit, but broken down in body at last. - -By instinct and temperament Jack Bathurst was essentially a brave man. -Physical fear was entirely alien to his nature: he had never known it, -never felt it. During the earlier part of the afternoon, with a score -of men at his heels, some soldiers, others but indifferently-equipped -louts, he had really enjoyed the game of hide-and-seek on the Heath: to -him, at first, it had been nothing more. It was but a part of that -wild, mad life he had chosen, the easily-endured punishment for the -breaking of conventional laws. - -He knew every shrub and crag on this wild corner of the earth which had -become his home, and could have defied a small army, when hidden in the -natural strongholds known only to himself. - -But when he first heard the yelping of the bloodhound set upon his track -by the fiendish cunning of an avowed enemy, an icy horror seemed to -creep into his very marrow: a horror born of the feeling of -powerlessness, of the inevitableness of it all. His one thought now was -lest his hand, trembling and numb with fatigue, would refuse him service -when he would wish to turn the muzzle of his pistol against his own -temple, in time to evade actual capture. - -The dog would not miss him. It was practically useless to hide: flight -alone, constant, ceaseless flight, might help him for a while, but it -was bound to end one way, and one way only: the scent of blood would -lead the cur on his track, and his pursuers would find and seize him! -bind him like a felon, and hang him! Aye! hang him like a common thief! - -He had oft laughed and joked with John Stich about his ultimate probable -fate. He knew that his wild, unlawful career would come to an end -sooner or later, but he always carried pistols in his belt, and had not -even remotely dreamt of capture. - -... Until now! - -But now he was tired, ill, half-paralysed with pain and exhaustion. His -trembling hand crept longingly round the heavy silver handle of the -precious weapon. Every natural instinct in him clamoured for death, now, -at this very moment before that yelping cur drew nearer, before those -shouts of triumph were raised over his downfall. - -Only ... after that ... what would happen? He would be asleep and at -peace ... but she? ... what would she think? ... that like a coward he -had deserted his post ... like a felon he had broken his oath, whilst -there was one single chance of fulfilling it ... that he had left her at -the mercy of that same enemy who had already devised so much cruel -treachery. - -And like a beast he crept back within his lair, and watched and listened -for that one chance of serving her before the end. - -He had seen Sir Humphrey Challoner and Mittachip ambling up the -hillside. He tried not to lose sight of them, and, if possible, to keep -within earshot, but he was driven back by a posse of his pursuers, close -upon his heels, and now having succeeded in reaching the road at last, -he had the terrible chagrin of seeing that he was too late; the two men -were remounting their horses and turning back towards Brassington. - -"Methinks we have outwitted that gallant highwayman after all," Sir -Humphrey was saying with one of those boisterous outbursts of merriment, -which to Bathurst's sensitive ears had a ring of the devil's own glee in -it. - -"What hellish mischief have those two reprobates been brewing, I -wonder?" he mused. "If those fellows at my heels hadn't cut me off I -might have known..." - -He crept nearer to the two men, but they set their horses at a sharp -trot down the road: Jack vainly strained his ears to hear their talk. - -For the last eight hours he had practically covered every corner of the -Heath, backwards and forwards, across boulders and through morass; the -hound had had some difficulty in finding and keeping the trail, but now -it seemed suddenly to have found it, the yelping drew nearer, but the -shouts had altogether ceased. - -What was to be done? God in heaven, what was to be done? - -It was at this moment that the plaintive bleating of one or two of the -penned-up sheep suddenly aroused every instinct of vitality in him. - -"The sheep!..." he murmured. "A receipt and tally for some sheep!..." - -Fresh excitement had in the space of a few seconds given him a new lease -of strength. He dragged himself up to his feet and walked almost -upright as far as the hut. - -There certainly was a flock of sheep in the pen: the dog was watching -close by the gate, but the shepherd was nowhere to be seen. - -"The sheep! ... A receipt and tally for some sheep! ... In Sir Humphrey -Challoner's coat pocket! ..." - -Oh! for one calm moment in which to think ... to think! - -"The sheep!..." This one thought went on hammering in the poor tired -brain, like the tantalising, elusive whisper of a mischievous sprite. - -And with it all there was scarce a second to be lost. - -The hound, yelping and straining on the leash, was not half a mile away; -the next ten or perhaps fifteen minutes would see the end of this awful -man-hunt on the Moor. And yet there close by, behind those clumps of -gorse and the thickset hedge of bramble, was the clearing, where just -twenty-four hours ago he had danced that mad rigadoon, with her almost -in his arms. - -Instinctively, in the wild agony of this supreme moment, Beau Brocade -turned his steps thither. This clearing had but two approaches, there -where the tough branches of furze had once been vigorously cut into. -Last night he had led her through the one whilst Jock Miggs sat beside -the other, piping the quaint sad tune. - -For one moment the hunted man seemed to live that mad, merry hour again, -and from out the darkness fairy fingers seemed to beckon: and her -face--just for one brief second--smiled at him out of the gloom. - -Surely this was not to be the end! Something would happen, something -_must_ happen to enable him to render her the great service he had sworn -to do. - -Oh! if that yelping dog were not quite so close upon his track! Within -the next few minutes, seconds even, he would surely think of something -that would guide him towards that great goal: _her service_. Oh! for -just a brief respite in which to think! a way to evade his captors for a -short while--a means to hide! a disguise! anything. - -But for once the Moor--his happy home, his friend, his mother--was -silent, save for the sound of hunters on his trail, of his doom drawing -nearer and nearer, whilst he stood and remembered his dream. - -It was madness surely, or else a continuance of that fairy vision, but -now it seemed to him, as he stood just there, where yesterday her foot -had plied the dear old measure, that his ear suddenly caught once more -the sound of that self-same rigadoon. - -It was a dream of course. He knew that, and paused awhile, although -every second now meant life or death to him. - -The tune seemed to evade him. It had been close to his ear a moment -ago, now it was growing fainter and fainter, gradually vanishing away: -soon he could scarce hear it, yet it seemed something tangible, -something belonging to her: it was the tune which she had loved, to -which her foot had danced so gladsomely, so he ran after it, ran as fast -as his weary body would take him, to the further end of the clearing, -whither the sweet, sad tune was leading him with its tender, plaintive -echo. - -There, just where the clearing debouched upon the narrow path which -leads to Wirksworth, he overtook Jock Miggs who was slowly wending his -way along, and who just now must have passed quite close to him, blowing -on his tiny pipe, as was his wont. - -"The shepherd! ... Chorus of angels in paradise lend me your aid now!" - -With a supreme effort he pulled his scattered senses together: the -mighty fever of self-defence was upon him, that tower of strength which -some overwhelming danger will give to a brave man once perhaps in his -lifetime. The veil of semi-consciousness, of utter physical -prostration, was lifted from his dull brain for this short brief while. -The exhausted, suffering, hunted creature had once more given place to -the keen, alert son of the Moor, the mad, free child of Nature, with a -resourceful head and a daring hand. And for that same brief while the -great and mighty power whom men have termed Fate, but whom saints have -called God, allowed his untamed spirit to conquer his body and to hold -it in bondage, chasing pain away, trampling down exhaustion, whilst -disclosing to his burning eyes, amidst the dark and deadly gloom, the -magic, golden vision of a newly-awakened hope. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIX - - THE DAWN - - -A while ago, in an agony of longing, he had cried out for a moment's -respite! for a disguise! and now there stood before him Jock Miggs in -smock and broad-brimmed hat, with pipe and shepherd's staff. His -pursuers, headed by the yelping dog, were still a quarter of a mile -away. Five minutes in which to do battle for his life, for his freedom, -for the power to keep his oath! The plan of action had surged in his -mind at first sight of the wizened little figure of the shepherd beside -the further approach to the clearing. - -Beau Brocade drew himself up to his full height, sought and found in the -pocket of his coat the black mask which he habitually wore; this he -fixed to his face, then drawing a pistol from his belt, he overtook Jock -Miggs, clapped him vigorously on the shoulder, and shouted lustily,-- - -"Stand and deliver!" - -Jock Miggs, aroused from his pleasant meditations, threw up his hands in -terror. - -"The Lud have mercy on my soul!" he ejaculated as he fell on his knees. - -"Stand and deliver!" repeated Beau Brocade, in as gruff a voice as he -could command. - -Jock Miggs was trying to collect his scattered wits. - -"B ... b ... but ... kind sir!" he murmured, "y ... y ... you wouldn't -harm Jock Miggs, the shepherd ... would you?" - -"Quick's the word! Now then..." - -"But, good sir ... Oi ... Oi ... Oi've got nowt to deliver..." - -Jock Miggs was pitiful to behold: at any other moment of his life -Bathurst would have felt very sorry for the poor, scared creature, but -that yelping hound was drawing desperately near and he had only a few -minutes at his command. - -"Naught to deliver?" he said with a great show of roughness, and seizing -poor Jock by the collar. - -"Look at your smock!" - -"My smock, kind sir?..." - -"Aye! I've a fancy for your smock ... so off with it ... quick!" - -Jock Miggs struggled up to his feet, he was beginning to gather a small -modicum of courage. He had lived all his life on Brassing Moor and it -was his first serious encounter with an armed gentleman of the road. -Whether 'twas Beau Brocade or no he was too scared to conjecture, but he -had enough experience of the Heath to know that poor folk like himself -had little bodily hurt to fear from highwaymen. - -But of course it was always wisest to obey. As to his old smock... - -"He! he! he! my old smock, sir!" he laughed vaguely and nervously, -"why..." - -"I don't want to knock the poor old cuckoo down," murmured Bathurst to -himself, "but I've just got three minutes before that cur reaches the -top of the clearing and ... Off with your smock, man, or I fire," he -added peremptorily, and pointing the muzzle of his pistol at the -trembling shepherd. - -Miggs had in the meanwhile fully realised that the masked stranger was -in deadly earnest. Why he should want the old smock was more than any -shepherd could conceive, but that he meant to have it was very clear. -Jock uttered a final plaintive word of protest. - -"Kind sir ... but if Oi take off my smock ... I sha'nt be quite d ... d -... decent ... sir ... wi' only my shirt." - -"You shall have my coat," replied Bathurst, decisively. - -"Lud preserve me! ... Your coat, sir!" - -"Yes! it's old and shabby, and my waistcoat too.... Now off with that -smock, or..." - -Once more the muzzle of the pistol gleamed close to Jock Miggs's head. -Without further protest he began to divest himself of his smock. The -process was slow and laborious, and Jack set his teeth not to scream -with the agony of the suspense. - -He himself had had little difficulty in taking off his own coat and -waistcoat, for earlier in the day, before he had been so hard pressed, -the pain in his shoulder had caused him to slip his left arm out of its -sleeve. - -Moreover, the excitement of these last fateful moments kept him at fever -pitch: he was absolutely unconscious of aught save of the rapid flight -of the seconds and the steady approach of dog and men towards the -clearing. - -Even Jock Miggs, who up to now had been too intent on his own adventure -to take much heed of what went on in the gloom beyond, even he perceived -that something unusual was happening on the Moor. - -"What's that?" he asked with renewed terror. - -"A posse of soldiers at my heels," said Beau Brocade, decisively, -"that's why I want your smock, my man, and if I don't get it there'll be -just time to blow out your dull brains before I fall into their hands." - -This last argument was sufficiently convincing. Miggs thought it -decidedly best to obey; he helped his mysterious assailant on with his -own smock, cap and kerchief, and not unwillingly attired himself in Beau -Brocade's discarded coat and waistcoat. - -"A pistol in your belt in case you need it, friend," whispered Bathurst, -rapidly, as he slipped one of the weapons in Miggs's belt, keeping the -other firmly grasped in his own hand. - -There was no doubt that the hound was on the scent now: the men had -ceased shouting but their rapid footsteps could be heard following -closely upon the dog, whose master was muttering a few words of -encouragement. - -Anon there came a whisper, louder than the rest,-- - -"This way!..." - -Then another,-- - -"There's a path here!" - -"Be gy! this confounded darkness!" - -"Steady, Roy! steady, old man! Eh? What?" - -"This way!" - -"Can't you find the trail, old Roy?" - -And the gorse was crackling beneath rapid and stealthy footsteps. There -was now just the width of the clearing between Beau Brocade and his -pursuers. - -"This way, Sergeant. Roy's got the trail again." - -Neither Jock Miggs nor yet Beau Brocade could see what was going on at -the further end of the clearing. The dog, wildly straining against the -leash, was quivering with intense excitement, his master hanging on to -him with all his might. - -Miggs, scared like some sheep lost among a herd of cows, was standing -half-dazed, smoothing down with appreciative fingers the fine cloth of -his new apparel, terrified every time his hand came in contact with the -pistol in his belt. - -But Beau Brocade had crept underneath a heavy clump of gorse and -bramble, and with his finger on the trigger of his weapon he cowered -there, ready for action, his eyes fixed upon the blackness before him. - -The next moment the outline of the hound's head and shoulders became -faintly discernible in the gloom. With nose close to the ground, -powerful jaws dropping and parched tongue hanging out of its mouth, it -was heading straight for the clump of gorse where cowered the hunted -man. - -Beau Brocade took rapid aim and fired. The dog, without a howl, rolled -over on its side, whilst Jock Miggs uttered a cry of terror. - -Then there was an instant's pause. The pursuers, silenced and awed, had -stopped dead, for they had been taken wholly unawares, and for a second -or two waited, expecting and dreading yet another shot. - -Then a mild, trembling voice came to them from the darkness. - -"There 'e is, Sergeant! Just afore you--standing ... see!..." - -The Sergeant and soldiers had no need to be told twice. Their pause had -only been momentary and already they had perceived the outline of Jock -Miggs's figure, standing motionless not far from the body of the dead -dog. - -With a shout of triumph Sergeant and soldiers fell on the astonished -shepherd, whilst the same mild, trembling voice continued to pipe -excitedly,-- - -"Hold 'un tight, Sergeant! Jump on 'im! Tie 'is legs! Sure, an' 'tis -he, the rascal!" - -Jock Miggs had had no chance of uttering one word of protest, for one of -the soldiers, remembering a lesson learnt the day before at the smithy, -had thrown his own heavy coat right over the poor fellow's head, -effectually smothering his screams. Another man had picked up the still -smoking pistol from the ground close to Miggs's feet. - -"Pistols!" said the Sergeant, excitedly. "The pair o' them too," he -added, pulling the other silver-mounted weapon out of Miggs's belt, and -the black mask out of the pocket of his coat: "and silver-mounted, be -gy! ... And his mask! ... Now, my men, off with him.... Tie his legs -together--off with your belts, quick! ... and you, Corporal, keep that -coat tied well over his head ... the rascal's like an eel, and'll -wriggle out of your hands if you don't hold him tight.... Remember -there's a hundred guineas reward for the capture of Beau Brocade." - -Poor old Miggs, smothered within the thick folds of the soldier's coat, -could scarce manage to breathe. The men were fastening his knees and -ankles together with their leather belts, his arms too were pinioned -behind his back. Thus trussed and spitted like a goose ready for -roasting, he felt himself being hauled up on the shoulders of some of -the men and then borne triumphantly away. - -"We've gotten Beau Brocade!" - -"Hip! hip! hurray!" - -And so they marched away, shouting lustily, whilst Beau Brocade remained -alone on the Heath. - -The excitement was over now. He was safe for the moment and free. But -the hour of victory seemed like the hour of death; as the last shouts of -triumph, the last cry of "Hurrah!" died away in the distance, he fell -back against the wet earth; his senses were reeling, the very ground -seemed to be giving way beneath his feet, a lurid, red film to be rising -before his closing lids, blotting out the darkness of the Moor, and that -faint, very faint, streak of grey which had just appeared in the east. - -God, to whom he had cried out in his agony, had given him the respite -for which he had craved. He was safe and free to think ... to think of -her ... and yet now his one longing seemed to be to lie down and rest -... and rest ... and sleep... - -Many a night he had lain thus on the open Moor, with the soft, -sweet-scented earth for his bed, and the tender buds of heather as a -pillow for his head. But to-night he was only conscious of infinite -peace, and his trembling hands drew the worthy shepherd's smock closer -round him. - -His wandering spirit paused awhile to dwell on poor Miggs in his sorry -plight.... Ah, well! the morning would see Jock free again, but in the -meanwhile... - -Then all of a sudden the spirit was back on earth, back to life and to a -mad, scarce understandable hope. His hand had come in contact with a -packet of letters in the pocket of Miggs's smock. - -Far away in the sky the eastern stars had paled before the morning -light. One by one the distant peaks of the Derbyshire hills emerged -from the black mantle of the night, and peeped down on the valley below, -blushing a rosy red. Upon the Heath animal life began to be astir--in -the morass beyond a lazy frog started to croak. - -Beau Brocade had clasped the letters with cold, numb fingers: he drew -them forth and held them before his dimmed eyes. - -"The letters!..." he murmured, trembling with the agony of this great -unlooked-for joy. "The letters!..." - -How they came there, he could not tell. He was too weary, too ill to -guess. But that they were her letters he could not for a moment doubt. -He had found them! God and His angels had placed them in his hands! - -Ah, Fortune! fickle Fortune! the wilful jade and the poor outlaw were to -be even then after all. And 'twas Beau Brocade, highwayman, thief, who -was destined in a few hours to bring her this great happiness. - -"Will she ... will she smile, I wonder..." - -He loved to see her smile, and to watch the soft tell-tale blush slowly -mounting to her cheek. Ah! now he was dreaming ... dreams that never, -never could be. He would bring her back the letters, for he had sworn -to her that she should have them ere the sun had risen twice o'er yon -green-clad hills. And then all would be over, and she would pass out of -his life like a beautiful comet gliding across the firmament of his -destiny. - -A moment but not to stay. - -In the east, far away, rose had changed to gold. From Moor and Heath and -Bogland came the sound of innumerable bird-throats singing the great and -wonderful hymn of praise, hosanna to awakening Nature. - -The outlaw had kept his oath; he turned to where the first rays of the -rising sun shed their shimmering mantle over the distant Tors, and in -one great uplifting of his soul to his Maker he prayed that sweet death -might kiss him when he placed the letters at her feet. - - - - - PART IV - - H.R.H. THE DUKE OF CUMBERLAND - - - - CHAPTER XXX - - SUSPENSE - - -Throughout the whole range of suffering which humanity is called upon to -endure, there is perhaps nothing so hard to bear as suspense. - -The uncertainty of what the immediate future might bring, the -fast-sinking hope, the slowly-creeping despair, the agony of dull, weary -hours: Patience had gone through the whole miserable gamut during that -long and terrible day when, obedient to Bathurst's wishes, she had shut -herself up in the dingy little parlour of the Packhorse and refused to -see anyone save the faithful smith. - -And the news which John Stich brought to her from time to time was -horrible enough to hear. - -He tried to palliate as much as possible the account of that awful -battue organised against Beau Brocade, but she guessed from the troubled -look on the honest smith's face, and from the furtive, anxious glance of -his eyes, that the man whom she had trusted with her whole heart was now -in peril, even more deadly than that which had assailed her brother. - -And with the innate sympathy born of a true and loving heart, she -guessed too how John Stich's simple, faithful soul went out in -passionate longing to his friend, who, alone, wounded, perhaps helpless, -was fighting his last battle on the Heath. - -Yet the trust within her had not died out. Beau Brocade had sworn to do -her service and to bring her back the letters ere the sun had risen -twice o'er the green-clad hills. To her overwrought mind it seemed -impossible that he should fail. He was not the type of man whom fate or -adverse circumstance ever succeeded in conquering, and on his whole -magnetic personality, on the intense vitality of his being, Nature had -omitted to put the mark of failure. - -But the hours wore on and she was without further news. Her terror for -her brother increased the agony of her suspense. She could see that -John Stich too had become anxious about Philip. There was no doubt that -with an organised man-hunt on the Moor the lonely forge by the -cross-roads would no longer be a safe hiding-place for the Earl of -Stretton. The smithy was already marked as a suspected house, and John -Stich was known to be a firm adherent of the Gascoynes and a faithful -friend of Beau Brocade. - -During the course of this eventful day the attention of the Sergeant and -soldiers had been distracted, through Bathurst's daring actions, from -Stich's supposed nephew out o' Nottingham, but as the beautiful -September afternoon turned to twilight and then to dusk, and band after -band of hunters set out to scour the Heath, it became quite clear both -to Patience and to the smith that Philip must be got away from the forge -at any cost. - -He could remain in temporary shelter at the Packhorse, under the guise -of one of Lady Patience's serving-men, at anyrate until another -nightfall, when a fresh refuge could be found for him, according as the -events would shape themselves within the next few hours. - -Therefore, as soon as the shadows of evening began to creep over -Brassing Moor, Stich set out for the cross-roads. He walked at a brisk -pace along the narrow footpath which led up to his forge, his honest -heart heavy at thought of his friend, all alone out there on the Heath. - -The weird echo of the man-hunt did not reach this western boundary of -the Moor, but even in its stillness the vast immensity looked hard and -cruel in the gloom: the outlines of gorse bush and blackthorn seemed -akin to gaunt, Cassandra-like spectres foreshadowing some awful -disaster. - -Within the forge Philip too had waited in an agony of suspense, whilst -twice the glorious sunset had clothed the Tors with gold. - -Driven by hunger and cold out of the hiding-place on the Moor which -Bathurst had found for him, he had returned to the smithy the first -night, only to find John Stich gone and no trace of his newly-found -friend. His sister, he knew, must have started for London, but he was -without any news as to what had happened in the forge, and ignorant of -the gallant fight made therein by the notorious highwayman. - -The hour was late then, and Philip was loth to disturb old Mistress -Stich, John's mother, who kept house for him at the cottage. Moreover, -he had the firm belief in his heart that neither Bathurst nor Stich -would have deserted him, had they thought that he was in imminent -danger. - -Tired out with the excitement of the day, and with a certain amount of -hope renewed in his buoyant young heart, he curled himself up in a -corner of the shed and forgot all his troubles in a sound sleep. - -The next morning found him under the care of old Mistress Stich at the -cottage. She had had no news of John, who had wandered out, so she -said, about two hours after sunset, possibly to find the Captain; but -she thrilled the young man's ears with the account of the daring fight -in the forge. - -"Nay! but they'll never get our Captain!" said the worthy dame, with a -break in her gentle old voice, "and if the whole countryside was after -him they'd never get him. Leastways so says my John." - -"God grant he may speak truly," replied the young man, fervently; "'tis -shame enough on me that a brave man should risk his life for me, whilst -I have to stand idly behind a cupboard door." - -The absence of definite news weighed heavily upon his spirits, and as -the day wore on and neither John Stich nor Bathurst reappeared, his -hopes very quickly began to give way to anxiety and then to despair. -Philip always had a touch of morbid self-analysis in his nature: unlike -Jack Bathurst, he was ever ready to bend the neck before untoward fate, -heaping self-accusation on self-reproach, and thus allowing his spirit -to bow to circumstance, rather than to attempt to defy it. - -And throughout the whole of this day he sat, moody and silent, with the -ever-recurring thought hammering in his brain,-- - -"I ought not to have allowed a stranger to risk his life for me. I -should have given myself up. 'Twas unworthy a soldier and a gentleman." - -By the time the shadows had lengthened on the Moor, and Jack o' Lantern -covered with sweat had arrived riderless at the forge, Philip was -formulating wild plans of going to Wirksworth and there surrendering -himself to the local magistrate. He worked himself up into a fever of -heroic self-sacrifice, and had just resolved only to wait until dawn to -carry out his purpose, when John Stich appeared in the doorway of his -smithy. - -One look in the honest fellow's face told the young Earl of Stretton -that most things in his world were amiss just now. A few eager -questions, and as briefly as possible Stich told him exactly how matters -stood: the letters stolen by Sir Humphrey Challoner, Bathurst's -determination to re-capture them and the organized hunt proceeding this -very night against him. - -"Her ladyship and I both think, my lord, that this place is not safe for -you just now," added John, finally, "and she begs you to come to her at -Brassington as soon as you can. The road is safe enough," added the -smith, with a heavy sigh, "no one'd notice us--they are all after the -Captain, and God knows but perhaps they've got him by now." - -Philip could say nothing, for his miserable self-reproaches had broken -his spirit of obstinacy. His boyish heart was overflowing with sympathy -for the kindly smith. How gladly now would he have given his own life -to save that of his gallant rescuer! - -Obediently he prepared to accede to his sister's wishes. He knew what -agony she must have endured when the letters were filched from her; he -guessed that she would wish to have him near her, and in any case he -wanted to be on the spot, hoping that yet he could offer his own life in -exchange for the one which was being so nobly risked for him. - -Quite quietly, therefore, and without a murmur, he prepared to accompany -Stich back to Brassington. At the Packhorse a serving-man's suit could -easily be found for him, and he would be safe enough there, for a little -while at least. - -John Stich, having tended Jack o' Lantern with loving care, took a hasty -farewell of his mother. While his friend's fate and that of his young -lord hung in the balance he was not like to get back quietly to his -work. - -"The Captain may come back here for shelter mayhap," he said, with a -catch in his throat, as he kissed the old dame "good-bye"; "you'll tend -to him, mother?" - -"Aye! you may be sure o' that, John," replied Mistress Stich, fervently. - -"He'll need a rest mayhap, and some nice warm water; he's such a dandy, -mother, you know." - -"Aye! aye!" - -"And you might lay out his best clothes for him; he may need 'em -mayhap." - -"Aye! I've got 'em laid in lavender for him. That nice sky-blue coat, -think you, John?" - -"Aye, and the fine 'broidered waistcoat, and the black silk bow for his -hair, and the lace ruffles for his wrists, and..." - -Stich broke down, a great lump had risen in his throat. Would the -foppish young dandy, the handsome, light-hearted gallant, ever gladden -the eyes of honest John again? - - - - - CHAPTER XXXI - - "WE'VE GOTTEN BEAU BROCADE!" - - -The presence of Philip at the inn had done much to cheer Patience in her -weary waiting. He and John Stich had reached the Packhorse some time -before cockcrow, and the landlord had been only too ready to do anything -in reason to further the safety of the fugitive, so long as his own -interests were not imperilled thereby. - -This meant that he would give Philip a serving-man's suit and afford him -shelter in the inn, for as long as the authorities did not suspect him -of harbouring a rebel; beyond that he would not go. - -Lady Patience had paid him lavishly for this help and his subsequent -silence. It was understood that the fugitive would only make a brief -halt at Brassington: some more secluded shelter would have to be found -for him on the morrow. - -For the moment, of course, the thoughts of everyone in the village would -be centred in the capture of Beau Brocade. The highwayman had many -friends and adherents in the village, people whom his careless and -open-handed generosity had often saved from penury. To a man almost, -the village folk hoped to see him come out victorious from the awful and -unequal struggle which was going on on the Heath. So strong was this -feeling that the beadle, who was known to entertain revengeful thoughts -against the man who had played him so impudent a trick the day before, -did not dare to show his rubicund face in the bar-parlour of either inn -on that memorable night. - -No one had gone to bed. The men waited about, consuming tankards of -small ale, whilst discussing the possibility of their hero's capture. -The women sat at home with streaming eyes, plaintively wondering who -would help them in future in their distress, if Beau Brocade ceased to -haunt the Heath. - -Patience herself did not close an eye. Her hand clinging to that of -Philip, she sat throughout that long, weary night watching and waiting, -dreading the awful dawn, with the terrible news it would bring. - -And it was when the first rosy light shed its delicate hue over the tiny -old-world village, that the sweet-scented morning air was suddenly -filled with the hoarse triumphal cry,-- - -"We have gotten Beau Brocade!" - -"Hip! hip! hip! hurray!" - -Wearied and dazed with the fatigue of her long vigil, Patience had sunk -into a torpor when those shouts, rapidly drawing nearer to the village, -roused her from this state of semi-consciousness. - -She hardly knew what she had hoped during these past anxious hours: now -that the awful certainty had come, it seemed to stun her with the -unexpectedness of the blow. - -"We've gotten Beau Brocade!" - -The village folk turned out in melancholy groups from the parlour of the -inn; they too had entertained vague hopes that their hero would emerge -unscathed from the perils which encompassed him; to them too the news of -his capture came as that of a sad, irretrievable catastrophe. They -congregated in small, excited numbers on the village green, their stolid -heads shaking sadly at sight of the squad of soldiers, who were bringing -in a swathed-up bundle of humanity, smothered about the head in a -scarlet coat, and with hands and legs securely strapped down with a -couple of military belts. Only the fine brown cloth coat, the -beautifully-embroidered waistcoat and silver-mounted pistol proclaimed -that miserable, helpless bundle to be the gallant Beau Brocade. - -The soldiers themselves were in a wild state of glee; they had carried -their prisoner in triumph all the way from the Heath, and had never -ceased shouting until they had deposited him on the green. Owing to the -unusual hour, and to the absence of His Honour, Squire West, the -pinioned highwayman was to be locked up in the pound until noon. - -In the small private parlour of the Packhorse Patience had sat rigid as -a statue, while those shouts of triumph seemed to strike her heart as -with a hammer. Her fist pressed against her burning mouth, she was -making desperate efforts to smother the scream of agony which would have -rent her throat. - -But with one bound John Stich was soon out of the Packhorse, where he, -too, with aching heart and mind devoured with anxiety, had watched and -waited through the night. - -It did not take him long to reach the green, and using his stalwart -elbows to some purpose, he quickly made a way for himself through the -small crowd and was presently looking down on the huddled figure which -lay helpless on the ground. - -There was the Captain's fine brown coat sure enough, with its ample, -silk-lined, full skirts, and rich, cut-steel buttons; there was the -long, richly-embroidered waistcoat; the lace cuffs at the wrists, and -the handsome sword-belt, through which the finely-chased silver handle -of the pistol still protruded. But John Stich had need but to cast one -glance at the hands, and another at the feet encased in rough -countryman's boots, to realise with a sudden, wild exultation of his -honest heart that in some way or other his Captain had succeeded in once -more playing a trick on his pursuers, and that the man who lay there -muffled on the ground was certainly not Beau Brocade. - -But even in the suddenness of this intense joy and relief, John Stich -was shrewd enough not to betray himself. Obviously every moment, during -which the captors enjoyed their mistaken triumph, was a respite gained -for the hunted man out on the Heath. Therefore when the Sergeant ordered -the rascal to be locked up in the pound awaiting his Honour's orders, -and gave Stich a vigorous rap on the shoulder, saying lustily,-- - -"Well, Master Stich, we've got your friend after all, you see?" - -The smith quietly replied,-- - -"Aye! aye! you've gotten him right enough. No offence, Sergeant! Have a -small ale with me before we all go to bed?" - -"'Tis nowt to me," he added, seeing with intense satisfaction the heavy -bolts of the pound securely pushed home on the unfortunate Jock Miggs. - -The Sergeant was nothing loth, and eagerly followed Stich to the bar of -the Royal George, where small ale now flowed freely until the sun was -high in the heavens. - -But as soon as the smith had seen the soldiers safely installed before -their huge tankards, he rushed out of the inn and across the green, back -to the Packhorse, to bring the joyful news to Lady Patience and her -brother. - -In the privacy of the little back parlour he was able to give free rein -to his joy. - -"They'll never get the Captain," he shouted, tossing his cap in the air, -"and, saving your ladyship's presence, we was all fools to think they -would." - -Patience had said nothing when the smith first brought the news. She -smiled kindly and somewhat mechanically at the exuberance of his joy, -but when honest John once more left her, to glean more detailed account -of the great man-hunt on the Heath, she turned to her brother, and -falling on her knees she buried her fair head against the lad's shoulder -and sobbed in the fulness of her joy as if her heart would break. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXII - - A PAINFUL INCIDENT - - -A few hours later, when hunters and watchers had had a little rest, came -the rude awakening after the hour of triumph. - -Jock Miggs, still trussed and pinioned, had been hauled out of the -pound. Master Inch, the beadle, resplendent in gold-laced coat and the -majesty of his own importance, had taken the order of ceremony into his -own hands. - -His Honour, Squire West, would be round at the Court House about noon, -and Inch, still smarting under the indignity put upon him through the -instrumentality of the highwayman, had devised an additional little plan -of revenge. - -Sir Humphrey Challoner had emphatically declared that the beadle should -be publicly whipped for having dared to lay hands on the Squire of -Hartington's person. Master Inch remembered this possible and appalling -indignity, which mayhap he would be called upon to suffer, and therefore -when the bolts of the pound were first drawn, disclosing the swathed-up -bundle of humanity which was supposed to be the highwayman, the beadle -shouted in his most stentorian, most pompous tones,-- - -"To the pond with him!" - -The soldiers--most of them lads recruited from the Midland counties, and -a pretty rough lot to boot--were only too ready for this additional bit -of horseplay. - -'Twas fun enough to sit an old scold in the ducking-stool, but to carry -on the same game with Beau Brocade, the notorious highwayman, who had -defied the four counties and set every posse of soldiers by the ears, -would be rare sport indeed. - -With a shout of joy they seized Jock Miggs by the legs and shoulders, -and with much laughter and many a lively sally they carried him to the -shallow duck-pond at the further end of the green. Very sadly, and with -many an anxious shake of the head, the village folk followed the little -procession, which was headed by the Sergeant and pompous Master Inch. - -At the moment when the unfortunate shepherd was being swung in mid-air, -preparatory to his immersion in the water, one of the soldiers -laughingly dragged away the coat which swathed poor Miggs's head and -shoulders, and was near suffocating him. - -"We don't want 'im to drown, do we?" he said, just as his comrades -dropped the wretched man straight into the pond. - -Immediately there was a loud cry from beadle and spectators,-- - -"Lud love us all! that bain't Beau Brocade!" - -And one timid voice added,-- - -"Why! 'tis Jock Miggs, the shepherd!" - -The beadle nearly had a fit of apoplectic rage. That cursed highwayman -surely must be in league with the devil himself. The soldiers were -gasping with astonishment, and staring open-mouthed at the dripping -figure of Jock Miggs, who with unruffled stolidity was quietly -struggling out of the water. - -"Lordy! Lordy! these be 'mazing times," he muttered in his vague, -fatalistic way as he shook himself dry in the sunshine, after the manner -of his own woolly sheep-dog. - -"Oho! ho! ha! ha! ha!" came in merry chorus from the crowd of village -folk, "look at Jock Miggs, the highwayman!" - -The soldiers, were absolutely speechless. Master Inch, the beadle, had -said emphatically,-- - -"Damn!" - -Truly there was nothing more to be said: those who were inclined to be -superstitious felt convinced that the devil himself had had something to -do with this amazing substitution. - -That it was Beau Brocade who had been captured on the Heath last night -none of those who were present at the time doubted for a single instant. -To their minds the highwayman had been mysteriously spirited away by the -agency of Satan his friend, who had quietly deposited Jock Miggs, the -shepherd, in his place. - -John Stich, with Mistress Betty beside him, had watched these -proceedings from the other end of the green, fully prepared to come to -Miggs's assistance and to disclose the latter's identity at once if the -horse-play became at all too rough. He now pushed his way through the -group of soldiers, and good-naturedly taking hold of the bewildered -shepherd's arm, he led him to the porch of the Royal George. - -"You'd like to wet your gullet after this, eh, Jock?" he said, as he -ordered a tankard of steaming ale to be brought forthwith to the -dripping man. - -The soldiers, somewhat shamefaced, had pressed into the bar-parlour of -the inn: presently there would be a few broken heads in the village as a -result of the morning's work, but for the moment the yokels had not -begun to chaff: 'twas Jock who was the centre of attraction outside in -the porch, sitting on a bench and sipping large quantities of hot ale. - -"Let's all drink a glass of ale to the health of Jock Miggs, the -highwayman!" came in merry accents from one of the gaffers. - -"Hurrah for Jock Miggs, the highwayman!" was the universal gleeful -chorus. - -"Be gy! Don't he look formidable!" quoth one of the villagers, pointing -at the shepherd's scared figure on the bench. - -"Let me perish!" said another in mock alarm, "but I'se mightily afeeard -o' him." - -Mistress Betty too had mixed with the throng, and was eyeing Jock, with -irrepressible laughter dancing in her saucy little face. - -"Lud! 'tis that funny bit of sheep's wool!" she said gaily. "Faith! and -you do look sadly, Jock Miggs, and no mistake! Have you been in the -pond?" - -"How did 'e foind that out?" queried Miggs, vaguely. "Aye! they dumped -Oi in t' pond, they did ... and nearly throttled Oi ... 'tis a blamed -shame!" - -He had sipped huge tankards of hot ale until he felt thoroughly warm, -and was steaming now like a great loaf just out of the oven. - -"Dumped ye in the pond?" laughed Mistress Betty. "You were no beauty -before, Jock Miggs ... but now ... Oh! Gemini! ... Why, what had you -done?" - -"I'd done nowt!" retorted the bewildered shepherd. "A foine gentleman -he took a fancy to me old smock, he did ... he put a pistol to my head -... then he give me his own beautiful coat for to make me look decent -... and I were just puttin' it on when them soldiers fell on me ... and -nigh throttled me, and clapped me in the pound they did..." - -"Ye seem to have had a rough time o' it, friend Miggs," said John Stich, -kindly. - -"Aye, that be so!" commented Jock, vaguely. "'Mazing times these be!" - -"They mistook you in your fine clothes for Beau Brocade," explained one -of the villagers. - -"May be so!" quoth Miggs. "I dunno." - -But Mistress Betty held up a rosy finger at the unfortunate shepherd, -and said with grave severity,-- - -"Ye are not Beau Brocade, Jock Miggs, are ye?" - -"I dunno!" replied Jock Miggs with imperturbable vagueness. "I don't -rightly know who Oi be! I think them soldiers made a mistake, but I -dunno." - -He was undoubtedly the hero of the hour, and the rest of his morning was -spent in pleasant conviviality with all his friends in the village, -until by about noon the worthy shepherd was really hopelessly at sea as -to who he really was. At one o'clock he became quite convinced that he -was Beau Brocade the highwayman--or at any rate a very dangerous -character--and had only escaped hanging through his reputation of -supernatural cunning and bravery. - -The Sergeant and soldiers were drowning their acute disappointment in -the bar-parlour of the Royal George. They certainly were not in luck, -for even at the very moment when egged on by the Sergeant they were -planning a fresh battue of the Heath, there came into Brassington an -advance guard from the Duke of Cumberland, with the news that His Royal -Highness would pass through the village with his army corps on his way -to the north. The Sergeant was requisitioned to arrange for His -Highness's quarters at the Royal George: the men would not be allowed to -go hunting after a highwayman, in case their officers had need of them -for other purposes. - -All thoughts of a fresh hunt after their elusive quarry would therefore -have to be abandoned until after the army had passed through -Brassington, and Sergeant and soldiers could but hope that they would be -left behind, in order that they might make one more gigantic attempt to -earn the hundred guineas reward, offered for the capture of Beau -Brocade. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIII - - THE AWAKENING - - -John Stich could scarce contain himself for joy. Fate indeed and all the -angels in heaven had ranged themselves on the side of his Captain. - -That Beau Brocade should have emerged unconquered after all out of the -terrible position in which he was placed last night, seemed to the -worthy smith nothing short of miraculous, and only accomplished through -the special agency of heaven, whose most cherished child the gallant -highwayman most undoubtedly was, in his friend's enthusiastic -estimation. - -For the moment, therefore, the kindly smith felt tolerably happy about -his friend. The presence of His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland -with his army corps in this part of the country would do much towards -keeping the Sergeant and soldiers' attention away from the Heath, at any -rate for a day or two. Perhaps the squad now quartered at Brassington -would be drafted to one of the regiments, and a fresh contingent, -composed of men who'd have no special bone to pick with the highwayman, -left behind for the still active hunt against the rebels. - -But this train of thought brought the faithful smith's mind back to the -Earl of Stretton and the stolen letters. Reassured momentarily as to -his friend, he was still aware of the grave peril which threatened his -young lord. - -Neither he nor Lady Patience could conjecture what had become of the -letters. Sir Humphrey Challoner, after his woeful adventure in -Brassington, had condescended to accept Squire West's hospitality for -the nonce. Stich had spied him in the course of the morning, walking in -the direction of the village in close conversation with his familiar, -Master Mittachip, attorney-at-law. In spite of the momentary respite in -his anxiety, the smith felt that there lay still the real danger to Beau -Brocade and to Lord Stretton. Moreover, by now he longed to see his -friend and to learn how he'd fared. Vaguely in his honest heart he -feared that the young man had succumbed on the Heath to pain and -fatigue, and mayhap had failed to reach the forge. - -When he saw the entire population of Brassington busy with Jock Miggs, -and the soldiers intent on the news from the Duke of Cumberland's -advance guard, he determined to set out for the crossroads, in the hopes -of finding the Captain at the forge. - -He had just crossed the green and turned into the narrow bridle-path -which led straight to his smithy, when he spied a yokel, dressed in a -long smock and wearing a broad-brimmed hat, coming slowly towards him. -The man was leaning heavily on a thick knotted stick and seemed to be -walking with obvious pain and fatigue. - -Some unexplainable instinct caused the smith to wait awhile until the -yokel came a little nearer. This corner of the village was quite -deserted; the laughter of the folk assembled round the Royal George -could be heard only as a distant echo from across the green. The next -moment the smith uttered a quickly-suppressed cry of astonishment as he -recognised Bathurst's face underneath the broad-brimmed hat. - -"Sh! ... sh ... sh!" whispered the young man hurriedly--"her ladyship? -... can I see her?" - -"Yes! yes!" replied John, whose honest eyes were resting anxiously on -his friend's pallid face, "but you, Captain? ... you?..." - -He did not like to formulate the question, and Bathurst interrupted him -quickly. - -"I've rested awhile at the forge, John ... your mother was an angel ... -and now I want to see her ladyship." - -John's honest heart misgave him. His friend's fresh young voice sounded -hoarse and unnatural, there was a restless, feverish glitter in his -eyes, and the slender, tapering hand which rested on the stick trembled -visibly. - -"You ought to be in bed, Captain," he muttered gruffly, "and well nursed -too; you are ill..." - -"I am sufficiently alive, friend, at any rate to serve Lady Patience to -the end." - -"I'll go tell her ladyship," said the smith, with a sigh. - -"Say a man from the village would wish to speak with her.... Don't -mention my name, John ... she'll not know me, I think.... 'Tis best -that she should not.... And I look a miserable object enough, don't I?" -he added with a feeble laugh. - -"Her ladyship would command you to rest if she knew..." - -"I don't wish her to know, friend," said Jack, smiling in spite of -himself at the good fellow's vehemence, "her tender pity would try to -wean me from my purpose, which is to serve her with the last breath left -in me. And now, quick, John.... Don't worry about me, old friend.... I -am only a little tired after that scramble on the Heath ... and the -wound that limb of Satan dealt me is at times rather troublesome.... -But I am very tough, you know.... All my plans are made, and I'll -follow you at a little distance. Beg her ladyship to speak with me in -the passage of the inn ... 'twould excite too much attention if I went -up to her parlour.... No one'll know me, never fear." - -John knew of old how useless it was to argue with the Captain once he -had set his mind on a definite course of action. Without further -protest, therefore, and yet with a heavy heart, he turned and quickly -walked back through the village to the Packhorse, followed at some -little distance by Bathurst. - -In order to arouse as little suspicion as possible, it had been -necessary for the young Earl of Stretton to mix from time to time with -the servant and the barman of the inn. He was supposed to be an -additional serving-man, come to help at the Packhorse in view of her -ladyship's unexpected stay there. In this out-of-the-way village of -Brassington no one knew him by sight, and he was in comparative safety -here, until nightfall, when he meant to strike up country again for -shelter. - -He was standing in the shadow behind the bar, when John Stich entered -the parlour, bearing the message from Beau Brocade. The room was dark -and narrow, over-filled with heavy clouds of tobacco smoke and with the -deafening clamour of loud discussions and exciting narratives carried on -by two or three soldiers and some half-dozen villagers over profuse -tankards of ale. - -John Stich managed to reach Philip's ear without exciting attention. -The young man at once slipped out of the room, in order to tell his -sister that a yokel bearing important news would wish to speak with her -privately. - -Her heart beating with eagerness and apprehension, Patience hurried down -the narrow stairs, and in the passage found herself face to face with a -man dressed in a long, dingy smock, and whose features she could not -distinguish beneath the broad brim of his hat. - -He raised a respectful hand to his forelock as soon as he was in her -ladyship's presence, but did not remove his hat. - -"You wished to speak with me, my man?" asked Lady Patience, eagerly. - -"I have a message for to deliver to Lady Patience Gascoyne," said -Bathurst, whose voice, hoarse and quavering with fatigue, needed no -assumption of disguise. He kept his head well bent, and the passage was -very dark. - -Patience, with her thoughts fixed on the gallant, upright figure she had -last seen so full of vitality and joy in the little inn-parlour -upstairs, scarce gave more than a passing glance to the stooping form, -leaning heavily on a stick before her. - -"Yes, yes," she said impatiently, "you have a message? From whom?" - -"I don't rightly know, my lady ... a gentleman 'twas ... on the Heath -this morning ... he give me this letter for your ladyship." - -Burying his tell-tale, slender hand well inside the capacious sleeve of -Jock Miggs's smock, Bathurst handed Patience a note written by himself. -She took it from him with a glad little cry, and when he turned to go -she put a restraining hand on his arm. - -"Wait till I've read the letter," she said, "I may wish to send an -answer." - -She unfolded the letter slowly, very slowly, he standing close beside -her and watching the tears gathering in her eyes as she began to read, -murmuring the words half audibly to herself:-- - - -"Have no fear. I have the letters, and with your permission will take -them straight to London. I have a powerful friend there who will help -me to place them before the King and Council without delay. To carry -this safely through it is important that I should not be seen again in -Brassington, as Sir Humphrey Challoner luckily has lost track of me for -the moment, and I can be at Wirksworth before nightfall, and on my way -to London before another dawn. Your enemy will keep watch on _you_, so I -entreat you to stay in Brassington so as to engage his attention, whilst -I go to London with the letters. His lordship would be safest, I think, -in the cottage of old Widow Coggins at Aldwark. It has been my good -fortune to do her some small service; she'll befriend his lordship for -my sake. John Stich will convey him thither as soon as maybe. I -entreat you to be of good cheer. A few days will see your brother a -free man, and rid you for ever of your enemy. Believe me, the plan I -have had the honour to set forth is safe and quick, and on my knees I -beg you to allow me to carry it through in your service." - - -She folded the letter and then slipped it into the folds of her gown. - -Through the open doorway behind her a ray of sunshine came shyly peeping -in, framing her graceful figure with a narrow fillet of gold. They were -alone in the passage, and she, intent upon the precious letter, was -taking no notice of him: thus he could feast his eyes once more upon his -dream, his beautiful white rose, drooping with the dew, the graceful -silhouette outlined against the sunlit picture beyond, the queenly head, -with its wealth of soft golden hair, bent with rapt attention on the -letter which trembled in her hand. - -His whole being ached with mad passionate longing for her, his lips -burned with a desire to cover her neck and throat with kisses, yet he -would have knelt on the flagstones before her and worshipped as did the -saints before Our Lady's shrine. In his heart was a great joy that he -could do her service, and a strange, wild hope that he might die for -her. - -"The gentleman who gave you this letter..." she said with a slight catch -in her low, melodious voice. "You saw him? ... He was well? ... How did -he look?..." - -Her eyes now were swimming in tears, and Bathurst had much ado to still -the mad beating of his heart, and to force his voice to a natural tone. - -"Lud, my lady," he said, "but he was just like any other body Oi -thought." - -"Not ill?" - -"Noa! noa! not that Oi could see." - -"Go back to him, friend," she said, with sudden eagerness, "tell him -that he must come to me at once ... I ... I would speak with him." - -It required all Bathurst's firm strength of will not to betray himself -before her. The tender pleading in her eyes, the gentle, womanly -sympathy in her voice, set all his pulses beating. But he had made up -his mind that she should not know him just then. A look, a cry, might -give him away, and there was but one chance now to be of useful service -to her, and that was to take the letters at once to London, whilst their -joint enemy had for the nonce no thought of him. - -Therefore he contrived to say quite stolidly,-- - -"Noa, noa, the gentleman said to Oi, 'You can bring a message, but th' -lady mustn't come nigh me!'" - -She gave a quick little sigh of disappointment. - -"Then, my good fellow," she said, "try to remember ... tell him ... tell -him ... I would wish to thank him ... tell him.... Nay! nay!" she -suddenly added, pulling a faded white rose from her belt, "tell him -nothing ... but give him this flower ... in token that I have received -his letter ... and will act as he bids me.... You'll remember?" - -He dared not trust himself to speak, but as she held out the rose to him -he took it from her hand and involuntarily his finger-tips came in -contact with hers just for a second ... long enough for the divine -magnetism of his great love to pass from him to her. - -She seized hold of his hand, for in that one magnetic touch she had -recognised him. Her heart gave a great leap of joy, the joy of being -near him once more, of again feeling the tender, grey eyes resting with -passionate longing on her face. But she uttered neither cry nor word, -for it was a great, silent and godlike moment--when at last she -understood. - -He had stooped still lower and rested his burning lips upon her cool -fingers, and upon the rose which she had worn at her breast. - -Neither of them spoke, for their hearts were in perfect unison, their -whole being thrilled with the wild, jubilant echo of a divine hosanna, -and around them the legions of God's angels made a rampart of snow-white -wings, to shut out all the universe from them, leaving them alone with -their love. - - - CHAPTER XXXIV - - A LIFE FOR A LIFE - - -That moment was brief, as all such great and happy moments are. - -But a few seconds had passed since both her hands had rested in his, and -he forgot the world in that one kiss upon her finger-tips. - -The next instant a fast-approaching noise of hurrying footsteps, -accompanied by much shouting, roused them from their dream. - -Both through the back and the front door a crowd of excited soldiers had -pushed their way into the inn, whilst the folk in the bar-parlour, -attracted by the sudden noise, pressed out into the narrow passage to -see what was happening. - -John Stich, foremost amongst these, made a rush for Patience's side. -She found herself suddenly pressed back towards the foot of the stairs, -and face to face with a noisy group of village folk, through which the -Sergeant and some half-dozen soldiers were roughly pushing their way. - -She looked round her, helpless and bewildered. Jack Bathurst had -disappeared. - -The whole thing had occurred in the brief space of a few seconds, even -before Patience had had time to realise that anything was amiss. - -The narrow staircase, at the foot of which she now stood, led straight -up to the private parlour, where Philip was even now awaiting her -return. - -"Out of the way, you rascals," the Sergeant was shouting, whilst -elbowing his way through the small group of gaping yokels, and pressing -forward towards the stairs. - -"Will your ladyship allow me the privilege of conducting you out of this -crowd?" said a suave voice at Patience's elbow. - -Sir Humphrey Challoner, closely followed by the obsequious Mittachip, -had pushed his way into the inn, in the wake of the soldiers, and was -now standing between her and the crowd, bowing very deferentially and -offering her his arm, to conduct her upstairs. - -But a few moments ago he had heard the startling news that Jock Miggs -had been captured on the Heath, in mistake for Beau Brocade. As far as -Sir Humphrey could ascertain nothing of importance had been found on the -shepherd's person, and in a moment he realised that, through almost -supernatural cunning, the highwayman must have succeeded in filching the -letters, and by now had no doubt once more restored them to Lady -Patience. - -All the scheming, the lying, the treachery of the past few days had -therefore been in vain; but Sir Humphrey Challoner was not the man to -give up a definite purpose after the first material check to his plans. -If her ladyship was once more in possession of the letters, they must be -got away from her again. That was all. And if that cursed highwayman -was still free to-day, 'sdeath but he'll have to hang on the morrow. - -In the meanwhile Philip's momentary safety was a matter of the greatest -moment to Sir Humphrey Challoner. If that clumsy lout of a Sergeant got -hold of the lad, all Sir Humphrey's schemes for forcing Lady Patience's -acceptance of his suit by means of the precious letters would -necessarily fall to the ground. - -But instinctively Patience recoiled from him; his suave words, his -presence near her at this terrible crisis, frightened her more -effectually than the Sergeant's threatening attitude. She drew close to -John Stich, who had interposed his burly figure between the soldiers and -the foot of the stairs. - -"Out of the way, John Stich," shouted the Sergeant, peremptorily, "this -is not your forge, remember, and by G---- I'll not be tricked again." - -"Those are her ladyship's private rooms," retorted the smith, without -yielding one inch of the ground. "Landlord," he shouted at the top of -his voice, "I call upon you to protect her ladyship from these -ruffians." - -"You insult His Majesty's uniform," quoth the Sergeant, briefly, "and do -yourself no good, smith. As for the landlord of this inn, he interferes -'tween me and my duty at his peril." - -"But by what right do you interfere with me, Master Sergeant?" here -interposed Lady Patience, trying to assume an indifferent air of calm -haughtiness. "Do you know who I am?" - -"Aye! that I do, my lady!" responded the Sergeant, gruffly, "and that's -what's brought me here this morning. Not half an hour ago I heard that -Lady Patience Gascoyne was staying at the Packhorse, and now the folks -say that a new serving-man came to give a helping hand here. He arrived -in the middle of the night, it seems. Strange time for a serving-man to -turn up, ain't it?" - -"I know nothing of any servant at this inn, and I order you at once to -withdraw your men, and not to dare further to molest me." - -"Your pardon, my lady, but my orders is my orders: I have been sent here -by His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland hisself to hunt out all the -rebels who are in hiding in these parts. I've strict orders to be on -the lookout for Philip James Gascoyne, Earl of Stretton, who, I -understand, is your ladyship's own brother, and as I've a right o' -search, I mean to see who else is staying in those rooms upstairs -besides your ladyship." - -"This is an outrage, Sergeant!" - -"Maybe, my lady," he retorted drily, "but with us soldiers orders is -orders, saving your presence. I was tricked at the smithy, and again on -the Heath. My belief is that we were hunting a bogey last night, There -may or mayn't be any highwayman called Beau Brocade, but there was a -fine young gallant at the forge the day afore yesterday, who did for me -and my men, and I'll take my oath that he was none other than the rebel, -Philip Gascoyne, Earl of Stretton." - -"'Tis false and you talk like a madman, Sergeant." - -"Maybe! but your ladyship'll please stand aside until I've searched -those rooms upstairs, or I'll have to order my men to lay hands on your -ladyship. Now then, John Stich, stand aside in the name of the King!" - -John Stich did not move, and Lady Patience still stood defiant and -haughty at the foot of the stairs. The villagers, stolid and stupid, -were staring open-mouthed, not daring to interfere. But of course it -was only a question of seconds, the worthy smith could not guard the -staircase for long against the Sergeant and a dozen soldiers, and in any -case nothing would be of any avail. Philip in the room upstairs was -trapped like a fox in its lair, and nothing could save him now from -falling into the soldiers' hands. - -In vain she sought for Bathurst among the crowd: with wild, unreasoning -agony she longed for him in this moment of her greatest need, and he was -not there. She felt sure that if only he were near her he would think -of something, do something, to avert the appalling catastrophe. - -"I give your ladyship one minute's time to stand quietly aside," said -the Sergeant, roughly. "After that I give my men orders to lay hands on -you, and on any one who dares to interfere." - -"Give me the letters," whispered Sir Humphrey Challoner, insinuatingly, -in her ear. "I can yet save your brother." - -"How?" she murmured involuntarily. - -He looked up towards the top of the stairs. - -"Then he _is_ up there?" - -She did not reply. It was useless to deny it, the next few moments -would bring the inevitable. - -"Stand back, Sergeant," quoth John Stich, defiantly. "I have the honour -to protect her ladyship's person against any outrage from you." - -"Good words, smith," retorted the Sergeant, "but I tell ye I've been -tricked twice by you and I mean to know the reason why. Let her -ladyship allow me to search the room upstairs and I'll not lay hands on -her." - -"Ye shall not pass," repeated the smith, obstinately. - -"The letters," whispered Sir Humphrey, "give me the letters and I pledge -you my honour that I can save him yet." - -But half mad with terror and misery, scornful, defiant, she turned on -him. - -"Your honour!" she said, with infinite contempt. - -But in her inmost heart she murmured in agonised despair,-- - -"What's to be done? Oh, God, protect him!" - -"Stand back, John Stich," repeated the Sergeant, for the third time, "or -I give my men the order to charge. Now then, my men!" - -"Ye shall not pass!" was the smith's persistent, obstinate answer to the -challenge. - -"Forward!" shouted the soldier in a loud voice. "Into it, my men! Use -your bayonets if anyone interferes with ye!" - -The soldiers, nothing loth, were ready for the attack: there had already -been too much parleying to suit their taste. They had been baffled too -often in the last few days to be in the mood to dally with a woman, be -she her ladyship or no. - -With a loud cry they made a dash for the stairway, which behind Stich -and Lady Patience lost itself in the gloom above. - -And it was from out this darkness that at this moment a light-hearted, -fresh young voice struck upon the astonished ears of all those present. - -"Nay! too much zeal, friend Stich. Stand aside, I pray you. Faith! -it'll give me great pleasure to converse with these gallant lobsters." - -And Jack Bathurst, pushing the bewildered smith gently to one side, came -down the stairs with a smile upon his face, calm, debonnair, dressed as -for a feast. - -He had discarded Jock Miggs's long smock, broad-brimmed hat and -kerchief, and appeared in all the gorgeous finery of the beautiful -lavender-scented clothes, he had donned at the forge with the kindly aid -of Mistress Stich. He was still very pale and there were a few lines of -weariness and of bodily pain round the firm, sensitive mouth, but his -grey eyes, deep-sunk and magnetic, glowed with the keen fire of intense -excitement. The coat of fine blue cloth set off his tall, trim figure -to perfection. His left hand was tucked into the opening of his -exquisitely embroidered waistcoat, and dainty ruffles of delicate -Mechlin lace adorned his neckcloth and wrists. As he appeared there, -handsome, foppish and smiling, 'twas no wonder that the countryside had -nicknamed him Beau Brocade. - -"Well! my gallant friend!" he said, addressing the Sergeant, since the -latter seemed too astonished to speak, "what is it you want with me, -eh?" - -The Sergeant was gradually recovering his breath. Fate apparently was -playing into his hands. It was almost too bewildering for any bluff -soldier to realise, but it certainly seemed pretty clear that the rebel -Earl of Stretton and Beau Brocade the highwayman were one and the same -person. - -"You are Philip Gascoyne, Earl of Stretton?" he asked at last. - -"Faith! you've guessed that, have you?" responded Bathurst, gaily. -"Odd's life, 'tis marvellous how much penetration lies hidden beneath -that becoming coat of yours." - -"Then, Philip Gascoyne, Earl of Stretton, you are attainted by -Parliament for high treason, and I arrest you in the name of the King!" - -There were indeed many conflicting emotions raging in the hearts of all -those present whilst this brief colloquy was going on. - -John Stich, accustomed to implicit obedience where his Captain's actions -were concerned, had not dared to speak or stir. Sir Humphrey Challoner, -completely thrown off his mental balance by the unexpected appearance of -Bathurst, was hastily trying to make up his bewildered mind as to what -was now best to be done. - -As to Patience herself, at first a great, an overwhelming joy and pride -had seized her at the thought that he was near her now, that he had not -deserted her in the hour of her greatest need, that once again he had -interposed his magnetic, powerful personality between her and the danger -which threatened her and Philip. - -It was only when the Sergeant's momentous words, "I arrest you in the -name of the King!" rang out clearly and decisively above the loud tumult -which was beating in her heart, that she became aware of the deadly -peril which threatened the man she loved. - -True, he had come once more between her and danger, but once again he -had done it at risk of his life, and was like at last to lay it down for -her. - -She had been standing a little to one side, turning, as all had done, -toward the elegant, foppish figure in the fine clothes and dainty -ruffles of lace, but now she stepped forward with mad, unreasoning -impulse, thrusting herself between him and the Sergeant, and trying to -shield him behind the folds of her cloak. - -"No! no! no! no!" she said excitedly. "Sergeant, 'tis all a mistake! ... -I swear..." - -But already Jack Bathurst had bent forward, and had contrived to -whisper, unheard by all save her,-- - -"Hush--sh--your brother ... remember his danger..." - -"Your pardon, lady," said the Sergeant, seeing that she paused, -irresolute, not knowing what to do in face of this terrible alternative -which was confronting her. "Your pardon, lady, but this gentleman is -Philip, Earl of Stretton, is he not?" - -"For your brother's sake," whispered Bathurst once more. - -"No ... yes ... Oh! my God!" murmured Patience, in the agony of this -appalling misery. - -Her brother or the man she loved. One or the other betrayed by one word -from her, now at this moment, with no time to pray to God for help or -guidance, no chance of giving her own life for both! - -"Out on you, friend," said Bathurst, lightly, "do you not see her -ladyship is upset. Nay! have no fear, I'll follow you quietly!" he -added, seeing that the Sergeant and soldiers were making a motion to -surround him, "but you'll grant me leave to say farewell to my sister?" - -The Sergeant could not very well refuse. He was at heart a humane man, -and now that he was sure of this important capture, he would have done a -good deal to ingratiate himself, through little acts of courtesy, with -Lady Patience Gascoyne. - -However, he had no mind to be tricked again, and in face of an almost -immediate execution for high treason, the prisoner seemed -extraordinarily self-possessed and cheerful. But for her ladyship's -obvious despair and sorrow, the worthy Sergeant might even now have had -some misgivings. - -As it was, he told off three men to mount the stairs, and to stand on -guard at the top of them, in case the prisoner made a dash that way, in -the hopes of reaching the roof. The Sergeant still kept an idea in his -mind that some supernatural agency was at work in favour of this -extraordinary man, who up to now had seemed to bear a charmed life. He -had the little narrow passage and hall of the inn cleared of the gaping -yokels, who went off one by one, scratching their addled polls, -wondering what it all meant, and who was Beau Brocade. Was he the Earl -of Stretton? was he the highwayman? or some pixie from the Heath with -power to change himself at will? - -Sir Humphrey Challoner retired within the shadow of the stairway. On -the whole he preferred to leave the events to shape their own course. -In one way Fate had befriended him. Whether hanged in his own name or -in that of the Earl of Stretton, the highwayman would within the next -few hours be safely out of the way, and then it would be easier no doubt -to obtain possession of the letters once again. - -He too like the Sergeant and soldiers, felt an instinctive dread of -supernatural agency in connection with Beau Brocade. In these days -there existed still a deeply-rooted belief in witchcraft, and the -educated classes were not altogether proof against the popular -superstitions. - -Sir Humphrey had a curious, intense hatred for the man who had so -chivalrously championed Lady Patience's cause. His own love for her was -so selfish and lustful that overpowering jealousy formed its chief -characteristic. He was frantically, madly jealous of Jack Bathurst, for -with the keen eyes of the scorned suitor, he had noted the look of joy -and pride in her face when the young man first appeared on the stairs, -and he alone of all those present knew how to interpret her obvious -despair, her terrible misery, when brought face to face with the awful -alternative of giving up her brother or the man she loved. - -Sir Humphrey swore some heavy oaths under his breath at thought of the -scorn with which she had rejected him. Womanlike, she had yielded to -the blandishments of that thief, and proud Lady Patience Gascoyne had -fallen in love with a highwayman! - -But now Fate meant to be kind to Sir Humphrey. With that chivalrous -coxcomb out of the way, Lady Patience would be once more at his mercy. -Philip was still a fugitive under the ban of attainder, and the letters -could be got hold of once again, unless indeed the devil, with an army -of witches and evil sprites, came to the assistance of that rascal Beau -Brocade. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXV - - QUITS - - -Hemmed in by a compact little group of soldiers at the foot of the -stairs, and with three men on guard at the head of it, Bathurst and -Patience had but a few minutes in which to live these last brief moments -of their love. - -She clung passionately to him, throwing aside all the haughty reserve of -her own proud nature: conquered by her great love: a woman only, whose -very life was bound up in his. - -"They shall not take you!" she moaned in the agony of her despair. -"They shall not.... I will not let you go!" - -And he held her in his arms now, savouring with exquisite delight this -happiest moment of his life, the joy of feeling her tender form clinging -to him in passionate sorrow, to see the tears gathering in her blue -eyes, one by one, for him and to know that her love--her great, -measureless, divine love--was at last wholly his. - -But the moments were brief, and the Sergeant below was already waxing -impatient. He drew her gently into a dark angle of the stairs, up -against the banisters, and taking the packet of letters from his pocket, -he pressed them into her hand. - -"The letters! quick!" he whispered. "God guard you and him!" - -"The letters?" she murmured mechanically. - -"Aye! I can do nothing now ... but try to see the Duke of Cumberland -before you go to London, show him the letters.... He may be in this -village to-day ... if not, you can see him at Wirksworth.... He has -power to stay execution even if your brother is arrested ... he might -use it, if he had seen the letters..." - -"Yes! yes!" she murmured. - -Sorrow seemed to have dazed her, she did not quite know what she was -doing, but her left hand closed instinctively over the precious packet, -then dropped listlessly by her side. - -Neither she nor Bathurst had perceived a thin, attenuated figure -hoisting itself monkey-wise over the dark portion of the banisters. - -"Try and hear what those two are saying," Sir Humphrey had whispered, -and the attorney, obedient and obsequious, had made a desperate effort -to do as he was bid. The staircase was but partially lighted by a -glimmer of daylight, which came slanting round the corner from the -passage. The banisters were in complete shadow, and the Sergeant and -soldiers were too intent on watching their prisoner to notice Master -Mittachip or Sir Humphrey. - -The next moment Patience felt a terrific wrench on all her fingers; even -as she uttered a cry of pain and alarm, the packet of letters was torn -out of her hand from behind, and she was dimly conscious of a dark -figure clambering over the banisters and disappearing into the darkness -below. - -But with a mad cry of rage Jack Bathurst had bounded after that -retreating figure; wholly taken by surprise, he only saw the dim outline -of Mittachip's attenuated form, as the latter hastily dropped the packet -of letters at Sir Humphrey Challoner's feet, who stooped to pick them -up. Like an infuriated wild beast Jack fell on Sir Humphrey. - -"You limb of Satan!" he gasped. "You ... you.... Give me back those -letters! ... Stich! Stich! quick!..." - -The force of the impact had thrown both men to the ground. Bathurst was -gripping his antagonist by the throat with fingers of steel. But -already the Sergeant and his men had come to the rescue, dragging Jack -away from the prostrate figure of Sir Humphrey, whilst the soldiers from -above had run down and were forcibly keeping John Stich in check. - -Freed from his powerful antagonist, his Honour quietly picked himself -up, readjusted his crumpled neckcloth and flicked the dust from off his -coat. He was calmly thrusting the packet of letters in his pocket, -whilst the Sergeant was giving orders to his men to bind their prisoner -securely, if he offered further resistance. - -"Sergeant!" said Bathurst, despairingly, "that miscreant has just stolen -some letters belonging to her ladyship." - -"Silence, prisoner!" commented the Sergeant. "You do yourself no good by -this violence." - -It seemed as if Fate meant to underline this terrible situation with a -final stroke of her ironical pen, for just then the quiet village street -beyond suddenly became alive with repeated joyous shouts and noise of -tramping feet. In a moment the dull, monotonous air of Brassington was -filled with a magnetic excitement which seemed to pervade all its -inhabitants at once, and even penetrated within the small dingy inn, -where the last act of a momentous drama was at this moment being played. - -"It must be the Duke of Cumberland's army!" quoth the Sergeant, -straining his ears to catch the sound of a fast-approaching cavalcade. - -"Then you'll please His Royal Highness with the smart capture you've -made, Sergeant," said Sir Humphrey, with easy condescension. - -This was indeed Fate's most bitter irony. "The Duke has power to stay -execution, and would use it if you showed him the letters!" These were -the last words of counsel Bathurst had given Patience, and now with -freedom for her brother almost within her grasp, she was powerless to do -aught to save him. - -"The letters, Sir Humphrey!" she murmured imploringly, "an you've a -spark of honour left in you." - -"Nay!" he retorted under his breath, with truly savage triumph, "an you -don't close your lover's mouth, I'll hand your brother over to these -soldiers too, and then destroy the letters before your eyes." - -He turned, and for a moment regarded with an almost devilish sneer the -spectacle of his enemy rendered helpless at last. Bathurst, like some -fettered lion caught in a trap, was still making frantic efforts to free -himself, until a violent wrench on his wounded shoulder threw him half -unconscious on his knees. - -"Ha! ha! ha!" laughed Sir Humphrey, "I think, my chivalrous friend, you -and I are even at last." - -"Come, prisoner, you'd best follow me quietly now," said the Sergeant, -touched in spite of himself by Patience's terrible sorrow. - -But at Sir Humphrey's final taunt Jack Bathurst had shaken off the -deadly feeling of sickness which was beginning to conquer him. He threw -back his head, and with the help of the soldiers struggled again to his -feet. The clamour outside was beginning to be louder and more -continuous: through it all came the inspiriting sound of a -fast-approaching regimental band. - -"The Duke of Cumberland, is it, Sergeant?" he said suddenly. - -"Marching through the village on his way to the north," assented the -Sergeant. "Now then, prisoner..." - -"Nay, then, Sergeant," shouted Jack in a loud voice, as, wrenching his -right arm from the grasp of the soldier who held him, he pointed to Sir -Humphrey Challoner, "detain that man! ... An I am the rebel Earl of -Stretton, he was my accomplice, and has all the papers relating to our -great conspiracy at this moment about his person ... the door!--the -door!" he added excitedly, "take care! ... he'll escape you! ... and he -has papers on him now that would astonish the King." - -Instinctively the soldiers had rushed for both the doorways, and when -Sir Humphrey, with a shrug of the shoulders, made a movement as if to -go, the Sergeant barred the way and said,-- - -"One moment, sir." - -"You would dare?" retorted Sir Humphrey, haughtily. "Are you such a -consummate fool as not to see that that man is raving mad?" - -"Search him, Sergeant!" continued Bathurst, excitedly, "you'll find the -truth of what I say.... Search him ... her ladyship knows he was my -accomplice.... Search him!--the loss of those papers'd cost you your -stripes." - -The Sergeant was not a little perplexed. Already, the day before, the -seizure of Sir Humphrey Challoner's person had been attended with -disastrous consequences for the beadle of Brassington, and now.... - -No doubt the Sergeant would never have ventured, but the near approach -of the Duke of Cumberland's army, and of his own superior officers, gave -the worthy soldier a certain amount of confidence. He had full rights -and powers of search, and had been sent to this part of the country to -hunt for rebels. He had been tricked and hoodwinked more often than he -cared to remember, and he knew that his superior officers would never -blame him for following up a clue, even if thereby he was somewhat -overstepping his powers. - -"The papers," continued Bathurst, "the papers which'll prove his guilt -... the papers! or he'll destroy them." - -The Sergeant gave a last look at his prisoner. He seemed secure enough -guarded by three men, who were even now strapping his hands behind his -back. The accusation therefore could be no trick to save his own skin, -and who knows? if the Earl of Stretton was a rebel lord, then why not -the Squire of Hartington? - -"Seize him, and search him!" commanded the Sergeant, "in the name of the -King!" - -"Your pardon, sir," he added deferentially, "but the Duke of Cumberland -is within earshot almost, and I should be cashiered if I neglected my -duty." - -"This is an outrage!" cried Sir Humphrey, who had become purple with -rage. - -"It's doing your Honour no harm! and if I've done wrong no doubt I shall -be punished. Search him, my men!" - -It was Sir Humphrey's turn now to be helpless in the hands of the -soldiers. He knew quite well that the Sergeant was within his duty and -would certainly not get punished for this. Worse outrages than this -attempt on his august person had been committed in the Midlands on -important personages, on women and even children, during this terrible -campaign against fugitive rebels. - -Less than five seconds had elapsed when the soldier drew the packet of -letters from Sir Humphrey's pocket and handed it to his Sergeant. - -"They'd best be for His Royal Highness's own inspection," said the -latter, quietly, as he slipped them inside his scarlet coat. - -"Aye! for His Royal Highness!" quoth Jack Bathurst in mad, wild, -feverish glee. "Oh, now is it that your Honour thought you could be -even with me? What?" - -Sir Humphrey was speechless with the hopelessness of his baffled rage. -But Patience, almost hysterical with the intensity of her relief after -the terrible suspense which she had just endured, had fallen back half -fainting against the stairs, and murmuring,-- - -"The letters! ... Before His Royal Highness! ... Thank God! ... Thank -God!..." - -Then suddenly she drew herself up, and laughing, crying, joyous, happy, -she flew upstairs shouting,-- - -"Philip!--Philip!--come down!--come down! ... you are safe!..." - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVI - - THE AGONY OF PARTING - - -About half an hour ago, when Jack Bathurst suddenly burst in upon Lord -Stretton in the dingy little parlour upstairs, he gave the lad no -inkling of what was happening down below. He had hastily discarded Jock -Miggs's smock and hat and extracted a solemn promise from Philip not to -stir from the parlour, whatever might be the tumult downstairs. - -Then he had left the boy chafing like a wild beast in its cage. The -heavy oak doors and thick walls of the old-fashioned inn deadened all -the sounds from below, and Bathurst had taken the precaution of locking -the door behind him. But for this, no doubt Philip would have broken -his word, sooner than allow his chivalrous friend once more to risk his -life for him. - -As the noise below grew louder and louder, Stretton became more and more -convinced that some such scene as had been enacted a day or two ago at -the forge was being repeated in the hall of the Packhorse. He tried -with all his might to force open the door which held him imprisoned, and -threw his full weight against it once or twice, in a vain endeavour to -break the thick oaken panels. - -But the old door, fashioned of stout, well-seasoned wood, resisted all -his efforts, whilst the noise he made thereby never reached the ears of -the excited throng. - -Like a fettered lion he paced up and down the narrow floor of the dingy -inn parlour, chafing under restraint, humiliated at the thought of being -unable to join in the fight, that was being made for his safety. - -His sister's cry came to him in this agonising moment like the most -joyful, the most welcome call to arms. - -"The door! ... quick!..." he shouted as loudly as he could, "it is -locked!" - -She found the bolt and tore open the door, and the next instant he was -running downstairs, closely followed by Patience. - -The Sergeant and soldiers had been not a little puzzled at hearing her -ladyship suddenly calling in mad exultation on her brother, whom they -believed they were even now holding prisoner. - -The appearance of Philip at the foot of the stairs, and dressed in a -serving-man's suit, further enhanced their bewilderment. - -But already Patience stood proud, defiant, and almost feverish in her -excitement, confronting the astonished group of soldiers. - -"This, Sergeant!" she said, taking hold of her brother's hand, "is -Philip Gascoyne, Earl of Stretton, my brother. Arrest _him_ if you -wish, he surrenders to you willingly, but I call upon you to let your -prisoner go free." - -The Sergeant was sorely perplexed. The affair was certainly getting too -complicated for his stolid, unimaginative brain. He would have given -much to relinquish command of this puzzling business altogether. - -"Then you, sir," he said, addressing Philip, "you are the Earl of -Stretton?" - -"I am Philip James Gascoyne, Earl of Stretton, your prisoner, Sergeant," -replied the lad, proudly. - -"But then, saving your ladyship's presence," said the soldier, in -hopeless bewilderment, "who the devil is my prisoner?" - -"Surely, Sergeant," quoth Sir Humphrey, with a malicious sneer, "you've -guessed that already?" - -Jack Bathurst, exhausted and faint after his long fight and victory, had -listened motionless and silent to what was going on around him. With -the letters safely bestowed in the Sergeant's wallet and about to be -placed before His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland himself, he felt -that indeed his task was accomplished. - -Fate had allowed him the infinite happiness of having served his -beautiful white rose to some purpose. Philip now would be practically -safe; what happened to himself after that he cared but little. - -At sound of Sir Humphrey's malicious taunt, an amused smile played round -the corners of his quivering mouth; but Patience, with a rapid movement, -had interposed herself between Sir Humphrey and the Sergeant. - -"Your silence, Sir Humphrey," she commanded excitedly, "an you've any -chivalry left in you." - -"Aye!" he replied in her ear, "my silence now ... at a price." - -"Name it." - -"Your hand." - -So low and quick had been questions and answers that the bewildered -Sergeant and his soldiers had not succeeded in catching the meaning of -the words, but Sir Humphrey's final eager whisper, "Your hand!" reached -Jack Bathurst's sensitive ear. The look too in the Squire of -Hartington's face had already enabled him to guess the purport of the -brief colloquy. - -"Nay, Sir Humphrey Challoner," he said loudly, "but 'tis not a -marketable commodity you are offering to this lady for sale. I'll break -your silence for you. What is the information that you would impart to -these gallant lobsters? ... That besides being my mother's son I am also -the highwayman, Beau Brocade!" - -"No! no! no!" protested Patience, excitedly. - -"Odd's my life!" quoth the Sergeant, "but methought..." - -"Aye, Beau Brocade," said Sir Humphrey, with a sneer, "robber, vagabond -and thief, that's what this ... _gentleman_ means." - -"Faith! is that what I meant?" retorted Jack Bathurst, lightly. "I -didn't know it for sure!" - -But with a wild cry Patience had turned to the Sergeant. - -"It's a lie, Sergeant!" she repeated, "a lie, I tell you. This -gentleman is ... my friend ... my..." - -"Well, whichever you are, sir," quoth the Sergeant, turning to Beau -Brocade decisively, "rebel, lord or highwayman, you are my prisoner, -and," he added roughly, for many bitter remembrances of the past two -days had surged up in his stolid mind, "and either way you hang for it." - -"Aye! hang for it!" continued Sir Humphrey, savagely. "So, now -methinks, my chivalrous young friend, that we can cry quits at last. -And now, Sergeant," said his Honour, peremptorily, "that you've found -out the true character of your interesting prisoner, you can restore me -my letters, which he caused you to filch from me." - -But the Sergeant was not prepared to do that. He had been tricked and -hoodwinked so often, that he would not yield one iota of the advantage -which he had contrived to gain. - -"Your pardon, sir," he said deferentially yet firmly, "I don't exactly -know the rights o' that. I think I'd best show them to His Royal -Highness, and you, sir, will be good enough to explain yourself before -his Honour, Squire West." - -"You'll suffer for this insolence, Sergeant," retorted Sir Humphrey, -purple with rage. "I command you to return me those letters, and I warn -you that if you dare lay hands on me or hinder me in any way, I'll have -you degraded and publicly whipped along with that ape the beadle." - -But the Sergeant merely shrugged his shoulders and ordered off three of -his men to surround Sir Humphrey Challoner and to secure his hands if he -attempted to resist. His Honour's wild threats of revenge did not in -the least frighten the soldier, now that he felt himself on safe ground -at last. - -The rapid approach of the army gave him a sense of security; he knew -that if he had erred through excess of zeal, a reprimand would be the -only punishment meted out to him, whilst he risked being degraded if he -neglected his duty. Whether the Squire of Hartington had or had not -been a party to the late rebellion, he neither knew nor cared, but -certainly he was not going to give up a packet of letters over which -there had been so much heated discussion on both sides. - -The fast-approaching tumult in the street confirmed him in his resolve. -He turned a deaf ear to all Sir Humphrey's protestations, and only -laughed at his threats. - -Already the soldiers were chafing with eagerness to see the entry of His -Royal Highness with his staff: the village folk one by one had gone out -to see the more joyful proceedings, and left the Sergeant and his -prisoners to continue their animated discussion. - -"Are you ready, my lord?" asked the Sergeant, turning to Philip. - -"Quite ready!" replied the lad, cheerfully, as he prepared to follow the -soldiers. He gave his sister a look of joy and hope, for he was going -to temporary imprisonment only; within a few moments perhaps his safety -would be assured. Lady Patience Gascoyne, in virtue of her rank and -position, could easily obtain an audience of the Duke of Cumberland, and -in the meanwhile the letters proving Philip's innocence would have been -laid before His Royal Highness. No wonder that as the lad, marching -light-heartedly between two soldiers, passed close to Jack Bathurst, he -held out his hand to his brave rescuer in gratitude too deep for words. - -"Are you ready, sir?" quoth the Sergeant now, as he turned to Beau -Brocade. - -But here there was no question of either joy or hope: no defence, no -proofs of innocence. The daring outlaw had chosen his path in life, and -being conquered at the last, had to pay the extreme penalty which his -country demanded of him for having defied its laws. - -As he too prepared to follow the soldiers out into the open, Patience, -heedless of the men around her, clung passionately, despairingly to the -man who had sacrificed his brave life in her service, and whom she had -rewarded with the intensity, the magnitude of her love. - -"They shall not take you," she sobbed, throwing her protecting arms -round the dearly-loved form, "they shall not ... they shall not..." - -The cry had been so bitter, so terribly pathetic in its despair, that -instinctively the soldiers stood aside, awed in spite of their stolid -hearts at the majesty of this great sorrow; they turned respectfully -away, leaving a clear space round Patience and Bathurst. - -Thus for a moment he had her all to himself, passive in her despair, -half crazed with her grief, clinging to him with all the passionate -abandonment of her great love for him. - -"What? ... tears?" he whispered gently, as with a tender hand he pressed -back the graceful drooping head, and looked into her eyes, "one ... two -... three ... four glittering diamonds ... and for me! ... My sweet -dream!" he added, the intensity of his passion causing his low, tender -voice to quiver in his throat, "my beautiful white rose, but yesterday -for one of those glittering tears I'd gladly have endured hell's worst -tortures, and to-day they flow freely for me.... Why! I would not -change places with a King!" - -"Your life ... your brave, noble life ... thus sacrificed for me.... -Oh, why did I ever cross your path?" - -"Nay, my _dear_," he said with an infinity of tenderness, and an -infinity of joy. "Faith! it must have been because God's angels took -pity on a poor vagabond and let him get this early glimpse of paradise." - -His fingers wandered lovingly over her soft golden hair, he held her -close, very close to his heart, drinking in every line of her exquisite -loveliness, rendered almost ethereal through the magnitude of her -sorrow: her eyes shining with passion through her tears, the delicate -curve of throat and chin, the sensitive, quivering nostrils, the moist -lips on which anon he would dare to imprint a kiss. - -"And life now to me," she whispered 'twixt heart-broken sobs, "what will -it be? ... how shall I live but in one long memory?" - -"My life, my saint," he murmured. "Nay! lift your dear face up to me -again! let me take away as a last memory the radiant vision of your eyes -... your hair ... your lips..." - -His arms tightened round her, her head fell back as if in a swoon, she -closed her eyes and her soul went out to him in the ecstasy of that -first kiss. - -"Ah! it is a lovely dream I dreamt," he whispered, "and 'tis meet that -the awakening shall be only in death!" - -He tried to let her go but she clung to him passionately, her arms round -him, in the agony of her despair. - -"Take me with you," she sobbed, half fainting. "I cannot bear it ... I -cannot..." - -Gently he took hold of both her hands, and again and again pressed them -to his lips. - -"Farewell, sweet dream!" he said. "There! dry those lovely tears! ... -If you only knew how happy I am, you would not mourn for me.... I have -spun the one thread in life which was worth the spinning, the thread -which binds me to your memory.... Farewell!" - -The Sergeant stepped forward again. It was time to go. - -"Are you ready, sir?" he asked kindly. - -"Quite ready, Sergeant." - -She slid out of his arms, her eyes quite dry now, her hands pressed to -her mouth to smother her screams of misery. She watched the soldiers -fall into line, with their prisoner in their midst, and turn to the -doorway of the inn, through which the golden sunshine came gaily peeping -in. - -Outside a roll of drums was heard and shouts of "The Duke! The Duke!" -The excitement had become electrical. His Royal Highness, mounted on a -magnificent white charger, was making his entry into the village at the -head of his general staff, and followed at some distance by the bulk of -his army corps, who would camp on the Heath for the night. - -Squire West, his stiff old spine doubled in two, was in attendance on -the green, holding a parchment in his hand, which contained his loyal -address and that of the inhabitants of Brassington: the beadle, more -pompous than ever, and resplendent in blue cloth and gold lace, stood -immediately behind his Honour. - -In the midst of all this gaiety and joyful excitement the silent group, -composed of the soldiers with their three prisoners, appeared in strange -and melancholy contrast. Philip and Bathurst were to be confined in the -Court House, under a strong guard, pending his Honour the Squire's -decision, and as the little squad emerged upon the green, 'twas small -wonder that they caught His Royal Highness's eye. - -He had been somewhat bored by Squire West's long-winded harangue, and -was quite glad of an excuse for cutting it short. - -"Odd's buds!" he said, "and what have we here? Eh?" - -The Sergeant and soldiers stood still at attention, some twenty yards -away from the brilliant group of His Highness's general staff. The -little diversion had caused Squire West to lose the thread of his -speech, and much relieved, the Duke beckoned the Sergeant to draw -nearer. - -"Who are your prisoners, Sergeant?" queried His Highness, looking with -some interest at the two young men, one of whom was a mere lad, whilst -the other had a strange look of joy and pride in his pale face, an air -of aloofness and detachment from all his surroundings, which puzzled and -interested the Duke not a little. - -"'Tis a bit difficult to explain, your Royal Highness," replied the -Sergeant, making the stiff military salute. - -"Difficult to explain who your prisoners are?" laughed the Duke, -incredulously. - -"Saving your Highness's presence," responded the Sergeant, "one of these -gentlemen is Philip Gascoyne, Earl of Stretton." - -"Oho! the young reprobate rebel who was hand-in-glove with the -Pretender! I mind his case well, Sergeant, and the capture does your -zeal great credit. Which of your prisoners is the Earl of Stretton?" - -"That's just my trouble, your Royal Highness. But I hope that these -papers will explain." - -And the Sergeant drew from his wallet the precious packet of letters and -handed them respectfully to the Duke. - -"What are these letters?" - -"They were found on the person of that gentleman, sir," replied the -Sergeant, indicating Sir Humphrey Challoner, who stood behind the two -younger men, silent and sulky, and nursing desperate thoughts of -revenge. "He is said to be an accomplice and I thought 'twas my duty to -bring him before a magistrate. If I've done wrong...". - -"You've done quite right, Sergeant," said the Duke, firmly. "You were -sent here to rid the country of rebels, whom an Act of Parliament has -convicted of high treason, and it had been gross neglect of duty not to -refer such a case to the nearest magistrate. Give me the papers, I'll -look through them anon. See your prisoners safely under guard, then -come back to my quarters." - -"Damnation!" muttered Sir Humphrey, as he saw the Duke take the packet -of letters from the Sergeant's hand, and then turn away to listen to the -fag end of Squire West's loyal address. - -Throughout his chagrin, however, the Squire of Hartington was able to -gloat over one comforting idea. He had now lost all chance of pressing -his suit on Lady Patience, his actions in the past three days would -inevitably cause her to look upon him with utter hatred and contempt, -but the man who was the cause of his failure, the chivalrous and -meddlesome highwayman, Beau Brocade, would, as sure as the sun would set -this night, dangle on the nearest gibbet to-morrow. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVII - - REPARATION - - -It was in the middle of the afternoon when His Royal Highness, having -attended to other important affairs, and partaken of a hasty meal at the -Royal George, finally found leisure to look through the letters handed -up to him by the Sergeant. - -As he read one through, and then the other, Lord Lovat's letter urging -the Earl of Stretton to join the rebellion, that of Kilmarnock -upbraiding the lad for holding aloof, and finally the autograph of -Charles Edward himself at the end of a long string of reproaches, -calling Philip a traitor for his loyalty to King George,-- - -"There has been a terrible blunder here!" quoth His Royal Highness, -emphatically. "Bring the Earl of Stretton to me at once," he added, -speaking to his orderly. - -Ten minutes later Philip, with Patience by his side, was in the presence -of the Duke of Cumberland, who, on behalf of his country and its -government, was tendering apologies to the Earl of Stretton for grievous -blunders committed. - -"It seems you have suffered unjustly, my lord," said His Highness, with -easy graciousness. "It will be my privilege to keep you under my -personal protection until these letters have been placed before the King -and Council." - -"I myself will guarantee your brother's safety, Lady Patience," he -added, turning with a genial smile to her; "you will entrust him to my -care, will you not? Your father and I were old friends, you know. In -my young days I had the pleasure of staying at Stretton Hall, and the -privilege of dandling you on my knees, for you were quite a baby then. -I little thought I should have the honour of being of service to you in -later years." - -With courtly gallantry the Duke raised her cold finger-tips to his lips. -He looked at her keenly, for he could not understand the almost dead -look of hopeless misery in her face which she bravely, but all in vain, -tried to hide from him. Evidently she was quite unable to speak. When -her brother had been brought before His Highness she had begged for and -easily obtained the favour of being present at the interview, but even -at the Duke's most genial and encouraging words she had not smiled. - -"It was lucky," added His Royal Highness, kindly patting her hand, "that -so strange a Fate should have placed these letters in my hand." - -But at these gentle, almost fatherly words, Patience's self-control -entirely gave way. With a heart-broken sob she threw herself at the -Duke's feet. - -"Nay! not Fate, your Royal Highness," she moaned, "but the devotion of a -brave man, who has sacrificed his life to save my brother and me... Save -him, your Highness! ... save him! ... he is noble, brave, loyal, and you -are powerful ... save him! ... save him!..." - -It was impossible to listen unmoved to the heart-rending sorrow -expressed in this appeal. The Duke very gently raised her to her feet. - -"Nay, fair lady ... I pray you rise," he said respectfully. "Odd's my -life! but 'tis not beauty's place to kneel.... There! there!" he added, -leading her to a chair and sitting beside her, "you know how to plead a -cause; will you deign to confide somewhat more fully in your humble -servant? We owe your family some reparation at anyrate, and you some -compensation for the sorrow you have endured." - -And speaking very low at first, then gradually gaining confidence, -Patience began to relate the history of the past few days, the -treachery, of which she had been a victim, the heroic self-sacrifice of -the man who was about to lay down his life because of his devotion to -her and to her cause. - -His Highness listened quietly and very attentively, whilst she, wrapped -up in the bitter joy of memory, lived through these last brief and happy -days all over again. Even before she had finished, he had sent word to -the Sergeant to bring both his other prisoners before him at once. - -Sir Humphrey and Jack Bathurst were actually in the room before Patience -had quite completed her narrative. Bathurst ill and pale, but with that -strange air of aloofness still clinging about his whole person. He -seemed scarce to live, for his mind was far away in the land of dreams, -dwelling on that last exquisite memory of his beautiful white rose lying -passive in his arms, the memory of that first and last, divinely -passionate kiss. - -The Duke looked up when the prisoners entered the room; although he knew -neither of them by sight, he had no need to ask whose cause the -beautiful girl beside him had been pleading so earnestly. - -"What do you wish to say, sir?" he said, addressing Sir Humphrey -Challoner first. "You are no doubt aware of her ladyship's grievances -against you. They are outside my province, and unfortunately outside -the province of our country's justice. But I would wish to know why you -should have pursued the Earl of Stretton and that gentleman, your -fellow-prisoner, with so much hatred and malice." - -"I have neither hatred nor malice against the Earl of Stretton," replied -Sir Humphrey, with a shrug of the shoulders, "but no doubt her ladyship -would wish to arouse your Royal Highness's sympathy for a notorious -scoundrel. That gentleman is none other than Beau Brocade, the most -noted footpad and most consummate thief that ever haunted Brassing -Moor." - -The Duke of Cumberland looked with some surprise, not altogether unmixed -with kindliness, at the slim, youthful figure of the most notorious -highwayman in England. He felt all a soldier's keen delight in the -proud bearing of the man, the straight, clean limbs, the upright, -gallant carriage of the head, which neither physical pain nor adverse -circumstances had taught how to bend. - -Then he remembered Lady Patience's enthusiastic narrative, and said, -smiling indulgently,-- - -"Odd's my life! but I did not know gentlemen of the road were so -chivalrous!" - -"Your Royal Highness..." continued Sir Humphrey. - -"Silence, sir!" - -Then the Duke rose from his chair, and went up close to Bathurst, who, -half-dreaming, had listened to all that was going on around him, but had -scarce heard, for he was looking at Patience and thinking only of her. - -"Your name, sir?" asked the Duke very kindly, for the look of love akin -to worship which illumined Jack Bathurst's face had made a strong appeal -to his own manly heart. - -"Jack Bathurst," replied the young man, almost mechanically, and rousing -himself with an effort in response to the Duke's kind words, "formerly -captain in the White Dragoons." - -"Bathurst? ... Bathurst?" repeated the Duke, not a little puzzled. "Ah, -yes!" he added after a slight pause, "who was condemned and cashiered -for striking his superior officer after a quarrel." - -"The same, your Royal Highness." - -"'Twas Colonel Otway, who, we found out afterwards, was a scoundrel, a -liar, and a cheat," said His Highness with sudden eager enthusiasm, "and -fully deserving the punishment you, sir, had been brave enough to give -him." - -"Aye! he deserved all he got," replied Jack, with a wistful sigh and -smile, "I'll take my oath of that." - -"But ... I remember now," continued the Duke, "a tardy reparation was to -have been offered you, sir ... but you were nowhere to be found." - -"I'd become a scoundrel myself by then, and moneyless, friendless, -disgraced, had taken to the road, like many another broken gentleman." - -"Then take to the field now, man," exclaimed His Highness, gaily. "We -want good soldiers and gallant gentlemen such as you, and your country -still owes you reparation. You shall come with me, and in the glorious -future which I predict for you, England shall forget your past." - -He extended a kindly hand to Bathurst, who, still dreaming, still not -quite realising what had happened, instinctively bent the knee in -gratitude. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVIII - - THE JOY OF RE-UNION - - -On the green outside, the crowd of village folk were shouting themselves -hoarse,-- - -"Three cheers for the Duke of Cumberland!" - -Already the news had gone the round that Beau Brocade, the highwayman, -had been granted a special pardon by His Royal Highness. - -John Stich, half crazy with joy, was tossing his cap in the air, and in -the fulness of his heart was stealing a few kisses from Mistress Betty's -pretty mouth. - -The appearance of Sir Humphrey Challoner in the porch of the Royal -George, looking as black as thunder and followed by his obsequious -familiar, Master Mittachip, was the signal for much merriment and some -quickly-suppressed chaff. - -"Stand aside, you fool!" quoth Sir Humphrey, pushing Jock Miggs roughly -out of his way. - -"Nay, stand aside all of ye!" admonished John Stich, solemnly, "and mind -if any of ye've got any turnips about ... be gy!..." - -The Squire of Hartington raised his riding-crop menacingly. - -"You dare!" he muttered. - -But Mistress Betty interposed her pretty person 'twixt her lover and his -Honour's wrath. - -"Saving your presence, sir," she said pertly, "my intent was only going -to tell the lads to keep their turnips for this old scarecrow." - -And laughing all over her dimpled little face she pointed to Master -Mittachip, who was clinging terrified to Sir Humphrey's coat-tails. - -"Sir Humphrey..." he murmured anxiously, as Betty's sally was received -with a salvo of applause, "good Sir Humphrey ... do not let them harm -me.... I've served you faithfully..." - -"You've served me like a fool," quoth Sir Humphrey, savagely, shaking -himself free from the mealy-mouthed attorney. "Damn you," he added, as -he walked quickly out of the crowd and across the green, "don't yap at -my heels like a frightened cur." - -"God speed your Honour," shouted Stich after him. - -"Think you, John, he'll come to our wedding?" murmured Betty, saucily, -at which honest John hugged her with all his might before the entire -company. - -"Be gy! I marvel if the old fox'll go to her ladyship's and the -Captain's wedding, eh?" - -"Lordy! Lordy! these be 'mazing times," commented Jock Miggs, vaguely. - ----- - -But within the small parlour of the Royal George all this noise and -gaiety only came as a faint, merry echo. - -His Royal Highness had gone, followed by the Sergeant and soldiers, and -Bathurst was alone with his beautiful white rose. - -"And 'tis to you I owe my life," he whispered for the twentieth time, as -kneeling at her feet he buried his head in the folds of her gown. - -"I have done so little," she murmured, "one poor prayer ... when you had -done so much." - -"And now," he said, looking straight into the exquisite depths of her -blue eyes, "now you have robbed me of one great happiness, which may -never come to me again." - -"Robbed you? ... of happiness?..." - -"The happiness of dying for you." - -But she looked down at him, smiling now through a mist of happy tears. - -"Nay, sir," she whispered, "and when the Duke has no longer need of you, -will you not live ... for me?" - -He folded her in his arms, and held her closely, very closely to his -strong, brave heart. - -"Always at your feet," he murmured passionately, "and as your humble -slave, my dream." - -And as his lips sought hers once more, she whispered under her breath,-- - -"My husband!" - -"My dream!--My wife!" - ----- - -Outside the crowd of villagers were shouting lustily,-- - -"Three cheers for the Duke of Cumberland!" - - - - - L. 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-
-.. meta::
- :PG.Id: 39786
- :PG.Title: Beau Brocade
- :PG.Released: 2012-05-24
- :PG.Rights: Public Domain
- :PG.Producer: Al Haines
- :DC.Creator: Baroness Orczy
- :MARCREL.ill: \H. \M. Brock
- :DC.Title: Beau Brocade
- A Romance
- :DC.Language: en
- :DC.Created: 1912
- :coverpage: images/img-cover.jpg
-
-============
-BEAU BROCADE
-============
-
-.. clearpage::
-
-.. pgheader::
-
-.. container:: coverpage
-
- .. vspace:: 3
-
- .. figure:: images/img-cover.jpg
- :align: center
- :alt: Cover art
-
- Cover art
-
- .. vspace:: 3
-
-.. container:: frontispiece
-
- .. figure:: images/img-front.jpg
- :align: center
- :alt: THE FIGHT IN THE FORGE
-
- THE FIGHT IN THE FORGE
-
- .. vspace:: 4
-
-.. container:: titlepage center white-space-pre-line
-
- .. class:: xx-large
-
- BEAU BROCADE
-
- .. class:: large
-
- A ROMANCE
-
- .. vspace:: 2
-
- .. class:: medium
-
- BY THE
-
- .. class:: large
-
- BARONESS ORCZY
-
- .. vspace:: 4
-
- .. class:: small
-
- *POPULAR EDITION*
-
- *WITH FRONTISPIECE BY H. M. BROCK*
-
- .. class:: center small
-
- LONDON
-
- GREENING & CO. LTD.
-
- 1912
-
- .. vspace:: 4
-
-.. container:: verso center white-space-pre-line
-
- .. class:: center small
-
- Copyright
- in the United Kingdom
- of
- Great Britain and Ireland
- in the
- Dominion of Canada
- and in the
- United States of America
-
- .. class:: center small
-
- All dramatic rights
- are strictly reserved
- and protected. Entered
- at Stationers' Hall, March 6th, 1906
-
- .. vspace:: 3
-
-.. container:: plainpage white-space-pre-line
-
- .. class:: center large
-
- CONTENTS
-
- .. vspace:: 2
-
- .. class:: center medium
-
- PART I.—THE FORGE.
-
- .. vspace:: 1
-
- .. class:: left small
-
- CHAP.
-
- .. vspace:: 1
-
- .. class:: left medium
-
- I. `BY ACT OF PARLIAMENT`_
- II. `THE FORGE OF JOHN STICH`_
- III. `THE FUGITIVE`_
- IV. `JOCK MIGGS, THE SHEPHERD`_
- V. `"THERE'S NONE LIKE HER, NONE!"`_
- VI. `A SQUIRE OF HIGH DEGREE`_
- VII. `THE HALT AT THE MOORHEN`_
- VIII. `THE REJECTED SUITOR`_
- IX. `SIR HUMPHREY'S FAMILIAR`_
- X. `A STRANGER AT THE FORGE`_
- XI. `THE STRANGER'S NAME`_
- XII. `THE BEAUTIFUL WHITE ROSE`_
- XIII. `A PROPOSAL AND A THREAT`_
- XIV. `THE FIGHT IN THE FORGE`_
-
- .. vspace:: 3
-
- .. class:: center medium
-
- PART II.—THE HEATH.
-
- .. vspace:: 1
-
- .. class:: left medium
-
- XV. `THE OUTLAW`_
- XVI. `A RENCONTRE ON THE HEATH`_
- XVII. `A FAITHFUL FRIEND`_
- XVIII. `MOONLIGHT ON THE HEATH`_
- XIX. `HIS OATH`_
-
- .. vspace:: 3
-
- .. class:: center medium
-
- PART III.—BRASSINGTON.
-
- .. vspace:: 1
-
- .. class:: left medium
-
- XX. `A THRILLING NARRATIVE`_
- XXI. `MASTER MITTACHIP'S IDEA`_
- XXII. `AN INTERLUDE`_
- XXIII. `A DARING PLAN`_
- XXIV. `HIS HONOUR, SQUIRE WEST`_
- XXV. `SUCCESS AND DISAPPOINTMENT`_
- XXVI. `THE MAN HUNT`_
- XXVII. `JOCK MIGGS'S ERRAND`_
- XXVIII. `THE QUARRY`_
- XXIX. `THE DAWN`_
-
- .. vspace:: 3
-
- .. class:: center medium
-
- PART IV.—H.R.H. THE DUKE OF CUMBERLAND.
-
- .. vspace:: 1
-
- .. class:: left medium
-
- XXX. `SUSPENSE`_
- XXXI. `"WE'VE GOTTEN BEAU BROCADE"`_
- XXXII. `A PAINFUL INCIDENT`_
- XXXIII. `THE AWAKENING`_
- XXXIV. `A LIFE FOR A LIFE`_
- XXXV. `QUITS`_
- XXXVI. `THE AGONY OF PARTING`_
- XXXVII. `REPARATION`_
- XXXVIII. `THE JOY OF RE-UNION`_
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`BY ACT OF PARLIAMENT`:
-
-.. class:: center xx-large
-
- BEAU BROCADE
-
-.. vspace:: 3
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- PART I
-
- THE FORGE
-
-.. vspace:: 3
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER I
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- BY ACT OF PARLIAMENT
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-The gaffers stood round and shook their heads.
-
-When the Corporal had finished reading the
-Royal Proclamation, one or two of them sighed in a
-desultory fashion, others murmured casually,
-"Lordy! Lordy! to think on it! Dearie me!"
-
-The young ones neither sighed nor murmured.
-They looked at one another furtively, then glanced
-away again, as if afraid to read each other's thoughts,
-and in a shamefaced manner wiped their moist hands
-against their rough cord breeches.
-
-There were no women present fortunately: there
-had been heavy rains on the Moor these last three
-days, and what roads there were had become
-well-nigh impassable. Only a few men—some
-half-dozen perhaps—out of the lonely homesteads from
-down Brassington way, had tramped in the wake of
-the little squad of soldiers, in order to hear this Act
-of Parliament read at the cross-roads, and to see the
-document duly pinned to the old gallows-tree.
-
-Fortunately the rain had ceased momentarily,
-only a cool, brisk nor'-wester came blustering across
-the Heath, making the older men shiver beneath their
-thin, well-worn smocks.
-
-North and south, east and west, Brassing Moor
-stretched its mournful lengths to the distant
-framework of the Peak far away, with mile upon mile of
-grey-green gorse and golden bracken and long
-shoots of purple-stemmed bramble, and here and
-there patches of vivid mauve, where the heather was
-just bursting into bloom; or anon a clump of dark
-firs, with ruddy trunks and gaunt arms stretched
-menacingly over the sparse young life below.
-
-And here, at the cross-roads, the Heath seemed
-more desolate than ever, despite that one cottage
-with the blacksmith's shed beyond it. The roads
-themselves, the one to Aldwark, the other from
-Wirksworth, the third little more than a morass, a
-short cut to Stretton, all bore mute testimony to the
-remoteness, the aloofness of this forgotten corner of
-eighteenth-century England.
-
-Then there was the old gallows, whereon many a
-foot-pad or sheep-stealer had paid full penalty for
-his crimes! True, John Stich, the blacksmith, now
-used it as a sign-post for his trade: a monster
-horseshoe hung there where once the bones of Dick
-Caldwell, the highwayman, had whitened in the
-bleak air of the Moor: still, at moments like these,
-when no one spoke, the wind seemed to bring an
-echo of ghostly sighs and laughter, for Dick had
-breathed his last with a coarse jest on his lips, and
-the ears of the timid seemed still to catch the eerie
-sound of his horse's hoofs ploughing the ruddy,
-shallow soil of the Heath.
-
-For the moment, however, the cross-roads
-presented a scene of quite unusual animation: the
-Corporal and his squad looked resplendent in their
-scarlet tunics and white buckskins, and Mr Inch, the
-beadle from Brassington, was also there in his
-gold-laced coat, bob-tailed wig and three-cornered hat:
-he had lent the dignity of his presence to this
-solemn occasion, and in high top-boots, bell in hand,
-had tramped five miles with the soldiers, so that he
-might shout a stentorian "Oyez! Oyez!" whenever
-they passed one of the few cottages along the road.
-
-But no one spoke. The Corporal handed the
-Royal Proclamation to one of the soldiers; he too
-seemed nervous and ill at ease. The nor'-wester,
-with singular want of respect for King and
-Parliament, commenced a vigorous attack upon the great
-document, pulling at it in wanton frolic, almost
-tearing it out of the hands of the young soldier,
-who did his best to fix it against the shaft of the old
-gallows.
-
-The white parchment looked uncanny and ghost-like
-fluttering in the wind; no doubt the nor'-wester
-would soon tear it to rags.
-
-"Lordy! Lordy! to think on it!"
-
-There it was, fixed up at last. Up, so that any
-chance traveller who could might read. But those
-who were now assembled there—shepherds, most of
-them, on the Moor—viewed the written characters
-with awe and misgiving. They had had Mr Inch's
-assurance that it was all writ there, that the King
-himself had put his name to it; and the young
-Corporal, who had read it out, had received the
-document from his own superior officer, who in his
-turn had had it at the hands of His Grace the Duke
-of Cumberland himself.
-
-
-
- "It having come to the knowledge of His
- Majesty's Parliament that certain subjects of the
- King have lately raised the standard of rebellion,
- setting up the Pretender, Charles Edward Stuart,
- above the King's most lawful Majesty, it is hereby
- enacted that these persons are guilty of high treason
- and by the laws of the kingdom are therefore
- condemned to death. It is further enacted that
- it is unlawful for any loyal subject of the King to
- shelter or harbour, clothe or feed any such persons
- who are vile traitors and rebels to their King and
- country: and that any subject of His Majesty who
- kills such a traitor or rebel doth thereby commit an
- act of justice and loyalty, for which he may be
- rewarded by the sum of twenty guineas."
-
-
-
-It was this last paragraph that made the gaffers
-shake their heads and say "Lordy! Lordy! to
-think on it! to think on it!" For it seemed but
-yesterday that the old Moor, aye, and the hamlets
-and villages of Derbyshire, were ringing with the
-wild shouts of Prince Charlie's Highland Brigade,
-but yesterday that his handsome face, his green
-bonnet laced with gold, his Highland plaid and rich
-accoutrements, had seemed to proclaim victory to
-the Stuart cause from one end of the county to the
-other.
-
-To be sure, that glorious, mad, merry time had
-not lasted very long. All the wiseacres had foretold
-disaster when the Prince's standard broke, just as it
-was taken into my Lord Exeter's house in Full
-Street. The shaft snapped clean in half. What
-could that portend but humiliation and defeat?
-
-The retreat from Derby was still fresh in
-everyone's memory, and there were those from
-Wirksworth who remembered the rear-guard of Prince
-Charlie's army, the hussars with their half-starved
-horses and bedraggled finery, who had swept down
-on the villages and homesteads round about
-Ashbourne and had pillaged and plundered to their
-hearts' content.
-
-But then those were the fortunes of war; fighting,
-rushing, running, plundering, wild huzzas, mad
-cavalcades, noise, bustle, excitement, joy of victory,
-and sorrow of defeat, but this!! ... this Proclamation
-which the Corporal had brought all the way
-from Derby, and which had been signed by King
-George himself, this meant silence, hushed footsteps,
-a hidden figure perhaps, pallid and gaunt, hiding
-behind the boulders, or amidst the gorse on the
-Moor, or perishing mayhap at night, lost in the
-bog-land up Stretton way, whilst Judas-like treads crept
-stealthily on the track. It meant treachery too, the
-price of blood, a fellow-creature's life to be sold for
-twenty guineas.
-
-No wonder the gaffers could think of nothing to
-say; no wonder the young men looked at one another
-shamefaced, and in fear.
-
-Who knows? Any Derbyshire lad now might
-become a human bloodhound, a tracker of his
-fellow-creatures, a hunter of men. There were twenty
-guineas to be earned, and out there on the Heath,
-in the hut of the shepherd or the forge of the smith,
-many a pale wan face had been seen of late, which...
-
-It was terrible to think on; for even out here, on
-Brassing Moor, there existed some knowledge of
-Tyburn Gate, and of Tower Hill.
-
-At last the groups began to break up, the Corporal's
-work was done. His Majesty's Proclamation would
-flutter there in the cool September wind for awhile;
-then presently the crows would peck at it, the rain
-would dash it down, the last bit of dirty rag would
-be torn away by an October gale, but in the
-meanwhile the few inhabitants of Brassington and those
-of Aldwark would know that they might deny a
-starving fellow-creature bread and shelter, aye! and
-shoot him too, like a wild beast in a ditch, and
-have twenty guineas reward to boot.
-
-"I've seen nought of John Stich, Master Inch,"
-said the Corporal at last. "Be he from home?"
-
-And he turned to where, just in the fork of the
-road, the thatched cottage, with a glimpse of the
-shed beyond it, stood solitary and still.
-
-"Nay, I have not observated that fact, Master
-Corporal," replied Master Inch, clearing his throat
-for some of those fine words which had gained for
-him wide-spread admiration for miles around. "I
-had not observated that John Stich was from home.
-Though in verity it behoves me to say that I do not
-hear the sound of Master Stich's hammer upon his
-anvil."
-
-"Then I'll go across at once," said the Corporal.
-"Forward, my men! John Stich might have saved
-me the trouble," he added, groping in his wallet for
-another copy of His Majesty's Proclamation.
-
-"Nay, Master Corporal, do not give yourself the
-futile trouble of traversing the muddy road," said
-Mr Inch, sententiously. "John Stich is a loyal
-subject of King George, and by my faith! he would
-not harbourgate a rebel, take my word for it.
-Although, mind you, Mr Corporal, I have oft
-suspicionated..."
-
-Mr Inch, the beadle, looked cautiously round; all
-the pompousness of his manner had vanished in a
-trice. His broad face beneath the bob-tailed wig
-and three-cornered hat looked like a rosy receptacle
-of mysterious information, as he laid his fat hand on
-the Corporal's sleeve.
-
-The straggling groups of yokels were fast
-disappearing down the muddy tracks; some were
-returning to Brassington, others were tramping
-Aldwark way; one wizened, solitary figure was
-slowly toiling up the road, little more than a
-quagmire, that led northwards across the Heath towards
-Stretton Hall.
-
-The soldiers stood at attention some fifteen yards
-away, mute and disinterested. From the shed
-beyond the cottage there suddenly came the sound
-of the blacksmith's hammer upon his anvil. Mr
-Inch felt secure from observation.
-
-"I have oft suspicionated John Stich, the smith,
-of befriending the foot-pads and highwaymen
-that haunt this God-forsaken Moor," he said, with
-an air of excited importance, rolling his beady
-eyes.
-
-"Nay," laughed the Corporal, good-humouredly,
-as he shook off Master Inch's fat hand. "You'd
-best not whisper this confidence to John Stich
-himself. As I live, he would crack your skull for you,
-Master Beadle, aye, be it ever so full of dictionary
-words. John Stich is an honest man, I tell you,"
-he added with a pleasant oath, "the most honest
-this side of the county, and don't you forget it."
-
-But Mr Inch did not approve of the young soldier's
-tone of familiarity. He drew up his five feet of
-broad stature to their full height.
-
-"Nay, but I designated no harm," he said, with
-offended dignity. "John Stich is a worthy fellow,
-and I spoke of no ordinary foot-pads. My mind,"
-he added, dwelling upon that mysterious possession
-with conscious pride, "my mind, I may say, was
-dominating on Beau Brocade."
-
-"Beau Brocade!!!"
-
-And the Corporal laughed with obvious incredulity,
-which further nettled Mr Inch, the beadle.
-
-"Aye, Beau Brocade," he said hotly, "the
-malicious, pernicious, damned rascal, who gives us,
-that representate the majesty of the law, a mighty
-deal of trouble."
-
-"Indeed?" sneered the Corporal.
-
-"I dare swear that down at Derby," retorted Mr
-Inch, spitefully, "you have not even heard of that
-personage."
-
-"Oh! we know well enough that Brassing Moor
-harbours more miscreants than any corner of the
-county," laughed the young soldier, "but
-methought Beau Brocade only existed in the
-imagination of your half-witted yokels about here."
-
-"There you are in grave error, Master Corporal,"
-remarked the beadle with dignity. "Beau Brocade,
-permit me to observe, does exist in the flesh. 'Twas
-only last night Sir Humphrey Challoner's coach was
-stopped not three miles from Hartington, and his
-Honour robbed of fifty guineas, by that pernicious
-highwayman."
-
-"Then you must lay this Beau Brocade by the
-heels, Master Inch."
-
-"Aye! that's easily said. Lay him by the heels
-forsooth, and who's going to do that, pray?"
-
-"Nay, that's your affair. You don't expect His
-Grace the Duke of Cumberland to lend you a portion
-of his army, do you?"
-
-"His Grace might do worse. Beau Brocade is a
-dangerous rascal to the quality."
-
-"Only to the quality?"
-
-"Aye, he'll not touch a poor man; 'tis only the
-rich he is after, and uses but little of his ill-gotten
-gain on himself."
-
-"How so?" asked the Corporal, eagerly, for in
-spite of the excitement of camp life round about
-Derby, the fame of the daring highwayman had ere
-now tickled the fancy of the young soldiers of the
-Duke of Cumberland's army.
-
-"Why, I told you Sir Humphrey Challoner was
-robbed on the Heath last night—robbed of fifty
-guineas, eh?" said Master Inch, whispering in eager
-confidence. "Well, this morning, when Squire
-West arrived at the court-house, he found fifty guineas
-in the poor box."
-
-"Well?"
-
-"Well, that's not the first time nor yet the second
-that such a matter has occurred. The dolts round
-about here, the lads from Brassington or Aldwark,
-or even from Wirksworth, would never willingly lay
-a hand on Beau Brocade. The rascal knows it well
-enough, and carries on his shameful trade with
-impunity."
-
-"Odd's fish! but meseems the trade is not so
-shameful after all. What is the fellow like?"
-
-"Nay, no one has ever seen his face, though his
-figure on the Moor is familiar to many. He is
-always dressed in the latest fashion, hence the
-villagers have called him Beau Brocade. Some say
-he is a royal prince in disguise—he always wears a
-mask; some say he is the Pretender, Charles Stuart
-himself; others declare his face is pitted with smallpox;
-others that he has the face of a pig, and the ears
-of a mule, that he is covered with hairs like a spaniel,
-or has a blue skin like an ape. But no one knows,
-and with half the villages on the Heath to aid and
-abet him, he is not like to be laid by the heels."
-
-"A fine story, Master Inch," laughed the Corporal.
-"And is there no reward for the capture of your
-pig-faced, hairy, blue-skinned royal prince disguised as
-a common highwayman?"
-
-"Aye, a reward of a hundred guineas," said Mr
-Inch, in a whisper that was hardly audible above the
-murmur of the wind. "A hundred guineas for the
-capture of Beau Brocade."
-
-The Corporal gave a long significant whistle.
-
-"And no one bold enough to attempt the capture?"
-he said derisively.
-
-Mr Inch shook his head sadly.
-
-"No one could do it single-handed; the rascal is
-cunning as well as bold, and..."
-
-But at this point even Mr Inch's voluble tongue
-was suddenly and summarily silenced. The words
-died in his throat; his bell, the badge of his important
-public office, fell with a mighty clatter on the ground.
-
-A laugh, a long, loud, joyous, mirthful laugh,
-rang clear as a silver gong from across the lonely
-Moor. Such a laugh as would make anyone's heart
-glad to hear, the laugh of a free man, of a man who
-is whole-hearted, of a man who has never ceased to
-be a boy.
-
-And pompous Mr Inch slowly turned on his heel,
-as did also the young Corporal, and both gazed out
-upon the Heath; the patient little squad of soldiers
-too, all fixed their eyes upon one spot, just beyond
-John Stich's forge and cottage, not fifty yards away.
-
-There, clearly outlined against the cloud-laden
-sky, was the graceful figure of a horse and rider; the
-horse, a sleek chestnut thoroughbred, which filled all
-the soldiers' hearts with envy and covetousness; the
-rider, a youthful, upright figure, whose every
-movement betokened strength of limb and elasticity of
-muscle, the very pose a model of ease and grace, the
-shoulders broad; the head, with a black mask worn
-over the face, was carried high and erect.
-
-In truth it was a goodly picture to look upon,
-with that massive bank of white clouds, and the
-little patches of vivid blue as a rich, shimmering
-dome above it, the gold-tipped bracken, the purple
-heather all around, and far away, as a mist-covered
-background, the green-clad hills and massive Tors
-of Derbyshire.
-
-So good a picture was it that the tardy September
-sun peeped through the clouds and had a look at that
-fine specimen of eighteenth-century English
-manhood, then paused awhile, perchance to hear again
-that mirthful, happy laugh.
-
-Then came a gust of wind, the sun retreated, the
-soldiers gasped, and lo! before Mr Inch or Mr
-Corporal had realised that the picture was made of
-flesh and blood, horse and rider had disappeared,
-there, far out across the Heath, beyond the gorse and
-bramble and the budding heather, with not a
-handful of dust to mark the way they went.
-
-Only once from far, very far, almost from fairy-land,
-there came, like the echo of a silver bell, the
-sound of that mad, merry laugh.
-
-"Beau Brocade, as I live!" murmured Mr Inch,
-under his breath.
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`the forge of john stich`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER II
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- THE FORGE OF JOHN STICH
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-John Stich too had heard that laugh; for a moment
-he paused in his work, straightened his broad back
-and leant his heavy hammer upon the anvil, whilst
-a pleasant smile lit up his bronzed and rugged
-countenance.
-
-"There goes the Captain," he said, "I wonder
-now what's tickling him. Ah!" he added with a
-short sigh, "the soldiers, maybe. He doesn't like
-soldiers much, doesn't the Captain."
-
-He sighed again and looked across to where, on a
-rough wooden bench, sat a young man with head
-resting on his hand, his blue eyes staring moodily
-before him. The dress this young man wore was a
-counterpart of that in which John himself was
-arrayed; rough worsted stockings, thick flannel
-shirt with sleeves well tucked up over fine, muscular
-arms, and a large, greasy, well-worn leather apron,
-denoting the blacksmith's trade. But though the
-hands and face were covered with grime, a more than
-casual observer would soon have noticed that those
-same hands were slender and shapely, the fingers
-long, the nails neatly trimmed, whilst the face,
-anxious and careworn though it was, had in it a
-look of habitual command, of pride not yet crushed
-out of ken.
-
-John Stich gazed at him for awhile, whilst a look
-of pity and anxiety saddened his honest face. The
-smith was a man of few words, he said nothing then,
-and presently the sound of his hammer upon the
-anvil once more filled the forge with its pleasant
-echo. But though John's tongue was slow, his ear
-was quick, and in one moment he had perceived the
-dull thud made by the Corporal's squad as, having
-parted from Mr Inch at the cross-roads, the soldiers
-ploughed their way through the mud round the
-cottage and towards the forge.
-
-"Hist!" said John, in a rapid whisper, pointing
-to the fire, "the bellows! quick!"
-
-The young man too had started in obvious alarm.
-His ear—the ear of a fugitive, trained to every sound
-that betokened danger—was as alert as that of the
-smith. With a sudden effort he pulled himself
-together, and quickly seized the heavy bellows with a
-will. He forced his eyes to glance carelessly at the
-door and his lips to whistle a lively country tune.
-
-The Corporal paused a moment at the entrance,
-taking a quick survey of the interior of the forge, his
-men at attention behind him.
-
-"In the King's name!" he said loudly, as he
-unfolded the Proclamation of His Majesty's Parliament.
-
-His orders were to read it in every hamlet and
-every homestead in the district; John Stich, the
-blacksmith, was an important personage all around
-Brassing Moor, and he had not heard it read from
-beneath the old gallows at the cross-roads just now.
-
-"Well, Corporal," said the worthy smith, quietly,
-as he put down his hammer out of respect for the
-King's name. "Well, and what does His Majesty,
-King George II., desire with John Stich, the
-blacksmith, eh?"
-
-"Not with you alone, John Stich," replied the
-Corporal. "This is an Act of Parliament and
-concerns all loyal subjects of the King. Who be
-yon lad?" he asked, carelessly nodding towards the
-young man at the bellows.
-
-"My nephew Jim, out o' Nottingham," replied
-John Stich, quietly, "my sister Hannah's child.
-You recollect her, Corporal? She was in service
-with my Lord Exeter up at Derby."
-
-"Oh, aye! Mistress Hannah Stich, to be sure!
-I didn't know she had such a fine lad of her own,"
-commented the Corporal, as the young man
-straightened his tall figure and looked him fearlessly
-in the face.
-
-"Lads grow up fast enough, don't they, Corporal?"
-laughed honest Stich, pleasantly; "but come, let's
-hear His Majesty's Proclamation since you've got
-to read it. But you see I'm very busy and..."
-
-"Nay, 'tis my duty, John Stich, 'in every homestead
-in Derbyshire' 'tis to be read, so says this Act
-of Parliament. You might have saved this trouble
-had you come down to the cross-roads just now."
-
-"I was busy," remarked John Stich, drily, and
-the Corporal began to read:—
-
-
-
- "'It having come to the knowledge of His
- Majesty's Parliament that certain subjects of the
- King have lately raised the standard of rebellion,
- setting up the Pretender, Charles Edward Stuart,
- above the King's most lawful Majesty, it is hereby
- enacted that these persons are guilty of high
- treason and by the laws of the kingdom are
- therefore condemned to death. It is further enacted
- that it is unlawful for any loyal subject of the
- King to shelter or harbour, clothe or feed any such
- persons who are vile traitors and rebels to their
- King and country; and that any subject of His
- Majesty who kills such a traitor or rebel doth
- thereby commit an act of justice and loyalty, for which
- he may be rewarded by the sum of twenty guineas.'"
-
-
-
-There was a pause when the Corporal had finished
-reading. John Stich was leaning upon his hammer,
-the young man once more busied himself with the
-bellows. Outside, the clearing shower of September
-rain began pattering upon the thatched roof of the
-forge.
-
-"Well," said John Stich at last, as the Corporal
-put the heavy parchment away in his wallet.
-"Well, and are you going to tell us who are those
-persons, Corporal, whom our village lads are told to
-murder by Act of Parliament? How shall we know
-a rebel ... and shoot him ... when we see one?"
-
-"There were forty persons down on the list a few
-weeks ago, persons who were known to be in hiding
-in Derbyshire," said the young soldier, "but..."
-
-"Well, what's your 'but,' Corporal? There
-were forty persons whom 'twas lawful to murder a
-few weeks ago.... What of them?"
-
-"They have been caught and hanged, most of
-them," replied the soldier, quietly.
-
-"Jim, lad, mind that fire," commented John Stich,
-turning to his "nephew out o' Nottingham," for the
-latter was staring with glowing eyes and quivering
-lips at the Corporal, who, not noticing him, continued
-carelessly,—
-
-"There was Lord Lovat now, you must have
-heard of him, John Stich, he was beheaded a few
-days ago, and so was Lord Kilmarnock ... they
-were lords, you see, and had a headsman all to
-themselves on Tower Hill, that's up in London:
-some lesser folk have been hanged, and now there
-are only three rebels at large, and there are twenty
-guineas waiting for anyone who will bring the head
-of one of them to the nearest magistrate."
-
-The smith grunted. "Well, and who are they?"
-he asked roughly.
-
-"Sir Andrew Macdonald up from Tweedside, then
-Squire Fairfield, you'd mind him, John Stich, over
-Staffordshire way."
-
-"Aye, aye, I mind him well enough. His mother
-was a Papist and he clung to the Stuart cause
-... young man, too, and hiding for his life.... Well,
-and who else?"
-
-"The young Earl of Stretton."
-
-"What! him from Stretton Hall?" said John
-Stich in open astonishment. "Jim, lad," he added
-sternly, "thou art a clumsy fool."
-
-The young man had started involuntarily at
-sound of the last name mentioned by the Corporal;
-and the bellows which he had tried to wield fell with
-a clatter on the floor.
-
-"Be gy! but an Act of Parliament can make thee
-a lawful assassin, it seems," added honest John,
-with a laugh, "but let me perish if it can make thee a
-good smith. What think you, Master Corporal?"
-
-"Odd's life! the lad is too soft-hearted mayhap!
-Our Derbyshire lads haven't much sense in their
-heads, have they?"
-
-"Well, you mind the saying, Corporal, 'Derbyshire
-born and Derbyshire bred...' eh?"
-
-"'Strong i' the arm and weak i' th' head,'"
-laughed the soldier, concluding the apt quotation.
-"That's just it. Odd's buds! they want some
-sense. What's a rebel or a traitor but vermin,
-eh? and don't we kill vermin all of us, and don't call it
-murder either—what?"
-
-He laughed pleasantly and carelessly and tapped
-the side of his wallet where rested His Majesty's
-Proclamation. He was a young soldier, nothing
-more, attentive to duty, ready to obey, neither
-willing nor allowed to reason for himself. He had
-been taught that rebels and traitors were vermin
-... egad! vermin they were, and as such must be
-got rid of for the sake of the rest of the kingdom and
-the safety of His Majesty the King.
-
-John Stich made no comment on the Corporal's
-profession of faith.
-
-"We'll talk about all that some other time,
-Corporal," he said at last, "but I am busy now, you
-see..."
-
-"No offence, friend Stich.... Odd's life, duty
-you know, John, duty, eh? His Majesty's
-orders! and I had them from the Captain, who had them
-from the Duke of Cumberland himself. So you
-mind the Act, friend!"
-
-"Aye! I mind it well enough."
-
-"Everyone knows *you* to be a loyal subject of
-King George," added the Corporal in conciliatory
-tones, for John was a power in the district, "and I'm
-sure your nephew is the same, but duty is duty, and
-no offence meant."
-
-"That's right enough, Corporal," said John Stich,
-impatiently.
-
-"So good-morrow to you, John Stich."
-
-"Good-morrow."
-
-The Corporal nodded to the young man, then
-turned on his heel and presently his voice was
-heard ringing out the word of command,—
-
-"Attention!—Right turn—Quick march!"
-
-John Stich and the young man watched the half-dozen
-red-coated figures as they turned to skirt the
-cottage: the dull thud of their feet quickly dying
-away, as they wound their way slowly up the muddy
-path which leads across the Heath to Aldwark village.
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`the fugitive`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER III
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- THE FUGITIVE
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-Inside the forge all was still, whilst the last of the
-muffled sounds died away in the distance. John
-Stich had not resumed work. It was his turn now
-to stare moodily before him.
-
-The young man had thrown the bellows aside,
-and was pacing the rough earthen floor of the forge
-like some caged animal.
-
-"Tracked!" he murmured at last between
-clenched teeth, "tracked like some wild beast! perhaps
-shot anon like a dangerous cur behind a hedge!"
-
-He sighed a long and bitter sigh, full of sorrow,
-anxiety, disappointment. It had come to this
-then! His name among the others—the traitors,
-the rebels! and he an innocent man!
-
-"Nay, my lord!" said the smith, quietly, "not
-while John Stich owns a roof that can shelter you."
-
-The young man paused in his feverish walk; a
-look of gentleness and gratitude softened the
-care-worn expression on his face: with a boyish gesture
-he threw back the fair hair which fell in curly
-profusion over his forehead, and with a frank and
-winning grace he sought and grasped the worthy
-smith's rough brown hand.
-
-"Honest Stich!" he said at last, whilst his voice
-shook a little as he spoke, "and to think that I
-cannot even reward your devotion!"
-
-"Nay, my lord," retorted John Stich, drawing
-up his burly figure to its full height, "don't talk
-of reward. I would gladly give my life for you and
-your family."
-
-And this was no idle talk. John Stich meant
-every word he said. Honest, kind, simple-hearted
-John! he loved those to whom he owed everything,
-loved them with all the devotion of his strong,
-faithful nature.
-
-The late Lord Stretton had brought him up, cared
-for him, given him a trade, and set him up in the
-cottage and forge at the cross-roads, and honest
-Stich felt that as everything that was good in life
-had come from my lord and his family, so everything
-he could give should be theirs in return.
-
-"Ah! I fear me," sighed the young man, "that
-it is your life you risk now by sheltering me."
-
-Yet it was all such a horrible mistake.
-
-Philip James Gascoyne, eleventh Earl of Stretton,
-was at this time not twenty-one years of age. There
-is that fine portrait of him at Brassing Hall painted
-by Hogarth just before this time. The artist has
-well caught the proud features, the fine blue eyes, the
-boyish, curly head, which have been the characteristics
-of the Gascoynes for many generations. He
-has also succeeded in indicating the sensitiveness of
-the mouth, that somewhat feminine turn of the lips,
-that all too-rounded curve of the chin and jaw,
-which perhaps robs the handsome face of its virile
-manliness. There certainly is a look of indecision,
-of weakness of will about the lower part of the face,
-but it is so frank, so young, so *insouciant*, that it
-wins all hearts, even if it does not captivate the
-judgment.
-
-Of course, when he was very young, his sympathies
-went out to the Stuart cause. Had not the
-Gascoynes suffered and died for Charles Stuart but
-a hundred years ago? Why the change? Why
-this allegiance to an alien dynasty, to a king who
-spoke the language of his subjects with a foreign
-accent?
-
-His father, the late Lord Stretton, a contented,
-unargumentative British nobleman of the eighteenth
-century, had not thought it worth his while to
-explain to the growing lad the religious and political
-questions involved in the upholding of this foreign
-dynasty. Perhaps he did not understand them
-altogether himself. The family motto is "Pour
-le Roi." So the Gascoynes fought for a Stuart
-when he was King, and against him when he was a
-Pretender, and old Lord Stretton expected his
-children to reverence the family motto, and to have
-no opinions of their own.
-
-And yet to the hearts of many the Stuart cause
-made a strong appeal. From Scotland came the
-fame of the "bonnie Prince" who won all hearts
-where'er he went. Philip was young, his father's
-discipline was irksome, he had some friends among
-the Highland lords: and while his father lived
-there had as yet been no occasion in the English
-Midlands to do anything very daring for the Stuart
-Pretender.
-
-When the Earl of Stretton died, Philip, a mere
-boy then, succeeded to title and estates. In the
-first flush of new duties and new responsibilities his
-old enthusiasm remained half forgotten. As a peer
-of the realm he had registered his allegiance to King
-George, and with his youthful romantic nature all
-afire, he clung to that new oath of his, idealised
-it and loyally resisted the blandishments and
-lures held out to him from Scotland and from
-France.
-
-Then came the news that Charles Edward, backed
-by French money and French influence, would
-march upon London and would stop at Derby to
-rally round his standard his friends in the Midlands.
-
-Young Lord Stretton, torn between memories of
-his boyhood and the duties of his new position,
-feared to be inveigled into breaking his allegiance to
-King George. The malevolent fairy who at his
-birth had given him that weak mouth and softly
-rounded chin, had stamped his worst characteristic
-on the young handsome face. Philip's one hope at
-this juncture was to flee from temptation; he knew
-that Charles Edward, remembering his past ardour,
-would demand his help and his adherence, and that
-he, Philip, might be powerless to refuse.
-
-So he fled from the county: despising himself as a
-coward, yet boyishly clinging to the idea that he
-would keep the oath he had sworn to King George.
-He wished to put miles of country between himself
-and the possible breaking of that oath, the possible
-yielding to the "bonnie Prince" whom none could
-resist. He left his sister, Lady Patience, at Stretton
-Hall, well cared for by old retainers, and he, a loyal
-subject to his King, became a fugitive.
-
-Then came the catastrophe: that miserable
-retreat from Derby; the bedraggled remains of a
-disappointed army; finally Culloden and complete
-disaster; King George's soldiers scouring the
-country for rebels, the bills of attainder, the quick
-trials and swift executions.
-
-Soon the suspicion grew into certainty that the
-fugitive Earl of Stretton was one of the Pretender's
-foremost adherents. On his weary way from Derby
-Prince Charles Edward had asked and obtained a
-night's shelter at Stretton Hall. When Philip tried
-to communicate with his sister, and to return to his
-home, he found that she was watched, and that he
-was himself attainted by Act of Parliament.
-
-Yet he felt himself guiltless and loyal. He *was*
-guiltless and loyal: how his name came to be
-included in the list of rebels was still a mystery to
-him: someone must have lodged sworn information
-against him. But who?—Surely not his old friends—the
-adherents of Charles Edward—out of revenge
-for his half-heartedness?
-
-In the meanwhile, he, a mere lad, became an
-outcast, condemned to death by Act of Parliament.
-Presently all might be cleared, all would be well,
-but for the moment he was like a wild beast, hiding
-in hedges and ditches, with his life at the mercy of
-any grasping Judas willing to sell his fellow-creature
-for a few guineas.
-
-It was horrible! horrible! Philip vainly tried
-all the day to rouse himself from his morbid reverie.
-At intervals he would grasp the kind smith's hand
-and mutter anxiously,—
-
-"My letter to my sister, John?—You are sure she had it?"
-
-And patient John would repeat a dozen times the day,—
-
-"I am quite sure, my lord."
-
-But since the Corporal's visit Philip's mood had
-become more feverish.
-
-"My letter," he repeated, "has Patience had my
-letter? Why doesn't she come?"
-
-And spite of John's entreaties he would go to the
-entrance which faced the lonely Heath, and with
-burning eyes look out across the wilderness of furze
-and bracken towards that distant horizon where
-lay his home, where waited his patient, loving
-sister.
-
-"I beg you, my lord, come away from the door,
-it isn't safe, not really safe," urged John Stich again
-and again.
-
-"Then why will you not tell me who took my letter
-to Stretton Hall?" said the boy with feverish impatience.
-
-"My lord..."
-
-"Some stupid dolt mayhap, who has lost his way
-... or ... perchance betrayed me..."
-
-"My lord," pleaded the smith, "have I not sworn
-that your letter went by hands as faithful, as trusty
-as my own?"
-
-"But I'll not rest an you do not tell me who took
-it. I wish to know," he added with that sudden
-look of command which all the Strettons have worn
-for many generations past.
-
-The old habitual deference of the retainer for his
-lord was strong in the heart of John. He yielded.
-
-"Nay, my lord, an you'll not be satisfied," he
-said with a sigh, "I'll tell you, though Heaven
-knows that his safety is as dear to me as
-yours—both dearer than my own."
-
-"Well, who was it?" asked the young man, eagerly.
-
-"I entrusted your letter for Lady Patience to
-Beau Brocade, the highwayman—"
-
-In a moment Philip was on his feet: danger,
-amazement, horror, robbed him of speech for a few
-seconds, but the next he had gripped the smith's
-arm and like a furious, thoughtless, unreasoning
-child, he gasped,—
-
-"Beau Brocade!! ... the highwayman!!!
-... My life, my honour to a highwayman!!!
-Are you mad or drunk, John Stich?"
-
-"Neither, my lord," said John with great respect,
-but looking the young man fearlessly in the face.
-"You don't know Beau Brocade, and there are no
-safer hands than his. He knows every inch of the
-Moor and fears neither man nor devil."
-
-Touched in spite of himself by the smith's
-earnestness, Philip's wrath abated somewhat; still he
-seemed dazed, not understanding, vaguely scenting
-danger, or treachery.
-
-"But a highwayman!" he repeated mechanically.
-
-"Aye! and a gentleman!" retorted John with
-quiet conviction. "A gentleman if ever there was
-one! Aye! and not the only one who has ta'en to
-the road these hard times," he added under his
-breath.
-
-"But a thief, John! A man who might sell my
-letter, betray my whereabouts!..."
-
-"A man, my lord, who would die in torture sooner
-than do that."
-
-The smith's quiet and earnest conviction seemed
-to chase away the last vestige of Philip's wrath.
-Still he seemed unconvinced.
-
-"A hero of romance, John, this highwayman of
-yours," he laughed bitterly.
-
-Honest John scratched the back of his curly black head.
-
-"Noa!" he said, somewhat puzzled. "I know
-nought about that or what's a ... a hero of
-romance. But I do know that Beau Brocade is a
-friend of the poor, and that our village lads won't
-lay their hands on him, even if they could.
-No! not though the Government have offered a hundred
-guineas as the price of his head."
-
-"Five times the value of mine, it seems," said
-Philip with a sigh. "But," he added, with a sudden
-return to feverish anxiety, "if he was caught last
-night, with my letter in his hands..."
-
-"Caught!!! Beau Brocade caught!" laughed
-John Stich, "nay, all the soldiers of the Duke of
-Cumberland's army couldn't do that, my lord!
-Besides, I know he wasn't caught. I saw him on his
-chestnut horse just before the Corporal came. I
-heard him laughing, at the red coats, maybe. Nay! my
-lord, I beg you have no fear, your letter is in her
-ladyship's hand now, I'll lay my life on that."
-
-"I had to trust someone, my lord," he said after
-awhile, as Lord Stretton once more relapsed into
-gloomy silence. "I could do nothing for your
-lordship single-handed, and you wanted that letter to
-reach her ladyship. I scarce knew what to do.
-But I did know I could trust Beau Brocade, and your
-secret is as safe with him as it is with me."
-
-Philip sighed wearily.
-
-"Ah, well! I'll believe it all, friend John. I'll
-trust you and your friend, and be grateful to you
-both: have no fear of that! Who am I but a
-wretched creature, whom any rascal may shoot by
-Act of Parliament."
-
-But John Stich had come to the end of his power
-of argument. Never a man of many words, he had
-only become voluble when speaking of his friend.
-Philip tried to look cheerful and convinced, but he
-was chafing under this enforced inactivity and the
-dark, close atmosphere of the forge.
-
-He had spent two days under the smith's roof
-and time seemed to creep with lead-weighted wings:
-yet every sound, every strange footstep, made his
-nerves quiver with morbid apprehension, and even
-now at sound of a tremulous voice from the road,
-shrank, moody and impatient, into the darkest
-corner of the hut.
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`jock miggs, the shepherd`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER IV
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- JOCK MIGGS, THE SHEPHERD
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-"Be you at home, Master Stich?"
-
-A curious, wizened little figure stood in the
-doorway peering cautiously into the forge.
-
-In a moment John Stich was on the alert.
-
-"Sh!" he whispered quickly, "have no fear, my
-lord, 'tis only some fool from the village."
-
-"Did ye say ye baint at home, Master Stich?"
-queried the same tremulous voice again. "I didn't
-quite hear ye."
-
-"Yes, yes, I'm here all right, Jock Miggs," said
-the smith, heartily. "Come in!"
-
-Jock Miggs came in, making as little noise, and
-taking up as little room as possible. Dressed in a
-well-worn smock and shabby corduroy breeches,
-he had a curious shrunken, timid air about his whole
-personality, as he removed his soft felt hat and began
-scratching his scanty tow-coloured locks: he was a
-youngish man too, probably not much more than
-thirty, yet his brown face was a mass of ruts and
-wrinkles like a furrowed path on Brassing Moor.
-
-"Morning, Mr Stich ... morning," he said with
-a certain air of vagueness and apology, as with obvious
-admiration he stopped to watch the broad back of
-the smith and his strong arms wielding the heavy
-hammer.
-
-"Morning, Miggs," retorted John, not looking up
-from his work, "how's the old woman?"
-
-"I dunno, Mr Stich," replied Miggs, with a dubious
-shake of the head. "Badly, I expec' ... same as
-yesterday," he added in a more cheerful spirit.
-
-"Why! what's the matter?"
-
-"I dunno, Mr Stich, that there's anything the
-matter," explained Jock Miggs with slow and sad
-deliberation, "but she's dead ... same as yesterday."
-
-Involuntarily Philip laughed at the quaint,
-fatalistic statement.
-
-"Hello!" said Miggs, looking at him with the
-same apathetic wonder, "who be yon lad?"
-
-"That's my nephew Jim, out o' Nottingham,"
-said John, "come to give me a hand."
-
-"Morning, lad," piped Miggs, in his high treble,
-as he extended a wrinkled, bony hand to Stretton.
-
-"Lud, John Stich," he exclaimed, "any one'd
-know he was one o' your family from the muscle
-he's got."
-
-And gently, meditatively, he rubbed one shrivelled
-hand against the other, looking with awe at the fine
-figure of a man before him.
-
-"A banging lad your nephew too," he added with
-a chuckle; "he'll be turning the heads of all the girls
-this side o' Brassington, maybe."
-
-"Oh! I'll warrant he's got a sweetheart at home,
-eh, Jim lad?—or maybe more than one. But
-what brings ye here this day, friend Miggs?"
-
-The wizened little face assumed a puzzled expression.
-
-"I dunno..." he said vaguely, "maybe I
-wanted to tell ye about the soldiers I seed at the
-Royal George over Brassington way."
-
-"What about 'em, Miggs?"
-
-"*I* dunno.... I see a corporal and lots of
-fellers in red .... some say there's more o' them
-... I dunno."
-
-"Ha!" said Stich, carelessly, "What are they after?"
-
-"*I* dunno," commented Miggs, imperturbably.
-"Some say they're after that chap Beau Brocade.
-There was a coach stopped on the Heath 'gain last
-night. Fifty guineas he took out of it, he did...." And
-Jock Miggs chuckled feebly with apparent but
-irresponsible delight. "Some folk say it were Sir
-Humphrey Challoner's coach over from Hartington,
-and no one's going to break their hearts over
-that! he! he! he! ... but *I* dunno," he added with
-sudden frightened vagueness.
-
-"Be they cavalry soldiers over at the Royal
-George, Miggs?" asked John.
-
-"*I* dunno ... I seed no horses ... looks more
-like foot soldiers ... but *I* dunno. The Corporal
-he read out something just now about our getting
-twenty guineas if we shoot one o' them rebels. I'd
-be mighty glad to get twenty guineas, Master Stich,"
-he said reflectively, "but I dunno as how I could
-handle a musket rightly ... and folks say them
-traitors are mighty desperate fellows ... but I
-dunno..."
-
-Then with sudden resolution Jock Miggs turned
-to the doorway.
-
-"Morning, Master Stich," he said decisively.
-"Morning, lad! ... morning."
-
-"Morning, Miggs."
-
-However, it seemed that Jock Miggs's visit to the
-forge was not so purposeless as it at first appeared.
-
-"He! he! he!" he chuckled, as if suddenly
-recollecting his errand. "I'd almost forgot why I
-came. Farmer Crabtree wanted to know, Master
-Stich, if you'm got the wether's collar mended yet?"
-
-"Oh, yes, to be sure," replied the smith, pointing
-to a rough bench on which lay a number of metal
-articles. "You'll find it on that there bench, Jock.
-Farmer Crabtree sold his sheep yet?"
-
-Jock toddled up to the bench and picked up the
-wether's collar.
-
-"Noa!" he muttered, "not yet, worse luck!
-And his temper is that hot! So don't 'ee charge him
-too much for the collar, Master Stich, or it's me
-that'll have to suffer."
-
-And Miggs rubbed his shoulder significantly.
-Stich laughed. Philip himself, in spite of his anxiety,
-could not help being amused at the quaint figure
-of the little shepherd with his wizened face and gentle,
-vaguely fatalistic manner.
-
-Thus it was that no one in the forge had
-perceived the patter of small feet on the mud outside,
-and when Jock Miggs, with more elaborate
-"Mornings" and final leave-takings, once more
-reached the doorway, he came in violent collision
-with a short, be-cloaked and closely-hooded figure
-that was picking its way on very small, very
-high-heeled shoes, through the maze of puddles which
-guarded the entrance to the forge.
-
-The impact sent Jock Miggs, scared and apologetic,
-stumbling in one direction, whilst the grey hood flew
-off the head of its wearer and disclosed in the setting
-of its shell-pink lining a merry, pretty, impudent
-little face, with brown eyes sparkling and red lips
-pouting in obvious irritation.
-
-"Lud, man!" said the dainty young damsel,
-withering the unfortunate shepherd with a scornful
-glance, "why don't you look where you're going?"
-
-"I dunno," replied Jock Miggs, with his usual
-humble vagueness. "Morning, miss ... morning,
-Master Stich ... morning."
-
-And still scared, still in obvious apology for his
-existence, he pulled at his forelock, re-adjusted his
-hat over his yellow curls, took his final leave, and
-presently began to wend his way slowly back
-towards the Heath.
-
-But within the forge, at first bound of the young
-girl's voice, Stretton had started in uncontrollable
-excitement.
-
-"Betty!" he whispered, eagerly clutching John
-Stich's arm.
-
-"Aye! aye!" replied the cautious smith, "but
-I beg you, my lord, keep in the background until I
-find out if all is safe."
-
-Mistress Betty's saucy brown eyes followed Jock
-Miggs's quaint, retreating figure.
-
-"Well! you're a pretty bit of sheep's wool, ain't
-ye?" she shouted after him, with a laugh and a
-shrug of her plump shoulders.
-
-Then she peered into the forge.
-
-"Lud love you, Master Stich!" she said, "how
-goes it with you?"
-
-In obedience to counsels of prudence, Stretton had
-retired into the remote corner of the forge. John
-Stich too was masking the entrance with his burly
-figure.
-
-"All the better, Mistress Betty," he said, "for a
-sight of your pretty face."
-
-He had become very red, had honest John, and
-his rough manner seemed completely to have
-deserted him. In fact, not to put too fine a point upon
-it, the worthy smith looked distinctly shy and
-sheepish.
-
-She looked up at him and laughed a pleased,
-coquettish little laugh, the laugh of a woman who
-has oft been told that she is pretty, and has not
-tired of the hearing. John Stich, moreover, was so
-big and burly, folks called him hard and rough, and
-it vastly entertained the young damsel to see him
-standing there before her, as awkward and
-uncomfortable as Jock Miggs himself.
-
-"Am I not to step inside, Master Stich?" she asked.
-
-"Yes, yes, Mistress Betty," murmured John,
-who seemed to have lost himself in admiration of a
-pair of tiny buckled shoes muddy to the ankles—such
-ankles!—which showed to great advantage
-beneath Betty's short green kirtle.
-
-An angry, impatient movement behind him,
-however, quickly recalled his scattered senses.
-
-"Did her ladyship receive a letter, mistress?"
-he asked eagerly.
-
-"Oh, yes! a stranger brought it," replied Betty,
-with a pout, for she preferred John's mute appreciation
-of her small person to his interest in other
-matters. However, the demon of mischief no
-doubt whispered something in her ear for the
-further undoing of the worthy smith, for she put on
-a demure, mysterious little air, turned up her brown
-eyes, sighed with affectation, and murmured
-ecstatically,—
-
-"Oh! such a stranger! the fine eyes of him,
-Master Stich! and such an air, and oh!" added little
-madam with unction, "such clothes!"
-
-But though no doubt all these fine airs and graces
-wrought deadly havoc in poor John's heart, he
-concealed it well enough under a show of eager impatience.
-
-"Yes! yes! the stranger," he said, casting a
-furtive glance behind him, "he gave you a letter
-for my lady?"
-
-"La! you needn't be in such a hurry, Master
-Stich!" retorted Mistress Betty, adding with all
-the artifice of which she was capable, "the stranger
-wasn't."
-
-But this was too much for John. There had
-been such a wealth of meaning in Betty's brown eyes.
-
-"Oh! he wasn't? was he?" he asked with a
-jealous frown, "and pray what had he to say to
-you? There was no message except the letter."
-
-But the demon of mischief was satisfied and Betty
-was disposed to be kind, even if slightly mysterious.
-
-"Oh, never mind!" she rejoined archly, "he
-gave me a letter which I gave to my lady. That
-was early this morning."
-
-"Well? ... and?"
-
-But matters were progressing too slowly at
-anyrate for one feverish, anxious heart. Philip had
-tried to hold himself in check, though he was literally
-hanging on pretty Mistress Betty's lips. Now he
-could contain himself no longer. Lady Patience had
-had his letter. The mysterious highwayman had
-not failed in his trust, and the news Betty had
-brought meant life or death to him.
-
-Throwing prudence to the winds, he pushed John
-Stich aside, and seizing the young girl by the wrist,
-he asked excitedly,—
-
-"Yes? this morning, Betty? ... then
-... then ... what did her ladyship do?"
-
-Betty was frightened, and like a child was ready to
-drown her fright in tears. She had not recognised
-my lord in those dirty clothes.
-
-"Don't you know me, Betty?" asked Philip,
-a little more quietly.
-
-Betty cast a timid glance at the two men before
-her, and smiled through the coming tears.
-
-"Of course, my lord ... I ..." she murmured shyly.
-
-"'Tis my nephew Jim out o' Nottingham, mistress,"
-said John, sternly, "try and remember that: and
-now tell us what did her ladyship do?"
-
-"She had the horses put to, not an hour after the
-stranger had been. Thomas is driving and Timothy
-is our only other escort. But we've not drawn rein
-since we left the Hall!"
-
-"Yes! yes!" came from two pairs of eager lips.
-
-"And my lady stopped the coach about two
-hundred yards from here," continued Betty with
-great volubility, "and she told me to run on here,
-to see that the coast was clear. She knew I could
-find my way, and she wouldn't trust Timothy as she
-trusts me," added the young girl with a pretty
-touch of pride.
-
-"But where is she, Betty? where is she?"
-
-Betty pointed to the clump of firs, which stood like
-ghostly sentinels on the crest of the hill, just where
-the road turns sharply to the east.
-
-"Just beyond those trees, my lord, and she made
-Timothy watch until I came round the bend and in
-sight of the forge. But la! the mud on the
-roads! 'tis fit to drown you."
-
-But already John Stich was outside, beckoning to
-Mistress Betty.
-
-"Come, mistress, quick!" he said excitedly,
-"her ladyship must be nigh crazy with impatience.
-By your leave, my lord, I'll help Mistress Betty on
-her way, and I'll keep this place in sight. I'll go
-no further..."
-
-"Yes, yes," rejoined Philip, feverishly, "go, go,
-fly if you can! I'll be safe! I'll not show myself.
-God give you both wings, for I'll not live now till I
-see my sister."
-
-Eager, boyish, full of wild gaiety, he seemed to
-have thrown off his morbid anxiety as he would a
-mantle. He even laughed whole-heartedly as he
-watched Betty, with many airs and graces, "Luds!"
-and "I vows!" making great pretence at being
-unable to walk in the mud, and leaning heavily on
-honest Stich's arm.
-
-He watched them as they picked their way up the
-so-called road, a perfect quagmire after the heavy
-September rains.
-
-The air seemed so different now, the Heath smelt
-good, there was vigour and life in the keen
-nor'-wester; how green the bracken looked, and how
-harmoniously it seemed to blend with the purple
-shoots of the bramble laden with ripening fruit! how
-delicate the more tender green of the gorse, and
-there that vivid patch of mauve, the first glimpse
-of opening heather! the heavy clouds too were
-rolling away; the September sun was going to have
-his own way after all and spread his kingdom of blue
-and gold over the distant Derbyshire hills.
-
-Hope had come like the divine magician to chase
-away all that was grey and sad and dreary, and Hope
-had met Youth and shaken him by the hand: they
-are such friends, such inseparable companions, these
-two!
-
-What mattered it that some few yards away the
-old gallows, like some eerie witch, still spread its
-gaunt arm over that fluttering bit of parchment:
-the Proclamation of His Majesty's Parliament?
-What though it spoke of death, of treachery, of
-bills of attainder, of Tower Hill?
-
-Did not the good nor'-wester from the Moor
-flutter round it, and in wanton frolic attack it now
-with madcap fury and a shrill whistle, and now with
-a long-drawn-out sigh. The parchment resisted
-with vigour, it bore the onslaught of the wind twice,
-thrice, and once again. But the nor'-wester was not
-to be outdone, and again it renewed the attack,
-took the parchment by the corner, pulled and twisted
-at it, until at last with one terrific blast it tore the
-Royal Proclamation off the old gallows, and sent it
-whirling in a mad gallop across the Moor, far, very
-far away on to Derby, to London, to the place where
-all winds go.
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`"there's none like her, none!"`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER V
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- "THERE'S NONE LIKE HER, NONE!"
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-There was something more than ordinary affection
-between Philip, Earl of Stretton, and his sister, Lady
-Patience Gascoyne. Those who knew them in the
-days of their happiness said they seemed more like
-lovers than brother and sister, so tender, so true was
-their clinging devotion to one another.
-
-But those who knew them both intimately said
-that they were more like mother and son together;
-though Philip was only a year or two younger than
-Patience, she had all a mother's fondness, a mother's
-indulgence and sweet pity for him, he all a son's
-deference, a son's trust in her.
-
-Even now, as he instinctively felt her dear presence
-nigh, hope took a more firm, more lasting hold upon
-him. He knew that she would act wisely and
-prudently for him. For the first time for many days
-and weeks he felt safe, less morbidly afraid of
-treachery, more ready to fight adverse fate.
-
-The heavy coach came lumbering along the quaggy
-road, the old coachman's "Whoa! whoa! there! there!"
-as he tried to encourage his horses in the
-heavy task of pulling the cumbersome vehicle
-through the morass, sounded like sweetest music in
-Philip's ear.
-
-He did not dare go to meet them, but he watched
-the coach as it drew nearer and nearer, very slowly,
-the horses going step by step urged on by the
-coachman and by Timothy, who rode close at their heads,
-spurring them with whip and kind words, the wheels
-creaking as they slowly turned on their mud-laden axles.
-
-Thus Patience had travelled since dawn, ever since
-the stranger had brought her the letter which told
-her that her brother had succeeded in reaching this
-secluded corner of Derbyshire, and was now in hiding
-with faithful John Stich, waiting for her guidance
-and help to establish his innocence.
-
-Leaning back against the cushions of the coach,
-she had sat with eyes closed and hands tightly
-clutched. Anxious, wearied, at times hopeful, she
-had borne the terrible fatigue of this lumbering
-journey from Stretton Hall, along the unmade roads
-of Brassing Moor, with all the fortitude the
-Gascoynes had always shown for any cause they
-had at heart.
-
-At the cross-roads Thomas, the driver, brought
-his horses to a standstill. Already, as the coach had
-passed some fifty yards from the forge, Patience had
-leaned out of the window trying to get a glimpse of
-the dear face which she knew would be on the lookout for her.
-
-John Stich had escorted Betty as far as the bend
-in the road, and within sight of Timothy waiting
-some hundred yards further on, then he had retraced
-his steps, and was now back at the cross-roads ready
-to help Lady Patience to alight.
-
-"Let the coach wait here," she said to the driver,
-"we may sleep at Wirksworth to-night."
-
-"Ah! my good Stich," she added, grasping the
-smith's hand eagerly, "my brother, how is he?"
-
-"All the better since he knows your ladyship has
-come," replied Stich.
-
-A few moments later brother and sister were
-locked in each other's arms.
-
-"My sweet sister! My dear, dear Patience!"
-was all Philip could say at first.
-
-But she placed one hand on his shoulder and with
-a gentle motherly gesture brushed with the other the
-unruly curls from the white, moist forehead. He
-looked haggard and careworn, although his eyes now
-gleamed with feverish hope, and hers, in spite of
-herself, began to fill with tears.
-
-"Dear, dear one," she murmured, trying to look
-cheerful, to push back the tears. All would be well
-now that she could get to him, that they could talk
-things over, that she could *do* something for him and
-with him, instead of sitting—weary and inactive—alone
-at Stretton Hall, without news, a prey to
-devouring anxiety.
-
-"That awful Proclamation," he said at last—"you
-have heard of it?"
-
-"Aye!" she replied sadly, "even before you did,
-I think. Sir Humphrey Challoner sent a courier
-across to tell me of it."
-
-"And my name amongst those attainted by Act
-of Parliament!"
-
-She nodded, her lips were quivering, and she would
-not break down, now that he needed all her courage
-as well as his own.
-
-"But I am innocent, dear," he said, taking both
-her tiny hands in his own, and looking firmly,
-steadfastly into her face. "You believe me, don't
-you?"
-
-"Of course, Philip, I believe you. But it is all so
-hard, so horrible, and 'tis Heaven alone who knows
-which was the just cause."
-
-"There is no doubt as to which was the stronger
-cause, at anyrate in England," said Stretton, with
-some bitterness. "Charles Edward was very ill-advised
-to cross the border at all, and in the Midlands
-no one cares about the Stuarts now. But that's all
-ancient history," he added with a weary sigh, "it's
-no use dwelling over all the wretched mistakes that
-were committed last year, 'tis only the misery that
-has abided until now."
-
-"Why did you run away, Philip?" she asked.
-
-"Because I was a fool ... and a coward," he
-added, while a blush of shame darkened his young
-Saxon face.
-
-"No, no..."
-
-"I thought if I remained at Stretton Charles
-Edward would demand my help ... and you
-know," he said with a quaint boyish smile, "I was
-never very good at saying 'Nay!' I knew they
-would persuade me. Lovat and Kilmarnock were
-such friends, and..."
-
-"So you preferred to run away?"
-
-"It was cowardly, wasn't it?"
-
-"I am afraid it was," she said reluctantly, her
-tenderness and her conviction fighting an even battle
-in her heart. "But why wouldn't you tell me, dear?"
-
-"Because I was a fool," he said, cursing himself
-for that same folly. "You were away in London
-just then, you remember?"
-
-She nodded.
-
-"And there was no one to advise me, except Challoner."
-
-"Sir Humphrey? Then it was he?..."
-
-Philip looked at her in astonishment. There was
-such a strange quiver in her voice; a note of deep
-anxiety, of almost hysterical alarm. But she
-checked herself quickly, and said more calmly,—
-
-"What did Sir Humphrey Challoner advise you to do?"
-
-"He said that Charles Edward would surely
-persuade me to join his standard, that he would
-demand shelter at Stretton Hall, and claim my
-allegiance."
-
-"Yes, yes?"
-
-"And he thought that it would be wiser for me to
-put two or three counties between myself and the
-temptation of becoming a rebel."
-
-"He thought!..."
-
-There was a world of bitter contempt in those
-two words she uttered. Even Philip, absorbed as
-he was in his own affairs, could not fail to notice it.
-
-"Challoner has always been my friend," he said
-almost reproachfully. "I fancy, little sister," he
-added with his boyish smile, "that it rests with you
-that he should become my brother."
-
-"Hush, dear, don't speak of that."
-
-"Why not?"
-
-She did not reply, and there was a moment's
-silence between them. She was evidently hesitating
-whether to tell him of the fears, the suspicions which
-the mention of Sir Humphrey Challoner's name had
-aroused in her heart, or to leave the subject alone.
-At last she said quite gently,—
-
-"But when I came home, dear, and found you had
-left the Hall without a message, without a word for
-me, why did you not tell me then?"
-
-The boy hung his head. He felt the tender
-reproach, and there was nothing to be said.
-
-"I would have stood by you," she continued
-softly. "I think I might have helped you. There
-was no disgrace in refusing to join a doomed cause,
-and you were a mere child when you made friends
-with Lovat."
-
-"I know all that now, dear," he said with some
-impatience. "Heaven knows I am paying dearly
-enough for my cowardice and my folly. But even
-now I cannot understand how my name became
-mixed up with those of the rebels. Somebody must
-have sworn false information against me. But who?
-I haven't an enemy in the world, have I, dear?"
-
-"No, no," she said quickly, but even as she spoke
-the look of involuntary alarm in her face belied the
-assurance of her lips.
-
-But this was not the moment to add to his anxiety
-by futile, worrying conjectures. He had sent for
-her because he wanted her, and she was here to do
-for him, to help and support him in every way that
-her strength of will and her energy would dictate.
-
-"You sent for me, Philip," she said with a
-cheerful, hopeful smile.
-
-Her look seemed to put fresh life into his veins.
-In a moment he tried to conquer his despondency,
-and with a quick gesture he tore open the rough,
-woollen shirt he wore, and from beneath it drew a
-packet of letters. Not only his hand now, but his
-whole figure seemed to quiver with excitement as he
-gazed at this packet with glowing eyes.
-
-"These letters, dear," he said in a whisper, "are
-my one hope of safety. They have not left my body
-day or night ever since I first understood my position
-and realised my danger, and now, with them, I place
-my life in your hands."
-
-"Yes, Philip?"
-
-"They prove my innocence," he continued, as
-nervously he pulled at the string that held the letters
-together. "Here is one from Lovat," he added,
-handing one of these to Patience, "read it, dear,
-quickly. You will see he begs me to join the
-Pretender's standard. Here's another from
-Kilmarnock—that was after the retreat from Derby—he
-upbraids me for holding aloof. I was in hiding at
-Nottingham then, but *they* knew where I was, and
-would not leave me alone. They would have
-followed me if they could. And here ... better
-still ... is one from Charles Edward himself, just
-before he fled to France, calling me a traitor for my
-loyalty to King George."
-
-Feverishly he tore open letter after letter,
-thrusting them into her hand, scanning them with burning,
-eager eyes. She took them from him one by one,
-glanced at them, then quietly folded each precious
-piece of paper, and tied the packet together again.
-Her hand did not shake, but beneath her cloak she
-pressed the letters to her heart, the letters that meant
-the safety of her dear one's life.
-
-"Oh! if I had known all this sooner!" she sighed
-involuntarily.
-
-But that was the only reproach that escaped her
-lips for his want of confidence in her.
-
-"I nearly yielded to Lovat's letter," said the boy,
-hesitatingly.
-
-"I know, I know, dear," she said with an infinity
-of indulgence in her gentle smile. "We won't speak
-of the past any more. Now let us arrange the future."
-
-He tried to master his excitement, throwing off
-with an effort of will his feverishness and his morbid
-self-condemnation.
-
-He had done a foolish and a cowardly thing; he
-knew that well enough. Fate had dealt him one of
-those cruel blows with which she sometimes strikes
-the venial offender, letting so often the more hardened
-criminal go scatheless.
-
-For months now Philip had been a fugitive,
-disguised in rough clothes, hiding in barns and inns of
-doubtful fame, knowing no one whom he could really
-trust, to whom he dared disclose his place of
-temporary refuge, or confide a message for his sister.
-Treachery was in the air; he suspected everyone.
-The bill of attainder had condemned so many men to
-death, and rebel-hunting and swift executions were
-in that year of grace the order of the day.
-
-"I could do nothing without you, dear," he said
-more quietly. "I must hide now like a hunted
-beast, and must be grateful for the sheltering roof
-of honest Stich. I have been branded as a traitor
-by Act of Parliament, my life is forfeit, and it is even
-a crime for any man to give me food and shelter.
-The lowest footpad who haunts the Moor has the
-right to shoot me like a mad dog."
-
-"Don't! don't, dear!" she pleaded.
-
-"I only wished you to understand that I was not
-such an abject coward as I seemed. I could not get
-to you or reach the Hall."
-
-"I quite understood that, dear. Now, tell me,
-you wish me to take these letters to London?"
-
-"At once. The sooner they are laid before the
-King and Council the better. I must get to the
-fountain head as quickly as possible. Once I am
-caught they will give me no chance of proving my
-innocence. I have been tried by Act of Parliament,
-found guilty and condemned to death. You realise
-that, dear, don't you?"
-
-"Yes, Philip, I do," she replied very quietly.
-
-"Once in London, who do you think can best help you?"
-
-"Lady Edbrooke, of course. Her husband has
-just been appointed equerry to the King."
-
-"Ah! that's well! Aunt Charlotte was always
-fond of me. She'll be kind to you, I know."
-
-"I think you should write to her. I'd take that
-letter too."
-
-"When can you start?"
-
-"Not for a few hours unfortunately. The horses
-must be put up. We have been on the road since
-dawn."
-
-They were both quite calm now, and discussed
-these few details as if life or death were not the
-outcome of the journey.
-
-Patience was glad to see that the boy had entirely
-shaken off the almost hysterical horror he had of his
-unfortunate position.
-
-They were suddenly interrupted by John Stich's
-cautious voice at the entrance of the shed.
-
-"Your ladyship's pardon," said John, respectfully,
-"but there's a coach coming up the road from
-Hartington way. I thought perhaps it might be
-more prudent..."
-
-"Hartington!"
-
-Brother and sister had uttered the exclamation
-simultaneously. He in astonishment, she in obvious
-alarm.
-
-"Who can it be, John, think you?" she asked
-with quivering lips.
-
-"Well, it couldn't very well be anyone except Sir
-Humphrey Challoner, my lady. No one else'd have
-occasion to come down these God-forsaken roads.
-But they are some way off yet," he added
-reassuringly, "I saw them first on the crest of the
-further hill. Maybe his Honour is on his way to
-Derby."
-
-Patience was trying to conquer her agitation, but
-it was her turn now to seem nervous and excited.
-
-"Oh! I didn't want him to find me here!" she
-said quickly. "I ... I mistrust that man, Philip
-... foolishly perhaps, and ... if he sees me
-... he might guess ... he might suspect..."
-
-"Nay, my lady, there's not much fear of that,
-craving your pardon," hazarded John Stich, cheerfully.
-"If 'tis Sir Humphrey 'twill take his driver
-some time yet to walk down the incline, and then up
-again to the cross-roads. 'Tis a mile and a half for
-sure, and the horses'll have to go foot pace. There's
-plenty of time for your ladyship to be well on your
-way before they get here."
-
-She felt reassured evidently, for she said more calmly,—
-
-"I'll have to put up somewhere, John, for a few
-hours, for the sake of the horses. Where had that
-best be?"
-
-"Up at Aldwark, I should say, my lady, at the Moorhen."
-
-"Perhaps I could get fresh horses there, and make
-a start at once."
-
-"Nay, my lady, they have no horses at the
-Moorhen fit for your ladyship to drive. 'Tis only
-a country inn. But they'd give your horses and
-men a feed and rest, and if your ladyship'll pardon
-the liberty, you'll need both yourself."
-
-"Yes, yes," said Philip, anxiously regarding the
-beautiful face which looked so pale and weary.
-"You must rest, dear. The journey to London will
-be long and tedious ..."
-
-"But Aldwark is not on my way," she said with
-a slight frown of impatience.
-
-"The inn is but a mile from here, your ladyship,"
-rejoined Stich, "and your horses could never reach
-Wirksworth without a long rest. 'Tis the best plan,
-an your ladyship would trust me!"
-
-"Trust you, John!" she said with a sweet smile,
-as she extended one tiny hand to the faithful smith.
-"I trust you implicitly, and you shall give me your
-advice. What is it?"
-
-"To put up at the Moorhen for the night, your
-ladyship," explained John, whose kindly eyes had
-dropped a tear over the gracious hand held out
-to him, "then to start for London to-morrow morning."
-
-"No, no! I must start to-night. I could not
-bear to wait even until dawn."
-
-"But the footpads on the Heath, your ladyship..."
-hazarded John.
-
-"Nay, I fear no footpads. They're welcome to
-what money I have, and they'd not care to rob me of
-my letters," she said eagerly. "But I'll put up at the
-Moorhen, John. We all need a rest. I suppose
-there's no way across the Heath from thence to
-Wirksworth."
-
-"None, your ladyship. This is the only possible
-way. Back here to the cross-roads and on to
-Wirksworth from here."
-
-"Then I'll see you again, dear," she said tenderly,
-clinging to Stretton, "at sunset mayhap. I'll start
-as soon as I can. You may be sure of that."
-
-"And guard the letters, little sister," he said as he
-held her closely, closely to his heart. "Guard them
-jealously, they are my only hope."
-
-"You'll write the letter to Lady Edbrooke," she
-added. "Have it ready when I return, and perhaps
-write out your own petition to the King—I'll use
-that or not as Lord Edbrooke advises."
-
-Then once more, womanlike, she clung to him,
-hating to part from him even for a few hours.
-
-"In the meanwhile you will be prudent, Philip,"
-she pleaded tenderly. "Trust *nobody* but John
-Stich. *Any* man may prove an enemy," she added
-with earnest emphasis, "and if you were found
-before I could reach the King..."
-
-She tore herself away from him. Her eyes now
-were swimming in tears, and she meant to seem brave
-to the end. Stich was urging her to hurry. After
-all she would see Philip again before sunset, before
-she started on the long journey which would mean
-life and safety to him.
-
-Two minutes later, having parted from her brother,
-Lady Patience Gascoyne entered her coach at the
-cross-roads, where Mistress Betty had been waiting
-for her ladyship with as much patience as she could
-muster.
-
-By the time Sir Humphrey Challoner's coach had
-reached the bottom of the decline on the Hartington
-Road, and begun the weary ascent up to the blacksmith's
-forge, Lady Patience's carriage was well out
-of sight beyond the bend that led eastward to
-Aldwark village.
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`a squire of high degree`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER VI
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- A SQUIRE OF HIGH DEGREE
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-The Challoners claimed direct descent from that
-Sieur de Challonier who escorted Coeur de Lion to
-the crusade against Saladin.
-
-Be that as it may, there is no doubt that a De
-Challonier figures in the Domesday Book, as owning
-considerable property in the neighbourhood of the Peak.
-
-That they had been very influential and wealthy
-people at one time, there could be no doubt. There
-was a room at Old Hartington Manor where James I. had
-slept for seven nights, a gracious guest of Mr
-Ilbert Challoner, in the year 1612. The baronetcy
-then conferred upon the family dates from that same
-year, probably as an act of recognition to his host on
-the part of the royal guest.
-
-Since that memorable time, however, the Challoners
-have not made history. They took no part whatever
-in the great turmoil which, in the middle of the
-seventeenth century, shook the country to its very
-foundations, lighting the lurid torch of civil war,
-setting brother against brother, friend against friend,
-threatening a constitution and murdering a king.
-
-The Challoners had held aloof throughout all that
-time, intent on preserving their property and in
-amassing wealth. The later conflict between a
-Catholic King and his Protestant people touched
-them even less. Neither Pretender could boast of
-a Challoner for an adherent. They remained people
-of substance, even of importance, in their own
-county, but nothing more.
-
-Sir Humphrey Challoner was about this time not
-more than thirty-five years of age. Hale, hearty,
-boisterous, he might have been described as a typical
-example of an English squire of those days, but for
-a certain taint of parsimoniousness, of greed and love
-of money in his constitution, which had gained for
-him a not too enviable reputation in the Midlands.
-
-He was thought to be wealthy. No doubt he was,
-but at the cost of a good deal of harshness towards
-the tenants on his estates, and he was famed throughout
-Staffordshire for driving a harder bargain than
-anyone else this country side.
-
-Any traveller—let alone one of such consequence
-as the Squire of Hartington—was indeed rare in these
-out-of-the-way parts, that were on the way to
-nowhere. Sir Humphrey himself was but little
-known in the neighbourhood of Aldwark and
-Wirksworth, and only from time to time passed
-through the latter village on his way to Derby.
-
-John Stich, the blacksmith, however, knew every
-one of consequence for a great many miles around,
-and undoubtedly next to the Earls of Stretton the
-Challoners were the most important family in the
-sister counties. Therefore when Sir Humphrey's
-coach stopped at the cross-roads, and the Squire
-himself alighted therefrom and walked towards the
-smith's cottage, the latter came forward with all the
-deference due to a personage of such consequence,
-and asked respectfully what he might do for his Honour.
-
-"Only repair this pistol for me, master smith,"
-said Sir Humphrey; "you might also examine the
-lock of its fellow. One needs them in these parts."
-
-He laughed a not unpleasant boisterous laugh as
-he handed a pair of silver-mounted pistols to John
-Stich.
-
-"Will your Honour wait while I get them done?"
-asked John, with some hesitation. "They won't
-take long."
-
-"Nay! I'll be down this way again to-morrow,"
-replied his Honour. "I am putting up at Aldwark
-for the night."
-
-John said nothing. Probably he mistrusted the
-language which rose to his lips at this announcement
-of Sir Humphrey's plans. In a moment he
-remembered Lady Patience's look of terror when the
-squire's coach first came into view on the crest of the
-distant hill, and his faithful, honest heart quivered
-with apprehension at the thought that a man whom
-she so obviously mistrusted was so close upon her track.
-
-"I suppose there is a decent inn in that
-God-forsaken hole, eh?" asked the Squire, jovially.
-"I've arranged to meet my man of business there,
-that old scarecrow, Mittachip, but I'd wish to
-spend the night."
-
-"There's only a small wayside inn, your
-Honour..." murmured John.
-
-"Better than this abode of cut-throats, this
-Brassing Moor, anyway," laughed his Honour.
-"Begad! night overtook me some ten miles from
-Hartington, and I was attacked by a damned rascal
-who robbed me of fifty guineas. My men were a
-pair of cowards, and I was helpless inside my coach."
-
-John tried to repress a smile. The story of Sir
-Humphrey Challoner's midnight adventure had
-culminated in fifty guineas being found in the poor
-box at Brassington court-house, and Mr Inch, the
-beadle, had brought the news of it even as far as
-the cross-roads.
-
-"I must see Squire West about this business,"
-muttered Sir Humphrey, whilst John stood silent,
-apparently intent on examining the pistols. "'Tis
-a scandal to the whole country, this constant
-highway robbery on Brassing Moor. The impudent
-rascal who attacked me was dressed like a prince,
-and rode a horse worth eighty guineas at the least.
-I suspect him to be the man they call Beau Brocade."
-
-"Did your Honour see him plainly?" asked
-John, somewhat anxiously.
-
-"See him?" laughed Sir Humphrey. "Does one
-ever see these rascals? Begad! he had stopped my
-coach, plundered me and had galloped off ere I could
-shout 'Damn you' thrice. Just for one moment,
-though, one of my lanterns flashed upon the
-impudent thief. He was masked, of course, but I tell
-thee, honest friend, he had on a coat the Prince of
-Wales might envy; as for his horse, 'twas a
-thorough-bred I'd have given eighty guineas to possess."
-
-"And everyone knows your Honour is clever at
-a bargain," said John, with a suspicion of malice.
-
-"Humph!" grunted the Squire. "By Gad!"
-he added, with his usual jovial laugh, "the rogue
-does not belie his name—'Beau Brocade' forsooth!
-Faith! he dresses like a lord, and cuts your purse
-with an air of gallantry, an he were doing you a
-favour."
-
-It was difficult to tell what went on in Sir
-Humphrey Challoner's mind behind that handsome,
-somewhat florid face of his. The task was in any
-case quite beyond the powers of honest John Stich,
-though he would have given quite a good deal of
-his worldly wealth to know for certain whether his
-Honour's journey across Brassing Moor and on to
-Aldwark had anything to do with that of Lady
-Patience along the same road.
-
-Nothing the Squire said, however, helped John
-towards making a guess in that direction. Just as
-Sir Humphrey, having left the pistols in the smith's
-hands, turned to go back to his coach, he said quite
-casually,—
-
-"Whose was the coach that passed here about
-half an hour before mine?"
-
-"The coach, your Honour?"
-
-"Aye! when we reached the crest of the hill my
-man told me he could see a coach standing at the
-cross-roads, whose was it?"
-
-For one moment John hesitated. The situation
-was just a little too delicate for the worthy smith to
-handle. But he felt, as Sir Humphrey was going to
-Aldwark and therefore would surely meet Lady
-Patience, that lying would be worse than useless,
-and might even arouse unpleasant suspicions.
-
-"'Twas Lady Patience Gascoyne's coach," he
-said at last.
-
-"Ah!" said the Squire, with the same obvious
-indifference. "Whither did she go?"
-
-"I was at work in my forge, your Honour, and
-her ladyship did not stop. I fancy she drove down
-Wirksworth way, but I did not see or hear for I was
-very busy."
-
-"Hm!" commented his Honour, whilst a shrewd
-and somewhat sarcastic smile played round the
-corners of his full lips.
-
-"I'll stay the night at Aldwark," he said, nodding
-to the smith. "Faith! no more travelling after
-dark for me on this unhallowed Moor; and for sure
-my horses could not reach Wirksworth now before
-nightfall. So have the pistols ready for me by seven
-o'clock to-morrow morning, eh, mine honest friend?"
-
-Then he entered his carriage, and slowly, with
-many a creak and a groan, the cumbersome vehicle
-turned down the road to Aldwark, whilst John
-Stich, with a dubious, anxious sigh, went back into
-his forge.
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`the halt at the moorhen`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER VII
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- THE HALT AT THE MOORHEN
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-Patience herself would have been quite unable to
-explain why she mistrusted, almost feared, Sir
-Humphrey Challoner.
-
-The fact that the Squire of Hartington had openly
-declared his admiration for her, surely gave her no
-cause for suspecting him of enmity towards her
-brother. She knew that Sir Humphrey hoped to
-win her hand in marriage—this he had intimated
-to her on more than one occasion, and had spoken
-of his love for her in no measured terms.
-
-Lady Patience Gascoyne was one of the richest
-gentlewomen in the Midlands, having inherited vast
-wealth from her mother, who was sister and
-co-heiress of the rich Grantham of Grantham Priory.
-No doubt her rent-roll added considerably to her
-attractions in the eyes of Sir Humphrey; that she
-was more than beautiful only helped to enhance the
-ardour of his suit.
-
-Women as a rule—women of all times and of every
-nation—keep a kindly feeling in their heart for the
-suitor whom they reject. A certain regard for his
-sense of discrimination, an admiration for his
-constancy—if he be constant—make up a sum of
-friendship for him tempered with a gentle pity.
-
-But in most women too there is a subtle sense
-which for want of a more scientific term has been
-called an instinct: the sense of protection over those
-whom they love.
-
-In Patience Gascoyne that sense was abnormally
-developed: Philip was so boyish, so young, she so
-much older in wisdom and prudence. It made her
-fear Sir Humphrey, not for herself but for her
-brother: her baby, as in her tender motherly heart
-she loved to call him.
-
-She feared and suspected him, she scarce could
-tell of what. Not open enmity towards Philip,
-since her reason told her that the Squire of Hartington
-had nothing to gain by actively endangering her
-brother's life, let alone by doing him a grievous
-wrong.
-
-Yet she could not understand Sir Humphrey
-Challoner's motive in counselling Philip to play so
-cowardly and foolish a part, as the boy had done in
-the late rebellion. Vaguely she trembled at the
-idea that he should know of her journey to London,
-or worse still, guess its purpose. Philip, she feared,
-might have confided in him unbeknown to her: Sir
-Humphrey, for aught she knew, might know of the
-existence of the letters which would go to prove the
-boy's innocence.
-
-Well! and what then? Surely the Squire could
-have no object in wishing those letters to be
-suppressed: he could but desire that Philip's innocence
-*should* be proved.
-
-Thus reason and instinct fought their battle in
-her brain as the heavy coach went lumbering along
-the muddy road to the little wayside inn, which
-stood midway between the cross-roads and the
-village of Aldwark.
-
-Here her man Timothy made arrangements for
-the resting and feeding of himself, the horses and
-Thomas, the driver, whilst Lady Patience asked for
-a private room wherein she and her maid, Betty,
-could get something to eat and perhaps an hour's
-sleep before re-starting on their way.
-
-The small bar-parlour at the Moorhen was full to
-overflowing when her ladyship's coach drove up.
-Already there had been a general air of excitement
-there throughout the day, for the Corporal in his
-red coat, followed by his little squad, had halted at
-the inn, and there once more read aloud the
-Proclamation of His Majesty's Parliament.
-
-The soldiers had stayed half an hour or so,
-consuming large quantities of ale the while, then they
-had marched up to the village, read the Proclamation
-out on the green, and finally tramped along the
-bridle-path back to Brassington.
-
-And now here was the quality putting up at the
-Moorhen. A most unheard-of, unexpected event.
-Mistress Pottage, the sad-faced, weary-eyed
-landlady, had never known such a thing to happen
-before, although she had been mistress of the
-Moorhen for nigh on twenty years. Usually the
-quality from Stretton Hall or from Hartington, or
-even Lady Rounce from the Pike, preferred to drive
-a long way round to get to Derby, sooner than
-trust to the lonely Heath, with its roads almost
-impassable four days out of five.
-
-Master Mittachip, attorney-at-law, who had ridden
-over from Wirksworth with his clerk, Master Duffy,
-recognised her ladyship as she stepped out of her
-coach.
-
-"Sir Humphrey will be astonished," he whispered
-to Master Duffy, as he rubbed his ill-shaven chin
-with his long bony fingers.
-
-"He! he! he!" echoed the clerk, submissively.
-
-Master Mittachip, who transacted business for the
-Squire of Hartington, and also for old Lady Rounce
-and Squire West, knew the exact shade of deference
-due to so great a lady as Lady Patience Gascoyne.
-He stood at the door of the parlour and had the
-honour of bowing to her as she followed Mistress
-Pottage quickly along the passage to the inner room
-beyond, her long cloak flying out behind her, owing
-to the draught caused by the open doors.
-
-Alone in the small, dingy room, Patience almost
-fell upon the sofa in a stupor of intense fatigue.
-When Mistress Pottage brought the meagre,
-ill-cooked food, she felt at first quite unable to eat.
-She lay back against the hard pillows with eyes
-closed, and hands tightly clutching that bundle of
-precious letters.
-
-Betty tried to make her comfortable. She took
-off her mistress's shoes and stockings and began
-rubbing the cold, numb feet between her warm hands.
-
-But by-and-by youth and health reasserted
-themselves. Patience, realising all the time how
-much depended upon her own strength and energy,
-roused herself with an effort of will. She tried to eat
-some of the food, "the mess of pottage" as she
-smilingly termed it, but her eyes were for ever
-wandering to the clock which ticked the hours—oh! so
-slowly!—that separated her from her journey.
-
-As for buxom little Betty, she had fallen to with
-the vigorous appetite of youth and a happy heart,
-and presently, like a tired child, she curled herself
-up at the foot of the couch and soon dropped
-peacefully to sleep.
-
-After awhile, Patience too, feeling numb and
-drowsy with the weariness of this long afternoon,
-closed her eyes and fell into a kind of stupor. She
-lay on the sofa like a log, tired out, dreamless, her
-senses numbed, in a kind of wakeful sleep.
-
-How long she lay there she could not have told,
-but all of a sudden she sat up, her eyes dilated, her
-heart beating fast; she was fully awake now.
-
-Something had suddenly roused her. What was
-it? She glanced at the clock; it was just half-past
-three. She must have slept nearly half an hour. Betty,
-on the floor beside her, still slumbered peacefully.
-
-Then all her senses woke. She knew what had
-aroused her: the rumbling of wheels, a coach pulling
-up, the shouts of the driver. And now she could
-hear men running, more shouting, the jingle of
-harness and horses being led round the house to the
-shed beyond.
-
-The small lattice window gave upon the side of
-the house, she could not see the coach or who this
-latest arrival at the Moorhen was; but what mattered
-that? she knew well enough.
-
-For a moment she stopped to think; forcibly
-conquering excitement and alarm, she called to her
-reason to tell her what to do.
-
-Sir Humphrey Challoner's presence here might be
-a coincidence, she had no cause to suspect that he
-was purposely following her. But in any case she
-wished to avoid him. How could that best be done?
-
-Mittachip, the lawyer, had seen and recognised
-her. Within the next few moments the Squire
-would hear of her presence at the inn. He too,
-obviously, had come to rest his horses here. How
-long would he stay?
-
-She roused Betty.
-
-"Betty! child!" she whispered. "Wake up!
-We must leave this place at once."
-
-Betty opened her eyes: she saw her mistress's
-pale, excited face bending over her, and she jumped
-to her feet.
-
-"Listen, Betty," continued Patience. "Sir
-Humphrey Challoner has just come by coach. I
-want to leave this place before he knows that I am
-here."
-
-"But the horses are not put to, my lady."
-
-"Sh! don't talk so loud, child. I am going to
-slip out along the passage, there is a door at the end
-of it which must give upon the back of the house.
-As soon as I am gone, do you go to the parlour and
-tell Thomas to have the horses put to directly they
-have had sufficient rest, and to let the coach be at
-the cross-roads as soon as may be after that."
-
-"Yes, my lady."
-
-"Then as quickly as you can, slip out of the house
-and follow the road that leads to the forge. I'll be
-on the lookout for you. I'll not have gone far. You
-quite understand?"
-
-"Oh, yes! my lady!"
-
-"You are not afraid?"
-
-Mistress Betty shrugged her plump shoulders.
-
-"In broad daylight? Oh, no, my lady! and the
-forge is but a mile."
-
-Even as she spoke Patience had wrapped her dark
-cloak and hood round her. She listened intently
-for a few seconds. The sound of voices seemed to
-come from the more remote bar-parlour: moreover,
-the narrow passage at this end was quite dark: she
-had every chance of slipping out unperceived.
-
-"Sh! sh!" she whispered to Betty as she opened
-the door.
-
-The passage was deserted: almost holding her
-breath, lest it should betray her, Patience reached
-the door at the further end of it, Betty anxiously
-watching her from the inner room. Quickly she
-slipped the bolt, and the next instant she found
-herself looking out upon a dingy unfenced yard,
-which for the moment was hopelessly encumbered
-with the two huge travelling coaches: beyond these
-was a long wooden shed whence proceeded the noise
-of voices and laughter, and the stamping and
-snorting of horses: and far away the Moor to the right
-and left of her stretched out in all the majesty of its
-awesome loneliness.
-
-The wind caught her cloak as she stepped out into
-the yard: she clutched it tightly and held it close to
-her. She hoped the two coaches, which stood
-between her and the shed, would effectively hide her
-from view until she was past the house. The next
-moment, however, she heard an exclamation behind
-her, then the sound of firm steps upon the flagstones,
-and a second or two later she stood face to face with
-Sir Humphrey Challoner.
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`the rejected suitor`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER VIII
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- THE REJECTED SUITOR
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-Whether he was surprised or not at finding her
-there, she could not say: she was trying with all
-her might to appear astonished and unconcerned.
-
-He made her a low and elaborate bow, and she
-responded with the deep curtsey the fashion of the
-time demanded.
-
-"Begad! the gods do indeed favour me!" he
-said, his good-looking, jovial face expressing
-unalloyed delight. "I come to this forsaken spot on
-God's earth, and find the fairest in all England
-treading its unworthy soil."
-
-"I wish you well, Sir Humphrey," she said gently,
-but coldly. "I had no thought of seeing you here."
-
-"Faith!" he laughed with some bitterness, "I
-had no hope that the thought of seeing me had
-troubled your ladyship much. I am on my way to
-Derby and foolishly thought to take this shorter
-way across the Moor. Odd's life! I was well-nigh
-regretting it. I was attacked and robbed last
-evening, and the heavy roads force me to spend the
-night in this unhallowed tavern. But I little guessed
-what compensation the Fates had in store for me."
-
-"I was in a like plight, Sir Humphrey," she said,
-trying to speak with perfect indifference.
-
-"You were not robbed, surely?"
-
-"Nay, not that, but I hoped to reach Derby
-sooner by taking the short cut across the Heath, and
-the state of the roads has so tired the horses, I was
-forced to turn off at the cross-roads and to put up at
-this inn."
-
-"Your ladyship is on your way to London?"
-
-"On a visit to my aunt, Lady Edbrooke."
-
-"Will you honour me by accepting my protection?
-'Tis scarce fit for your ladyship to be travelling all
-that way alone."
-
-"I thank you, Sir Humphrey," she rejoined
-coldly. "My man, Timothy, is with me, besides
-the driver. Both are old and trusted servants. I
-meet some friends at Wirksworth. I shall not be
-alone."
-
-"But..."
-
-"I pray you, sir, my time is somewhat short. I
-had started out for a little fresh air and exercise
-before re-entering my coach. The inn was so stifling
-and..."
-
-"Surely your ladyship will spend the night here.
-You cannot reach Wirksworth before nightfall now.
-I am told the road is well-nigh impassable."
-
-"Nay! 'tis two hours before sunset now, and
-three before dark. I hope to reach Wirksworth
-by nine o'clock to-night. My horses have had a
-good rest."
-
-"Surely you will allow me to escort you thus far,
-at least?"
-
-"Your horses need a rest, Sir Humphrey," she
-said impatiently, "and I beg you to believe that I
-have sufficient escort."
-
-With a slight inclination of the head she now turned
-to go. From where she stood she could just see the
-road winding down towards Stich's forge, and she
-had caught sight of Betty's trim little figure stepping
-briskly along.
-
-Sir Humphrey, thus obviously dismissed, could say
-no more for the present. To force his escort upon
-her openly was unfitting the manners of a gentleman.
-He bit his lip and tried to look gallantly disappointed.
-His keen dark eyes had already perceived that in
-spite of her self-control she was labouring under
-strong excitement. He forced his harsh voice to
-gentleness, even to tenderness, as he said,—
-
-"I have not dared to speak to your ladyship on
-the subject that lay nearest my heart."
-
-"Sir Humphrey..."
-
-"Nay! I pray you do not misunderstand me. I
-was thinking of Philip, and hoped you were not too
-unhappy about him."
-
-"There is no cause for unhappiness just yet,"
-she said guardedly, "and every cause for hope."
-
-"Ah! that's well!" he said cheerfully. "I
-entreat you not to give up hope, and to keep some faith
-and trust in your humble servant, who would give
-his life for you and yours."
-
-"My faith and trust are in God, Sir Humphrey,
-and in my brother's innocence," she replied quietly.
-
-Then she turned and left him standing there, with
-a frown upon his good-looking face, and a muttered
-curse upon his lips. He watched her as she went
-down the road, until a sharp declivity hid her from
-his view.
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`sir humphrey's familiar`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER IX
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- SIR HUMPHREY'S FAMILIAR
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-Mistress Pottage, sad-eyed, melancholy, and for
-ever sighing, had been patiently waiting to receive
-Sir Humphrey Challoner's orders. She had
-understood from his man that his Honour meant to spend
-the night, and she stood anxiously in the passage,
-wondering if he would consider her best bedroom
-good enough, or condescend to eat the meals she
-would have to cook for him.
-
-It was really quite fortunate that Lady Patience
-had gone, leaving the smaller parlour, which was
-Mistress Pottage's own private sanctum, ready for
-the use of his Honour.
-
-Sir Humphrey's mind, however, was far too busy
-with thoughts and plans to dwell on the melancholy
-landlady and her meagre fare, but he was glad of the
-private room, and was gracious enough to express
-himself quite satisfied with the prospect of the best
-bedroom.
-
-Some ten minutes after his brief interview with
-Lady Patience he was closeted in the same little
-dingy room where she had been spending such weary
-hours. With the healthy appetite of a burly
-English squire, he was consuming large slabs of
-meat and innumerable tankards of small ale, whilst
-opposite to him, poised on the extreme edge of a
-very hard oak chair, his watery, colourless eyes fixed
-upon his employer, sat Master Mittachip, attorney-at-law
-and man of business to sundry of the quality
-who owned property on or about the Moor.
-
-Master Mittachip's voice was thin, he was thin,
-his coat looked thin: there was in fact a general
-air of attenuation about the man's whole personality.
-
-Just now he was fixing a pair of very pale, but
-very shrewd eyes upon the heavy, somewhat coarse
-person of his distinguished patron.
-
-"Her ladyship passed me quite close," he
-explained, speaking in a low, somewhat apologetic
-voice. "I was standing in the door of—er—the
-parlour, and she graciously nodded to me as she
-passed."
-
-"Yes! yes! get on, man," quoth Sir Humphrey,
-impatiently.
-
-"The door was open, your Honour," continued
-Master Mittachip in a weak voice, "there was a
-draught; her ladyship's cloak flew open."
-
-He paused a moment, noting with evident satisfaction
-the increasing interest in Sir Humphrey's face.
-
-"Beneath her cloak," he continued, speaking very
-slowly, like an actor measuring his effects, "beneath
-her cloak her ladyship was holding a bundle of
-letters, tightly clutched in her hand."
-
-"Letters, eh?" commented Sir Humphrey, eagerly.
-
-"A bundle of them, your Honour. One of them
-had a large seal attached to it. I might almost have
-seen the device: it was that of..."
-
-"Charles Edward Stuart, the Pretender?"
-
-"Well! I could not say for certain, your Honour,"
-murmured Master Mittachip, humbly.
-
-There was silence for a few moments. Sir
-Humphrey Challoner had produced a silver tooth-pick,
-and was using it as an adjunct to deep meditation.
-Master Mittachip was contemplating the
-floor with rapt attention.
-
-"Harkee, Master Mittachip," said Sir Humphrey
-at last. "Lady Patience is taking those letters to
-London."
-
-"That was the impression created in my mind,
-your Honour."
-
-"And why does she take those letters to London?"
-said Sir Humphrey, bringing his heavy fist crashing
-down upon the table, and causing glasses and dishes
-to rattle, whilst Master Mittachip almost lost his
-balance. "Why does she take them to London, I
-say? Because they are the proofs of her brother's
-innocence. It is easy to guess their contents.
-Requests, admonitions, upbraidings on the part of
-the disappointed rebels, obvious proofs that Philip
-had held aloof."
-
-He pushed his chair noisily away from the table,
-and began pacing the narrow room with great,
-impatient strides.
-
-But while he spoke Master Mittachip began to lose
-his placid air of apologetic deference, and a look of
-alarm suddenly lighted his meek, colourless eyes.
-
-"Good lack," he murmured, "then my Lord
-Stretton is no rebel?"
-
-"Rebel?—not he!" asserted Sir Humphrey.
-"His sympathies were thought to be with the
-Stuarts, but he went south during the rebellion—'twas
-I who advised him—that he might avoid being
-drawn within its net."
-
-But at this Master Mittachip's terror became more
-tangible.
-
-"But your Honour," he stammered, whilst his
-thin cheeks assumed a leaden hue, and his eyes
-sought appealingly those of his employer, "your
-Honour laid sworn information against Lord
-Stretton ... and ... and ... I drew up the
-papers ... and signed them with my name as
-your Honour commanded..."
-
-"Well! I paid you well for it, didn't I?" said Sir
-Humphrey, roughly.
-
-"But if the accusation was false, Sir Humphrey
-... I shall be disgraced ... struck off the rolls
-... perhaps hanged..."
-
-Sir Humphrey laughed; one of those loud, jovial,
-laughs which those in his employ soon learnt to dread.
-
-"Adsbud!" he said, "an one of us is to hang, old
-scarecrow, I prefer it shall be you."
-
-And he gave Master Mittachip a vigorous slap on
-the shoulder, which nearly precipitated the
-lean-shanked attorney on the floor.
-
-"Good Sir Humphrey..." he murmured
-piteously, "b ... b ... b ... but what was
-the reason of the information against Lord Stretton,
-since the letters can so easily prove it to be false?"
-
-"Silence, you fool!" said his Honour, impatiently,
-"I did not know of the letters then. I wished to
-place Lord Stretton in a perilous position, then hoped
-to succeed in establishing his innocence in certain
-ways I had in my mind. I wished to be the one to
-save him," he added, muttering a curse of angry
-disappointment, "and gain *her* gratitude thereby.
-I was journeying to London for the purpose, and now..."
-
-His language became such that it wholly
-disconcerted Master Mittachip, accustomed though he
-was to the somewhat uncertain tempers of the great
-folk he had to deal with. Moreover, the worthy
-attorney was fully conscious of his own precarious
-position in this matter.
-
-"And now you've gained nothing," he moaned;
-"whilst I ... oh! oh! I..."
-
-His condition was pitiable. His Honour viewed
-him with no small measure of contempt. Then
-suddenly Sir Humphrey's face lighted up with
-animation. The scowl disappeared, and a shrewd,
-almost triumphant smile parted the jovial, somewhat
-sensuous lips.
-
-"Easy! easy! you old coward," he said pleasantly,
-"things are not so bad as that.... Adsbud! you're
-not hanged yet, are you? and," he added
-significantly, "Lord Stretton is still attainted and
-in peril of his life."
-
-"B ... b ... b ... but..."
-
-"Can't you see, you fool," said Sir Humphrey with
-sudden earnestness, drawing a chair opposite the
-attorney, and sitting astride upon it, he viewed the
-meagre little creature before him steadfastly and
-seriously; "can't you see that if I can only get hold
-of those letters now, I could *force* Lady Patience into
-accepting my suit?"
-
-"Eh?"
-
-"With them in my possession I can go to her
-and say, 'An you marry me, those proofs of your
-brother's innocence shall be laid before the King:
-an you refuse they shall be destroyed.'"
-
-"Oh!" was Master Mittachip's involuntary
-comment: a mere gasp of amazement, of terror at the
-enormity of the proposal.
-
-He ventured to raise his timid eyes to the strong
-florid face before him, and in it saw such a firm
-will, such unbendable determination, that he thought
-it prudent for the moment to refrain from adverse
-comment.
-
-"Truly," he murmured vaguely, as his Honour
-seemed to be waiting for him to speak, "truly those
-letters mean the lady's fortune to your Honour."
-
-"And on the day of my marriage with her, two
-hundred guineas for you, Master Mittachip," said
-Challoner, very slowly and significantly, looking his
-man of business squarely in the face.
-
-Master Mittachip literally lost his head. Two
-hundred guineas! 'twas more than he earned in four
-years, and that at the cost of hard work, many
-kicks and constant abuse. A receiver of rents has
-from time immemorial never been a popular figure.
-Master Mittachip found life hard, and in those days
-two hundred guineas was quite a comfortable little
-fortune. The attorney passed his moist tongue over
-his thin, parched lips.
-
-The visions which these imaginary two hundred
-guineas had conjured up in his mind almost made
-his attenuated senses reel. There was that bit of
-freehold property at Wirksworth which he had long
-coveted, aye, or perhaps that partnership with
-Master Lutworth at Derby, or...
-
-"'Twere worth your while, Master Mittachip, to
-get those letters for me, eh?"
-
-His Honour's pleasant words brought the poor
-man back from the land of dreams.
-
-"I? I, Sir Humphrey?" he murmured dejectedly,
-"how can I, a poor attorney-at-law...?"
-
-"Zounds! but that's your affair," said his
-Honour with a careless shrug of his broad shoulders,
-"Methought you'd gladly earn two hundred guineas,
-and I offer you a way to do it."
-
-"But how, Sir Humphrey, how?"
-
-"That's for you to think on, my man. Two
-hundred guineas is a tidy sum. What? I have it,"
-he said, slapping his own broad thigh and laughing
-heartily. "You shall play the daring highwayman! put
-on a mask and stop her ladyship's coach, shout
-lustily: 'Stand and deliver!' take the letters from
-her and 'tis done in a trice!"
-
-The idea of that meagre little creature playing the
-highwayman greatly tickled Sir Humphrey's fancy,
-for the moment he even forgot the grave issues he
-himself had at stake, and his boisterous laugh went
-echoing through the old silent building.
-
-But as his Honour spoke this pleasant conceit,
-Master Mittachip's thin, bloodless face assumed an
-air of deep thought, immediately followed by one of
-eager excitement.
-
-"The idea of the highwayman is not a bad one,
-Sir Humphrey," he said with a quiet chuckle, as soon
-as his patron's hilarity had somewhat subsided,
-"but I am not happy astride a horse, and I know
-nought of pistols, but there's no reason why we
-should not get a footpad to steal those letters for
-you. 'Tis their trade after all."
-
-"What do you mean? I was but jesting."
-
-"But I was not, Sir Humphrey. I was thinking
-of Beau Brocade."
-
-"The highwayman?"
-
-"Why not? He lives by robbery and hates all
-the quality, whom he plunders whene'er he has a
-chance. Your Honour has had experience, only
-last night ... eh?"
-
-"Well? What of it? Curse you, man, for a
-dotard! Why don't you explain?"
-
-"'Tis simple enough, your Honour. You give
-him the news that her ladyship's coach will cross
-the Heath to-night, tell him of her money and her
-jewels, offer him a hundred guineas more for the
-packet of letters.... He! he! he! He'll do
-the rest, never fear!"
-
-Master Mittachip rubbed his bony hands together,
-his colourless eyes were twinkling, his thin lips
-quivering with excitement, dreams of that freehold
-bit of property became tangible once more.
-
-Sir Humphrey looked at him quietly for a moment
-or two: the little man's excitement was contagious
-and his Honour had a great deal at stake: a
-beautiful woman whom he loved and her large fortune to
-boot. But reason and common-sense—not chivalry—were
-still fighting their battle against his daring
-spirit of adventure.
-
-"Tush, man!" he said after awhile, with the
-calmness of intense excitement, "you talk arrant
-nonsense when you say I'm to give a highwayman
-news of her ladyship's coach and offer him money
-for the letters. Where am I to find him? How
-speak with him?"
-
-Mittachip chuckled inwardly. His Honour then
-was not averse to the plan. Already he was
-prepared to discuss the means of carrying it out.
-
-"'Tis a lawyer's business to ferret out what goes
-on around him, Sir Humphrey. You can send any
-news you please to Beau Brocade within an hour
-from now."
-
-"How?"
-
-"John Stich, the blacksmith over at the crossroads,
-is his ally and his friend. Most folk think 'tis
-he always gives news to the rogue whene'er a coach
-happen to cross the Moor. But that's as it may be.
-If your Honour will call at the forge just before
-sunset, you'll mayhap see a chestnut horse tethered
-there and there'll be a stranger talking to John
-Stich; a stranger young and well-looking. He's
-oft to be seen at the forge. The folk about here
-never ask who the stranger is, for all have heard of
-the chivalrous highwayman who robs the rich and
-gives to the poor. He! he! he! Do you call at
-the forge, Sir Humphrey, you can arrange this
-little matter there.... Your news and offer of
-money will get to Beau Brocade, never fear."
-
-Sir Humphrey was silent. All the boisterous
-jollity had gone out of his face, leaving only a dark
-scowl behind, which made the ruddy face look
-almost evil in its ugliness. Mittachip viewed him
-with ill-concealed satisfaction. The plan had
-indeed found favour with his Honour; it was quick,
-daring, sure: the fortune of a lifetime upon one
-throw. Sir Humphrey, even before the attorney
-had finished speaking, had resolved to take the risk.
-He himself was safe in any case, nothing could
-connect his name with that of the notorious
-highwayman who had cut his purse but the night before.
-
-"I'd not have her hurt," was the first comment
-he made after a few minutes' silent cogitation.
-
-"Hurt?" rejoined Mittachip. "Why should
-she be hurt? Beau Brocade would not hurt a
-pretty woman. He'll get the letters from her, I'll
-stake my oath on that."
-
-"Aye! and blackmail me after that to the end of
-my days. My good name would be at the mercy of
-so damned a rascal."
-
-"What matter, Sir Humphrey, once Lady
-Patience is your wife and her fortune in your pocket?
-Everything is fair in love, so I've been told."
-
-Sir Humphrey ceased to argue. Chivalry and
-honour had long been on the losing side.
-
-"Moreover, Sir Humphrey," added the crafty
-attorney, slily, "once you have the letters, you can
-denounce the rogue yourself, and get him hanged
-safely out of your way."
-
-"He'd denounce me."
-
-"And who'd believe the rascal's word against
-your Honour's flat denial? Not Squire West, for
-sure, before whom he'd be tried, and your Honour
-can have him kept in prison until after your
-marriage with Lady Patience."
-
-It seemed as if even reason would range herself
-on the side of this daring plan. There seemed
-practically no risk as far as Sir Humphrey himself
-was concerned, and every chance of success, an that
-rascal Beau Brocade would but consent.
-
-"He would," asserted Mittachip, "an your
-Honour told him that the coach, the money, and the
-letters belonged to Lady Rounce, and the young
-lady travelling in the coach but a niece of her
-ladyship. Lady Rounce is a hard woman who takes no
-excuse from a debtor. He! he! he! she has the
-worst reputation in the two counties, save your Honour!"
-
-The lawyer chuckled at this little joke, but Sir
-Humphrey was too absorbed to note the impertinence.
-He was pacing up and down the narrow
-room in a last agony of indecision.
-
-Mittachip evidently was satisfied with his day's
-work. The two hundred guineas he looked upon as
-a certainty already. After a while, noting the look
-of stern determination upon his Honour's face, he
-turned the conversation to matters of business. He
-had been collecting some rents for Sir Humphrey and
-also for Squire West and Lady Rounce, and would
-have to return to Wirksworth to bank the money.
-
-Since Sir Humphrey Challoner was occupying the
-only available bedroom at the Moorhen, there
-would be no room for Master Mittachip and Master
-Duffy, his clerk. He hoped to reach Brassington
-by the bridle path before the footpads were astir,
-thence at dawn on to Wirksworth.
-
-He had shot his poisonous arrow and did not stop
-to ascertain how far it had gone home. He bade
-farewell to his employer, with all the deference
-which many years of intercourse with the quality
-had taught him, and never mentioned Beau Brocade,
-Lady Patience or John Stich's forge again. But
-when he had bowed and scraped himself out of his
-Honour's presence, and was sitting once more beside
-Master Duffy in the bar-parlour, there was a world
-of satisfaction in his pale, watery eyes.
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`a stranger at the forge`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER X
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- A STRANGER AT THE FORGE
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-In the meanwhile Lady Patience, with Betty by her
-side, had been walking towards the forge as rapidly
-as the state of the road permitted.
-
-A sudden turn of the path brought her within
-sight of the cross-ways and of the old gallows, on
-which a fragment of rain-spattered rag still fluttered
-ghostlike in the wind.
-
-But here, within a few yards of her goal, she
-stopped suddenly, with eyes dilated, and hands
-pressed convulsively to her heart, in an agony of
-terror. Walking quickly on the road from Wirksworth
-towards Stich's cottage were some half-dozen
-red-coated figures, the foremost man amongst them
-wearing three stripes upon his sleeve.
-
-Soldiers with a sergeant at the forge! What
-could it mean but awful peril for the fugitive?
-
-Her halt had been but momentary, the next
-instant she was flying down the pathway closely
-followed by Betty, and had reached the shed just
-as the soldiers were skirting the cottage towards it.
-
-She glanced within, and gave a quick sigh of
-relief: there was no sign of her brother, and John
-was busy at his anvil.
-
-Already the smith had caught sight of her.
-
-"Hush!" he whispered reassuringly, "have no
-fear, my lady. I've had soldiers here before."
-
-"But they'll recognise me, perhaps ... or guess..."
-
-"No, no! my lady! Do you pretend to be a
-waiting wench. They are men from Derby mostly,
-and not like to know your face."
-
-There was not a moment to be lost. Patience
-realised this, together with the certainty that her
-own coolness and presence of mind might prove the
-one chance of safety for her brother.
-
-"Halt!" came in loud accents from the sergeant outside.
-
-"The lock, Master Stich," said Patience, loudly
-and carelessly, as the sergeant stepped into the
-doorway, "is it ready? Her ladyship's coach is
-following me from Aldwark, and will be at the cross-roads
-anon."
-
-"Quite ready, mistress," replied the smith, casting
-a rapid glance at the soldier, who stood in the
-entrance with hand to hat in military salute.
-
-The latter took a rapid survey of the interior of
-the forge, then said politely,—
-
-"Your pardon, ladies!"
-
-"Well, and what is it now, Sergeant?" queried
-John, with affected impatience.
-
-"I have heard that there's a stranger at your
-forge, smith," replied the soldier. "My corporal
-came down from Aldwark early this afternoon and
-told me about him. I'd like just to have a talk
-with him."
-
-"One moment, Sergeant," said John, interposing
-his burly figure between Patience and the prying
-eyes of the young soldier.
-
-"I think you'll find the lock quite secure now,
-mistress," he said, trying, good, honest fellow that
-he was, to put as much meaning into the careless
-sentence as he dared. She mutely thanked him
-with her eyes, took the padlock from his hands, and
-gave him over some money for his pains, the while her
-heart was nearly bursting with the agony of suspense.
-
-"No stranger, Sergeant," rejoined the smith,
-once more turning with well-assumed indifference
-to the soldier, "only my nephew out o' Nottingham.
-Your corporal was a Derby man, and knew the lad's
-mother, my sister Hannah!"
-
-"Quite so, quite so, smith," quoth the Sergeant,
-pleasantly; "then you won't mind my searching
-your forge and cottage just for form's sake."
-
-Even then Patience did not betray herself either
-by a look or a quiver of the voice.
-
-"Lud! how tiresome be those soldiers," she said
-with an affected pout. "I'd hoped to wait here in
-peace, friend smith, until the arrival of her
-ladyship's coach."
-
-"Nay, mistress, you need not be disturbed," said
-the smith, jovially, "the Sergeant is but jesting, eh,
-friend?" he added, turning to the soldier. "There!
-I give you my word, Master Sergeant, that there is
-nought here for you to find."
-
-"I've my orders, smith," said the Sergeant, more curtly.
-
-"Nay, friend," interposed Lady Patience,
-"surely you overstep your orders. John Stich is
-honest and loyal, you do him indignity by such
-unjust suspicions."
-
-"Your pardon, ma'am, but I know my duty.
-There's no suspicion against the smith, but there are
-many rebels in hiding about here, and I've strict
-orders to be on the lookout for one in particular,
-Philip Gascoyne, Earl of Stretton, who is known to
-be in these parts."
-
-John Stich interrupted him with a loud guffaw.
-
-"Lud, man!" he said, "there's no room for a
-noble lord in a wayside smithy; you waste your time."
-
-"My orders say I've the right to search," quoth
-the Sergeant, firmly, "and search I'm going to."
-
-Then he turned to his squad, who were standing
-at attention outside.
-
-"Follow me, men," he said, as he stepped forward
-into the forge.
-
-Fortunately the remote corners of the shed were
-dark, and Patience still had her hood and cloak
-wrapped closely round her, or her deathlike pallor,
-the wild, terrified look in her eyes, would at this
-moment have betrayed her in spite of herself.
-
-But honest John was standing in the way of the
-Sergeant.
-
-"Look'ee here, Sergeant," he said quietly, "I'm
-a man of few words, but I'm a free-born Englishman,
-and my home is my castle. It's an insult to a free
-and loyal citizen for soldiers to search his home, as
-if he were a felon. I say you *shall not* enter, so you
-take yourself off, before you come by a broken head."
-
-"Smith, you're a fool," commented the Sergeant
-with a shrug of the shoulders, "and do yourself no
-good."
-
-"That's as it may be, friend," quoth John.
-"There are fools in every walk in life. You be a
-stranger in these parts and don't know me, but
-folk'll tell you that what John Stich once says, that
-he'll stick to. So forewarned is forearmed, friend
-Sergeant. Eh?"
-
-But to this the Sergeant had but one reply, and
-that was directed to his own squad.
-
-"Now then, my men," he said, "follow me! and
-you, John Stich," he added loudly and peremptorily,
-"stand aside in the name of the King!"
-
-The men were ranged round the Sergeant with
-muskets grasped, ready to rush in the next moment
-at word of command. John Stich stood between
-them and a small wooden door, little more than a
-partition, behind which Philip, Earl of Stretton, was
-preparing to sell his life dearly.
-
-That death would immediately follow capture was
-absolutely clear both to him and to his devoted
-sister, who with almost superhuman effort of will
-was making heroic efforts to keep all outward show
-of alarm in check. Even amongst these half-dozen
-soldiers any one of them might know Lord Stretton
-by sight, and was not likely to forget that twenty
-guineas—a large sum in those days—was the price
-the Hanoverian Government was prepared to pay
-for the head of a rebel.
-
-Philip was a man condemned to death by Act of
-Parliament. If he were captured now, neither
-prayer, nor bribes, nor even proofs of innocence
-would avail him before an officious magistrate
-intent on doing his duty. A brief halt at Brassington
-court-house, an execution in the early dawn!... these
-were the awesome visions which passed
-before Patience's eyes, as with a last thought of
-anguish and despair she turned to God for help!
-
-No doubt John Stich was equally aware of the
-imminence of the peril, and, determined to fight for
-the life of his lord, he brandished his mighty hammer
-over his head, and there was a look in the powerful
-man's eyes that made even the Sergeant pause
-awhile ere giving the final word of command.
-
-Thus there was an instant's deadly silence whilst
-so many hearts were wildly beating in tumultuous
-emotion. Just one instant—a few seconds, mayhap,
-whilst even Nature seemed to stand still, and Time
-to pause before the next fateful minute.
-
-And then a voice—a fresh, young, happy voice—was
-suddenly heard to sing, "My beautiful white rose."
-
-It was not very distant: but twenty yards at
-most, and even now seemed to be making for the
-forge, drawing nearer and nearer.
-
-Instinctively—what else could they do?—soldiers
-and Sergeant turned to look out upon the Heath.
-There was such magic in that merry, boyish voice,
-clear as that of the skylark, singing the quaint old
-ditty.
-
-They looked and saw a stranger dressed in elegant,
-almost foppish fashion, his brown hair free from
-powder, tied with a large bow at the nape of the neck,
-dainty lace at his throat and wrists, scarce a speck
-of mud upon his fine, well-cut coat. He was leading
-a beautiful chestnut horse by the bridle and had
-been singing as he walked.
-
-Patience, too, catching at this happy interruption
-like a drowning man does at a straw, turned to look
-at the approaching stranger.
-
-Her eyes were the first to meet his as he reached
-the entrance of the forge, and with an elaborate,
-courtly gesture he raised his three-cornered hat and
-made her a respectful bow.
-
-Then he burst out laughing.
-
-"Ho! ho! ho! but here's a pretty to-do. Why,
-John Stich, my friend, you look a bit out of temper."
-
-He stood there framed in the doorway, with the
-golden light of the afternoon sun throwing into bold
-silhouette his easy, graceful stature, and the pleasant
-picture of him, with one arm round the beautiful
-horse's neck and his slender fingers gently fondling
-its soft, quivering nose.
-
-John Stich, at first sound of the stranger's voice,
-had relaxed from his defiant attitude, and a ray of
-hope had chased away the threatening look in his eyes.
-
-"So would you be, Captain," he said gruffly,
-"with these red coats inside your house, and all
-their talk of rebels."
-
-"Captain?" murmured the Sergeant.
-
-"Aye, Captain Bathurst, my man, of His
-Majesty's White Dragoons," said the stranger,
-carelessly, as without more ado he led his horse
-within the forge and tethered it close to the entrance.
-Then he came forward and slapped the Sergeant
-vigorously on the back.
-
-"And I'll go bail, Sergeant, that John Stich is no
-rebel. He's far too big a fool!" he added in an
-audible whisper, and with a merry twinkle in his
-grey eyes.
-
-Patience still stood rigid, expectant, terrified in
-the darker corner of the shed. She had not yet
-realised whether she dared to hope, whether this
-young stranger, with his pleasant, boyish voice and
-debonnair manner, would have the power to stay
-the hand of Fate, which was even now raised
-against her brother.
-
-Betty, behind her mistress, was too terrified to speak.
-
-But already the Sergeant had recovered from his
-momentary surprise. At mention of the stranger's
-military rank he had raised his hand to his tricorne
-hat. Now he was ready to perform his duty,
-and gladly noted the smith's less aggressive attitude.
-
-"At your service, Captain," he said, "and now I
-have my orders. I've a right o' search and..."
-
-But like veritable quicksilver, Captain Bathurst
-was upon him in a moment.
-
-"A right o' search!" he said excitedly. "A
-right o' search, did you say, Sergeant? Odd's my
-life, but I'm in luck! Sergeant, you're the very
-man for me."
-
-And he pulled the Sergeant by the sleeve.
-
-"I pray you, sir..." protested the latter.
-
-But the young man was not to be denied.
-
-"Sergeant," he whispered significantly, "would
-you like to earn a hundred guineas?"
-
-"One hundred guineas," rejoined the soldier
-readily enough; "that I would, sir, if you'll tell me
-how."
-
-He kept an eye on the little wooden door behind
-John Stich, but his ear leaned towards the stranger;
-the bait was a tempting one, a hundred guineas was
-something of a fortune to a soldier of King George II.
-
-"Listen then," said Bathurst, mysteriously.
-"You've heard of Beau Brocade, the highwayman,
-haven't you?"
-
-"Aye, aye," nodded the Sergeant, "who hasn't?"
-
-"Well then you know that there is a price of a
-hundred guineas for his capture, eh? ... Think
-of it, Sergeant! ... A hundred guineas! ... a
-little fortune, eh?"
-
-The Sergeant's eyes twinkled at the thought.
-The soldiers too listened with eager interest, for the
-stranger was no longer talking in a whisper. A
-hundred guineas! three little words of wondrous
-magic, which had the power to rouse most men to
-excitement in those days of penury.
-
-Lady Patience's whole soul seemed to have taken
-refuge in her eyes. Her body leaning forward, her
-lips parted with a quick-drawn breath, she gazed
-upon the stranger, wondering what he would do.
-That he was purposely diverting the Sergeant's
-attention from his purpose she did not dare to think,
-that he was succeeding beyond her wildest hopes
-was not in doubt for a moment.
-
-And yet there did not seem much gained by
-averting the fearful catastrophe for the span of a few
-brief minutes.
-
-"Aye! a fortune indeed!" sighed the Sergeant,
-with obvious longing.
-
-"And I have sworn to lay that dare-devil
-highwayman by the heels," continued the young man.
-"I know where he lies hidden at this very moment,
-but, by Satan and all his crew, I cannot lay hands
-upon the rascal."
-
-"How so?"
-
-"The house is private! worse luck! *I* have no
-right of search!"
-
-The Sergeant gave a knowing wink.
-
-"Hm!" he said. "I understand."
-
-Then he added significantly,—
-
-"But the reward?"
-
-"Odd's life! you shall have the whole of that,
-Sergeant, and, if your men will help me, there shall
-be another hundred to divide between them. I
-have sworn to lay the rogue by the heels for my
-honour's sake. Would you believe me, Sergeant,
-'tis but a week ago that rascally highwayman robbed
-me in broad daylight! ... fifty guineas he took
-from me. Now I've a bet with Captain Borrowdale,
-five hundred guineas aside, that I'll bring about the
-rogue's capture."
-
-There was no doubt now that the Sergeant's
-interest was fully aroused; the soldiers, at mention
-of the reward which was to be theirs, hung upon their
-Sergeant's lips, hoping for the order to march on this
-very lucrative errand.
-
-"Hm!" muttered the latter, with a knowing
-wink, "perhaps that highwayman is a personal
-enemy of yours as well, sir!"
-
-"Aye!" sighed Captain Bathurst, pathetically,
-"the worst I ever had."
-
-"And you'd be mightily glad to see him hanged,
-an I mistake not. What?"
-
-"Zounds! but I wouldn't say that exactly,
-Sergeant, but ... I have no love for him ... 'tis
-many an ill turn he has done me of late."
-
-"I understand! Then the reward?"
-
-"You shall have every penny of it, friend, and a
-hundred guineas for your men. What say you,
-gallant soldiers?" And he turned gaily to the
-little squad, who had stood at very close attention
-all this while.
-
-But there was no need to make this direct appeal.
-The men were only too ready to be up and doing, to
-earn the reward and leave John Stich and the very
-problematical rebel to look after themselves.
-
-"Now, quick's the word," said the young man,
-briskly, "there's not a moment to be lost."
-
-"At your service, Captain," replied the Sergeant,
-turning once more towards the inner door before
-which John Stich still held guard, "as soon as I've
-searched this forge..."
-
-"Nay, man, an you waste a minute, you and your
-men will miss Beau Brocade and the hundred guineas
-reward. Quick, man!" he added hurriedly, seeing
-that the soldier had paused irresolute, "quick! with
-your fellows straight up the road that leads
-northward. I'm on horseback—I'll overtake you
-as soon as may be."
-
-"But..."
-
-"You'll see a lonely cottage about half a mile
-from here, then a bridle path on the left; follow
-that, you'll come to a house that was once an inn.
-The rascal is there. I saw him not half an hour ago."
-
-"But the rebel, Captain..." feebly protested
-the Sergeant, "my duty..."
-
-"Nay, Sergeant, as you will," said Bathurst,
-coolly, with a great show of complete indifference;
-"but while you parley here, Beau Brocade will slip
-through your fingers. He is at the house now:
-he may be gone by sunset. Odd's life! search for
-your rebels! go on! waste time! and the hundred
-guineas are lost to you and your men for ever."
-
-It was obvious that both sergeant and men were
-determined not to lose this opportunity of a bold bid
-for fortune.
-
-"Done with you, sir," he said resolutely. "After
-all," he added, as a concession to his own sense of
-duty, "I can always come back and search the
-forge afterwards."
-
-All the soldiers seemed as one man to be uttering
-a sigh of relief and eager anticipation, and even
-before the Sergeant had spoken the word, they
-turned to go.
-
-"You are a wise man, Sergeant," said Bathurst,
-jovially. "Off with you! straight along that road
-you see before you. The cottage is just beyond that
-clump of distant firs, there you'll see the bridle path.
-But I'll overtake you before then, never fear. Time
-to give my horse a handful of oats..."
-
-But even while he spoke the Sergeant had called
-"Attention!"
-
-"I'll not fail you, sir," he shouted excitedly.
-"A hundred guineas! odd's my life! 'tis a fortune!
-Left turn! Quick march!"
-
-The young man stood in the doorway and watched
-the little squad as, preceded by their Sergeant, they
-plodded their way northwards in quest of fortune.
-John Stich too followed them with his eyes, until
-the bend in the road hid the red coats from view.
-Then both turned and came within.
-
-But Lady Patience through it all never looked at
-the soldiers; her eyes, large, glowing, magnetic,
-were fixed upon the stranger in the forge, as if in a
-trance of joy and gratitude.
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`the stranger's name`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER XI
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- THE STRANGER'S NAME
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-Mistress Betty was the first to recover from terror
-and surprise. She too had fixed a pair of large
-and wondering eyes upon the stranger.
-
-"'Tis the gentleman who brought the letter from
-his lordship last night," she whispered to her
-mistress.
-
-Patience closed her eyes for a moment: her spirit,
-which had gone a-roaming into the land of dreams,
-where dwell heroes and proud knights of old, came
-back to earth once more.
-
-"Then he must have guessed my brother was
-here," she murmured, "and did it to save him."
-
-But the tension being relaxed, already the bright
-and sunny nature, which appeared to be the chief
-characteristic of the stranger, quickly re-asserted
-itself, and soon he was laughing merrily.
-
-"Oh! ho! gone, by my faith!" he said to John.
-"Odd's life! but he swallowed that, clean as a
-mullet after bait, eh, friend Stich?"
-
-It seemed as if he purposely avoided looking at
-Patience: perhaps, with the innate delicacy of a
-kindly nature, he wished to give her time to recover
-her composure. But now she came forward, turning
-to him with a gentle smile that had an infinity of
-pathos in it.
-
-"Sir," she said, "I would wish to thank you..."
-
-He put up his hand, with a gesture of self-deprecation.
-
-"To thank me, madam?" he said, with profound
-deference. "Nay! you do but jest. I have done
-nothing to deserve so great a favour."
-
-He bowed to her with perfect courtly grace, but
-she would not be gainsaid. She wished to think
-that he had acted thus for her.
-
-"Sir, you wrong your own most noble deed," she
-said. "Will you not allow me to keep the sweet
-illusion, that what you did just now, you did from
-the kindness of your heart, and because you saw
-that we were all anxious ... and that ... I
-was unhappy..."
-
-She looked divinely fair as she stood there beside
-him, with the rays of the slanting September sun
-touching the halo of her hair with a wand of gold.
-Her voice was musical and low, and there was a catch
-in her throat as she held out one tiny, trembling
-hand to him.
-
-He took it in his own strong grasp, and kept it a
-prisoner therein for awhile, then he bent his slim
-young figure and touched her finger-tips with his
-lips.
-
-"Faith, madam!" he said, "by that sweet
-illusion, an it dwell awhile in your memory, I am
-more than repaid."
-
-In the meanwhile John had pushed open the small
-door which led to the inner shed.
-
-"Quite safe, my lord!" he shouted gaily, "only
-friends present."
-
-Brother and sister, regardless of all save their own
-joy in this averted peril, were soon locked in each
-other's arms. Captain Bathurst had heard her
-happy cry: "Philip!" had seen the look of
-gladness brighten her tear-dimmed eyes, and a curious
-feeling of wrath, which he could not explain, caused
-him to turn away with a frown and a sigh.
-
-Patience was clinging to her brother, half
-hysterical, nervous, excited.
-
-"You are safe, dear," she murmured, touching
-with trembling motherly hands the dear head so
-lately in peril, "quite safe ... let me feel your
-precious hands ... oh! it was so horrible! ... another
-moment and you were discovered! ... Sir!"
-she added once more, turning to the stranger
-with the sweet impulse of her gratitude, "my thanks
-just now must have seemed so poor ... I was
-nervous and excited ... but see! here is one who
-owes you his life, and who, I know, would wish to
-join his thanks to mine."
-
-But there was a change in his manner now. He
-bowed slightly before her and said very coldly,—
-
-"Nay, madam! let me assure you once again
-that I have done naught to deserve your thanks.
-John Stich is my friend, and he seemed in trouble
-... if I have had the honour to serve you at the
-same time, 'tis I who should render thanks."
-
-She sighed, somewhat disappointed at his coldness.
-But Philip, with boyish impulse, held out
-both hands to him.
-
-"Nay, sir," he said, "I know not who you are,
-but I heard everything from behind that door, and
-I know that I owe you my life..."
-
-"I beg you, sir..."
-
-"Another moment and I had rushed out and sold
-my life dearly. Your noble effort, sir, did more than
-save that life," he added, taking Patience's hand in
-his, "it spared a deep sorrow to one who is
-infinitely dear to me ... my only sister."
-
-"Your ... your sister?"
-
-"Aye! my sister, Lady Patience Gascoyne, I am
-the Earl of Stretton, unjustly attainted by Act of
-Parliament. The life you have just saved, sir, is
-henceforth at your command."
-
-"Indeed, Philip," added Patience, gently, "we
-already are deeply in this gentleman's debt. Betty,
-who saw him, tells me that it was he who brought
-me your letter yester night."
-
-"You, sir!" exclaimed Stretton in profound
-astonishment, "then you are..."
-
-He paused instinctively, for he had remembered
-his conversation with John Stich earlier in the day;
-he remembered the anger, the wonder, which he
-had felt when the smith told him that he had
-entrusted the precious letter for Lady Patience to
-Beau Brocade, the highwayman ...
-
-"Then you are...?" repeated Philip, mechanically.
-
-Patience was clinging to her brother, with her
-back towards the stranger, so she did not see the
-swift look of appeal the slender finger put up in a
-mute, earnest prayer for silence. But now she
-turned and looked inquiringly at him, her eyes asking
-for a name by which she could remember him.
-
-"Captain Jack Bathurst," he said, bowing low,
-"at your command."
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`the beautiful white rose`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER XII
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- THE BEAUTIFUL WHITE ROSE
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-But of course there was no time to be lost. Captain
-Jack Bathurst was the first to give the alarm.
-
-"Those gallant lobsters won't be long in finding
-out that they've been hoodwinked," he said, "an I
-mistake not, they'll return here anon with a temper
-slightly the worse for wear. They must not find your
-lordship here at anyrate," he added earnestly.
-
-"But what's to be done?" asked Patience, all
-her anxiety returning in a trice, and instinctively
-turning for guidance to the man who already had
-done so much for her.
-
-"For the next hour or two at anyrate his lordship
-would undoubtedly be safer on the open Moor,"
-said Bathurst, decisively. "'Tis nigh on sunset, and
-the shepherds are busy gathering in their flocks.
-There'll be no one about, and 'twould be safer."
-
-"On the open Moor?"
-
-"Aye! 'tis not a bad place," he said, with a touch
-of sadness in his fresh young voice. "I myself..."
-
-He checked himself and continued more quietly,—
-
-"Your lordship could return here after sundown.
-You'd be safe enough for the night. After that, an
-you'll grant me leave, my friend Stich and I will
-venture to devise some better plan for your safety.
-For the moment, I pray you, be guided by this good
-advice, and seek the protection of the open Moor."
-
-He had spoken so earnestly, with such obvious
-heartfelt concern, and at the same time with such
-quiet firmness, that instinctively Philip felt inclined
-to obey; the weaker nature turned for support to the
-stronger one, to whose dominating influence it felt
-compelled to yield. He turned to Patience, and her
-eyes seemed to tell him that she was ready to trust
-this stranger.
-
-"Aye! I'll go, sir!" he sighed wearily.
-
-He kissed his sister with all the fondness of his
-aching heart. All his hopes for the future were
-centred in her and in the long journey she was about
-to undertake for his sake.
-
-Bathurst discreetly left brother and sister alone.
-He knew nothing of their affairs, of their plans, their
-hopes. Stich was too loyal to speak of his lord, even
-to a man whom he trusted and respected as he did the
-Captain. The latter knew that a hunted man was in
-hiding in the smith's forge, he had taken a message
-from the man to the lady at Stretton Hall, now he
-knew for certain that the fugitive was the Earl of
-Stretton. But that was all.
-
-Being outside the pale of the law himself, his
-sympathies at once ranged themselves on the side of
-the fugitive. Whether the latter were guilty or
-innocent mattered little to Jack Bathurst; what did
-matter to him was that the most beautiful woman
-he had ever set eyes on was unhappy and in tears.
-
-Philip, seeing that he could talk to his sister
-unobserved, whispered eagerly,—
-
-"The letters, dear, have a care; how will you
-carry them?"
-
-"In the drawer underneath the seat of the coach,"
-she whispered in reply. "I'll not leave the coach
-day or night until I've reached London. From
-Wirksworth onwards I'll be travelling with relays:
-I need neither spare horses nor waste a moment's
-time. I can be in town in less than six days."
-
-"When will your coach be ready?"
-
-"In a few minutes now, and I'll start at once:
-but go, go now, dear," she urged tenderly, "since
-Captain Bathurst thinks it better that you should."
-
-She kissed him again and again, her heart full of
-hope and excitement at thought of what she could
-do for him, yet aching because of this parting. It
-was terrible to leave him in this awful peril, to be far
-away if danger once again became imminent!
-
-When at last he had torn himself away from her,
-he made quickly for the door, where Bathurst had
-been waiting for him.
-
-"Ah, sir!" sighed Philip, bitterly, "'tis a sorry
-plight for a soldier and a gentleman to hide for his
-life like a coward and a thief."
-
-But Bathurst before leaving was looking back at
-the beautiful picture of Patience's sweet face bathed
-in tears.
-
-"Like a thief?" he murmured. "Nay, sir,
-thieves have no angels to guard and love them:
-methinks you have no cause to complain of your fate."
-
-There was perhaps just a thought of bitterness in
-his voice as he said this, and Patience turned to him,
-and gazed at him in tender womanly pity through
-her tears. At once the electrical, sunny nature
-within him again gained the upper hand. Laughter
-and gaiety seemed with him to be always close to the
-surface, ready to ripple out at any moment, and
-calling forth hope and confidence in those around.
-
-"An you'll accept my escort, sir," he said cheerfully
-to Philip, "I'll show you a sheltered spot
-known only to myself ... and to Jack o' Lantern,"
-he added, giving a passing tender tap to his beautiful
-horse. "He and I are very fond of the Moor, eh,
-Jack, old friend? ... We are the two Jacks, you
-see, sir, and seldom are seen apart. Together we
-discovered the spot which I will show you, sir, and
-where you can lie *perdu* until nightfall. 'Tis safe
-and lonely and but a step from this forge."
-
-Philip accepted the offer gratefully. Like his
-sister, he too felt that he could trust Jack Bathurst.
-As he walked by his side along the unbeaten track
-on the Heath, he viewed with some curiosity, not
-unmixed with boyish admiration, the tall, well-knit
-figure of his gallant rescuer. He tried to think of
-him as the notorious highwayman, Beau Brocade,
-on whose head the Government had put the price of
-a hundred guineas.
-
-A hero of romance he was in the hearts of the
-whole country-side, yet a felon in the eyes of the law.
-Philip could just see his noble profile, with the
-well-cut features, the boyish, sensitive mouth, firm chin
-and straight, massive brow, over which a mass of
-heavy brown curls clustered in unruly profusion.
-
-A brave man, surely—Philip had experienced
-that; a wise one too in spite of his youth. Stretton
-guessed his companion to be still under thirty years
-of age, and yet there was at times, in spite of the
-inherently sunny disposition below, a look of
-melancholy, of disappointment, in the deep, grey eyes,
-which spoke of a wasted life, of opportunities lost
-perhaps, or of persistent adverse fate.
-
-Through it all there was that quaint air of foppishness,
-the manners and appearance of a dandy about
-the Court. The caped coat was dark and serviceable,
-but it was of the finest cloth and of the latest, most
-fashionable cut, and beneath it peeped a dainty silk
-waistcoat, delicately embroidered.
-
-The lace at throat and wrists was of the finest
-Mechlin, and the boots, though stout and heavy,
-betrayed the smallness and the arch of the foot.
-Though Jack Bathurst had obviously been riding, he
-carried neither whip nor cane.
-
-All that Philip observed in this rapid walk to the
-place of shelter which Bathurst had thought out for
-him, Patience, with a woman's quick perception, had
-noted from the first. To her, of course, the Captain
-was but a gallant stranger, good to look at and
-replete with all the chivalrous attributes this troublous
-century called forth in the hearts of her sons. She
-knew naught of Beau Brocade the highwayman, and
-probably would have recoiled in horror at thought of
-connecting the name of a thief with that of her
-newly-found hero of romance.
-
-She stood in the doorway for some time, watching
-with glowing eyes the figures of the two men, until
-they disappeared behind a high clump of gorse: then
-with a curious little sigh she turned and went within.
-
-John Stich and Mistress Betty were carrying on an
-animated conversation in a remote corner of the
-forge. Patience did not wish to disturb them: she
-was deeply grateful to John, and felt kindly disposed
-towards the suggestion of romance conveyed by the
-smith's obvious appreciation of pretty Mistress Betty.
-
-She crossed the shed, and opening the door at the
-further end of it, she found that it gave upon a small
-yard which separated the forge from the cottage,
-and in which Stich and his mother, who kept house
-for him, had with tender care succeeded in cultivating
-a few flowers: only one or two tall hollyhocks,
-some gay-looking sunflowers, and a few
-sweet-scented herbs. And on the south aspect a lovely
-trail of creeping white rose, the kind known as "Five
-Sisters," threw its delicate fragrance over this little
-oasis in the wilderness of the Moor.
-
-And, almost mechanically, whilst her fancy once
-more went a-roaming in the land of dreams, Patience
-began to hum the quaint old ditty: "My beautiful
-white rose."
-
-Suddenly—at a quick thought mayhap—her eyes
-grew dim, her cheeks began to burn: she drew
-towards her a cluster of snowy blossoms, on which the
-earlier rains had left a mantle of glittering diamonds,
-and buried her glowing face in its pure, cool depths.
-Then she detached one lovely white rose from the
-parent bough, and, sighing, pinned it to her belt.
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`a proposal and a threat`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER XIII
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- A PROPOSAL AND A THREAT
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-Sir Humphrey Challoner had not been long in
-making up his mind to take Master Mittachip's
-pernicious advice. He twisted the old adage that
-"everything is fair in love" to a justification of his
-own evil purpose. He was not by any means a bad
-man. Save for his somewhat inordinate love of
-money, he had none of the outrageous vices which
-were looked upon with leniency in the quality in
-those days.
-
-He drank hard, and exacted his pound of flesh
-equally from all his tenants, but neither of these
-characteristics was unusual in an English squire
-of the early eighteenth century: a great many of
-them were impecunious, and all were fond of good
-cheer. Originally he had meant no harm to the
-young Earl of Stretton. His plan, as he clumsily
-conceived it, was to get Philip into trouble first, then
-to extricate him from it, for the sake of earning the
-gratitude of the richest heiress in the Midlands and
-the most beautiful woman in England to boot.
-
-Sir Humphrey Challoner was not a diplomatist:
-he was a rough country gentleman of that time, with
-but scant notions of abstract right and wrong where
-his own desires were at stake.
-
-His original plan had failed through that very
-Act of Parliament which placed Philip's life in
-immediate and imminent peril. Sir Humphrey did not
-desire the lad's death: of course not. He had nothing
-to gain thereby, and only wished for the sister's hand
-in marriage. He started for London post-haste,
-hoping still to use what influence he had, and also
-what knowledge he possessed of Philip's attitude at
-the time of the rebellion, in order to bring about the
-boy's justification and release.
-
-That Patience had evidently found a means of
-proving her brother's innocence without his help was
-a bitter disappointment to Sir Humphrey. He knew
-that she would never marry him of her own free will,
-but only on compulsion or from gratitude.
-
-The latter was now out of the question. He could
-do nothing to earn it. Compulsion was the only
-course, and Mittachip, with crafty persuasion, had
-shown him the possible way; therefore he went to
-the forge of John Stich to carry through the plan to
-that end.
-
-It was close on sunset. On the Moor, gorse,
-bramble and heather were bathed in ruddy gold, the
-brilliant aftermath of this glowing September afternoon.
-
-Sir Humphrey had walked over from the Moorhen;
-as soon as he entered the forge, the first thing he
-noticed was the beautiful chestnut horse tethered
-against the door-post, the same which he himself
-had declared that very day to be worth a small
-fortune. Fate was obviously playing into his hands.
-Mittachip had neither deceived him nor lured him
-with false hopes.
-
-Otherwise the shed was empty: there was no sign
-of John Stich, or of the stranger who rode the
-chestnut horse. Sir Humphrey went within and, as
-patiently as he could, set himself to wait.
-
-When therefore Jack Bathurst returned to the
-forge some few minutes later, he found that her
-ladyship, Betty and Stich had gone, whilst, sitting on
-the edge of the rough deal table, and impatiently
-tapping his boot with a riding-whip, was no less a
-personage than the Squire of Hartington.
-
-Jack had caught a glimpse of his Honour the night
-before on the Heath, under circumstances which even
-now brought a smile to his lips, and which incidentally
-had made the poor of Brassington richer by fifty
-guineas.
-
-For a moment he hesitated whether he would go in
-or no. He had been masked during that incident,
-of course, and knew not even the ABC of fear. His
-dare-devil spirit of fun and adventure quickly gained
-the upper hand, and the next moment he had greeted
-his Honour with all the courtly grace he had at
-command.
-
-Sir Humphrey looked at him keenly for a moment
-or two. Young and well-looking! Oft to be seen
-at the forge at sundown! ... Odd's life but...
-
-"Your servant, sir!" he said, returning the salutation.
-
-Sir Humphrey was in no hurry. He firmly
-believed that Fate had decided to be kind to him in
-this matter, but he feared to brusque the situation,
-and thereby to imperil the successful issue of his
-scheme.
-
-Therefore he passed the time of day with this
-well-looking stranger, he talked of the weather and the
-rains on the Moors, the bad state of the roads and the
-insufficiency of police in the county, of the late
-rebellion and the newest fashion in coats.
-
-Jack Bathurst seemed to fall into his mood. He
-was shrewd enough to perceive that Sir Humphrey
-Challoner was in his own estimation playing a
-diplomatic game of cat and mouse, and it much intrigued
-Bathurst to know what his ultimate purpose might
-be. He had not long to wait; after some five
-minutes of casual conversation, Sir Humphrey went
-straight for his goal.
-
-"Odd's life!" he said suddenly, interrupting his
-own flow of small talk, "it wonders me how long that
-rascally smith'll stay away from his work. Adsbud! but
-he's a lazy vagabond. What say you, sir?"
-
-"Nay! you, sir, wrong an honest man," replied
-Bathurst. "John Stich is a steady worker. Shall
-I call him for you? I know my way about his
-cottage."
-
-"Nay, I thank you, sir! my purpose can wait.
-Truth to tell," added his Honour, carelessly, "'twas
-not the blacksmith's work I needed, but his help in
-a trifling matter of business."
-
-"Indeed?"
-
-"You'll be surprised perhaps at my question, sir,
-but have you ever heard mention of that fellow,
-Beau Brocade?"
-
-"Oh! ... vaguely..."
-
-"A highwayman, sir, and a consummate rogue,
-yet your honest John Stich is said to be his friend."
-
-"Indeed?"
-
-"Now, an you'll believe me, sir, I have a mind to
-speak with the rascal."
-
-"Indeed? then you are bolder than most, sir,"
-said Jack, cheerfully. He was really beginning to
-wonder what the Squire of Hartington was driving at.
-
-"It seems strange, doesn't it? but to be frank with
-you, I'm in two minds about that rogue."
-
-"How so?"
-
-"Well! I have a score to settle with him, and a
-business to propose; and I cannot decide which
-course to adopt."
-
-"You, sir, being so clever, might perhaps manage
-both," said Bathurst with a touch of sarcasm.
-
-"Hm! I wonder now," continued Sir Humphrey,
-not wishing to notice the slight impertinence. "I
-wonder now what an independent gentleman like
-yourself would advise me to do. I have not the
-honour of knowing who you are," he added with
-grave condescension, "but I can see that you *are*,
-like myself, a gentleman."
-
-Bathurst bowed in polite acknowledgment.
-
-"I should be proud to serve you with advice, sir,
-since you desire it."
-
-"Well! as I have said, I have a score to settle with
-the rogue. He stole fifty guineas from me last night."
-
-"Ah me!" sighed Jack, with a melancholy shake
-of the head, "then I fear me he'll never haunt the
-Heath again."
-
-"What mean you, sir?"
-
-"Nay! I can picture the rascal now, after you, sir,
-had punished him for his impudence! A mangled,
-bleeding wreck! But there! I have no pity for him!
-Daring to measure his valour against your noted
-prowess!"
-
-"Quite so! quite so!" quoth his Honour, whilst
-smothering a curse at this more obvious piece of
-insolence.
-
-"But I entreat your pardon. I was interrupting
-the story."
-
-"I saw the rogue, sir," said Sir Humphrey,
-glancing significantly at the young man, "saw him
-clearly by the light of my carriage lanthorns. He
-was masked, of course, but I'd know him anywhere,
-and could denounce him to-morrow."
-
-He had risen to his feet, and with legs apart,
-standing face to face with Bathurst, he spoke every
-word as if he meant them to act as a threat.
-
-"There are plenty of soldiers about these parts
-now, even if the country folk won't touch their
-vaunted hero of romance. I could get him hanged,
-sir, within a week. A cordon of soldiers round this
-Heath, my word to swear his identity, and.... But
-there!" he added with a jovial laugh, "'tis no
-concern of yours is it, sir? You were kind enough to
-promise me your advice. This is one of my alternatives,
-the score I'd wish to settle; there's still the
-business I could offer the rogue."
-
-Sir Humphrey had looked the young man squarely
-in the face whilst he uttered his threat, but had seen
-nothing there, save the merriest, the most
-light-hearted of smiles.
-
-"I can scarce advise you, sir," said Bathurst,
-still smiling, "unless I know the business as well."
-
-"Well, sir, you know of old Lady Rounce, do you
-not? the meanest, ugliest old witch in the county, eh?
-Well! she is on her way to London, and carries with
-her a mass of money, wrung from her miserable tenants."
-
-"Faith, sir! you paint a most entrancing picture
-of the lady."
-
-"Now, an that rascal Beau Brocade were willing
-to serve me, he could at one stroke save his own neck
-from the gallows, enrich himself, right the innocent
-and confound a wicked old woman."
-
-"And how could this galaxy of noble deeds be
-accomplished at one stroke, sir?"
-
-"Her ladyship's coach will pass over the Heath
-to-night. It should be at the cross-roads soon.
-There will be all the old harridan's money and jewels
-to be got out of it."
-
-"Of course."
-
-"And also a packet of love-letters, which doubtless
-will be hidden away in the receptacle beneath the seat."
-
-"Letters?" queried Bathurst. "Hm! I doubt
-me if love-letters would tempt a gentleman of the
-road."
-
-"Nay, sir," replied his Honour, now dropping his
-voice to a confidential whisper, "these are letters
-which, if published, would compromise an artless
-young lady, whom old Lady Rounce pursues with
-her hatred and spite. Now I would give a hundred
-guineas to any person who will bring me those letters
-at the Moorhen to-morrow. Surely to a gentleman
-of the road the game would be worth the candle.
-Lady Rounce carries money with her besides, and
-her diamonds. What think you of it, sir?"
-
-"'Tis somewhat difficult to advise," said Bathurst,
-meditatively.
-
-"Ah well!" said Sir Humphrey with affected
-indifference, "'tis really not much to me. On the
-whole perhaps I would prefer to deliver the rascal
-into the hands of my friend Squire West at Brassington.
-Anyway, I have the night to think the matter
-over; 'tis too late now to wait for that lout, John
-Stich. I would have preferred to have had your
-advice, sir. I daresay 'tis difficult to give. And you
-a stranger too. I would have liked to save a young
-girl from the clutches of that old witch, Lady Rounce,
-and if Beau Brocade rendered me that service, I'd
-be tempted to hold my tongue about him.... He
-should have the hundred guineas to-morrow and
-have nought to fear from me, if he brought me those
-letters. If not ... well! ... well! ... we shall
-see.... The old gallows here have long been idle
-... we shall see ... we shall see.... Good-day
-to you, sir ... proud to have met you....
-No ... I'll not wait for John Stich. Is this your
-horse? ... pretty creature! ... Good-day, sir
-... good-day."
-
-His Honour was extremely condescending and
-pleasant. He bowed very politely to Bathurst,
-patted the beautiful chestnut horse, and showed no
-further desire to talk with John Stich.
-
-Bathurst, with a frown on his handsome face,
-watched the Squire of Hartington's burly figure
-disappear round the bend in the road.
-
-"I wonder now," he mused, "what mischief he's
-brewing. He seemed to me up to no good. I
-suppose he guessed who I was."
-
-While he stood there watching, John Stich quickly
-entered the forge from the rear.
-
-"I was in the cottage, Captain," he said, "my
-mother was serving the ladies with some milk. But
-just now I saw Sir Humphrey Challoner walking
-away from the forge. I feared he might see you."
-
-"He did see me, honest friend," said Jack, lightly.
-"His Honour and I have just had a long and
-animated conversation together."
-
-"Great Heavens! the man is furious with you,
-Captain!" said the smith, with genuine anxiety in
-his gruff voice, "he saw you distinctly on the
-Heath last night. He may have recognised you to-day."
-
-"He did recognise me."
-
-"And may be brewing the devil's own mischief
-against you."
-
-"Oh, ho!" laughed the young man, with a
-careless shrug of the shoulders, "against me? ...
-Well! you know, honest John, I am bound to end
-on the gallows..."
-
-"Sooner or later! Sooner or later!" he added
-merrily, noting John's look of sorrowful alarm.
-"They've not got me yet, though there are so many
-soldiers about, as that piece of underdone roast-beef
-said just now."
-
-"You'll not tell me what Sir Humphrey Challoner
-spoke to you about?"
-
-"No, friend, I will not," said Jack, with a look of
-infinite kindness and placing a slender white hand on
-the smith's broad shoulder. "You are my friend,
-you know, you shoe and care after my horse, you
-shelter and comfort me. May Heaven's legions of
-angels bless you for that. Of my life on the Heath
-I'll never tell you aught, whatever you may guess.
-'Tis better so. I'll not have you compromised, or
-implicated in my adventures. In case ... well! ... if
-they do catch me, you know, friend, 'tis
-better for your sake that you should know nothing."
-
-"But you'll not go on the Heath to-night,
-Captain," pleaded the smith, with a tremor in his
-voice.
-
-"Aye! that I will, John Stich," rejoined Bathurst,
-with a careless laugh, which now had an unmistakable
-ring of bitterness in it, "to stop a coach, to lift a
-purse! that's my business.... Aye! I'll to the
-Heath, friend, 'tis my only home, you know, ere I
-find a resting-place on the gallows yonder."
-
-John sighed and turned away, and thus did not
-hear the faint murmur that came of a great and good
-heart over-full with longing and disappointment.
-
-"My beautiful white rose! ... how pale she
-looked ... and how exquisitely fair! ... Ah! me
-... if only.... Jack! Jack! don't be a fool!"
-he added with a short, deep sigh, "'tis too late;
-remember, for Beau Brocade to go galloping after an
-illusion!"
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`the fight in the forge`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER XIV
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- THE FIGHT IN THE FORGE
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-John Stich ventured no further opposition, well
-knowing the reckless spirit which his own quiet
-devotion was powerless to keep in check; moreover,
-Lady Patience, closely followed by the ever-faithful
-Betty, had just entered by the door that gave from
-the yard.
-
-"I was wondering, honest Stich," she said, "if
-my coach were yet in sight. Meseems the horses
-must have had sufficient rest by now."
-
-"I'll just see, my lady," said John.
-
-At first sound of her low, musical voice, Bathurst
-had turned to her, and now his eyes rested with
-undisguised admiration on her graceful figure, dimly
-outlined in the fast-gathering shadows. She too
-caught sight of him, and sorely against her will a
-vivid blush mounted to her cheeks. She pulled her
-cloak close to her, partly to hide the bunch of white
-roses that nestled in her belt.
-
-Thus there was an instant's silent pause, during
-which two hearts, both young, both ardent, and
-imbued with the spirit of romance, beat—unknown
-to one another—in perfect unison.
-
-And yet at this supreme moment in their lives—supreme
-though they themselves knew it not—neither
-of them had begun to think of love. In her
-there was just that delightful feeling of feminine
-curiosity, mingled with the subtle homage of a proud
-woman for the man who, in her presence, and for her
-sake, had proved himself brave, resourceful, full of
-invention and of pluck: there was also an
-unexplainable sense of the magnetism caused by the real
-*personality*, by the unmistakable *vitality* of the man.
-He lived, he felt, he thought differently to anyone
-else, in a world quite apart and entirely his own,
-and she felt the magic of this sunny nature, of the
-merry, almost boyish laugh, overlying as it were the
-undercurrent of disappointment and melancholy
-which had never degenerated into cynicism.
-
-But in him? Ah! in him there was above all a
-wild, passionate longing! the longing of an intensely
-human, aching heart, when it is brought nigh to its
-own highest ideal, and knows that that ideal is
-infinitely beyond his reach.
-
-The broken-down gentleman! the notorious hero
-of midnight adventures! highwayman! robber! thief! what
-right had he even to look upon her, the
-perfect embodiment of exquisite womanhood, the
-beautiful realisation of man's tenderest dreams?
-
-Perhaps at this one supreme moment in his reckless
-career the wild adventurer felt the first pang of
-humbled pride, of that pride which had defied
-existing laws and built up a code of its own. He
-understood then all at once the stern, iron-bound
-rule which makes of man—free lord of creation
-though he be—the slave of those same laws which
-he himself has set up for his own protection.
-
-Beau Brocade, the highwayman, closed his eyes,
-and no longer dared to look on his dream.
-
-He turned to his horse, and with great tenderness
-began stroking Jack o' Lantern's soft, responsive nose.
-
-The next moment Stich, who had been busy with
-his work, looked up in sudden alarm.
-
-"The soldiers!" he said briefly, "all running
-... the Sergeant's at the head o' them, and some of
-the shepherds at their heels."
-
-At first Patience did not understand where the
-actual danger lay.
-
-"My brother!" she gasped, terrified.
-
-But a look from Bathurst reassured her.
-
-"Absolutely safe," he said quickly and decisively,
-"a hiding-place known to no one but me. I give your
-ladyship my word of honour that there is not the
-remotest danger for him."
-
-She felt all her terrors vanishing. But these few
-words spoken to comfort her went nigh to costing
-Bathurst dear. In those few brief seconds he had
-lost the opportunity of jumping on Jack o' Lantern's
-back and getting well away before the soldiers had
-reached the entrance of the forge, and had effectually
-barred his chance of escape.
-
-As it was, he had only just undone the halter, and
-before he had time to lead Jack o' Lantern out, the
-voice of the Sergeant was heard quite close to the
-doorway, shouting breathlessly,—
-
-"Forward! quick! Arrest that man!"
-
-"My sword, John! for your life!" was Bathurst's
-ready answer to the challenge.
-
-Stich darted to a corner of the forge. Lady
-Patience gave a quick, short gasp, she had suddenly
-realised that for some reason which she could not
-quite fathom, the man who had so pluckily saved her
-brother from the soldiers an hour ago, was now
-himself in imminent danger.
-
-Jack snatched the sword eagerly which the smith
-was holding out to him, and resting the point of the
-blade on the ground before him, he tested with evident
-satisfaction the temper of the steel. Not a moment too
-soon this, for already the Sergeant, running, panting,
-infuriated by the trick played upon him, had appeared
-in the doorway, closely followed by two of his men.
-
-Caught like a rat in a hole, Jack was prepared to
-fight. Perhaps at bottom he was glad that circumstances
-had not compelled him to show a clean pair
-of heels before this new danger to himself. Alone, he
-might have liked to flee, before *her* he preferred to fight.
-
-"Odd's my life!" he said merrily, "'tis my
-friend, the Sergeant."
-
-"You sent me on a fool's errand," shouted the
-latter as loudly as his scant breath would allow,
-"and 'tis my belief you are one of them rebel lords
-yourself: at anyrate you shall give an account of
-yourself before the magistrate. And if the smith
-dares to interfere, he does so at his peril," he added,
-seeing that John Stich had seized his hammer, and
-was handling it ominously, fully prepared to resist
-the established authority on behalf of his friend.
-
-But whilst the Sergeant parleyed, Jack, with the
-rapid keen eye of a practised fencer, and the wary
-glance of a child of the Moor, had taken note of every
-advantage, however slight, which his present
-precarious position had left him.
-
-The Sergeant and two men were in the doorway,
-momentarily pausing in order to recover their breath.
-Three more of the squad were running forward along
-the road, but were still some little distance off, and
-would be a few minutes before they reached the smithy.
-
-Further on still there were the others, at present only
-appearing as scarlet dots on the Heath. Close on
-the heels of the Sergeant, two or three shepherds,
-with Jock Miggs in their rear, had come to see what
-was happening in the forge.
-
-It had taken Jack Bathurst only a couple of
-seconds to note all these details. Luck so far
-favoured him that, for the next minute or two at
-least, he would only have to deal with the Sergeant
-and two soldiers.
-
-"Into it, my men! Arrest him in the name of the
-King!" shouted the Sergeant, and the two soldiers,
-grasping their bayonets, made a rush for the interior
-of the shed, ready to surround Jack and his horse.
-
-But quick as a lightning flash, Bathurst gave Jack
-o' Lantern a slight prick in the ribs with his sword;
-the nervous creature, already rendered restive by the
-sudden noise, began to plunge and rear, and thus,
-as his master had hoped, scattered the compact
-group of assailants momentarily away from the
-vicinity of his hoofs.
-
-This gave the young man the desired opportunity.
-Nimble as a fox when hotly pursued, he stepped
-back and with one bound took up a position on the
-top of a solid oak table, which stood in the deep
-shadow caused by the doorway, thus, for the moment,
-leaving Jack o' Lantern as a barrier between himself
-and his enemies.
-
-"Friend Stich," he shouted from this exalted
-height, "do you stand by the ladies. Stir not from
-their side whatever happens, nor interfere 'tween me
-and the soldiers at your peril."
-
-The lust of battle was upon him now. He was
-satisfied with his position and longed to begin the
-fight. On his left was the outside wall of the shed,
-and guarding his right was the huge furnace of the
-smithy, out of which the burning embers cast fitful
-flickering lights upon his tall, slim figure, and drew
-from his blade sparks of blood-red gold.
-
-He had wrapped the thick capes of his heavy cloth
-coat round his left arm: the folds of it hung down to
-his feet, forming a shield round the lower part of his
-figure.
-
-Already the soldiers had recovered from the short
-panic caused by Jack o' Lantern's timely rearing.
-One of them now seized the horse by the bridle and
-led him out into the open, thus exposing Bathurst
-more fully to the onslaught of their bayonets.
-
-Jack was fully prepared for them, and as soon as
-the Sergeant had given the order to attack, his steel
-began to dart in and out of the gloom like some live
-snake, with tongue of steel; illumined by the fitful
-embers of the furnace fire, it seemed to give forth a
-thousand sparks of witch-like flame with every turn
-of the cunning wrist. The outline of his head and
-shoulders was lost in the dense shadows above, whilst
-his assailants stood in the full glare of the setting sun,
-which, hot and blinding, came streaming into the shed.
-
-Dazed by the flickering light of the furnace and
-the sunset glow beyond, the soldiers made very
-ineffectual plunges into the dark shadow, whence,
-fencing and parrying, and with many a quip and sally,
-Jack had at first an easy task in keeping them at bay.
-
-This was mere child's play to him; already one of
-the men had an ugly gash in his cheek, and the next
-moment saw the Sergeant reeling backwards, with
-a well-directed thrust through his right arm.
-
-But easy and exciting as was this brilliant
-sword-play, it could not in the long run be of much
-avail. Hardly had the Sergeant fallen back than
-three more soldiers, also hot and furious, came
-rushing in to reinforce their comrades. Bathurst had in
-his day been counted the finest fencer in England,
-his wrist was as fresh and strong as the steel which
-he held, but the odds were beginning to accumulate
-against him.
-
-Five men in the shed, and the others could not be
-very far away!
-
-John Stich felt his muscles nearly cracking with
-the vigorous effort to maintain his quiescent position
-and not to come to the rescue of his hard-pressed
-friend.
-
-Suddenly one of the soldiers levelled his musket.
-
-Patience saw it and gave a cry of horror. Stich,
-throwing prudence to the winds, would have rushed
-forward, to prevent this awful thing at any cost,
-but the Sergeant, though wounded, had lost none
-of his zest, and his eye had been fixed on the smith.
-
-"Keep back the smith!" he shouted, "use your
-bayonets! quick!"
-
-And as two of his men obeyed him, he himself
-threw his full weight against John, and together the
-three men succeeded in rendering the worthy fellow
-momentarily powerless.
-
-"Captain! Captain!" he shouted desperately,
-"have a care!"
-
-Of course Jack had realised his danger. The
-group of his assailants stood out in every detail
-before him, like a clear-cut sunlit picture. But
-against the musket levelled at him he could do
-nothing, it was Luck's chance to do him a good turn;
-he himself was hard pressed by two men close to his
-knees.
-
-Patience felt as if her heart would cease to beat,
-her impulse was to rush blindly, stupidly forward,
-when suddenly a piping voice, vague and uncertain,
-was heard above the click of Jack's sword.
-
-"Don't 'ee let 'em get 'ee, sir!" and Jock Miggs,
-with trembling, yet determined hands, gave a
-vigorous tug to the coat tails of the soldier, who was
-even now pulling the trigger of his musket. The
-latter, who had been aiming very deliberately for the
-one bright patch on Jack's person caused by the red
-glow of the furnace, lost his aim: there was a loud
-report, and a bullet went whizzing high above
-Bathurst's head, and buried itself in the woodwork
-above him.
-
-This was the signal for a new phase of this curious
-and unequal struggle. The shepherds, at first,
-knowing nothing of the cause of this quarrel, had
-stood open-mouthed, somewhat frightened and
-awaiting events, at a short distance from the scene of
-the scuffle.
-
-But when the chestnut horse had been led out into
-the open, they suddenly had an inkling as to who its
-owner was. Jack o' Lantern, bearing the masked
-highwayman on his back, was well known to the poor
-folk on Brassing Moor.
-
-Beau Brocade, who but yesterday had left fifty
-guineas in the Brassington poor box! Beau Brocade,
-the hero of the Heath! He! to be caught by a
-parcel of red coats?
-
-Never! Jock Miggs but voiced the feeling of the
-majority.
-
-"Noa! Noa!" they shouted lustily. "Don't
-'ee let 'em get 'ee, sir!"
-
-"Not if I can help it, friends!" rejoined Bathurst
-in gay response.
-
-They did not resist the soldiers; not they! Your
-Derbyshire yokel is too cautious an individual to
-run absolutely counter to established authority, but
-they saw their friend, their helper and benefactor,
-in trouble and they did what they could to help him.
-They got in the way, jostled the soldiers when they
-dared, kept the attention of one or two occupied,
-preventing a general onslaught on the oak table, on
-which Bathurst, still alert, still keen, was holding his
-own against such terrible odds.
-
-"There's for you, my gallant lobster," quoth Jack,
-gaily.
-
-He was standing far back on the table, entrenched
-between the wall on one side and the furnace on
-the other, and every time one of the soldiers ventured
-too near, his sword would dart out of the gloom:
-it seemed like a living creature of fire and steel, so
-quick and bold were his feints and parries, his sudden
-attacks in quarte and sixte, and all the while he kept
-one eye on the open Moor, where Jack o' Lantern,
-quivering with impatience, stood pawing the ground,
-and sniffing the keen evening air, ready to carry his
-master away, out upon the Heath, out of sight and
-out of danger.
-
-Obviously the unequal contest could not last much
-longer. Jack knew that as well as any one. Already
-the red dots in the far distance had drawn considerably
-nearer, the next few minutes would bring this
-fresh reinforcement to the wearied, exhausted
-assailants.
-
-The Sergeant too was ready to seize his best
-opportunity. He still kept two men on guard over
-the smith, but he soon saw that the two, who were
-storming Bathurst's improvised citadel, were no
-match with their clumsy bayonets against a brilliant
-fencer who, moreover, had the advantage of light
-and shadow, and of his elevated position.
-
-Though he was wounded, and bleeding profusely,
-he had set his heart on the capture of this mysterious
-stranger, and having cast a glance on the open Moor
-beyond, he saw with renewed zest two more of his
-men hurrying along. With all the strength he had
-left he shouted to them to come on, and then turned
-to encourage the others.
-
-"Take it easy, my men! Hold out a moment
-longer. We've got the rebel at last."
-
-But Jack too had seen and understood. He was
-neither tired nor hurt, but two more men against
-him would inevitably prove his undoing. Already
-he could hear the shouts of the soldiers hurrying in
-response to their Sergeant's call. The next minute
-they would be in the forge.
-
-A sudden change of tactics led his two assailants to
-venture nearer than they had done hitherto; he drew
-back into the shadows, and they, fired by the lust of
-capture, under the impression that he was at last
-exhausted, ventured nearer and nearer still; already
-they were leaning over the edge of the table, one man
-was thrusting at Bathurst's legs, when the latter,
-with a rapidity that seemed quicker than a flash of
-lightning, disengaged his left arm from his heavy
-coat, and with both hands threw it right over the
-heads of the two men. Before they had time to
-release themselves from its folds, Jack, with one bound
-was off the table, and the next instant he had torn
-open the door of the furnace and dragged out the
-huge iron poker with which the smith raked his fire,
-and with a cry of triumph slung this new and
-formidable weapon high over his head.
-
-The effect of this sudden move was one of
-uncontrollable panic: the red-hot metal, as he swung it
-over his head, dropped a far-reaching shower of
-burning sparks; soldiers and Sergeant all drew back
-instinctively, and Jack, still brandishing his weapon,
-reached the entrance and was out in the open before
-any one dared to stop him.
-
-There he flung the great glowing thing in the
-direction of his assailants, who even now were
-rallying to the attack.
-
-But the moment had been precious to Bathurst,
-and Jack o' Lantern was a king among horses.
-Without use of stirrup or rein, Jack, like the true child
-of the wild Moor that he was, flung himself upon the
-beautiful creature's back.
-
-Thus Patience saw him for one brief second,
-framed in the doorway of the forge, the last rays of
-the setting sun forming a background of crimson and
-gold for his slim, upright figure, and the brown curls
-on his head.
-
-It was but a moment's vision, but one she would
-carry enshrined in her memory through all the years
-to come. His eyes, large, glowing, magnetic, met
-hers in a flash, and hers, bright with unshed tears,
-met his in quick response.
-
-"Soldiers!" he shouted, as he rode away, "an
-you think I am a rebel lord, then after me,
-quick! whilst I ride towards the sunset."
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`the outlaw`:
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- PART II
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- THE HEATH
-
-.. vspace:: 3
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER XV
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- THE OUTLAW
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-Beau Brocade drew rein on the spur of the hill.
-He had galloped all the way from the forge, out
-towards the sunset, then on, ever on, over gorse and
-bracken, on red sandy soil and soft carpet of ling, on,
-still on!
-
-Overhead, on the blue-green dome of the evening
-sky, a giant comet, made up of myriads of tiny,
-rose-tipped clouds, formed a fairy way, ever diminishing,
-ever more radiant, pointing westwards to the setting
-sun, where orange and crimson and blue melted in
-one glorious mist of gold.
-
-Out far away, the distant Tors glowed in the
-evening light, like great barriers to some mystic
-elusive land beyond.
-
-Jack o' Lantern had responded to his master's
-mood. The reins falling loosely on his neck, needing
-neither guide nor spur, save the excitement of his
-own mad career, he had continued his wild gallop
-on the Heath, until a sudden jerk of the reins brought
-him to a standstill on the very edge of a steep
-declivity, with quivering flanks and sensitive nerves all
-a-tremble, even as the last ruddy glow died out in the
-western sky.
-
-One by one the myriads of rose-tipped clouds now
-put on their grey cloaks of evening. From the
-rain-soaked ground and dripping branches of bramble or
-fern, a blue mist was rising upwards, blending deep
-shadows and tender lights in one hazy monotone.
-
-Gradually every sound died out upon the Heath,
-only from afar came intermittently the mournful
-booming of a solitary bittern, astray from its nest, or
-now and then the sudden quaking of a tuft of grass,
-a tremor amidst the young fronds of the bracken,
-there, where a melancholy toad was seeking shelter
-for the night.
-
-Awesome, silent, majestic, the great Moor was at
-peace. The passions, the strife, the turmoil of
-mankind seemed far, very far away: further than that
-twinkling star which peeped down, shy and solitary,
-from across the rolling billows of boundless universe.
-
-Beau Brocade stretched out both arms, and sighed
-in an agony of longing. Fire was in his veins, a
-burning thirst in his heart, for something he dared
-not define.
-
-How empty seemed his life! how wrecked! how
-hopelessly wasted!
-
-Yet he loved the Moor, the peace, the solitude:
-he loved the sunset on the Heath and every sound of
-animal life in this lonesome vastness.
-
-But to-night!...
-
-One smile from a woman's lips, a glow of pride in
-her eyes, just one cluster of snow-white roses at her
-breast, and all the glories of Nature in her most lavish
-mood seemed tame, empty, oh! unutterably poor.
-
-Nay! he would have bartered his very soul at
-this moment to undo the past few years. To be
-once more Jack Bathurst of His Majesty's regiment
-of Guards, before one evening's mistake ruined the
-whole of his life. A quarrel over a game of cards, a
-sudden blind, unreasoning rage, a blow against his
-superior officer, and this same Jack Bathurst, the
-dandy about town, the gallant, enthusiastic,
-promising young soldier, was degraded from his military
-rank and thrown, resourceless, disgraced, banished,
-upon a merciless world, that has neither pity nor
-pardon for failures or mistakes.
-
-But, quite unlike the young Earl of Stretton,
-Jack Bathurst indulged in no morbid self-condemnation.
-Fate and he had thrown the dice, and he had
-lost. But there was too much of the untamed devil
-in him, too much spirit of wild adventure, to allow
-him to stoop to the thousand and one expedients,
-the shifts, the humiliations which the world holds
-in store for the broken-down gentleman.
-
-Moneyless, friendless, with his career irretrievably
-ruined, he yet scorned the life of the outcast or the
-pariah, of that wretched fragment of humanity that
-hangs on the fringe of society, envying the pleasures
-it can no longer share, haunting the gambling booths
-or noisy brothels of the towns, grateful for a nod, a
-handshake, from some other fragment less miserable
-than itself.
-
-No! a thousand times no!
-
-Jack Bathurst looked the future that was before
-him squarely in the face, then chose the life of the
-outlaw with a price upon his head. Aye! and forced
-that life to yield to him its full measure of delights:
-the rough, stormy nights on the Moor! the wild
-gallops over gorse and bramble, with the keen
-nor'-wester lashing his face and whipping up his blood,
-and with a posse of soldiers at his heels! the
-devil-may-care, mad, merry existence of the outlaw, who
-cuts a purse by night, and carries his life on his
-saddle-bow!
-
-That he chose and more! for he chose the love of
-the poor for miles around! the blessings spoken by
-suffering and patient lips upon the name of the
-highwayman, of Beau Brocade, who took from the rich
-at risk of his life in order to give to the needy.
-
-And now at even, on Brassing Moor, when a lonely
-shepherd caught sight of a chestnut horse bearing a
-slim, masked figure on its back, or heard in the
-distance a young voice, fresh as a skylark, singing
-some half-sad, half-lively ditty, he would turn his
-weary eyes in simple faith upwards to the stars and
-murmur gently,—
-
-"God bless Beau Brocade!"
-
-Perhaps He had!
-
-The stars knew, but they did not tell!
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`a rencontre on the heath`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER XVI
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- A RENCONTRE ON THE HEATH
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-Master Mittachip, on his lean nag, with his clerk,
-Master Duffy, on the pillion behind him, was on his
-way to Brassington.
-
-Sir Humphrey Challoner had not returned to the
-Moorhen after his visit to the forge until the sun was
-very low down in the west. He had bidden the
-attorney to await him at the inn, and Master
-Mittachip had not dared to disobey.
-
-Yet the delay meant the crossing of the Heath
-along the bridle path to Brassington, well after the
-shadows of evening had lent the lonely Moor an air
-of awesome desolation. There were the footpads,
-and the pixies, the human and fairy midnight
-marauders, who all found the steep declivities, the
-clumps of gorse and bracken, the hollows and the
-pits, safe resting-places by day, but who were wont to
-emerge from their lair after dark for the terror and
-better undoing of the unfortunate, belated traveller.
-
-Then there was Beau Brocade!
-
-Master Duffy too was very timid, and clung with
-trembling arms to the meagre figure of the attorney.
-
-"Nay! Master Duffy!" quoth Mittachip, with
-affected firmness, "why do you pry about so? Are
-you afraid?"
-
-"Nay! nay! Master Mittachip," replied the clerk,
-whose teeth were chattering audibly, "I am
-... n ... n ... not af ... f ... f ... fraid."
-
-"Tush, man, you have me near you," rejoined
-Mittachip, boldly. "See! I am armed! Look at my
-pistols!"
-
-And he leant back in the saddle, so as to give
-Master Duffy a good view of a pair of huge pistols
-that protruded ostentatiously from his belt.
-
-Yet all around the air was still, the solitary Heath
-was at peace, even the breezy nor'-wester, that had
-blustered throughout the day, seemed to have lain
-down to rest.
-
-Far out eastwards, the moon, behind a fast dispersing
-bank of clouds, was casting a silver radiance
-that was not yet a light, but only a herald of the
-glittering radiance to come.
-
-The Moor was silent and at peace: only at times
-there came the sound of a gentle flutter, a moorhen
-perhaps within its nest, or a belated lizard seeking its
-home.
-
-Whenever these slight sounds occurred, Master
-Mittachip's hands that held the reins trembled
-visibly, and his clerk clung more closely to him.
-
-"What was that?" said the attorney in an awed
-whisper, as his frightened ears caught a more distinct
-noise.
-
-"W ... w ... why don't you draw your
-p ... p ... pistols, Master Mittachip?"
-murmured Duffy, in mad alarm.
-
-The noise was hushed again, but to the overwrought
-nerves of the two men in terror, there came
-the certain, awful perception that someone was on
-the Heath besides themselves, someone not far off,
-whom the mist hid from their view, but who knew
-that they were travelling along the bridle path, who
-could see and perhaps hear them.
-
-"Truth to tell, Master Duffy," whispered the
-attorney, whose teeth too had begun to chatter.
-"Truth to tell, it's no use my drawing them
-... they ... they are not loaded."
-
-Master Duffy nearly fell off the pillion in his fright.
-
-"What?"
-
-"There's neither powder nor shot in them,"
-continued Master Mittachip, ruefully.
-
-"Th ... th ... then we are lost!" was
-Master Duffy's ejaculation of woe.
-
-"Eh?—what?" quoth Mittachip, "but your
-pistols are charged."
-
-And his pointed elbow sought behind it for the
-handles of two formidable weapons, which were
-stuck in Master Duffy's belt.
-
-"N ... n ... nay!" whispered the clerk, who
-now was blue with terror. "I dared not carry the
-weapons loaded.... I trusted to your valour,
-Master Mittachip, to protect us."
-
-"What was that?"
-
-Again that noise! this time a good deal nearer,
-and it seemed to Master Mittachip's affrighted eyes
-as if he saw something moving on the bridle path
-before him. But he would not show too many signs
-of fear before his own clerk.
-
-"Tush, man!" he said with as much boldness as
-he could command. "'Tis only a lizard in the grass
-mayhap. We'll ride on quite boldly. We can't be
-far from Brassington now, and no footpads would
-dare to attack two lusty fellows on horseback, with
-pistols showing in their belts! ... Lord!" he
-added with a shudder, "how lonely this place appears!"
-
-"And that rascal, Beau Brocade, haunts this
-Heath every night, I'm told," murmured Master
-Duffy, who felt more dead than alive.
-
-"Sh! sh! sh! speak not of the devil, Master
-Duffy, lest he appear!..."
-
-"Hark!!!"
-
-The two men now clung trembling to one another;
-not ten paces from them there came the sound of a
-horse's snorting, then suddenly a voice rang out
-clearly through the mist-laden air,—
-
-"Hello! who goes there!"
-
-"The Lord have mercy upon us!" whispered Mittachip.
-
-"It must be Beau Brocade himself," echoed the clerk.
-
-The next moment a horse and rider came into view.
-Master Mittachip and his clerk were too terrified even
-to look. The former had jerked the reins and brought
-his lean nag to a standstill, and both men now sat
-with eyes closed, teeth chattering, their very faces
-distorted with fear.
-
-Beau Brocade had reined his horse quite close to
-them, and was peering through his black mask at the
-two terror-stricken faces. Evidently they amused
-him vastly, for he burst out laughing.
-
-"Odd's my life! here's a pretty pair of scarecrows!
-... Well! I see you can stand, so now let's see
-what you've got to deliver!"
-
-At this Master Mittachip contrived to open his eyes
-for a second; but the black mask, and the heavily
-cloaked figure looked so ghostlike, so awful in the
-mist, that he promptly closed them again, and
-murmured with a shudder.—
-
-"Mercy, oh, noble sir! We ... we are poor men!..."
-
-"Poor-spirited men, you mean?" quoth Beau
-Brocade, giving the trembling figure a quick, vigorous
-shake. "Now then! off that nag of yours! Quick's
-the word!"
-
-But even before this word of command Master
-Mittachip, dragging his clerk after him, had tumbled,
-quaking, off his horse. They now stood clinging to
-each other, a miserable bundle of frightened humanity.
-
-"Come!" said Beau Brocade, looking down with
-some amusement at the spectacle. "I'm not going
-to hurt you—I never shoot at snipe! But you'll
-have to turn out your pockets and sharp too, an you
-want to resume your journey to-night."
-
-He had seized Master Duffy by the collar. The
-clerk was an all too-ready prey for any highwayman,
-and stooping from his saddle, Beau Brocade had
-quickly extracted a leather bag from the pocket of his
-coat.
-
-"Oho! guineas, as I live!"
-
-"Kind sir," began Duffy, tremblingly.
-
-"Now, listen to me, both of you," said Beau
-Brocade, trying to hide his enjoyment of the scene
-under an air of great sternness. "I know who you
-are. I know what work you've been doing this
-afternoon. Extorting rents barely due from a few
-wretched people, for your employers as hard-hearted
-as yourselves."
-
-"Kind sir..."
-
-"Silence! or I shoot! Besides, 'twere no use to
-tell me lies. The people about here know me. They
-call me Beau Brocade. I know them and their
-troubles. I happened to hear, for instance, that you
-extracted two guineas from the Widow Coggins,
-threatening her with a process for dilapidations
-unless she gave you hush money."
-
-"'Twas not our fault, kind sir..."
-
-"Then there was Mistress Haddakin, from whom
-you extracted fifty shillings for a new gate, which you
-don't intend to put up for her: and this, although
-she has only just buried her husband, and had a
-baby sick at home. You put on finer airs with the
-poor people than you do with me, eh?"
-
-"'Tis not our money, sir," protested Master
-Mittachip, humbly.
-
-"Some of it goes into your own pockets. Hush
-money, blood money, I call it. That's what I want
-from you, and then a bit over for the poor box on
-behalf of your employers."
-
-He weighed the leather bag which he had taken
-out of Master Duffy's pocket.
-
-"This'll do for the poor box. Now I want the
-five pounds you extorted from Widow Coggins and
-Mistress Haddakin. The poor women'll be glad
-of it on the morrow."
-
-"I haven't a penny more than that bagful, sir,"
-protested Master Mittachip. "My employers took
-all the money from me. 'Twere their rents I was
-collecting. I swear it, sir, kind sir! on my word of
-honour! And I am an honest man!"
-
-"Come here!"
-
-And Beau Brocade reined his horse back a few paces.
-
-"Come here!" he repeated.
-
-Mittachip was too frightened to disobey. He
-came forward, limping very perceptibly.
-
-"Why do you walk like that?" asked Beau Brocade.
-
-"I'm a feeble old man and rheumatic," whined
-Mittachip, despondently.
-
-"Then 'twere better to ease the load out of your
-boot, friend. Sit down here and take it off."
-
-And he pointed to a piece of boulder projecting
-through the shallow earth.
-
-But this Master Mittachip seemed very loth to do.
-
-"Kind sir..." he protested again.
-
-"Sit down and take off the right boot!" repeated
-Beau Brocade more peremptorily, and with a gay
-laugh and mock threatening gesture he pointed the
-muzzle of his pistol at the terror-stricken attorney.
-
-There was naught to do but to obey: and quickly
-too. Master Mittachip cursed the rascally
-highwayman under his breath, and even consigned him to
-eternal damnation, before he finally handed him up
-his boot.
-
-Beau Brocade turned it over, shook it, and a bag
-of jingling guineas fell at Jack o' Lantern's feet.
-
-"Give me that bag!"
-
-"Sir! kind sir!" moaned Master Mittachip, as
-he obediently handed up the bag of gold to his
-merciless assailant. "Have pity! I am a ruined
-man! 'Tis Sir Humphrey Challoner's money. I've
-been collecting it for him ... and he's a hard man!"
-
-"Oh!" said Beau Brocade, "'tis Sir Humphrey
-Challoner's money, is it? Nay! you old scarecrow,
-but 'tis his Honour himself sent me on the Heath
-to-night. Oho!" he added, whilst his merry,
-boyish laugh went echoing through the evening air,
-"methinks Sir Humphrey will enjoy the joke. Do
-you tell him, friend—an you see him in the morn—that
-you've met Beau Brocade and that he'll do his
-Honour's bidding."
-
-He counted some of the money out of the bag and
-put it in his pocket: the remainder he handed back
-to the astonished lawyer.
-
-"There!" he said with sudden earnestness, "I'll
-only make restitution to the poor whom you have
-robbed. You may thank your stars that an angel
-came down from heaven to-day and cast eyes of
-tender pity upon me, so that I care not to rob you,
-save for those in dire want. You may mount that
-nag of yours now, and continue your journey to
-Brassington. No turning aside, remember, and
-answer me when I challenge your good-night."
-
-Master Mittachip and his clerk had no call to be
-told twice. They mounted with as much agility
-as their trembling limbs would allow. Truly they
-considered themselves lucky in having saved some
-money out of the clutches of the rogue, and did not
-care to speculate on the cause of their good fortune.
-
-A few minutes later their lean horse was once more
-on its way, bearing its double burden. At first they
-had both looked back, attracted—now that their
-terror was gone—by the sight of that tall, youthful
-figure on the beautiful thoroughbred standing there
-on the crest of the hill and gradually growing more
-and more dim in the fast-gathering mist.
-
-The bridle path at this point dips very suddenly
-and a sharp declivity leads thence, straight on to
-Brassington.
-
-Beau Brocade's sharp eyes, accustomed to the
-gloom, watched horse and riders until the mist
-enveloped them and hid them from his view. Then
-he called loudly,—
-
-"Good-night!"
-
-And faintly echoing came the quaking reply,—
-
-"Good-night!"
-
-After that there was silence again. The outlaw
-was alone upon the Heath once more, the Heath
-which had been his home for so long.
-
-For him it had no cruelty and held no terror: the
-tall gorse and bracken oft sheltered him from the
-rain! Wrapped in his greatcoat, he had oft watched
-the tiny lizards darting to and fro in the grass, or
-listened to the melancholy cry of moorhen or
-heron. The tiny rough branches of the heather
-had been a warm carpet on which he had slept on
-lazy afternoons.
-
-The outlaw found a friend in great and lonely
-Nature, and when he was aweary he laid his head
-on her motherly breast, and like a child found rest.
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`a faithful friend`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER XVII
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- A FAITHFUL FRIEND
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-How long he stood there on the spur of the hill he
-could not afterwards have told. It may have been
-a few seconds, perhaps it was an eternity.
-
-During those few seconds or that eternity, the
-world was re-created for him: for him it became
-more beautiful than he had ever conceived it in his
-dreams. A woman's smile had changed it into an
-earthly paradise. A new and strange happiness
-filled his being, and set brain and sinews on fire.
-A happiness so great that his heart well nigh broke
-with the burden of it, and the bitter longing for what
-could never be.
-
-The cry of a moorhen thrice repeated at intervals
-roused him from his dreams.
-
-"John Stich," he murmured, "I wonder now
-what brings him out to-night!"
-
-And with a final sigh of deep regret, a defiant toss
-of the head, Beau Brocade turned Jack o' Lantern's
-head northwards whence the cry had come.
-
-There a rough track, scarce perceptible amongst
-the bracken, led straight up to the forge of John
-Stich. Horse and rider knew every inch of the way,
-although for the moment the fitful moon still hid her
-light behind a bank of clouds, and the mist now
-enveloped the Moor in a thick mantle of gloom.
-
-Soon the sensitive ears of the highwayman,
-accustomed to every sound, had perceived heavy
-footsteps on the unbeaten track, and presently a
-burly figure detached itself from the darkness beyond
-and came rapidly forward.
-
-"Odd's my life! but it's friend John!" said
-Beau Brocade, with a great show of severity.
-"Zounds! but this is rank insubordination! How
-dare you follow me on the Heath, you villain, and
-leave your noble guest unprotected? What?"
-
-"His lordship is safe enough, Captain," said the
-smith, who at sight of the young man had heaved an
-obvious sigh of relief, "and I could not rest until
-I'd seen you again."
-
-"Faith! you can't do that in this confounded
-mist, eh, John?" quoth Bathurst, lightly. But
-his fresh young voice had softened with a quaint
-tenderness, whilst he looked down, smiling, at the
-upturned face of his devoted friend.
-
-"Well! what about my friend, the Sergeant and
-the soldiers, eh?" he added gaily.
-
-"Oh! the Sergeant is too sick to speak," rejoined
-the smith, earnestly, "but the men vow you're a
-rebel lord. Those that were fit walked down to
-Brassington directly after you left: one man, who
-was wounded in the arm, started for Aldwark: they've
-gone to get help, Captain; either more soldiers, or
-loafers from the villages who may be tempted by the
-reward. They'll scour this Heath for you, from
-Aldwark to the cross-roads, and from Brassington to
-Wirksworth, and..."
-
-"And so much the better, friend Stich, for while
-they hunt for me his lordship will be safe."
-
-"But have a care, Captain! they're determined
-men, now, for you've fooled them twice. Be gy! but
-you've never been in so tight a corner before."
-
-"Pshaw!" quoth Beau Brocade, lightly, "life
-is none too precious a boon for me that I should
-make an effort to save it."
-
-"Captain..." murmured Stich, reproachfully.
-
-"There, friend John," added the young man, with
-that same touch of almost womanly tenderness, that
-had endeared him to the heart of honest Stich,
-"there! there! have no fear for me! I tell thee,
-man, they'll not get me on this Heath! Think you
-the furze and bracken, the heron or peewit would
-betray me? Me, their friend! Not they! I am
-safe enough!" he continued, while a strange ring
-of excitement made his young voice quiver. "Let
-them after me, and leave *her* brother in peace!
-And then, John! when he is safe ... perhaps I
-may see her smile once more! ... Heigh-ho! A
-fool am I, friend! A fool, I tell thee! fit for the
-gallows-tree outside thy forge!"
-
-John said nothing: he could not see Jack's face
-in the gloom, and did not understand his wild, mad
-mood, but his faithful heart ached to hear the ring of
-bitter longing in the voice of his friend.
-
-There was a moment's pause, whilst Bathurst
-made a visible effort to control his excitement. Then
-he said more calmly,—
-
-"Here, John! take this money, friend!"
-
-He dived in the pocket of his big caped coat and
-then placed in John's hand the two bags of money
-he had extracted from Master Mittachip and his clerk.
-
-"I've just got it from a blood-sucking agent of
-Sir Humphrey Challoner's: 'tis money wrung from
-poor people, who can ill afford it."
-
-"Aye! aye!" quoth John, with a sigh.
-
-"I want two guineas to go to Mistress Haddakin,
-who has just lost her husband: the poor wretch is
-nigh to starving. Then thirty shillings are for the
-Widow Coggins, up Hartington way: those blood-suckers
-took her last shilling yesterday. Wilt see to
-it, friend John?"
-
-"Aye! aye!"
-
-"The rest is for the poor box at Aldwark this
-time. Perhaps there'll be more before the morn."
-
-"Captain..."
-
-"Hush! don't begin to lecture, John!" said
-Beau Brocade, with curious earnestness. "I tell
-thee, friend, there's madness in my veins to-night.
-I pray thee go back home, and leave me to myself."
-
-"Don't send me away, Captain," pleaded John,
-"I ... I ... am uneasy, and..."
-
-"Dear, kind, faithful John," murmured Bathurst.
-"Zounds! but I'm an ungrateful wretch, for I vow
-thou dost love me, friend."
-
-"You know I do, Captain. I ... I ... I'd give..."
-
-"Nay ... nothing!" interrupted Jack, quickly,
-"give me nothing but that love of thine, friend
-... it is more precious than life ... but I pray thee,
-let me be to-night ... I swear to thee I'll do no
-harm.... I'll see thee in the morn, John....
-I'll be safe ... never fear!"
-
-John Stich sighed. He knew that further protest
-was useless. Already Beau Brocade had turned
-Jack o' Lantern's head once more towards the crest
-of the hill. The smith waited awhile, listening
-while he could to the sound of the horse's hoofs on
-the rain-sodden earth. His honest heart was
-devoured with anxiety both for his friend and for the
-brave young lady who was journeying townwards
-to-night.
-
-Suddenly it seemed to him as if far away he could
-hear the creaking of wheels on the distant Wirksworth
-road. The air was so still, that presently he
-could hear it quite distinctly. 'Twas her ladyship's
-coach, no doubt, plying its slow, wearying way along
-the quaggy road.
-
-It would be midway to the little town by now.
-The narrow track on which John stood cut the road
-at right angles, about a mile and a half away. The
-smith took to blaming himself that he had kept her
-ladyship's journey a secret from Beau Brocade.
-The latter was a monarch on the Heath: he would
-have kept footpads at bay, watched and guarded the
-coach, and seen it, mayhap, safely as far as Wirksworth.
-
-Never for a moment did the slightest fear cross the
-smith's mind that the notorious highwayman would
-stop Lady Patience's coach. Still, a warning would
-not have come amiss. Perhaps it was not too late.
-The road wound in and out a good deal, skirting
-bogland or massive boulders. John hoped that on
-the path he might yet come across Jack o' Lantern
-and his master, before they had met the coach.
-
-He started to run and had covered nearly a mile when
-suddenly he heard a shout, which made his honest
-heart almost stop in its beating, a shout, followed
-by two pistol shots in rapid succession.
-
-The shout had rung out clear and distinct in the
-fresh, lusty voice of Beau Brocade.
-
-"Stand and deliver!"
-
-John dared not think what the pistol shots had meant.
-
-With elbows now pressed to his sides, he began
-running at a wild gallop along the rough, unbeaten
-track, towards the point whence shots and shout had come.
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`moonlight on the heath`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER XVIII
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- MOONLIGHT ON THE HEATH
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-The jolting of the carriage along the quaggy road
-had been well nigh unendurable. Mistress Betty
-was groaning audibly. But Lady Patience, with her
-fair head resting against the cushions, was forgetting
-all bodily ailments, whilst absorbed in mental
-visions that flitted, swift and ever-changing, before
-her excited brain.
-
-There was the dear brother in peril of his life, his
-young face looking wan and anxious, then Sir
-Humphrey Challoner, the man she instinctively,
-unreasonably dreaded, and John Stich, the faithful
-retainer, brave and burly, guarding his lord's life
-with his own. These faces and figures wandered
-ghostlike before her eyes, and then vanished, leaving
-before her mental vision but one form and face, a
-pair of merry, deep-set grey eyes, that at times
-looked so inexpressibly sad, a head crowned with a
-mass of unruly curls, a figure, lithe and active, sitting
-upon a chestnut horse and riding away towards the sunset.
-
-It was a pleasant picture: no wonder Patience
-allowed her mind to dwell on it, and in fancy to hear
-that full-toned voice either in lively song or gay
-repartee, or at times with that ring of tenderness
-in it, which had brought the tears of pity to her eyes.
-
-The hours sped slowly on, the cumbrous vehicle
-jostled onwards, plunging and creaking, whilst
-Thomas urged the burdened horses along.
-
-Suddenly a jerk, more vigorous than before, roused
-Patience from her half-wakeful dreams. The heavy
-coach had seemed to take a plunge on its side, there
-was fearful creaking, and much swearing from the
-driver's box, a shout or two, panting efforts on the
-part of the horses, and finally the vehicle came to a
-complete standstill.
-
-Mistress Betty had started up in alarm.
-
-"Lud preserve us!" she shouted, putting a very
-sleepy head out of the carriage window, "what's
-the matter now, Thomas?"
-
-"We be stuck in a quagmire," muttered the latter
-worthy, vainly trying to smother more forcible
-language, out of respect for her ladyship's presence.
-
-Timothy, the groom, had dismounted: lanthorn
-in hand, he was examining the cause of the catastrophe.
-
-"Get the other lanthorn, Thomas!" he shouted
-to the driver, "and come and give me a hand, else
-we'll have to spend the night on this God-forsaken heath."
-
-"Is it serious, Timothy?" queried Lady Patience,
-anxiously.
-
-"I hope not, my lady. The axle is caked with
-mud on this side, and we do seem stuck in some kind
-of morass, but if Thomas'll hurry himself..."
-
-The latter, with many more suppressed oaths, had
-at last got down from his box, and had brought a
-second lanthorn round to the back of the coach,
-where Timothy had already started scraping shovelfuls
-of inky mud from the axle of the off-wheel.
-
-It was at this moment, and when the two men
-were intent upon their work, that a voice, loud and
-distinct, suddenly shouted behind them,—
-
-"Stand and deliver!"
-
-Thomas, who was of a timorous disposition,
-dropped the lanthorn he held, and in his fright
-knocked over the other which was on the ground. He
-was a man of peace, and knew from past experience
-that 'tis safer not to resist these gentlemen of the
-roads.
-
-When therefore the highwayman's well-known
-challenge rang out in the night, he threw up both
-hands in order to testify to his peaceful intentions;
-but Timothy, who was younger and more audacious,
-drew a couple of pistols from his belt, and at all
-hazards fired them off, one after the other, in the
-direction whence had come the challenge. The next
-moment he felt a vigorous blow on his wrists and the
-pistols flew out of his hand.
-
-"Hands up or I shoot!"
-
-Thomas was already on his knees. Timothy, thus
-disarmed, thought it more prudent to follow suit.
-
-From within the coach could be heard Mistress
-Betty's shrill and terrified voice,—
-
-"Nay! nay! your ladyship shall not go!"
-followed by her ladyship's peremptory command,—
-
-"Silence, child! Let me go! Stay you within
-an you are afraid!"
-
-There was a moment's silence, for at sound of her
-voice Beau Brocade had started, then he leaned
-forward on his horse, listening with all his might,
-wondering if indeed his ears had not misled him,
-if 'twas not a dream-voice that came to him out of
-the gloom.
-
-"Have I the honour of addressing Lady Rounce?"
-he murmured mechanically.
-
-At this moment the darkness, which up to now had
-been intense, began slowly to give place to a faint,
-silvery light. The moon, pale and hazy, tried to
-pierce the mist that still enveloped her as with a cold,
-blue mantle, and one by one tipped blackthorn and
-gorse with a cluster of shimmering diamonds.
-
-Like a ghostly panorama the heath revealed its
-thousand beauties, its many mysteries: the deep,
-dark tangle of bramble and ling, beneath which hide
-the gnomes and ghouls, the tiny blue cups of the
-harebells, wherein the pixies have their home; the
-fairy rings in the grass, where the sprites dance their
-wild saraband on nights such as this, with the crickets
-to play the tunes, and the glow-worms to light them
-in their revels.
-
-But to Beau Brocade the dim radiance of the moon,
-shy and golden through her veil of mist, only revealed
-one great, one wonderful picture: that of his dream
-made real, of his heavenly vision come down to earth,
-the picture of *her* stepping out of the coach that she
-might speak to him.
-
-She came forward quickly, and the hood flew back
-from her face. She was looking at him with a
-half-puzzled, half-haughty expression in her eyes, and
-Beau Brocade thought he had never seen eyes that
-were so deeply blue. He murmured her name,—
-
-"The Lady Patience!"
-
-"Nay, sir, since you know my name," she said,
-with a quaint, almost defiant toss of her small,
-graceful head. "I pray you, whoever you may be, to let
-me depart in peace. See," she added, holding a
-heavy purse out to him, "I have brought you what
-money I have. Will you take it and let me go?"
-
-But he dared not speak. He longed to turn Jack
-o' Lantern's head and to gallop away quickly out of
-her sight, before she had recognised him and learnt
-that the man on whom she had looked with such
-tender pity, and with such glowing admiration, was
-the highway robber, the outlaw, the notorious thief.
-Yet so potent was the spell of her voice, the moist
-shimmer of her lips, the depth and glitter of her blue
-eyes, that he felt as if iron fetters held him fast to the
-ground, there enchained before her, until at least she
-should speak again.
-
-He dismounted and she stepped a little closer to
-him, so close now that, had he stretched out his hand,
-he might have touched her cloak, or even those white
-finger-tips which...
-
-"Believe me, sir," she said a little impatiently,
-seeing that he did not speak, "I give you all I have
-freely an you molest me no more. I have urgent,
-very urgent business in London, which brooks of no
-delay. Kindly allow my men to go free."
-
-She was pleading now, all the haughtiness vanished
-from her face. Her voice, too, shook perceptibly;
-the tall, silent figure before her was beginning to
-frighten her.
-
-Yet he dared not trust himself to speak, lest by a
-word he should dispel this dream. This golden
-vision of paradise that heaven had so unaccountably
-sent to him this night! it might vanish again amidst
-the stars and leave the poor outlaw to his loneliness.
-
-This moment was so precious, so wonderful.
-
-Madly he longed for the god-like power to stop
-Time in its relentless way, to make sun, moon and
-stars, the earth and all eternity pause awhile, whilst
-he looked upon her, as she stood there, with the
-pleading look in her eyes, the honey-coloured moon above
-throwing a dim and flickering light upon her
-upturned face ... her golden hair ... that tiny
-hand stretched out to him.
-
-She seemed to wait for his reply, and at last in a
-low voice, which he tried to disguise, he murmured,—
-
-"Madam, I entreat you, have no fear! Believe
-me, I would sooner never see the sun set again than
-cause you even one short moment's anxiety."
-
-Again that quaint puzzled look came into her eyes,
-she looked at the black mask that hid his face, as if
-she would penetrate the secret which it kept.
-
-"Will you not take this purse?" she asked.
-
-"Nay! I will not take the purse, fair lady," he
-said, still speaking very low, "but I would fain, an
-you would permit it, hold but for one instant your
-hand in mine. Will you not let me?"
-
-The impulse was irresistible, the desire to hold her
-hand so strong that he had no power to combat it.
-She seemed puzzled and not a little frightened, but
-neither haughty nor resentful at his presumption:
-perhaps she felt the influence of the mystery which
-surrounded the dark, cloaked figure before her, or
-the more subtle spell of the mist-covered moon. She
-made no movement towards him, her hand which he
-craved to hold had dropped to her side.
-
-There was magic in the vast stillness of the Moor;
-on each dew-tipped point of grey-green gorse, from
-every frond of emerald bracken, there glistened a tiny
-crystal. Timothy and Thomas had retreated to a
-safer position, out of sight behind the huge vehicle,
-and inside the coach Betty was cowering in terror.
-They stood alone, these two, away from all the world,
-in a land all their own, a land of dreams, of poetry,
-and romance, where men died for a look from
-women's eyes, and conquered the universe for a smile.
-
-How silent was the Heath while he looked at her,
-and she returned his gaze half-trembling, wholly
-puzzled.
-
-"Will you not let me?" he pleaded. And
-instinctively his voice trembled in the pleading, and
-there came back to her mind the memory of this
-same voice, young and tender, as she had heard it in
-the forge. But she would not let him know that she
-had guessed.
-
-"Sir," she said with sudden, unaccountable
-shyness, "you have overpowered my men, they are but
-loutish cowards, and you are heavily armed. I am
-a defenceless woman.... How can I refuse if you
-command?"
-
-He took the pistols from his belt and laid them on
-the ground at her feet.
-
-"Nay, fair lady!" he said, "there is no question
-of command. See! I am unarmed now, and your
-men are free. Give them the word and I'll not stir
-hand or foot till you have worked your will with me.
-You see, 'tis I am at your mercy ... yet I still
-crave to hold your hand ... for one moment
-... in mine..."
-
-For one second more she hesitated: not because
-she was afraid, but because there was a subtle
-sweetness in this moment of suspense, a delicious feeling
-of expectancy for the joy that was to come.
-
-Then she gave him her hand.
-
-"Why! ... how it trembles," he said, "like
-some tiny frightened bird. See how white it looks
-in my rough brown hand. You are not afraid?"
-
-"Afraid? ... oh, no! ... but ... but the
-hour is late ... I pray you let me depart ... I
-must not tarry ... for so much depends upon my
-journey.... I pray you let me go."
-
-"No, no! don't go," he pleaded, clinging to the
-little hand whose cool touch had made his very
-senses reel, "don't go ... not just yet.... See
-how glorious is the moon above those distant hills
-... and the mist-laden air which makes your hair
-glisten with a thousand diamonds, whilst I, poor fool,
-holding your cool, white hand in mine, stand here
-gazing on a vision that whispers to me of things
-which can never, never be.... No! no, don't go
-just yet ... let the moon hide her light once more
-behind the mist ... let the Heath sink into
-darkness ... let me live in my dream one moment
-longer ... it will be dispelled all too soon."
-
-He had spoken so low, she scarce could hear, but
-she could feel his hand scorching hers with its
-fever-heat, and when he ceased speaking she heard a sigh,
-like a sob, a sigh of bitter longing, of hopeless regret,
-that made her heart ache with a new pain which was
-greater, more holy than pity.
-
-A strange excitement seemed to pervade him.
-Madness was in his veins. He longed to seize her,
-to lift her up on Jack o' Lantern's back and gallop
-away with her over the Moor, far, far out beyond
-bracken and heather, over those distant Tors, on,
-on to the mountains of the moon, to the valley of the
-shadows, she lying passive in his arms, whilst he
-looked for ever into the clear blue depths of her eyes.
-Perhaps she too felt this excitement gradually
-creeping over her; she tried to withdraw her hand,
-but he would not let it go. To her also there came
-the sense of unreality, of a vision of dreamland,
-wherein no one dwelt but she and this one man,
-where no sound came save that of his voice, rugged
-and tender, which brought tears of joy and pity to
-her eyes.
-
-In the grass at her feet a cricket began to chirp,
-and suddenly from a little distance there came the
-quaint, sweet sound of a shepherd's pipe, playing an
-old-time rigadoon.
-
-"Hark!" she whispered.
-
-The sound came nearer and nearer: she loved to
-hear the faint, elusive echo, the fairy accompaniment
-to her own dreamlike mood.
-
-"What a sweet tune," she murmured, as instinctively
-her foot began tapping the measure on the
-ground. "I mind it well! How oft have I danced
-to it beneath the Maypole!"
-
-"Will you then dance it with me to-night?"
-
-"Nay, sir ... you do but jest..."
-
-But his excitement was at fever-point now. The
-outlaw at least could work his will upon this Heath,
-of which he alone was king. He could not carry her
-away on Jack o' Lantern's back, but he could make
-her stay with him a while longer, dance with him,
-here in the moonlight, her hand in his, his arm at
-times round her waist in the mazes of the dance, her
-cheeks flushed, her eyes bright, her breath panting,
-aye! for she should feel too that reckless fire that
-scorched him. All the fierce, untamed blood in him
-ran like molten lava in his veins. Aye! for one more
-brief half-hour he—the lonely dweller on the Moor—the
-pariah, the outcast, would taste the joys of the gods.
-
-"I was never more earnest in my life!" he
-vowed, with that gay, mad, merry laugh of his,
-"a dance with you here in the moonlight! Aye! a
-dance in the midst of my dreams!"
-
-"But indeed, indeed, sir," she pleaded, "the hour
-is late and my business in London is very urgent."
-
-"Nay, ten minutes for this dance will not much
-delay your journey, and I swear by your sweet eyes
-that after that you shall go unmolested."
-
-"But if I refuse?"
-
-"An you refuse," he said, bending the knee before
-her, and bowing humbly at her feet, "I will entreat
-you on my knees..."
-
-"And if I still refuse?" she murmured.
-
-"Then will I uproot the trees, break the carriage
-that bears you away, tear up the Heath and murder
-yon knaves! God in heaven only knows what I
-would *not* do an you refuse."
-
-"No, no, sir, I pray you..." she said, alarmed
-at his vehemence, puzzled, fascinated, carried away
-by his wild, reckless mood and the potent spell of
-the witching moon. "Nay! how can I refuse?
-... I am in your power ... and must do as you bid
-me.... An you really wish for a dance..."
-
-She allowed him to lead her away to a short distance
-off the beaten track, there, where a carpet of ling and
-grass, and walls of bramble and gorse formed a
-ball-room fit for gods and goddesses to dance in. At the
-further end of this clearing the quaint, shrivelled
-figure of Jock Miggs, the shepherd, had just come
-into view. At a little distance to the left, and close
-to the roadside, there was a small wooden shed, and
-beyond it a pen, used by the shepherds as a shelter on
-rough nights when tending their sheep on the Heath.
-
-For the moment the pen was empty, and Jock
-Miggs was evidently making his way to the hut for
-a few hours' sleep, and had been playing his pipe for
-the sake of company.
-
-"Aye! a dance here!" said Beau Brocade, "with
-the moon and stars to light us, a shepherd to play
-the tune, and the sprites that haunt the Heath for
-company! What ho! there! friend shepherd!" he
-shouted to Miggs.
-
-The worthy Jock caught sight of the two figures
-standing in the centre of the clearing, not twenty
-paces away from him.
-
-"Lud have mercy upon me!" he gasped.
-"Robbery! Violence! Murder!"
-
-"Nay, friend! only merry-making," quoth Beau
-Brocade, gaily. "We want to dance upon this
-Heath, and you to play the tune for us."
-
-"Eh? what?" muttered the shepherd, in his
-vague, apologetic way, "dancing at this hour o' the
-night?"
-
-"Aye!"
-
-"And me to play for a parcel of mad folk?"
-
-"Well said, honest shepherd! Let us all be mad
-to-night! but you shall play for us, and here!—here
-is the wherewithal to set your pipe in tune."
-
-He threw a heavy purse across to Miggs, who, still
-muttering something about lunatics on the Heath,
-slowly stooped and picked it up.
-
-"Guineas!" he muttered, weighing it in his hand,
-"guineas, as I live! Guineas for playing a dance
-tune. Nay, sir, you're mad, sure enough."
-
-"Wilt play the tune, shepherd?" shouted Beau
-Brocade in wild impatience.
-
-Jock Miggs shook his head with a determined air.
-
-"Nay! your madness is nought to me. You've
-paid for a tune, and you shall have the tune. But,
-Lordy! Lordy! these be 'mazing times."
-
-He settled himself down on a clump of grass-covered
-earth, and stolidly began piping the same
-old-time rigadoon. These were a pair of lunatics, for
-sure, but since the gentleman had paid for this
-extraordinary pleasure, 'twas not for a poor shepherd
-to refuse to earn a few honest guineas.
-
-Beau Brocade bowed to his lady with all the
-courtly grace of a town gallant.
-
-"Madam! your most humble, and most obedient servant."
-
-As in a dream Patience began to tread the measure.
-It was all so strange, so unreal! surely this was a
-dream, and she would wake anon.
-
-She turned and twisted in the mazes of the dance,
-gradually the intoxication of it all had reached her
-brain; she seemed to see round her in the grass pixie
-faces gazing curiously upon her. All the harebells
-seemed to tinkle, the shepherd's pipe sounded like
-fairy bells. Through the holes in the black mask
-she could see a pair of burning eyes watching her as
-if entranced.
-
-She felt like a creature of some other world, a
-witch mayhap, dancing a wild saraband with this
-man, her lord and master, a mad, merry sprite who
-had arranged this moonlight Sabbath.
-
-Her cheeks began to glow, her eyes were sparkling
-with the joy of this dance. Her breath came panting
-through her parted lips.
-
-Aye! mad were they both! what else? Their
-madness was the intoxication which man alone can
-feel when his joy equals that of the gods! Quicker,
-shepherd! quicker! let thy pipe wake all the fairy
-echoes of this mystic, ghostlike Moor! Let all the
-ghouls and gnomes come running hither, let the stars
-pale with envy, let fairies and sprites clap their hands
-for joy, since one man in all this world was happier
-than all the spirits in heaven!
-
-How long it lasted neither of them could tell.
-The honey-coloured moon lighted them all the while,
-the blue mist wrapped them as in a mystic veil.
-Still they danced on; at times she almost lay in his
-arms, hot, panting, yet never weary, then she would
-slip away, and with eyes aglow, cheeks in rosy flame,
-beckon to him, evade, advance, then once more put
-her hand in his and madden him with the touch.
-
-Oh! that heaven-born hour! why did it ever cease?
-
-A wild shriek, twice repeated, brought them both
-to a standstill.
-
-She, with heart beating, and hand pressed to her
-panting bosom, was unable to stir. Whilst the
-excitement kept her up she had danced, but now,
-with that piercing shriek, the dream had vanished
-and she was back on earth once more.
-
-"What was that?"
-
-Thomas and Timothy, attracted by the strange
-spectacle, had gradually crept up to the clearing, and
-through a clump of gorse and bracken had been
-watching the weird, midnight dance. On the
-further side, and close to Jock Miggs, John Stich had
-been standing in the shadow of a thorn bush. He
-had been running all the way, ever since he heard the
-two pistol-shots. Amazed at the strange sight that
-met his honest eyes, he had not dared to interfere.
-Perhaps his honest faithful heart felt with, even if
-it did not altogether comprehend, the wayward,
-half-crazy mood of his friend.
-
-Betty alone, terrified and not a little sulky, had
-remained in the coach. It was her shriek that
-roused the spectators and performers of this
-phantasy on the Heath.
-
-"My lady! my lady!" screamed Betty once
-more at the top of her voice.
-
-Then, all of a sudden, Patience understood.
-Fairyland had indeed vanished. The awful reality
-came upon her with appalling cruelty.
-
-"My letters!" she gasped, and started running
-towards the coach.
-
-But already Jack Bathurst had bounded across
-the clearing, closely followed by John Stich.
-Patience's cry of mad, terror-stricken appeal had
-gone straight to his brain, and dissipated in the
-fraction of a second the reckless excitement of the
-past hour.
-
-The wild creature of one moment's wayward mood
-was in that same fraction of time re-transformed into
-the cool and daring dweller of the Moor, on whose
-head the law had set a price, and who in revenge had
-made every law his slave.
-
-His keen, quick eye had already sighted the smith.
-
-"After me, John!" he commanded, "and run
-for your life."
-
-When the two men had fought their way through
-the clumps of gorse and bracken which screened the
-clearing from the road, they were just in time to see
-a man quickly mounting a dark brown horse, which
-stood some twenty yards in front of the coach.
-
-The carriage door nearest to them was open, and
-poor Mistress Betty lay on the ground close beside
-it, still screaming at the top of her voice.
-
-With one bound Beau Brocade had reached Jack
-o' Lantern, who, accustomed to his unfettered life
-on the Heath, had quietly roamed about at will,
-patiently waiting for his master's call. The young
-man was unarmed, since he had placed his pistols
-awhile ago at Patience's feet, but Jack o' Lantern
-was swift-footed as the deer, and would overtake any
-strange horseman easily.
-
-Beau Brocade's hand was on his horse's bridle
-and there were barely a few yards between him and
-the mysterious horseman, who was preparing to
-gallop away, when the latter turned, and suddenly
-pointing a pistol at his pursuer, fired two shots in
-rapid succession.
-
-The young man did not stop at once. He clutched
-Jack o' Lantern's bridle and tried to mount, but he
-staggered and almost fell.
-
-"After him, John," he cried in a hoarse voice, as,
-staggering once more, he fell upon one knee. "After
-him! quick! take Jack o' Lantern, don't mind me!"
-
-John had no need to be told twice. He seized the
-horse's bridle and swung himself into the saddle as
-quickly as he could.
-
-But these few seconds had given the horseman a
-sufficient start. Although the moon was bright the
-mist was thick, and the bracken and thorn bushes
-very dense on the other side of the road. Already
-he had disappeared from view, and John's ears and
-eyes were not so keen as those of Beau Brocade, the
-highwayman, the wounded monarch of the Heath.
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`his oath`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER XIX
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- HIS OATH
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-Patience's first thought as soon as she reached the
-road was for Betty; she helped the poor girl to her
-feet and tried to get some coherent explanation from her.
-
-"I was listening to the tune, my lady, and leaning
-my head out of the window," moaned Mistress Betty,
-who was more frightened than hurt, "when suddenly
-the carriage door was torn open, I was dragged out
-and left screaming on the ground.... That's all
-I know."
-
-But one glance at the interior of the coach had
-revealed the whole awful truth. It had been
-ransacked, and the receptacle beneath the cushions,
-where had lain the all-important letters, was now
-obviously empty.
-
-"The letters! oh, the letters!" moaned Patience
-in an agony of misery and remorse. "Philip, my
-dear, dear one, you entrusted your precious life in my
-hands, and I have proved unworthy of the trust."
-
-Her spirit wholly broken by the agony of this
-cruel thought, she cowered on the step of the carriage,
-her head buried in her hands, in a passion of
-heart-broken tears.
-
-"My lady..."
-
-She looked down, and by the dim light of the moon
-she saw a figure on its knees, dragging itself with a
-visibly painful effort slowly towards her.
-
-In a moment she was on her feet, tall, haughty,
-a world of scorn in her eyes; she looked down with
-horror at the prostrate figure before her.
-
-"Nay, sir," she said with icy contempt, "an you
-have a spark of honour left in you, take off that mask,
-let me at least see who you are."
-
-The agony of shame was more than she could bear.
-She who had deemed herself so proud, so strong, that
-she should have been thus fooled, duped, tricked, and
-by this man! this thief! this low class robber who
-had dared to touch her hand! All the pride of race
-and caste rose in revolt within her. Who was he
-that he should dare to have spoken to her as he did?
-Her cheeks glowed with shame at the memory of that
-voice which she had loved to hear, the tender accent
-in it, and oh! she had been his plaything, his tool,
-for this infamous trick which had placed her dear,
-dear brother's life in peril worse than before.
-
-Meekly he had obeyed her, his own proud spirit
-bent before her grief. His face—ashy pale now and
-drawn with pain and weakness—looked up in mute
-appeal for forgiveness.
-
-"A poor wretch," he murmured feebly, "whose
-mad and foolish whim..."
-
-But she turned from him in bitter loathing,
-drawing herself up to her full height, trying by every
-means in her power to show the contempt which she
-felt for him. So absorbed was she in her grief and
-humiliation, in her agony of remorse for her broken
-trust, that she did not realise that he was hurt, and
-fainting with loss of blood.
-
-"You ... you..." she murmured with horror
-and contempt. "Nay! I pray you do not speak to
-me.... You ... you have duped and tricked
-me, and I ... I ... Oh!" she added with a
-wealth of bitter reproach, "what wrong had I or my
-dear brother done to you that you should wish to do
-him so much harm? What price had his enemies set
-upon his head that you should *sell* it to them?"
-
-He tried to interrupt her, for her words hurt him
-ten thousand times more than the wound in his
-shoulder: with almost superhuman effort he dragged
-himself to his feet, clinging to the bracken to hold
-himself upright. He would not let her see how she
-made him suffer. She! his beautiful white rose,
-whom unwittingly he had, it seemed, so grievously
-wronged. Her mind was distraught, she did not
-understand, and oh! it was impossible that she *could*
-realise the cruelty of her words, more hard to endure
-than any torture the fiendish brain of man could
-devise.
-
-"I'd have given you gold," she continued, whilst
-heavy sobs choked the voice in her throat, "if 'twas
-gold you wanted.... Here is the purse you did not
-take just now! Two hundred guineas for you, sir,
-an you bring me back those letters!"
-
-And with a last gesture of infinite scorn she threw
-the purse on the ground before him.
-
-A cry escaped him then: the terrible, heart-rending
-cry of the wild beast wounded unto death.
-But it was momentary; that great love he bore her
-helped him to understand. Love is never
-selfish—always kind. Love *always* understands.
-
-He could scarcely speak now, and the seconds were
-very precious, but with infinite gentleness he
-contrived to murmur faintly,—
-
-"Madam! I swear by those sweet lips of yours now
-turned in anger against me that you do me grievous
-wrong. My fault, alas! is great! I cannot deny it,
-since in this short, mad hour of the dance my eyes
-were blind and mine ears deaf to all save to your own
-dear presence."
-
-"Aye! 'twas a clever trick," she retorted, lashing
-herself to scorn, wilfully deaf to the charm of that
-faint voice, turning away from the tender appeal of
-his eyes: "a trick from beginning to end! Your
-chivalry at the forge! your *rôle* of gallant gentleman
-of the road! the while you plotted with a boon
-companion to rob me of the very letters that would have
-saved my brother's life."
-
-"Letters? ... that would have saved your
-brother's life? ... What letters?..."
-
-"Nay, sir! I pray you fool me no further. Heaven
-only knows how you learnt our secret, for I'll vouch
-that John Stich was no traitor. Those letters were
-stolen, sir, by your accomplice, whilst you tricked me
-into this dance."
-
-He pulled himself together with a vigorous effort
-of will, forcing himself to speak quietly and firmly,
-conquering the faintness and dizziness which was
-rapidly overpowering him.
-
-"Madam!" he said gently, "dare I hope that you
-will believe me when I say that I know naught of
-those letters? ... John Stich, as you know, is
-loyal and true ... not even to me would he have
-revealed your secret ... nay, more! ... it seems
-that I too have been tricked to further a villain's
-ends. Will you not try and believe that had I
-known what those letters were I would have guarded
-them, for your sweet sake, with my last dying
-breath?"
-
-She did not reply: for the moment she could not,
-for her tears choked her, and there was the magic of
-that voice which she could not resist. Still she
-would not look at him.
-
-"Sir!" she said a little more calmly, "Heaven
-has given you a gentle voice, and the power of tender
-words, with which to cajole women. I would wish
-to believe you, but..."
-
-She was interrupted by the sound of voices, those
-of Thomas and Timothy, her men, who had kept a
-lookout for John Stich. The next moment the
-smith himself, breathless and panting, came into
-view. He had ridden hard, for Jack o' Lantern's
-flanks were dripping with sweat, but there was a
-look of grave disappointment on the honest man's face.
-
-"Well?" queried Beau Brocade, excitedly, as
-soon as John had dismounted.
-
-"I'm feared that I've lost the scoundrel's track,"
-muttered John, ruefully.
-
-"No?"
-
-"At first I was in hot pursuit, he galloping towards
-Brassington; suddenly he seemed to draw rein, and
-the next moment a riderless horse came tearing past
-me, and then disappeared in the direction of Aldwark."
-
-"A riderless horse?"
-
-"Aye! I thought at first that maybe he'd been
-thrown; I scoured the Heath for half a mile around,
-but ... the mist was so thick in the hollow, and
-there was not a sound.... I'd have needed a
-blood-hound to track the rascal down."
-
-An exclamation of intense disappointment escaped
-from the lips of Lady Patience and of Beau
-Brocade.
-
-"Do you know who it was, John?" queried the latter.
-
-"No doubt of that, Captain. It was Sir Humphrey
-Challoner right enough."
-
-"Sir Humphrey Challoner!" cried Patience, in
-accents of hopeless despair, "the man who covets
-my fortune now holds my brother's life in the hollow
-of his hand."
-
-Excitedly, defiantly, she once more turned to
-Beau Brocade.
-
-"Nay, sir," she said, "an you wish me to believe
-that you had no part in this villainy, get those letters
-back for me from Sir Humphrey Challoner!"
-
-He drew himself up to his full height, his pride at
-least was equal to her own.
-
-"Madam! I swear to you..." he began. He
-staggered and would have fallen, but faithful Stich
-was nigh, and caught him in his arms.
-
-"You are hurt, Captain?" he whispered, a world
-of anxiety in his kindly eyes.
-
-"Nay! nay!" murmured Beau Brocade, faintly,
-"'tis nothing! ... help me up, John! ... I have
-something to say ... and must say it ... standing!"
-
-But Nature at last would have her will with him,
-the wild, brave spirit that had kept him up all this
-while was like to break at last. He fell back dizzy
-and faint against faithful John's stout breast.
-
-Then only did she understand and realise. She
-saw his young face, once so merry and boyish, now
-pale with a hue almost of death; she saw his once
-laughing eyes now dimmed with the keenness of his
-suffering. Her woman's heart went out to him, she
-loathed herself for her cruelty, her heart,
-overburdened with grief, nearly broke at the thought of
-what she had done.
-
-"You are hurt, sir," she said, as she bent over
-him, her eyes swimming in tears, "and I ... I
-knew it not."
-
-The spell of her voice brought his wandering spirit
-back to earth and to her.
-
-"Aye, hurt, sweet dream!" he murmured feebly,
-"deeply wounded by those dear lips, which spoke
-such cruel words; but for the rest 'tis naught. See!"
-he added, trying to raise himself and stretching a
-yearning hand towards her, "the moon has hid her
-face behind that veil of mist ... and I can no
-longer see the glory of your hair! ... my eyes are
-dim, or is it that the Heath is dark? ... I would
-fain see your blue eyes once again.... By the
-tender memory of my dream born this autumn
-afternoon, I swear, sweet lady, that your brother's
-life shall be safe! ... Whilst I have one drop of
-blood left in my veins, I will protect him."
-
-With trembling hand he sought the white rose
-which still lay close to her breast: she allowed him to
-take it, and he pressed it to his lips.
-
-Then, with a final effort he drew himself up once
-more, and said loudly and clearly,—
-
-"By this dear token I swear that I will get those
-letters back for you before the sun has risen twice
-o'er our green-clad hills."
-
-"Sir ... I..."
-
-"Tell me but once that you believe me ... and
-I will have the strength that moves the
-mountains."
-
-"I believe you, sir," she said simply. "I believe
-you absolutely."
-
-"Then place your dear hand in mine," he whispered,
-"and trust in me."
-
-And the last thought of which he was conscious
-was of her cool, white fingers grasping his fevered
-hand. Then the poor aching head fell back on John's
-shoulder, the burning eyes were closed, kindly Nature
-had taken the outlaw to her breast and spread her
-beneficent mantle of oblivion over his weary senses
-at last.
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`a thrilling narrative`:
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- PART III
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- BRASSINGTON
-
-.. vspace:: 3
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER XX
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- A THRILLING NARRATIVE
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-Mr Inch, beadle of the parish of Brassington, was
-altogether in his element.
-
-Dressed in his gold-laced coat, bob-tail wig and
-three-cornered hat, his fine calves encased in the
-whitest of cotton stockings, his buckled shoes
-veritable mirrors of shiny brilliancy, he was standing,
-wand of office in hand, outside the door of the tiny
-Court House, where Colonel West, Squire of Brassington,
-was sitting in judgment on the poachers and
-footpads of the neighbourhood.
-
-Before Mr Inch stood no less a person than Master
-Mittachip, attorney-at-law. Master Mittachip
-desired to speak with Squire West, and the pompous
-beadle was in the proud position of standing between
-this presumptuous desire and the supreme Majesty
-of the Law.
-
-"Them's my orders, sir," he said, with all the
-solemnity which this extraordinary event demanded.
-"Them's my orders. Squire West's own orders.
-'Inch,' he says to me—my name being Jeremiah
-Inch, sir—'Inch,' he says, 'the odours which
-perambulate the court-room'—and mind ye, sir, he
-didn't use such polite language either—'the odours
-is more than I can endurate this hot morning!' As
-a matter of fact, sir, truth compellates me to state
-that Squire West's own words were: 'Inch, this
-room stinks like hell! too many sweating yokels
-about!' Then he gave me his orders: 'The room
-is too full as it is, don't admit anyone else, on any
-pretext or cause whatsoever.'"
-
-Master Mittachip had made various misguided
-efforts to interrupt Mr Inch's wonderful flow of
-eloquence. It was only when the worthy beadle
-paused to take breath, that the attorney got in a
-word edgewise.
-
-"Harkee, my good man..." he began impatiently.
-
-"I am extra-ordinarily grieved, sir," interrupted
-Master Inch, who had not nearly finished, "taking
-into consideration that I am somewhat dubersome,
-whether what his Honour said about the odours could
-apply individually to you, but orders is orders, sir, and
-the Squire as a legal luminosity must be obeyed in all
-things."
-
-Mr Inch heaved a deep sigh of satisfaction. It was
-not often that he had the opportunity of showing off
-his marvellous eloquence and wonderful flow of
-language before so distinguished a gentleman as
-Master Mittachip, attorney-at-law. But the latter
-seemed not to appreciate the elegance of the worthy
-beadle's diction; on the contrary, he had throughout
-shown signs of the greatest impatience, and now,
-directly Mr Inch heaved this one sigh, Master Mittachip
-produced a silver half-crown, and toying with it,
-in apparent indifference, said significantly,—
-
-"I am sure, friend Beadle, that if you were to
-acquaint Squire West that his Honour, Sir Humphrey
-Challoner, desired to speak with him..."
-
-Mr Inch stroked his fat, clean-shaven chin, and
-eyed the silver half-crown with an anxious air.
-
-"Ah! perhaps!" he suggested with as much
-dignity as the new circumstance allowed, "perhaps
-if I did so far contravene my orders..."
-
-"I feel sure that Sir Humphrey would see fit to
-reward you," suggested the attorney, still idly
-fingering that tempting half-crown.
-
-But Master Inch was still "dubersome."
-
-"But then, you understand," he said, "it is
-against the regulations that I should vacuate my
-post until after the sitting is over ... so..."
-
-"Sir Humphrey Challoner is partaking of breakfast
-at the Royal George, Master Inch, he would
-wish Squire West to know that he'll attend on him
-here in half an hour."
-
-Master Inch closed one eye, and with the other
-keenly watched Master Mittachip's movements.
-The attorney turned the half-crown over in his lean
-hand once or twice, then he made as if he would put
-it back in his pocket.
-
-This decided the beadle.
-
-"I'll go and reconnoitre-ate," he said, "and
-perhaps I can despatch a menial to impart to the
-Squire, Sir Humphrey's wishes and cognomen."
-
-Thus the majestic beadle felt that his dignity had
-not been impaired. With a magnificent turn of
-his portly person, and an imposing flourish of his
-wand of office, he disappeared within the precincts
-of the Court.
-
-Master Mittachip slipped the half-crown back in
-his pocket, and did not wait for the beadle's return.
-He was quite satisfied that Sir Humphrey's wishes
-would be acceded to. He turned his back on the
-Court House and slowly crossed the green.
-
-Opposite to him was the Royal George, where he
-and Master Duffy had put up for the night. In the
-small hours of the morning he had been aroused from
-peaceful slumbers by a great disturbance at the inn.
-Sir Humphrey Challoner, booted and spurred, but
-alone, on foot, and covered with mud, was
-peremptorily demanding admittance.
-
-Since then Master Mittachip had had an interview
-with his employer, wherein his Honour had expressed
-the desire to speak with Squire West after he, himself,
-had partaken of late breakfast. That interview had
-been a very brief one, but it had sufficed to show to
-the lean attorney that Sir Humphrey's temper was
-none of the best this morning.
-
-His Honour had desired Master Mittachip's presence
-again, and the latter was now making his way slowly
-back to the Royal George, his knees quaking under
-him, his throat dry, and his tongue parched with
-terror. Sir Humphrey Challoner was not pleasant
-to deal with when his temper was up.
-
-The attorney found his Honour installed at breakfast
-in the private parlour of the inn, and consuming
-large mugs full of ale and several rashers of fried bacon.
-
-"Well?" queried Sir Humphrey, impatiently,
-as soon as the attorney's lean, bird-like face appeared
-in the doorway.
-
-"I sent word to his Honour, Squire West,"
-explained the latter, coming forward timidly, "saying
-that you would wish to see him at the Court House in
-half an hour. And, unless your Honour would wish
-me to speak to the Squire for you..."
-
-"No!" rejoined his Honour, curtly. "'Sdeath! don't
-stand there fidgeting before me," he added.
-"Sit down!"
-
-Master Mittachip meekly obeyed. He selected
-the straightest chair in the room, placed it as far
-away from his Honour as he could, and sat down on
-the extreme edge of it.
-
-"Well! you lean-faced coward," began his Honour,
-whose temper did not seem to have improved after
-his substantial breakfast, "you allowed yourself to
-be robbed of my money last night, eh?"
-
-Thus much Sir Humphrey knew already, for his
-first inquiry on meeting Mittachip at the inn had been
-after his rents. Since then the attorney had had
-half an hour in which to reflect on what he would say
-when his Honour once more broached the subject.
-Therefore he began to protest with a certain degree
-of assurance.
-
-"On my honour, Sir Humphrey, you misjudge
-me," he said deliberately. "As my clerk and I
-passed the loneliest spot on the Heath, and without
-any previous warning, two masked men leapt into
-the path in front of us, and presented pistols. A
-third man called to us to stand."
-
-Here Master Mittachip made an effective pause,
-the better to watch the impression which his narrative
-was making on his employer. The latter was quietly
-picking his teeth, and merely remarked quietly,—
-
-"Well? and what did you do?"
-
-Thus encouraged Mittachip waxed more bold.
-
-"In a flash I drew a pistol," he continued glibly,
-"and so did Duffy ... for I must say he bore
-himself bravely. We both fired and my ball knocked
-the hat off the fellow nearest to me, but Master
-Duffy's ball unfortunately missed. I was drawing
-my other pistol, determined to make a desperate
-fight, and I believe Duffy did as much.... I was
-amazed that the fellows did not fire upon us in
-return..."
-
-He was distinctly warming up to his subject.
-But here he was interrupted by a loud guffaw. Sir
-Humphrey was evidently vastly amused at the
-thrilling tale, and his boisterous laugh went echoing
-along the blackened rafter of the old village inn.
-
-"Odd's my life! 'tis perfect! marvellous, I call
-it! And tell me, Master Mittachip," added his
-Honour, whose eyes were streaming and whose sides
-were shaking with laughter, "tell me, why did they
-not fire? Eh?"
-
-From past experience Master Mittachip should
-have known that when Sir Humphrey Challoner
-laughed his loudest, then was he mostly to be dreaded.
-Yet in this instance the attorney's delight at his own
-realistic story drowned the wiser counsels of prudence.
-He took his Honour's hilarity as a compliment to his
-own valour, and continued proudly,—
-
-"The reason was not far to seek, for at that very
-moment we were both seized upon from behind by
-two big fellows. Then all five of them fell upon us
-and dragged us aside into the darkness; they tied
-scarves about our mouths, so that we could not cry
-out.... Aye! and had some difficulty in doing
-it, for believe me, Sir Humphrey, I fought like mad!
-Then they rifled us of everything ... despoiled us
-absolutely..."
-
-At this point it struck Master Mittachip that his
-Honour's continued gaiety was somewhat out of
-place. The narrative had become thrilling surely,
-exciting and blood-curdling too, and yet Sir
-Humphrey was laughing more lustily than ever.
-
-"Go on, man! go on," he gasped between his
-paroxysms of merriment. "Odd's fish! but 'tis
-the best story I've heard for many a day!"
-
-"I will swear to the truth o' it in any court of law,"
-protested the attorney with somewhat less assurance.
-"The fifth man was Beau Brocade. I heard the others
-address him so, while I was lying gagged and bound."
-
-"Aye! you would *lie* anywhere," commented his
-Honour, "gagged and bound or not."
-
-"From your observation, Sir Humphrey, I gather
-that you somewhat ... er ... doubt my story!"
-murmured Master Mittachip in a quavering voice.
-
-"Doubt it, man? ... doubt it?" laughed his
-Honour, holding his sides, "nay! how can I doubt it?
-I saw it all..."
-
-"You, Sir Humphrey?"
-
-"I was there, man, on the Heath. I saw it all
-... your vigorous defence, your noble valour, your
-... your..."
-
-Master Mittachip's sallow face had assumed a
-parchment-like hue. He passed his dry tongue over
-his parched lips, great drops of moisture appeared
-beneath his wig. That his fears were not unfounded
-was presently proved by Sir Humphrey's sudden
-change of manner.
-
-The hilarious laugh died down in his Honour's
-throat, an ugly frown gathered above his deep-set
-eyes, and with a violent curse he brought his heavy
-fist down crashing upon the table.
-
-"And now, you lying, lumbering poltroon, where's
-my money?"
-
-"B ... b ... but, Sir Humphrey..."
-stammered the attorney, now pallid with terror.
-
-"There's no 'but' about it. You collected some
-rents for me, thirty guineas in all, that money must
-lie to my account in the bank at Wirksworth
-to-morrow, or by G—— I'll have you clapped in jail like
-the thief that you are."
-
-"B ... b ... but, your Honour..."
-
-"Silence! I've said my last word. If that money
-is not in the bank by noon to-morrow, I'll denounce
-you to the Wirksworth magistrate as a fraudulent
-agent. Now hold your tongue about that. I've
-said my last word. The rest is your affair, not mine.
-I've more important matters to think on."
-
-Master Mittachip, half dead with fear, dared not
-offer further argument or pleading. He knew his
-employer well enough to realise that his honour
-meant every word he said, and that he himself had
-nothing more to hope for in the matter of the money.
-The deficiency extracted from him by that rascal
-Beau Brocade would have to be made good somehow,
-and Master Mittachip bethought him ruefully of his
-own savings, made up of sundry little commissions
-extorted from his Honour's tenants.
-
-No wonder the attorney felt none too kindly
-disposed towards the highwayman. He watched Sir
-Humphrey's face as a hungry dog does his master's,
-and noted with growing satisfaction that his Honour's
-anger was cooling down gradually, and giving place
-to harder and more cruel determination. As he
-watched, the look of terror died out of his bony,
-sallow face, and his pale, watery eyes began to twinkle
-with keen and vengeful malice.
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`master mittachip's idea`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER XXI
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- MASTER MITTACHIP'S IDEA
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-He waited a little while, and gradually a smile of the
-deepest satisfaction spread over his bird-like
-countenance; he rubbed his meagre knees up and down
-with his thin hands, in obvious delight, and as soon
-as he saw his opportunity, he remarked slily,—
-
-"An your Honour was on the Heath last night,
-you can help me testify to highway robbery before
-Squire West. There are plenty of soldiers in this
-village. His Honour'll have out a posse or two; the
-rascal can't escape hanging this time."
-
-Sir Humphrey's florid, sensual face suddenly paled
-with a curious intensity of hatred.
-
-"Aye! he shall hang sure enough," he muttered,
-with a loud oath.
-
-He dragged a chair forward, facing Mittachip,
-and sat astride on it, drumming a devil's tattoo on the
-back.
-
-"Listen here, you old scarecrow," he said more
-quietly, "for I've not done with you yet. You don't
-understand, I suppose, what my presence here in
-Brassington means?"
-
-"I confess that I am somewhat puzzled, your
-Honour," replied the attorney, meekly. "I remarked
-on it to Master Duffy, just before he started off for
-Wirksworth this morning. But he could offer no
-suggestion."
-
-"Odd's life, man! couldn't you guess that having
-made my proposal to that rascally highwayman I
-could not rest at Aldwark unless I saw him carry it
-through?"
-
-"Ah?"
-
-"I got a horse at the Moorhen, and at nightfall
-I rode out on the Heath. I feared to lose my way
-on the bridle path, and moreover, I wished to keep
-her ladyship's coach in view, so I kept to the road.
-It must have been close on midnight when I sighted
-it at last. It was at a standstill in the midst of a
-quagmire, and as I drew near I could see neither
-driver on the box, nor groom at the horses' heads."
-
-"Well?"
-
-"Well! that's all! there was a wench inside the
-coach; I threw her out and searched for the letters;
-I found them! That rascally highwayman had
-played me false. Some distance from the road I
-spied him dancing a rigadoon in the moonlight with
-her ladyship, whilst her men, the dolts, were watching
-the spectacle! Ha! ha! ha! 'twas a fine sight too,
-I tell you! So now the sooner I get that chivalrous
-highwayman hanged, the better I shall like it."
-
-"Then ... am I to understand that your Honour
-has the letters?"
-
-"Aye! I have the letters right enough!" said Sir
-Humphrey, with an oath between his clenched teeth,
-"but I fear me her ladyship has cajoled the rogue
-into her service. Else why this dance? I did not
-know what to make of it. Madness, surely, or she
-never would have left the letters unprotected. He
-bewitched her mayhap, and the devil, his master,
-lent him a helping hand. I'll see him hang, I tell
-you.... Hang.... Hang!"
-
-Master Mittachip's attenuated frame quaked with
-terror. There was so much hatred, so much lust for
-revenge in Sir Humphrey's half-choked voice, that
-instinctively the attorney cowered, as before some
-great and evil thing which he only half understood.
-After awhile Sir Humphrey managed to control
-himself. He was ashamed of having allowed his
-agent this one peep into the darkness of his soul.
-His love for Patience, though brutish and grasping,
-was as strong as his sensuous nature was capable of:
-his jealousy and hatred had been aroused by the
-strange scene he had witnessed on the Heath, and he
-was as conscious now of the longing for revenge, as
-of the desire to possess himself of Lady Patience and
-her fortune.
-
-"'Sdeath!" he said more calmly, "Beau Brocade
-and that rascal John Stich were after me in a trice,
-and they'd have had the letters back from me, had I
-not put a bullet into the damned thief!"
-
-"And wounded him, your Honour?" queried
-Mittachip, eagerly.
-
-"Nay! I could not wait to see! but I hoped I
-had killed him, for 'twas John Stich who rode after
-me, fortunately. He was too big a fool to do me
-any harm and I quickly made him lose my track."
-
-"And you've destroyed the letters, Sir Humphrey?"
-
-"Destroyed them, you fool? Nay, it would ill
-suit my purpose if Stretton were to die. Can't you
-see that *now*," he said excitedly, "with those letters
-in my hand, I can force Lady Patience's acceptance
-of my suit? While her brother's life hangs in the
-balance I can offer her the letters, on condition that
-she consent to marry me, and threaten to destroy
-them if she refuse!"
-
-"Aye! aye!" murmured the attorney, "'twere
-a powerful argument!"
-
-"And remember," added his Honour, significantly,
-"there'll be two hundred guineas for you the day
-that I wed Lady Patience. That is, *if* you render
-me useful assistance to the end."
-
-"Two hundred guineas!!! Good lack, Sir
-Humphrey, I hope you've got those letters safe!"
-
-"Aye! safe enough for the present!"
-
-"About your person?"
-
-"Nay! you idiot! about my person? With so
-cunning a rascal as Beau Brocade at my heels!"
-
-"Then in your valise, Sir Humphrey?"
-
-"What? in a strange inn? Think you the fellow
-would be above breaking into my room? How do I
-know that mine host is not one of his boon
-companions? The rascal has many friends hereabouts."
-
-"B ... b ... but what have you done with
-them, Sir Humphrey?" queried the attorney, in
-despair.
-
-"In your ear, Master Mittachip," quoth his Honour,
-instinctively lowering his voice, lest the walls of the
-old inn had ears. "I thought the best plan was to
-hide the letters there, where Lady Patience and her
-chivalrous highwayman would least expect to find them."
-
-"How so, good Sir Humphrey?"
-
-"I was hard pressed, mind you, and had but a few
-seconds in which to make up my mind. I dismounted,
-then lashed my horse into a panic. As I expected
-he made straight for his own stables, at anyrate,
-he galloped off like mad in the direction of Aldwark,
-whilst I remained cowering in the dense scrub,
-grateful for the mist, which was very dense in the
-hollow. There I remained hidden for about half an
-hour, until all sound died away on the Heath. What
-happened to that damned highwayman or to John
-Stich I know not, but I did not feel that the letters
-were safe whilst they were about my person. I knew
-that I was some distance from this village, and still
-further from Aldwark, and feared that I should be
-pursued and overtaken. At any rate, I crept out
-of my hiding-place and presently found myself close
-to a wooden hut, not far from the roadside: and
-there, underneath some bramble and thorny stuff,
-I hid the letters well out of sight."
-
-"Oh! but they won't be safe there, Sir Humphrey,"
-moaned Mittachip, who seemed to see the golden
-vision of two hundred guineas vanishing before his
-eyes. "Think of it. Any moment they might be
-unearthed by some dolt of a shepherd!"
-
-"'Sdeath! I know that, you fool! They're in a
-dry place now, but I only mean them to remain there
-until you can take them to your own house at
-Wirksworth, and put them in your strong room till I have
-need of them."
-
-But this suggestion so alarmed Master Mittachip
-that he lost his balance and nearly fell off the edge of
-his chair.
-
-"I, Sir Humphrey? .... I ... cross that lonely
-Heath again? ... and with those letters about my
-person?..."
-
-"Tush, man! the footpads wouldn't take letters
-from you, and Beau Brocade will be keeping an eye
-on me, and wouldn't again molest you..."
-
-"Aye! but he knows I enjoy the honour of your
-confidence, good Sir Humphrey! Believe me, the
-letters would not be safe with me."
-
-"Adsbud!" said his Honour, firmly, "then I'll
-have to find someone else to take care of those letters
-for me, and," he added significantly, "to earn the
-two hundred guineas."
-
-Master Mittachip gave an anxious gasp. That
-two hundred guineas!!! the ultimate ambition of
-his sordid, miserable existence! No! he would not
-miss that! ... and yet he dreaded the Heath
-... and was in terror of Beau Brocade ... and he
-dreaded his Honour's anger ten thousand times more
-than either: that anger would be terrible if, having
-taken charge of the letters, he should be robbed of
-them.
-
-The alternative was an awful one! He racked his
-tortuous brain for a likely issue. Sir Humphrey
-had risen, kicked his chair to one side, and made as
-if he would go.
-
-"Now, harkee, friend Mittachip," he said firmly,
-"I want those letters placed somewhere in absolute
-safety, where neither Lady Patience's influence nor
-her chivalrous highwayman could possibly get at
-them. If you find a way and means of doing this
-for me, the two hundred guineas are yours. But if
-I have to manage this business myself, if I have to
-take the almost certain risk of being robbed of the
-letters, if I carry them about my own person, then
-you shall not get another shilling from me. Now you
-can think this matter over. I'll across to speak to
-Squire West, and see if I can't get that rascally
-highwayman captured and clapped into jail before the
-day is done."
-
-He took up his hat, and threw his coat over his
-arm. The situation was getting desperate.
-
-Then suddenly Master Mittachip had an idea.
-
-"I have it, Sir Humphrey," he cried excitedly.
-"I have it! A perfectly safe way of conveying
-those letters to my strong room at Wirksworth!"
-
-"Let's have it, then."
-
-"I have bought some sheep of a farmer from over
-Aldwark way, for a client at Wirksworth. Here,"
-he added, pulling a paper out of his pocket and
-handing it up to Sir Humphrey, "is the receipt and tally
-for them. Jock Miggs—Master Crabtree's shepherd—is
-taking the sheep to the town to-day. He'll
-most likely put up for the night on the Heath."
-
-"Well?" queried Sir Humphrey.
-
-"Well! Jock Miggs can neither read nor write."
-
-"Of course not."
-
-"Let us send *him* to Wirksworth and tell him to
-leave the packet of letters at my house in charge of
-my clerk, Master Duffy, who will put it in the strong
-room until you want them. Duffy started for
-Wirksworth at daybreak this morning, and should be
-there by nightfall."
-
-"Pshaw, man! would you have me trust such
-valuable letters to a fool of a shepherd?"
-
-"Nay, Sir Humphrey, but that is our safeguard.
-Beau Brocade never touches the poor or the peasantry,
-and certainly would never suspect Jock Miggs of
-being in your Honour's confidence, whilst the
-ordinary footpads would take no count of him. He
-is worth neither powder nor shot."
-
-"That's true enough!"
-
-"I should tell Miggs that the papers are accounts
-for the sheep, and promise him a silver crown if he
-delivers them safely at my door. We can put the
-letters in a sealed packet; no one would ever suspect him."
-
-There was silence in the inn parlour for awhile.
-His Honour stood with legs apart, opposite the tiny
-leaded window, gazing out into vacancy, whilst
-Master Mittachip fixed his eyes meditatively on the
-broad back of his noble patron. What a deal
-depended on what was going on at the present
-moment in Sir Humphrey's active brain.
-
-Suddenly his Honour turned on his heel.
-
-"Odd's fish, Master Mittachip," he said, "but
-your plan is none so bad after all."
-
-The attorney heaved a deep sigh of relief, and
-began mopping his beady forehead. The tension
-had been acute. This lengthy, agitating interview
-had been extremely trying. So much hung in the
-balance, and so much had depended upon that very
-uncertain quantity, his Honour's temper. But now
-the worst was over. Sir Humphrey was a man of
-determination, who never changed his mind once
-that mind was made up, and who carried any
-undertaking through with set purpose and unflinching
-will.
-
-"Well! and when can I see that shepherd you
-speak of?" he asked.
-
-"If your Honour would ride over on the Heath
-with me this afternoon," suggested the attorney,
-"I doubt not but we should come across Jock Miggs
-and his sheep, and in any case he would be at the hut
-by nightfall."
-
-"Very good!" rejoined his Honour. "Do you see
-that a couple of horses be ready for us. We can start
-as soon as I have spoken with Squire West and laid
-my information against that d—d Beau Brocade.
-With a posse of soldiers at his heels he's less likely
-to worry us, eh, old scarecrow?"
-
-"We shall not be safe, your Honour," assented
-worthy Master Mittachip, "until the rascal is
-dangling six feet above the ground. In the meanwhile,"
-he added, seeing that Sir Humphrey was making for
-the door, "your Honour will be pleased to give me
-back that receipt and tally for the sheep I showed
-you just now."
-
-But already his Honour was hurrying down the
-narrow passage, eager to get through the business
-that would lay his enemy by the heels, and render
-him safe in the possession of the important letters
-which were to secure him Lady Patience's hand and
-fortune.
-
-"All right!" he shouted back lustily, "it's safe
-enough in my pocket. I'll give it you back on my
-return."
-
-Left alone in the dingy, black-raftered parlour,
-Master Mittachip sat pondering for awhile, his pale,
-watery eyes blinking at times with the intensity of
-his satisfaction. Now for a little good luck—and he
-had no cause to fear the reverse—and that glorious
-vision of two hundred golden guineas would become
-a splendid reality. The advice he had given Sir
-Humphrey was undoubtedly the safest which he
-could offer. Beau Brocade, even with a posse of
-soldiers at his heels, was still a potent personality
-on the Heath, and it certainly looked as if her
-ladyship had cajoled him into her service. No one knew
-really who his friends and accomplices were: on and
-about Brassing Moor he could reckon on the help of
-most of the poorer villagers.
-
-But Jock Miggs at any rate was safe, alike from
-the daring highwayman and the more humble
-footpad. The former would not suspect him, and the
-latter would leave a poor shepherd severely alone.
-The footpath from the hut by the roadside to the
-town of Wirksworth was but a matter of three or
-four miles, and for a silver crown the shepherd would
-be ready enough to take a sealed packet to the house
-of Master Mittachip in Fulsome Street.
-
-Yes! it was all going to be for the best, in this best
-possible world, and as Master Mittachip thought over
-it all, he rubbed his thin, claw-like hands contentedly
-together.
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`an interlude`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER XXII
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- AN INTERLUDE
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-The Packhorse Inn, lower down the village, was not
-nearly so frequented as was the Royal George. Its
-meagre, dilapidated appearance frightened most
-customers away. A few yokels only patronised it
-to the extent of sipping their small ale there, in the
-parlour when it was wet, or outside the porch when
-it was fine.
-
-The few—very few—travellers, whom accident
-mostly brought to Brassington, invariably preferred
-the more solid, substantial inn on the green, but
-when it was a question of finding safe shelter for his
-wounded friend, John Stich unhesitatingly chose
-the Packhorse. He had improvised a rough kind
-of stretcher, with the help of the cushions from Lady
-Patience's coach, and on this, with the aid of Timothy
-the groom, he had carried Bathurst all the way across
-two miles of Heath into Brassington. The march
-had been terribly wearisome: the wounded man,
-fevered with past excitement, had become light-headed,
-and during intervals of lucidity was suffering
-acutely from his wound.
-
-Lady Patience could not bring herself to leave him.
-A feeling she could not have described seemed to
-keep her enchained beside this man, whom but a
-few hours ago she had never seen, but in whom she
-felt now that all her hopes had centred. He had
-asked her to trust him, and since then had only
-recovered consciousness to plead to her with mute,
-aching eyes not to take away that trust which she
-had given him.
-
-Fortunately, the noted bad state of the roads on
-Brassing Moor, which at any time might prove
-impassable for the coach, had caused her to take her
-own saddle as part of her equipment for her journey
-to London. This John Stich had fixed for her on
-Jack o' Lantern's back, and the faithful beast, as if
-guessing the sad plight of his master, carried her
-ladyship, with Mistress Betty clinging on behind,
-with lamb-like gentleness down the narrow
-bridle-path to Brassington.
-
-Thomas, the driver, had been left in charge of the
-coach, with orders to find his way as quickly as may
-be along the road to Wirksworth.
-
-It had been Bathurst's firmly-expressed wish that
-they should put up at Brassington, at any rate for
-the night. Besides being the nearest point, it was
-also the most central, whence a sharp lookout
-could be kept on Sir Humphrey Challoner's
-movements. Everything depended now on how serious
-the young man's wound turned out to be.
-
-Patience felt that without his help she was indeed
-powerless to fight her cunning enemy. She was
-never for one moment in doubt as to the motive
-which prompted Sir Humphrey Challoner to steal
-the letters. He meant to hold them as a weapon
-over her to enforce the acceptance of his suit; this
-she knew well enough. Her instincts, rendered
-doubly acute by the imminence of the peril, warned
-her that the Squire of Harrington meant to throw
-all scruples to the wind, and would in wanton revenge
-sacrifice Philip by destroying the letters, if she fought
-or defied him openly.
-
-Patience bethought her of the scene at the forge,
-when Bathurst's ready wit had saved her brother
-from the officious and rapacious soldiers: now that
-the terrible situation had to be met with keenness
-and cunning, she once more turned, with hope in her
-heart, to the one man who could save Philip again:
-but he, alas! lay helpless. And all along the weary
-way to Brassington she was listening with aching
-heart and throbbing temples to his wild, delirious
-words and occasional, quickly-suppressed moans.
-
-However, they reached the Packhorse at last in
-the small hours of the morning: money, lavishly
-distributed by Lady Patience, secured the one
-comfortable room in the inn for the wounded man.
-
-As soon as the day broke John Stich went in quest
-of Master Prosser, the leech, a gentleman famed for
-his skill and learning. Already the rest on a good
-bed, and Lady Patience's cool hand and gentle words,
-had done much to soothe the patient. Youth and
-an iron constitution quickly did the rest.
-
-The leech pronounced the wound to be neither deep
-nor serious, and the extraction of the ball caused
-the sufferer much relief.
-
-Within an hour after the worthy man's visit, Jack
-Bathurst had fallen into a refreshing sleep, and at
-John Stich's earnest pleading, Lady Patience had
-thrown herself on a bed in the small room which she
-had secured for herself and Mistress Betty, and had
-at last managed to get some rest.
-
-The sun was already well up in the heavens when
-Jack awoke. His eyes, as soon as they opened,
-sought anxiously for her dear presence in the room.
-
-"Feel better, Captain?" asked John Stich, who
-had been watching faithfully by his side.
-
-"I feel a giant, honest friend," replied the young
-man. "Help me up, will you?"
-
-"The leech said you ought to keep quiet for a bit,
-Captain," protested the smith.
-
-"Oho! he did, did he?" laughed Jack, gaily.
-"Well! go tell him, friend, from me, that he is an ass."
-
-"Where is she, John?" he asked quietly, after a
-slight pause.
-
-"In the next room, Captain."
-
-"Resting?"
-
-"Aye! she never left your side since you fainted
-on the Heath."
-
-"I know—I know, friend," said Jack, with a short,
-deep sigh; "think you I could not feel her hand..."
-
-He checked himself abruptly, and with the help of
-John Stich raised himself from the bed. He looked
-ruefully at his stained clothes, and a quaint, pleasant
-smile chased away the last look of weariness and
-suffering from his face.
-
-"Nay! what a plight for Beau Brocade in which
-to meet the lady of his dreams, eh, John? Here,
-help me to make myself presentable! Run down
-quickly to mine host, borrow brushes and combs,
-and anything you can lay hands on. I am not fit
-to appear before her eyes."
-
-"Then will you keep quite still, Captain, until I
-return? And keep your arm quietly in the sling?
-The leech said..."
-
-"Never mind what the leech said, run, John
-... the sight of myself in that glass there causes me more
-pain than this stupid scratch. Run quickly, John,
-for I hear her footstep in the next room.... I'll
-not move from the edge of this bed, I swear it, if
-you'll only run."
-
-He kept his word and never stirred from where he
-sat; but he strained his ears to listen, for through the
-thin partition wall he could just hear her footstep on
-the rough wooden floor, and occasionally her voice
-when she spoke to Betty.
-
-Half an hour later, when John Stich had done his
-best to valet and dress him, he waited upon her
-ladyship at breakfast in the parlour downstairs.
-
-She came forward to greet him, her dainty hand
-outstretched, her eyes anxiously scanning his face.
-
-"You should not have risen yet, sir," she said half
-shyly as he pressed her finger-tips to his lips, "your
-poor wounded shoulder..."
-
-"Nay, with your pardon, madam," he said lightly,
-"'tis well already since your sweet hand has tended it."
-
-"'Twas my desire to nurse you awhile longer, and
-not allow you to risk your life for me again."
-
-"My life? Nay! I'll trust that to mine old enemy,
-Fortune: she has ta'en care of it all these years,
-that I might better now place it at your service."
-
-She said nothing, for she felt unaccountably shy.
-She, who had had half the gilded youth of England at
-her feet, found no light bantering word with which
-to meet this man; and beneath his ardent gaze she
-felt herself blushing like a school miss at her first ball.
-
-"Will you honour me, sir," she said at last, "by
-partaking of breakfast with me?"
-
-All cares and troubles seemed forgotten. He sat
-down at the table opposite to her, and together they
-drank tea, and ate eggs and bread and butter: and
-there was so much to talk about that often they
-would both become quite silent, and say all there was
-to say just with their eyes.
-
-He told her about the Heath which he knew
-and loved so well, the beauty of the sunrise far
-out behind the Tors, the birds and beasts and
-their haunts and habits, the heron on the marshy
-ground, the cheeky robins on the branches of the
-bramble, the lizards and tiny frogs and toads: all
-that enchanting world which peopled the Moor and
-had made it a home for him.
-
-And she listened to it all, for he had a deep, tender,
-caressing voice, which was always good to hear, and
-she was happy, for she was young, and the world
-in which she dwelt was very beautiful.
-
-Yet she found this happiness which she felt, quite
-incomprehensible: she even chid herself for feeling
-it, for the outside world was still the same, and her
-brother still in peril. He, the man, alone knew
-whither he was drifting; he knew that he loved her
-with every fibre of his being, and that she was as
-immeasurably beyond him as the stars.
-
-He knew what this happiness meant, and that it
-could but live a day, an hour. Therefore he drained
-the cup to its full measure, enjoying each fraction of
-a second of this one glorious hour, watching her as
-she smiled, as she sipped her tea, as she blushed
-when she met his eyes. And sometimes—for he
-was clumsy with his one arm in a sling—sometimes as
-she helped him in the thousand and one little ways of
-which women alone possess the enchanting secret,
-her hand would touch his, just for one moment, like
-a bird on the wing, and he, the poor outlaw, saw
-heaven open before him, and seeing it, was content.
-
-Outside an early September sun was flooding the
-little village street with its golden light. They did
-not dare to show themselves at the window, lest
-either of them should be recognised, so they had
-drawn the thin muslin curtain across the casement,
-and shut out the earth from this little kingdom of
-their own.
-
-Only at times the bleating of a flock of sheep, or the
-melancholy lowing of cattle would come to them
-from afar, or from the window-sill the sweet fragrance
-of a pot of mignonette.
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`a daring plan`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER XXIII
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- A DARING PLAN
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-It was close on ten o'clock when they came back to
-earth once more.
-
-A peremptory knock at the door had roused them
-both from their dreams.
-
-Bathurst rose to open, and there stood John Stich
-and Mistress Betty, both looking somewhat flurried
-and guilty, and both obviously brimming over with news.
-
-"My lady! my lady!" cried Betty, excitedly, as
-soon as she caught her mistress's eye, "I have just
-spied Sir Humphrey Challoner at the window of the
-Royal George, just over the green yonder."
-
-"Give me leave, Captain," added John Stich, who
-was busy rolling up his sleeves above his powerful
-arms, "give me leave, and I'll make the rogue
-disgorge those letters in a trice."
-
-"You'd not succeed, honest friend," mused
-Bathurst, "and might get yourself in a devil of a
-hole to boot."
-
-"Nay, Captain," asserted John, emphatically,
-"'tis no time now for the wearing of kid gloves. I
-was on the green a moment ago, and spied that
-ravenous scarecrow, Mittachip, conversing with the
-beadle outside the Court House, where Squire West
-is sitting."
-
-"Well?"
-
-"When the beadle had gone, Master Mittachip
-walked across the green and went straight to the
-Royal George. Be gy! what does that mean, Captain?"
-
-"Oho!" laughed Jack, much amused at the
-smith's earnestness, "it means that Sir Humphrey
-Challoner intends to lay information against one
-Beau Brocade, the noted highwayman, and to see
-how nice he'll look with a rope round his neck and
-dangling six foot from the ground."
-
-An involuntary cry from Lady Patience, however
-drowned the laughter on his lips.
-
-"Tush, man!" he added seriously, "here's a
-mighty fine piece of work we're doing, frightening her
-ladyship..."
-
-But John Stich was scowling more heavily than ever.
-
-"If the scoundrel should dare..." he muttered,
-clenching his huge fists.
-
-His attitude was so threatening, and his expression
-so menacing, that in the midst of her new anxiety
-Lady Patience herself could not help smiling. Beau
-Brocade laughed outright.
-
-"Dare?..." he said lightly. "Why, of course
-he'll dare. He's eager enough in the pursuit of
-mischief, and must save the devil all the trouble of
-showing him the way. But now," he added more
-seriously, and turning to Mistress Betty, "tell me,
-child, saw you Sir Humphrey clearly?"
-
-"Aye! clear as daylight," she retorted, "the old
-beast..."
-
-"How was he dressed?"
-
-"Just like he was yesterday, sir. A brown coat,
-embroidered waistcoat, buff breeches, riding-boots,
-three-cornered hat, and he had in his hand a
-gold-headed riding-crop."
-
-"Child!—child!" cried Bathurst, joyfully, "an
-those bright eyes of yours have not deceived you,
-yours'll be the glory of having saved us all."
-
-"What are you going to do?" asked Patience, eagerly.
-
-"Pit my poor wits against those of Sir Humphrey
-Challoner," he replied gaily.
-
-"I don't quite understand."
-
-He came up quite close to her and tried to meet
-her eyes.
-
-"But you trust me?" he asked.
-
-And she murmured,—
-
-"Absolutely."
-
-"May Heaven bless you for that word!" he said
-earnestly. "Then will you deign to do as I shall
-direct?"
-
-"Entirely."
-
-"Very well! Then whilst friend Stich will fetch
-my hat for me, will you write out a formal plaint,
-signed with your full name, stating that last night on
-the Heath you were waylaid and robbed by a man,
-whom I, your courier, saw quite plainly, and whom
-you have desired me to denounce?"
-
-"But..."
-
-"I entreat you there's not a moment to be lost,"
-he urged, taking pen, ink and paper from the
-old-fashioned desk close by, and placing them before her.
-
-"I'll do as you wish, of course," she said, "but
-what is your purpose?"
-
-"For the present to take your ladyship's plaint
-over to his Honour, Squire West, at the Court House."
-
-"You'll be seen and recognised and..."
-
-"Not I. One or two of the yokels may perhaps
-guess who I am, but they'd do me no harm. I
-entreat you, do as I bid you. Every second wasted
-may imperil our chance of safety."
-
-He had such an air of quiet command about him
-that she instinctively obeyed him and wrote out the
-plaint as he directed, then gave it in his charge. He
-seemed buoyant and full of hope, and though her
-heart misgave her, she managed to smile cheerfully
-when he took leave of her.
-
-"I humbly beg of you," he said finally, as having
-kissed her finger-tips he prepared to go, "to wait
-here against my return, and on no account to take
-heed of anything you may see or hear for the next
-half-hour. An I mistake not," he added with a
-merry twinkle in his grey eyes, "there'll be strange
-doings at Brassington this noon."
-
-"But you...?" she cried anxiously.
-
-"Nay! I pray you have no fear for me. In your
-sweet cause I would challenge the world, and, if you
-desired it, would remained unscathed."
-
-When he had gone, she sighed, and obedient to his
-wish, sat waiting patiently for his return in the dingy
-little parlour which awhile ago his presence had
-made so bright.
-
-It was at this moment that Master Mittachip, after
-his interview with the beadle, was in close
-conversation with Sir Humphrey Challoner at the Royal
-George.
-
-Outside the inn, Bathurst turned to John Stich,
-who had closely followed him.
-
-"How's my Jack o' Lantern?" he asked quickly.
-
-"As fresh as a daisy, Captain," replied the smith.
-"I've rubbed him down myself, and he has had a
-lovely feed."
-
-"That's good. You have my saddle with you?"
-
-"Oh, aye! I knew you'd want it soon enough.
-Jack o' Lantern carried it for you himself, bless 'is
-'eart, along with her ladyship and Mistress Betty."
-
-"Then do you see at once to his being saddled,
-friend, and bring him along to the Court House as
-soon as may be. Hold him in readiness for me, so
-that I may mount at a second's notice. You understand?"
-
-"Yes, Captain. I understand that you are
-running your head into a d——d noose, and..."
-
-"Easy, easy, friend! Remember..."
-
-"Nay! I'll not forget for whose sake you do it.
-But you are at a disadvantage, Captain, with only
-one good arm."
-
-"Nay, friend," rejoined Bathurst, lightly, "there's
-many a thing a man can do with one arm: he can
-embrace his mistress ... or shoot his enemy."
-
-The sleepy little village of Brassington lay silent
-and deserted in the warmth of the noon-day sun, as
-Bathurst, having parted from John Stich, hurried
-across its narrow streets. As he had passed quickly
-through the outer passage of the Packhorse he had
-caught sight of a few red coats at the dingy bar of
-the inn, and presently, when he emerged on the green,
-he perceived another lot of them over at the Royal
-George yonder.
-
-But at this hour the worthy soldiers of His Majesty,
-King George, were having their midday rest and
-their customary glasses of ale, and were far too busy
-recounting their adventure with the mysterious
-stranger at the forge to the gaffers of Brassington,
-to take heed of anyone hurrying along its street.
-
-And thus Bathurst passed quickly and unperceived;
-the one or two yokels whom he met gave him
-a rapid glance. Only the women turned round, as he
-went along, to have another look at the handsome
-stranger with one arm in a sling.
-
-Outside the Court House he came face to face with
-Master Inch, whose pompous dignity seemed at this
-moment to be severely ruffled.
-
-"Hey, sir! Hey!" he was shouting, and craning
-his fat neck in search of Master Mittachip, who had
-incontinently disappeared, "the Court is determinating—Squire
-West will grant you the interview which
-you seek.... Lud preserve me!" he added in
-noble and gigantic wrath, "I do believe the impious
-malapert was trying to fool me ... sending me on a
-fool's errand ... *me* ... Jeremiah Inch, beadle
-of this parish!..."
-
-Bathurst waited a moment or two until the worst
-of the beadle's anger had cooled down a little, then
-he took a silver crown from his pocket, and pushed
-past the worthy into the precincts of the house.
-
-"The interview you've arranged for, friend,"
-he said quietly; "will do equally well for her
-ladyship's courier."
-
-Master Inch was somewhat taken off his balance.
-Mittachip's disappearance and this stranger's
-impertinence had taken his breath away. Before he
-had time to recover it, Bathurst had pressed the
-silver crown into his capacious palm.
-
-"Now tell Squire West, friend," he said with that
-pleasant air of authority which he knew so well how
-to assume, "that I am here by the command of Lady
-Patience Gascoyne and am waiting to speak with him."
-
-Master Inch was so astonished that he found no
-word either of protest or of offended dignity. He
-looked doubtfully at the crown for a second or two,
-weighed it in his mind against the problematical
-half-crown promised by the defaulting attorney, and
-then said majestically,—
-
-"I will impart her ladyship's cognomen to his
-Honour myself."
-
-The next moment Jack Bathurst found himself
-alone in a small private room of the Court House,
-looking forward with suppressed excitement to the
-interview with Squire West, which in a moment of
-dare-devil, madcap frolic, yet with absolute coolness
-and firm determination, he had already arranged
-in his mind.
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`his honour, squire west`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER XXIV
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- HIS HONOUR, SQUIRE WEST
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-Squire West was an elderly man, with a fine military
-presence and a pleasant countenance beneath his
-bob-tail wig: in his youth he had been reckoned
-well-favoured, and had been much petted by the
-ladies at the county balls. Owing to this he had
-retained a certain polish of manner not often met
-with in the English country gentry of those times.
-
-He came forward very politely to greet the courier
-of Lady Patience Gascoyne.
-
-"What hath procured to Brassington the honour
-of a message from Lady Patience Gascoyne?" he
-asked, motioning Bathurst to a chair, and seating
-himself behind his desk.
-
-"Her ladyship herself is staying in the village,"
-replied Jack, "but would desire her presence to
-remain unknown for awhile."
-
-"Oh, indeed!" said the Squire, a little flurried at
-this unexpected event, "but ... but there is no
-inn fitting to harbour her ladyship in this village,
-and ... and ... if her ladyship would honour
-me and my poor house..."
-
-"I thank you, sir, but her ladyship only remains
-here for an hour or so, and has despatched me to
-you on an important errand which brooks of no delay."
-
-"I am entirely at her ladyship's service."
-
-"Lady Patience was on her way from Stretton Hall,
-your Honour," continued Bathurst, imperturbably,
-"when her coach was stopped on the Heath, not very
-far from here, and her jewels, money, and also certain
-valuable papers were stolen from her."
-
-Squire West hemmed and hawed, and fidgeted in
-his chair: the matter seemed, strangely enough, to be
-causing him more annoyance than surprise.
-
-"Dear! dear!" he muttered deprecatingly.
-
-"Her ladyship has written out her formal plaint,"
-said Jack, laying the paper before his Honour. "She
-has sent her coach on to Wirksworth, but thought
-your Honour's help here at Brassington would be
-more useful in capturing the rogue."
-
-"Aye!" murmured the worthy Squire, still
-somewhat doubtfully, and with a frown of perplexity on his
-jovial face. "We certainly have a posse of soldiers—a
-dozen or so at most—quartered in the village just
-now, but..."
-
-"But what, your Honour?"
-
-"But to be frank with you, sir, I fear me that 'twill
-be no good. An I mistake not, 'tis another exploit of
-that rascal, Beau Brocade, and the rogue is so
-cunning! ... Ah!" he added with a sigh, "we
-shall have no peace in this district until we've laid
-him by the heels."
-
-It was certainly quite obvious that the Squire was
-none too eager to send a posse of soldiers after the
-notorious highwayman. He had himself enjoyed
-immunity on the Heath up to now, and feared that
-it would be his turn to suffer if he started an active
-campaign against Beau Brocade. But Bathurst,
-from where he sat, had a good view through the
-casement window of the village green, and of the Royal
-George beyond it. Every moment he expected to
-see Sir Humphrey Challoner emerging from under
-the porch and entering this Court House, when
-certainly the situation would become distinctly
-critical. The Squire's hesitancy nearly drove him
-frantic with impatience, yet perforce he had to keep
-a glib tongue in his head, and not to betray more
-than a natural interest in the subject which he was
-discussing.
-
-"Aye!" he said gaily, "an it was that rogue
-Beau Brocade, your Honour, he's the most daring
-rascal I've ever met. The whole thing was done in
-a trice. Odd's fish! but the fellow would steal
-your front tooth whilst he parleyed with you. He
-fired at me and hit me," he added ruefully, pointing
-to his wounded shoulder.
-
-"You were her ladyship's escort on the Heath, sir?"
-
-"Aye! and would wish to be of assistance in the
-recovery of her property: more particularly of a
-packet of letters on which her ladyship sets great
-store. If the rogue were captured now, these might
-be found about his person."
-
-"Ah! I fear me," quoth his Honour, with singular
-lack of enthusiasm, "that 'twill not be so easy, sir,
-as you imagine."
-
-"How so?"
-
-"Beau Brocade is in league with half the
-country-side and..."
-
-"Nay! you say you have a posse of soldiers
-quartered here! Gadzooks! if I had the chance
-with these and a few lusty fellows from the village,
-I'd soon give an account of any highwayman on this
-Heath!"
-
-"Dear! dear!" repeated Squire West, sorely
-puzzled, "a very regrettable incident indeed."
-
-"Can I so far trespass on your Honour's time,"
-queried Bathurst, with a slight show of impatience,
-"as to ask you at least to take note of her ladyship's
-plaint?"
-
-"Certainly ... sir, certainly ... hem! ... er....
-Of course we must after the rogue ... the
-beadle shall cry him out on the green at once, and..."
-
-It was easy to see that the worthy Squire would
-far sooner have left the well-known hero of Brassing
-Moor severely alone; still, in his official capacity
-he was bound to take note of her ladyship's plaint,
-and to act as justice demanded.
-
-"'Tis a pity, sir," he said, whilst he sat fidgeting
-among his papers, "that you, or perhaps her
-ladyship, did not see the rogue's face. I suppose he was
-masked as usual?"
-
-"Faix! he'd have frightened the sheep on the
-Heath, maybe, if he was not. But her ladyship and I
-noted his hair and stature, and also the cut and
-colour of his clothes."
-
-"What was he like?"
-
-"Tall and stout of build, with dark hair turning to grey."
-
-"Nay!" ejaculated Squire West, in obvious
-relief, "then it was not Beau Brocade, who is young
-and slim, so I'm told, though I've never seen him.
-You saw him plainly, sir, did you say?"
-
-"Aye! quite plainly, your Honour! And what's
-more," added Jack, emphatically, "her ladyship and
-I both caught sight of him in Brassington this very
-morning."
-
-"In Brassington?"
-
-"Outside the Royal George," asserted Bathurst,
-imperturbably.
-
-"Nay, sir!" cried Squire West, who seemed to
-have quite lost his air of indecision, now that he no
-longer feared to come in direct conflict with Beau
-Brocade, "why did you not say this before? Here,
-Inch! Inch!" he added, going to the door and
-shouting lustily across the passage, "where is that
-cursed beadle? In Brassington, did you say, sir?"
-
-"I'd almost swear to it, your Honour."
-
-"Nay! then with a bit of good luck, we may at
-least lay *this* rascal by the heels. I would I could rid
-this neighbourhood of these rogues. Here, Inch,"
-he continued, as soon as that worthy appeared in the
-doorway, "do you listen to what this gentleman has
-got to say. There's a d——d rascal in this village and
-you'll have to cry out his description at once, and
-then collar him as soon as may be."
-
-Master Inch placed himself in a posture that was
-alike dignified and expectant. His Honour, Squire
-West, too, was listening eagerly, whilst Jack Bathurst
-with perfect *sang-froid* gave forth the description of
-the supposed highwayman.
-
-"He wore a brown coat," he said calmly, "embroidered
-waistcoat, buff breeches, riding-boots and
-three-cornered hat. He is tall and stout of build,
-has dark hair slightly turning to grey, and was last
-seen carrying a gold-headed riding-crop."
-
-"That's clear enough, Inch, is it not?" queried
-his Honour.
-
-"It is marvellously pellucid, sir," replied the beadle.
-
-"You may add, friend Beadle," continued Jack,
-carelessly, "that her ladyship offers a reward of
-twenty guineas for that person's immediate apprehension."
-
-And Master Inch, beadle of the parish of Brassington,
-flew out of the door, and out of the Court House,
-bell in hand, for with a little bit of good luck it might
-be that he would be the first to lay his hand on the
-tall, stout rascal in a brown coat, and would be the
-one to earn the twenty guineas offered for his
-immediate apprehension.
-
-Squire West himself was over pleased. It was
-indeed satisfactory to render service to so great a
-lady as Lady Patience Gascoyne without interfering
-over much with that dare-devil Beau Brocade. The
-depredations on Brassing Moor had long been a
-scandal in the county: it had oft been thought that
-Squire West had not been sufficiently active in trying
-to rid the Heath of the notorious highwayman,
-whose exploits now were famed far and wide. But
-here was a chance of laying a cursed rascal by the
-heels and of showing his zeal in the administration
-of the county.
-
-The Squire, in the interim, busied himself with his
-papers, whilst Bathurst, who was vainly trying to
-appear serious and only casually interested, stood by
-the open window, watching Master Inch's progress
-across the green.
-
-Outside the Court House faithful John Stich stood
-waiting, with Jack o' Lantern pawing the ground by
-his side.
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`success and disappointment`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER XXV
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- SUCCESS AND DISAPPOINTMENT
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-Thus it was that when Sir Humphrey Challoner,
-after his lengthy interview with Mittachip, stepped
-out of the porch of the Royal George on his way to
-the Court House, he found the village green singularly
-animated.
-
-A number of yokels, including quite a goodly
-contingent of women and youngsters, were crowding
-round Master Inch, the beadle, who was ringing his
-bell violently and shouting at the top of his lusty
-voice,—
-
-"Oyez! Oyez! Oyez! Take note that a robber,
-vagabond and thief is in hiding in this village."
-
-Interested in the scene, Sir Humphrey had paused
-a moment, watching the pompous beadle and the
-crowd of gaffers and women. He still carried his
-riding-crop, and flicked it with a certain pleasurable
-satisfaction against his boot, eagerly anticipating
-the moment when the village crier would be giving
-forth in the same stentorian tones the description
-of Beau Brocade, the highwayman.
-
-"Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!" continued Master Inch,
-with ever-increasing vigour. "Take note that this
-vagabond is apparelled in a brown coat, embroidered
-waistcoat, buff nether garments and riding-boots.
-Oyez! Oyez! Oyez! take note that he carried with
-him this morning a gold-headed riding-whip, that he
-is tall and slightly rotund in his corporation and has
-raven hair slightly attenuated with grey.
-
-"Oyez! Oyez! Oyez! take note that if any of you
-observate such a person as I have just descriptioned,
-you are to apprise me of this instantaneously, so that
-I may take him by force and violence even into the
-presence of his Honour.
-
-"Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!"
-
-The gaffers were putting their heads together,
-whilst the young ones whispered eagerly,—
-
-"Brown coat! ... embroidered waistcoat! ... a
-gold-headed whip!..."
-
-Nay, 'twas often enough that Master Inch had to
-cry out the description of some wretched vagabond
-in hiding in the village, but it was not usual that such
-an one was attired in the clothes of a gentleman.
-
-It even struck Sir Humphrey as very strange, and
-he pushed through the group of yokels to hear more
-clearly Master Inch's renewed description of the rogue.
-
-"Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!"
-
-At first the interest in Master Inch's pompous
-words was so keen that Sir Humphrey remained
-practically unnoticed. One or two villagers, noting
-that a gentleman was amongst them, respectfully
-made way for him, then one youngster, struck by a
-sudden idea, stared at him and whispered to his
-neighbour,—
-
-"He's got a brown coat on..."
-
-"Aye!" whispered the other in reply, "and an
-embroiderated waistcoat too."
-
-Some of them began crowding around Sir Humphrey,
-so that he raised his whip and muttered angrily,—
-
-"What the devil are ye all staring at?"
-
-It was at this very moment that Master Inch
-suddenly caught sight of him, just in the very middle
-of a stentorian,—
-
-"Oyez!"
-
-He gave one tremendous gasp, the bell dropped out
-of his hand, his jaw fell, his round, beady eyes nearly
-bulged out of his head.
-
-"'Tis him!" murmured the yokel, who stood
-close to his ear.
-
-This remark brought back Master Inch to his
-senses and to the importance of his position. He
-raised his large hand above his head and brought it
-down with a tremendous clap on Sir Humphrey
-Challoner's shoulder.
-
-"Aye! 'tis him!" he shouted lustily, "and be gy! he's
-got guilt writ all over his face, and 'tis a mighty
-ugly surface!"
-
-Sir Humphrey, taken completely by surprise, was
-positively purple with rage.
-
-"Death and hell!" he cried, clutching his riding-whip
-significantly. "What's the meaning of this?"
-
-But already the younger men, full of excitement
-and eagerness, had closed round him, impeding his
-movements, whilst two more lusty fellows incontinently
-seized him by the collar. They felt neither
-respect nor sympathy for a vagabond attired in
-gentleman's clothes.
-
-Sir Humphrey tried to shake himself free, whilst
-the beadle majestically replied,—
-
-"You'll have it explanated to you, friend, before
-his Honour!"
-
-The excitement and lust of capture was growing apace.
-
-"Got him!" shouted most of the men.
-
-"Showin' his ugly face in broad daylight!"
-commented the women.
-
-"Hold him tight, beadle," was the universal
-admonition.
-
-"You rascal! you dare!..." gasped Sir Humphrey,
-struggling violently, and shaking a menacing
-fist in the beadle's face.
-
-"Silence!" commanded Master Inch, with supreme
-dignity.
-
-"I'll have you whipped for this!"
-
-But this aroused the beadle's most awesome ire.
-
-"To the stocks with him!" he ordered, "he
-insultates the Majesty of the Law!"
-
-"You low-born knave! Aye! you'll hang for this!"
-
-It was all this clamour that at last aroused Master
-Mittachip in the parlour of the Royal George from
-the happy day-dreams in which he was indulging.
-At first he took no count of it, then he quietly strolled
-up to the window and undid the casement, to
-ascertain what all the tumult was about.
-
-What he did see nearly froze the thin blood
-within his veins. He would have cried out, but his
-very throat contracted with the horror of the
-spectacle which he beheld.
-
-There! across the village green, he saw Sir
-Humphrey Challoner, his noble patron, the Squire of
-Hartington, being clapped into the village stocks,
-whilst a crowd of yokels, the clumsy, ignorant d——d
-louts! were actually pelting his Honour with carrots,
-turnips and potatoes!
-
-Oh! was the world coming to an end? There! a
-peck of peas hit Sir Humphrey straight in the eye.
-No wonder his Honour was purple, he would have a
-stroke of apoplexy for sure within the next five
-minutes.
-
-At last Master Mittachip recovered the use of his
-limbs. With one bound he was out of the inn
-parlour, and had pushed past mine host and hostess, who,
-as ignorant as were all the other villagers of their
-guest's name and quality, were watching the scene
-from the porch, and holding their sides with laughter.
-
-Jack Bathurst had watched it all from the window
-of the Court House: his dare-devil, madcap scheme
-had succeeded beyond his most sanguine hopes.
-When he saw Sir Humphrey Challoner actually
-clapped in the village stocks, with the pompous
-beadle towering over him, like the sumptuous
-Majesty of the Law, he could have cried out in wild
-merry glee.
-
-But Jack was above all a man of prompt decision
-and quick action. For his own life he cared not one
-jot, and would gladly have laid it down for the sake
-of the woman he loved with all the passionate ardour
-of his romantic temperament, but with him, as with
-every other human being, self-preservation was the
-greatest and most irresistible law. He had readily
-imperilled his safety in order to obtain possession of the
-letters, which meant so much happiness to his
-beautiful white rose: but this done, he was ready to do
-battle for his own life, and to sell his freedom as
-dearly as may be.
-
-He hoped that he had effectually accomplished his
-purpose through the arrest of Sir Humphrey
-Challoner, whose pockets Master Inch was even now
-deliberately searching, in spite of vigorous protests
-and terrible language from his Honour. His heart
-gave a wild leap of joy when he saw the beadle
-presently hurrying across the green and holding a
-paper in his hand. It looked small enough—not a
-packet, only a single letter: but if it were the
-momentous one, then indeed would all risks, all
-perils seem as nothing when weighed against the
-happiness of having rendered *her* this service.
-
-But Jack also saw Master Mittachip darting
-panic-stricken out of the inn opposite. He knew of course
-that within the next few moments—seconds perhaps—the
-fraud would be discovered and Sir Humphrey
-Challoner liberated, amidst a shower of abject
-apologies from the Squire and parish of Brassington
-combined. What the further consequences of it all
-would be to himself was not difficult to foresee.
-
-He looked behind him. The Squire was sitting at
-his desk, apparently taking no notice of the noise and
-shouting outside. Down below, John Stich, who
-had been watching the scene on the green with the
-utmost delight, stood ready, holding Jack o' Lantern
-by the bridle. In a moment, with a few courteous
-words to the Squire, Bathurst had hurried out of the
-Court House. He met the beadle at the door, who,
-paper in hand, conscious of his own importance and
-flurried with wrath, was hurrying to report the
-important arrest to Squire West.
-
-Bathurst stopped him with a quick,—
-
-"'Twas well done, Master Inch!"
-
-And pressing a couple of guineas into the beadle's
-hand, he added,—
-
-"Her ladyship will further repay when you've
-found the rest of her property. In the meanwhile,
-these, I presume, are the letters she lost."
-
-"Only one letter, sir," said Master Inch, as
-somewhat taken off his pompous guard he allowed Jack
-to take the paper from him.
-
-There was not a minute to be lost. Master
-Mittachip, having vainly tried to harangue the
-yokels, who were still pelting his Honour with
-miscellaneous vegetables, was now hurrying to the
-Court House as fast as his thin legs would carry him.
-
-Bathurst took one glance at the paper which
-Master Inch had given him. A cry of the keenest
-disappointment escaped his lips.
-
-"What is it, Captain?" asked John Stich, who
-had anxiously been watching his friend's face.
-
-"Nothing, friend," replied Bathurst, "only a
-receipt and tally for some sheep."
-
-John Stich uttered a violent oath.
-
-"And the scoundrel'll escape with a shower of
-potatoes and no more punishment than the stocks.
-And you've risked your life, Captain, for nothing!"
-
-"Nay! not for nothing, honest friend," said Jack,
-in a hurried whisper, as he mounted Jack o' Lantern
-with all the speed his helpless arm would allow. "Do
-you go back to her ladyship as fast as you can. Beg
-her from me not to give up hope, but to feign an
-illness and on no account speak to anyone about the
-events of to-day until she has seen me again. You
-understand?"
-
-"Aye! aye! Captain!"
-
-At this moment there came a wild cry from the
-precincts of the Court House, and Master Mittachip,
-accompanied by Squire West himself, and closely
-followed by the beadle, were seen tearing across the
-green towards the village stocks.
-
-"The truth is out, friend," shouted Jack, as
-pressing his knees against Jack o' Lantern's sides, and
-giving the gallant beast one cry of encouragement, he
-galloped away at break-neck speed out towards the Moor.
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`the man hunt`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER XXVI
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- THE MAN HUNT
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-By the time Squire West and the whole of the parish
-of Brassington had realised what a terrible practical
-joke had been perpetrated on them by the stranger,
-the latter was far out of sight, with not even a cloud
-of dust to mark the way he went.
-
-But the hue-and-cry after him had never ceased
-the whole of that day. Squire West, profuse and
-abject in his apologies, had told off all the soldiers
-who were quartered in the village to scour the Heath
-day and night, until that rogue was found and brought
-before him. The Sergeant, who was in command of
-the squad, and the Corporal too, had a score of their
-own to settle with the mysterious stranger, whom the
-general consensus of opinion declared to have been
-none other than that scoundrel unhung, the notorious
-highwayman, Beau Brocade.
-
-Master Inch, as soon as he had recovered his
-breath, distinctly recollected now seeing a beautiful
-chestnut horse pawing the ground outside the Court
-House during the course of the morning: he blamed
-himself severely for not having guessed the identity
-of the creature, so closely associated in every one's
-mind with the exploits of the highwayman.
-
-The yokels, however, at this juncture, entrenched
-themselves behind a barrier of impenetrable density.
-In those days, just as even now, it is beyond human
-capacity to obtain information from a Derbyshire
-countryman if he do not choose to give it. Whether
-some of those who had pelted Sir Humphrey
-Challoner with vegetables had or had not known who
-his Honour was, whether some of them had or had
-not guessed Beau Brocade's presence in the village,
-remained, in spite of rigorous cross-examination a
-complete mystery to the perplexed Squire and to his
-valiant henchman, the beadle.
-
-Promises, threats, bribes were alike ineffectual.
-
-"I dunno!" was the stolid, perpetual reply to
-every question put on either subject.
-
-Her ladyship, on the other hand, overcome with
-fatigue, was too ill to see anyone.
-
-The posse of soldiers, a score or so by now, had
-however been reinforced as the day wore on by a
-contingent of Squire West's own indoor and outdoor
-servants, also by a few loafers from Brassington
-itself, of the sort that are to be found in every corner
-of the world where there is an ale-house, the idlers,
-the toadies, those who had nothing to lose and
-something to gain by running counter to popular feeling
-and taking up cudgels against Beau Brocade, for the
-sake of the reward lavishly promised by Squire West
-and Sir Humphrey Challoner.
-
-The latter's temper had not even begun to simmer
-down at this late hour of the day when, all
-arrangements for the battue after the highwayman being
-completed, he at last found himself on horseback,
-ambling along the bridle-path towards the shepherd's
-hut, with Master Mittachip beside him.
-
-It had been a glorious day, and the evening now
-gave promise of a balmy night to come, but the
-Heath's majestic repose was disturbed by the doings
-of man. Beneath the gorse and bracken lizards
-and toads had gone to rest in the marshy land
-beyond, waterhen and lapwing were asleep, but all
-the while on the great Moor, through the scrub and
-blackthorn, along path and ravine, man was hunting
-man and finding enjoyment in the sport.
-
-As Sir Humphrey Challoner and the attorney rode
-slowly along, they could hear from time to time the
-rallying cry of the various parties stalking the Heath
-for their big game. The hunt was close on the heels
-of Beau Brocade. Earlier in the afternoon his horse
-had been seen to make its way, riderless, towards
-the forge of John Stich.
-
-The quarry was on foot, he was known to be
-wounded, he must fall an easy prey to his trackers
-soon enough: sometimes in the distance there would
-come a shout of triumph, when the human blood-hounds
-had at last found a scent, then Sir Humphrey
-would rouse himself from his moody silence, a look
-of keen malice would light up his deep-set eyes, and
-reining in his horse, he would strain his ears to hear
-that shout of triumph again.
-
-"He'll not escape this time, Sir Humphrey,"
-whispered Mittachip, falling obsequiously into his
-employer's mood.
-
-"No! curse him!" muttered his Honour with a
-string of violent oaths, "I shall see him hang before
-two days are over, unless these dolts let him escape
-again."
-
-"Nay, nay, Sir Humphrey! that's not likely!"
-chuckled Master Mittachip. "Squire West has pressed
-all his own able-bodied men into the service, and the
-posse of soldiers were most keen for the chase. Nay,
-nay, he'll not escape this time."
-
-"'Sdeath!" swore his Honour under his breath,
-"but I do feel stiff!"
-
-"A dreadful indignity," moaned the attorney.
-
-"Nay! but Squire West was most distressed, and his
-apologies were profuse! Indeed he seemed to feel
-it as much as if it had happened to himself."
-
-"Aye! but not in the same place, I'll warrant!
-Odd's life, I had no notion how much a turnip could
-hurt when flung into one's eye," added his Honour,
-with one of those laughs that never boded any good.
-
-"A most painful incident, Sir Humphrey!" sighed
-Mittachip, brimming over with sympathy.
-
-"'Twas not the incident that was painful!
-Zounds! I am bruised all over. But I'll have the
-law of every one of those dolts, aye! and make that
-fool West administer it on all of them! As for
-that ape, the beadle, he shall be publicly whipped.
-Death and hell! they'll have to pay for this!"
-
-"Aye! aye! Sir Humphrey! your anger is quite
-natural, and Squire West assured me that that
-rascal Beau Brocade, who played you this impudent
-trick, cannot fail to be caught. The hunt is well
-organised, he cannot escape."
-
-As if to confirm the attorney's words, there rose
-at this moment from afar a weird and eerie sound,
-which caused Master Mittachip's shrivelled flesh to
-creep along his bones.
-
-"What was that?" he whispered, horror-struck.
-
-"A blood-hound, the better to track that rascal,"
-muttered Sir Humphrey, savagely.
-
-The attorney shivered; there had been so much
-devilish malice in his Honour's voice, that suddenly
-his puny heart misgave him. He took to wishing
-himself well out of this unmanly business. The
-horror of it seemed to grip him by the throat: he
-was superstitious too, and firmly believed in a
-material hell; the sound of that distant snarl,
-followed by the significant yelping of a hound upon
-the scent, made him think of the cries the devils
-would utter at sight of the damned.
-
-"The dog belongs to one of Squire West's grooms,"
-remarked his Honour, carelessly, "a savage beast
-enough, by the look of him. Luck was in our favour,
-for our gallant highwayman had carried Lady
-Patience's plaint inside his coat for quite a long time,
-and then left it on his Honour's table ... quite
-enough for any self-respecting blood-hound, and this
-one is said to be very keen on the scent.... Squire
-West tried to protest, but set a dog to catch a dog,
-say I."
-
-Master Mittachip tried to shut his ears to the
-terrible sound. Fortunately it was getting fainter
-now, and Sir Humphrey did not give him time for
-much reflection.
-
-His Honour had stopped for awhile listening, with
-a chuckle of intense satisfaction, to the yelping of
-the dog straining on the leash, then when the sound
-died away, he said abruptly,—
-
-"Are we still far from the hut?"
-
-"No, Sir Humphrey," stammered Mittachip,
-whose very soul was quaking with horror.
-
-"We'll find the shepherd there, think you?"
-
-"Y ... y ... yes, your Honour!"
-
-"Harkee, Master Mittachip. I'll run no risk.
-That d——d highwayman must be desperate to-night.
-We'll adhere to our original plan, and let the shepherd
-take the letters to Wirksworth."
-
-"You ... you ... you'll not let them bide
-to-night where they are, Sir Humphrey?"
-
-"No, you fool, I won't. They are but just below the
-surface, under cover of some bramble, and once those
-fellows come scouring round the hut, any one of them
-may unearth the letters with a kick of his boot.
-There's been a lot of talk of a reward for the recovery
-of a packet of letters! ... No, no, no! I'll not
-risk it."
-
-Sir Humphrey Challoner had thought the matter
-well out, and knew that he ran two distinct risks in the
-matter of the letters. To one he had alluded just
-now when he spoke of the probability—remote
-perhaps—of the packet being accidentally unearthed
-by one of the scouring parties. Any man who found
-it would naturally at once take it to Squire West, in
-the hope of getting the reward promised by her ladyship
-for its recovery. The idea, therefore, of leaving
-the letters in their hiding-place for awhile did not
-commend itself to him. On the other hand, there
-was the more obvious risk of keeping them about his
-own person. Sir Humphrey thanked his stars that
-he had not done so the day before, and even now
-kept in his mind a certain superstitious belief that
-Beau Brocade—wounded, hunted and desperate—would
-make a final effort, which might prove successful,
-to wrench the letters from him on the Heath.
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`jock miggs's errand`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER XXVII
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- JOCK MIGGS'S ERRAND
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-Master Mittachip had tried to utter one or two
-feeble protests, but Sir Humphrey had interrupted
-him emphatically,—
-
-"The rascal may hope to win his pardon through
-the Gascoyne influence, by rendering her ladyship
-this service. Where'er he may be at this moment,
-I am quite sure that his eye is upon me and my doings."
-
-Mittachip shuddered and closed his eyes: he dared
-not peer into the dark scrub beside him, and drew his
-horse in as close to Sir Humphrey's as he could.
-
-"If you're afraid, you lumbering old coward,"
-added his Honour, "go back and leave me in peace.
-I'll arrange my own affairs as I think best."
-
-But the prospect of returning to Brassington alone
-across this awful Heath sent Master Mittachip into
-a renewed agony of terror: though his noble patron
-seemed suddenly to have become uncanny in this
-inordinate lust for revenge, he preferred his Honour's
-company to his own, and therefore made a violent
-effort to silence his worst fears. The Moor just now
-was comparatively calm: the shouts of the hunters
-and the yelping of the hound had altogether ceased;
-perhaps they had lost the scent.
-
-Another half-hour's silent ride brought them to
-the spur of the hill, along the top of which ran the
-Wirksworth Road, and as they left the steep declivity
-behind them, their ears were pleasantly tickled by
-the welcome and bucolic sound of the bleating of sheep.
-
-"Your friend the shepherd seems to be at his
-post," quoth Sir Humphrey with a sigh of satisfaction.
-
-They were close to the point where on the previous
-night Lady Patience's coach had come to a halt, and
-the next moment brought them in sight of the
-shepherd's hut, with the pen beyond it, vaguely
-discernible in the gloom.
-
-Sir Humphrey gave the order to dismount. Master
-Mittachip, feeling more dead than alive, had perforce
-to obey. They tied their horses loosely to a clump of
-blackthorn by the roadside and then crept cautiously
-towards the hut.
-
-It suited their purpose well that the night was a
-dark one. The moon was not yet high in the heavens,
-and was still half-veiled by a thin film of fleecy clouds,
-leaving the whole vista of the Moor wrapped in
-mysterious grey-blue semitones.
-
-"You have brought the lanthorn," whispered Sir
-Humphrey, hurriedly.
-
-"Y ... y ... y ... yes, your Honour,"
-stammered Mittachip.
-
-"Then quick's the word," said his Honour, pointing
-to a thick clump of gorse and bramble quite close
-to the shed. "The letters are in the very centre of
-that clump, and only just below the surface. Do you
-creep in there and get them."
-
-There was nothing for Master Mittachip to do but
-to obey, and that with as much alacrity as his terror
-would allow. His teeth were chattering in his head,
-and his hands were trembling so violently that he was
-some time in striking a light for the lanthorn.
-
-Sir Humphrey suppressed an oath of angry impatience.
-
-"Lud preserve me," murmured the poor attorney,
-"if that highwayman should come upon me whilst I
-am engaged in the task! ... You ... you'll not
-leave me, Sir Humphrey?..."
-
-"I'll lay my stick across your cowardly shoulders
-if you don't hurry," was his Honour's only comment.
-
-He watched Mittachip crawling on his hands and
-knees underneath the bramble, and his deep
-stertorous breathing testified to the anxiety which was
-raging within him. A few moments of intense
-suspense, and then Master Mittachip reappeared
-from beneath the scrub, covered with wet earth, still
-trembling, but holding the packet of letters
-triumphantly in his hand.
-
-Sir Humphrey snatched it from him.
-
-"Quick! find the shepherd now! Don't waste
-time!" he whispered, pushing the cowering attorney
-roughly before him. "One feels as if every blade of
-grass had a pair of ears on this damned Heath!" he
-muttered under his breath.
-
-Jock Miggs, the shepherd, had counted over his
-sheep, closed the gate of the pen, and was just turning
-into the hut for the night, when he was hailed by
-Master Mittachip.
-
-"Shepherd! hey! shepherd!"
-
-Miggs looked about him, vaguely astonished.
-
-Since his adventure of the previous night, when he
-had been made to play a tune for mad folks to dance
-to, he felt that nothing would seriously surprise him.
-
-When therefore he felt himself seized by the arm
-without more ado and dragged into the darkest
-corner of the hut, he did not even protest.
-
-"Did you wish to speak with me, sir?" he asked
-plaintively, rubbing his arm, for Sir Humphrey's
-impatient grip had been very strong and hard.
-
-"Yes!" said the latter, speaking in a rapid
-whisper, "here's Master Mittachip, attorney-at-law,
-whom you know well, eh?"
-
-"Aye, aye," murmured Jock Miggs, pulling at his
-forelock, "t' sheep belong to his Honour Oi believe."
-
-"Exactly, Miggs," interposed Master Mittachip,
-spurred to activity by a vigorous kick from Sir
-Humphrey, "and I have come out here on purpose
-to see you, for it is very important that you should go
-at once on to Wirksworth for me, with a packet and
-a note for Master Duffy, my clerk."
-
-"What, now? This time o' night?" quoth Jock, vaguely.
-
-"Aye, aye, Miggs ... you are not afraid, are you?"
-
-Sir Humphrey had taken up his stand outside the
-hut, leaving Mittachip to arrange this matter with
-the shepherd. He had leaned his powerful frame
-against the wall of the shed, and was grasping his
-heavily-weighted riding-crop, ready and alert in case
-of attack. The darkness round him at this moment
-was intense, and his sharp eyes vainly tried to pierce
-the gloom, which seemed to be closing in upon him,
-but his ears were keenly alive to every sound which
-came to him out of the blackness of the night.
-
-And all the while he tried not to lose one word of
-the conversation between Mittachip and the shepherd.
-
-"That's true, Jock," the attorney was saying.
-"Well! then if you'll go to Wirksworth for me, now,
-at once, there'll be a guinea for you."
-
-"A guinea!" came in bewildered accents from the
-worthy shepherd, "Lordy! Lordy! but these be
-'mazing times!"
-
-"All I want you to do, Jock, is to take a packet for
-me to my house in Fulsome Street. You understand?"
-
-But here there was a pause. Miggs was evidently
-hesitating.
-
-"Well?" queried Mittachip.
-
-"Oi'm thinking, sir..."
-
-"What?"
-
-"How can Oi go on your errand when Oi've got
-to guard this 'ere sheep for you?"
-
-"Oh, damn the sheep!" quoth Master Mittachip,
-emphatically.
-
-"Well, sir! if you be satisfied..."
-
-"You know my house at Wirksworth?"
-
-"Aye, aye, sir."
-
-"I'll give you a packet. You are to take it to
-Wirksworth now at once, and to give it to my clerk,
-Master Duffy, at my house in Fulsome Street. You
-are quite sure you understand?"
-
-"I dunno as I do!" quoth Jock, vaguely.
-
-But with an impatient oath Sir Humphrey turned
-into the hut: matters were progressing much too
-slowly for his impatient temperament. He pushed
-Mittachip aside, and said peremptorily,—
-
-"Look here, shepherd, you want to earn a guinea,
-don't you?"
-
-"Aye, sir, that I do."
-
-"Well, here's the packet, and here's a letter for
-Master Duffy at Master Mittachip's house in Fulsome
-Street. When Master Duffy has the packet and reads
-the letter he will give you a guinea. Is that
-clear?"
-
-And he handed the packet of letters, and also a
-small note, to Jock Miggs, who seemed to have done
-with hesitation, for he took them with alacrity.
-
-"Oh! aye! that's clear enough," he said, "'tis
-writ in this paper that I'm to get the guinea?"
-
-"In Master Mittachip's own hand. But mind! no
-gossiping, and no loitering. You must get to
-Wirksworth before cock-crow."
-
-Jock Miggs slipped the packet and the note into
-the pocket of his smock. The matter of the guinea
-having been satisfactorily explained to him, he was
-quite ready to start.
-
-"Noa, for sure!" he said, patting the papers
-affectionately. "Mum's the word! I'll do your
-bidding, sir, and the papers'll be safe with me, seeing
-it's writ on them that I'm to get a guinea."
-
-"Exactly. So you mustn't lose them, you know."
-
-"Noa! noa! I bain't afeeard o' that, nor of the
-highwaymen; and Beau Brocade wouldn't touch the
-loikes o' me, bless 'im. But Lordy! Lordy! these
-be 'mazing times."
-
-Already Sir Humphrey was pushing him
-impatiently out of the hut.
-
-"And here," added his Honour, pressing a piece
-of money into the shepherd's hand, "here's half-a-crown
-to keep you on the go."
-
-"Thank 'ee, sir, and if you think t' sheep will be
-all right..."
-
-"Oh, hang the sheep!..."
-
-"All right, sir ... if Master Mittachip be satisfied
-... and I'll leave t' dog to look after t' sheep."
-
-He took up his long, knotted stick, and still shaking
-his head and muttering "Lordy! Lordy!" the
-worthy shepherd slowly began to wend his way along
-the footpath, which from this point leads straight to
-Wirksworth.
-
-Sir Humphrey watched the quaint, wizened figure
-for a few seconds, until it disappeared in the gloom,
-then he listened for awhile.
-
-All round him the Heath was silent and at peace,
-the plaintive bleating of the sheep in the pen added a
-note of subdued melancholy to the vast and impressive
-stillness. Only from far there came the weird
-echo of hound and men on the hunt.
-
-His Honour swore a round oath.
-
-"Zounds!" he muttered, "the rogue must be hard
-pressed, and he's not like to give us further trouble.
-Even if he come on us now, eh, you old scarecrow? ... the
-letters are safe at last! What?"
-
-"Lud preserve me!" sighed the attorney, "but
-I hope so."
-
-"Back to Brassington then," quoth Sir Humphrey,
-lustily. "Beau Brocade can attack us now, eh?
-Ha! ha! ha!" he laughed in his wonted boisterous
-way, "methinks we have outwitted that gallant
-highwayman after all."
-
-"For sure, Sir Humphrey," echoed Mittachip, who
-was meekly following his Honour's lead across the
-road to where their horses were in readiness for them.
-
-"As for my Lady Patience! ... Ha!" said his
-Honour, jovially, "her brother's life is ... well! ... in
-my hands, to save or to destroy, according as
-she will frown on me or smile. But meseems her
-ladyship will have to smile, eh?"
-
-He laughed pleasantly, for he was in exceedingly
-good temper just now.
-
-"As for that chivalrous Beau Brocade," he added
-as he hoisted himself into the saddle, "he shall, an
-I mistake not, dangle on a gibbet before another
-nightfall."
-
-"Hark!" he added, as the yelping of the bloodhound
-once more woke the silent Moor with its eerie echo.
-
-Mittachip's scanty locks literally stood up beneath
-his bob-tail wig. Even Sir Humphrey could not
-altogether repress a shudder as he listened to the
-shouts, the cries, the snarls, which were rapidly
-drawing nearer.
-
-"We should have waited to be in at the death," he
-said, with enforced gaiety. "Meseems our fox is
-being run to earth at last."
-
-He tried to laugh, but his laughter sounded eerie
-and unnatural, and suddenly it was interrupted by
-the loud report of a pistol shot, followed by what
-seemed like prolonged yells of triumph.
-
-Master Mittachip could bear it no longer; with the
-desperation of intense and unreasoning terror he
-dug his spurs into his horse's flanks, and like a
-madman galloped at breakneck speed down the hillside
-into the valley below.
-
-Sir Humphrey followed more leisurely. He had
-gained his end and was satisfied.
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`the quarry`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER XXVIII
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- THE QUARRY
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-Some few minutes before this the hunted man had
-emerged upon the road.
-
-As, worn-out, pallid, aching in every limb, he
-dragged himself wearily forward on hands and knees,
-it would have been difficult to recognise in this poor,
-suffering fragment of humanity the brilliant, dashing
-gentleman of the road, the foppish, light-hearted
-dandy, whom the countryside had nicknamed Beau Brocade.
-
-The wound in his shoulder, inflamed and throbbing
-after the breakneck ride from the Court House to the
-Heath, had caused him almost unendurable agony,
-against which he had at first resolutely set his teeth.
-But now his whole body had become numb to every
-physical sensation. Covered with mud and grime,
-his hair matted against his damp forehead, the lines
-of pain and exhaustion strongly marked round his
-quivering mouth, he seemed only to live through his
-two senses: his sight and his hearing.
-
-The spirit was there though, indomitable, strong,
-the dogged obstinacy of the man who has nothing
-more to lose. And with it all the memory of the oath
-he had sworn to her.
-
-All else was a blank.
-
-Hunted by men, and with a hound on his track, he
-had—physically—become like the beasts of the Moor,
-alert to every sound, keen only on eluding his
-pursuers, on putting off momentarily the inevitable
-instant of capture and of death.
-
-Early in the day he had been forced to part from
-his faithful companion. Jack o' Lantern was
-exhausted and might have proved an additional source
-of danger. The gallant beast, accustomed to every
-bush and every corner of the Heath, knew its way
-well to its habitual home: the forge of John Stich.
-Jack Bathurst watched it out of sight, content that
-it would look after itself, and that being riderless it
-would be allowed to wend its way unmolested whither
-it pleased, on the Moor.
-
-And thus he had seen the long hours of this
-glorious September afternoon drag on their weary
-course; he had seen the beautiful day turn to late,
-glowing afternoon, then the sun gradually set in its
-mantle of purple and gold, and finally the grey dusk
-throw its elusive and mysterious veil over Tors and
-Moor. And he, like the hunted beast, crept from
-gorse bush to scrub, hiding for his life, driven out of
-one stronghold into another, gasping with thirst,
-panting with fatigue, determined in spirit, but broken
-down in body at last.
-
-By instinct and temperament Jack Bathurst was
-essentially a brave man. Physical fear was entirely
-alien to his nature: he had never known it, never
-felt it. During the earlier part of the afternoon, with
-a score of men at his heels, some soldiers, others but
-indifferently-equipped louts, he had really enjoyed
-the game of hide-and-seek on the Heath: to him, at
-first, it had been nothing more. It was but a part of
-that wild, mad life he had chosen, the easily-endured
-punishment for the breaking of conventional laws.
-
-He knew every shrub and crag on this wild corner
-of the earth which had become his home, and could
-have defied a small army, when hidden in the natural
-strongholds known only to himself.
-
-But when he first heard the yelping of the bloodhound
-set upon his track by the fiendish cunning of
-an avowed enemy, an icy horror seemed to creep into
-his very marrow: a horror born of the feeling of
-powerlessness, of the inevitableness of it all. His one
-thought now was lest his hand, trembling and numb
-with fatigue, would refuse him service when he would
-wish to turn the muzzle of his pistol against his own
-temple, in time to evade actual capture.
-
-The dog would not miss him. It was practically
-useless to hide: flight alone, constant, ceaseless
-flight, might help him for a while, but it was bound
-to end one way, and one way only: the scent of blood
-would lead the cur on his track, and his pursuers
-would find and seize him! bind him like a felon, and
-hang him! Aye! hang him like a common thief!
-
-He had oft laughed and joked with John Stich
-about his ultimate probable fate. He knew that his
-wild, unlawful career would come to an end sooner or
-later, but he always carried pistols in his belt, and
-had not even remotely dreamt of capture.
-
-... Until now!
-
-But now he was tired, ill, half-paralysed with pain
-and exhaustion. His trembling hand crept longingly
-round the heavy silver handle of the precious weapon.
-Every natural instinct in him clamoured for death,
-now, at this very moment before that yelping cur
-drew nearer, before those shouts of triumph were
-raised over his downfall.
-
-Only ... after that ... what would happen?
-He would be asleep and at peace ... but she? ... what
-would she think? ... that like a coward he
-had deserted his post ... like a felon he had broken
-his oath, whilst there was one single chance of
-fulfilling it ... that he had left her at the mercy of
-that same enemy who had already devised so much
-cruel treachery.
-
-And like a beast he crept back within his lair, and
-watched and listened for that one chance of serving
-her before the end.
-
-He had seen Sir Humphrey Challoner and Mittachip
-ambling up the hillside. He tried not to lose
-sight of them, and, if possible, to keep within earshot,
-but he was driven back by a posse of his pursuers,
-close upon his heels, and now having succeeded in
-reaching the road at last, he had the terrible chagrin
-of seeing that he was too late; the two men were
-remounting their horses and turning back towards
-Brassington.
-
-"Methinks we have outwitted that gallant
-highwayman after all," Sir Humphrey was saying with
-one of those boisterous outbursts of merriment,
-which to Bathurst's sensitive ears had a ring of the
-devil's own glee in it.
-
-"What hellish mischief have those two reprobates
-been brewing, I wonder?" he mused. "If those
-fellows at my heels hadn't cut me off I might have
-known..."
-
-He crept nearer to the two men, but they set their
-horses at a sharp trot down the road: Jack vainly
-strained his ears to hear their talk.
-
-For the last eight hours he had practically covered
-every corner of the Heath, backwards and forwards,
-across boulders and through morass; the hound had
-had some difficulty in finding and keeping the trail,
-but now it seemed suddenly to have found it, the
-yelping drew nearer, but the shouts had altogether
-ceased.
-
-What was to be done? God in heaven, what was
-to be done?
-
-It was at this moment that the plaintive bleating
-of one or two of the penned-up sheep suddenly aroused
-every instinct of vitality in him.
-
-"The sheep!..." he murmured. "A receipt
-and tally for some sheep!..."
-
-Fresh excitement had in the space of a few seconds
-given him a new lease of strength. He dragged
-himself up to his feet and walked almost upright as
-far as the hut.
-
-There certainly was a flock of sheep in the pen: the
-dog was watching close by the gate, but the shepherd
-was nowhere to be seen.
-
-"The sheep! ... A receipt and tally for some
-sheep! ... In Sir Humphrey Challoner's coat
-pocket! ..."
-
-Oh! for one calm moment in which to think ... to think!
-
-"The sheep!..." This one thought went on
-hammering in the poor tired brain, like the
-tantalising, elusive whisper of a mischievous sprite.
-
-And with it all there was scarce a second to be lost.
-
-The hound, yelping and straining on the leash, was
-not half a mile away; the next ten or perhaps fifteen
-minutes would see the end of this awful man-hunt on
-the Moor. And yet there close by, behind those
-clumps of gorse and the thickset hedge of bramble,
-was the clearing, where just twenty-four hours ago
-he had danced that mad rigadoon, with her almost in
-his arms.
-
-Instinctively, in the wild agony of this supreme
-moment, Beau Brocade turned his steps thither.
-This clearing had but two approaches, there where
-the tough branches of furze had once been vigorously
-cut into. Last night he had led her through the
-one whilst Jock Miggs sat beside the other, piping the
-quaint sad tune.
-
-For one moment the hunted man seemed to live
-that mad, merry hour again, and from out the
-darkness fairy fingers seemed to beckon: and her face—just
-for one brief second—smiled at him out of the gloom.
-
-Surely this was not to be the end! Something
-would happen, something *must* happen to enable him
-to render her the great service he had sworn to do.
-
-Oh! if that yelping dog were not quite so close
-upon his track! Within the next few minutes,
-seconds even, he would surely think of something
-that would guide him towards that great goal: *her
-service*. Oh! for just a brief respite in which to
-think! a way to evade his captors for a short while—a
-means to hide! a disguise! anything.
-
-But for once the Moor—his happy home, his
-friend, his mother—was silent, save for the sound of
-hunters on his trail, of his doom drawing nearer and
-nearer, whilst he stood and remembered his dream.
-
-It was madness surely, or else a continuance of
-that fairy vision, but now it seemed to him, as he
-stood just there, where yesterday her foot had
-plied the dear old measure, that his ear suddenly
-caught once more the sound of that self-same rigadoon.
-
-It was a dream of course. He knew that, and
-paused awhile, although every second now meant
-life or death to him.
-
-The tune seemed to evade him. It had been close
-to his ear a moment ago, now it was growing fainter
-and fainter, gradually vanishing away: soon he
-could scarce hear it, yet it seemed something tangible,
-something belonging to her: it was the tune which
-she had loved, to which her foot had danced so
-gladsomely, so he ran after it, ran as fast as his weary
-body would take him, to the further end of the
-clearing, whither the sweet, sad tune was leading
-him with its tender, plaintive echo.
-
-There, just where the clearing debouched upon the
-narrow path which leads to Wirksworth, he overtook
-Jock Miggs who was slowly wending his way along,
-and who just now must have passed quite close to
-him, blowing on his tiny pipe, as was his wont.
-
-"The shepherd! ... Chorus of angels in paradise
-lend me your aid now!"
-
-With a supreme effort he pulled his scattered
-senses together: the mighty fever of self-defence was
-upon him, that tower of strength which some
-overwhelming danger will give to a brave man once
-perhaps in his lifetime. The veil of semi-consciousness,
-of utter physical prostration, was lifted from his
-dull brain for this short brief while. The exhausted,
-suffering, hunted creature had once more given place
-to the keen, alert son of the Moor, the mad, free child
-of Nature, with a resourceful head and a daring hand.
-And for that same brief while the great and mighty
-power whom men have termed Fate, but whom
-saints have called God, allowed his untamed spirit
-to conquer his body and to hold it in bondage,
-chasing pain away, trampling down exhaustion,
-whilst disclosing to his burning eyes, amidst the
-dark and deadly gloom, the magic, golden vision of a
-newly-awakened hope.
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`the dawn`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER XXIX
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- THE DAWN
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-A while ago, in an agony of longing, he had cried out
-for a moment's respite! for a disguise! and now
-there stood before him Jock Miggs in smock and
-broad-brimmed hat, with pipe and shepherd's staff.
-His pursuers, headed by the yelping dog, were still a
-quarter of a mile away. Five minutes in which to
-do battle for his life, for his freedom, for the power
-to keep his oath! The plan of action had surged in
-his mind at first sight of the wizened little figure of
-the shepherd beside the further approach to the
-clearing.
-
-Beau Brocade drew himself up to his full height,
-sought and found in the pocket of his coat the black
-mask which he habitually wore; this he fixed to his
-face, then drawing a pistol from his belt, he overtook
-Jock Miggs, clapped him vigorously on the shoulder,
-and shouted lustily,—
-
-"Stand and deliver!"
-
-Jock Miggs, aroused from his pleasant meditations,
-threw up his hands in terror.
-
-"The Lud have mercy on my soul!" he ejaculated
-as he fell on his knees.
-
-"Stand and deliver!" repeated Beau Brocade, in
-as gruff a voice as he could command.
-
-Jock Miggs was trying to collect his scattered wits.
-
-"B ... b ... but ... kind sir!" he
-murmured, "y ... y ... you wouldn't harm Jock
-Miggs, the shepherd ... would you?"
-
-"Quick's the word! Now then..."
-
-"But, good sir ... Oi ... Oi ... Oi've got
-nowt to deliver..."
-
-Jock Miggs was pitiful to behold: at any other
-moment of his life Bathurst would have felt very
-sorry for the poor, scared creature, but that yelping
-hound was drawing desperately near and he had only
-a few minutes at his command.
-
-"Naught to deliver?" he said with a great show
-of roughness, and seizing poor Jock by the collar.
-
-"Look at your smock!"
-
-"My smock, kind sir?..."
-
-"Aye! I've a fancy for your smock ... so off
-with it ... quick!"
-
-Jock Miggs struggled up to his feet, he was
-beginning to gather a small modicum of courage. He
-had lived all his life on Brassing Moor and it was his
-first serious encounter with an armed gentleman of
-the road. Whether 'twas Beau Brocade or no he was
-too scared to conjecture, but he had enough
-experience of the Heath to know that poor folk like
-himself had little bodily hurt to fear from highwaymen.
-
-But of course it was always wisest to obey. As to
-his old smock...
-
-"He! he! he! my old smock, sir!" he laughed
-vaguely and nervously, "why..."
-
-"I don't want to knock the poor old cuckoo down,"
-murmured Bathurst to himself, "but I've just got
-three minutes before that cur reaches the top of the
-clearing and ... Off with your smock, man, or I
-fire," he added peremptorily, and pointing the muzzle
-of his pistol at the trembling shepherd.
-
-Miggs had in the meanwhile fully realised that the
-masked stranger was in deadly earnest. Why he
-should want the old smock was more than any
-shepherd could conceive, but that he meant to have
-it was very clear. Jock uttered a final plaintive
-word of protest.
-
-"Kind sir ... but if Oi take off my smock ... I
-sha'nt be quite d ... d ... decent ... sir
-... wi' only my shirt."
-
-"You shall have my coat," replied Bathurst,
-decisively.
-
-"Lud preserve me! ... Your coat, sir!"
-
-"Yes! it's old and shabby, and my waistcoat too....
-Now off with that smock, or..."
-
-Once more the muzzle of the pistol gleamed close
-to Jock Miggs's head. Without further protest he
-began to divest himself of his smock. The process
-was slow and laborious, and Jack set his teeth not to
-scream with the agony of the suspense.
-
-He himself had had little difficulty in taking off his
-own coat and waistcoat, for earlier in the day, before
-he had been so hard pressed, the pain in his shoulder
-had caused him to slip his left arm out of its sleeve.
-
-Moreover, the excitement of these last fateful
-moments kept him at fever pitch: he was absolutely
-unconscious of aught save of the rapid flight of the
-seconds and the steady approach of dog and men
-towards the clearing.
-
-Even Jock Miggs, who up to now had been too
-intent on his own adventure to take much heed of
-what went on in the gloom beyond, even he
-perceived that something unusual was happening on the Moor.
-
-"What's that?" he asked with renewed terror.
-
-"A posse of soldiers at my heels," said Beau
-Brocade, decisively, "that's why I want your smock,
-my man, and if I don't get it there'll be just time to
-blow out your dull brains before I fall into their hands."
-
-This last argument was sufficiently convincing.
-Miggs thought it decidedly best to obey; he helped
-his mysterious assailant on with his own smock, cap
-and kerchief, and not unwillingly attired himself in
-Beau Brocade's discarded coat and waistcoat.
-
-"A pistol in your belt in case you need it, friend,"
-whispered Bathurst, rapidly, as he slipped one of the
-weapons in Miggs's belt, keeping the other firmly
-grasped in his own hand.
-
-There was no doubt that the hound was on the
-scent now: the men had ceased shouting but their
-rapid footsteps could be heard following closely upon
-the dog, whose master was muttering a few words of
-encouragement.
-
-Anon there came a whisper, louder than the rest,—
-
-"This way!..."
-
-Then another,—
-
-"There's a path here!"
-
-"Be gy! this confounded darkness!"
-
-"Steady, Roy! steady, old man! Eh? What?"
-
-"This way!"
-
-"Can't you find the trail, old Roy?"
-
-And the gorse was crackling beneath rapid and
-stealthy footsteps. There was now just the width
-of the clearing between Beau Brocade and his
-pursuers.
-
-"This way, Sergeant. Roy's got the trail again."
-
-Neither Jock Miggs nor yet Beau Brocade could
-see what was going on at the further end of the clearing.
-The dog, wildly straining against the leash, was
-quivering with intense excitement, his master
-hanging on to him with all his might.
-
-Miggs, scared like some sheep lost among a herd of
-cows, was standing half-dazed, smoothing down with
-appreciative fingers the fine cloth of his new apparel,
-terrified every time his hand came in contact with the
-pistol in his belt.
-
-But Beau Brocade had crept underneath a heavy
-clump of gorse and bramble, and with his finger on
-the trigger of his weapon he cowered there, ready for
-action, his eyes fixed upon the blackness before him.
-
-The next moment the outline of the hound's head
-and shoulders became faintly discernible in the
-gloom. With nose close to the ground, powerful
-jaws dropping and parched tongue hanging out of its
-mouth, it was heading straight for the clump of
-gorse where cowered the hunted man.
-
-Beau Brocade took rapid aim and fired. The dog,
-without a howl, rolled over on its side, whilst Jock
-Miggs uttered a cry of terror.
-
-Then there was an instant's pause. The pursuers,
-silenced and awed, had stopped dead, for they had
-been taken wholly unawares, and for a second or two
-waited, expecting and dreading yet another shot.
-
-Then a mild, trembling voice came to them from
-the darkness.
-
-"There 'e is, Sergeant! Just afore you—standing
-... see!..."
-
-The Sergeant and soldiers had no need to be told
-twice. Their pause had only been momentary and
-already they had perceived the outline of Jock Miggs's
-figure, standing motionless not far from the body of
-the dead dog.
-
-With a shout of triumph Sergeant and soldiers fell
-on the astonished shepherd, whilst the same mild,
-trembling voice continued to pipe excitedly,—
-
-"Hold 'un tight, Sergeant! Jump on 'im! Tie
-'is legs! Sure, an' 'tis he, the rascal!"
-
-Jock Miggs had had no chance of uttering one word
-of protest, for one of the soldiers, remembering a lesson
-learnt the day before at the smithy, had thrown his
-own heavy coat right over the poor fellow's head,
-effectually smothering his screams. Another man
-had picked up the still smoking pistol from the
-ground close to Miggs's feet.
-
-"Pistols!" said the Sergeant, excitedly. "The
-pair o' them too," he added, pulling the other
-silver-mounted weapon out of Miggs's belt, and the black
-mask out of the pocket of his coat: "and silver-mounted,
-be gy! ... And his mask! ... Now,
-my men, off with him.... Tie his legs together—off
-with your belts, quick! ... and you, Corporal,
-keep that coat tied well over his head ... the
-rascal's like an eel, and'll wriggle out of your hands
-if you don't hold him tight.... Remember
-there's a hundred guineas reward for the capture of
-Beau Brocade."
-
-Poor old Miggs, smothered within the thick folds
-of the soldier's coat, could scarce manage to breathe.
-The men were fastening his knees and ankles together
-with their leather belts, his arms too were pinioned
-behind his back. Thus trussed and spitted like a
-goose ready for roasting, he felt himself being hauled
-up on the shoulders of some of the men and then
-borne triumphantly away.
-
-"We've gotten Beau Brocade!"
-
-"Hip! hip! hurray!"
-
-And so they marched away, shouting lustily,
-whilst Beau Brocade remained alone on the Heath.
-
-The excitement was over now. He was safe for
-the moment and free. But the hour of victory
-seemed like the hour of death; as the last shouts of
-triumph, the last cry of "Hurrah!" died away in the
-distance, he fell back against the wet earth; his senses
-were reeling, the very ground seemed to be giving
-way beneath his feet, a lurid, red film to be rising
-before his closing lids, blotting out the darkness of
-the Moor, and that faint, very faint, streak of grey
-which had just appeared in the east.
-
-God, to whom he had cried out in his agony, had
-given him the respite for which he had craved. He
-was safe and free to think ... to think of her ... and
-yet now his one longing seemed to be to lie down
-and rest ... and rest ... and sleep...
-
-Many a night he had lain thus on the open Moor,
-with the soft, sweet-scented earth for his bed, and the
-tender buds of heather as a pillow for his head. But
-to-night he was only conscious of infinite peace, and
-his trembling hands drew the worthy shepherd's
-smock closer round him.
-
-His wandering spirit paused awhile to dwell on
-poor Miggs in his sorry plight.... Ah, well! the
-morning would see Jock free again, but in the meanwhile...
-
-Then all of a sudden the spirit was back on
-earth, back to life and to a mad, scarce
-understandable hope. His hand had come in contact
-with a packet of letters in the pocket of Miggs's
-smock.
-
-Far away in the sky the eastern stars had paled
-before the morning light. One by one the distant
-peaks of the Derbyshire hills emerged from the black
-mantle of the night, and peeped down on the valley
-below, blushing a rosy red. Upon the Heath animal
-life began to be astir—in the morass beyond a lazy
-frog started to croak.
-
-Beau Brocade had clasped the letters with cold,
-numb fingers: he drew them forth and held them
-before his dimmed eyes.
-
-"The letters!..." he murmured, trembling
-with the agony of this great unlooked-for joy. "The
-letters!..."
-
-How they came there, he could not tell. He was
-too weary, too ill to guess. But that they were her
-letters he could not for a moment doubt. He had
-found them! God and His angels had placed them
-in his hands!
-
-Ah, Fortune! fickle Fortune! the wilful jade and
-the poor outlaw were to be even then after all. And
-'twas Beau Brocade, highwayman, thief, who was
-destined in a few hours to bring her this great happiness.
-
-"Will she ... will she smile, I wonder..."
-
-He loved to see her smile, and to watch the soft
-tell-tale blush slowly mounting to her cheek. Ah! now
-he was dreaming ... dreams that never, never
-could be. He would bring her back the letters, for
-he had sworn to her that she should have them ere
-the sun had risen twice o'er yon green-clad hills.
-And then all would be over, and she would pass out
-of his life like a beautiful comet gliding across the
-firmament of his destiny.
-
-A moment but not to stay.
-
-In the east, far away, rose had changed to gold.
-From Moor and Heath and Bogland came the sound
-of innumerable bird-throats singing the great and
-wonderful hymn of praise, hosanna to awakening
-Nature.
-
-The outlaw had kept his oath; he turned to where
-the first rays of the rising sun shed their shimmering
-mantle over the distant Tors, and in one great
-uplifting of his soul to his Maker he prayed that sweet
-death might kiss him when he placed the letters at
-her feet.
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`suspense`:
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- PART IV
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- H.R.H. THE DUKE OF CUMBERLAND
-
-.. vspace:: 3
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER XXX
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- SUSPENSE
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-Throughout the whole range of suffering which
-humanity is called upon to endure, there is perhaps
-nothing so hard to bear as suspense.
-
-The uncertainty of what the immediate future
-might bring, the fast-sinking hope, the slowly-creeping
-despair, the agony of dull, weary hours: Patience
-had gone through the whole miserable gamut
-during that long and terrible day when, obedient to
-Bathurst's wishes, she had shut herself up in the
-dingy little parlour of the Packhorse and refused to
-see anyone save the faithful smith.
-
-And the news which John Stich brought to her
-from time to time was horrible enough to hear.
-
-He tried to palliate as much as possible the account
-of that awful battue organised against Beau Brocade,
-but she guessed from the troubled look on the honest
-smith's face, and from the furtive, anxious glance of
-his eyes, that the man whom she had trusted with
-her whole heart was now in peril, even more deadly
-than that which had assailed her brother.
-
-And with the innate sympathy born of a true and
-loving heart, she guessed too how John Stich's simple,
-faithful soul went out in passionate longing to his
-friend, who, alone, wounded, perhaps helpless, was
-fighting his last battle on the Heath.
-
-Yet the trust within her had not died out. Beau
-Brocade had sworn to do her service and to bring
-her back the letters ere the sun had risen twice o'er
-the green-clad hills. To her overwrought mind it
-seemed impossible that he should fail. He was not
-the type of man whom fate or adverse circumstance
-ever succeeded in conquering, and on his whole
-magnetic personality, on the intense vitality of his
-being, Nature had omitted to put the mark of failure.
-
-But the hours wore on and she was without
-further news. Her terror for her brother increased
-the agony of her suspense. She could see that John
-Stich too had become anxious about Philip. There
-was no doubt that with an organised man-hunt on the
-Moor the lonely forge by the cross-roads would no
-longer be a safe hiding-place for the Earl of Stretton.
-The smithy was already marked as a suspected house,
-and John Stich was known to be a firm adherent of
-the Gascoynes and a faithful friend of Beau Brocade.
-
-During the course of this eventful day the attention
-of the Sergeant and soldiers had been distracted,
-through Bathurst's daring actions, from Stich's
-supposed nephew out o' Nottingham, but as the
-beautiful September afternoon turned to twilight
-and then to dusk, and band after band of hunters set
-out to scour the Heath, it became quite clear both to
-Patience and to the smith that Philip must be got
-away from the forge at any cost.
-
-He could remain in temporary shelter at the
-Packhorse, under the guise of one of Lady Patience's
-serving-men, at anyrate until another nightfall, when
-a fresh refuge could be found for him, according as
-the events would shape themselves within the next
-few hours.
-
-Therefore, as soon as the shadows of evening began
-to creep over Brassing Moor, Stich set out for the
-cross-roads. He walked at a brisk pace along the
-narrow footpath which led up to his forge, his honest
-heart heavy at thought of his friend, all alone out
-there on the Heath.
-
-The weird echo of the man-hunt did not reach this
-western boundary of the Moor, but even in its
-stillness the vast immensity looked hard and cruel in the
-gloom: the outlines of gorse bush and blackthorn
-seemed akin to gaunt, Cassandra-like spectres
-foreshadowing some awful disaster.
-
-Within the forge Philip too had waited in an agony
-of suspense, whilst twice the glorious sunset had
-clothed the Tors with gold.
-
-Driven by hunger and cold out of the hiding-place
-on the Moor which Bathurst had found for him, he
-had returned to the smithy the first night, only to find
-John Stich gone and no trace of his newly-found
-friend. His sister, he knew, must have started for
-London, but he was without any news as to what had
-happened in the forge, and ignorant of the gallant
-fight made therein by the notorious highwayman.
-
-The hour was late then, and Philip was loth to
-disturb old Mistress Stich, John's mother, who kept
-house for him at the cottage. Moreover, he had the
-firm belief in his heart that neither Bathurst nor
-Stich would have deserted him, had they thought
-that he was in imminent danger.
-
-Tired out with the excitement of the day, and with
-a certain amount of hope renewed in his buoyant
-young heart, he curled himself up in a corner of the
-shed and forgot all his troubles in a sound sleep.
-
-The next morning found him under the care of old
-Mistress Stich at the cottage. She had had no news
-of John, who had wandered out, so she said, about
-two hours after sunset, possibly to find the Captain;
-but she thrilled the young man's ears with the account
-of the daring fight in the forge.
-
-"Nay! but they'll never get our Captain!" said
-the worthy dame, with a break in her gentle old
-voice, "and if the whole countryside was after him
-they'd never get him. Leastways so says my John."
-
-"God grant he may speak truly," replied the
-young man, fervently; "'tis shame enough on me
-that a brave man should risk his life for me, whilst
-I have to stand idly behind a cupboard door."
-
-The absence of definite news weighed heavily upon
-his spirits, and as the day wore on and neither John
-Stich nor Bathurst reappeared, his hopes very
-quickly began to give way to anxiety and then to
-despair. Philip always had a touch of morbid
-self-analysis in his nature: unlike Jack Bathurst, he was
-ever ready to bend the neck before untoward fate,
-heaping self-accusation on self-reproach, and thus
-allowing his spirit to bow to circumstance, rather
-than to attempt to defy it.
-
-And throughout the whole of this day he sat,
-moody and silent, with the ever-recurring thought
-hammering in his brain,—
-
-"I ought not to have allowed a stranger to risk his
-life for me. I should have given myself up. 'Twas
-unworthy a soldier and a gentleman."
-
-By the time the shadows had lengthened on the
-Moor, and Jack o' Lantern covered with sweat had
-arrived riderless at the forge, Philip was formulating
-wild plans of going to Wirksworth and there
-surrendering himself to the local magistrate. He
-worked himself up into a fever of heroic self-sacrifice,
-and had just resolved only to wait until dawn to
-carry out his purpose, when John Stich appeared in
-the doorway of his smithy.
-
-One look in the honest fellow's face told the young
-Earl of Stretton that most things in his world were
-amiss just now. A few eager questions, and as
-briefly as possible Stich told him exactly how matters
-stood: the letters stolen by Sir Humphrey Challoner,
-Bathurst's determination to re-capture them and the
-organized hunt proceeding this very night against him.
-
-"Her ladyship and I both think, my lord, that
-this place is not safe for you just now," added John,
-finally, "and she begs you to come to her at Brassington
-as soon as you can. The road is safe enough,"
-added the smith, with a heavy sigh, "no one'd notice
-us—they are all after the Captain, and God knows
-but perhaps they've got him by now."
-
-Philip could say nothing, for his miserable
-self-reproaches had broken his spirit of obstinacy. His
-boyish heart was overflowing with sympathy for the
-kindly smith. How gladly now would he have given
-his own life to save that of his gallant rescuer!
-
-Obediently he prepared to accede to his sister's
-wishes. He knew what agony she must have endured
-when the letters were filched from her; he guessed
-that she would wish to have him near her, and in any
-case he wanted to be on the spot, hoping that yet he
-could offer his own life in exchange for the one which
-was being so nobly risked for him.
-
-Quite quietly, therefore, and without a murmur, he
-prepared to accompany Stich back to Brassington.
-At the Packhorse a serving-man's suit could easily
-be found for him, and he would be safe enough there,
-for a little while at least.
-
-John Stich, having tended Jack o' Lantern with
-loving care, took a hasty farewell of his mother.
-While his friend's fate and that of his young lord hung
-in the balance he was not like to get back quietly to
-his work.
-
-"The Captain may come back here for shelter
-mayhap," he said, with a catch in his throat, as he
-kissed the old dame "good-bye"; "you'll tend to him,
-mother?"
-
-"Aye! you may be sure o' that, John," replied
-Mistress Stich, fervently.
-
-"He'll need a rest mayhap, and some nice warm
-water; he's such a dandy, mother, you know."
-
-"Aye! aye!"
-
-"And you might lay out his best clothes for him;
-he may need 'em mayhap."
-
-"Aye! I've got 'em laid in lavender for him.
-That nice sky-blue coat, think you, John?"
-
-"Aye, and the fine 'broidered waistcoat, and the
-black silk bow for his hair, and the lace ruffles for his
-wrists, and..."
-
-Stich broke down, a great lump had risen in his
-throat. Would the foppish young dandy, the handsome,
-light-hearted gallant, ever gladden the eyes of
-honest John again?
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`"we've gotten beau brocade"`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER XXXI
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- "WE'VE GOTTEN BEAU BROCADE!"
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-The presence of Philip at the inn had done much to
-cheer Patience in her weary waiting. He and John
-Stich had reached the Packhorse some time before
-cockcrow, and the landlord had been only too ready
-to do anything in reason to further the safety of the
-fugitive, so long as his own interests were not
-imperilled thereby.
-
-This meant that he would give Philip a serving-man's
-suit and afford him shelter in the inn, for as
-long as the authorities did not suspect him of
-harbouring a rebel; beyond that he would not go.
-
-Lady Patience had paid him lavishly for this help
-and his subsequent silence. It was understood that
-the fugitive would only make a brief halt at Brassington:
-some more secluded shelter would have to be
-found for him on the morrow.
-
-For the moment, of course, the thoughts of everyone
-in the village would be centred in the capture of
-Beau Brocade. The highwayman had many friends
-and adherents in the village, people whom his careless
-and open-handed generosity had often saved from
-penury. To a man almost, the village folk hoped to
-see him come out victorious from the awful and
-unequal struggle which was going on on the Heath.
-So strong was this feeling that the beadle, who was
-known to entertain revengeful thoughts against the
-man who had played him so impudent a trick the
-day before, did not dare to show his rubicund face
-in the bar-parlour of either inn on that memorable
-night.
-
-No one had gone to bed. The men waited about,
-consuming tankards of small ale, whilst discussing
-the possibility of their hero's capture. The women
-sat at home with streaming eyes, plaintively wondering
-who would help them in future in their distress,
-if Beau Brocade ceased to haunt the Heath.
-
-Patience herself did not close an eye. Her hand
-clinging to that of Philip, she sat throughout that
-long, weary night watching and waiting, dreading the
-awful dawn, with the terrible news it would bring.
-
-And it was when the first rosy light shed its
-delicate hue over the tiny old-world village, that the
-sweet-scented morning air was suddenly filled with
-the hoarse triumphal cry,—
-
-"We have gotten Beau Brocade!"
-
-"Hip! hip! hip! hurray!"
-
-Wearied and dazed with the fatigue of her long
-vigil, Patience had sunk into a torpor when those
-shouts, rapidly drawing nearer to the village, roused
-her from this state of semi-consciousness.
-
-She hardly knew what she had hoped during these
-past anxious hours: now that the awful certainty had
-come, it seemed to stun her with the unexpectedness
-of the blow.
-
-"We've gotten Beau Brocade!"
-
-The village folk turned out in melancholy groups
-from the parlour of the inn; they too had entertained
-vague hopes that their hero would emerge unscathed
-from the perils which encompassed him; to them too
-the news of his capture came as that of a sad,
-irretrievable catastrophe. They congregated in small,
-excited numbers on the village green, their stolid
-heads shaking sadly at sight of the squad of soldiers,
-who were bringing in a swathed-up bundle of
-humanity, smothered about the head in a scarlet
-coat, and with hands and legs securely strapped down
-with a couple of military belts. Only the fine brown
-cloth coat, the beautifully-embroidered waistcoat
-and silver-mounted pistol proclaimed that miserable,
-helpless bundle to be the gallant Beau Brocade.
-
-The soldiers themselves were in a wild state of
-glee; they had carried their prisoner in triumph all
-the way from the Heath, and had never ceased
-shouting until they had deposited him on the green.
-Owing to the unusual hour, and to the absence of
-His Honour, Squire West, the pinioned highwayman
-was to be locked up in the pound until noon.
-
-In the small private parlour of the Packhorse
-Patience had sat rigid as a statue, while those shouts
-of triumph seemed to strike her heart as with a
-hammer. Her fist pressed against her burning
-mouth, she was making desperate efforts to smother
-the scream of agony which would have rent her throat.
-
-But with one bound John Stich was soon out of the
-Packhorse, where he, too, with aching heart and mind
-devoured with anxiety, had watched and waited
-through the night.
-
-It did not take him long to reach the green, and
-using his stalwart elbows to some purpose, he
-quickly made a way for himself through the small
-crowd and was presently looking down on the huddled
-figure which lay helpless on the ground.
-
-There was the Captain's fine brown coat sure
-enough, with its ample, silk-lined, full skirts, and
-rich, cut-steel buttons; there was the long,
-richly-embroidered waistcoat; the lace cuffs at the wrists,
-and the handsome sword-belt, through which the
-finely-chased silver handle of the pistol still
-protruded. But John Stich had need but to cast one
-glance at the hands, and another at the feet encased
-in rough countryman's boots, to realise with a sudden,
-wild exultation of his honest heart that in some way
-or other his Captain had succeeded in once more
-playing a trick on his pursuers, and that the man
-who lay there muffled on the ground was certainly not
-Beau Brocade.
-
-But even in the suddenness of this intense joy and
-relief, John Stich was shrewd enough not to betray
-himself. Obviously every moment, during which
-the captors enjoyed their mistaken triumph, was a
-respite gained for the hunted man out on the Heath.
-Therefore when the Sergeant ordered the rascal to be
-locked up in the pound awaiting his Honour's orders,
-and gave Stich a vigorous rap on the shoulder, saying
-lustily,—
-
-"Well, Master Stich, we've got your friend after
-all, you see?"
-
-The smith quietly replied,—
-
-"Aye! aye! you've gotten him right enough.
-No offence, Sergeant! Have a small ale with me
-before we all go to bed?"
-
-"'Tis nowt to me," he added, seeing with intense
-satisfaction the heavy bolts of the pound securely
-pushed home on the unfortunate Jock Miggs.
-
-The Sergeant was nothing loth, and eagerly
-followed Stich to the bar of the Royal George, where
-small ale now flowed freely until the sun was high in
-the heavens.
-
-But as soon as the smith had seen the soldiers
-safely installed before their huge tankards, he rushed
-out of the inn and across the green, back to the
-Packhorse, to bring the joyful news to Lady Patience
-and her brother.
-
-In the privacy of the little back parlour he was able
-to give free rein to his joy.
-
-"They'll never get the Captain," he shouted,
-tossing his cap in the air, "and, saving your ladyship's
-presence, we was all fools to think they would."
-
-Patience had said nothing when the smith first
-brought the news. She smiled kindly and somewhat
-mechanically at the exuberance of his joy, but when
-honest John once more left her, to glean more detailed
-account of the great man-hunt on the Heath, she
-turned to her brother, and falling on her knees she
-buried her fair head against the lad's shoulder and
-sobbed in the fulness of her joy as if her heart would
-break.
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`a painful incident`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER XXXII
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- A PAINFUL INCIDENT
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-A few hours later, when hunters and watchers had
-had a little rest, came the rude awakening after the
-hour of triumph.
-
-Jock Miggs, still trussed and pinioned, had been
-hauled out of the pound. Master Inch, the beadle,
-resplendent in gold-laced coat and the majesty of his
-own importance, had taken the order of ceremony
-into his own hands.
-
-His Honour, Squire West, would be round at the
-Court House about noon, and Inch, still smarting
-under the indignity put upon him through the
-instrumentality of the highwayman, had devised an
-additional little plan of revenge.
-
-Sir Humphrey Challoner had emphatically
-declared that the beadle should be publicly whipped
-for having dared to lay hands on the Squire of
-Hartington's person. Master Inch remembered this
-possible and appalling indignity, which mayhap he
-would be called upon to suffer, and therefore when
-the bolts of the pound were first drawn, disclosing
-the swathed-up bundle of humanity which was
-supposed to be the highwayman, the beadle shouted
-in his most stentorian, most pompous tones,—
-
-"To the pond with him!"
-
-The soldiers—most of them lads recruited from the
-Midland counties, and a pretty rough lot to boot—were
-only too ready for this additional bit of horseplay.
-
-'Twas fun enough to sit an old scold in the
-ducking-stool, but to carry on the same game with Beau
-Brocade, the notorious highwayman, who had defied
-the four counties and set every posse of soldiers by
-the ears, would be rare sport indeed.
-
-With a shout of joy they seized Jock Miggs by the
-legs and shoulders, and with much laughter and many
-a lively sally they carried him to the shallow
-duck-pond at the further end of the green. Very sadly,
-and with many an anxious shake of the head, the
-village folk followed the little procession, which was
-headed by the Sergeant and pompous Master Inch.
-
-At the moment when the unfortunate shepherd was
-being swung in mid-air, preparatory to his immersion
-in the water, one of the soldiers laughingly dragged
-away the coat which swathed poor Miggs's head and
-shoulders, and was near suffocating him.
-
-"We don't want 'im to drown, do we?" he said,
-just as his comrades dropped the wretched man
-straight into the pond.
-
-Immediately there was a loud cry from beadle and
-spectators,—
-
-"Lud love us all! that bain't Beau Brocade!"
-
-And one timid voice added,—
-
-"Why! 'tis Jock Miggs, the shepherd!"
-
-The beadle nearly had a fit of apoplectic rage.
-That cursed highwayman surely must be in league
-with the devil himself. The soldiers were gasping
-with astonishment, and staring open-mouthed at
-the dripping figure of Jock Miggs, who with unruffled
-stolidity was quietly struggling out of the water.
-
-"Lordy! Lordy! these be 'mazing times," he
-muttered in his vague, fatalistic way as he shook
-himself dry in the sunshine, after the manner of his
-own woolly sheep-dog.
-
-"Oho! ho! ha! ha! ha!" came in merry chorus
-from the crowd of village folk, "look at Jock Miggs,
-the highwayman!"
-
-The soldiers, were absolutely speechless. Master
-Inch, the beadle, had said emphatically,—
-
-"Damn!"
-
-Truly there was nothing more to be said: those
-who were inclined to be superstitious felt convinced
-that the devil himself had had something to do with
-this amazing substitution.
-
-That it was Beau Brocade who had been captured
-on the Heath last night none of those who were present
-at the time doubted for a single instant. To their
-minds the highwayman had been mysteriously
-spirited away by the agency of Satan his friend, who
-had quietly deposited Jock Miggs, the shepherd, in
-his place.
-
-John Stich, with Mistress Betty beside him, had
-watched these proceedings from the other end of the
-green, fully prepared to come to Miggs's assistance
-and to disclose the latter's identity at once if the
-horse-play became at all too rough. He now pushed
-his way through the group of soldiers, and
-good-naturedly taking hold of the bewildered shepherd's
-arm, he led him to the porch of the Royal George.
-
-"You'd like to wet your gullet after this, eh, Jock?"
-he said, as he ordered a tankard of steaming ale to be
-brought forthwith to the dripping man.
-
-The soldiers, somewhat shamefaced, had pressed
-into the bar-parlour of the inn: presently there
-would be a few broken heads in the village as a
-result of the morning's work, but for the moment the
-yokels had not begun to chaff: 'twas Jock who was
-the centre of attraction outside in the porch, sitting on
-a bench and sipping large quantities of hot ale.
-
-"Let's all drink a glass of ale to the health of Jock
-Miggs, the highwayman!" came in merry accents
-from one of the gaffers.
-
-"Hurrah for Jock Miggs, the highwayman!" was
-the universal gleeful chorus.
-
-"Be gy! Don't he look formidable!" quoth
-one of the villagers, pointing at the shepherd's scared
-figure on the bench.
-
-"Let me perish!" said another in mock alarm,
-"but I'se mightily afeeard o' him."
-
-Mistress Betty too had mixed with the throng, and
-was eyeing Jock, with irrepressible laughter dancing
-in her saucy little face.
-
-"Lud! 'tis that funny bit of sheep's wool!" she
-said gaily. "Faith! and you do look sadly, Jock
-Miggs, and no mistake! Have you been in the pond?"
-
-"How did 'e foind that out?" queried Miggs,
-vaguely. "Aye! they dumped Oi in t' pond, they
-did ... and nearly throttled Oi ... 'tis a blamed
-shame!"
-
-He had sipped huge tankards of hot ale until he
-felt thoroughly warm, and was steaming now like
-a great loaf just out of the oven.
-
-"Dumped ye in the pond?" laughed Mistress
-Betty. "You were no beauty before, Jock Miggs
-... but now ... Oh! Gemini! ... Why, what had
-you done?"
-
-"I'd done nowt!" retorted the bewildered
-shepherd. "A foine gentleman he took a fancy to
-me old smock, he did ... he put a pistol to my
-head ... then he give me his own beautiful coat
-for to make me look decent ... and I were just
-puttin' it on when them soldiers fell on me ... and
-nigh throttled me, and clapped me in the pound they
-did..."
-
-"Ye seem to have had a rough time o' it, friend
-Miggs," said John Stich, kindly.
-
-"Aye, that be so!" commented Jock, vaguely.
-"'Mazing times these be!"
-
-"They mistook you in your fine clothes for Beau
-Brocade," explained one of the villagers.
-
-"May be so!" quoth Miggs. "I dunno."
-
-But Mistress Betty held up a rosy finger at the
-unfortunate shepherd, and said with grave severity,—
-
-"Ye are not Beau Brocade, Jock Miggs, are ye?"
-
-"I dunno!" replied Jock Miggs with imperturbable
-vagueness. "I don't rightly know who Oi be!
-I think them soldiers made a mistake, but I dunno."
-
-He was undoubtedly the hero of the hour, and the
-rest of his morning was spent in pleasant conviviality
-with all his friends in the village, until by about
-noon the worthy shepherd was really hopelessly
-at sea as to who he really was. At one o'clock he
-became quite convinced that he was Beau Brocade
-the highwayman—or at any rate a very dangerous
-character—and had only escaped hanging through
-his reputation of supernatural cunning and bravery.
-
-The Sergeant and soldiers were drowning their
-acute disappointment in the bar-parlour of the
-Royal George. They certainly were not in luck, for
-even at the very moment when egged on by the
-Sergeant they were planning a fresh battue of the
-Heath, there came into Brassington an advance
-guard from the Duke of Cumberland, with the news
-that His Royal Highness would pass through the
-village with his army corps on his way to the north.
-The Sergeant was requisitioned to arrange for His
-Highness's quarters at the Royal George: the men
-would not be allowed to go hunting after a highwayman,
-in case their officers had need of them for other
-purposes.
-
-All thoughts of a fresh hunt after their elusive
-quarry would therefore have to be abandoned until
-after the army had passed through Brassington, and
-Sergeant and soldiers could but hope that they would
-be left behind, in order that they might make one
-more gigantic attempt to earn the hundred guineas
-reward, offered for the capture of Beau Brocade.
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`the awakening`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER XXXIII
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- THE AWAKENING
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-John Stich could scarce contain himself for joy.
-Fate indeed and all the angels in heaven had ranged
-themselves on the side of his Captain.
-
-That Beau Brocade should have emerged
-unconquered after all out of the terrible position in
-which he was placed last night, seemed to the worthy
-smith nothing short of miraculous, and only
-accomplished through the special agency of heaven,
-whose most cherished child the gallant highwayman
-most undoubtedly was, in his friend's enthusiastic
-estimation.
-
-For the moment, therefore, the kindly smith felt
-tolerably happy about his friend. The presence of
-His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland with
-his army corps in this part of the country would do
-much towards keeping the Sergeant and soldiers'
-attention away from the Heath, at any rate for a day
-or two. Perhaps the squad now quartered at
-Brassington would be drafted to one of the regiments,
-and a fresh contingent, composed of men who'd have
-no special bone to pick with the highwayman, left
-behind for the still active hunt against the rebels.
-
-But this train of thought brought the faithful
-smith's mind back to the Earl of Stretton and the
-stolen letters. Reassured momentarily as to his
-friend, he was still aware of the grave peril which
-threatened his young lord.
-
-Neither he nor Lady Patience could conjecture
-what had become of the letters. Sir Humphrey
-Challoner, after his woeful adventure in Brassington,
-had condescended to accept Squire West's hospitality
-for the nonce. Stich had spied him in the course of
-the morning, walking in the direction of the village
-in close conversation with his familiar, Master
-Mittachip, attorney-at-law. In spite of the momentary
-respite in his anxiety, the smith felt that there
-lay still the real danger to Beau Brocade and to Lord
-Stretton. Moreover, by now he longed to see his
-friend and to learn how he'd fared. Vaguely in his
-honest heart he feared that the young man had
-succumbed on the Heath to pain and fatigue, and
-mayhap had failed to reach the forge.
-
-When he saw the entire population of Brassington
-busy with Jock Miggs, and the soldiers intent on
-the news from the Duke of Cumberland's advance
-guard, he determined to set out for the crossroads,
-in the hopes of finding the Captain at the forge.
-
-He had just crossed the green and turned into the
-narrow bridle-path which led straight to his smithy,
-when he spied a yokel, dressed in a long smock and
-wearing a broad-brimmed hat, coming slowly towards
-him. The man was leaning heavily on a thick
-knotted stick and seemed to be walking with obvious
-pain and fatigue.
-
-Some unexplainable instinct caused the smith
-to wait awhile until the yokel came a little nearer.
-This corner of the village was quite deserted; the
-laughter of the folk assembled round the Royal
-George could be heard only as a distant echo from
-across the green. The next moment the smith
-uttered a quickly-suppressed cry of astonishment
-as he recognised Bathurst's face underneath the
-broad-brimmed hat.
-
-"Sh! ... sh ... sh!" whispered the young
-man hurriedly—"her ladyship? ... can I see her?"
-
-"Yes! yes!" replied John, whose honest eyes
-were resting anxiously on his friend's pallid face,
-"but you, Captain? ... you?..."
-
-He did not like to formulate the question, and
-Bathurst interrupted him quickly.
-
-"I've rested awhile at the forge, John ... your
-mother was an angel ... and now I want to see
-her ladyship."
-
-John's honest heart misgave him. His friend's
-fresh young voice sounded hoarse and unnatural,
-there was a restless, feverish glitter in his eyes,
-and the slender, tapering hand which rested on the
-stick trembled visibly.
-
-"You ought to be in bed, Captain," he muttered
-gruffly, "and well nursed too; you are ill..."
-
-"I am sufficiently alive, friend, at any rate to
-serve Lady Patience to the end."
-
-"I'll go tell her ladyship," said the smith, with a
-sigh.
-
-"Say a man from the village would wish to speak
-with her.... Don't mention my name, John
-... she'll not know me, I think.... 'Tis best that she
-should not.... And I look a miserable object
-enough, don't I?" he added with a feeble laugh.
-
-"Her ladyship would command you to rest if she
-knew..."
-
-"I don't wish her to know, friend," said Jack,
-smiling in spite of himself at the good fellow's
-vehemence, "her tender pity would try to wean me from
-my purpose, which is to serve her with the last
-breath left in me. And now, quick, John....
-Don't worry about me, old friend.... I am only
-a little tired after that scramble on the Heath
-... and the wound that limb of Satan dealt me is at
-times rather troublesome.... But I am very
-tough, you know.... All my plans are made,
-and I'll follow you at a little distance. Beg her
-ladyship to speak with me in the passage of the inn
-... 'twould excite too much attention if I went up
-to her parlour.... No one'll know me, never fear."
-
-John knew of old how useless it was to argue with
-the Captain once he had set his mind on a definite
-course of action. Without further protest, therefore,
-and yet with a heavy heart, he turned and quickly
-walked back through the village to the Packhorse,
-followed at some little distance by Bathurst.
-
-In order to arouse as little suspicion as possible,
-it had been necessary for the young Earl of Stretton
-to mix from time to time with the servant and the
-barman of the inn. He was supposed to be an
-additional serving-man, come to help at the
-Packhorse in view of her ladyship's unexpected stay there.
-In this out-of-the-way village of Brassington no one
-knew him by sight, and he was in comparative safety
-here, until nightfall, when he meant to strike up
-country again for shelter.
-
-He was standing in the shadow behind the bar,
-when John Stich entered the parlour, bearing the
-message from Beau Brocade. The room was dark
-and narrow, over-filled with heavy clouds of tobacco
-smoke and with the deafening clamour of loud
-discussions and exciting narratives carried on by two
-or three soldiers and some half-dozen villagers over
-profuse tankards of ale.
-
-John Stich managed to reach Philip's ear without
-exciting attention. The young man at once slipped
-out of the room, in order to tell his sister that a yokel
-bearing important news would wish to speak with
-her privately.
-
-Her heart beating with eagerness and apprehension,
-Patience hurried down the narrow stairs, and in the
-passage found herself face to face with a man dressed
-in a long, dingy smock, and whose features she could
-not distinguish beneath the broad brim of his hat.
-
-He raised a respectful hand to his forelock as soon
-as he was in her ladyship's presence, but did not
-remove his hat.
-
-"You wished to speak with me, my man?" asked
-Lady Patience, eagerly.
-
-"I have a message for to deliver to Lady Patience
-Gascoyne," said Bathurst, whose voice, hoarse and
-quavering with fatigue, needed no assumption of
-disguise. He kept his head well bent, and the
-passage was very dark.
-
-Patience, with her thoughts fixed on the gallant,
-upright figure she had last seen so full of vitality and
-joy in the little inn-parlour upstairs, scarce gave
-more than a passing glance to the stooping form,
-leaning heavily on a stick before her.
-
-"Yes, yes," she said impatiently, "you have a
-message? From whom?"
-
-"I don't rightly know, my lady ... a gentleman
-'twas ... on the Heath this morning ... he give
-me this letter for your ladyship."
-
-Burying his tell-tale, slender hand well inside the
-capacious sleeve of Jock Miggs's smock, Bathurst
-handed Patience a note written by himself. She
-took it from him with a glad little cry, and when he
-turned to go she put a restraining hand on his arm.
-
-"Wait till I've read the letter," she said, "I may
-wish to send an answer."
-
-She unfolded the letter slowly, very slowly, he
-standing close beside her and watching the tears
-gathering in her eyes as she began to read,
-murmuring the words half audibly to herself:—
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-"Have no fear. I have the letters, and with your
-permission will take them straight to London. I
-have a powerful friend there who will help me to
-place them before the King and Council without
-delay. To carry this safely through it is important
-that I should not be seen again in Brassington, as Sir
-Humphrey Challoner luckily has lost track of me for
-the moment, and I can be at Wirksworth before
-nightfall, and on my way to London before another dawn.
-Your enemy will keep watch on *you*, so I entreat you
-to stay in Brassington so as to engage his attention,
-whilst I go to London with the letters. His lordship
-would be safest, I think, in the cottage of old Widow
-Coggins at Aldwark. It has been my good fortune
-to do her some small service; she'll befriend his
-lordship for my sake. John Stich will convey him
-thither as soon as maybe. I entreat you to be of
-good cheer. A few days will see your brother a free
-man, and rid you for ever of your enemy. Believe
-me, the plan I have had the honour to set forth is
-safe and quick, and on my knees I beg you to allow
-me to carry it through in your service."
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-She folded the letter and then slipped it into the
-folds of her gown.
-
-Through the open doorway behind her a ray of
-sunshine came shyly peeping in, framing her graceful
-figure with a narrow fillet of gold. They were alone
-in the passage, and she, intent upon the precious
-letter, was taking no notice of him: thus he could
-feast his eyes once more upon his dream, his beautiful
-white rose, drooping with the dew, the graceful
-silhouette outlined against the sunlit picture beyond,
-the queenly head, with its wealth of soft golden hair,
-bent with rapt attention on the letter which trembled
-in her hand.
-
-His whole being ached with mad passionate longing
-for her, his lips burned with a desire to cover her
-neck and throat with kisses, yet he would have knelt
-on the flagstones before her and worshipped as did
-the saints before Our Lady's shrine. In his heart
-was a great joy that he could do her service, and a
-strange, wild hope that he might die for her.
-
-"The gentleman who gave you this letter..."
-she said with a slight catch in her low, melodious
-voice. "You saw him? ... He was well? ... How
-did he look?..."
-
-Her eyes now were swimming in tears, and Bathurst
-had much ado to still the mad beating of his heart,
-and to force his voice to a natural tone.
-
-"Lud, my lady," he said, "but he was just like
-any other body Oi thought."
-
-"Not ill?"
-
-"Noa! noa! not that Oi could see."
-
-"Go back to him, friend," she said, with sudden
-eagerness, "tell him that he must come to me at
-once ... I ... I would speak with him."
-
-It required all Bathurst's firm strength of will not
-to betray himself before her. The tender pleading
-in her eyes, the gentle, womanly sympathy in her
-voice, set all his pulses beating. But he had made up
-his mind that she should not know him just then. A
-look, a cry, might give him away, and there was but
-one chance now to be of useful service to her, and
-that was to take the letters at once to London, whilst
-their joint enemy had for the nonce no thought of him.
-
-Therefore he contrived to say quite stolidly,—
-
-"Noa, noa, the gentleman said to Oi, 'You can
-bring a message, but th' lady mustn't come nigh
-me!'"
-
-She gave a quick little sigh of disappointment.
-
-"Then, my good fellow," she said, "try to
-remember ... tell him ... tell him ... I would
-wish to thank him ... tell him.... Nay! nay!"
-she suddenly added, pulling a faded white
-rose from her belt, "tell him nothing ... but give
-him this flower ... in token that I have received
-his letter ... and will act as he bids me....
-You'll remember?"
-
-He dared not trust himself to speak, but as she
-held out the rose to him he took it from her hand
-and involuntarily his finger-tips came in contact with
-hers just for a second ... long enough for the
-divine magnetism of his great love to pass from him to her.
-
-She seized hold of his hand, for in that one magnetic
-touch she had recognised him. Her heart gave a
-great leap of joy, the joy of being near him once more,
-of again feeling the tender, grey eyes resting with
-passionate longing on her face. But she uttered
-neither cry nor word, for it was a great, silent
-and godlike moment—when at last she understood.
-
-He had stooped still lower and rested his burning
-lips upon her cool fingers, and upon the rose which
-she had worn at her breast.
-
-Neither of them spoke, for their hearts were in
-perfect unison, their whole being thrilled with the
-wild, jubilant echo of a divine hosanna, and around
-them the legions of God's angels made a rampart of
-snow-white wings, to shut out all the universe from
-them, leaving them alone with their love.
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-.. _`a life for a life`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER XXXIV
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- A LIFE FOR A LIFE
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-That moment was brief, as all such great and happy
-moments are.
-
-But a few seconds had passed since both her hands
-had rested in his, and he forgot the world in that one
-kiss upon her finger-tips.
-
-The next instant a fast-approaching noise of
-hurrying footsteps, accompanied by much shouting,
-roused them from their dream.
-
-Both through the back and the front door a crowd
-of excited soldiers had pushed their way into the inn,
-whilst the folk in the bar-parlour, attracted by the
-sudden noise, pressed out into the narrow passage
-to see what was happening.
-
-John Stich, foremost amongst these, made a rush
-for Patience's side. She found herself suddenly
-pressed back towards the foot of the stairs, and face
-to face with a noisy group of village folk, through
-which the Sergeant and some half-dozen soldiers
-were roughly pushing their way.
-
-She looked round her, helpless and bewildered.
-Jack Bathurst had disappeared.
-
-The whole thing had occurred in the brief space of a
-few seconds, even before Patience had had time to
-realise that anything was amiss.
-
-The narrow staircase, at the foot of which she now
-stood, led straight up to the private parlour, where
-Philip was even now awaiting her return.
-
-"Out of the way, you rascals," the Sergeant was
-shouting, whilst elbowing his way through the small
-group of gaping yokels, and pressing forward towards
-the stairs.
-
-"Will your ladyship allow me the privilege of
-conducting you out of this crowd?" said a suave voice
-at Patience's elbow.
-
-Sir Humphrey Challoner, closely followed by the
-obsequious Mittachip, had pushed his way into the
-inn, in the wake of the soldiers, and was now standing
-between her and the crowd, bowing very deferentially
-and offering her his arm, to conduct her upstairs.
-
-But a few moments ago he had heard the startling
-news that Jock Miggs had been captured on the
-Heath, in mistake for Beau Brocade. As far as Sir
-Humphrey could ascertain nothing of importance had
-been found on the shepherd's person, and in a
-moment he realised that, through almost
-supernatural cunning, the highwayman must have
-succeeded in filching the letters, and by now had no
-doubt once more restored them to Lady Patience.
-
-All the scheming, the lying, the treachery of the
-past few days had therefore been in vain; but Sir
-Humphrey Challoner was not the man to give up a
-definite purpose after the first material check to his
-plans. If her ladyship was once more in possession
-of the letters, they must be got away from her again.
-That was all. And if that cursed highwayman was
-still free to-day, 'sdeath but he'll have to hang on the
-morrow.
-
-In the meanwhile Philip's momentary safety was
-a matter of the greatest moment to Sir Humphrey
-Challoner. If that clumsy lout of a Sergeant got
-hold of the lad, all Sir Humphrey's schemes for forcing
-Lady Patience's acceptance of his suit by means of
-the precious letters would necessarily fall to the
-ground.
-
-But instinctively Patience recoiled from him;
-his suave words, his presence near her at this terrible
-crisis, frightened her more effectually than the
-Sergeant's threatening attitude. She drew close to
-John Stich, who had interposed his burly figure
-between the soldiers and the foot of the stairs.
-
-"Out of the way, John Stich," shouted the Sergeant,
-peremptorily, "this is not your forge, remember,
-and by G—— I'll not be tricked again."
-
-"Those are her ladyship's private rooms,"
-retorted the smith, without yielding one inch of the
-ground. "Landlord," he shouted at the top of his
-voice, "I call upon you to protect her ladyship from
-these ruffians."
-
-"You insult His Majesty's uniform," quoth the
-Sergeant, briefly, "and do yourself no good, smith.
-As for the landlord of this inn, he interferes 'tween
-me and my duty at his peril."
-
-"But by what right do you interfere with me,
-Master Sergeant?" here interposed Lady Patience,
-trying to assume an indifferent air of calm
-haughtiness. "Do you know who I am?"
-
-"Aye! that I do, my lady!" responded the
-Sergeant, gruffly, "and that's what's brought me
-here this morning. Not half an hour ago I heard
-that Lady Patience Gascoyne was staying at the
-Packhorse, and now the folks say that a new
-serving-man came to give a helping hand here. He arrived
-in the middle of the night, it seems. Strange time
-for a serving-man to turn up, ain't it?"
-
-"I know nothing of any servant at this inn, and I
-order you at once to withdraw your men, and not to
-dare further to molest me."
-
-"Your pardon, my lady, but my orders is my
-orders: I have been sent here by His Royal Highness
-the Duke of Cumberland hisself to hunt out all the
-rebels who are in hiding in these parts. I've strict
-orders to be on the lookout for Philip James
-Gascoyne, Earl of Stretton, who, I understand, is your
-ladyship's own brother, and as I've a right o' search,
-I mean to see who else is staying in those rooms
-upstairs besides your ladyship."
-
-"This is an outrage, Sergeant!"
-
-"Maybe, my lady," he retorted drily, "but with
-us soldiers orders is orders, saving your presence. I
-was tricked at the smithy, and again on the Heath.
-My belief is that we were hunting a bogey last night,
-There may or mayn't be any highwayman called
-Beau Brocade, but there was a fine young gallant at
-the forge the day afore yesterday, who did for me and
-my men, and I'll take my oath that he was none
-other than the rebel, Philip Gascoyne, Earl of
-Stretton."
-
-"'Tis false and you talk like a madman, Sergeant."
-
-"Maybe! but your ladyship'll please stand aside
-until I've searched those rooms upstairs, or I'll have
-to order my men to lay hands on your ladyship.
-Now then, John Stich, stand aside in the name of the
-King!"
-
-John Stich did not move, and Lady Patience still
-stood defiant and haughty at the foot of the stairs.
-The villagers, stolid and stupid, were staring
-open-mouthed, not daring to interfere. But of course it
-was only a question of seconds, the worthy smith
-could not guard the staircase for long against the
-Sergeant and a dozen soldiers, and in any case
-nothing would be of any avail. Philip in the room
-upstairs was trapped like a fox in its lair, and nothing
-could save him now from falling into the soldiers' hands.
-
-In vain she sought for Bathurst among the crowd:
-with wild, unreasoning agony she longed for him in
-this moment of her greatest need, and he was not
-there. She felt sure that if only he were near her
-he would think of something, do something, to avert
-the appalling catastrophe.
-
-"I give your ladyship one minute's time to stand
-quietly aside," said the Sergeant, roughly. "After
-that I give my men orders to lay hands on you, and
-on any one who dares to interfere."
-
-"Give me the letters," whispered Sir Humphrey
-Challoner, insinuatingly, in her ear. "I can yet save
-your brother."
-
-"How?" she murmured involuntarily.
-
-He looked up towards the top of the stairs.
-
-"Then he *is* up there?"
-
-She did not reply. It was useless to deny it, the
-next few moments would bring the inevitable.
-
-"Stand back, Sergeant," quoth John Stich,
-defiantly. "I have the honour to protect her
-ladyship's person against any outrage from you."
-
-"Good words, smith," retorted the Sergeant,
-"but I tell ye I've been tricked twice by you and I
-mean to know the reason why. Let her ladyship
-allow me to search the room upstairs and I'll not lay
-hands on her."
-
-"Ye shall not pass," repeated the smith, obstinately.
-
-"The letters," whispered Sir Humphrey, "give
-me the letters and I pledge you my honour that I can
-save him yet."
-
-But half mad with terror and misery, scornful,
-defiant, she turned on him.
-
-"Your honour!" she said, with infinite contempt.
-
-But in her inmost heart she murmured in agonised
-despair,—
-
-"What's to be done? Oh, God, protect him!"
-
-"Stand back, John Stich," repeated the Sergeant,
-for the third time, "or I give my men the order to
-charge. Now then, my men!"
-
-"Ye shall not pass!" was the smith's persistent,
-obstinate answer to the challenge.
-
-"Forward!" shouted the soldier in a loud voice.
-"Into it, my men! Use your bayonets if anyone
-interferes with ye!"
-
-The soldiers, nothing loth, were ready for the attack:
-there had already been too much parleying to suit
-their taste. They had been baffled too often in the
-last few days to be in the mood to dally with a woman,
-be she her ladyship or no.
-
-With a loud cry they made a dash for the stairway,
-which behind Stich and Lady Patience lost itself in
-the gloom above.
-
-And it was from out this darkness that at this
-moment a light-hearted, fresh young voice struck
-upon the astonished ears of all those present.
-
-"Nay! too much zeal, friend Stich. Stand aside,
-I pray you. Faith! it'll give me great pleasure to
-converse with these gallant lobsters."
-
-And Jack Bathurst, pushing the bewildered smith
-gently to one side, came down the stairs with a smile
-upon his face, calm, debonnair, dressed as for a feast.
-
-He had discarded Jock Miggs's long smock,
-broad-brimmed hat and kerchief, and appeared in all the
-gorgeous finery of the beautiful lavender-scented
-clothes, he had donned at the forge with the kindly
-aid of Mistress Stich. He was still very pale and
-there were a few lines of weariness and of bodily pain
-round the firm, sensitive mouth, but his grey eyes,
-deep-sunk and magnetic, glowed with the keen fire
-of intense excitement. The coat of fine blue cloth
-set off his tall, trim figure to perfection. His left
-hand was tucked into the opening of his exquisitely
-embroidered waistcoat, and dainty ruffles of delicate
-Mechlin lace adorned his neckcloth and wrists. As
-he appeared there, handsome, foppish and smiling,
-'twas no wonder that the countryside had nicknamed
-him Beau Brocade.
-
-"Well! my gallant friend!" he said, addressing
-the Sergeant, since the latter seemed too astonished
-to speak, "what is it you want with me, eh?"
-
-The Sergeant was gradually recovering his breath.
-Fate apparently was playing into his hands. It was
-almost too bewildering for any bluff soldier to realise,
-but it certainly seemed pretty clear that the rebel
-Earl of Stretton and Beau Brocade the highwayman
-were one and the same person.
-
-"You are Philip Gascoyne, Earl of Stretton?"
-he asked at last.
-
-"Faith! you've guessed that, have you?"
-responded Bathurst, gaily. "Odd's life, 'tis marvellous
-how much penetration lies hidden beneath that
-becoming coat of yours."
-
-"Then, Philip Gascoyne, Earl of Stretton, you are
-attainted by Parliament for high treason, and I
-arrest you in the name of the King!"
-
-There were indeed many conflicting emotions
-raging in the hearts of all those present whilst this
-brief colloquy was going on.
-
-John Stich, accustomed to implicit obedience
-where his Captain's actions were concerned, had not
-dared to speak or stir. Sir Humphrey Challoner,
-completely thrown off his mental balance by the
-unexpected appearance of Bathurst, was hastily
-trying to make up his bewildered mind as to what
-was now best to be done.
-
-As to Patience herself, at first a great, an
-overwhelming joy and pride had seized her at the thought
-that he was near her now, that he had not deserted
-her in the hour of her greatest need, that once again
-he had interposed his magnetic, powerful personality
-between her and the danger which threatened her
-and Philip.
-
-It was only when the Sergeant's momentous words,
-"I arrest you in the name of the King!" rang out
-clearly and decisively above the loud tumult which
-was beating in her heart, that she became aware of
-the deadly peril which threatened the man she loved.
-
-True, he had come once more between her and
-danger, but once again he had done it at risk of his
-life, and was like at last to lay it down for her.
-
-She had been standing a little to one side, turning,
-as all had done, toward the elegant, foppish figure
-in the fine clothes and dainty ruffles of lace, but now
-she stepped forward with mad, unreasoning impulse,
-thrusting herself between him and the Sergeant, and
-trying to shield him behind the folds of her cloak.
-
-"No! no! no! no!" she said excitedly.
-"Sergeant, 'tis all a mistake! ... I swear..."
-
-But already Jack Bathurst had bent forward,
-and had contrived to whisper, unheard by all save
-her,—
-
-"Hush—sh—your brother ... remember his danger..."
-
-"Your pardon, lady," said the Sergeant, seeing
-that she paused, irresolute, not knowing what to do
-in face of this terrible alternative which was
-confronting her. "Your pardon, lady, but this
-gentleman is Philip, Earl of Stretton, is he not?"
-
-"For your brother's sake," whispered Bathurst
-once more.
-
-"No ... yes ... Oh! my God!" murmured
-Patience, in the agony of this appalling misery.
-
-Her brother or the man she loved. One or the
-other betrayed by one word from her, now at this
-moment, with no time to pray to God for help or
-guidance, no chance of giving her own life for both!
-
-"Out on you, friend," said Bathurst, lightly, "do
-you not see her ladyship is upset. Nay! have no
-fear, I'll follow you quietly!" he added, seeing that
-the Sergeant and soldiers were making a motion to
-surround him, "but you'll grant me leave to say
-farewell to my sister?"
-
-The Sergeant could not very well refuse. He was
-at heart a humane man, and now that he was sure
-of this important capture, he would have done a
-good deal to ingratiate himself, through little acts of
-courtesy, with Lady Patience Gascoyne.
-
-However, he had no mind to be tricked again, and
-in face of an almost immediate execution for high
-treason, the prisoner seemed extraordinarily
-self-possessed and cheerful. But for her ladyship's
-obvious despair and sorrow, the worthy Sergeant
-might even now have had some misgivings.
-
-As it was, he told off three men to mount the stairs,
-and to stand on guard at the top of them, in case the
-prisoner made a dash that way, in the hopes of
-reaching the roof. The Sergeant still kept an idea
-in his mind that some supernatural agency was at
-work in favour of this extraordinary man, who up to
-now had seemed to bear a charmed life. He had the
-little narrow passage and hall of the inn cleared of the
-gaping yokels, who went off one by one, scratching
-their addled polls, wondering what it all meant, and
-who was Beau Brocade. Was he the Earl of Stretton? was
-he the highwayman? or some pixie from the
-Heath with power to change himself at will?
-
-Sir Humphrey Challoner retired within the shadow
-of the stairway. On the whole he preferred to leave
-the events to shape their own course. In one way
-Fate had befriended him. Whether hanged in his
-own name or in that of the Earl of Stretton, the
-highwayman would within the next few hours be
-safely out of the way, and then it would be easier
-no doubt to obtain possession of the letters once again.
-
-He too like the Sergeant and soldiers, felt an
-instinctive dread of supernatural agency in connection
-with Beau Brocade. In these days there existed
-still a deeply-rooted belief in witchcraft, and the
-educated classes were not altogether proof against
-the popular superstitions.
-
-Sir Humphrey had a curious, intense hatred for
-the man who had so chivalrously championed Lady
-Patience's cause. His own love for her was so
-selfish and lustful that overpowering jealousy formed
-its chief characteristic. He was frantically, madly
-jealous of Jack Bathurst, for with the keen eyes of
-the scorned suitor, he had noted the look of joy and
-pride in her face when the young man first appeared
-on the stairs, and he alone of all those present knew
-how to interpret her obvious despair, her terrible
-misery, when brought face to face with the awful
-alternative of giving up her brother or the man she
-loved.
-
-Sir Humphrey swore some heavy oaths under his
-breath at thought of the scorn with which she had
-rejected him. Womanlike, she had yielded to the
-blandishments of that thief, and proud Lady Patience
-Gascoyne had fallen in love with a highwayman!
-
-But now Fate meant to be kind to Sir Humphrey.
-With that chivalrous coxcomb out of the way, Lady
-Patience would be once more at his mercy. Philip
-was still a fugitive under the ban of attainder, and
-the letters could be got hold of once again, unless
-indeed the devil, with an army of witches and evil
-sprites, came to the assistance of that rascal Beau
-Brocade.
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`quits`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER XXXV
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- QUITS
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-Hemmed in by a compact little group of soldiers at
-the foot of the stairs, and with three men on guard
-at the head of it, Bathurst and Patience had but a
-few minutes in which to live these last brief moments
-of their love.
-
-She clung passionately to him, throwing aside all
-the haughty reserve of her own proud nature:
-conquered by her great love: a woman only, whose
-very life was bound up in his.
-
-"They shall not take you!" she moaned in the
-agony of her despair. "They shall not.... I
-will not let you go!"
-
-And he held her in his arms now, savouring with
-exquisite delight this happiest moment of his life,
-the joy of feeling her tender form clinging to him in
-passionate sorrow, to see the tears gathering in her
-blue eyes, one by one, for him and to know that her
-love—her great, measureless, divine love—was at
-last wholly his.
-
-But the moments were brief, and the Sergeant
-below was already waxing impatient. He drew her
-gently into a dark angle of the stairs, up against the
-banisters, and taking the packet of letters from his
-pocket, he pressed them into her hand.
-
-"The letters! quick!" he whispered. "God
-guard you and him!"
-
-"The letters?" she murmured mechanically.
-
-"Aye! I can do nothing now ... but try to see
-the Duke of Cumberland before you go to London,
-show him the letters.... He may be in this
-village to-day ... if not, you can see him at
-Wirksworth.... He has power to stay execution even
-if your brother is arrested ... he might use it,
-if he had seen the letters..."
-
-"Yes! yes!" she murmured.
-
-Sorrow seemed to have dazed her, she did not quite
-know what she was doing, but her left hand closed
-instinctively over the precious packet, then dropped
-listlessly by her side.
-
-Neither she nor Bathurst had perceived a thin,
-attenuated figure hoisting itself monkey-wise over
-the dark portion of the banisters.
-
-"Try and hear what those two are saying," Sir
-Humphrey had whispered, and the attorney, obedient
-and obsequious, had made a desperate effort to do as
-he was bid. The staircase was but partially lighted
-by a glimmer of daylight, which came slanting round
-the corner from the passage. The banisters were in
-complete shadow, and the Sergeant and soldiers were
-too intent on watching their prisoner to notice Master
-Mittachip or Sir Humphrey.
-
-The next moment Patience felt a terrific wrench on
-all her fingers; even as she uttered a cry of pain and
-alarm, the packet of letters was torn out of her
-hand from behind, and she was dimly conscious of a
-dark figure clambering over the banisters and
-disappearing into the darkness below.
-
-But with a mad cry of rage Jack Bathurst had
-bounded after that retreating figure; wholly taken
-by surprise, he only saw the dim outline of Mittachip's
-attenuated form, as the latter hastily dropped the
-packet of letters at Sir Humphrey Challoner's feet,
-who stooped to pick them up. Like an infuriated
-wild beast Jack fell on Sir Humphrey.
-
-"You limb of Satan!" he gasped. "You ... you....
-Give me back those letters! ... Stich!
-Stich! quick!..."
-
-The force of the impact had thrown both men to
-the ground. Bathurst was gripping his antagonist
-by the throat with fingers of steel. But already the
-Sergeant and his men had come to the rescue, dragging
-Jack away from the prostrate figure of Sir Humphrey,
-whilst the soldiers from above had run down and
-were forcibly keeping John Stich in check.
-
-Freed from his powerful antagonist, his Honour
-quietly picked himself up, readjusted his crumpled
-neckcloth and flicked the dust from off his coat. He
-was calmly thrusting the packet of letters in his
-pocket, whilst the Sergeant was giving orders to his
-men to bind their prisoner securely, if he offered
-further resistance.
-
-"Sergeant!" said Bathurst, despairingly, "that
-miscreant has just stolen some letters belonging to
-her ladyship."
-
-"Silence, prisoner!" commented the Sergeant.
-"You do yourself no good by this violence."
-
-It seemed as if Fate meant to underline this terrible
-situation with a final stroke of her ironical pen, for
-just then the quiet village street beyond suddenly
-became alive with repeated joyous shouts and noise
-of tramping feet. In a moment the dull, monotonous
-air of Brassington was filled with a magnetic
-excitement which seemed to pervade all its inhabitants at
-once, and even penetrated within the small dingy inn,
-where the last act of a momentous drama was at this
-moment being played.
-
-"It must be the Duke of Cumberland's army!"
-quoth the Sergeant, straining his ears to catch the
-sound of a fast-approaching cavalcade.
-
-"Then you'll please His Royal Highness with the
-smart capture you've made, Sergeant," said Sir
-Humphrey, with easy condescension.
-
-This was indeed Fate's most bitter irony. "The
-Duke has power to stay execution, and would use it
-if you showed him the letters!" These were the last
-words of counsel Bathurst had given Patience, and
-now with freedom for her brother almost within her
-grasp, she was powerless to do aught to save him.
-
-"The letters, Sir Humphrey!" she murmured
-imploringly, "an you've a spark of honour left in you."
-
-"Nay!" he retorted under his breath, with truly
-savage triumph, "an you don't close your lover's
-mouth, I'll hand your brother over to these soldiers
-too, and then destroy the letters before your eyes."
-
-He turned, and for a moment regarded with an
-almost devilish sneer the spectacle of his enemy
-rendered helpless at last. Bathurst, like some
-fettered lion caught in a trap, was still making frantic
-efforts to free himself, until a violent wrench on his
-wounded shoulder threw him half unconscious on his
-knees.
-
-"Ha! ha! ha!" laughed Sir Humphrey, "I
-think, my chivalrous friend, you and I are even at last."
-
-"Come, prisoner, you'd best follow me quietly
-now," said the Sergeant, touched in spite of himself
-by Patience's terrible sorrow.
-
-But at Sir Humphrey's final taunt Jack Bathurst
-had shaken off the deadly feeling of sickness which
-was beginning to conquer him. He threw back his
-head, and with the help of the soldiers struggled
-again to his feet. The clamour outside was beginning
-to be louder and more continuous: through it all
-came the inspiriting sound of a fast-approaching
-regimental band.
-
-"The Duke of Cumberland, is it, Sergeant?" he
-said suddenly.
-
-"Marching through the village on his way to
-the north," assented the Sergeant. "Now then,
-prisoner..."
-
-"Nay, then, Sergeant," shouted Jack in a loud
-voice, as, wrenching his right arm from the grasp of
-the soldier who held him, he pointed to Sir Humphrey
-Challoner, "detain that man! ... An I am the
-rebel Earl of Stretton, he was my accomplice, and
-has all the papers relating to our great conspiracy
-at this moment about his person ... the door!—the
-door!" he added excitedly, "take care! ... he'll
-escape you! ... and he has papers on him
-now that would astonish the King."
-
-Instinctively the soldiers had rushed for both the
-doorways, and when Sir Humphrey, with a shrug of
-the shoulders, made a movement as if to go, the
-Sergeant barred the way and said,—
-
-"One moment, sir."
-
-"You would dare?" retorted Sir Humphrey,
-haughtily. "Are you such a consummate fool as not
-to see that that man is raving mad?"
-
-"Search him, Sergeant!" continued Bathurst,
-excitedly, "you'll find the truth of what I say....
-Search him ... her ladyship knows he was my
-accomplice.... Search him!—the loss of those
-papers'd cost you your stripes."
-
-The Sergeant was not a little perplexed. Already,
-the day before, the seizure of Sir Humphrey
-Challoner's person had been attended with disastrous
-consequences for the beadle of Brassington, and now....
-
-No doubt the Sergeant would never have ventured,
-but the near approach of the Duke of Cumberland's
-army, and of his own superior officers, gave the
-worthy soldier a certain amount of confidence. He
-had full rights and powers of search, and had been
-sent to this part of the country to hunt for rebels.
-He had been tricked and hoodwinked more often
-than he cared to remember, and he knew that his
-superior officers would never blame him for following
-up a clue, even if thereby he was somewhat
-overstepping his powers.
-
-"The papers," continued Bathurst, "the papers
-which'll prove his guilt ... the papers! or he'll
-destroy them."
-
-The Sergeant gave a last look at his prisoner.
-He seemed secure enough guarded by three men,
-who were even now strapping his hands behind his
-back. The accusation therefore could be no trick
-to save his own skin, and who knows? if the Earl of
-Stretton was a rebel lord, then why not the Squire of
-Hartington?
-
-"Seize him, and search him!" commanded the
-Sergeant, "in the name of the King!"
-
-"Your pardon, sir," he added deferentially, "but
-the Duke of Cumberland is within earshot almost,
-and I should be cashiered if I neglected my duty."
-
-"This is an outrage!" cried Sir Humphrey, who
-had become purple with rage.
-
-"It's doing your Honour no harm! and if I've
-done wrong no doubt I shall be punished. Search
-him, my men!"
-
-It was Sir Humphrey's turn now to be helpless in
-the hands of the soldiers. He knew quite well that
-the Sergeant was within his duty and would certainly
-not get punished for this. Worse outrages than this
-attempt on his august person had been committed in
-the Midlands on important personages, on women
-and even children, during this terrible campaign
-against fugitive rebels.
-
-Less than five seconds had elapsed when the
-soldier drew the packet of letters from Sir Humphrey's
-pocket and handed it to his Sergeant.
-
-"They'd best be for His Royal Highness's own
-inspection," said the latter, quietly, as he slipped them
-inside his scarlet coat.
-
-"Aye! for His Royal Highness!" quoth Jack
-Bathurst in mad, wild, feverish glee. "Oh, now
-is it that your Honour thought you could be even
-with me? What?"
-
-Sir Humphrey was speechless with the hopelessness
-of his baffled rage. But Patience, almost hysterical
-with the intensity of her relief after the terrible
-suspense which she had just endured, had fallen back
-half fainting against the stairs, and murmuring,—
-
-"The letters! ... Before His Royal Highness! ... Thank
-God! ... Thank God!..."
-
-Then suddenly she drew herself up, and laughing,
-crying, joyous, happy, she flew upstairs shouting,—
-
-"Philip!—Philip!—come down!—come down! ... you
-are safe!..."
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`the agony of parting`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER XXXVI
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- THE AGONY OF PARTING
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-About half an hour ago, when Jack Bathurst
-suddenly burst in upon Lord Stretton in the dingy
-little parlour upstairs, he gave the lad no inkling
-of what was happening down below. He had
-hastily discarded Jock Miggs's smock and hat and
-extracted a solemn promise from Philip not to stir
-from the parlour, whatever might be the tumult
-downstairs.
-
-Then he had left the boy chafing like a wild beast
-in its cage. The heavy oak doors and thick walls
-of the old-fashioned inn deadened all the sounds from
-below, and Bathurst had taken the precaution of
-locking the door behind him. But for this, no doubt
-Philip would have broken his word, sooner than
-allow his chivalrous friend once more to risk his life
-for him.
-
-As the noise below grew louder and louder, Stretton
-became more and more convinced that some such
-scene as had been enacted a day or two ago at the
-forge was being repeated in the hall of the
-Packhorse. He tried with all his might to force open the
-door which held him imprisoned, and threw his full
-weight against it once or twice, in a vain endeavour
-to break the thick oaken panels.
-
-But the old door, fashioned of stout, well-seasoned
-wood, resisted all his efforts, whilst the noise he made
-thereby never reached the ears of the excited throng.
-
-Like a fettered lion he paced up and down the
-narrow floor of the dingy inn parlour, chafing under
-restraint, humiliated at the thought of being unable
-to join in the fight, that was being made for his
-safety.
-
-His sister's cry came to him in this agonising
-moment like the most joyful, the most welcome call
-to arms.
-
-"The door! ... quick!..." he shouted as
-loudly as he could, "it is locked!"
-
-She found the bolt and tore open the door, and the
-next instant he was running downstairs, closely
-followed by Patience.
-
-The Sergeant and soldiers had been not a little
-puzzled at hearing her ladyship suddenly calling in
-mad exultation on her brother, whom they believed
-they were even now holding prisoner.
-
-The appearance of Philip at the foot of the stairs,
-and dressed in a serving-man's suit, further enhanced
-their bewilderment.
-
-But already Patience stood proud, defiant, and
-almost feverish in her excitement, confronting the
-astonished group of soldiers.
-
-"This, Sergeant!" she said, taking hold of her
-brother's hand, "is Philip Gascoyne, Earl of Stretton,
-my brother. Arrest *him* if you wish, he surrenders
-to you willingly, but I call upon you to let your
-prisoner go free."
-
-The Sergeant was sorely perplexed. The affair
-was certainly getting too complicated for his stolid,
-unimaginative brain. He would have given much
-to relinquish command of this puzzling business
-altogether.
-
-"Then you, sir," he said, addressing Philip, "you
-are the Earl of Stretton?"
-
-"I am Philip James Gascoyne, Earl of Stretton,
-your prisoner, Sergeant," replied the lad, proudly.
-
-"But then, saving your ladyship's presence,"
-said the soldier, in hopeless bewilderment, "who the
-devil is my prisoner?"
-
-"Surely, Sergeant," quoth Sir Humphrey, with a
-malicious sneer, "you've guessed that already?"
-
-Jack Bathurst, exhausted and faint after his long
-fight and victory, had listened motionless and silent
-to what was going on around him. With the letters
-safely bestowed in the Sergeant's wallet and about
-to be placed before His Royal Highness the Duke of
-Cumberland himself, he felt that indeed his task was
-accomplished.
-
-Fate had allowed him the infinite happiness of
-having served his beautiful white rose to some
-purpose. Philip now would be practically safe;
-what happened to himself after that he cared but
-little.
-
-At sound of Sir Humphrey's malicious taunt, an
-amused smile played round the corners of his
-quivering mouth; but Patience, with a rapid movement,
-had interposed herself between Sir Humphrey and
-the Sergeant.
-
-"Your silence, Sir Humphrey," she commanded
-excitedly, "an you've any chivalry left in you."
-
-"Aye!" he replied in her ear, "my silence now
-... at a price."
-
-"Name it."
-
-"Your hand."
-
-So low and quick had been questions and answers
-that the bewildered Sergeant and his soldiers had not
-succeeded in catching the meaning of the words, but
-Sir Humphrey's final eager whisper, "Your hand!"
-reached Jack Bathurst's sensitive ear. The look too
-in the Squire of Hartington's face had already enabled
-him to guess the purport of the brief colloquy.
-
-"Nay, Sir Humphrey Challoner," he said loudly,
-"but 'tis not a marketable commodity you are
-offering to this lady for sale. I'll break your silence
-for you. What is the information that you would
-impart to these gallant lobsters? ... That besides
-being my mother's son I am also the highwayman,
-Beau Brocade!"
-
-"No! no! no!" protested Patience, excitedly.
-
-"Odd's my life!" quoth the Sergeant, "but
-methought..."
-
-"Aye, Beau Brocade," said Sir Humphrey, with
-a sneer, "robber, vagabond and thief, that's what
-this ... *gentleman* means."
-
-"Faith! is that what I meant?" retorted Jack
-Bathurst, lightly. "I didn't know it for sure!"
-
-But with a wild cry Patience had turned to the
-Sergeant.
-
-"It's a lie, Sergeant!" she repeated, "a lie, I
-tell you. This gentleman is ... my friend ... my..."
-
-"Well, whichever you are, sir," quoth the Sergeant,
-turning to Beau Brocade decisively, "rebel, lord or
-highwayman, you are my prisoner, and," he added
-roughly, for many bitter remembrances of the past
-two days had surged up in his stolid mind, "and
-either way you hang for it."
-
-"Aye! hang for it!" continued Sir Humphrey,
-savagely. "So, now methinks, my chivalrous young
-friend, that we can cry quits at last. And now,
-Sergeant," said his Honour, peremptorily, "that
-you've found out the true character of your interesting
-prisoner, you can restore me my letters, which he
-caused you to filch from me."
-
-But the Sergeant was not prepared to do that.
-He had been tricked and hoodwinked so often, that
-he would not yield one iota of the advantage which
-he had contrived to gain.
-
-"Your pardon, sir," he said deferentially yet
-firmly, "I don't exactly know the rights o' that. I
-think I'd best show them to His Royal Highness,
-and you, sir, will be good enough to explain yourself
-before his Honour, Squire West."
-
-"You'll suffer for this insolence, Sergeant,"
-retorted Sir Humphrey, purple with rage. "I command
-you to return me those letters, and I warn you that
-if you dare lay hands on me or hinder me in any way,
-I'll have you degraded and publicly whipped along
-with that ape the beadle."
-
-But the Sergeant merely shrugged his shoulders
-and ordered off three of his men to surround Sir
-Humphrey Challoner and to secure his hands if he
-attempted to resist. His Honour's wild threats of
-revenge did not in the least frighten the soldier, now
-that he felt himself on safe ground at last.
-
-The rapid approach of the army gave him a sense
-of security; he knew that if he had erred through
-excess of zeal, a reprimand would be the only
-punishment meted out to him, whilst he risked being
-degraded if he neglected his duty. Whether the
-Squire of Hartington had or had not been a party to
-the late rebellion, he neither knew nor cared, but
-certainly he was not going to give up a packet of
-letters over which there had been so much heated
-discussion on both sides.
-
-The fast-approaching tumult in the street
-confirmed him in his resolve. He turned a deaf ear to
-all Sir Humphrey's protestations, and only laughed
-at his threats.
-
-Already the soldiers were chafing with eagerness to
-see the entry of His Royal Highness with his staff:
-the village folk one by one had gone out to see the
-more joyful proceedings, and left the Sergeant and
-his prisoners to continue their animated discussion.
-
-"Are you ready, my lord?" asked the Sergeant,
-turning to Philip.
-
-"Quite ready!" replied the lad, cheerfully, as he
-prepared to follow the soldiers. He gave his sister
-a look of joy and hope, for he was going to temporary
-imprisonment only; within a few moments perhaps
-his safety would be assured. Lady Patience
-Gascoyne, in virtue of her rank and position, could easily
-obtain an audience of the Duke of Cumberland, and
-in the meanwhile the letters proving Philip's innocence
-would have been laid before His Royal Highness.
-No wonder that as the lad, marching light-heartedly
-between two soldiers, passed close to Jack Bathurst,
-he held out his hand to his brave rescuer in gratitude
-too deep for words.
-
-"Are you ready, sir?" quoth the Sergeant now,
-as he turned to Beau Brocade.
-
-But here there was no question of either joy or
-hope: no defence, no proofs of innocence. The
-daring outlaw had chosen his path in life, and being
-conquered at the last, had to pay the extreme penalty
-which his country demanded of him for having defied
-its laws.
-
-As he too prepared to follow the soldiers out into
-the open, Patience, heedless of the men around her,
-clung passionately, despairingly to the man who had
-sacrificed his brave life in her service, and whom she
-had rewarded with the intensity, the magnitude of
-her love.
-
-"They shall not take you," she sobbed, throwing
-her protecting arms round the dearly-loved form,
-"they shall not ... they shall not..."
-
-The cry had been so bitter, so terribly pathetic
-in its despair, that instinctively the soldiers stood
-aside, awed in spite of their stolid hearts at the
-majesty of this great sorrow; they turned respectfully
-away, leaving a clear space round Patience and
-Bathurst.
-
-Thus for a moment he had her all to himself,
-passive in her despair, half crazed with her grief,
-clinging to him with all the passionate abandonment
-of her great love for him.
-
-"What? ... tears?" he whispered gently, as
-with a tender hand he pressed back the graceful
-drooping head, and looked into her eyes, "one
-... two ... three ... four glittering diamonds
-... and for me! ... My sweet dream!" he added,
-the intensity of his passion causing his low, tender
-voice to quiver in his throat, "my beautiful white
-rose, but yesterday for one of those glittering tears
-I'd gladly have endured hell's worst tortures, and
-to-day they flow freely for me.... Why! I would
-not change places with a King!"
-
-"Your life ... your brave, noble life ... thus
-sacrificed for me.... Oh, why did I ever cross
-your path?"
-
-"Nay, my *dear*," he said with an infinity of
-tenderness, and an infinity of joy. "Faith! it must
-have been because God's angels took pity on a poor
-vagabond and let him get this early glimpse of
-paradise."
-
-His fingers wandered lovingly over her soft golden
-hair, he held her close, very close to his heart,
-drinking in every line of her exquisite loveliness, rendered
-almost ethereal through the magnitude of her sorrow:
-her eyes shining with passion through her tears, the
-delicate curve of throat and chin, the sensitive,
-quivering nostrils, the moist lips on which anon he
-would dare to imprint a kiss.
-
-"And life now to me," she whispered 'twixt
-heart-broken sobs, "what will it be? ... how shall
-I live but in one long memory?"
-
-"My life, my saint," he murmured. "Nay! lift
-your dear face up to me again! let me take away as a
-last memory the radiant vision of your eyes
-... your hair ... your lips..."
-
-His arms tightened round her, her head fell back
-as if in a swoon, she closed her eyes and her soul went
-out to him in the ecstasy of that first kiss.
-
-"Ah! it is a lovely dream I dreamt," he whispered,
-"and 'tis meet that the awakening shall be only in
-death!"
-
-He tried to let her go but she clung to him passionately,
-her arms round him, in the agony of her despair.
-
-"Take me with you," she sobbed, half fainting.
-"I cannot bear it ... I cannot..."
-
-Gently he took hold of both her hands, and again
-and again pressed them to his lips.
-
-"Farewell, sweet dream!" he said. "There!
-dry those lovely tears! ... If you only knew how
-happy I am, you would not mourn for me.... I
-have spun the one thread in life which was worth the
-spinning, the thread which binds me to your memory....
-Farewell!"
-
-The Sergeant stepped forward again. It was time
-to go.
-
-"Are you ready, sir?" he asked kindly.
-
-"Quite ready, Sergeant."
-
-She slid out of his arms, her eyes quite dry now,
-her hands pressed to her mouth to smother her
-screams of misery. She watched the soldiers fall
-into line, with their prisoner in their midst, and turn
-to the doorway of the inn, through which the golden
-sunshine came gaily peeping in.
-
-Outside a roll of drums was heard and shouts of
-"The Duke! The Duke!" The excitement had
-become electrical. His Royal Highness, mounted
-on a magnificent white charger, was making his entry
-into the village at the head of his general staff, and
-followed at some distance by the bulk of his army
-corps, who would camp on the Heath for the night.
-
-Squire West, his stiff old spine doubled in two, was
-in attendance on the green, holding a parchment in
-his hand, which contained his loyal address and that
-of the inhabitants of Brassington: the beadle, more
-pompous than ever, and resplendent in blue cloth
-and gold lace, stood immediately behind his Honour.
-
-In the midst of all this gaiety and joyful excitement
-the silent group, composed of the soldiers with
-their three prisoners, appeared in strange and
-melancholy contrast. Philip and Bathurst were to
-be confined in the Court House, under a strong guard,
-pending his Honour the Squire's decision, and as the
-little squad emerged upon the green, 'twas small
-wonder that they caught His Royal Highness's eye.
-
-He had been somewhat bored by Squire West's
-long-winded harangue, and was quite glad of an
-excuse for cutting it short.
-
-"Odd's buds!" he said, "and what have we here? Eh?"
-
-The Sergeant and soldiers stood still at attention,
-some twenty yards away from the brilliant group of
-His Highness's general staff. The little diversion
-had caused Squire West to lose the thread of his
-speech, and much relieved, the Duke beckoned the
-Sergeant to draw nearer.
-
-"Who are your prisoners, Sergeant?" queried
-His Highness, looking with some interest at the two
-young men, one of whom was a mere lad, whilst the
-other had a strange look of joy and pride in his pale
-face, an air of aloofness and detachment from all
-his surroundings, which puzzled and interested the
-Duke not a little.
-
-"'Tis a bit difficult to explain, your Royal Highness,"
-replied the Sergeant, making the stiff military
-salute.
-
-"Difficult to explain who your prisoners are?"
-laughed the Duke, incredulously.
-
-"Saving your Highness's presence," responded
-the Sergeant, "one of these gentlemen is Philip
-Gascoyne, Earl of Stretton."
-
-"Oho! the young reprobate rebel who was
-hand-in-glove with the Pretender! I mind his case well,
-Sergeant, and the capture does your zeal great
-credit. Which of your prisoners is the Earl of
-Stretton?"
-
-"That's just my trouble, your Royal Highness.
-But I hope that these papers will explain."
-
-And the Sergeant drew from his wallet the precious
-packet of letters and handed them respectfully to the
-Duke.
-
-"What are these letters?"
-
-"They were found on the person of that
-gentleman, sir," replied the Sergeant, indicating Sir
-Humphrey Challoner, who stood behind the two
-younger men, silent and sulky, and nursing desperate
-thoughts of revenge. "He is said to be an
-accomplice and I thought 'twas my duty to bring him
-before a magistrate. If I've done wrong...".
-
-"You've done quite right, Sergeant," said the
-Duke, firmly. "You were sent here to rid the
-country of rebels, whom an Act of Parliament has
-convicted of high treason, and it had been gross
-neglect of duty not to refer such a case to the nearest
-magistrate. Give me the papers, I'll look through
-them anon. See your prisoners safely under guard,
-then come back to my quarters."
-
-"Damnation!" muttered Sir Humphrey, as he
-saw the Duke take the packet of letters from the
-Sergeant's hand, and then turn away to listen to the
-fag end of Squire West's loyal address.
-
-Throughout his chagrin, however, the Squire of
-Hartington was able to gloat over one comforting
-idea. He had now lost all chance of pressing his
-suit on Lady Patience, his actions in the past three
-days would inevitably cause her to look upon him
-with utter hatred and contempt, but the man who
-was the cause of his failure, the chivalrous and
-meddlesome highwayman, Beau Brocade, would, as
-sure as the sun would set this night, dangle on the
-nearest gibbet to-morrow.
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`reparation`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER XXXVII
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- REPARATION
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-It was in the middle of the afternoon when His
-Royal Highness, having attended to other important
-affairs, and partaken of a hasty meal at the Royal
-George, finally found leisure to look through the
-letters handed up to him by the Sergeant.
-
-As he read one through, and then the other, Lord
-Lovat's letter urging the Earl of Stretton to join the
-rebellion, that of Kilmarnock upbraiding the lad
-for holding aloof, and finally the autograph of Charles
-Edward himself at the end of a long string of
-reproaches, calling Philip a traitor for his loyalty to
-King George,—
-
-"There has been a terrible blunder here!" quoth
-His Royal Highness, emphatically. "Bring the
-Earl of Stretton to me at once," he added, speaking to
-his orderly.
-
-Ten minutes later Philip, with Patience by his side,
-was in the presence of the Duke of Cumberland, who,
-on behalf of his country and its government, was
-tendering apologies to the Earl of Stretton for grievous
-blunders committed.
-
-"It seems you have suffered unjustly, my lord,"
-said His Highness, with easy graciousness. "It will
-be my privilege to keep you under my personal
-protection until these letters have been placed before
-the King and Council."
-
-"I myself will guarantee your brother's safety,
-Lady Patience," he added, turning with a genial
-smile to her; "you will entrust him to my care, will
-you not? Your father and I were old friends, you
-know. In my young days I had the pleasure of
-staying at Stretton Hall, and the privilege of dandling
-you on my knees, for you were quite a baby then. I
-little thought I should have the honour of being of
-service to you in later years."
-
-With courtly gallantry the Duke raised her cold
-finger-tips to his lips. He looked at her keenly, for
-he could not understand the almost dead look of
-hopeless misery in her face which she bravely, but
-all in vain, tried to hide from him. Evidently she
-was quite unable to speak. When her brother had
-been brought before His Highness she had begged for
-and easily obtained the favour of being present at the
-interview, but even at the Duke's most genial and
-encouraging words she had not smiled.
-
-"It was lucky," added His Royal Highness, kindly
-patting her hand, "that so strange a Fate should
-have placed these letters in my hand."
-
-But at these gentle, almost fatherly words,
-Patience's self-control entirely gave way. With a
-heart-broken sob she threw herself at the Duke's
-feet.
-
-"Nay! not Fate, your Royal Highness," she
-moaned, "but the devotion of a brave man, who has
-sacrificed his life to save my brother and me...
-Save him, your Highness! ... save him! ... he
-is noble, brave, loyal, and you are powerful
-... save him! ... save him!..."
-
-It was impossible to listen unmoved to the heart-rending
-sorrow expressed in this appeal. The Duke
-very gently raised her to her feet.
-
-"Nay, fair lady ... I pray you rise," he said
-respectfully. "Odd's my life! but 'tis not beauty's
-place to kneel.... There! there!" he added,
-leading her to a chair and sitting beside her, "you
-know how to plead a cause; will you deign to confide
-somewhat more fully in your humble servant? We
-owe your family some reparation at anyrate, and you
-some compensation for the sorrow you have endured."
-
-And speaking very low at first, then gradually
-gaining confidence, Patience began to relate the
-history of the past few days, the treachery, of which
-she had been a victim, the heroic self-sacrifice of the
-man who was about to lay down his life because of
-his devotion to her and to her cause.
-
-His Highness listened quietly and very attentively,
-whilst she, wrapped up in the bitter joy of memory,
-lived through these last brief and happy days all over
-again. Even before she had finished, he had sent
-word to the Sergeant to bring both his other prisoners
-before him at once.
-
-Sir Humphrey and Jack Bathurst were actually in
-the room before Patience had quite completed her
-narrative. Bathurst ill and pale, but with that
-strange air of aloofness still clinging about his whole
-person. He seemed scarce to live, for his mind was
-far away in the land of dreams, dwelling on that last
-exquisite memory of his beautiful white rose lying
-passive in his arms, the memory of that first and last,
-divinely passionate kiss.
-
-The Duke looked up when the prisoners entered the
-room; although he knew neither of them by sight, he
-had no need to ask whose cause the beautiful girl
-beside him had been pleading so earnestly.
-
-"What do you wish to say, sir?" he said, addressing
-Sir Humphrey Challoner first. "You are no doubt
-aware of her ladyship's grievances against you. They
-are outside my province, and unfortunately outside
-the province of our country's justice. But I would
-wish to know why you should have pursued the Earl
-of Stretton and that gentleman, your fellow-prisoner,
-with so much hatred and malice."
-
-"I have neither hatred nor malice against the
-Earl of Stretton," replied Sir Humphrey, with a
-shrug of the shoulders, "but no doubt her ladyship
-would wish to arouse your Royal Highness's sympathy
-for a notorious scoundrel. That gentleman is none
-other than Beau Brocade, the most noted footpad
-and most consummate thief that ever haunted
-Brassing Moor."
-
-The Duke of Cumberland looked with some
-surprise, not altogether unmixed with kindliness, at
-the slim, youthful figure of the most notorious
-highwayman in England. He felt all a soldier's keen
-delight in the proud bearing of the man, the straight,
-clean limbs, the upright, gallant carriage of the head,
-which neither physical pain nor adverse
-circumstances had taught how to bend.
-
-Then he remembered Lady Patience's enthusiastic
-narrative, and said, smiling indulgently,—
-
-"Odd's my life! but I did not know gentlemen
-of the road were so chivalrous!"
-
-"Your Royal Highness..." continued Sir Humphrey.
-
-"Silence, sir!"
-
-Then the Duke rose from his chair, and went up
-close to Bathurst, who, half-dreaming, had listened
-to all that was going on around him, but had scarce
-heard, for he was looking at Patience and thinking
-only of her.
-
-"Your name, sir?" asked the Duke very kindly,
-for the look of love akin to worship which illumined
-Jack Bathurst's face had made a strong appeal to
-his own manly heart.
-
-"Jack Bathurst," replied the young man, almost
-mechanically, and rousing himself with an effort in
-response to the Duke's kind words, "formerly
-captain in the White Dragoons."
-
-"Bathurst? ... Bathurst?" repeated the Duke,
-not a little puzzled. "Ah, yes!" he added after a
-slight pause, "who was condemned and cashiered
-for striking his superior officer after a quarrel."
-
-"The same, your Royal Highness."
-
-"'Twas Colonel Otway, who, we found out afterwards,
-was a scoundrel, a liar, and a cheat," said His
-Highness with sudden eager enthusiasm, "and fully
-deserving the punishment you, sir, had been brave
-enough to give him."
-
-"Aye! he deserved all he got," replied Jack, with
-a wistful sigh and smile, "I'll take my oath of that."
-
-"But ... I remember now," continued the Duke,
-"a tardy reparation was to have been offered you,
-sir ... but you were nowhere to be found."
-
-"I'd become a scoundrel myself by then, and
-moneyless, friendless, disgraced, had taken to the
-road, like many another broken gentleman."
-
-"Then take to the field now, man," exclaimed
-His Highness, gaily. "We want good soldiers and
-gallant gentlemen such as you, and your country
-still owes you reparation. You shall come with me,
-and in the glorious future which I predict for you,
-England shall forget your past."
-
-He extended a kindly hand to Bathurst, who, still
-dreaming, still not quite realising what had happened,
-instinctively bent the knee in gratitude.
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`the joy of re-union`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER XXXVIII
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- THE JOY OF RE-UNION
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-On the green outside, the crowd of village folk were
-shouting themselves hoarse,—
-
-"Three cheers for the Duke of Cumberland!"
-
-Already the news had gone the round that Beau
-Brocade, the highwayman, had been granted a
-special pardon by His Royal Highness.
-
-John Stich, half crazy with joy, was tossing his cap
-in the air, and in the fulness of his heart was stealing
-a few kisses from Mistress Betty's pretty mouth.
-
-The appearance of Sir Humphrey Challoner in the
-porch of the Royal George, looking as black as
-thunder and followed by his obsequious familiar,
-Master Mittachip, was the signal for much merriment
-and some quickly-suppressed chaff.
-
-"Stand aside, you fool!" quoth Sir Humphrey,
-pushing Jock Miggs roughly out of his way.
-
-"Nay, stand aside all of ye!" admonished John
-Stich, solemnly, "and mind if any of ye've got any
-turnips about ... be gy!..."
-
-The Squire of Hartington raised his riding-crop
-menacingly.
-
-"You dare!" he muttered.
-
-But Mistress Betty interposed her pretty person
-'twixt her lover and his Honour's wrath.
-
-"Saving your presence, sir," she said pertly, "my
-intent was only going to tell the lads to keep their
-turnips for this old scarecrow."
-
-And laughing all over her dimpled little face she
-pointed to Master Mittachip, who was clinging
-terrified to Sir Humphrey's coat-tails.
-
-"Sir Humphrey..." he murmured anxiously,
-as Betty's sally was received with a salvo of applause,
-"good Sir Humphrey ... do not let them harm
-me.... I've served you faithfully..."
-
-"You've served me like a fool," quoth Sir
-Humphrey, savagely, shaking himself free from the
-mealy-mouthed attorney. "Damn you," he added,
-as he walked quickly out of the crowd and across the
-green, "don't yap at my heels like a frightened cur."
-
-"God speed your Honour," shouted Stich after him.
-
-"Think you, John, he'll come to our wedding?"
-murmured Betty, saucily, at which honest John
-hugged her with all his might before the entire
-company.
-
-"Be gy! I marvel if the old fox'll go to her
-ladyship's and the Captain's wedding, eh?"
-
-"Lordy! Lordy! these be 'mazing times,"
-commented Jock Miggs, vaguely.
-
-——
-
-But within the small parlour of the Royal George
-all this noise and gaiety only came as a faint, merry
-echo.
-
-His Royal Highness had gone, followed by the
-Sergeant and soldiers, and Bathurst was alone with
-his beautiful white rose.
-
-"And 'tis to you I owe my life," he whispered for
-the twentieth time, as kneeling at her feet he buried
-his head in the folds of her gown.
-
-"I have done so little," she murmured, "one
-poor prayer ... when you had done so much."
-
-"And now," he said, looking straight into the
-exquisite depths of her blue eyes, "now you have
-robbed me of one great happiness, which may never
-come to me again."
-
-"Robbed you? ... of happiness?..."
-
-"The happiness of dying for you."
-
-But she looked down at him, smiling now through
-a mist of happy tears.
-
-"Nay, sir," she whispered, "and when the Duke
-has no longer need of you, will you not live ... for me?"
-
-He folded her in his arms, and held her closely,
-very closely to his strong, brave heart.
-
-"Always at your feet," he murmured passionately,
-"and as your humble slave, my dream."
-
-And as his lips sought hers once more, she whispered
-under her breath,—
-
-"My husband!"
-
-"My dream!—My wife!"
-
-——
-
-Outside the crowd of villagers were shouting
-lustily,—
-
-"Three cheers for the Duke of Cumberland!"
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. class: center medium
-
- THE END
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. class:: center small
-
- L. UPCOTT GILL, LONDON AND COUNTY, PRINTING WORKS, DRURY LANE, W.C.
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. pgfooter::
diff --git a/39786-rst/images/img-cover.jpg b/39786-rst/images/img-cover.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 50530cf..0000000 --- a/39786-rst/images/img-cover.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/39786-rst/images/img-front.jpg b/39786-rst/images/img-front.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index df0f2a0..0000000 --- a/39786-rst/images/img-front.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/39786.txt b/39786.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 5ac7878..0000000 --- a/39786.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10077 +0,0 @@ - BEAU BROCADE - - - - -This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world 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 -http://www.gutenberg.org/license. If you are not located in the United -States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you are -located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Beau Brocade - A Romance -Author: Baroness Orczy -Release Date: May 24, 2012 [EBook #39786] -Language: English -Character set encoding: US-ASCII - - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BEAU BROCADE *** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines. - - - - -[Illustration: Cover art] - - - -[Illustration: THE FIGHT IN THE FORGE] - - - - - BEAU BROCADE - - A ROMANCE - - - BY THE - - BARONESS ORCZY - - - - - _POPULAR EDITION_ - - _WITH FRONTISPIECE BY H. M. BROCK_ - - LONDON - - GREENING & CO. LTD. - - 1912 - - - - - Copyright - in the United Kingdom - of - Great Britain and Ireland - in the - Dominion of Canada - and in the - United States of America - - All dramatic rights - are strictly reserved - and protected. Entered - at Stationers' Hall, March 6th, 1906 - - - - CONTENTS - - - PART I.--THE FORGE. - -CHAP. - - I. BY ACT OF PARLIAMENT - II. THE FORGE OF JOHN STICH - III. THE FUGITIVE - IV. JOCK MIGGS, THE SHEPHERD - V. "THERE'S NONE LIKE HER, NONE!" - VI. A SQUIRE OF HIGH DEGREE - VII. THE HALT AT THE MOORHEN - VIII. THE REJECTED SUITOR - IX. SIR HUMPHREY'S FAMILIAR - X. A STRANGER AT THE FORGE - XI. THE STRANGER'S NAME - XII. THE BEAUTIFUL WHITE ROSE - XIII. A PROPOSAL AND A THREAT - XIV. THE FIGHT IN THE FORGE - - - - PART II.--THE HEATH. - - XV. THE OUTLAW - XVI. A RENCONTRE ON THE HEATH - XVII. A FAITHFUL FRIEND - XVIII. MOONLIGHT ON THE HEATH - XIX. HIS OATH - - - - PART III.--BRASSINGTON. - - XX. A THRILLING NARRATIVE - XXI. MASTER MITTACHIP'S IDEA - XXII. AN INTERLUDE - XXIII. A DARING PLAN - XXIV. HIS HONOUR, SQUIRE WEST - XXV. SUCCESS AND DISAPPOINTMENT - XXVI. THE MAN HUNT - XXVII. JOCK MIGGS'S ERRAND - XXVIII. THE QUARRY - XXIX. THE DAWN - - - - PART IV.--H.R.H. THE DUKE OF CUMBERLAND. - - XXX. SUSPENSE - XXXI. "WE'VE GOTTEN BEAU BROCADE" - XXXII. A PAINFUL INCIDENT - XXXIII. THE AWAKENING - XXXIV. A LIFE FOR A LIFE - XXXV. QUITS - XXXVI. THE AGONY OF PARTING - XXXVII. REPARATION -XXXVIII. THE JOY OF RE-UNION - - - - - BEAU BROCADE - - - - PART I - - THE FORGE - - - - CHAPTER I - - BY ACT OF PARLIAMENT - - -The gaffers stood round and shook their heads. - -When the Corporal had finished reading the Royal Proclamation, one or -two of them sighed in a desultory fashion, others murmured casually, -"Lordy! Lordy! to think on it! Dearie me!" - -The young ones neither sighed nor murmured. They looked at one another -furtively, then glanced away again, as if afraid to read each other's -thoughts, and in a shamefaced manner wiped their moist hands against -their rough cord breeches. - -There were no women present fortunately: there had been heavy rains on -the Moor these last three days, and what roads there were had become -well-nigh impassable. Only a few men--some half-dozen perhaps--out of -the lonely homesteads from down Brassington way, had tramped in the wake -of the little squad of soldiers, in order to hear this Act of Parliament -read at the cross-roads, and to see the document duly pinned to the old -gallows-tree. - -Fortunately the rain had ceased momentarily, only a cool, brisk -nor'-wester came blustering across the Heath, making the older men -shiver beneath their thin, well-worn smocks. - -North and south, east and west, Brassing Moor stretched its mournful -lengths to the distant framework of the Peak far away, with mile upon -mile of grey-green gorse and golden bracken and long shoots of -purple-stemmed bramble, and here and there patches of vivid mauve, where -the heather was just bursting into bloom; or anon a clump of dark firs, -with ruddy trunks and gaunt arms stretched menacingly over the sparse -young life below. - -And here, at the cross-roads, the Heath seemed more desolate than ever, -despite that one cottage with the blacksmith's shed beyond it. The -roads themselves, the one to Aldwark, the other from Wirksworth, the -third little more than a morass, a short cut to Stretton, all bore mute -testimony to the remoteness, the aloofness of this forgotten corner of -eighteenth-century England. - -Then there was the old gallows, whereon many a foot-pad or sheep-stealer -had paid full penalty for his crimes! True, John Stich, the blacksmith, -now used it as a sign-post for his trade: a monster horseshoe hung there -where once the bones of Dick Caldwell, the highwayman, had whitened in -the bleak air of the Moor: still, at moments like these, when no one -spoke, the wind seemed to bring an echo of ghostly sighs and laughter, -for Dick had breathed his last with a coarse jest on his lips, and the -ears of the timid seemed still to catch the eerie sound of his horse's -hoofs ploughing the ruddy, shallow soil of the Heath. - -For the moment, however, the cross-roads presented a scene of quite -unusual animation: the Corporal and his squad looked resplendent in -their scarlet tunics and white buckskins, and Mr Inch, the beadle from -Brassington, was also there in his gold-laced coat, bob-tailed wig and -three-cornered hat: he had lent the dignity of his presence to this -solemn occasion, and in high top-boots, bell in hand, had tramped five -miles with the soldiers, so that he might shout a stentorian "Oyez! -Oyez!" whenever they passed one of the few cottages along the road. - -But no one spoke. The Corporal handed the Royal Proclamation to one of -the soldiers; he too seemed nervous and ill at ease. The nor'-wester, -with singular want of respect for King and Parliament, commenced a -vigorous attack upon the great document, pulling at it in wanton frolic, -almost tearing it out of the hands of the young soldier, who did his -best to fix it against the shaft of the old gallows. - -The white parchment looked uncanny and ghost-like fluttering in the -wind; no doubt the nor'-wester would soon tear it to rags. - -"Lordy! Lordy! to think on it!" - -There it was, fixed up at last. Up, so that any chance traveller who -could might read. But those who were now assembled there--shepherds, -most of them, on the Moor--viewed the written characters with awe and -misgiving. They had had Mr Inch's assurance that it was all writ there, -that the King himself had put his name to it; and the young Corporal, -who had read it out, had received the document from his own superior -officer, who in his turn had had it at the hands of His Grace the Duke -of Cumberland himself. - - "It having come to the knowledge of His Majesty's Parliament - that certain subjects of the King have lately raised the - standard of rebellion, setting up the Pretender, Charles Edward - Stuart, above the King's most lawful Majesty, it is hereby - enacted that these persons are guilty of high treason and by the - laws of the kingdom are therefore condemned to death. It is - further enacted that it is unlawful for any loyal subject of the - King to shelter or harbour, clothe or feed any such persons who - are vile traitors and rebels to their King and country: and that - any subject of His Majesty who kills such a traitor or rebel - doth thereby commit an act of justice and loyalty, for which he - may be rewarded by the sum of twenty guineas." - -It was this last paragraph that made the gaffers shake their heads and -say "Lordy! Lordy! to think on it! to think on it!" For it seemed but -yesterday that the old Moor, aye, and the hamlets and villages of -Derbyshire, were ringing with the wild shouts of Prince Charlie's -Highland Brigade, but yesterday that his handsome face, his green bonnet -laced with gold, his Highland plaid and rich accoutrements, had seemed -to proclaim victory to the Stuart cause from one end of the county to -the other. - -To be sure, that glorious, mad, merry time had not lasted very long. -All the wiseacres had foretold disaster when the Prince's standard -broke, just as it was taken into my Lord Exeter's house in Full Street. -The shaft snapped clean in half. What could that portend but -humiliation and defeat? - -The retreat from Derby was still fresh in everyone's memory, and there -were those from Wirksworth who remembered the rear-guard of Prince -Charlie's army, the hussars with their half-starved horses and -bedraggled finery, who had swept down on the villages and homesteads -round about Ashbourne and had pillaged and plundered to their hearts' -content. - -But then those were the fortunes of war; fighting, rushing, running, -plundering, wild huzzas, mad cavalcades, noise, bustle, excitement, joy -of victory, and sorrow of defeat, but this!! ... this Proclamation which -the Corporal had brought all the way from Derby, and which had been -signed by King George himself, this meant silence, hushed footsteps, a -hidden figure perhaps, pallid and gaunt, hiding behind the boulders, or -amidst the gorse on the Moor, or perishing mayhap at night, lost in the -bog-land up Stretton way, whilst Judas-like treads crept stealthily on -the track. It meant treachery too, the price of blood, a -fellow-creature's life to be sold for twenty guineas. - -No wonder the gaffers could think of nothing to say; no wonder the young -men looked at one another shamefaced, and in fear. - -Who knows? Any Derbyshire lad now might become a human bloodhound, a -tracker of his fellow-creatures, a hunter of men. There were twenty -guineas to be earned, and out there on the Heath, in the hut of the -shepherd or the forge of the smith, many a pale wan face had been seen -of late, which... - -It was terrible to think on; for even out here, on Brassing Moor, there -existed some knowledge of Tyburn Gate, and of Tower Hill. - -At last the groups began to break up, the Corporal's work was done. His -Majesty's Proclamation would flutter there in the cool September wind -for awhile; then presently the crows would peck at it, the rain would -dash it down, the last bit of dirty rag would be torn away by an October -gale, but in the meanwhile the few inhabitants of Brassington and those -of Aldwark would know that they might deny a starving fellow-creature -bread and shelter, aye! and shoot him too, like a wild beast in a ditch, -and have twenty guineas reward to boot. - -"I've seen nought of John Stich, Master Inch," said the Corporal at -last. "Be he from home?" - -And he turned to where, just in the fork of the road, the thatched -cottage, with a glimpse of the shed beyond it, stood solitary and still. - -"Nay, I have not observated that fact, Master Corporal," replied Master -Inch, clearing his throat for some of those fine words which had gained -for him wide-spread admiration for miles around. "I had not observated -that John Stich was from home. Though in verity it behoves me to say -that I do not hear the sound of Master Stich's hammer upon his anvil." - -"Then I'll go across at once," said the Corporal. "Forward, my men! -John Stich might have saved me the trouble," he added, groping in his -wallet for another copy of His Majesty's Proclamation. - -"Nay, Master Corporal, do not give yourself the futile trouble of -traversing the muddy road," said Mr Inch, sententiously. "John Stich is -a loyal subject of King George, and by my faith! he would not -harbourgate a rebel, take my word for it. Although, mind you, Mr -Corporal, I have oft suspicionated..." - -Mr Inch, the beadle, looked cautiously round; all the pompousness of his -manner had vanished in a trice. His broad face beneath the bob-tailed -wig and three-cornered hat looked like a rosy receptacle of mysterious -information, as he laid his fat hand on the Corporal's sleeve. - -The straggling groups of yokels were fast disappearing down the muddy -tracks; some were returning to Brassington, others were tramping Aldwark -way; one wizened, solitary figure was slowly toiling up the road, little -more than a quagmire, that led northwards across the Heath towards -Stretton Hall. - -The soldiers stood at attention some fifteen yards away, mute and -disinterested. From the shed beyond the cottage there suddenly came the -sound of the blacksmith's hammer upon his anvil. Mr Inch felt secure -from observation. - -"I have oft suspicionated John Stich, the smith, of befriending the -foot-pads and highwaymen that haunt this God-forsaken Moor," he said, -with an air of excited importance, rolling his beady eyes. - -"Nay," laughed the Corporal, good-humouredly, as he shook off Master -Inch's fat hand. "You'd best not whisper this confidence to John Stich -himself. As I live, he would crack your skull for you, Master Beadle, -aye, be it ever so full of dictionary words. John Stich is an honest -man, I tell you," he added with a pleasant oath, "the most honest this -side of the county, and don't you forget it." - -But Mr Inch did not approve of the young soldier's tone of familiarity. -He drew up his five feet of broad stature to their full height. - -"Nay, but I designated no harm," he said, with offended dignity. "John -Stich is a worthy fellow, and I spoke of no ordinary foot-pads. My -mind," he added, dwelling upon that mysterious possession with conscious -pride, "my mind, I may say, was dominating on Beau Brocade." - -"Beau Brocade!!!" - -And the Corporal laughed with obvious incredulity, which further nettled -Mr Inch, the beadle. - -"Aye, Beau Brocade," he said hotly, "the malicious, pernicious, damned -rascal, who gives us, that representate the majesty of the law, a mighty -deal of trouble." - -"Indeed?" sneered the Corporal. - -"I dare swear that down at Derby," retorted Mr Inch, spitefully, "you -have not even heard of that personage." - -"Oh! we know well enough that Brassing Moor harbours more miscreants -than any corner of the county," laughed the young soldier, "but -methought Beau Brocade only existed in the imagination of your -half-witted yokels about here." - -"There you are in grave error, Master Corporal," remarked the beadle -with dignity. "Beau Brocade, permit me to observe, does exist in the -flesh. 'Twas only last night Sir Humphrey Challoner's coach was stopped -not three miles from Hartington, and his Honour robbed of fifty guineas, -by that pernicious highwayman." - -"Then you must lay this Beau Brocade by the heels, Master Inch." - -"Aye! that's easily said. Lay him by the heels forsooth, and who's -going to do that, pray?" - -"Nay, that's your affair. You don't expect His Grace the Duke of -Cumberland to lend you a portion of his army, do you?" - -"His Grace might do worse. Beau Brocade is a dangerous rascal to the -quality." - -"Only to the quality?" - -"Aye, he'll not touch a poor man; 'tis only the rich he is after, and -uses but little of his ill-gotten gain on himself." - -"How so?" asked the Corporal, eagerly, for in spite of the excitement of -camp life round about Derby, the fame of the daring highwayman had ere -now tickled the fancy of the young soldiers of the Duke of Cumberland's -army. - -"Why, I told you Sir Humphrey Challoner was robbed on the Heath last -night--robbed of fifty guineas, eh?" said Master Inch, whispering in -eager confidence. "Well, this morning, when Squire West arrived at the -court-house, he found fifty guineas in the poor box." - -"Well?" - -"Well, that's not the first time nor yet the second that such a matter -has occurred. The dolts round about here, the lads from Brassington or -Aldwark, or even from Wirksworth, would never willingly lay a hand on -Beau Brocade. The rascal knows it well enough, and carries on his -shameful trade with impunity." - -"Odd's fish! but meseems the trade is not so shameful after all. What -is the fellow like?" - -"Nay, no one has ever seen his face, though his figure on the Moor is -familiar to many. He is always dressed in the latest fashion, hence the -villagers have called him Beau Brocade. Some say he is a royal prince -in disguise--he always wears a mask; some say he is the Pretender, -Charles Stuart himself; others declare his face is pitted with smallpox; -others that he has the face of a pig, and the ears of a mule, that he is -covered with hairs like a spaniel, or has a blue skin like an ape. But -no one knows, and with half the villages on the Heath to aid and abet -him, he is not like to be laid by the heels." - -"A fine story, Master Inch," laughed the Corporal. "And is there no -reward for the capture of your pig-faced, hairy, blue-skinned royal -prince disguised as a common highwayman?" - -"Aye, a reward of a hundred guineas," said Mr Inch, in a whisper that -was hardly audible above the murmur of the wind. "A hundred guineas for -the capture of Beau Brocade." - -The Corporal gave a long significant whistle. - -"And no one bold enough to attempt the capture?" he said derisively. - -Mr Inch shook his head sadly. - -"No one could do it single-handed; the rascal is cunning as well as -bold, and..." - -But at this point even Mr Inch's voluble tongue was suddenly and -summarily silenced. The words died in his throat; his bell, the badge -of his important public office, fell with a mighty clatter on the -ground. - -A laugh, a long, loud, joyous, mirthful laugh, rang clear as a silver -gong from across the lonely Moor. Such a laugh as would make anyone's -heart glad to hear, the laugh of a free man, of a man who is -whole-hearted, of a man who has never ceased to be a boy. - -And pompous Mr Inch slowly turned on his heel, as did also the young -Corporal, and both gazed out upon the Heath; the patient little squad of -soldiers too, all fixed their eyes upon one spot, just beyond John -Stich's forge and cottage, not fifty yards away. - -There, clearly outlined against the cloud-laden sky, was the graceful -figure of a horse and rider; the horse, a sleek chestnut thoroughbred, -which filled all the soldiers' hearts with envy and covetousness; the -rider, a youthful, upright figure, whose every movement betokened -strength of limb and elasticity of muscle, the very pose a model of ease -and grace, the shoulders broad; the head, with a black mask worn over -the face, was carried high and erect. - -In truth it was a goodly picture to look upon, with that massive bank of -white clouds, and the little patches of vivid blue as a rich, shimmering -dome above it, the gold-tipped bracken, the purple heather all around, -and far away, as a mist-covered background, the green-clad hills and -massive Tors of Derbyshire. - -So good a picture was it that the tardy September sun peeped through the -clouds and had a look at that fine specimen of eighteenth-century -English manhood, then paused awhile, perchance to hear again that -mirthful, happy laugh. - -Then came a gust of wind, the sun retreated, the soldiers gasped, and -lo! before Mr Inch or Mr Corporal had realised that the picture was made -of flesh and blood, horse and rider had disappeared, there, far out -across the Heath, beyond the gorse and bramble and the budding heather, -with not a handful of dust to mark the way they went. - -Only once from far, very far, almost from fairy-land, there came, like -the echo of a silver bell, the sound of that mad, merry laugh. - -"Beau Brocade, as I live!" murmured Mr Inch, under his breath. - - - - - CHAPTER II - - THE FORGE OF JOHN STICH - - -John Stich too had heard that laugh; for a moment he paused in his work, -straightened his broad back and leant his heavy hammer upon the anvil, -whilst a pleasant smile lit up his bronzed and rugged countenance. - -"There goes the Captain," he said, "I wonder now what's tickling him. -Ah!" he added with a short sigh, "the soldiers, maybe. He doesn't like -soldiers much, doesn't the Captain." - -He sighed again and looked across to where, on a rough wooden bench, sat -a young man with head resting on his hand, his blue eyes staring moodily -before him. The dress this young man wore was a counterpart of that in -which John himself was arrayed; rough worsted stockings, thick flannel -shirt with sleeves well tucked up over fine, muscular arms, and a large, -greasy, well-worn leather apron, denoting the blacksmith's trade. But -though the hands and face were covered with grime, a more than casual -observer would soon have noticed that those same hands were slender and -shapely, the fingers long, the nails neatly trimmed, whilst the face, -anxious and careworn though it was, had in it a look of habitual -command, of pride not yet crushed out of ken. - -John Stich gazed at him for awhile, whilst a look of pity and anxiety -saddened his honest face. The smith was a man of few words, he said -nothing then, and presently the sound of his hammer upon the anvil once -more filled the forge with its pleasant echo. But though John's tongue -was slow, his ear was quick, and in one moment he had perceived the dull -thud made by the Corporal's squad as, having parted from Mr Inch at the -cross-roads, the soldiers ploughed their way through the mud round the -cottage and towards the forge. - -"Hist!" said John, in a rapid whisper, pointing to the fire, "the -bellows! quick!" - -The young man too had started in obvious alarm. His ear--the ear of a -fugitive, trained to every sound that betokened danger--was as alert as -that of the smith. With a sudden effort he pulled himself together, and -quickly seized the heavy bellows with a will. He forced his eyes to -glance carelessly at the door and his lips to whistle a lively country -tune. - -The Corporal paused a moment at the entrance, taking a quick survey of -the interior of the forge, his men at attention behind him. - -"In the King's name!" he said loudly, as he unfolded the Proclamation of -His Majesty's Parliament. - -His orders were to read it in every hamlet and every homestead in the -district; John Stich, the blacksmith, was an important personage all -around Brassing Moor, and he had not heard it read from beneath the old -gallows at the cross-roads just now. - -"Well, Corporal," said the worthy smith, quietly, as he put down his -hammer out of respect for the King's name. "Well, and what does His -Majesty, King George II., desire with John Stich, the blacksmith, eh?" - -"Not with you alone, John Stich," replied the Corporal. "This is an Act -of Parliament and concerns all loyal subjects of the King. Who be yon -lad?" he asked, carelessly nodding towards the young man at the bellows. - -"My nephew Jim, out o' Nottingham," replied John Stich, quietly, "my -sister Hannah's child. You recollect her, Corporal? She was in service -with my Lord Exeter up at Derby." - -"Oh, aye! Mistress Hannah Stich, to be sure! I didn't know she had such -a fine lad of her own," commented the Corporal, as the young man -straightened his tall figure and looked him fearlessly in the face. - -"Lads grow up fast enough, don't they, Corporal?" laughed honest Stich, -pleasantly; "but come, let's hear His Majesty's Proclamation since -you've got to read it. But you see I'm very busy and..." - -"Nay, 'tis my duty, John Stich, 'in every homestead in Derbyshire' 'tis -to be read, so says this Act of Parliament. You might have saved this -trouble had you come down to the cross-roads just now." - -"I was busy," remarked John Stich, drily, and the Corporal began to -read:-- - - "'It having come to the knowledge of His Majesty's Parliament - that certain subjects of the King have lately raised the - standard of rebellion, setting up the Pretender, Charles Edward - Stuart, above the King's most lawful Majesty, it is hereby - enacted that these persons are guilty of high treason and by the - laws of the kingdom are therefore condemned to death. It is - further enacted that it is unlawful for any loyal subject of the - King to shelter or harbour, clothe or feed any such persons who - are vile traitors and rebels to their King and country; and that - any subject of His Majesty who kills such a traitor or rebel - doth thereby commit an act of justice and loyalty, for which he - may be rewarded by the sum of twenty guineas.'" - -There was a pause when the Corporal had finished reading. John Stich -was leaning upon his hammer, the young man once more busied himself with -the bellows. Outside, the clearing shower of September rain began -pattering upon the thatched roof of the forge. - -"Well," said John Stich at last, as the Corporal put the heavy parchment -away in his wallet. "Well, and are you going to tell us who are those -persons, Corporal, whom our village lads are told to murder by Act of -Parliament? How shall we know a rebel ... and shoot him ... when we see -one?" - -"There were forty persons down on the list a few weeks ago, persons who -were known to be in hiding in Derbyshire," said the young soldier, -"but..." - -"Well, what's your 'but,' Corporal? There were forty persons whom 'twas -lawful to murder a few weeks ago.... What of them?" - -"They have been caught and hanged, most of them," replied the soldier, -quietly. - -"Jim, lad, mind that fire," commented John Stich, turning to his "nephew -out o' Nottingham," for the latter was staring with glowing eyes and -quivering lips at the Corporal, who, not noticing him, continued -carelessly,-- - -"There was Lord Lovat now, you must have heard of him, John Stich, he -was beheaded a few days ago, and so was Lord Kilmarnock ... they were -lords, you see, and had a headsman all to themselves on Tower Hill, -that's up in London: some lesser folk have been hanged, and now there -are only three rebels at large, and there are twenty guineas waiting for -anyone who will bring the head of one of them to the nearest -magistrate." - -The smith grunted. "Well, and who are they?" he asked roughly. - -"Sir Andrew Macdonald up from Tweedside, then Squire Fairfield, you'd -mind him, John Stich, over Staffordshire way." - -"Aye, aye, I mind him well enough. His mother was a Papist and he clung -to the Stuart cause ... young man, too, and hiding for his life.... -Well, and who else?" - -"The young Earl of Stretton." - -"What! him from Stretton Hall?" said John Stich in open astonishment. -"Jim, lad," he added sternly, "thou art a clumsy fool." - -The young man had started involuntarily at sound of the last name -mentioned by the Corporal; and the bellows which he had tried to wield -fell with a clatter on the floor. - -"Be gy! but an Act of Parliament can make thee a lawful assassin, it -seems," added honest John, with a laugh, "but let me perish if it can -make thee a good smith. What think you, Master Corporal?" - -"Odd's life! the lad is too soft-hearted mayhap! Our Derbyshire lads -haven't much sense in their heads, have they?" - -"Well, you mind the saying, Corporal, 'Derbyshire born and Derbyshire -bred...' eh?" - -"'Strong i' the arm and weak i' th' head,'" laughed the soldier, -concluding the apt quotation. "That's just it. Odd's buds! they want -some sense. What's a rebel or a traitor but vermin, eh? and don't we -kill vermin all of us, and don't call it murder either--what?" - -He laughed pleasantly and carelessly and tapped the side of his wallet -where rested His Majesty's Proclamation. He was a young soldier, -nothing more, attentive to duty, ready to obey, neither willing nor -allowed to reason for himself. He had been taught that rebels and -traitors were vermin ... egad! vermin they were, and as such must be got -rid of for the sake of the rest of the kingdom and the safety of His -Majesty the King. - -John Stich made no comment on the Corporal's profession of faith. - -"We'll talk about all that some other time, Corporal," he said at last, -"but I am busy now, you see..." - -"No offence, friend Stich.... Odd's life, duty you know, John, duty, -eh? His Majesty's orders! and I had them from the Captain, who had them -from the Duke of Cumberland himself. So you mind the Act, friend!" - -"Aye! I mind it well enough." - -"Everyone knows _you_ to be a loyal subject of King George," added the -Corporal in conciliatory tones, for John was a power in the district, -"and I'm sure your nephew is the same, but duty is duty, and no offence -meant." - -"That's right enough, Corporal," said John Stich, impatiently. - -"So good-morrow to you, John Stich." - -"Good-morrow." - -The Corporal nodded to the young man, then turned on his heel and -presently his voice was heard ringing out the word of command,-- - -"Attention!--Right turn--Quick march!" - -John Stich and the young man watched the half-dozen red-coated figures -as they turned to skirt the cottage: the dull thud of their feet quickly -dying away, as they wound their way slowly up the muddy path which leads -across the Heath to Aldwark village. - - - - - CHAPTER III - - THE FUGITIVE - - -Inside the forge all was still, whilst the last of the muffled sounds -died away in the distance. John Stich had not resumed work. It was his -turn now to stare moodily before him. - -The young man had thrown the bellows aside, and was pacing the rough -earthen floor of the forge like some caged animal. - -"Tracked!" he murmured at last between clenched teeth, "tracked like -some wild beast! perhaps shot anon like a dangerous cur behind a hedge!" - -He sighed a long and bitter sigh, full of sorrow, anxiety, -disappointment. It had come to this then! His name among the -others--the traitors, the rebels! and he an innocent man! - -"Nay, my lord!" said the smith, quietly, "not while John Stich owns a -roof that can shelter you." - -The young man paused in his feverish walk; a look of gentleness and -gratitude softened the care-worn expression on his face: with a boyish -gesture he threw back the fair hair which fell in curly profusion over -his forehead, and with a frank and winning grace he sought and grasped -the worthy smith's rough brown hand. - -"Honest Stich!" he said at last, whilst his voice shook a little as he -spoke, "and to think that I cannot even reward your devotion!" - -"Nay, my lord," retorted John Stich, drawing up his burly figure to its -full height, "don't talk of reward. I would gladly give my life for you -and your family." - -And this was no idle talk. John Stich meant every word he said. -Honest, kind, simple-hearted John! he loved those to whom he owed -everything, loved them with all the devotion of his strong, faithful -nature. - -The late Lord Stretton had brought him up, cared for him, given him a -trade, and set him up in the cottage and forge at the cross-roads, and -honest Stich felt that as everything that was good in life had come from -my lord and his family, so everything he could give should be theirs in -return. - -"Ah! I fear me," sighed the young man, "that it is your life you risk -now by sheltering me." - -Yet it was all such a horrible mistake. - -Philip James Gascoyne, eleventh Earl of Stretton, was at this time not -twenty-one years of age. There is that fine portrait of him at Brassing -Hall painted by Hogarth just before this time. The artist has well -caught the proud features, the fine blue eyes, the boyish, curly head, -which have been the characteristics of the Gascoynes for many -generations. He has also succeeded in indicating the sensitiveness of -the mouth, that somewhat feminine turn of the lips, that all too-rounded -curve of the chin and jaw, which perhaps robs the handsome face of its -virile manliness. There certainly is a look of indecision, of weakness -of will about the lower part of the face, but it is so frank, so young, -so _insouciant_, that it wins all hearts, even if it does not captivate -the judgment. - -Of course, when he was very young, his sympathies went out to the Stuart -cause. Had not the Gascoynes suffered and died for Charles Stuart but a -hundred years ago? Why the change? Why this allegiance to an alien -dynasty, to a king who spoke the language of his subjects with a foreign -accent? - -His father, the late Lord Stretton, a contented, unargumentative British -nobleman of the eighteenth century, had not thought it worth his while -to explain to the growing lad the religious and political questions -involved in the upholding of this foreign dynasty. Perhaps he did not -understand them altogether himself. The family motto is "Pour le Roi." -So the Gascoynes fought for a Stuart when he was King, and against him -when he was a Pretender, and old Lord Stretton expected his children to -reverence the family motto, and to have no opinions of their own. - -And yet to the hearts of many the Stuart cause made a strong appeal. -From Scotland came the fame of the "bonnie Prince" who won all hearts -where'er he went. Philip was young, his father's discipline was -irksome, he had some friends among the Highland lords: and while his -father lived there had as yet been no occasion in the English Midlands -to do anything very daring for the Stuart Pretender. - -When the Earl of Stretton died, Philip, a mere boy then, succeeded to -title and estates. In the first flush of new duties and new -responsibilities his old enthusiasm remained half forgotten. As a peer -of the realm he had registered his allegiance to King George, and with -his youthful romantic nature all afire, he clung to that new oath of -his, idealised it and loyally resisted the blandishments and lures held -out to him from Scotland and from France. - -Then came the news that Charles Edward, backed by French money and -French influence, would march upon London and would stop at Derby to -rally round his standard his friends in the Midlands. - -Young Lord Stretton, torn between memories of his boyhood and the duties -of his new position, feared to be inveigled into breaking his allegiance -to King George. The malevolent fairy who at his birth had given him -that weak mouth and softly rounded chin, had stamped his worst -characteristic on the young handsome face. Philip's one hope at this -juncture was to flee from temptation; he knew that Charles Edward, -remembering his past ardour, would demand his help and his adherence, -and that he, Philip, might be powerless to refuse. - -So he fled from the county: despising himself as a coward, yet boyishly -clinging to the idea that he would keep the oath he had sworn to King -George. He wished to put miles of country between himself and the -possible breaking of that oath, the possible yielding to the "bonnie -Prince" whom none could resist. He left his sister, Lady Patience, at -Stretton Hall, well cared for by old retainers, and he, a loyal subject -to his King, became a fugitive. - -Then came the catastrophe: that miserable retreat from Derby; the -bedraggled remains of a disappointed army; finally Culloden and complete -disaster; King George's soldiers scouring the country for rebels, the -bills of attainder, the quick trials and swift executions. - -Soon the suspicion grew into certainty that the fugitive Earl of -Stretton was one of the Pretender's foremost adherents. On his weary -way from Derby Prince Charles Edward had asked and obtained a night's -shelter at Stretton Hall. When Philip tried to communicate with his -sister, and to return to his home, he found that she was watched, and -that he was himself attainted by Act of Parliament. - -Yet he felt himself guiltless and loyal. He _was_ guiltless and loyal: -how his name came to be included in the list of rebels was still a -mystery to him: someone must have lodged sworn information against him. -But who?--Surely not his old friends--the adherents of Charles -Edward--out of revenge for his half-heartedness? - -In the meanwhile, he, a mere lad, became an outcast, condemned to death -by Act of Parliament. Presently all might be cleared, all would be well, -but for the moment he was like a wild beast, hiding in hedges and -ditches, with his life at the mercy of any grasping Judas willing to -sell his fellow-creature for a few guineas. - -It was horrible! horrible! Philip vainly tried all the day to rouse -himself from his morbid reverie. At intervals he would grasp the kind -smith's hand and mutter anxiously,-- - -"My letter to my sister, John?--You are sure she had it?" - -And patient John would repeat a dozen times the day,-- - -"I am quite sure, my lord." - -But since the Corporal's visit Philip's mood had become more feverish. - -"My letter," he repeated, "has Patience had my letter? Why doesn't she -come?" - -And spite of John's entreaties he would go to the entrance which faced -the lonely Heath, and with burning eyes look out across the wilderness -of furze and bracken towards that distant horizon where lay his home, -where waited his patient, loving sister. - -"I beg you, my lord, come away from the door, it isn't safe, not really -safe," urged John Stich again and again. - -"Then why will you not tell me who took my letter to Stretton Hall?" -said the boy with feverish impatience. - -"My lord..." - -"Some stupid dolt mayhap, who has lost his way ... or ... perchance -betrayed me..." - -"My lord," pleaded the smith, "have I not sworn that your letter went by -hands as faithful, as trusty as my own?" - -"But I'll not rest an you do not tell me who took it. I wish to know," -he added with that sudden look of command which all the Strettons have -worn for many generations past. - -The old habitual deference of the retainer for his lord was strong in -the heart of John. He yielded. - -"Nay, my lord, an you'll not be satisfied," he said with a sigh, "I'll -tell you, though Heaven knows that his safety is as dear to me as -yours--both dearer than my own." - -"Well, who was it?" asked the young man, eagerly. - -"I entrusted your letter for Lady Patience to Beau Brocade, the -highwayman--" - -In a moment Philip was on his feet: danger, amazement, horror, robbed -him of speech for a few seconds, but the next he had gripped the smith's -arm and like a furious, thoughtless, unreasoning child, he gasped,-- - -"Beau Brocade!! ... the highwayman!!! ... My life, my honour to a -highwayman!!! Are you mad or drunk, John Stich?" - -"Neither, my lord," said John with great respect, but looking the young -man fearlessly in the face. "You don't know Beau Brocade, and there are -no safer hands than his. He knows every inch of the Moor and fears -neither man nor devil." - -Touched in spite of himself by the smith's earnestness, Philip's wrath -abated somewhat; still he seemed dazed, not understanding, vaguely -scenting danger, or treachery. - -"But a highwayman!" he repeated mechanically. - -"Aye! and a gentleman!" retorted John with quiet conviction. "A -gentleman if ever there was one! Aye! and not the only one who has -ta'en to the road these hard times," he added under his breath. - -"But a thief, John! A man who might sell my letter, betray my -whereabouts!..." - -"A man, my lord, who would die in torture sooner than do that." - -The smith's quiet and earnest conviction seemed to chase away the last -vestige of Philip's wrath. Still he seemed unconvinced. - -"A hero of romance, John, this highwayman of yours," he laughed -bitterly. - -Honest John scratched the back of his curly black head. - -"Noa!" he said, somewhat puzzled. "I know nought about that or what's a -... a hero of romance. But I do know that Beau Brocade is a friend of -the poor, and that our village lads won't lay their hands on him, even -if they could. No! not though the Government have offered a hundred -guineas as the price of his head." - -"Five times the value of mine, it seems," said Philip with a sigh. -"But," he added, with a sudden return to feverish anxiety, "if he was -caught last night, with my letter in his hands..." - -"Caught!!! Beau Brocade caught!" laughed John Stich, "nay, all the -soldiers of the Duke of Cumberland's army couldn't do that, my lord! -Besides, I know he wasn't caught. I saw him on his chestnut horse just -before the Corporal came. I heard him laughing, at the red coats, -maybe. Nay! my lord, I beg you have no fear, your letter is in her -ladyship's hand now, I'll lay my life on that." - -"I had to trust someone, my lord," he said after awhile, as Lord -Stretton once more relapsed into gloomy silence. "I could do nothing -for your lordship single-handed, and you wanted that letter to reach her -ladyship. I scarce knew what to do. But I did know I could trust Beau -Brocade, and your secret is as safe with him as it is with me." - -Philip sighed wearily. - -"Ah, well! I'll believe it all, friend John. I'll trust you and your -friend, and be grateful to you both: have no fear of that! Who am I but -a wretched creature, whom any rascal may shoot by Act of Parliament." - -But John Stich had come to the end of his power of argument. Never a -man of many words, he had only become voluble when speaking of his -friend. Philip tried to look cheerful and convinced, but he was chafing -under this enforced inactivity and the dark, close atmosphere of the -forge. - -He had spent two days under the smith's roof and time seemed to creep -with lead-weighted wings: yet every sound, every strange footstep, made -his nerves quiver with morbid apprehension, and even now at sound of a -tremulous voice from the road, shrank, moody and impatient, into the -darkest corner of the hut. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - JOCK MIGGS, THE SHEPHERD - - -"Be you at home, Master Stich?" - -A curious, wizened little figure stood in the doorway peering cautiously -into the forge. - -In a moment John Stich was on the alert. - -"Sh!" he whispered quickly, "have no fear, my lord, 'tis only some fool -from the village." - -"Did ye say ye baint at home, Master Stich?" queried the same tremulous -voice again. "I didn't quite hear ye." - -"Yes, yes, I'm here all right, Jock Miggs," said the smith, heartily. -"Come in!" - -Jock Miggs came in, making as little noise, and taking up as little room -as possible. Dressed in a well-worn smock and shabby corduroy breeches, -he had a curious shrunken, timid air about his whole personality, as he -removed his soft felt hat and began scratching his scanty tow-coloured -locks: he was a youngish man too, probably not much more than thirty, -yet his brown face was a mass of ruts and wrinkles like a furrowed path -on Brassing Moor. - -"Morning, Mr Stich ... morning," he said with a certain air of vagueness -and apology, as with obvious admiration he stopped to watch the broad -back of the smith and his strong arms wielding the heavy hammer. - -"Morning, Miggs," retorted John, not looking up from his work, "how's -the old woman?" - -"I dunno, Mr Stich," replied Miggs, with a dubious shake of the head. -"Badly, I expec' ... same as yesterday," he added in a more cheerful -spirit. - -"Why! what's the matter?" - -"I dunno, Mr Stich, that there's anything the matter," explained Jock -Miggs with slow and sad deliberation, "but she's dead ... same as -yesterday." - -Involuntarily Philip laughed at the quaint, fatalistic statement. - -"Hello!" said Miggs, looking at him with the same apathetic wonder, "who -be yon lad?" - -"That's my nephew Jim, out o' Nottingham," said John, "come to give me a -hand." - -"Morning, lad," piped Miggs, in his high treble, as he extended a -wrinkled, bony hand to Stretton. - -"Lud, John Stich," he exclaimed, "any one'd know he was one o' your -family from the muscle he's got." - -And gently, meditatively, he rubbed one shrivelled hand against the -other, looking with awe at the fine figure of a man before him. - -"A banging lad your nephew too," he added with a chuckle; "he'll be -turning the heads of all the girls this side o' Brassington, maybe." - -"Oh! I'll warrant he's got a sweetheart at home, eh, Jim lad?--or maybe -more than one. But what brings ye here this day, friend Miggs?" - -The wizened little face assumed a puzzled expression. - -"I dunno..." he said vaguely, "maybe I wanted to tell ye about the -soldiers I seed at the Royal George over Brassington way." - -"What about 'em, Miggs?" - -"_I_ dunno.... I see a corporal and lots of fellers in red .... some -say there's more o' them ... I dunno." - -"Ha!" said Stich, carelessly, "What are they after?" - -"_I_ dunno," commented Miggs, imperturbably. "Some say they're after -that chap Beau Brocade. There was a coach stopped on the Heath 'gain -last night. Fifty guineas he took out of it, he did...." And Jock -Miggs chuckled feebly with apparent but irresponsible delight. "Some -folk say it were Sir Humphrey Challoner's coach over from Hartington, -and no one's going to break their hearts over that! he! he! he! ... but -_I_ dunno," he added with sudden frightened vagueness. - -"Be they cavalry soldiers over at the Royal George, Miggs?" asked John. - -"_I_ dunno ... I seed no horses ... looks more like foot soldiers ... -but _I_ dunno. The Corporal he read out something just now about our -getting twenty guineas if we shoot one o' them rebels. I'd be mighty -glad to get twenty guineas, Master Stich," he said reflectively, "but I -dunno as how I could handle a musket rightly ... and folks say them -traitors are mighty desperate fellows ... but I dunno..." - -Then with sudden resolution Jock Miggs turned to the doorway. - -"Morning, Master Stich," he said decisively. "Morning, lad! ... -morning." - -"Morning, Miggs." - -However, it seemed that Jock Miggs's visit to the forge was not so -purposeless as it at first appeared. - -"He! he! he!" he chuckled, as if suddenly recollecting his errand. "I'd -almost forgot why I came. Farmer Crabtree wanted to know, Master Stich, -if you'm got the wether's collar mended yet?" - -"Oh, yes, to be sure," replied the smith, pointing to a rough bench on -which lay a number of metal articles. "You'll find it on that there -bench, Jock. Farmer Crabtree sold his sheep yet?" - -Jock toddled up to the bench and picked up the wether's collar. - -"Noa!" he muttered, "not yet, worse luck! And his temper is that hot! -So don't 'ee charge him too much for the collar, Master Stich, or it's -me that'll have to suffer." - -And Miggs rubbed his shoulder significantly. Stich laughed. Philip -himself, in spite of his anxiety, could not help being amused at the -quaint figure of the little shepherd with his wizened face and gentle, -vaguely fatalistic manner. - -Thus it was that no one in the forge had perceived the patter of small -feet on the mud outside, and when Jock Miggs, with more elaborate -"Mornings" and final leave-takings, once more reached the doorway, he -came in violent collision with a short, be-cloaked and closely-hooded -figure that was picking its way on very small, very high-heeled shoes, -through the maze of puddles which guarded the entrance to the forge. - -The impact sent Jock Miggs, scared and apologetic, stumbling in one -direction, whilst the grey hood flew off the head of its wearer and -disclosed in the setting of its shell-pink lining a merry, pretty, -impudent little face, with brown eyes sparkling and red lips pouting in -obvious irritation. - -"Lud, man!" said the dainty young damsel, withering the unfortunate -shepherd with a scornful glance, "why don't you look where you're -going?" - -"I dunno," replied Jock Miggs, with his usual humble vagueness. -"Morning, miss ... morning, Master Stich ... morning." - -And still scared, still in obvious apology for his existence, he pulled -at his forelock, re-adjusted his hat over his yellow curls, took his -final leave, and presently began to wend his way slowly back towards the -Heath. - -But within the forge, at first bound of the young girl's voice, Stretton -had started in uncontrollable excitement. - -"Betty!" he whispered, eagerly clutching John Stich's arm. - -"Aye! aye!" replied the cautious smith, "but I beg you, my lord, keep in -the background until I find out if all is safe." - -Mistress Betty's saucy brown eyes followed Jock Miggs's quaint, -retreating figure. - -"Well! you're a pretty bit of sheep's wool, ain't ye?" she shouted after -him, with a laugh and a shrug of her plump shoulders. - -Then she peered into the forge. - -"Lud love you, Master Stich!" she said, "how goes it with you?" - -In obedience to counsels of prudence, Stretton had retired into the -remote corner of the forge. John Stich too was masking the entrance -with his burly figure. - -"All the better, Mistress Betty," he said, "for a sight of your pretty -face." - -He had become very red, had honest John, and his rough manner seemed -completely to have deserted him. In fact, not to put too fine a point -upon it, the worthy smith looked distinctly shy and sheepish. - -She looked up at him and laughed a pleased, coquettish little laugh, the -laugh of a woman who has oft been told that she is pretty, and has not -tired of the hearing. John Stich, moreover, was so big and burly, folks -called him hard and rough, and it vastly entertained the young damsel to -see him standing there before her, as awkward and uncomfortable as Jock -Miggs himself. - -"Am I not to step inside, Master Stich?" she asked. - -"Yes, yes, Mistress Betty," murmured John, who seemed to have lost -himself in admiration of a pair of tiny buckled shoes muddy to the -ankles--such ankles!--which showed to great advantage beneath Betty's -short green kirtle. - -An angry, impatient movement behind him, however, quickly recalled his -scattered senses. - -"Did her ladyship receive a letter, mistress?" he asked eagerly. - -"Oh, yes! a stranger brought it," replied Betty, with a pout, for she -preferred John's mute appreciation of her small person to his interest -in other matters. However, the demon of mischief no doubt whispered -something in her ear for the further undoing of the worthy smith, for -she put on a demure, mysterious little air, turned up her brown eyes, -sighed with affectation, and murmured ecstatically,-- - -"Oh! such a stranger! the fine eyes of him, Master Stich! and such an -air, and oh!" added little madam with unction, "such clothes!" - -But though no doubt all these fine airs and graces wrought deadly havoc -in poor John's heart, he concealed it well enough under a show of eager -impatience. - -"Yes! yes! the stranger," he said, casting a furtive glance behind him, -"he gave you a letter for my lady?" - -"La! you needn't be in such a hurry, Master Stich!" retorted Mistress -Betty, adding with all the artifice of which she was capable, "the -stranger wasn't." - -But this was too much for John. There had been such a wealth of meaning -in Betty's brown eyes. - -"Oh! he wasn't? was he?" he asked with a jealous frown, "and pray what -had he to say to you? There was no message except the letter." - -But the demon of mischief was satisfied and Betty was disposed to be -kind, even if slightly mysterious. - -"Oh, never mind!" she rejoined archly, "he gave me a letter which I gave -to my lady. That was early this morning." - -"Well? ... and?" - -But matters were progressing too slowly at anyrate for one feverish, -anxious heart. Philip had tried to hold himself in check, though he was -literally hanging on pretty Mistress Betty's lips. Now he could contain -himself no longer. Lady Patience had had his letter. The mysterious -highwayman had not failed in his trust, and the news Betty had brought -meant life or death to him. - -Throwing prudence to the winds, he pushed John Stich aside, and seizing -the young girl by the wrist, he asked excitedly,-- - -"Yes? this morning, Betty? ... then ... then ... what did her ladyship -do?" - -Betty was frightened, and like a child was ready to drown her fright in -tears. She had not recognised my lord in those dirty clothes. - -"Don't you know me, Betty?" asked Philip, a little more quietly. - -Betty cast a timid glance at the two men before her, and smiled through -the coming tears. - -"Of course, my lord ... I ..." she murmured shyly. - -"'Tis my nephew Jim out o' Nottingham, mistress," said John, sternly, -"try and remember that: and now tell us what did her ladyship do?" - -"She had the horses put to, not an hour after the stranger had been. -Thomas is driving and Timothy is our only other escort. But we've not -drawn rein since we left the Hall!" - -"Yes! yes!" came from two pairs of eager lips. - -"And my lady stopped the coach about two hundred yards from here," -continued Betty with great volubility, "and she told me to run on here, -to see that the coast was clear. She knew I could find my way, and she -wouldn't trust Timothy as she trusts me," added the young girl with a -pretty touch of pride. - -"But where is she, Betty? where is she?" - -Betty pointed to the clump of firs, which stood like ghostly sentinels -on the crest of the hill, just where the road turns sharply to the east. - -"Just beyond those trees, my lord, and she made Timothy watch until I -came round the bend and in sight of the forge. But la! the mud on the -roads! 'tis fit to drown you." - -But already John Stich was outside, beckoning to Mistress Betty. - -"Come, mistress, quick!" he said excitedly, "her ladyship must be nigh -crazy with impatience. By your leave, my lord, I'll help Mistress Betty -on her way, and I'll keep this place in sight. I'll go no further..." - -"Yes, yes," rejoined Philip, feverishly, "go, go, fly if you can! I'll -be safe! I'll not show myself. God give you both wings, for I'll not -live now till I see my sister." - -Eager, boyish, full of wild gaiety, he seemed to have thrown off his -morbid anxiety as he would a mantle. He even laughed whole-heartedly as -he watched Betty, with many airs and graces, "Luds!" and "I vows!" -making great pretence at being unable to walk in the mud, and leaning -heavily on honest Stich's arm. - -He watched them as they picked their way up the so-called road, a -perfect quagmire after the heavy September rains. - -The air seemed so different now, the Heath smelt good, there was vigour -and life in the keen nor'-wester; how green the bracken looked, and how -harmoniously it seemed to blend with the purple shoots of the bramble -laden with ripening fruit! how delicate the more tender green of the -gorse, and there that vivid patch of mauve, the first glimpse of opening -heather! the heavy clouds too were rolling away; the September sun was -going to have his own way after all and spread his kingdom of blue and -gold over the distant Derbyshire hills. - -Hope had come like the divine magician to chase away all that was grey -and sad and dreary, and Hope had met Youth and shaken him by the hand: -they are such friends, such inseparable companions, these two! - -What mattered it that some few yards away the old gallows, like some -eerie witch, still spread its gaunt arm over that fluttering bit of -parchment: the Proclamation of His Majesty's Parliament? What though it -spoke of death, of treachery, of bills of attainder, of Tower Hill? - -Did not the good nor'-wester from the Moor flutter round it, and in -wanton frolic attack it now with madcap fury and a shrill whistle, and -now with a long-drawn-out sigh. The parchment resisted with vigour, it -bore the onslaught of the wind twice, thrice, and once again. But the -nor'-wester was not to be outdone, and again it renewed the attack, took -the parchment by the corner, pulled and twisted at it, until at last -with one terrific blast it tore the Royal Proclamation off the old -gallows, and sent it whirling in a mad gallop across the Moor, far, very -far away on to Derby, to London, to the place where all winds go. - - - - - CHAPTER V - - "THERE'S NONE LIKE HER, NONE!" - - -There was something more than ordinary affection between Philip, Earl of -Stretton, and his sister, Lady Patience Gascoyne. Those who knew them -in the days of their happiness said they seemed more like lovers than -brother and sister, so tender, so true was their clinging devotion to -one another. - -But those who knew them both intimately said that they were more like -mother and son together; though Philip was only a year or two younger -than Patience, she had all a mother's fondness, a mother's indulgence -and sweet pity for him, he all a son's deference, a son's trust in her. - -Even now, as he instinctively felt her dear presence nigh, hope took a -more firm, more lasting hold upon him. He knew that she would act -wisely and prudently for him. For the first time for many days and -weeks he felt safe, less morbidly afraid of treachery, more ready to -fight adverse fate. - -The heavy coach came lumbering along the quaggy road, the old coachman's -"Whoa! whoa! there! there!" as he tried to encourage his horses in the -heavy task of pulling the cumbersome vehicle through the morass, sounded -like sweetest music in Philip's ear. - -He did not dare go to meet them, but he watched the coach as it drew -nearer and nearer, very slowly, the horses going step by step urged on -by the coachman and by Timothy, who rode close at their heads, spurring -them with whip and kind words, the wheels creaking as they slowly turned -on their mud-laden axles. - -Thus Patience had travelled since dawn, ever since the stranger had -brought her the letter which told her that her brother had succeeded in -reaching this secluded corner of Derbyshire, and was now in hiding with -faithful John Stich, waiting for her guidance and help to establish his -innocence. - -Leaning back against the cushions of the coach, she had sat with eyes -closed and hands tightly clutched. Anxious, wearied, at times hopeful, -she had borne the terrible fatigue of this lumbering journey from -Stretton Hall, along the unmade roads of Brassing Moor, with all the -fortitude the Gascoynes had always shown for any cause they had at -heart. - -At the cross-roads Thomas, the driver, brought his horses to a -standstill. Already, as the coach had passed some fifty yards from the -forge, Patience had leaned out of the window trying to get a glimpse of -the dear face which she knew would be on the lookout for her. - -John Stich had escorted Betty as far as the bend in the road, and within -sight of Timothy waiting some hundred yards further on, then he had -retraced his steps, and was now back at the cross-roads ready to help -Lady Patience to alight. - -"Let the coach wait here," she said to the driver, "we may sleep at -Wirksworth to-night." - -"Ah! my good Stich," she added, grasping the smith's hand eagerly, "my -brother, how is he?" - -"All the better since he knows your ladyship has come," replied Stich. - -A few moments later brother and sister were locked in each other's arms. - -"My sweet sister! My dear, dear Patience!" was all Philip could say at -first. - -But she placed one hand on his shoulder and with a gentle motherly -gesture brushed with the other the unruly curls from the white, moist -forehead. He looked haggard and careworn, although his eyes now gleamed -with feverish hope, and hers, in spite of herself, began to fill with -tears. - -"Dear, dear one," she murmured, trying to look cheerful, to push back -the tears. All would be well now that she could get to him, that they -could talk things over, that she could _do_ something for him and with -him, instead of sitting--weary and inactive--alone at Stretton Hall, -without news, a prey to devouring anxiety. - -"That awful Proclamation," he said at last--"you have heard of it?" - -"Aye!" she replied sadly, "even before you did, I think. Sir Humphrey -Challoner sent a courier across to tell me of it." - -"And my name amongst those attainted by Act of Parliament!" - -She nodded, her lips were quivering, and she would not break down, now -that he needed all her courage as well as his own. - -"But I am innocent, dear," he said, taking both her tiny hands in his -own, and looking firmly, steadfastly into her face. "You believe me, -don't you?" - -"Of course, Philip, I believe you. But it is all so hard, so horrible, -and 'tis Heaven alone who knows which was the just cause." - -"There is no doubt as to which was the stronger cause, at anyrate in -England," said Stretton, with some bitterness. "Charles Edward was very -ill-advised to cross the border at all, and in the Midlands no one cares -about the Stuarts now. But that's all ancient history," he added with a -weary sigh, "it's no use dwelling over all the wretched mistakes that -were committed last year, 'tis only the misery that has abided until -now." - -"Why did you run away, Philip?" she asked. - -"Because I was a fool ... and a coward," he added, while a blush of -shame darkened his young Saxon face. - -"No, no..." - -"I thought if I remained at Stretton Charles Edward would demand my help -... and you know," he said with a quaint boyish smile, "I was never very -good at saying 'Nay!' I knew they would persuade me. Lovat and -Kilmarnock were such friends, and..." - -"So you preferred to run away?" - -"It was cowardly, wasn't it?" - -"I am afraid it was," she said reluctantly, her tenderness and her -conviction fighting an even battle in her heart. "But why wouldn't you -tell me, dear?" - -"Because I was a fool," he said, cursing himself for that same folly. -"You were away in London just then, you remember?" - -She nodded. - -"And there was no one to advise me, except Challoner." - -"Sir Humphrey? Then it was he?..." - -Philip looked at her in astonishment. There was such a strange quiver -in her voice; a note of deep anxiety, of almost hysterical alarm. But -she checked herself quickly, and said more calmly,-- - -"What did Sir Humphrey Challoner advise you to do?" - -"He said that Charles Edward would surely persuade me to join his -standard, that he would demand shelter at Stretton Hall, and claim my -allegiance." - -"Yes, yes?" - -"And he thought that it would be wiser for me to put two or three -counties between myself and the temptation of becoming a rebel." - -"He thought!..." - -There was a world of bitter contempt in those two words she uttered. -Even Philip, absorbed as he was in his own affairs, could not fail to -notice it. - -"Challoner has always been my friend," he said almost reproachfully. "I -fancy, little sister," he added with his boyish smile, "that it rests -with you that he should become my brother." - -"Hush, dear, don't speak of that." - -"Why not?" - -She did not reply, and there was a moment's silence between them. She -was evidently hesitating whether to tell him of the fears, the -suspicions which the mention of Sir Humphrey Challoner's name had -aroused in her heart, or to leave the subject alone. At last she said -quite gently,-- - -"But when I came home, dear, and found you had left the Hall without a -message, without a word for me, why did you not tell me then?" - -The boy hung his head. He felt the tender reproach, and there was -nothing to be said. - -"I would have stood by you," she continued softly. "I think I might -have helped you. There was no disgrace in refusing to join a doomed -cause, and you were a mere child when you made friends with Lovat." - -"I know all that now, dear," he said with some impatience. "Heaven -knows I am paying dearly enough for my cowardice and my folly. But even -now I cannot understand how my name became mixed up with those of the -rebels. Somebody must have sworn false information against me. But -who? I haven't an enemy in the world, have I, dear?" - -"No, no," she said quickly, but even as she spoke the look of -involuntary alarm in her face belied the assurance of her lips. - -But this was not the moment to add to his anxiety by futile, worrying -conjectures. He had sent for her because he wanted her, and she was -here to do for him, to help and support him in every way that her -strength of will and her energy would dictate. - -"You sent for me, Philip," she said with a cheerful, hopeful smile. - -Her look seemed to put fresh life into his veins. In a moment he tried -to conquer his despondency, and with a quick gesture he tore open the -rough, woollen shirt he wore, and from beneath it drew a packet of -letters. Not only his hand now, but his whole figure seemed to quiver -with excitement as he gazed at this packet with glowing eyes. - -"These letters, dear," he said in a whisper, "are my one hope of safety. -They have not left my body day or night ever since I first understood my -position and realised my danger, and now, with them, I place my life in -your hands." - -"Yes, Philip?" - -"They prove my innocence," he continued, as nervously he pulled at the -string that held the letters together. "Here is one from Lovat," he -added, handing one of these to Patience, "read it, dear, quickly. You -will see he begs me to join the Pretender's standard. Here's another -from Kilmarnock--that was after the retreat from Derby--he upbraids me -for holding aloof. I was in hiding at Nottingham then, but _they_ knew -where I was, and would not leave me alone. They would have followed me -if they could. And here ... better still ... is one from Charles Edward -himself, just before he fled to France, calling me a traitor for my -loyalty to King George." - -Feverishly he tore open letter after letter, thrusting them into her -hand, scanning them with burning, eager eyes. She took them from him -one by one, glanced at them, then quietly folded each precious piece of -paper, and tied the packet together again. Her hand did not shake, but -beneath her cloak she pressed the letters to her heart, the letters that -meant the safety of her dear one's life. - -"Oh! if I had known all this sooner!" she sighed involuntarily. - -But that was the only reproach that escaped her lips for his want of -confidence in her. - -"I nearly yielded to Lovat's letter," said the boy, hesitatingly. - -"I know, I know, dear," she said with an infinity of indulgence in her -gentle smile. "We won't speak of the past any more. Now let us arrange -the future." - -He tried to master his excitement, throwing off with an effort of will -his feverishness and his morbid self-condemnation. - -He had done a foolish and a cowardly thing; he knew that well enough. -Fate had dealt him one of those cruel blows with which she sometimes -strikes the venial offender, letting so often the more hardened criminal -go scatheless. - -For months now Philip had been a fugitive, disguised in rough clothes, -hiding in barns and inns of doubtful fame, knowing no one whom he could -really trust, to whom he dared disclose his place of temporary refuge, -or confide a message for his sister. Treachery was in the air; he -suspected everyone. The bill of attainder had condemned so many men to -death, and rebel-hunting and swift executions were in that year of grace -the order of the day. - -"I could do nothing without you, dear," he said more quietly. "I must -hide now like a hunted beast, and must be grateful for the sheltering -roof of honest Stich. I have been branded as a traitor by Act of -Parliament, my life is forfeit, and it is even a crime for any man to -give me food and shelter. The lowest footpad who haunts the Moor has the -right to shoot me like a mad dog." - -"Don't! don't, dear!" she pleaded. - -"I only wished you to understand that I was not such an abject coward as -I seemed. I could not get to you or reach the Hall." - -"I quite understood that, dear. Now, tell me, you wish me to take these -letters to London?" - -"At once. The sooner they are laid before the King and Council the -better. I must get to the fountain head as quickly as possible. Once I -am caught they will give me no chance of proving my innocence. I have -been tried by Act of Parliament, found guilty and condemned to death. -You realise that, dear, don't you?" - -"Yes, Philip, I do," she replied very quietly. - -"Once in London, who do you think can best help you?" - -"Lady Edbrooke, of course. Her husband has just been appointed equerry -to the King." - -"Ah! that's well! Aunt Charlotte was always fond of me. She'll be kind -to you, I know." - -"I think you should write to her. I'd take that letter too." - -"When can you start?" - -"Not for a few hours unfortunately. The horses must be put up. We have -been on the road since dawn." - -They were both quite calm now, and discussed these few details as if -life or death were not the outcome of the journey. - -Patience was glad to see that the boy had entirely shaken off the almost -hysterical horror he had of his unfortunate position. - -They were suddenly interrupted by John Stich's cautious voice at the -entrance of the shed. - -"Your ladyship's pardon," said John, respectfully, "but there's a coach -coming up the road from Hartington way. I thought perhaps it might be -more prudent..." - -"Hartington!" - -Brother and sister had uttered the exclamation simultaneously. He in -astonishment, she in obvious alarm. - -"Who can it be, John, think you?" she asked with quivering lips. - -"Well, it couldn't very well be anyone except Sir Humphrey Challoner, my -lady. No one else'd have occasion to come down these God-forsaken -roads. But they are some way off yet," he added reassuringly, "I saw -them first on the crest of the further hill. Maybe his Honour is on his -way to Derby." - -Patience was trying to conquer her agitation, but it was her turn now to -seem nervous and excited. - -"Oh! I didn't want him to find me here!" she said quickly. "I ... I -mistrust that man, Philip ... foolishly perhaps, and ... if he sees me -... he might guess ... he might suspect..." - -"Nay, my lady, there's not much fear of that, craving your pardon," -hazarded John Stich, cheerfully. "If 'tis Sir Humphrey 'twill take his -driver some time yet to walk down the incline, and then up again to the -cross-roads. 'Tis a mile and a half for sure, and the horses'll have to -go foot pace. There's plenty of time for your ladyship to be well on -your way before they get here." - -She felt reassured evidently, for she said more calmly,-- - -"I'll have to put up somewhere, John, for a few hours, for the sake of -the horses. Where had that best be?" - -"Up at Aldwark, I should say, my lady, at the Moorhen." - -"Perhaps I could get fresh horses there, and make a start at once." - -"Nay, my lady, they have no horses at the Moorhen fit for your ladyship -to drive. 'Tis only a country inn. But they'd give your horses and men -a feed and rest, and if your ladyship'll pardon the liberty, you'll need -both yourself." - -"Yes, yes," said Philip, anxiously regarding the beautiful face which -looked so pale and weary. "You must rest, dear. The journey to London -will be long and tedious ..." - -"But Aldwark is not on my way," she said with a slight frown of -impatience. - -"The inn is but a mile from here, your ladyship," rejoined Stich, "and -your horses could never reach Wirksworth without a long rest. 'Tis the -best plan, an your ladyship would trust me!" - -"Trust you, John!" she said with a sweet smile, as she extended one tiny -hand to the faithful smith. "I trust you implicitly, and you shall give -me your advice. What is it?" - -"To put up at the Moorhen for the night, your ladyship," explained John, -whose kindly eyes had dropped a tear over the gracious hand held out to -him, "then to start for London to-morrow morning." - -"No, no! I must start to-night. I could not bear to wait even until -dawn." - -"But the footpads on the Heath, your ladyship..." hazarded John. - -"Nay, I fear no footpads. They're welcome to what money I have, and -they'd not care to rob me of my letters," she said eagerly. "But I'll -put up at the Moorhen, John. We all need a rest. I suppose there's no -way across the Heath from thence to Wirksworth." - -"None, your ladyship. This is the only possible way. Back here to the -cross-roads and on to Wirksworth from here." - -"Then I'll see you again, dear," she said tenderly, clinging to -Stretton, "at sunset mayhap. I'll start as soon as I can. You may be -sure of that." - -"And guard the letters, little sister," he said as he held her closely, -closely to his heart. "Guard them jealously, they are my only hope." - -"You'll write the letter to Lady Edbrooke," she added. "Have it ready -when I return, and perhaps write out your own petition to the King--I'll -use that or not as Lord Edbrooke advises." - -Then once more, womanlike, she clung to him, hating to part from him -even for a few hours. - -"In the meanwhile you will be prudent, Philip," she pleaded tenderly. -"Trust _nobody_ but John Stich. _Any_ man may prove an enemy," she -added with earnest emphasis, "and if you were found before I could reach -the King..." - -She tore herself away from him. Her eyes now were swimming in tears, -and she meant to seem brave to the end. Stich was urging her to hurry. -After all she would see Philip again before sunset, before she started -on the long journey which would mean life and safety to him. - -Two minutes later, having parted from her brother, Lady Patience -Gascoyne entered her coach at the cross-roads, where Mistress Betty had -been waiting for her ladyship with as much patience as she could muster. - -By the time Sir Humphrey Challoner's coach had reached the bottom of the -decline on the Hartington Road, and begun the weary ascent up to the -blacksmith's forge, Lady Patience's carriage was well out of sight -beyond the bend that led eastward to Aldwark village. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - - A SQUIRE OF HIGH DEGREE - - -The Challoners claimed direct descent from that Sieur de Challonier who -escorted Coeur de Lion to the crusade against Saladin. - -Be that as it may, there is no doubt that a De Challonier figures in the -Domesday Book, as owning considerable property in the neighbourhood of -the Peak. - -That they had been very influential and wealthy people at one time, -there could be no doubt. There was a room at Old Hartington Manor where -James I. had slept for seven nights, a gracious guest of Mr Ilbert -Challoner, in the year 1612. The baronetcy then conferred upon the -family dates from that same year, probably as an act of recognition to -his host on the part of the royal guest. - -Since that memorable time, however, the Challoners have not made -history. They took no part whatever in the great turmoil which, in the -middle of the seventeenth century, shook the country to its very -foundations, lighting the lurid torch of civil war, setting brother -against brother, friend against friend, threatening a constitution and -murdering a king. - -The Challoners had held aloof throughout all that time, intent on -preserving their property and in amassing wealth. The later conflict -between a Catholic King and his Protestant people touched them even -less. Neither Pretender could boast of a Challoner for an adherent. -They remained people of substance, even of importance, in their own -county, but nothing more. - -Sir Humphrey Challoner was about this time not more than thirty-five -years of age. Hale, hearty, boisterous, he might have been described as -a typical example of an English squire of those days, but for a certain -taint of parsimoniousness, of greed and love of money in his -constitution, which had gained for him a not too enviable reputation in -the Midlands. - -He was thought to be wealthy. No doubt he was, but at the cost of a -good deal of harshness towards the tenants on his estates, and he was -famed throughout Staffordshire for driving a harder bargain than anyone -else this country side. - -Any traveller--let alone one of such consequence as the Squire of -Hartington--was indeed rare in these out-of-the-way parts, that were on -the way to nowhere. Sir Humphrey himself was but little known in the -neighbourhood of Aldwark and Wirksworth, and only from time to time -passed through the latter village on his way to Derby. - -John Stich, the blacksmith, however, knew every one of consequence for a -great many miles around, and undoubtedly next to the Earls of Stretton -the Challoners were the most important family in the sister counties. -Therefore when Sir Humphrey's coach stopped at the cross-roads, and the -Squire himself alighted therefrom and walked towards the smith's -cottage, the latter came forward with all the deference due to a -personage of such consequence, and asked respectfully what he might do -for his Honour. - -"Only repair this pistol for me, master smith," said Sir Humphrey; "you -might also examine the lock of its fellow. One needs them in these -parts." - -He laughed a not unpleasant boisterous laugh as he handed a pair of -silver-mounted pistols to John Stich. - -"Will your Honour wait while I get them done?" asked John, with some -hesitation. "They won't take long." - -"Nay! I'll be down this way again to-morrow," replied his Honour. "I -am putting up at Aldwark for the night." - -John said nothing. Probably he mistrusted the language which rose to -his lips at this announcement of Sir Humphrey's plans. In a moment he -remembered Lady Patience's look of terror when the squire's coach first -came into view on the crest of the distant hill, and his faithful, -honest heart quivered with apprehension at the thought that a man whom -she so obviously mistrusted was so close upon her track. - -"I suppose there is a decent inn in that God-forsaken hole, eh?" asked -the Squire, jovially. "I've arranged to meet my man of business there, -that old scarecrow, Mittachip, but I'd wish to spend the night." - -"There's only a small wayside inn, your Honour..." murmured John. - -"Better than this abode of cut-throats, this Brassing Moor, anyway," -laughed his Honour. "Begad! night overtook me some ten miles from -Hartington, and I was attacked by a damned rascal who robbed me of fifty -guineas. My men were a pair of cowards, and I was helpless inside my -coach." - -John tried to repress a smile. The story of Sir Humphrey Challoner's -midnight adventure had culminated in fifty guineas being found in the -poor box at Brassington court-house, and Mr Inch, the beadle, had -brought the news of it even as far as the cross-roads. - -"I must see Squire West about this business," muttered Sir Humphrey, -whilst John stood silent, apparently intent on examining the pistols. -"'Tis a scandal to the whole country, this constant highway robbery on -Brassing Moor. The impudent rascal who attacked me was dressed like a -prince, and rode a horse worth eighty guineas at the least. I suspect -him to be the man they call Beau Brocade." - -"Did your Honour see him plainly?" asked John, somewhat anxiously. - -"See him?" laughed Sir Humphrey. "Does one ever see these rascals? -Begad! he had stopped my coach, plundered me and had galloped off ere I -could shout 'Damn you' thrice. Just for one moment, though, one of my -lanterns flashed upon the impudent thief. He was masked, of course, but -I tell thee, honest friend, he had on a coat the Prince of Wales might -envy; as for his horse, 'twas a thorough-bred I'd have given eighty -guineas to possess." - -"And everyone knows your Honour is clever at a bargain," said John, with -a suspicion of malice. - -"Humph!" grunted the Squire. "By Gad!" he added, with his usual jovial -laugh, "the rogue does not belie his name--'Beau Brocade' forsooth! -Faith! he dresses like a lord, and cuts your purse with an air of -gallantry, an he were doing you a favour." - -It was difficult to tell what went on in Sir Humphrey Challoner's mind -behind that handsome, somewhat florid face of his. The task was in any -case quite beyond the powers of honest John Stich, though he would have -given quite a good deal of his worldly wealth to know for certain -whether his Honour's journey across Brassing Moor and on to Aldwark had -anything to do with that of Lady Patience along the same road. - -Nothing the Squire said, however, helped John towards making a guess in -that direction. Just as Sir Humphrey, having left the pistols in the -smith's hands, turned to go back to his coach, he said quite casually,-- - -"Whose was the coach that passed here about half an hour before mine?" - -"The coach, your Honour?" - -"Aye! when we reached the crest of the hill my man told me he could see -a coach standing at the cross-roads, whose was it?" - -For one moment John hesitated. The situation was just a little too -delicate for the worthy smith to handle. But he felt, as Sir Humphrey -was going to Aldwark and therefore would surely meet Lady Patience, that -lying would be worse than useless, and might even arouse unpleasant -suspicions. - -"'Twas Lady Patience Gascoyne's coach," he said at last. - -"Ah!" said the Squire, with the same obvious indifference. "Whither did -she go?" - -"I was at work in my forge, your Honour, and her ladyship did not stop. -I fancy she drove down Wirksworth way, but I did not see or hear for I -was very busy." - -"Hm!" commented his Honour, whilst a shrewd and somewhat sarcastic smile -played round the corners of his full lips. - -"I'll stay the night at Aldwark," he said, nodding to the smith. -"Faith! no more travelling after dark for me on this unhallowed Moor; -and for sure my horses could not reach Wirksworth now before nightfall. -So have the pistols ready for me by seven o'clock to-morrow morning, eh, -mine honest friend?" - -Then he entered his carriage, and slowly, with many a creak and a groan, -the cumbersome vehicle turned down the road to Aldwark, whilst John -Stich, with a dubious, anxious sigh, went back into his forge. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - - THE HALT AT THE MOORHEN - - -Patience herself would have been quite unable to explain why she -mistrusted, almost feared, Sir Humphrey Challoner. - -The fact that the Squire of Hartington had openly declared his -admiration for her, surely gave her no cause for suspecting him of -enmity towards her brother. She knew that Sir Humphrey hoped to win her -hand in marriage--this he had intimated to her on more than one -occasion, and had spoken of his love for her in no measured terms. - -Lady Patience Gascoyne was one of the richest gentlewomen in the -Midlands, having inherited vast wealth from her mother, who was sister -and co-heiress of the rich Grantham of Grantham Priory. No doubt her -rent-roll added considerably to her attractions in the eyes of Sir -Humphrey; that she was more than beautiful only helped to enhance the -ardour of his suit. - -Women as a rule--women of all times and of every nation--keep a kindly -feeling in their heart for the suitor whom they reject. A certain -regard for his sense of discrimination, an admiration for his -constancy--if he be constant--make up a sum of friendship for him -tempered with a gentle pity. - -But in most women too there is a subtle sense which for want of a more -scientific term has been called an instinct: the sense of protection -over those whom they love. - -In Patience Gascoyne that sense was abnormally developed: Philip was so -boyish, so young, she so much older in wisdom and prudence. It made her -fear Sir Humphrey, not for herself but for her brother: her baby, as in -her tender motherly heart she loved to call him. - -She feared and suspected him, she scarce could tell of what. Not open -enmity towards Philip, since her reason told her that the Squire of -Hartington had nothing to gain by actively endangering her brother's -life, let alone by doing him a grievous wrong. - -Yet she could not understand Sir Humphrey Challoner's motive in -counselling Philip to play so cowardly and foolish a part, as the boy -had done in the late rebellion. Vaguely she trembled at the idea that -he should know of her journey to London, or worse still, guess its -purpose. Philip, she feared, might have confided in him unbeknown to -her: Sir Humphrey, for aught she knew, might know of the existence of -the letters which would go to prove the boy's innocence. - -Well! and what then? Surely the Squire could have no object in wishing -those letters to be suppressed: he could but desire that Philip's -innocence _should_ be proved. - -Thus reason and instinct fought their battle in her brain as the heavy -coach went lumbering along the muddy road to the little wayside inn, -which stood midway between the cross-roads and the village of Aldwark. - -Here her man Timothy made arrangements for the resting and feeding of -himself, the horses and Thomas, the driver, whilst Lady Patience asked -for a private room wherein she and her maid, Betty, could get something -to eat and perhaps an hour's sleep before re-starting on their way. - -The small bar-parlour at the Moorhen was full to overflowing when her -ladyship's coach drove up. Already there had been a general air of -excitement there throughout the day, for the Corporal in his red coat, -followed by his little squad, had halted at the inn, and there once more -read aloud the Proclamation of His Majesty's Parliament. - -The soldiers had stayed half an hour or so, consuming large quantities -of ale the while, then they had marched up to the village, read the -Proclamation out on the green, and finally tramped along the bridle-path -back to Brassington. - -And now here was the quality putting up at the Moorhen. A most -unheard-of, unexpected event. Mistress Pottage, the sad-faced, -weary-eyed landlady, had never known such a thing to happen before, -although she had been mistress of the Moorhen for nigh on twenty years. -Usually the quality from Stretton Hall or from Hartington, or even Lady -Rounce from the Pike, preferred to drive a long way round to get to -Derby, sooner than trust to the lonely Heath, with its roads almost -impassable four days out of five. - -Master Mittachip, attorney-at-law, who had ridden over from Wirksworth -with his clerk, Master Duffy, recognised her ladyship as she stepped out -of her coach. - -"Sir Humphrey will be astonished," he whispered to Master Duffy, as he -rubbed his ill-shaven chin with his long bony fingers. - -"He! he! he!" echoed the clerk, submissively. - -Master Mittachip, who transacted business for the Squire of Hartington, -and also for old Lady Rounce and Squire West, knew the exact shade of -deference due to so great a lady as Lady Patience Gascoyne. He stood at -the door of the parlour and had the honour of bowing to her as she -followed Mistress Pottage quickly along the passage to the inner room -beyond, her long cloak flying out behind her, owing to the draught -caused by the open doors. - -Alone in the small, dingy room, Patience almost fell upon the sofa in a -stupor of intense fatigue. When Mistress Pottage brought the meagre, -ill-cooked food, she felt at first quite unable to eat. She lay back -against the hard pillows with eyes closed, and hands tightly clutching -that bundle of precious letters. - -Betty tried to make her comfortable. She took off her mistress's shoes -and stockings and began rubbing the cold, numb feet between her warm -hands. - -But by-and-by youth and health reasserted themselves. Patience, -realising all the time how much depended upon her own strength and -energy, roused herself with an effort of will. She tried to eat some of -the food, "the mess of pottage" as she smilingly termed it, but her eyes -were for ever wandering to the clock which ticked the hours--oh! so -slowly!--that separated her from her journey. - -As for buxom little Betty, she had fallen to with the vigorous appetite -of youth and a happy heart, and presently, like a tired child, she -curled herself up at the foot of the couch and soon dropped peacefully -to sleep. - -After awhile, Patience too, feeling numb and drowsy with the weariness -of this long afternoon, closed her eyes and fell into a kind of stupor. -She lay on the sofa like a log, tired out, dreamless, her senses numbed, -in a kind of wakeful sleep. - -How long she lay there she could not have told, but all of a sudden she -sat up, her eyes dilated, her heart beating fast; she was fully awake -now. - -Something had suddenly roused her. What was it? She glanced at the -clock; it was just half-past three. She must have slept nearly half an -hour. Betty, on the floor beside her, still slumbered peacefully. - -Then all her senses woke. She knew what had aroused her: the rumbling -of wheels, a coach pulling up, the shouts of the driver. And now she -could hear men running, more shouting, the jingle of harness and horses -being led round the house to the shed beyond. - -The small lattice window gave upon the side of the house, she could not -see the coach or who this latest arrival at the Moorhen was; but what -mattered that? she knew well enough. - -For a moment she stopped to think; forcibly conquering excitement and -alarm, she called to her reason to tell her what to do. - -Sir Humphrey Challoner's presence here might be a coincidence, she had -no cause to suspect that he was purposely following her. But in any -case she wished to avoid him. How could that best be done? - -Mittachip, the lawyer, had seen and recognised her. Within the next few -moments the Squire would hear of her presence at the inn. He too, -obviously, had come to rest his horses here. How long would he stay? - -She roused Betty. - -"Betty! child!" she whispered. "Wake up! We must leave this place at -once." - -Betty opened her eyes: she saw her mistress's pale, excited face bending -over her, and she jumped to her feet. - -"Listen, Betty," continued Patience. "Sir Humphrey Challoner has just -come by coach. I want to leave this place before he knows that I am -here." - -"But the horses are not put to, my lady." - -"Sh! don't talk so loud, child. I am going to slip out along the -passage, there is a door at the end of it which must give upon the back -of the house. As soon as I am gone, do you go to the parlour and tell -Thomas to have the horses put to directly they have had sufficient rest, -and to let the coach be at the cross-roads as soon as may be after -that." - -"Yes, my lady." - -"Then as quickly as you can, slip out of the house and follow the road -that leads to the forge. I'll be on the lookout for you. I'll not have -gone far. You quite understand?" - -"Oh, yes! my lady!" - -"You are not afraid?" - -Mistress Betty shrugged her plump shoulders. - -"In broad daylight? Oh, no, my lady! and the forge is but a mile." - -Even as she spoke Patience had wrapped her dark cloak and hood round -her. She listened intently for a few seconds. The sound of voices -seemed to come from the more remote bar-parlour: moreover, the narrow -passage at this end was quite dark: she had every chance of slipping out -unperceived. - -"Sh! sh!" she whispered to Betty as she opened the door. - -The passage was deserted: almost holding her breath, lest it should -betray her, Patience reached the door at the further end of it, Betty -anxiously watching her from the inner room. Quickly she slipped the -bolt, and the next instant she found herself looking out upon a dingy -unfenced yard, which for the moment was hopelessly encumbered with the -two huge travelling coaches: beyond these was a long wooden shed whence -proceeded the noise of voices and laughter, and the stamping and -snorting of horses: and far away the Moor to the right and left of her -stretched out in all the majesty of its awesome loneliness. - -The wind caught her cloak as she stepped out into the yard: she clutched -it tightly and held it close to her. She hoped the two coaches, which -stood between her and the shed, would effectively hide her from view -until she was past the house. The next moment, however, she heard an -exclamation behind her, then the sound of firm steps upon the -flagstones, and a second or two later she stood face to face with Sir -Humphrey Challoner. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - - THE REJECTED SUITOR - - -Whether he was surprised or not at finding her there, she could not say: -she was trying with all her might to appear astonished and unconcerned. - -He made her a low and elaborate bow, and she responded with the deep -curtsey the fashion of the time demanded. - -"Begad! the gods do indeed favour me!" he said, his good-looking, jovial -face expressing unalloyed delight. "I come to this forsaken spot on -God's earth, and find the fairest in all England treading its unworthy -soil." - -"I wish you well, Sir Humphrey," she said gently, but coldly. "I had no -thought of seeing you here." - -"Faith!" he laughed with some bitterness, "I had no hope that the -thought of seeing me had troubled your ladyship much. I am on my way to -Derby and foolishly thought to take this shorter way across the Moor. -Odd's life! I was well-nigh regretting it. I was attacked and robbed -last evening, and the heavy roads force me to spend the night in this -unhallowed tavern. But I little guessed what compensation the Fates had -in store for me." - -"I was in a like plight, Sir Humphrey," she said, trying to speak with -perfect indifference. - -"You were not robbed, surely?" - -"Nay, not that, but I hoped to reach Derby sooner by taking the short -cut across the Heath, and the state of the roads has so tired the -horses, I was forced to turn off at the cross-roads and to put up at -this inn." - -"Your ladyship is on your way to London?" - -"On a visit to my aunt, Lady Edbrooke." - -"Will you honour me by accepting my protection? 'Tis scarce fit for your -ladyship to be travelling all that way alone." - -"I thank you, Sir Humphrey," she rejoined coldly. "My man, Timothy, is -with me, besides the driver. Both are old and trusted servants. I meet -some friends at Wirksworth. I shall not be alone." - -"But..." - -"I pray you, sir, my time is somewhat short. I had started out for a -little fresh air and exercise before re-entering my coach. The inn was -so stifling and..." - -"Surely your ladyship will spend the night here. You cannot reach -Wirksworth before nightfall now. I am told the road is well-nigh -impassable." - -"Nay! 'tis two hours before sunset now, and three before dark. I hope -to reach Wirksworth by nine o'clock to-night. My horses have had a good -rest." - -"Surely you will allow me to escort you thus far, at least?" - -"Your horses need a rest, Sir Humphrey," she said impatiently, "and I -beg you to believe that I have sufficient escort." - -With a slight inclination of the head she now turned to go. From where -she stood she could just see the road winding down towards Stich's -forge, and she had caught sight of Betty's trim little figure stepping -briskly along. - -Sir Humphrey, thus obviously dismissed, could say no more for the -present. To force his escort upon her openly was unfitting the manners -of a gentleman. He bit his lip and tried to look gallantly disappointed. -His keen dark eyes had already perceived that in spite of her -self-control she was labouring under strong excitement. He forced his -harsh voice to gentleness, even to tenderness, as he said,-- - -"I have not dared to speak to your ladyship on the subject that lay -nearest my heart." - -"Sir Humphrey..." - -"Nay! I pray you do not misunderstand me. I was thinking of Philip, -and hoped you were not too unhappy about him." - -"There is no cause for unhappiness just yet," she said guardedly, "and -every cause for hope." - -"Ah! that's well!" he said cheerfully. "I entreat you not to give up -hope, and to keep some faith and trust in your humble servant, who would -give his life for you and yours." - -"My faith and trust are in God, Sir Humphrey, and in my brother's -innocence," she replied quietly. - -Then she turned and left him standing there, with a frown upon his -good-looking face, and a muttered curse upon his lips. He watched her -as she went down the road, until a sharp declivity hid her from his -view. - - - - - CHAPTER IX - - SIR HUMPHREY'S FAMILIAR - - -Mistress Pottage, sad-eyed, melancholy, and for ever sighing, had been -patiently waiting to receive Sir Humphrey Challoner's orders. She had -understood from his man that his Honour meant to spend the night, and -she stood anxiously in the passage, wondering if he would consider her -best bedroom good enough, or condescend to eat the meals she would have -to cook for him. - -It was really quite fortunate that Lady Patience had gone, leaving the -smaller parlour, which was Mistress Pottage's own private sanctum, ready -for the use of his Honour. - -Sir Humphrey's mind, however, was far too busy with thoughts and plans -to dwell on the melancholy landlady and her meagre fare, but he was glad -of the private room, and was gracious enough to express himself quite -satisfied with the prospect of the best bedroom. - -Some ten minutes after his brief interview with Lady Patience he was -closeted in the same little dingy room where she had been spending such -weary hours. With the healthy appetite of a burly English squire, he -was consuming large slabs of meat and innumerable tankards of small ale, -whilst opposite to him, poised on the extreme edge of a very hard oak -chair, his watery, colourless eyes fixed upon his employer, sat Master -Mittachip, attorney-at-law and man of business to sundry of the quality -who owned property on or about the Moor. - -Master Mittachip's voice was thin, he was thin, his coat looked thin: -there was in fact a general air of attenuation about the man's whole -personality. - -Just now he was fixing a pair of very pale, but very shrewd eyes upon -the heavy, somewhat coarse person of his distinguished patron. - -"Her ladyship passed me quite close," he explained, speaking in a low, -somewhat apologetic voice. "I was standing in the door of--er--the -parlour, and she graciously nodded to me as she passed." - -"Yes! yes! get on, man," quoth Sir Humphrey, impatiently. - -"The door was open, your Honour," continued Master Mittachip in a weak -voice, "there was a draught; her ladyship's cloak flew open." - -He paused a moment, noting with evident satisfaction the increasing -interest in Sir Humphrey's face. - -"Beneath her cloak," he continued, speaking very slowly, like an actor -measuring his effects, "beneath her cloak her ladyship was holding a -bundle of letters, tightly clutched in her hand." - -"Letters, eh?" commented Sir Humphrey, eagerly. - -"A bundle of them, your Honour. One of them had a large seal attached -to it. I might almost have seen the device: it was that of..." - -"Charles Edward Stuart, the Pretender?" - -"Well! I could not say for certain, your Honour," murmured Master -Mittachip, humbly. - -There was silence for a few moments. Sir Humphrey Challoner had -produced a silver tooth-pick, and was using it as an adjunct to deep -meditation. Master Mittachip was contemplating the floor with rapt -attention. - -"Harkee, Master Mittachip," said Sir Humphrey at last. "Lady Patience -is taking those letters to London." - -"That was the impression created in my mind, your Honour." - -"And why does she take those letters to London?" said Sir Humphrey, -bringing his heavy fist crashing down upon the table, and causing -glasses and dishes to rattle, whilst Master Mittachip almost lost his -balance. "Why does she take them to London, I say? Because they are -the proofs of her brother's innocence. It is easy to guess their -contents. Requests, admonitions, upbraidings on the part of the -disappointed rebels, obvious proofs that Philip had held aloof." - -He pushed his chair noisily away from the table, and began pacing the -narrow room with great, impatient strides. - -But while he spoke Master Mittachip began to lose his placid air of -apologetic deference, and a look of alarm suddenly lighted his meek, -colourless eyes. - -"Good lack," he murmured, "then my Lord Stretton is no rebel?" - -"Rebel?--not he!" asserted Sir Humphrey. "His sympathies were thought to -be with the Stuarts, but he went south during the rebellion--'twas I who -advised him--that he might avoid being drawn within its net." - -But at this Master Mittachip's terror became more tangible. - -"But your Honour," he stammered, whilst his thin cheeks assumed a leaden -hue, and his eyes sought appealingly those of his employer, "your Honour -laid sworn information against Lord Stretton ... and ... and ... I drew -up the papers ... and signed them with my name as your Honour -commanded..." - -"Well! I paid you well for it, didn't I?" said Sir Humphrey, roughly. - -"But if the accusation was false, Sir Humphrey ... I shall be disgraced -... struck off the rolls ... perhaps hanged..." - -Sir Humphrey laughed; one of those loud, jovial, laughs which those in -his employ soon learnt to dread. - -"Adsbud!" he said, "an one of us is to hang, old scarecrow, I prefer it -shall be you." - -And he gave Master Mittachip a vigorous slap on the shoulder, which -nearly precipitated the lean-shanked attorney on the floor. - -"Good Sir Humphrey..." he murmured piteously, "b ... b ... b ... but -what was the reason of the information against Lord Stretton, since the -letters can so easily prove it to be false?" - -"Silence, you fool!" said his Honour, impatiently, "I did not know of -the letters then. I wished to place Lord Stretton in a perilous -position, then hoped to succeed in establishing his innocence in certain -ways I had in my mind. I wished to be the one to save him," he added, -muttering a curse of angry disappointment, "and gain _her_ gratitude -thereby. I was journeying to London for the purpose, and now..." - -His language became such that it wholly disconcerted Master Mittachip, -accustomed though he was to the somewhat uncertain tempers of the great -folk he had to deal with. Moreover, the worthy attorney was fully -conscious of his own precarious position in this matter. - -"And now you've gained nothing," he moaned; "whilst I ... oh! oh! I..." - -His condition was pitiable. His Honour viewed him with no small measure -of contempt. Then suddenly Sir Humphrey's face lighted up with -animation. The scowl disappeared, and a shrewd, almost triumphant smile -parted the jovial, somewhat sensuous lips. - -"Easy! easy! you old coward," he said pleasantly, "things are not so bad -as that.... Adsbud! you're not hanged yet, are you? and," he added -significantly, "Lord Stretton is still attainted and in peril of his -life." - -"B ... b ... b ... but..." - -"Can't you see, you fool," said Sir Humphrey with sudden earnestness, -drawing a chair opposite the attorney, and sitting astride upon it, he -viewed the meagre little creature before him steadfastly and seriously; -"can't you see that if I can only get hold of those letters now, I could -_force_ Lady Patience into accepting my suit?" - -"Eh?" - -"With them in my possession I can go to her and say, 'An you marry me, -those proofs of your brother's innocence shall be laid before the King: -an you refuse they shall be destroyed.'" - -"Oh!" was Master Mittachip's involuntary comment: a mere gasp of -amazement, of terror at the enormity of the proposal. - -He ventured to raise his timid eyes to the strong florid face before -him, and in it saw such a firm will, such unbendable determination, that -he thought it prudent for the moment to refrain from adverse comment. - -"Truly," he murmured vaguely, as his Honour seemed to be waiting for him -to speak, "truly those letters mean the lady's fortune to your Honour." - -"And on the day of my marriage with her, two hundred guineas for you, -Master Mittachip," said Challoner, very slowly and significantly, -looking his man of business squarely in the face. - -Master Mittachip literally lost his head. Two hundred guineas! 'twas -more than he earned in four years, and that at the cost of hard work, -many kicks and constant abuse. A receiver of rents has from time -immemorial never been a popular figure. Master Mittachip found life -hard, and in those days two hundred guineas was quite a comfortable -little fortune. The attorney passed his moist tongue over his thin, -parched lips. - -The visions which these imaginary two hundred guineas had conjured up in -his mind almost made his attenuated senses reel. There was that bit of -freehold property at Wirksworth which he had long coveted, aye, or -perhaps that partnership with Master Lutworth at Derby, or... - -"'Twere worth your while, Master Mittachip, to get those letters for me, -eh?" - -His Honour's pleasant words brought the poor man back from the land of -dreams. - -"I? I, Sir Humphrey?" he murmured dejectedly, "how can I, a poor -attorney-at-law...?" - -"Zounds! but that's your affair," said his Honour with a careless shrug -of his broad shoulders, "Methought you'd gladly earn two hundred -guineas, and I offer you a way to do it." - -"But how, Sir Humphrey, how?" - -"That's for you to think on, my man. Two hundred guineas is a tidy sum. -What? I have it," he said, slapping his own broad thigh and laughing -heartily. "You shall play the daring highwayman! put on a mask and stop -her ladyship's coach, shout lustily: 'Stand and deliver!' take the -letters from her and 'tis done in a trice!" - -The idea of that meagre little creature playing the highwayman greatly -tickled Sir Humphrey's fancy, for the moment he even forgot the grave -issues he himself had at stake, and his boisterous laugh went echoing -through the old silent building. - -But as his Honour spoke this pleasant conceit, Master Mittachip's thin, -bloodless face assumed an air of deep thought, immediately followed by -one of eager excitement. - -"The idea of the highwayman is not a bad one, Sir Humphrey," he said -with a quiet chuckle, as soon as his patron's hilarity had somewhat -subsided, "but I am not happy astride a horse, and I know nought of -pistols, but there's no reason why we should not get a footpad to steal -those letters for you. 'Tis their trade after all." - -"What do you mean? I was but jesting." - -"But I was not, Sir Humphrey. I was thinking of Beau Brocade." - -"The highwayman?" - -"Why not? He lives by robbery and hates all the quality, whom he -plunders whene'er he has a chance. Your Honour has had experience, only -last night ... eh?" - -"Well? What of it? Curse you, man, for a dotard! Why don't you -explain?" - -"'Tis simple enough, your Honour. You give him the news that her -ladyship's coach will cross the Heath to-night, tell him of her money -and her jewels, offer him a hundred guineas more for the packet of -letters.... He! he! he! He'll do the rest, never fear!" - -Master Mittachip rubbed his bony hands together, his colourless eyes -were twinkling, his thin lips quivering with excitement, dreams of that -freehold bit of property became tangible once more. - -Sir Humphrey looked at him quietly for a moment or two: the little man's -excitement was contagious and his Honour had a great deal at stake: a -beautiful woman whom he loved and her large fortune to boot. But reason -and common-sense--not chivalry--were still fighting their battle against -his daring spirit of adventure. - -"Tush, man!" he said after awhile, with the calmness of intense -excitement, "you talk arrant nonsense when you say I'm to give a -highwayman news of her ladyship's coach and offer him money for the -letters. Where am I to find him? How speak with him?" - -Mittachip chuckled inwardly. His Honour then was not averse to the -plan. Already he was prepared to discuss the means of carrying it out. - -"'Tis a lawyer's business to ferret out what goes on around him, Sir -Humphrey. You can send any news you please to Beau Brocade within an -hour from now." - -"How?" - -"John Stich, the blacksmith over at the crossroads, is his ally and his -friend. Most folk think 'tis he always gives news to the rogue whene'er -a coach happen to cross the Moor. But that's as it may be. If your -Honour will call at the forge just before sunset, you'll mayhap see a -chestnut horse tethered there and there'll be a stranger talking to John -Stich; a stranger young and well-looking. He's oft to be seen at the -forge. The folk about here never ask who the stranger is, for all have -heard of the chivalrous highwayman who robs the rich and gives to the -poor. He! he! he! Do you call at the forge, Sir Humphrey, you can -arrange this little matter there.... Your news and offer of money will -get to Beau Brocade, never fear." - -Sir Humphrey was silent. All the boisterous jollity had gone out of his -face, leaving only a dark scowl behind, which made the ruddy face look -almost evil in its ugliness. Mittachip viewed him with ill-concealed -satisfaction. The plan had indeed found favour with his Honour; it was -quick, daring, sure: the fortune of a lifetime upon one throw. Sir -Humphrey, even before the attorney had finished speaking, had resolved -to take the risk. He himself was safe in any case, nothing could connect -his name with that of the notorious highwayman who had cut his purse but -the night before. - -"I'd not have her hurt," was the first comment he made after a few -minutes' silent cogitation. - -"Hurt?" rejoined Mittachip. "Why should she be hurt? Beau Brocade -would not hurt a pretty woman. He'll get the letters from her, I'll -stake my oath on that." - -"Aye! and blackmail me after that to the end of my days. My good name -would be at the mercy of so damned a rascal." - -"What matter, Sir Humphrey, once Lady Patience is your wife and her -fortune in your pocket? Everything is fair in love, so I've been told." - -Sir Humphrey ceased to argue. Chivalry and honour had long been on the -losing side. - -"Moreover, Sir Humphrey," added the crafty attorney, slily, "once you -have the letters, you can denounce the rogue yourself, and get him -hanged safely out of your way." - -"He'd denounce me." - -"And who'd believe the rascal's word against your Honour's flat denial? -Not Squire West, for sure, before whom he'd be tried, and your Honour -can have him kept in prison until after your marriage with Lady -Patience." - -It seemed as if even reason would range herself on the side of this -daring plan. There seemed practically no risk as far as Sir Humphrey -himself was concerned, and every chance of success, an that rascal Beau -Brocade would but consent. - -"He would," asserted Mittachip, "an your Honour told him that the coach, -the money, and the letters belonged to Lady Rounce, and the young lady -travelling in the coach but a niece of her ladyship. Lady Rounce is a -hard woman who takes no excuse from a debtor. He! he! he! she has the -worst reputation in the two counties, save your Honour!" - -The lawyer chuckled at this little joke, but Sir Humphrey was too -absorbed to note the impertinence. He was pacing up and down the narrow -room in a last agony of indecision. - -Mittachip evidently was satisfied with his day's work. The two hundred -guineas he looked upon as a certainty already. After a while, noting -the look of stern determination upon his Honour's face, he turned the -conversation to matters of business. He had been collecting some rents -for Sir Humphrey and also for Squire West and Lady Rounce, and would -have to return to Wirksworth to bank the money. - -Since Sir Humphrey Challoner was occupying the only available bedroom at -the Moorhen, there would be no room for Master Mittachip and Master -Duffy, his clerk. He hoped to reach Brassington by the bridle path -before the footpads were astir, thence at dawn on to Wirksworth. - -He had shot his poisonous arrow and did not stop to ascertain how far it -had gone home. He bade farewell to his employer, with all the deference -which many years of intercourse with the quality had taught him, and -never mentioned Beau Brocade, Lady Patience or John Stich's forge again. -But when he had bowed and scraped himself out of his Honour's presence, -and was sitting once more beside Master Duffy in the bar-parlour, there -was a world of satisfaction in his pale, watery eyes. - - - - - CHAPTER X - - A STRANGER AT THE FORGE - - -In the meanwhile Lady Patience, with Betty by her side, had been walking -towards the forge as rapidly as the state of the road permitted. - -A sudden turn of the path brought her within sight of the cross-ways and -of the old gallows, on which a fragment of rain-spattered rag still -fluttered ghostlike in the wind. - -But here, within a few yards of her goal, she stopped suddenly, with -eyes dilated, and hands pressed convulsively to her heart, in an agony -of terror. Walking quickly on the road from Wirksworth towards Stich's -cottage were some half-dozen red-coated figures, the foremost man -amongst them wearing three stripes upon his sleeve. - -Soldiers with a sergeant at the forge! What could it mean but awful -peril for the fugitive? - -Her halt had been but momentary, the next instant she was flying down -the pathway closely followed by Betty, and had reached the shed just as -the soldiers were skirting the cottage towards it. - -She glanced within, and gave a quick sigh of relief: there was no sign -of her brother, and John was busy at his anvil. - -Already the smith had caught sight of her. - -"Hush!" he whispered reassuringly, "have no fear, my lady. I've had -soldiers here before." - -"But they'll recognise me, perhaps ... or guess..." - -"No, no! my lady! Do you pretend to be a waiting wench. They are men -from Derby mostly, and not like to know your face." - -There was not a moment to be lost. Patience realised this, together -with the certainty that her own coolness and presence of mind might -prove the one chance of safety for her brother. - -"Halt!" came in loud accents from the sergeant outside. - -"The lock, Master Stich," said Patience, loudly and carelessly, as the -sergeant stepped into the doorway, "is it ready? Her ladyship's coach -is following me from Aldwark, and will be at the cross-roads anon." - -"Quite ready, mistress," replied the smith, casting a rapid glance at -the soldier, who stood in the entrance with hand to hat in military -salute. - -The latter took a rapid survey of the interior of the forge, then said -politely,-- - -"Your pardon, ladies!" - -"Well, and what is it now, Sergeant?" queried John, with affected -impatience. - -"I have heard that there's a stranger at your forge, smith," replied the -soldier. "My corporal came down from Aldwark early this afternoon and -told me about him. I'd like just to have a talk with him." - -"One moment, Sergeant," said John, interposing his burly figure between -Patience and the prying eyes of the young soldier. - -"I think you'll find the lock quite secure now, mistress," he said, -trying, good, honest fellow that he was, to put as much meaning into the -careless sentence as he dared. She mutely thanked him with her eyes, -took the padlock from his hands, and gave him over some money for his -pains, the while her heart was nearly bursting with the agony of -suspense. - -"No stranger, Sergeant," rejoined the smith, once more turning with -well-assumed indifference to the soldier, "only my nephew out o' -Nottingham. Your corporal was a Derby man, and knew the lad's mother, my -sister Hannah!" - -"Quite so, quite so, smith," quoth the Sergeant, pleasantly; "then you -won't mind my searching your forge and cottage just for form's sake." - -Even then Patience did not betray herself either by a look or a quiver -of the voice. - -"Lud! how tiresome be those soldiers," she said with an affected pout. -"I'd hoped to wait here in peace, friend smith, until the arrival of her -ladyship's coach." - -"Nay, mistress, you need not be disturbed," said the smith, jovially, -"the Sergeant is but jesting, eh, friend?" he added, turning to the -soldier. "There! I give you my word, Master Sergeant, that there is -nought here for you to find." - -"I've my orders, smith," said the Sergeant, more curtly. - -"Nay, friend," interposed Lady Patience, "surely you overstep your -orders. John Stich is honest and loyal, you do him indignity by such -unjust suspicions." - -"Your pardon, ma'am, but I know my duty. There's no suspicion against -the smith, but there are many rebels in hiding about here, and I've -strict orders to be on the lookout for one in particular, Philip -Gascoyne, Earl of Stretton, who is known to be in these parts." - -John Stich interrupted him with a loud guffaw. - -"Lud, man!" he said, "there's no room for a noble lord in a wayside -smithy; you waste your time." - -"My orders say I've the right to search," quoth the Sergeant, firmly, -"and search I'm going to." - -Then he turned to his squad, who were standing at attention outside. - -"Follow me, men," he said, as he stepped forward into the forge. - -Fortunately the remote corners of the shed were dark, and Patience still -had her hood and cloak wrapped closely round her, or her deathlike -pallor, the wild, terrified look in her eyes, would at this moment have -betrayed her in spite of herself. - -But honest John was standing in the way of the Sergeant. - -"Look'ee here, Sergeant," he said quietly, "I'm a man of few words, but -I'm a free-born Englishman, and my home is my castle. It's an insult to -a free and loyal citizen for soldiers to search his home, as if he were -a felon. I say you _shall not_ enter, so you take yourself off, before -you come by a broken head." - -"Smith, you're a fool," commented the Sergeant with a shrug of the -shoulders, "and do yourself no good." - -"That's as it may be, friend," quoth John. "There are fools in every -walk in life. You be a stranger in these parts and don't know me, but -folk'll tell you that what John Stich once says, that he'll stick to. -So forewarned is forearmed, friend Sergeant. Eh?" - -But to this the Sergeant had but one reply, and that was directed to his -own squad. - -"Now then, my men," he said, "follow me! and you, John Stich," he added -loudly and peremptorily, "stand aside in the name of the King!" - -The men were ranged round the Sergeant with muskets grasped, ready to -rush in the next moment at word of command. John Stich stood between -them and a small wooden door, little more than a partition, behind which -Philip, Earl of Stretton, was preparing to sell his life dearly. - -That death would immediately follow capture was absolutely clear both to -him and to his devoted sister, who with almost superhuman effort of will -was making heroic efforts to keep all outward show of alarm in check. -Even amongst these half-dozen soldiers any one of them might know Lord -Stretton by sight, and was not likely to forget that twenty guineas--a -large sum in those days--was the price the Hanoverian Government was -prepared to pay for the head of a rebel. - -Philip was a man condemned to death by Act of Parliament. If he were -captured now, neither prayer, nor bribes, nor even proofs of innocence -would avail him before an officious magistrate intent on doing his duty. -A brief halt at Brassington court-house, an execution in the early -dawn!... these were the awesome visions which passed before Patience's -eyes, as with a last thought of anguish and despair she turned to God -for help! - -No doubt John Stich was equally aware of the imminence of the peril, -and, determined to fight for the life of his lord, he brandished his -mighty hammer over his head, and there was a look in the powerful man's -eyes that made even the Sergeant pause awhile ere giving the final word -of command. - -Thus there was an instant's deadly silence whilst so many hearts were -wildly beating in tumultuous emotion. Just one instant--a few seconds, -mayhap, whilst even Nature seemed to stand still, and Time to pause -before the next fateful minute. - -And then a voice--a fresh, young, happy voice--was suddenly heard to -sing, "My beautiful white rose." - -It was not very distant: but twenty yards at most, and even now seemed -to be making for the forge, drawing nearer and nearer. - -Instinctively--what else could they do?--soldiers and Sergeant turned to -look out upon the Heath. There was such magic in that merry, boyish -voice, clear as that of the skylark, singing the quaint old ditty. - -They looked and saw a stranger dressed in elegant, almost foppish -fashion, his brown hair free from powder, tied with a large bow at the -nape of the neck, dainty lace at his throat and wrists, scarce a speck -of mud upon his fine, well-cut coat. He was leading a beautiful -chestnut horse by the bridle and had been singing as he walked. - -Patience, too, catching at this happy interruption like a drowning man -does at a straw, turned to look at the approaching stranger. - -Her eyes were the first to meet his as he reached the entrance of the -forge, and with an elaborate, courtly gesture he raised his -three-cornered hat and made her a respectful bow. - -Then he burst out laughing. - -"Ho! ho! ho! but here's a pretty to-do. Why, John Stich, my friend, you -look a bit out of temper." - -He stood there framed in the doorway, with the golden light of the -afternoon sun throwing into bold silhouette his easy, graceful stature, -and the pleasant picture of him, with one arm round the beautiful -horse's neck and his slender fingers gently fondling its soft, quivering -nose. - -John Stich, at first sound of the stranger's voice, had relaxed from his -defiant attitude, and a ray of hope had chased away the threatening look -in his eyes. - -"So would you be, Captain," he said gruffly, "with these red coats -inside your house, and all their talk of rebels." - -"Captain?" murmured the Sergeant. - -"Aye, Captain Bathurst, my man, of His Majesty's White Dragoons," said -the stranger, carelessly, as without more ado he led his horse within -the forge and tethered it close to the entrance. Then he came forward -and slapped the Sergeant vigorously on the back. - -"And I'll go bail, Sergeant, that John Stich is no rebel. He's far too -big a fool!" he added in an audible whisper, and with a merry twinkle in -his grey eyes. - -Patience still stood rigid, expectant, terrified in the darker corner of -the shed. She had not yet realised whether she dared to hope, whether -this young stranger, with his pleasant, boyish voice and debonnair -manner, would have the power to stay the hand of Fate, which was even -now raised against her brother. - -Betty, behind her mistress, was too terrified to speak. - -But already the Sergeant had recovered from his momentary surprise. At -mention of the stranger's military rank he had raised his hand to his -tricorne hat. Now he was ready to perform his duty, and gladly noted -the smith's less aggressive attitude. - -"At your service, Captain," he said, "and now I have my orders. I've a -right o' search and..." - -But like veritable quicksilver, Captain Bathurst was upon him in a -moment. - -"A right o' search!" he said excitedly. "A right o' search, did you -say, Sergeant? Odd's my life, but I'm in luck! Sergeant, you're the -very man for me." - -And he pulled the Sergeant by the sleeve. - -"I pray you, sir..." protested the latter. - -But the young man was not to be denied. - -"Sergeant," he whispered significantly, "would you like to earn a -hundred guineas?" - -"One hundred guineas," rejoined the soldier readily enough; "that I -would, sir, if you'll tell me how." - -He kept an eye on the little wooden door behind John Stich, but his ear -leaned towards the stranger; the bait was a tempting one, a hundred -guineas was something of a fortune to a soldier of King George II. - -"Listen then," said Bathurst, mysteriously. "You've heard of Beau -Brocade, the highwayman, haven't you?" - -"Aye, aye," nodded the Sergeant, "who hasn't?" - -"Well then you know that there is a price of a hundred guineas for his -capture, eh? ... Think of it, Sergeant! ... A hundred guineas! ... a -little fortune, eh?" - -The Sergeant's eyes twinkled at the thought. The soldiers too listened -with eager interest, for the stranger was no longer talking in a -whisper. A hundred guineas! three little words of wondrous magic, which -had the power to rouse most men to excitement in those days of penury. - -Lady Patience's whole soul seemed to have taken refuge in her eyes. Her -body leaning forward, her lips parted with a quick-drawn breath, she -gazed upon the stranger, wondering what he would do. That he was -purposely diverting the Sergeant's attention from his purpose she did -not dare to think, that he was succeeding beyond her wildest hopes was -not in doubt for a moment. - -And yet there did not seem much gained by averting the fearful -catastrophe for the span of a few brief minutes. - -"Aye! a fortune indeed!" sighed the Sergeant, with obvious longing. - -"And I have sworn to lay that dare-devil highwayman by the heels," -continued the young man. "I know where he lies hidden at this very -moment, but, by Satan and all his crew, I cannot lay hands upon the -rascal." - -"How so?" - -"The house is private! worse luck! _I_ have no right of search!" - -The Sergeant gave a knowing wink. - -"Hm!" he said. "I understand." - -Then he added significantly,-- - -"But the reward?" - -"Odd's life! you shall have the whole of that, Sergeant, and, if your -men will help me, there shall be another hundred to divide between them. -I have sworn to lay the rogue by the heels for my honour's sake. Would -you believe me, Sergeant, 'tis but a week ago that rascally highwayman -robbed me in broad daylight! ... fifty guineas he took from me. Now -I've a bet with Captain Borrowdale, five hundred guineas aside, that -I'll bring about the rogue's capture." - -There was no doubt now that the Sergeant's interest was fully aroused; -the soldiers, at mention of the reward which was to be theirs, hung upon -their Sergeant's lips, hoping for the order to march on this very -lucrative errand. - -"Hm!" muttered the latter, with a knowing wink, "perhaps that highwayman -is a personal enemy of yours as well, sir!" - -"Aye!" sighed Captain Bathurst, pathetically, "the worst I ever had." - -"And you'd be mightily glad to see him hanged, an I mistake not. What?" - -"Zounds! but I wouldn't say that exactly, Sergeant, but ... I have no -love for him ... 'tis many an ill turn he has done me of late." - -"I understand! Then the reward?" - -"You shall have every penny of it, friend, and a hundred guineas for -your men. What say you, gallant soldiers?" And he turned gaily to the -little squad, who had stood at very close attention all this while. - -But there was no need to make this direct appeal. The men were only too -ready to be up and doing, to earn the reward and leave John Stich and -the very problematical rebel to look after themselves. - -"Now, quick's the word," said the young man, briskly, "there's not a -moment to be lost." - -"At your service, Captain," replied the Sergeant, turning once more -towards the inner door before which John Stich still held guard, "as -soon as I've searched this forge..." - -"Nay, man, an you waste a minute, you and your men will miss Beau -Brocade and the hundred guineas reward. Quick, man!" he added -hurriedly, seeing that the soldier had paused irresolute, "quick! with -your fellows straight up the road that leads northward. I'm on -horseback--I'll overtake you as soon as may be." - -"But..." - -"You'll see a lonely cottage about half a mile from here, then a bridle -path on the left; follow that, you'll come to a house that was once an -inn. The rascal is there. I saw him not half an hour ago." - -"But the rebel, Captain..." feebly protested the Sergeant, "my duty..." - -"Nay, Sergeant, as you will," said Bathurst, coolly, with a great show -of complete indifference; "but while you parley here, Beau Brocade will -slip through your fingers. He is at the house now: he may be gone by -sunset. Odd's life! search for your rebels! go on! waste time! and the -hundred guineas are lost to you and your men for ever." - -It was obvious that both sergeant and men were determined not to lose -this opportunity of a bold bid for fortune. - -"Done with you, sir," he said resolutely. "After all," he added, as a -concession to his own sense of duty, "I can always come back and search -the forge afterwards." - -All the soldiers seemed as one man to be uttering a sigh of relief and -eager anticipation, and even before the Sergeant had spoken the word, -they turned to go. - -"You are a wise man, Sergeant," said Bathurst, jovially. "Off with you! -straight along that road you see before you. The cottage is just beyond -that clump of distant firs, there you'll see the bridle path. But I'll -overtake you before then, never fear. Time to give my horse a handful -of oats..." - -But even while he spoke the Sergeant had called "Attention!" - -"I'll not fail you, sir," he shouted excitedly. "A hundred guineas! -odd's my life! 'tis a fortune! Left turn! Quick march!" - -The young man stood in the doorway and watched the little squad as, -preceded by their Sergeant, they plodded their way northwards in quest -of fortune. John Stich too followed them with his eyes, until the bend -in the road hid the red coats from view. Then both turned and came -within. - -But Lady Patience through it all never looked at the soldiers; her eyes, -large, glowing, magnetic, were fixed upon the stranger in the forge, as -if in a trance of joy and gratitude. - - - - - CHAPTER XI - - THE STRANGER'S NAME - - -Mistress Betty was the first to recover from terror and surprise. She -too had fixed a pair of large and wondering eyes upon the stranger. - -"'Tis the gentleman who brought the letter from his lordship last -night," she whispered to her mistress. - -Patience closed her eyes for a moment: her spirit, which had gone -a-roaming into the land of dreams, where dwell heroes and proud knights -of old, came back to earth once more. - -"Then he must have guessed my brother was here," she murmured, "and did -it to save him." - -But the tension being relaxed, already the bright and sunny nature, -which appeared to be the chief characteristic of the stranger, quickly -re-asserted itself, and soon he was laughing merrily. - -"Oh! ho! gone, by my faith!" he said to John. "Odd's life! but he -swallowed that, clean as a mullet after bait, eh, friend Stich?" - -It seemed as if he purposely avoided looking at Patience: perhaps, with -the innate delicacy of a kindly nature, he wished to give her time to -recover her composure. But now she came forward, turning to him with a -gentle smile that had an infinity of pathos in it. - -"Sir," she said, "I would wish to thank you..." - -He put up his hand, with a gesture of self-deprecation. - -"To thank me, madam?" he said, with profound deference. "Nay! you do -but jest. I have done nothing to deserve so great a favour." - -He bowed to her with perfect courtly grace, but she would not be -gainsaid. She wished to think that he had acted thus for her. - -"Sir, you wrong your own most noble deed," she said. "Will you not -allow me to keep the sweet illusion, that what you did just now, you did -from the kindness of your heart, and because you saw that we were all -anxious ... and that ... I was unhappy..." - -She looked divinely fair as she stood there beside him, with the rays of -the slanting September sun touching the halo of her hair with a wand of -gold. Her voice was musical and low, and there was a catch in her throat -as she held out one tiny, trembling hand to him. - -He took it in his own strong grasp, and kept it a prisoner therein for -awhile, then he bent his slim young figure and touched her finger-tips -with his lips. - -"Faith, madam!" he said, "by that sweet illusion, an it dwell awhile in -your memory, I am more than repaid." - -In the meanwhile John had pushed open the small door which led to the -inner shed. - -"Quite safe, my lord!" he shouted gaily, "only friends present." - -Brother and sister, regardless of all save their own joy in this averted -peril, were soon locked in each other's arms. Captain Bathurst had -heard her happy cry: "Philip!" had seen the look of gladness brighten -her tear-dimmed eyes, and a curious feeling of wrath, which he could not -explain, caused him to turn away with a frown and a sigh. - -Patience was clinging to her brother, half hysterical, nervous, excited. - -"You are safe, dear," she murmured, touching with trembling motherly -hands the dear head so lately in peril, "quite safe ... let me feel your -precious hands ... oh! it was so horrible! ... another moment and you -were discovered! ... Sir!" she added once more, turning to the stranger -with the sweet impulse of her gratitude, "my thanks just now must have -seemed so poor ... I was nervous and excited ... but see! here is one -who owes you his life, and who, I know, would wish to join his thanks to -mine." - -But there was a change in his manner now. He bowed slightly before her -and said very coldly,-- - -"Nay, madam! let me assure you once again that I have done naught to -deserve your thanks. John Stich is my friend, and he seemed in trouble -... if I have had the honour to serve you at the same time, 'tis I who -should render thanks." - -She sighed, somewhat disappointed at his coldness. But Philip, with -boyish impulse, held out both hands to him. - -"Nay, sir," he said, "I know not who you are, but I heard everything -from behind that door, and I know that I owe you my life..." - -"I beg you, sir..." - -"Another moment and I had rushed out and sold my life dearly. Your -noble effort, sir, did more than save that life," he added, taking -Patience's hand in his, "it spared a deep sorrow to one who is -infinitely dear to me ... my only sister." - -"Your ... your sister?" - -"Aye! my sister, Lady Patience Gascoyne, I am the Earl of Stretton, -unjustly attainted by Act of Parliament. The life you have just saved, -sir, is henceforth at your command." - -"Indeed, Philip," added Patience, gently, "we already are deeply in this -gentleman's debt. Betty, who saw him, tells me that it was he who -brought me your letter yester night." - -"You, sir!" exclaimed Stretton in profound astonishment, "then you -are..." - -He paused instinctively, for he had remembered his conversation with -John Stich earlier in the day; he remembered the anger, the wonder, -which he had felt when the smith told him that he had entrusted the -precious letter for Lady Patience to Beau Brocade, the highwayman ... - -"Then you are...?" repeated Philip, mechanically. - -Patience was clinging to her brother, with her back towards the -stranger, so she did not see the swift look of appeal the slender finger -put up in a mute, earnest prayer for silence. But now she turned and -looked inquiringly at him, her eyes asking for a name by which she could -remember him. - -"Captain Jack Bathurst," he said, bowing low, "at your command." - - - - - CHAPTER XII - - THE BEAUTIFUL WHITE ROSE - - -But of course there was no time to be lost. Captain Jack Bathurst was -the first to give the alarm. - -"Those gallant lobsters won't be long in finding out that they've been -hoodwinked," he said, "an I mistake not, they'll return here anon with a -temper slightly the worse for wear. They must not find your lordship -here at anyrate," he added earnestly. - -"But what's to be done?" asked Patience, all her anxiety returning in a -trice, and instinctively turning for guidance to the man who already had -done so much for her. - -"For the next hour or two at anyrate his lordship would undoubtedly be -safer on the open Moor," said Bathurst, decisively. "'Tis nigh on -sunset, and the shepherds are busy gathering in their flocks. There'll -be no one about, and 'twould be safer." - -"On the open Moor?" - -"Aye! 'tis not a bad place," he said, with a touch of sadness in his -fresh young voice. "I myself..." - -He checked himself and continued more quietly,-- - -"Your lordship could return here after sundown. You'd be safe enough for -the night. After that, an you'll grant me leave, my friend Stich and I -will venture to devise some better plan for your safety. For the moment, -I pray you, be guided by this good advice, and seek the protection of -the open Moor." - -He had spoken so earnestly, with such obvious heartfelt concern, and at -the same time with such quiet firmness, that instinctively Philip felt -inclined to obey; the weaker nature turned for support to the stronger -one, to whose dominating influence it felt compelled to yield. He -turned to Patience, and her eyes seemed to tell him that she was ready -to trust this stranger. - -"Aye! I'll go, sir!" he sighed wearily. - -He kissed his sister with all the fondness of his aching heart. All his -hopes for the future were centred in her and in the long journey she was -about to undertake for his sake. - -Bathurst discreetly left brother and sister alone. He knew nothing of -their affairs, of their plans, their hopes. Stich was too loyal to -speak of his lord, even to a man whom he trusted and respected as he did -the Captain. The latter knew that a hunted man was in hiding in the -smith's forge, he had taken a message from the man to the lady at -Stretton Hall, now he knew for certain that the fugitive was the Earl of -Stretton. But that was all. - -Being outside the pale of the law himself, his sympathies at once ranged -themselves on the side of the fugitive. Whether the latter were guilty -or innocent mattered little to Jack Bathurst; what did matter to him was -that the most beautiful woman he had ever set eyes on was unhappy and in -tears. - -Philip, seeing that he could talk to his sister unobserved, whispered -eagerly,-- - -"The letters, dear, have a care; how will you carry them?" - -"In the drawer underneath the seat of the coach," she whispered in -reply. "I'll not leave the coach day or night until I've reached -London. From Wirksworth onwards I'll be travelling with relays: I need -neither spare horses nor waste a moment's time. I can be in town in -less than six days." - -"When will your coach be ready?" - -"In a few minutes now, and I'll start at once: but go, go now, dear," -she urged tenderly, "since Captain Bathurst thinks it better that you -should." - -She kissed him again and again, her heart full of hope and excitement at -thought of what she could do for him, yet aching because of this -parting. It was terrible to leave him in this awful peril, to be far -away if danger once again became imminent! - -When at last he had torn himself away from her, he made quickly for the -door, where Bathurst had been waiting for him. - -"Ah, sir!" sighed Philip, bitterly, "'tis a sorry plight for a soldier -and a gentleman to hide for his life like a coward and a thief." - -But Bathurst before leaving was looking back at the beautiful picture of -Patience's sweet face bathed in tears. - -"Like a thief?" he murmured. "Nay, sir, thieves have no angels to guard -and love them: methinks you have no cause to complain of your fate." - -There was perhaps just a thought of bitterness in his voice as he said -this, and Patience turned to him, and gazed at him in tender womanly -pity through her tears. At once the electrical, sunny nature within him -again gained the upper hand. Laughter and gaiety seemed with him to be -always close to the surface, ready to ripple out at any moment, and -calling forth hope and confidence in those around. - -"An you'll accept my escort, sir," he said cheerfully to Philip, "I'll -show you a sheltered spot known only to myself ... and to Jack o' -Lantern," he added, giving a passing tender tap to his beautiful horse. -"He and I are very fond of the Moor, eh, Jack, old friend? ... We are -the two Jacks, you see, sir, and seldom are seen apart. Together we -discovered the spot which I will show you, sir, and where you can lie -_perdu_ until nightfall. 'Tis safe and lonely and but a step from this -forge." - -Philip accepted the offer gratefully. Like his sister, he too felt that -he could trust Jack Bathurst. As he walked by his side along the -unbeaten track on the Heath, he viewed with some curiosity, not unmixed -with boyish admiration, the tall, well-knit figure of his gallant -rescuer. He tried to think of him as the notorious highwayman, Beau -Brocade, on whose head the Government had put the price of a hundred -guineas. - -A hero of romance he was in the hearts of the whole country-side, yet a -felon in the eyes of the law. Philip could just see his noble profile, -with the well-cut features, the boyish, sensitive mouth, firm chin and -straight, massive brow, over which a mass of heavy brown curls clustered -in unruly profusion. - -A brave man, surely--Philip had experienced that; a wise one too in -spite of his youth. Stretton guessed his companion to be still under -thirty years of age, and yet there was at times, in spite of the -inherently sunny disposition below, a look of melancholy, of -disappointment, in the deep, grey eyes, which spoke of a wasted life, of -opportunities lost perhaps, or of persistent adverse fate. - -Through it all there was that quaint air of foppishness, the manners and -appearance of a dandy about the Court. The caped coat was dark and -serviceable, but it was of the finest cloth and of the latest, most -fashionable cut, and beneath it peeped a dainty silk waistcoat, -delicately embroidered. - -The lace at throat and wrists was of the finest Mechlin, and the boots, -though stout and heavy, betrayed the smallness and the arch of the foot. -Though Jack Bathurst had obviously been riding, he carried neither whip -nor cane. - -All that Philip observed in this rapid walk to the place of shelter -which Bathurst had thought out for him, Patience, with a woman's quick -perception, had noted from the first. To her, of course, the Captain -was but a gallant stranger, good to look at and replete with all the -chivalrous attributes this troublous century called forth in the hearts -of her sons. She knew naught of Beau Brocade the highwayman, and -probably would have recoiled in horror at thought of connecting the name -of a thief with that of her newly-found hero of romance. - -She stood in the doorway for some time, watching with glowing eyes the -figures of the two men, until they disappeared behind a high clump of -gorse: then with a curious little sigh she turned and went within. - -John Stich and Mistress Betty were carrying on an animated conversation -in a remote corner of the forge. Patience did not wish to disturb them: -she was deeply grateful to John, and felt kindly disposed towards the -suggestion of romance conveyed by the smith's obvious appreciation of -pretty Mistress Betty. - -She crossed the shed, and opening the door at the further end of it, she -found that it gave upon a small yard which separated the forge from the -cottage, and in which Stich and his mother, who kept house for him, had -with tender care succeeded in cultivating a few flowers: only one or two -tall hollyhocks, some gay-looking sunflowers, and a few sweet-scented -herbs. And on the south aspect a lovely trail of creeping white rose, -the kind known as "Five Sisters," threw its delicate fragrance over this -little oasis in the wilderness of the Moor. - -And, almost mechanically, whilst her fancy once more went a-roaming in -the land of dreams, Patience began to hum the quaint old ditty: "My -beautiful white rose." - -Suddenly--at a quick thought mayhap--her eyes grew dim, her cheeks began -to burn: she drew towards her a cluster of snowy blossoms, on which the -earlier rains had left a mantle of glittering diamonds, and buried her -glowing face in its pure, cool depths. Then she detached one lovely -white rose from the parent bough, and, sighing, pinned it to her belt. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - - A PROPOSAL AND A THREAT - - -Sir Humphrey Challoner had not been long in making up his mind to take -Master Mittachip's pernicious advice. He twisted the old adage that -"everything is fair in love" to a justification of his own evil purpose. -He was not by any means a bad man. Save for his somewhat inordinate -love of money, he had none of the outrageous vices which were looked -upon with leniency in the quality in those days. - -He drank hard, and exacted his pound of flesh equally from all his -tenants, but neither of these characteristics was unusual in an English -squire of the early eighteenth century: a great many of them were -impecunious, and all were fond of good cheer. Originally he had meant -no harm to the young Earl of Stretton. His plan, as he clumsily -conceived it, was to get Philip into trouble first, then to extricate -him from it, for the sake of earning the gratitude of the richest -heiress in the Midlands and the most beautiful woman in England to boot. - -Sir Humphrey Challoner was not a diplomatist: he was a rough country -gentleman of that time, with but scant notions of abstract right and -wrong where his own desires were at stake. - -His original plan had failed through that very Act of Parliament which -placed Philip's life in immediate and imminent peril. Sir Humphrey did -not desire the lad's death: of course not. He had nothing to gain -thereby, and only wished for the sister's hand in marriage. He started -for London post-haste, hoping still to use what influence he had, and -also what knowledge he possessed of Philip's attitude at the time of the -rebellion, in order to bring about the boy's justification and release. - -That Patience had evidently found a means of proving her brother's -innocence without his help was a bitter disappointment to Sir Humphrey. -He knew that she would never marry him of her own free will, but only on -compulsion or from gratitude. - -The latter was now out of the question. He could do nothing to earn it. -Compulsion was the only course, and Mittachip, with crafty persuasion, -had shown him the possible way; therefore he went to the forge of John -Stich to carry through the plan to that end. - -It was close on sunset. On the Moor, gorse, bramble and heather were -bathed in ruddy gold, the brilliant aftermath of this glowing September -afternoon. - -Sir Humphrey had walked over from the Moorhen; as soon as he entered the -forge, the first thing he noticed was the beautiful chestnut horse -tethered against the door-post, the same which he himself had declared -that very day to be worth a small fortune. Fate was obviously playing -into his hands. Mittachip had neither deceived him nor lured him with -false hopes. - -Otherwise the shed was empty: there was no sign of John Stich, or of the -stranger who rode the chestnut horse. Sir Humphrey went within and, as -patiently as he could, set himself to wait. - -When therefore Jack Bathurst returned to the forge some few minutes -later, he found that her ladyship, Betty and Stich had gone, whilst, -sitting on the edge of the rough deal table, and impatiently tapping his -boot with a riding-whip, was no less a personage than the Squire of -Hartington. - -Jack had caught a glimpse of his Honour the night before on the Heath, -under circumstances which even now brought a smile to his lips, and -which incidentally had made the poor of Brassington richer by fifty -guineas. - -For a moment he hesitated whether he would go in or no. He had been -masked during that incident, of course, and knew not even the ABC of -fear. His dare-devil spirit of fun and adventure quickly gained the -upper hand, and the next moment he had greeted his Honour with all the -courtly grace he had at command. - -Sir Humphrey looked at him keenly for a moment or two. Young and -well-looking! Oft to be seen at the forge at sundown! ... Odd's life -but... - -"Your servant, sir!" he said, returning the salutation. - -Sir Humphrey was in no hurry. He firmly believed that Fate had decided -to be kind to him in this matter, but he feared to brusque the -situation, and thereby to imperil the successful issue of his scheme. - -Therefore he passed the time of day with this well-looking stranger, he -talked of the weather and the rains on the Moors, the bad state of the -roads and the insufficiency of police in the county, of the late -rebellion and the newest fashion in coats. - -Jack Bathurst seemed to fall into his mood. He was shrewd enough to -perceive that Sir Humphrey Challoner was in his own estimation playing a -diplomatic game of cat and mouse, and it much intrigued Bathurst to know -what his ultimate purpose might be. He had not long to wait; after some -five minutes of casual conversation, Sir Humphrey went straight for his -goal. - -"Odd's life!" he said suddenly, interrupting his own flow of small talk, -"it wonders me how long that rascally smith'll stay away from his work. -Adsbud! but he's a lazy vagabond. What say you, sir?" - -"Nay! you, sir, wrong an honest man," replied Bathurst. "John Stich is -a steady worker. Shall I call him for you? I know my way about his -cottage." - -"Nay, I thank you, sir! my purpose can wait. Truth to tell," added his -Honour, carelessly, "'twas not the blacksmith's work I needed, but his -help in a trifling matter of business." - -"Indeed?" - -"You'll be surprised perhaps at my question, sir, but have you ever -heard mention of that fellow, Beau Brocade?" - -"Oh! ... vaguely..." - -"A highwayman, sir, and a consummate rogue, yet your honest John Stich -is said to be his friend." - -"Indeed?" - -"Now, an you'll believe me, sir, I have a mind to speak with the -rascal." - -"Indeed? then you are bolder than most, sir," said Jack, cheerfully. He -was really beginning to wonder what the Squire of Hartington was driving -at. - -"It seems strange, doesn't it? but to be frank with you, I'm in two -minds about that rogue." - -"How so?" - -"Well! I have a score to settle with him, and a business to propose; -and I cannot decide which course to adopt." - -"You, sir, being so clever, might perhaps manage both," said Bathurst -with a touch of sarcasm. - -"Hm! I wonder now," continued Sir Humphrey, not wishing to notice the -slight impertinence. "I wonder now what an independent gentleman like -yourself would advise me to do. I have not the honour of knowing who -you are," he added with grave condescension, "but I can see that you -_are_, like myself, a gentleman." - -Bathurst bowed in polite acknowledgment. - -"I should be proud to serve you with advice, sir, since you desire it." - -"Well! as I have said, I have a score to settle with the rogue. He -stole fifty guineas from me last night." - -"Ah me!" sighed Jack, with a melancholy shake of the head, "then I fear -me he'll never haunt the Heath again." - -"What mean you, sir?" - -"Nay! I can picture the rascal now, after you, sir, had punished him -for his impudence! A mangled, bleeding wreck! But there! I have no -pity for him! Daring to measure his valour against your noted prowess!" - -"Quite so! quite so!" quoth his Honour, whilst smothering a curse at -this more obvious piece of insolence. - -"But I entreat your pardon. I was interrupting the story." - -"I saw the rogue, sir," said Sir Humphrey, glancing significantly at the -young man, "saw him clearly by the light of my carriage lanthorns. He -was masked, of course, but I'd know him anywhere, and could denounce him -to-morrow." - -He had risen to his feet, and with legs apart, standing face to face -with Bathurst, he spoke every word as if he meant them to act as a -threat. - -"There are plenty of soldiers about these parts now, even if the country -folk won't touch their vaunted hero of romance. I could get him hanged, -sir, within a week. A cordon of soldiers round this Heath, my word to -swear his identity, and.... But there!" he added with a jovial laugh, -"'tis no concern of yours is it, sir? You were kind enough to promise -me your advice. This is one of my alternatives, the score I'd wish to -settle; there's still the business I could offer the rogue." - -Sir Humphrey had looked the young man squarely in the face whilst he -uttered his threat, but had seen nothing there, save the merriest, the -most light-hearted of smiles. - -"I can scarce advise you, sir," said Bathurst, still smiling, "unless I -know the business as well." - -"Well, sir, you know of old Lady Rounce, do you not? the meanest, -ugliest old witch in the county, eh? Well! she is on her way to London, -and carries with her a mass of money, wrung from her miserable tenants." - -"Faith, sir! you paint a most entrancing picture of the lady." - -"Now, an that rascal Beau Brocade were willing to serve me, he could at -one stroke save his own neck from the gallows, enrich himself, right the -innocent and confound a wicked old woman." - -"And how could this galaxy of noble deeds be accomplished at one stroke, -sir?" - -"Her ladyship's coach will pass over the Heath to-night. It should be -at the cross-roads soon. There will be all the old harridan's money and -jewels to be got out of it." - -"Of course." - -"And also a packet of love-letters, which doubtless will be hidden away -in the receptacle beneath the seat." - -"Letters?" queried Bathurst. "Hm! I doubt me if love-letters would -tempt a gentleman of the road." - -"Nay, sir," replied his Honour, now dropping his voice to a confidential -whisper, "these are letters which, if published, would compromise an -artless young lady, whom old Lady Rounce pursues with her hatred and -spite. Now I would give a hundred guineas to any person who will bring -me those letters at the Moorhen to-morrow. Surely to a gentleman of the -road the game would be worth the candle. Lady Rounce carries money with -her besides, and her diamonds. What think you of it, sir?" - -"'Tis somewhat difficult to advise," said Bathurst, meditatively. - -"Ah well!" said Sir Humphrey with affected indifference, "'tis really -not much to me. On the whole perhaps I would prefer to deliver the -rascal into the hands of my friend Squire West at Brassington. Anyway, I -have the night to think the matter over; 'tis too late now to wait for -that lout, John Stich. I would have preferred to have had your advice, -sir. I daresay 'tis difficult to give. And you a stranger too. I -would have liked to save a young girl from the clutches of that old -witch, Lady Rounce, and if Beau Brocade rendered me that service, I'd be -tempted to hold my tongue about him.... He should have the hundred -guineas to-morrow and have nought to fear from me, if he brought me -those letters. If not ... well! ... well! ... we shall see.... The old -gallows here have long been idle ... we shall see ... we shall see.... -Good-day to you, sir ... proud to have met you.... No ... I'll not wait -for John Stich. Is this your horse? ... pretty creature! ... Good-day, -sir ... good-day." - -His Honour was extremely condescending and pleasant. He bowed very -politely to Bathurst, patted the beautiful chestnut horse, and showed no -further desire to talk with John Stich. - -Bathurst, with a frown on his handsome face, watched the Squire of -Hartington's burly figure disappear round the bend in the road. - -"I wonder now," he mused, "what mischief he's brewing. He seemed to me -up to no good. I suppose he guessed who I was." - -While he stood there watching, John Stich quickly entered the forge from -the rear. - -"I was in the cottage, Captain," he said, "my mother was serving the -ladies with some milk. But just now I saw Sir Humphrey Challoner -walking away from the forge. I feared he might see you." - -"He did see me, honest friend," said Jack, lightly. "His Honour and I -have just had a long and animated conversation together." - -"Great Heavens! the man is furious with you, Captain!" said the smith, -with genuine anxiety in his gruff voice, "he saw you distinctly on the -Heath last night. He may have recognised you to-day." - -"He did recognise me." - -"And may be brewing the devil's own mischief against you." - -"Oh, ho!" laughed the young man, with a careless shrug of the shoulders, -"against me? ... Well! you know, honest John, I am bound to end on the -gallows..." - -"Sooner or later! Sooner or later!" he added merrily, noting John's -look of sorrowful alarm. "They've not got me yet, though there are so -many soldiers about, as that piece of underdone roast-beef said just -now." - -"You'll not tell me what Sir Humphrey Challoner spoke to you about?" - -"No, friend, I will not," said Jack, with a look of infinite kindness -and placing a slender white hand on the smith's broad shoulder. "You -are my friend, you know, you shoe and care after my horse, you shelter -and comfort me. May Heaven's legions of angels bless you for that. Of -my life on the Heath I'll never tell you aught, whatever you may guess. -'Tis better so. I'll not have you compromised, or implicated in my -adventures. In case ... well! ... if they do catch me, you know, -friend, 'tis better for your sake that you should know nothing." - -"But you'll not go on the Heath to-night, Captain," pleaded the smith, -with a tremor in his voice. - -"Aye! that I will, John Stich," rejoined Bathurst, with a careless -laugh, which now had an unmistakable ring of bitterness in it, "to stop -a coach, to lift a purse! that's my business.... Aye! I'll to the -Heath, friend, 'tis my only home, you know, ere I find a resting-place -on the gallows yonder." - -John sighed and turned away, and thus did not hear the faint murmur that -came of a great and good heart over-full with longing and -disappointment. - -"My beautiful white rose! ... how pale she looked ... and how -exquisitely fair! ... Ah! me ... if only.... Jack! Jack! don't be a -fool!" he added with a short, deep sigh, "'tis too late; remember, for -Beau Brocade to go galloping after an illusion!" - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - - THE FIGHT IN THE FORGE - - -John Stich ventured no further opposition, well knowing the reckless -spirit which his own quiet devotion was powerless to keep in check; -moreover, Lady Patience, closely followed by the ever-faithful Betty, -had just entered by the door that gave from the yard. - -"I was wondering, honest Stich," she said, "if my coach were yet in -sight. Meseems the horses must have had sufficient rest by now." - -"I'll just see, my lady," said John. - -At first sound of her low, musical voice, Bathurst had turned to her, -and now his eyes rested with undisguised admiration on her graceful -figure, dimly outlined in the fast-gathering shadows. She too caught -sight of him, and sorely against her will a vivid blush mounted to her -cheeks. She pulled her cloak close to her, partly to hide the bunch of -white roses that nestled in her belt. - -Thus there was an instant's silent pause, during which two hearts, both -young, both ardent, and imbued with the spirit of romance, beat--unknown -to one another--in perfect unison. - -And yet at this supreme moment in their lives--supreme though they -themselves knew it not--neither of them had begun to think of love. In -her there was just that delightful feeling of feminine curiosity, -mingled with the subtle homage of a proud woman for the man who, in her -presence, and for her sake, had proved himself brave, resourceful, full -of invention and of pluck: there was also an unexplainable sense of the -magnetism caused by the real _personality_, by the unmistakable -_vitality_ of the man. He lived, he felt, he thought differently to -anyone else, in a world quite apart and entirely his own, and she felt -the magic of this sunny nature, of the merry, almost boyish laugh, -overlying as it were the undercurrent of disappointment and melancholy -which had never degenerated into cynicism. - -But in him? Ah! in him there was above all a wild, passionate longing! -the longing of an intensely human, aching heart, when it is brought nigh -to its own highest ideal, and knows that that ideal is infinitely beyond -his reach. - -The broken-down gentleman! the notorious hero of midnight adventures! -highwayman! robber! thief! what right had he even to look upon her, the -perfect embodiment of exquisite womanhood, the beautiful realisation of -man's tenderest dreams? - -Perhaps at this one supreme moment in his reckless career the wild -adventurer felt the first pang of humbled pride, of that pride which had -defied existing laws and built up a code of its own. He understood then -all at once the stern, iron-bound rule which makes of man--free lord of -creation though he be--the slave of those same laws which he himself has -set up for his own protection. - -Beau Brocade, the highwayman, closed his eyes, and no longer dared to -look on his dream. - -He turned to his horse, and with great tenderness began stroking Jack o' -Lantern's soft, responsive nose. - -The next moment Stich, who had been busy with his work, looked up in -sudden alarm. - -"The soldiers!" he said briefly, "all running ... the Sergeant's at the -head o' them, and some of the shepherds at their heels." - -At first Patience did not understand where the actual danger lay. - -"My brother!" she gasped, terrified. - -But a look from Bathurst reassured her. - -"Absolutely safe," he said quickly and decisively, "a hiding-place known -to no one but me. I give your ladyship my word of honour that there is -not the remotest danger for him." - -She felt all her terrors vanishing. But these few words spoken to -comfort her went nigh to costing Bathurst dear. In those few brief -seconds he had lost the opportunity of jumping on Jack o' Lantern's back -and getting well away before the soldiers had reached the entrance of -the forge, and had effectually barred his chance of escape. - -As it was, he had only just undone the halter, and before he had time to -lead Jack o' Lantern out, the voice of the Sergeant was heard quite -close to the doorway, shouting breathlessly,-- - -"Forward! quick! Arrest that man!" - -"My sword, John! for your life!" was Bathurst's ready answer to the -challenge. - -Stich darted to a corner of the forge. Lady Patience gave a quick, -short gasp, she had suddenly realised that for some reason which she -could not quite fathom, the man who had so pluckily saved her brother -from the soldiers an hour ago, was now himself in imminent danger. - -Jack snatched the sword eagerly which the smith was holding out to him, -and resting the point of the blade on the ground before him, he tested -with evident satisfaction the temper of the steel. Not a moment too -soon this, for already the Sergeant, running, panting, infuriated by the -trick played upon him, had appeared in the doorway, closely followed by -two of his men. - -Caught like a rat in a hole, Jack was prepared to fight. Perhaps at -bottom he was glad that circumstances had not compelled him to show a -clean pair of heels before this new danger to himself. Alone, he might -have liked to flee, before _her_ he preferred to fight. - -"Odd's my life!" he said merrily, "'tis my friend, the Sergeant." - -"You sent me on a fool's errand," shouted the latter as loudly as his -scant breath would allow, "and 'tis my belief you are one of them rebel -lords yourself: at anyrate you shall give an account of yourself before -the magistrate. And if the smith dares to interfere, he does so at his -peril," he added, seeing that John Stich had seized his hammer, and was -handling it ominously, fully prepared to resist the established -authority on behalf of his friend. - -But whilst the Sergeant parleyed, Jack, with the rapid keen eye of a -practised fencer, and the wary glance of a child of the Moor, had taken -note of every advantage, however slight, which his present precarious -position had left him. - -The Sergeant and two men were in the doorway, momentarily pausing in -order to recover their breath. Three more of the squad were running -forward along the road, but were still some little distance off, and -would be a few minutes before they reached the smithy. - -Further on still there were the others, at present only appearing as -scarlet dots on the Heath. Close on the heels of the Sergeant, two or -three shepherds, with Jock Miggs in their rear, had come to see what was -happening in the forge. - -It had taken Jack Bathurst only a couple of seconds to note all these -details. Luck so far favoured him that, for the next minute or two at -least, he would only have to deal with the Sergeant and two soldiers. - -"Into it, my men! Arrest him in the name of the King!" shouted the -Sergeant, and the two soldiers, grasping their bayonets, made a rush for -the interior of the shed, ready to surround Jack and his horse. - -But quick as a lightning flash, Bathurst gave Jack o' Lantern a slight -prick in the ribs with his sword; the nervous creature, already rendered -restive by the sudden noise, began to plunge and rear, and thus, as his -master had hoped, scattered the compact group of assailants momentarily -away from the vicinity of his hoofs. - -This gave the young man the desired opportunity. Nimble as a fox when -hotly pursued, he stepped back and with one bound took up a position on -the top of a solid oak table, which stood in the deep shadow caused by -the doorway, thus, for the moment, leaving Jack o' Lantern as a barrier -between himself and his enemies. - -"Friend Stich," he shouted from this exalted height, "do you stand by -the ladies. Stir not from their side whatever happens, nor interfere -'tween me and the soldiers at your peril." - -The lust of battle was upon him now. He was satisfied with his position -and longed to begin the fight. On his left was the outside wall of the -shed, and guarding his right was the huge furnace of the smithy, out of -which the burning embers cast fitful flickering lights upon his tall, -slim figure, and drew from his blade sparks of blood-red gold. - -He had wrapped the thick capes of his heavy cloth coat round his left -arm: the folds of it hung down to his feet, forming a shield round the -lower part of his figure. - -Already the soldiers had recovered from the short panic caused by Jack -o' Lantern's timely rearing. One of them now seized the horse by the -bridle and led him out into the open, thus exposing Bathurst more fully -to the onslaught of their bayonets. - -Jack was fully prepared for them, and as soon as the Sergeant had given -the order to attack, his steel began to dart in and out of the gloom -like some live snake, with tongue of steel; illumined by the fitful -embers of the furnace fire, it seemed to give forth a thousand sparks of -witch-like flame with every turn of the cunning wrist. The outline of -his head and shoulders was lost in the dense shadows above, whilst his -assailants stood in the full glare of the setting sun, which, hot and -blinding, came streaming into the shed. - -Dazed by the flickering light of the furnace and the sunset glow beyond, -the soldiers made very ineffectual plunges into the dark shadow, whence, -fencing and parrying, and with many a quip and sally, Jack had at first -an easy task in keeping them at bay. - -This was mere child's play to him; already one of the men had an ugly -gash in his cheek, and the next moment saw the Sergeant reeling -backwards, with a well-directed thrust through his right arm. - -But easy and exciting as was this brilliant sword-play, it could not in -the long run be of much avail. Hardly had the Sergeant fallen back than -three more soldiers, also hot and furious, came rushing in to reinforce -their comrades. Bathurst had in his day been counted the finest fencer -in England, his wrist was as fresh and strong as the steel which he -held, but the odds were beginning to accumulate against him. - -Five men in the shed, and the others could not be very far away! - -John Stich felt his muscles nearly cracking with the vigorous effort to -maintain his quiescent position and not to come to the rescue of his -hard-pressed friend. - -Suddenly one of the soldiers levelled his musket. - -Patience saw it and gave a cry of horror. Stich, throwing prudence to -the winds, would have rushed forward, to prevent this awful thing at any -cost, but the Sergeant, though wounded, had lost none of his zest, and -his eye had been fixed on the smith. - -"Keep back the smith!" he shouted, "use your bayonets! quick!" - -And as two of his men obeyed him, he himself threw his full weight -against John, and together the three men succeeded in rendering the -worthy fellow momentarily powerless. - -"Captain! Captain!" he shouted desperately, "have a care!" - -Of course Jack had realised his danger. The group of his assailants -stood out in every detail before him, like a clear-cut sunlit picture. -But against the musket levelled at him he could do nothing, it was -Luck's chance to do him a good turn; he himself was hard pressed by two -men close to his knees. - -Patience felt as if her heart would cease to beat, her impulse was to -rush blindly, stupidly forward, when suddenly a piping voice, vague and -uncertain, was heard above the click of Jack's sword. - -"Don't 'ee let 'em get 'ee, sir!" and Jock Miggs, with trembling, yet -determined hands, gave a vigorous tug to the coat tails of the soldier, -who was even now pulling the trigger of his musket. The latter, who had -been aiming very deliberately for the one bright patch on Jack's person -caused by the red glow of the furnace, lost his aim: there was a loud -report, and a bullet went whizzing high above Bathurst's head, and -buried itself in the woodwork above him. - -This was the signal for a new phase of this curious and unequal -struggle. The shepherds, at first, knowing nothing of the cause of this -quarrel, had stood open-mouthed, somewhat frightened and awaiting -events, at a short distance from the scene of the scuffle. - -But when the chestnut horse had been led out into the open, they -suddenly had an inkling as to who its owner was. Jack o' Lantern, -bearing the masked highwayman on his back, was well known to the poor -folk on Brassing Moor. - -Beau Brocade, who but yesterday had left fifty guineas in the -Brassington poor box! Beau Brocade, the hero of the Heath! He! to be -caught by a parcel of red coats? - -Never! Jock Miggs but voiced the feeling of the majority. - -"Noa! Noa!" they shouted lustily. "Don't 'ee let 'em get 'ee, sir!" - -"Not if I can help it, friends!" rejoined Bathurst in gay response. - -They did not resist the soldiers; not they! Your Derbyshire yokel is -too cautious an individual to run absolutely counter to established -authority, but they saw their friend, their helper and benefactor, in -trouble and they did what they could to help him. They got in the way, -jostled the soldiers when they dared, kept the attention of one or two -occupied, preventing a general onslaught on the oak table, on which -Bathurst, still alert, still keen, was holding his own against such -terrible odds. - -"There's for you, my gallant lobster," quoth Jack, gaily. - -He was standing far back on the table, entrenched between the wall on -one side and the furnace on the other, and every time one of the -soldiers ventured too near, his sword would dart out of the gloom: it -seemed like a living creature of fire and steel, so quick and bold were -his feints and parries, his sudden attacks in quarte and sixte, and all -the while he kept one eye on the open Moor, where Jack o' Lantern, -quivering with impatience, stood pawing the ground, and sniffing the -keen evening air, ready to carry his master away, out upon the Heath, -out of sight and out of danger. - -Obviously the unequal contest could not last much longer. Jack knew -that as well as any one. Already the red dots in the far distance had -drawn considerably nearer, the next few minutes would bring this fresh -reinforcement to the wearied, exhausted assailants. - -The Sergeant too was ready to seize his best opportunity. He still kept -two men on guard over the smith, but he soon saw that the two, who were -storming Bathurst's improvised citadel, were no match with their clumsy -bayonets against a brilliant fencer who, moreover, had the advantage of -light and shadow, and of his elevated position. - -Though he was wounded, and bleeding profusely, he had set his heart on -the capture of this mysterious stranger, and having cast a glance on the -open Moor beyond, he saw with renewed zest two more of his men hurrying -along. With all the strength he had left he shouted to them to come on, -and then turned to encourage the others. - -"Take it easy, my men! Hold out a moment longer. We've got the rebel -at last." - -But Jack too had seen and understood. He was neither tired nor hurt, -but two more men against him would inevitably prove his undoing. -Already he could hear the shouts of the soldiers hurrying in response to -their Sergeant's call. The next minute they would be in the forge. - -A sudden change of tactics led his two assailants to venture nearer than -they had done hitherto; he drew back into the shadows, and they, fired -by the lust of capture, under the impression that he was at last -exhausted, ventured nearer and nearer still; already they were leaning -over the edge of the table, one man was thrusting at Bathurst's legs, -when the latter, with a rapidity that seemed quicker than a flash of -lightning, disengaged his left arm from his heavy coat, and with both -hands threw it right over the heads of the two men. Before they had -time to release themselves from its folds, Jack, with one bound was off -the table, and the next instant he had torn open the door of the furnace -and dragged out the huge iron poker with which the smith raked his fire, -and with a cry of triumph slung this new and formidable weapon high over -his head. - -The effect of this sudden move was one of uncontrollable panic: the -red-hot metal, as he swung it over his head, dropped a far-reaching -shower of burning sparks; soldiers and Sergeant all drew back -instinctively, and Jack, still brandishing his weapon, reached the -entrance and was out in the open before any one dared to stop him. - -There he flung the great glowing thing in the direction of his -assailants, who even now were rallying to the attack. - -But the moment had been precious to Bathurst, and Jack o' Lantern was a -king among horses. Without use of stirrup or rein, Jack, like the true -child of the wild Moor that he was, flung himself upon the beautiful -creature's back. - -Thus Patience saw him for one brief second, framed in the doorway of the -forge, the last rays of the setting sun forming a background of crimson -and gold for his slim, upright figure, and the brown curls on his head. - -It was but a moment's vision, but one she would carry enshrined in her -memory through all the years to come. His eyes, large, glowing, -magnetic, met hers in a flash, and hers, bright with unshed tears, met -his in quick response. - -"Soldiers!" he shouted, as he rode away, "an you think I am a rebel -lord, then after me, quick! whilst I ride towards the sunset." - - - - - PART II - - THE HEATH - - - - CHAPTER XV - - THE OUTLAW - - -Beau Brocade drew rein on the spur of the hill. He had galloped all the -way from the forge, out towards the sunset, then on, ever on, over gorse -and bracken, on red sandy soil and soft carpet of ling, on, still on! - -Overhead, on the blue-green dome of the evening sky, a giant comet, made -up of myriads of tiny, rose-tipped clouds, formed a fairy way, ever -diminishing, ever more radiant, pointing westwards to the setting sun, -where orange and crimson and blue melted in one glorious mist of gold. - -Out far away, the distant Tors glowed in the evening light, like great -barriers to some mystic elusive land beyond. - -Jack o' Lantern had responded to his master's mood. The reins falling -loosely on his neck, needing neither guide nor spur, save the excitement -of his own mad career, he had continued his wild gallop on the Heath, -until a sudden jerk of the reins brought him to a standstill on the very -edge of a steep declivity, with quivering flanks and sensitive nerves -all a-tremble, even as the last ruddy glow died out in the western sky. - -One by one the myriads of rose-tipped clouds now put on their grey -cloaks of evening. From the rain-soaked ground and dripping branches of -bramble or fern, a blue mist was rising upwards, blending deep shadows -and tender lights in one hazy monotone. - -Gradually every sound died out upon the Heath, only from afar came -intermittently the mournful booming of a solitary bittern, astray from -its nest, or now and then the sudden quaking of a tuft of grass, a -tremor amidst the young fronds of the bracken, there, where a melancholy -toad was seeking shelter for the night. - -Awesome, silent, majestic, the great Moor was at peace. The passions, -the strife, the turmoil of mankind seemed far, very far away: further -than that twinkling star which peeped down, shy and solitary, from -across the rolling billows of boundless universe. - -Beau Brocade stretched out both arms, and sighed in an agony of longing. -Fire was in his veins, a burning thirst in his heart, for something he -dared not define. - -How empty seemed his life! how wrecked! how hopelessly wasted! - -Yet he loved the Moor, the peace, the solitude: he loved the sunset on -the Heath and every sound of animal life in this lonesome vastness. - -But to-night!... - -One smile from a woman's lips, a glow of pride in her eyes, just one -cluster of snow-white roses at her breast, and all the glories of Nature -in her most lavish mood seemed tame, empty, oh! unutterably poor. - -Nay! he would have bartered his very soul at this moment to undo the -past few years. To be once more Jack Bathurst of His Majesty's regiment -of Guards, before one evening's mistake ruined the whole of his life. A -quarrel over a game of cards, a sudden blind, unreasoning rage, a blow -against his superior officer, and this same Jack Bathurst, the dandy -about town, the gallant, enthusiastic, promising young soldier, was -degraded from his military rank and thrown, resourceless, disgraced, -banished, upon a merciless world, that has neither pity nor pardon for -failures or mistakes. - -But, quite unlike the young Earl of Stretton, Jack Bathurst indulged in -no morbid self-condemnation. Fate and he had thrown the dice, and he had -lost. But there was too much of the untamed devil in him, too much -spirit of wild adventure, to allow him to stoop to the thousand and one -expedients, the shifts, the humiliations which the world holds in store -for the broken-down gentleman. - -Moneyless, friendless, with his career irretrievably ruined, he yet -scorned the life of the outcast or the pariah, of that wretched fragment -of humanity that hangs on the fringe of society, envying the pleasures -it can no longer share, haunting the gambling booths or noisy brothels -of the towns, grateful for a nod, a handshake, from some other fragment -less miserable than itself. - -No! a thousand times no! - -Jack Bathurst looked the future that was before him squarely in the -face, then chose the life of the outlaw with a price upon his head. -Aye! and forced that life to yield to him its full measure of delights: -the rough, stormy nights on the Moor! the wild gallops over gorse and -bramble, with the keen nor'-wester lashing his face and whipping up his -blood, and with a posse of soldiers at his heels! the devil-may-care, -mad, merry existence of the outlaw, who cuts a purse by night, and -carries his life on his saddle-bow! - -That he chose and more! for he chose the love of the poor for miles -around! the blessings spoken by suffering and patient lips upon the name -of the highwayman, of Beau Brocade, who took from the rich at risk of -his life in order to give to the needy. - -And now at even, on Brassing Moor, when a lonely shepherd caught sight -of a chestnut horse bearing a slim, masked figure on its back, or heard -in the distance a young voice, fresh as a skylark, singing some -half-sad, half-lively ditty, he would turn his weary eyes in simple -faith upwards to the stars and murmur gently,-- - -"God bless Beau Brocade!" - -Perhaps He had! - -The stars knew, but they did not tell! - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - - A RENCONTRE ON THE HEATH - - -Master Mittachip, on his lean nag, with his clerk, Master Duffy, on the -pillion behind him, was on his way to Brassington. - -Sir Humphrey Challoner had not returned to the Moorhen after his visit -to the forge until the sun was very low down in the west. He had bidden -the attorney to await him at the inn, and Master Mittachip had not dared -to disobey. - -Yet the delay meant the crossing of the Heath along the bridle path to -Brassington, well after the shadows of evening had lent the lonely Moor -an air of awesome desolation. There were the footpads, and the pixies, -the human and fairy midnight marauders, who all found the steep -declivities, the clumps of gorse and bracken, the hollows and the pits, -safe resting-places by day, but who were wont to emerge from their lair -after dark for the terror and better undoing of the unfortunate, belated -traveller. - -Then there was Beau Brocade! - -Master Duffy too was very timid, and clung with trembling arms to the -meagre figure of the attorney. - -"Nay! Master Duffy!" quoth Mittachip, with affected firmness, "why do -you pry about so? Are you afraid?" - -"Nay! nay! Master Mittachip," replied the clerk, whose teeth were -chattering audibly, "I am ... n ... n ... not af ... f ... f ... fraid." - -"Tush, man, you have me near you," rejoined Mittachip, boldly. "See! I -am armed! Look at my pistols!" - -And he leant back in the saddle, so as to give Master Duffy a good view -of a pair of huge pistols that protruded ostentatiously from his belt. - -Yet all around the air was still, the solitary Heath was at peace, even -the breezy nor'-wester, that had blustered throughout the day, seemed to -have lain down to rest. - -Far out eastwards, the moon, behind a fast dispersing bank of clouds, -was casting a silver radiance that was not yet a light, but only a -herald of the glittering radiance to come. - -The Moor was silent and at peace: only at times there came the sound of -a gentle flutter, a moorhen perhaps within its nest, or a belated lizard -seeking its home. - -Whenever these slight sounds occurred, Master Mittachip's hands that -held the reins trembled visibly, and his clerk clung more closely to -him. - -"What was that?" said the attorney in an awed whisper, as his frightened -ears caught a more distinct noise. - -"W ... w ... why don't you draw your p ... p ... pistols, Master -Mittachip?" murmured Duffy, in mad alarm. - -The noise was hushed again, but to the overwrought nerves of the two men -in terror, there came the certain, awful perception that someone was on -the Heath besides themselves, someone not far off, whom the mist hid -from their view, but who knew that they were travelling along the bridle -path, who could see and perhaps hear them. - -"Truth to tell, Master Duffy," whispered the attorney, whose teeth too -had begun to chatter. "Truth to tell, it's no use my drawing them ... -they ... they are not loaded." - -Master Duffy nearly fell off the pillion in his fright. - -"What?" - -"There's neither powder nor shot in them," continued Master Mittachip, -ruefully. - -"Th ... th ... then we are lost!" was Master Duffy's ejaculation of woe. - -"Eh?--what?" quoth Mittachip, "but your pistols are charged." - -And his pointed elbow sought behind it for the handles of two formidable -weapons, which were stuck in Master Duffy's belt. - -"N ... n ... nay!" whispered the clerk, who now was blue with terror. -"I dared not carry the weapons loaded.... I trusted to your valour, -Master Mittachip, to protect us." - -"What was that?" - -Again that noise! this time a good deal nearer, and it seemed to Master -Mittachip's affrighted eyes as if he saw something moving on the bridle -path before him. But he would not show too many signs of fear before -his own clerk. - -"Tush, man!" he said with as much boldness as he could command. "'Tis -only a lizard in the grass mayhap. We'll ride on quite boldly. We -can't be far from Brassington now, and no footpads would dare to attack -two lusty fellows on horseback, with pistols showing in their belts! ... -Lord!" he added with a shudder, "how lonely this place appears!" - -"And that rascal, Beau Brocade, haunts this Heath every night, I'm -told," murmured Master Duffy, who felt more dead than alive. - -"Sh! sh! sh! speak not of the devil, Master Duffy, lest he appear!..." - -"Hark!!!" - -The two men now clung trembling to one another; not ten paces from them -there came the sound of a horse's snorting, then suddenly a voice rang -out clearly through the mist-laden air,-- - -"Hello! who goes there!" - -"The Lord have mercy upon us!" whispered Mittachip. - -"It must be Beau Brocade himself," echoed the clerk. - -The next moment a horse and rider came into view. Master Mittachip and -his clerk were too terrified even to look. The former had jerked the -reins and brought his lean nag to a standstill, and both men now sat -with eyes closed, teeth chattering, their very faces distorted with -fear. - -Beau Brocade had reined his horse quite close to them, and was peering -through his black mask at the two terror-stricken faces. Evidently they -amused him vastly, for he burst out laughing. - -"Odd's my life! here's a pretty pair of scarecrows! ... Well! I see -you can stand, so now let's see what you've got to deliver!" - -At this Master Mittachip contrived to open his eyes for a second; but -the black mask, and the heavily cloaked figure looked so ghostlike, so -awful in the mist, that he promptly closed them again, and murmured with -a shudder.-- - -"Mercy, oh, noble sir! We ... we are poor men!..." - -"Poor-spirited men, you mean?" quoth Beau Brocade, giving the trembling -figure a quick, vigorous shake. "Now then! off that nag of yours! -Quick's the word!" - -But even before this word of command Master Mittachip, dragging his -clerk after him, had tumbled, quaking, off his horse. They now stood -clinging to each other, a miserable bundle of frightened humanity. - -"Come!" said Beau Brocade, looking down with some amusement at the -spectacle. "I'm not going to hurt you--I never shoot at snipe! But -you'll have to turn out your pockets and sharp too, an you want to -resume your journey to-night." - -He had seized Master Duffy by the collar. The clerk was an all -too-ready prey for any highwayman, and stooping from his saddle, Beau -Brocade had quickly extracted a leather bag from the pocket of his coat. - -"Oho! guineas, as I live!" - -"Kind sir," began Duffy, tremblingly. - -"Now, listen to me, both of you," said Beau Brocade, trying to hide his -enjoyment of the scene under an air of great sternness. "I know who you -are. I know what work you've been doing this afternoon. Extorting -rents barely due from a few wretched people, for your employers as -hard-hearted as yourselves." - -"Kind sir..." - -"Silence! or I shoot! Besides, 'twere no use to tell me lies. The -people about here know me. They call me Beau Brocade. I know them and -their troubles. I happened to hear, for instance, that you extracted -two guineas from the Widow Coggins, threatening her with a process for -dilapidations unless she gave you hush money." - -"'Twas not our fault, kind sir..." - -"Then there was Mistress Haddakin, from whom you extracted fifty -shillings for a new gate, which you don't intend to put up for her: and -this, although she has only just buried her husband, and had a baby sick -at home. You put on finer airs with the poor people than you do with -me, eh?" - -"'Tis not our money, sir," protested Master Mittachip, humbly. - -"Some of it goes into your own pockets. Hush money, blood money, I call -it. That's what I want from you, and then a bit over for the poor box -on behalf of your employers." - -He weighed the leather bag which he had taken out of Master Duffy's -pocket. - -"This'll do for the poor box. Now I want the five pounds you extorted -from Widow Coggins and Mistress Haddakin. The poor women'll be glad of -it on the morrow." - -"I haven't a penny more than that bagful, sir," protested Master -Mittachip. "My employers took all the money from me. 'Twere their -rents I was collecting. I swear it, sir, kind sir! on my word of -honour! And I am an honest man!" - -"Come here!" - -And Beau Brocade reined his horse back a few paces. - -"Come here!" he repeated. - -Mittachip was too frightened to disobey. He came forward, limping very -perceptibly. - -"Why do you walk like that?" asked Beau Brocade. - -"I'm a feeble old man and rheumatic," whined Mittachip, despondently. - -"Then 'twere better to ease the load out of your boot, friend. Sit down -here and take it off." - -And he pointed to a piece of boulder projecting through the shallow -earth. - -But this Master Mittachip seemed very loth to do. - -"Kind sir..." he protested again. - -"Sit down and take off the right boot!" repeated Beau Brocade more -peremptorily, and with a gay laugh and mock threatening gesture he -pointed the muzzle of his pistol at the terror-stricken attorney. - -There was naught to do but to obey: and quickly too. Master Mittachip -cursed the rascally highwayman under his breath, and even consigned him -to eternal damnation, before he finally handed him up his boot. - -Beau Brocade turned it over, shook it, and a bag of jingling guineas -fell at Jack o' Lantern's feet. - -"Give me that bag!" - -"Sir! kind sir!" moaned Master Mittachip, as he obediently handed up the -bag of gold to his merciless assailant. "Have pity! I am a ruined man! -'Tis Sir Humphrey Challoner's money. I've been collecting it for him -... and he's a hard man!" - -"Oh!" said Beau Brocade, "'tis Sir Humphrey Challoner's money, is it? -Nay! you old scarecrow, but 'tis his Honour himself sent me on the Heath -to-night. Oho!" he added, whilst his merry, boyish laugh went echoing -through the evening air, "methinks Sir Humphrey will enjoy the joke. Do -you tell him, friend--an you see him in the morn--that you've met Beau -Brocade and that he'll do his Honour's bidding." - -He counted some of the money out of the bag and put it in his pocket: -the remainder he handed back to the astonished lawyer. - -"There!" he said with sudden earnestness, "I'll only make restitution to -the poor whom you have robbed. You may thank your stars that an angel -came down from heaven to-day and cast eyes of tender pity upon me, so -that I care not to rob you, save for those in dire want. You may mount -that nag of yours now, and continue your journey to Brassington. No -turning aside, remember, and answer me when I challenge your -good-night." - -Master Mittachip and his clerk had no call to be told twice. They -mounted with as much agility as their trembling limbs would allow. -Truly they considered themselves lucky in having saved some money out of -the clutches of the rogue, and did not care to speculate on the cause of -their good fortune. - -A few minutes later their lean horse was once more on its way, bearing -its double burden. At first they had both looked back, attracted--now -that their terror was gone--by the sight of that tall, youthful figure -on the beautiful thoroughbred standing there on the crest of the hill -and gradually growing more and more dim in the fast-gathering mist. - -The bridle path at this point dips very suddenly and a sharp declivity -leads thence, straight on to Brassington. - -Beau Brocade's sharp eyes, accustomed to the gloom, watched horse and -riders until the mist enveloped them and hid them from his view. Then -he called loudly,-- - -"Good-night!" - -And faintly echoing came the quaking reply,-- - -"Good-night!" - -After that there was silence again. The outlaw was alone upon the Heath -once more, the Heath which had been his home for so long. - -For him it had no cruelty and held no terror: the tall gorse and bracken -oft sheltered him from the rain! Wrapped in his greatcoat, he had oft -watched the tiny lizards darting to and fro in the grass, or listened to -the melancholy cry of moorhen or heron. The tiny rough branches of the -heather had been a warm carpet on which he had slept on lazy afternoons. - -The outlaw found a friend in great and lonely Nature, and when he was -aweary he laid his head on her motherly breast, and like a child found -rest. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - - A FAITHFUL FRIEND - - -How long he stood there on the spur of the hill he could not afterwards -have told. It may have been a few seconds, perhaps it was an eternity. - -During those few seconds or that eternity, the world was re-created for -him: for him it became more beautiful than he had ever conceived it in -his dreams. A woman's smile had changed it into an earthly paradise. A -new and strange happiness filled his being, and set brain and sinews on -fire. A happiness so great that his heart well nigh broke with the -burden of it, and the bitter longing for what could never be. - -The cry of a moorhen thrice repeated at intervals roused him from his -dreams. - -"John Stich," he murmured, "I wonder now what brings him out to-night!" - -And with a final sigh of deep regret, a defiant toss of the head, Beau -Brocade turned Jack o' Lantern's head northwards whence the cry had -come. - -There a rough track, scarce perceptible amongst the bracken, led -straight up to the forge of John Stich. Horse and rider knew every inch -of the way, although for the moment the fitful moon still hid her light -behind a bank of clouds, and the mist now enveloped the Moor in a thick -mantle of gloom. - -Soon the sensitive ears of the highwayman, accustomed to every sound, -had perceived heavy footsteps on the unbeaten track, and presently a -burly figure detached itself from the darkness beyond and came rapidly -forward. - -"Odd's my life! but it's friend John!" said Beau Brocade, with a great -show of severity. "Zounds! but this is rank insubordination! How dare -you follow me on the Heath, you villain, and leave your noble guest -unprotected? What?" - -"His lordship is safe enough, Captain," said the smith, who at sight of -the young man had heaved an obvious sigh of relief, "and I could not -rest until I'd seen you again." - -"Faith! you can't do that in this confounded mist, eh, John?" quoth -Bathurst, lightly. But his fresh young voice had softened with a quaint -tenderness, whilst he looked down, smiling, at the upturned face of his -devoted friend. - -"Well! what about my friend, the Sergeant and the soldiers, eh?" he -added gaily. - -"Oh! the Sergeant is too sick to speak," rejoined the smith, earnestly, -"but the men vow you're a rebel lord. Those that were fit walked down -to Brassington directly after you left: one man, who was wounded in the -arm, started for Aldwark: they've gone to get help, Captain; either more -soldiers, or loafers from the villages who may be tempted by the reward. -They'll scour this Heath for you, from Aldwark to the cross-roads, and -from Brassington to Wirksworth, and..." - -"And so much the better, friend Stich, for while they hunt for me his -lordship will be safe." - -"But have a care, Captain! they're determined men, now, for you've -fooled them twice. Be gy! but you've never been in so tight a corner -before." - -"Pshaw!" quoth Beau Brocade, lightly, "life is none too precious a boon -for me that I should make an effort to save it." - -"Captain..." murmured Stich, reproachfully. - -"There, friend John," added the young man, with that same touch of -almost womanly tenderness, that had endeared him to the heart of honest -Stich, "there! there! have no fear for me! I tell thee, man, they'll -not get me on this Heath! Think you the furze and bracken, the heron or -peewit would betray me? Me, their friend! Not they! I am safe -enough!" he continued, while a strange ring of excitement made his young -voice quiver. "Let them after me, and leave _her_ brother in peace! And -then, John! when he is safe ... perhaps I may see her smile once more! -... Heigh-ho! A fool am I, friend! A fool, I tell thee! fit for the -gallows-tree outside thy forge!" - -John said nothing: he could not see Jack's face in the gloom, and did -not understand his wild, mad mood, but his faithful heart ached to hear -the ring of bitter longing in the voice of his friend. - -There was a moment's pause, whilst Bathurst made a visible effort to -control his excitement. Then he said more calmly,-- - -"Here, John! take this money, friend!" - -He dived in the pocket of his big caped coat and then placed in John's -hand the two bags of money he had extracted from Master Mittachip and -his clerk. - -"I've just got it from a blood-sucking agent of Sir Humphrey -Challoner's: 'tis money wrung from poor people, who can ill afford it." - -"Aye! aye!" quoth John, with a sigh. - -"I want two guineas to go to Mistress Haddakin, who has just lost her -husband: the poor wretch is nigh to starving. Then thirty shillings are -for the Widow Coggins, up Hartington way: those blood-suckers took her -last shilling yesterday. Wilt see to it, friend John?" - -"Aye! aye!" - -"The rest is for the poor box at Aldwark this time. Perhaps there'll be -more before the morn." - -"Captain..." - -"Hush! don't begin to lecture, John!" said Beau Brocade, with curious -earnestness. "I tell thee, friend, there's madness in my veins -to-night. I pray thee go back home, and leave me to myself." - -"Don't send me away, Captain," pleaded John, "I ... I ... am uneasy, -and..." - -"Dear, kind, faithful John," murmured Bathurst. "Zounds! but I'm an -ungrateful wretch, for I vow thou dost love me, friend." - -"You know I do, Captain. I ... I ... I'd give..." - -"Nay ... nothing!" interrupted Jack, quickly, "give me nothing but that -love of thine, friend ... it is more precious than life ... but I pray -thee, let me be to-night ... I swear to thee I'll do no harm.... I'll -see thee in the morn, John.... I'll be safe ... never fear!" - -John Stich sighed. He knew that further protest was useless. Already -Beau Brocade had turned Jack o' Lantern's head once more towards the -crest of the hill. The smith waited awhile, listening while he could to -the sound of the horse's hoofs on the rain-sodden earth. His honest -heart was devoured with anxiety both for his friend and for the brave -young lady who was journeying townwards to-night. - -Suddenly it seemed to him as if far away he could hear the creaking of -wheels on the distant Wirksworth road. The air was so still, that -presently he could hear it quite distinctly. 'Twas her ladyship's -coach, no doubt, plying its slow, wearying way along the quaggy road. - -It would be midway to the little town by now. The narrow track on which -John stood cut the road at right angles, about a mile and a half away. -The smith took to blaming himself that he had kept her ladyship's -journey a secret from Beau Brocade. The latter was a monarch on the -Heath: he would have kept footpads at bay, watched and guarded the -coach, and seen it, mayhap, safely as far as Wirksworth. - -Never for a moment did the slightest fear cross the smith's mind that -the notorious highwayman would stop Lady Patience's coach. Still, a -warning would not have come amiss. Perhaps it was not too late. The -road wound in and out a good deal, skirting bogland or massive boulders. -John hoped that on the path he might yet come across Jack o' Lantern and -his master, before they had met the coach. - -He started to run and had covered nearly a mile when suddenly he heard a -shout, which made his honest heart almost stop in its beating, a shout, -followed by two pistol shots in rapid succession. - -The shout had rung out clear and distinct in the fresh, lusty voice of -Beau Brocade. - -"Stand and deliver!" - -John dared not think what the pistol shots had meant. - -With elbows now pressed to his sides, he began running at a wild gallop -along the rough, unbeaten track, towards the point whence shots and -shout had come. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - - MOONLIGHT ON THE HEATH - - -The jolting of the carriage along the quaggy road had been well nigh -unendurable. Mistress Betty was groaning audibly. But Lady Patience, -with her fair head resting against the cushions, was forgetting all -bodily ailments, whilst absorbed in mental visions that flitted, swift -and ever-changing, before her excited brain. - -There was the dear brother in peril of his life, his young face looking -wan and anxious, then Sir Humphrey Challoner, the man she instinctively, -unreasonably dreaded, and John Stich, the faithful retainer, brave and -burly, guarding his lord's life with his own. These faces and figures -wandered ghostlike before her eyes, and then vanished, leaving before -her mental vision but one form and face, a pair of merry, deep-set grey -eyes, that at times looked so inexpressibly sad, a head crowned with a -mass of unruly curls, a figure, lithe and active, sitting upon a -chestnut horse and riding away towards the sunset. - -It was a pleasant picture: no wonder Patience allowed her mind to dwell -on it, and in fancy to hear that full-toned voice either in lively song -or gay repartee, or at times with that ring of tenderness in it, which -had brought the tears of pity to her eyes. - -The hours sped slowly on, the cumbrous vehicle jostled onwards, plunging -and creaking, whilst Thomas urged the burdened horses along. - -Suddenly a jerk, more vigorous than before, roused Patience from her -half-wakeful dreams. The heavy coach had seemed to take a plunge on its -side, there was fearful creaking, and much swearing from the driver's -box, a shout or two, panting efforts on the part of the horses, and -finally the vehicle came to a complete standstill. - -Mistress Betty had started up in alarm. - -"Lud preserve us!" she shouted, putting a very sleepy head out of the -carriage window, "what's the matter now, Thomas?" - -"We be stuck in a quagmire," muttered the latter worthy, vainly trying -to smother more forcible language, out of respect for her ladyship's -presence. - -Timothy, the groom, had dismounted: lanthorn in hand, he was examining -the cause of the catastrophe. - -"Get the other lanthorn, Thomas!" he shouted to the driver, "and come -and give me a hand, else we'll have to spend the night on this -God-forsaken heath." - -"Is it serious, Timothy?" queried Lady Patience, anxiously. - -"I hope not, my lady. The axle is caked with mud on this side, and we -do seem stuck in some kind of morass, but if Thomas'll hurry himself..." - -The latter, with many more suppressed oaths, had at last got down from -his box, and had brought a second lanthorn round to the back of the -coach, where Timothy had already started scraping shovelfuls of inky mud -from the axle of the off-wheel. - -It was at this moment, and when the two men were intent upon their work, -that a voice, loud and distinct, suddenly shouted behind them,-- - -"Stand and deliver!" - -Thomas, who was of a timorous disposition, dropped the lanthorn he held, -and in his fright knocked over the other which was on the ground. He -was a man of peace, and knew from past experience that 'tis safer not to -resist these gentlemen of the roads. - -When therefore the highwayman's well-known challenge rang out in the -night, he threw up both hands in order to testify to his peaceful -intentions; but Timothy, who was younger and more audacious, drew a -couple of pistols from his belt, and at all hazards fired them off, one -after the other, in the direction whence had come the challenge. The -next moment he felt a vigorous blow on his wrists and the pistols flew -out of his hand. - -"Hands up or I shoot!" - -Thomas was already on his knees. Timothy, thus disarmed, thought it -more prudent to follow suit. - -From within the coach could be heard Mistress Betty's shrill and -terrified voice,-- - -"Nay! nay! your ladyship shall not go!" followed by her ladyship's -peremptory command,-- - -"Silence, child! Let me go! Stay you within an you are afraid!" - -There was a moment's silence, for at sound of her voice Beau Brocade had -started, then he leaned forward on his horse, listening with all his -might, wondering if indeed his ears had not misled him, if 'twas not a -dream-voice that came to him out of the gloom. - -"Have I the honour of addressing Lady Rounce?" he murmured mechanically. - -At this moment the darkness, which up to now had been intense, began -slowly to give place to a faint, silvery light. The moon, pale and -hazy, tried to pierce the mist that still enveloped her as with a cold, -blue mantle, and one by one tipped blackthorn and gorse with a cluster -of shimmering diamonds. - -Like a ghostly panorama the heath revealed its thousand beauties, its -many mysteries: the deep, dark tangle of bramble and ling, beneath which -hide the gnomes and ghouls, the tiny blue cups of the harebells, wherein -the pixies have their home; the fairy rings in the grass, where the -sprites dance their wild saraband on nights such as this, with the -crickets to play the tunes, and the glow-worms to light them in their -revels. - -But to Beau Brocade the dim radiance of the moon, shy and golden through -her veil of mist, only revealed one great, one wonderful picture: that -of his dream made real, of his heavenly vision come down to earth, the -picture of _her_ stepping out of the coach that she might speak to him. - -She came forward quickly, and the hood flew back from her face. She was -looking at him with a half-puzzled, half-haughty expression in her eyes, -and Beau Brocade thought he had never seen eyes that were so deeply -blue. He murmured her name,-- - -"The Lady Patience!" - -"Nay, sir, since you know my name," she said, with a quaint, almost -defiant toss of her small, graceful head. "I pray you, whoever you may -be, to let me depart in peace. See," she added, holding a heavy purse -out to him, "I have brought you what money I have. Will you take it and -let me go?" - -But he dared not speak. He longed to turn Jack o' Lantern's head and to -gallop away quickly out of her sight, before she had recognised him and -learnt that the man on whom she had looked with such tender pity, and -with such glowing admiration, was the highway robber, the outlaw, the -notorious thief. Yet so potent was the spell of her voice, the moist -shimmer of her lips, the depth and glitter of her blue eyes, that he -felt as if iron fetters held him fast to the ground, there enchained -before her, until at least she should speak again. - -He dismounted and she stepped a little closer to him, so close now that, -had he stretched out his hand, he might have touched her cloak, or even -those white finger-tips which... - -"Believe me, sir," she said a little impatiently, seeing that he did not -speak, "I give you all I have freely an you molest me no more. I have -urgent, very urgent business in London, which brooks of no delay. -Kindly allow my men to go free." - -She was pleading now, all the haughtiness vanished from her face. Her -voice, too, shook perceptibly; the tall, silent figure before her was -beginning to frighten her. - -Yet he dared not trust himself to speak, lest by a word he should dispel -this dream. This golden vision of paradise that heaven had so -unaccountably sent to him this night! it might vanish again amidst the -stars and leave the poor outlaw to his loneliness. - -This moment was so precious, so wonderful. - -Madly he longed for the god-like power to stop Time in its relentless -way, to make sun, moon and stars, the earth and all eternity pause -awhile, whilst he looked upon her, as she stood there, with the pleading -look in her eyes, the honey-coloured moon above throwing a dim and -flickering light upon her upturned face ... her golden hair ... that -tiny hand stretched out to him. - -She seemed to wait for his reply, and at last in a low voice, which he -tried to disguise, he murmured,-- - -"Madam, I entreat you, have no fear! Believe me, I would sooner never -see the sun set again than cause you even one short moment's anxiety." - -Again that quaint puzzled look came into her eyes, she looked at the -black mask that hid his face, as if she would penetrate the secret which -it kept. - -"Will you not take this purse?" she asked. - -"Nay! I will not take the purse, fair lady," he said, still speaking -very low, "but I would fain, an you would permit it, hold but for one -instant your hand in mine. Will you not let me?" - -The impulse was irresistible, the desire to hold her hand so strong that -he had no power to combat it. She seemed puzzled and not a little -frightened, but neither haughty nor resentful at his presumption: -perhaps she felt the influence of the mystery which surrounded the dark, -cloaked figure before her, or the more subtle spell of the mist-covered -moon. She made no movement towards him, her hand which he craved to -hold had dropped to her side. - -There was magic in the vast stillness of the Moor; on each dew-tipped -point of grey-green gorse, from every frond of emerald bracken, there -glistened a tiny crystal. Timothy and Thomas had retreated to a safer -position, out of sight behind the huge vehicle, and inside the coach -Betty was cowering in terror. They stood alone, these two, away from all -the world, in a land all their own, a land of dreams, of poetry, and -romance, where men died for a look from women's eyes, and conquered the -universe for a smile. - -How silent was the Heath while he looked at her, and she returned his -gaze half-trembling, wholly puzzled. - -"Will you not let me?" he pleaded. And instinctively his voice trembled -in the pleading, and there came back to her mind the memory of this same -voice, young and tender, as she had heard it in the forge. But she -would not let him know that she had guessed. - -"Sir," she said with sudden, unaccountable shyness, "you have -overpowered my men, they are but loutish cowards, and you are heavily -armed. I am a defenceless woman.... How can I refuse if you command?" - -He took the pistols from his belt and laid them on the ground at her -feet. - -"Nay, fair lady!" he said, "there is no question of command. See! I am -unarmed now, and your men are free. Give them the word and I'll not -stir hand or foot till you have worked your will with me. You see, 'tis -I am at your mercy ... yet I still crave to hold your hand ... for one -moment ... in mine..." - -For one second more she hesitated: not because she was afraid, but -because there was a subtle sweetness in this moment of suspense, a -delicious feeling of expectancy for the joy that was to come. - -Then she gave him her hand. - -"Why! ... how it trembles," he said, "like some tiny frightened bird. -See how white it looks in my rough brown hand. You are not afraid?" - -"Afraid? ... oh, no! ... but ... but the hour is late ... I pray you let -me depart ... I must not tarry ... for so much depends upon my -journey.... I pray you let me go." - -"No, no! don't go," he pleaded, clinging to the little hand whose cool -touch had made his very senses reel, "don't go ... not just yet.... See -how glorious is the moon above those distant hills ... and the -mist-laden air which makes your hair glisten with a thousand diamonds, -whilst I, poor fool, holding your cool, white hand in mine, stand here -gazing on a vision that whispers to me of things which can never, never -be.... No! no, don't go just yet ... let the moon hide her light once -more behind the mist ... let the Heath sink into darkness ... let me -live in my dream one moment longer ... it will be dispelled all too -soon." - -He had spoken so low, she scarce could hear, but she could feel his hand -scorching hers with its fever-heat, and when he ceased speaking she -heard a sigh, like a sob, a sigh of bitter longing, of hopeless regret, -that made her heart ache with a new pain which was greater, more holy -than pity. - -A strange excitement seemed to pervade him. Madness was in his veins. -He longed to seize her, to lift her up on Jack o' Lantern's back and -gallop away with her over the Moor, far, far out beyond bracken and -heather, over those distant Tors, on, on to the mountains of the moon, -to the valley of the shadows, she lying passive in his arms, whilst he -looked for ever into the clear blue depths of her eyes. Perhaps she too -felt this excitement gradually creeping over her; she tried to withdraw -her hand, but he would not let it go. To her also there came the sense -of unreality, of a vision of dreamland, wherein no one dwelt but she and -this one man, where no sound came save that of his voice, rugged and -tender, which brought tears of joy and pity to her eyes. - -In the grass at her feet a cricket began to chirp, and suddenly from a -little distance there came the quaint, sweet sound of a shepherd's pipe, -playing an old-time rigadoon. - -"Hark!" she whispered. - -The sound came nearer and nearer: she loved to hear the faint, elusive -echo, the fairy accompaniment to her own dreamlike mood. - -"What a sweet tune," she murmured, as instinctively her foot began -tapping the measure on the ground. "I mind it well! How oft have I -danced to it beneath the Maypole!" - -"Will you then dance it with me to-night?" - -"Nay, sir ... you do but jest..." - -But his excitement was at fever-point now. The outlaw at least could -work his will upon this Heath, of which he alone was king. He could not -carry her away on Jack o' Lantern's back, but he could make her stay -with him a while longer, dance with him, here in the moonlight, her hand -in his, his arm at times round her waist in the mazes of the dance, her -cheeks flushed, her eyes bright, her breath panting, aye! for she should -feel too that reckless fire that scorched him. All the fierce, untamed -blood in him ran like molten lava in his veins. Aye! for one more brief -half-hour he--the lonely dweller on the Moor--the pariah, the outcast, -would taste the joys of the gods. - -"I was never more earnest in my life!" he vowed, with that gay, mad, -merry laugh of his, "a dance with you here in the moonlight! Aye! a -dance in the midst of my dreams!" - -"But indeed, indeed, sir," she pleaded, "the hour is late and my -business in London is very urgent." - -"Nay, ten minutes for this dance will not much delay your journey, and I -swear by your sweet eyes that after that you shall go unmolested." - -"But if I refuse?" - -"An you refuse," he said, bending the knee before her, and bowing humbly -at her feet, "I will entreat you on my knees..." - -"And if I still refuse?" she murmured. - -"Then will I uproot the trees, break the carriage that bears you away, -tear up the Heath and murder yon knaves! God in heaven only knows what -I would _not_ do an you refuse." - -"No, no, sir, I pray you..." she said, alarmed at his vehemence, -puzzled, fascinated, carried away by his wild, reckless mood and the -potent spell of the witching moon. "Nay! how can I refuse? ... I am in -your power ... and must do as you bid me.... An you really wish for a -dance..." - -She allowed him to lead her away to a short distance off the beaten -track, there, where a carpet of ling and grass, and walls of bramble and -gorse formed a ball-room fit for gods and goddesses to dance in. At the -further end of this clearing the quaint, shrivelled figure of Jock -Miggs, the shepherd, had just come into view. At a little distance to -the left, and close to the roadside, there was a small wooden shed, and -beyond it a pen, used by the shepherds as a shelter on rough nights when -tending their sheep on the Heath. - -For the moment the pen was empty, and Jock Miggs was evidently making -his way to the hut for a few hours' sleep, and had been playing his pipe -for the sake of company. - -"Aye! a dance here!" said Beau Brocade, "with the moon and stars to -light us, a shepherd to play the tune, and the sprites that haunt the -Heath for company! What ho! there! friend shepherd!" he shouted to -Miggs. - -The worthy Jock caught sight of the two figures standing in the centre -of the clearing, not twenty paces away from him. - -"Lud have mercy upon me!" he gasped. "Robbery! Violence! Murder!" - -"Nay, friend! only merry-making," quoth Beau Brocade, gaily. "We want -to dance upon this Heath, and you to play the tune for us." - -"Eh? what?" muttered the shepherd, in his vague, apologetic way, -"dancing at this hour o' the night?" - -"Aye!" - -"And me to play for a parcel of mad folk?" - -"Well said, honest shepherd! Let us all be mad to-night! but you shall -play for us, and here!--here is the wherewithal to set your pipe in -tune." - -He threw a heavy purse across to Miggs, who, still muttering something -about lunatics on the Heath, slowly stooped and picked it up. - -"Guineas!" he muttered, weighing it in his hand, "guineas, as I live! -Guineas for playing a dance tune. Nay, sir, you're mad, sure enough." - -"Wilt play the tune, shepherd?" shouted Beau Brocade in wild impatience. - -Jock Miggs shook his head with a determined air. - -"Nay! your madness is nought to me. You've paid for a tune, and you -shall have the tune. But, Lordy! Lordy! these be 'mazing times." - -He settled himself down on a clump of grass-covered earth, and stolidly -began piping the same old-time rigadoon. These were a pair of lunatics, -for sure, but since the gentleman had paid for this extraordinary -pleasure, 'twas not for a poor shepherd to refuse to earn a few honest -guineas. - -Beau Brocade bowed to his lady with all the courtly grace of a town -gallant. - -"Madam! your most humble, and most obedient servant." - -As in a dream Patience began to tread the measure. It was all so -strange, so unreal! surely this was a dream, and she would wake anon. - -She turned and twisted in the mazes of the dance, gradually the -intoxication of it all had reached her brain; she seemed to see round -her in the grass pixie faces gazing curiously upon her. All the -harebells seemed to tinkle, the shepherd's pipe sounded like fairy -bells. Through the holes in the black mask she could see a pair of -burning eyes watching her as if entranced. - -She felt like a creature of some other world, a witch mayhap, dancing a -wild saraband with this man, her lord and master, a mad, merry sprite -who had arranged this moonlight Sabbath. - -Her cheeks began to glow, her eyes were sparkling with the joy of this -dance. Her breath came panting through her parted lips. - -Aye! mad were they both! what else? Their madness was the intoxication -which man alone can feel when his joy equals that of the gods! Quicker, -shepherd! quicker! let thy pipe wake all the fairy echoes of this -mystic, ghostlike Moor! Let all the ghouls and gnomes come running -hither, let the stars pale with envy, let fairies and sprites clap their -hands for joy, since one man in all this world was happier than all the -spirits in heaven! - -How long it lasted neither of them could tell. The honey-coloured moon -lighted them all the while, the blue mist wrapped them as in a mystic -veil. Still they danced on; at times she almost lay in his arms, hot, -panting, yet never weary, then she would slip away, and with eyes aglow, -cheeks in rosy flame, beckon to him, evade, advance, then once more put -her hand in his and madden him with the touch. - -Oh! that heaven-born hour! why did it ever cease? - -A wild shriek, twice repeated, brought them both to a standstill. - -She, with heart beating, and hand pressed to her panting bosom, was -unable to stir. Whilst the excitement kept her up she had danced, but -now, with that piercing shriek, the dream had vanished and she was back -on earth once more. - -"What was that?" - -Thomas and Timothy, attracted by the strange spectacle, had gradually -crept up to the clearing, and through a clump of gorse and bracken had -been watching the weird, midnight dance. On the further side, and close -to Jock Miggs, John Stich had been standing in the shadow of a thorn -bush. He had been running all the way, ever since he heard the two -pistol-shots. Amazed at the strange sight that met his honest eyes, he -had not dared to interfere. Perhaps his honest faithful heart felt with, -even if it did not altogether comprehend, the wayward, half-crazy mood -of his friend. - -Betty alone, terrified and not a little sulky, had remained in the -coach. It was her shriek that roused the spectators and performers of -this phantasy on the Heath. - -"My lady! my lady!" screamed Betty once more at the top of her voice. - -Then, all of a sudden, Patience understood. Fairyland had indeed -vanished. The awful reality came upon her with appalling cruelty. - -"My letters!" she gasped, and started running towards the coach. - -But already Jack Bathurst had bounded across the clearing, closely -followed by John Stich. Patience's cry of mad, terror-stricken appeal -had gone straight to his brain, and dissipated in the fraction of a -second the reckless excitement of the past hour. - -The wild creature of one moment's wayward mood was in that same fraction -of time re-transformed into the cool and daring dweller of the Moor, on -whose head the law had set a price, and who in revenge had made every -law his slave. - -His keen, quick eye had already sighted the smith. - -"After me, John!" he commanded, "and run for your life." - -When the two men had fought their way through the clumps of gorse and -bracken which screened the clearing from the road, they were just in -time to see a man quickly mounting a dark brown horse, which stood some -twenty yards in front of the coach. - -The carriage door nearest to them was open, and poor Mistress Betty lay -on the ground close beside it, still screaming at the top of her voice. - -With one bound Beau Brocade had reached Jack o' Lantern, who, accustomed -to his unfettered life on the Heath, had quietly roamed about at will, -patiently waiting for his master's call. The young man was unarmed, -since he had placed his pistols awhile ago at Patience's feet, but Jack -o' Lantern was swift-footed as the deer, and would overtake any strange -horseman easily. - -Beau Brocade's hand was on his horse's bridle and there were barely a -few yards between him and the mysterious horseman, who was preparing to -gallop away, when the latter turned, and suddenly pointing a pistol at -his pursuer, fired two shots in rapid succession. - -The young man did not stop at once. He clutched Jack o' Lantern's -bridle and tried to mount, but he staggered and almost fell. - -"After him, John," he cried in a hoarse voice, as, staggering once more, -he fell upon one knee. "After him! quick! take Jack o' Lantern, don't -mind me!" - -John had no need to be told twice. He seized the horse's bridle and -swung himself into the saddle as quickly as he could. - -But these few seconds had given the horseman a sufficient start. -Although the moon was bright the mist was thick, and the bracken and -thorn bushes very dense on the other side of the road. Already he had -disappeared from view, and John's ears and eyes were not so keen as -those of Beau Brocade, the highwayman, the wounded monarch of the Heath. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - - HIS OATH - - -Patience's first thought as soon as she reached the road was for Betty; -she helped the poor girl to her feet and tried to get some coherent -explanation from her. - -"I was listening to the tune, my lady, and leaning my head out of the -window," moaned Mistress Betty, who was more frightened than hurt, "when -suddenly the carriage door was torn open, I was dragged out and left -screaming on the ground.... That's all I know." - -But one glance at the interior of the coach had revealed the whole awful -truth. It had been ransacked, and the receptacle beneath the cushions, -where had lain the all-important letters, was now obviously empty. - -"The letters! oh, the letters!" moaned Patience in an agony of misery -and remorse. "Philip, my dear, dear one, you entrusted your precious -life in my hands, and I have proved unworthy of the trust." - -Her spirit wholly broken by the agony of this cruel thought, she cowered -on the step of the carriage, her head buried in her hands, in a passion -of heart-broken tears. - -"My lady..." - -She looked down, and by the dim light of the moon she saw a figure on -its knees, dragging itself with a visibly painful effort slowly towards -her. - -In a moment she was on her feet, tall, haughty, a world of scorn in her -eyes; she looked down with horror at the prostrate figure before her. - -"Nay, sir," she said with icy contempt, "an you have a spark of honour -left in you, take off that mask, let me at least see who you are." - -The agony of shame was more than she could bear. She who had deemed -herself so proud, so strong, that she should have been thus fooled, -duped, tricked, and by this man! this thief! this low class robber who -had dared to touch her hand! All the pride of race and caste rose in -revolt within her. Who was he that he should dare to have spoken to her -as he did? Her cheeks glowed with shame at the memory of that voice -which she had loved to hear, the tender accent in it, and oh! she had -been his plaything, his tool, for this infamous trick which had placed -her dear, dear brother's life in peril worse than before. - -Meekly he had obeyed her, his own proud spirit bent before her grief. -His face--ashy pale now and drawn with pain and weakness--looked up in -mute appeal for forgiveness. - -"A poor wretch," he murmured feebly, "whose mad and foolish whim..." - -But she turned from him in bitter loathing, drawing herself up to her -full height, trying by every means in her power to show the contempt -which she felt for him. So absorbed was she in her grief and -humiliation, in her agony of remorse for her broken trust, that she did -not realise that he was hurt, and fainting with loss of blood. - -"You ... you..." she murmured with horror and contempt. "Nay! I pray -you do not speak to me.... You ... you have duped and tricked me, and I -... I ... Oh!" she added with a wealth of bitter reproach, "what wrong -had I or my dear brother done to you that you should wish to do him so -much harm? What price had his enemies set upon his head that you should -_sell_ it to them?" - -He tried to interrupt her, for her words hurt him ten thousand times -more than the wound in his shoulder: with almost superhuman effort he -dragged himself to his feet, clinging to the bracken to hold himself -upright. He would not let her see how she made him suffer. She! his -beautiful white rose, whom unwittingly he had, it seemed, so grievously -wronged. Her mind was distraught, she did not understand, and oh! it -was impossible that she _could_ realise the cruelty of her words, more -hard to endure than any torture the fiendish brain of man could devise. - -"I'd have given you gold," she continued, whilst heavy sobs choked the -voice in her throat, "if 'twas gold you wanted.... Here is the purse -you did not take just now! Two hundred guineas for you, sir, an you -bring me back those letters!" - -And with a last gesture of infinite scorn she threw the purse on the -ground before him. - -A cry escaped him then: the terrible, heart-rending cry of the wild -beast wounded unto death. But it was momentary; that great love he bore -her helped him to understand. Love is never selfish--always kind. Love -_always_ understands. - -He could scarcely speak now, and the seconds were very precious, but -with infinite gentleness he contrived to murmur faintly,-- - -"Madam! I swear by those sweet lips of yours now turned in anger -against me that you do me grievous wrong. My fault, alas! is great! I -cannot deny it, since in this short, mad hour of the dance my eyes were -blind and mine ears deaf to all save to your own dear presence." - -"Aye! 'twas a clever trick," she retorted, lashing herself to scorn, -wilfully deaf to the charm of that faint voice, turning away from the -tender appeal of his eyes: "a trick from beginning to end! Your -chivalry at the forge! your _role_ of gallant gentleman of the road! the -while you plotted with a boon companion to rob me of the very letters -that would have saved my brother's life." - -"Letters? ... that would have saved your brother's life? ... What -letters?..." - -"Nay, sir! I pray you fool me no further. Heaven only knows how you -learnt our secret, for I'll vouch that John Stich was no traitor. Those -letters were stolen, sir, by your accomplice, whilst you tricked me into -this dance." - -He pulled himself together with a vigorous effort of will, forcing -himself to speak quietly and firmly, conquering the faintness and -dizziness which was rapidly overpowering him. - -"Madam!" he said gently, "dare I hope that you will believe me when I -say that I know naught of those letters? ... John Stich, as you know, is -loyal and true ... not even to me would he have revealed your secret ... -nay, more! ... it seems that I too have been tricked to further a -villain's ends. Will you not try and believe that had I known what -those letters were I would have guarded them, for your sweet sake, with -my last dying breath?" - -She did not reply: for the moment she could not, for her tears choked -her, and there was the magic of that voice which she could not resist. -Still she would not look at him. - -"Sir!" she said a little more calmly, "Heaven has given you a gentle -voice, and the power of tender words, with which to cajole women. I -would wish to believe you, but..." - -She was interrupted by the sound of voices, those of Thomas and Timothy, -her men, who had kept a lookout for John Stich. The next moment the -smith himself, breathless and panting, came into view. He had ridden -hard, for Jack o' Lantern's flanks were dripping with sweat, but there -was a look of grave disappointment on the honest man's face. - -"Well?" queried Beau Brocade, excitedly, as soon as John had dismounted. - -"I'm feared that I've lost the scoundrel's track," muttered John, -ruefully. - -"No?" - -"At first I was in hot pursuit, he galloping towards Brassington; -suddenly he seemed to draw rein, and the next moment a riderless horse -came tearing past me, and then disappeared in the direction of Aldwark." - -"A riderless horse?" - -"Aye! I thought at first that maybe he'd been thrown; I scoured the -Heath for half a mile around, but ... the mist was so thick in the -hollow, and there was not a sound.... I'd have needed a blood-hound to -track the rascal down." - -An exclamation of intense disappointment escaped from the lips of Lady -Patience and of Beau Brocade. - -"Do you know who it was, John?" queried the latter. - -"No doubt of that, Captain. It was Sir Humphrey Challoner right -enough." - -"Sir Humphrey Challoner!" cried Patience, in accents of hopeless -despair, "the man who covets my fortune now holds my brother's life in -the hollow of his hand." - -Excitedly, defiantly, she once more turned to Beau Brocade. - -"Nay, sir," she said, "an you wish me to believe that you had no part in -this villainy, get those letters back for me from Sir Humphrey -Challoner!" - -He drew himself up to his full height, his pride at least was equal to -her own. - -"Madam! I swear to you..." he began. He staggered and would have -fallen, but faithful Stich was nigh, and caught him in his arms. - -"You are hurt, Captain?" he whispered, a world of anxiety in his kindly -eyes. - -"Nay! nay!" murmured Beau Brocade, faintly, "'tis nothing! ... help me -up, John! ... I have something to say ... and must say it ... standing!" - -But Nature at last would have her will with him, the wild, brave spirit -that had kept him up all this while was like to break at last. He fell -back dizzy and faint against faithful John's stout breast. - -Then only did she understand and realise. She saw his young face, once -so merry and boyish, now pale with a hue almost of death; she saw his -once laughing eyes now dimmed with the keenness of his suffering. Her -woman's heart went out to him, she loathed herself for her cruelty, her -heart, overburdened with grief, nearly broke at the thought of what she -had done. - -"You are hurt, sir," she said, as she bent over him, her eyes swimming -in tears, "and I ... I knew it not." - -The spell of her voice brought his wandering spirit back to earth and to -her. - -"Aye, hurt, sweet dream!" he murmured feebly, "deeply wounded by those -dear lips, which spoke such cruel words; but for the rest 'tis naught. -See!" he added, trying to raise himself and stretching a yearning hand -towards her, "the moon has hid her face behind that veil of mist ... and -I can no longer see the glory of your hair! ... my eyes are dim, or is -it that the Heath is dark? ... I would fain see your blue eyes once -again.... By the tender memory of my dream born this autumn afternoon, -I swear, sweet lady, that your brother's life shall be safe! ... Whilst -I have one drop of blood left in my veins, I will protect him." - -With trembling hand he sought the white rose which still lay close to -her breast: she allowed him to take it, and he pressed it to his lips. - -Then, with a final effort he drew himself up once more, and said loudly -and clearly,-- - -"By this dear token I swear that I will get those letters back for you -before the sun has risen twice o'er our green-clad hills." - -"Sir ... I..." - -"Tell me but once that you believe me ... and I will have the strength -that moves the mountains." - -"I believe you, sir," she said simply. "I believe you absolutely." - -"Then place your dear hand in mine," he whispered, "and trust in me." - -And the last thought of which he was conscious was of her cool, white -fingers grasping his fevered hand. Then the poor aching head fell back -on John's shoulder, the burning eyes were closed, kindly Nature had -taken the outlaw to her breast and spread her beneficent mantle of -oblivion over his weary senses at last. - - - - - PART III - - BRASSINGTON - - - - CHAPTER XX - - A THRILLING NARRATIVE - - -Mr Inch, beadle of the parish of Brassington, was altogether in his -element. - -Dressed in his gold-laced coat, bob-tail wig and three-cornered hat, his -fine calves encased in the whitest of cotton stockings, his buckled -shoes veritable mirrors of shiny brilliancy, he was standing, wand of -office in hand, outside the door of the tiny Court House, where Colonel -West, Squire of Brassington, was sitting in judgment on the poachers and -footpads of the neighbourhood. - -Before Mr Inch stood no less a person than Master Mittachip, -attorney-at-law. Master Mittachip desired to speak with Squire West, -and the pompous beadle was in the proud position of standing between -this presumptuous desire and the supreme Majesty of the Law. - -"Them's my orders, sir," he said, with all the solemnity which this -extraordinary event demanded. "Them's my orders. Squire West's own -orders. 'Inch,' he says to me--my name being Jeremiah Inch, sir--'Inch,' -he says, 'the odours which perambulate the court-room'--and mind ye, -sir, he didn't use such polite language either--'the odours is more than -I can endurate this hot morning!' As a matter of fact, sir, truth -compellates me to state that Squire West's own words were: 'Inch, this -room stinks like hell! too many sweating yokels about!' Then he gave me -his orders: 'The room is too full as it is, don't admit anyone else, on -any pretext or cause whatsoever.'" - -Master Mittachip had made various misguided efforts to interrupt Mr -Inch's wonderful flow of eloquence. It was only when the worthy beadle -paused to take breath, that the attorney got in a word edgewise. - -"Harkee, my good man..." he began impatiently. - -"I am extra-ordinarily grieved, sir," interrupted Master Inch, who had -not nearly finished, "taking into consideration that I am somewhat -dubersome, whether what his Honour said about the odours could apply -individually to you, but orders is orders, sir, and the Squire as a -legal luminosity must be obeyed in all things." - -Mr Inch heaved a deep sigh of satisfaction. It was not often that he -had the opportunity of showing off his marvellous eloquence and -wonderful flow of language before so distinguished a gentleman as Master -Mittachip, attorney-at-law. But the latter seemed not to appreciate the -elegance of the worthy beadle's diction; on the contrary, he had -throughout shown signs of the greatest impatience, and now, directly Mr -Inch heaved this one sigh, Master Mittachip produced a silver -half-crown, and toying with it, in apparent indifference, said -significantly,-- - -"I am sure, friend Beadle, that if you were to acquaint Squire West that -his Honour, Sir Humphrey Challoner, desired to speak with him..." - -Mr Inch stroked his fat, clean-shaven chin, and eyed the silver -half-crown with an anxious air. - -"Ah! perhaps!" he suggested with as much dignity as the new circumstance -allowed, "perhaps if I did so far contravene my orders..." - -"I feel sure that Sir Humphrey would see fit to reward you," suggested -the attorney, still idly fingering that tempting half-crown. - -But Master Inch was still "dubersome." - -"But then, you understand," he said, "it is against the regulations that -I should vacuate my post until after the sitting is over ... so..." - -"Sir Humphrey Challoner is partaking of breakfast at the Royal George, -Master Inch, he would wish Squire West to know that he'll attend on him -here in half an hour." - -Master Inch closed one eye, and with the other keenly watched Master -Mittachip's movements. The attorney turned the half-crown over in his -lean hand once or twice, then he made as if he would put it back in his -pocket. - -This decided the beadle. - -"I'll go and reconnoitre-ate," he said, "and perhaps I can despatch a -menial to impart to the Squire, Sir Humphrey's wishes and cognomen." - -Thus the majestic beadle felt that his dignity had not been impaired. -With a magnificent turn of his portly person, and an imposing flourish -of his wand of office, he disappeared within the precincts of the Court. - -Master Mittachip slipped the half-crown back in his pocket, and did not -wait for the beadle's return. He was quite satisfied that Sir Humphrey's -wishes would be acceded to. He turned his back on the Court House and -slowly crossed the green. - -Opposite to him was the Royal George, where he and Master Duffy had put -up for the night. In the small hours of the morning he had been aroused -from peaceful slumbers by a great disturbance at the inn. Sir Humphrey -Challoner, booted and spurred, but alone, on foot, and covered with mud, -was peremptorily demanding admittance. - -Since then Master Mittachip had had an interview with his employer, -wherein his Honour had expressed the desire to speak with Squire West -after he, himself, had partaken of late breakfast. That interview had -been a very brief one, but it had sufficed to show to the lean attorney -that Sir Humphrey's temper was none of the best this morning. - -His Honour had desired Master Mittachip's presence again, and the latter -was now making his way slowly back to the Royal George, his knees -quaking under him, his throat dry, and his tongue parched with terror. -Sir Humphrey Challoner was not pleasant to deal with when his temper was -up. - -The attorney found his Honour installed at breakfast in the private -parlour of the inn, and consuming large mugs full of ale and several -rashers of fried bacon. - -"Well?" queried Sir Humphrey, impatiently, as soon as the attorney's -lean, bird-like face appeared in the doorway. - -"I sent word to his Honour, Squire West," explained the latter, coming -forward timidly, "saying that you would wish to see him at the Court -House in half an hour. And, unless your Honour would wish me to speak -to the Squire for you..." - -"No!" rejoined his Honour, curtly. "'Sdeath! don't stand there -fidgeting before me," he added. "Sit down!" - -Master Mittachip meekly obeyed. He selected the straightest chair in -the room, placed it as far away from his Honour as he could, and sat -down on the extreme edge of it. - -"Well! you lean-faced coward," began his Honour, whose temper did not -seem to have improved after his substantial breakfast, "you allowed -yourself to be robbed of my money last night, eh?" - -Thus much Sir Humphrey knew already, for his first inquiry on meeting -Mittachip at the inn had been after his rents. Since then the attorney -had had half an hour in which to reflect on what he would say when his -Honour once more broached the subject. Therefore he began to protest -with a certain degree of assurance. - -"On my honour, Sir Humphrey, you misjudge me," he said deliberately. -"As my clerk and I passed the loneliest spot on the Heath, and without -any previous warning, two masked men leapt into the path in front of us, -and presented pistols. A third man called to us to stand." - -Here Master Mittachip made an effective pause, the better to watch the -impression which his narrative was making on his employer. The latter -was quietly picking his teeth, and merely remarked quietly,-- - -"Well? and what did you do?" - -Thus encouraged Mittachip waxed more bold. - -"In a flash I drew a pistol," he continued glibly, "and so did Duffy ... -for I must say he bore himself bravely. We both fired and my ball -knocked the hat off the fellow nearest to me, but Master Duffy's ball -unfortunately missed. I was drawing my other pistol, determined to make -a desperate fight, and I believe Duffy did as much.... I was amazed -that the fellows did not fire upon us in return..." - -He was distinctly warming up to his subject. But here he was interrupted -by a loud guffaw. Sir Humphrey was evidently vastly amused at the -thrilling tale, and his boisterous laugh went echoing along the -blackened rafter of the old village inn. - -"Odd's my life! 'tis perfect! marvellous, I call it! And tell me, -Master Mittachip," added his Honour, whose eyes were streaming and whose -sides were shaking with laughter, "tell me, why did they not fire? Eh?" - -From past experience Master Mittachip should have known that when Sir -Humphrey Challoner laughed his loudest, then was he mostly to be -dreaded. Yet in this instance the attorney's delight at his own -realistic story drowned the wiser counsels of prudence. He took his -Honour's hilarity as a compliment to his own valour, and continued -proudly,-- - -"The reason was not far to seek, for at that very moment we were both -seized upon from behind by two big fellows. Then all five of them fell -upon us and dragged us aside into the darkness; they tied scarves about -our mouths, so that we could not cry out.... Aye! and had some -difficulty in doing it, for believe me, Sir Humphrey, I fought like mad! -Then they rifled us of everything ... despoiled us absolutely..." - -At this point it struck Master Mittachip that his Honour's continued -gaiety was somewhat out of place. The narrative had become thrilling -surely, exciting and blood-curdling too, and yet Sir Humphrey was -laughing more lustily than ever. - -"Go on, man! go on," he gasped between his paroxysms of merriment. -"Odd's fish! but 'tis the best story I've heard for many a day!" - -"I will swear to the truth o' it in any court of law," protested the -attorney with somewhat less assurance. "The fifth man was Beau Brocade. -I heard the others address him so, while I was lying gagged and bound." - -"Aye! you would _lie_ anywhere," commented his Honour, "gagged and bound -or not." - -"From your observation, Sir Humphrey, I gather that you somewhat ... er -... doubt my story!" murmured Master Mittachip in a quavering voice. - -"Doubt it, man? ... doubt it?" laughed his Honour, holding his sides, -"nay! how can I doubt it? I saw it all..." - -"You, Sir Humphrey?" - -"I was there, man, on the Heath. I saw it all ... your vigorous -defence, your noble valour, your ... your..." - -Master Mittachip's sallow face had assumed a parchment-like hue. He -passed his dry tongue over his parched lips, great drops of moisture -appeared beneath his wig. That his fears were not unfounded was -presently proved by Sir Humphrey's sudden change of manner. - -The hilarious laugh died down in his Honour's throat, an ugly frown -gathered above his deep-set eyes, and with a violent curse he brought -his heavy fist down crashing upon the table. - -"And now, you lying, lumbering poltroon, where's my money?" - -"B ... b ... but, Sir Humphrey..." stammered the attorney, now pallid -with terror. - -"There's no 'but' about it. You collected some rents for me, thirty -guineas in all, that money must lie to my account in the bank at -Wirksworth to-morrow, or by G---- I'll have you clapped in jail like the -thief that you are." - -"B ... b ... but, your Honour..." - -"Silence! I've said my last word. If that money is not in the bank by -noon to-morrow, I'll denounce you to the Wirksworth magistrate as a -fraudulent agent. Now hold your tongue about that. I've said my last -word. The rest is your affair, not mine. I've more important matters to -think on." - -Master Mittachip, half dead with fear, dared not offer further argument -or pleading. He knew his employer well enough to realise that his -honour meant every word he said, and that he himself had nothing more to -hope for in the matter of the money. The deficiency extracted from him -by that rascal Beau Brocade would have to be made good somehow, and -Master Mittachip bethought him ruefully of his own savings, made up of -sundry little commissions extorted from his Honour's tenants. - -No wonder the attorney felt none too kindly disposed towards the -highwayman. He watched Sir Humphrey's face as a hungry dog does his -master's, and noted with growing satisfaction that his Honour's anger -was cooling down gradually, and giving place to harder and more cruel -determination. As he watched, the look of terror died out of his bony, -sallow face, and his pale, watery eyes began to twinkle with keen and -vengeful malice. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI - - MASTER MITTACHIP'S IDEA - - -He waited a little while, and gradually a smile of the deepest -satisfaction spread over his bird-like countenance; he rubbed his meagre -knees up and down with his thin hands, in obvious delight, and as soon -as he saw his opportunity, he remarked slily,-- - -"An your Honour was on the Heath last night, you can help me testify to -highway robbery before Squire West. There are plenty of soldiers in -this village. His Honour'll have out a posse or two; the rascal can't -escape hanging this time." - -Sir Humphrey's florid, sensual face suddenly paled with a curious -intensity of hatred. - -"Aye! he shall hang sure enough," he muttered, with a loud oath. - -He dragged a chair forward, facing Mittachip, and sat astride on it, -drumming a devil's tattoo on the back. - -"Listen here, you old scarecrow," he said more quietly, "for I've not -done with you yet. You don't understand, I suppose, what my presence -here in Brassington means?" - -"I confess that I am somewhat puzzled, your Honour," replied the -attorney, meekly. "I remarked on it to Master Duffy, just before he -started off for Wirksworth this morning. But he could offer no -suggestion." - -"Odd's life, man! couldn't you guess that having made my proposal to -that rascally highwayman I could not rest at Aldwark unless I saw him -carry it through?" - -"Ah?" - -"I got a horse at the Moorhen, and at nightfall I rode out on the Heath. -I feared to lose my way on the bridle path, and moreover, I wished to -keep her ladyship's coach in view, so I kept to the road. It must have -been close on midnight when I sighted it at last. It was at a -standstill in the midst of a quagmire, and as I drew near I could see -neither driver on the box, nor groom at the horses' heads." - -"Well?" - -"Well! that's all! there was a wench inside the coach; I threw her out -and searched for the letters; I found them! That rascally highwayman -had played me false. Some distance from the road I spied him dancing a -rigadoon in the moonlight with her ladyship, whilst her men, the dolts, -were watching the spectacle! Ha! ha! ha! 'twas a fine sight too, I tell -you! So now the sooner I get that chivalrous highwayman hanged, the -better I shall like it." - -"Then ... am I to understand that your Honour has the letters?" - -"Aye! I have the letters right enough!" said Sir Humphrey, with an oath -between his clenched teeth, "but I fear me her ladyship has cajoled the -rogue into her service. Else why this dance? I did not know what to -make of it. Madness, surely, or she never would have left the letters -unprotected. He bewitched her mayhap, and the devil, his master, lent -him a helping hand. I'll see him hang, I tell you.... Hang.... Hang!" - -Master Mittachip's attenuated frame quaked with terror. There was so -much hatred, so much lust for revenge in Sir Humphrey's half-choked -voice, that instinctively the attorney cowered, as before some great and -evil thing which he only half understood. After awhile Sir Humphrey -managed to control himself. He was ashamed of having allowed his agent -this one peep into the darkness of his soul. His love for Patience, -though brutish and grasping, was as strong as his sensuous nature was -capable of: his jealousy and hatred had been aroused by the strange -scene he had witnessed on the Heath, and he was as conscious now of the -longing for revenge, as of the desire to possess himself of Lady -Patience and her fortune. - -"'Sdeath!" he said more calmly, "Beau Brocade and that rascal John Stich -were after me in a trice, and they'd have had the letters back from me, -had I not put a bullet into the damned thief!" - -"And wounded him, your Honour?" queried Mittachip, eagerly. - -"Nay! I could not wait to see! but I hoped I had killed him, for 'twas -John Stich who rode after me, fortunately. He was too big a fool to do -me any harm and I quickly made him lose my track." - -"And you've destroyed the letters, Sir Humphrey?" - -"Destroyed them, you fool? Nay, it would ill suit my purpose if -Stretton were to die. Can't you see that _now_," he said excitedly, -"with those letters in my hand, I can force Lady Patience's acceptance -of my suit? While her brother's life hangs in the balance I can offer -her the letters, on condition that she consent to marry me, and threaten -to destroy them if she refuse!" - -"Aye! aye!" murmured the attorney, "'twere a powerful argument!" - -"And remember," added his Honour, significantly, "there'll be two -hundred guineas for you the day that I wed Lady Patience. That is, _if_ -you render me useful assistance to the end." - -"Two hundred guineas!!! Good lack, Sir Humphrey, I hope you've got -those letters safe!" - -"Aye! safe enough for the present!" - -"About your person?" - -"Nay! you idiot! about my person? With so cunning a rascal as Beau -Brocade at my heels!" - -"Then in your valise, Sir Humphrey?" - -"What? in a strange inn? Think you the fellow would be above breaking -into my room? How do I know that mine host is not one of his boon -companions? The rascal has many friends hereabouts." - -"B ... b ... but what have you done with them, Sir Humphrey?" queried -the attorney, in despair. - -"In your ear, Master Mittachip," quoth his Honour, instinctively -lowering his voice, lest the walls of the old inn had ears. "I thought -the best plan was to hide the letters there, where Lady Patience and her -chivalrous highwayman would least expect to find them." - -"How so, good Sir Humphrey?" - -"I was hard pressed, mind you, and had but a few seconds in which to -make up my mind. I dismounted, then lashed my horse into a panic. As I -expected he made straight for his own stables, at anyrate, he galloped -off like mad in the direction of Aldwark, whilst I remained cowering in -the dense scrub, grateful for the mist, which was very dense in the -hollow. There I remained hidden for about half an hour, until all sound -died away on the Heath. What happened to that damned highwayman or to -John Stich I know not, but I did not feel that the letters were safe -whilst they were about my person. I knew that I was some distance from -this village, and still further from Aldwark, and feared that I should -be pursued and overtaken. At any rate, I crept out of my hiding-place -and presently found myself close to a wooden hut, not far from the -roadside: and there, underneath some bramble and thorny stuff, I hid the -letters well out of sight." - -"Oh! but they won't be safe there, Sir Humphrey," moaned Mittachip, who -seemed to see the golden vision of two hundred guineas vanishing before -his eyes. "Think of it. Any moment they might be unearthed by some -dolt of a shepherd!" - -"'Sdeath! I know that, you fool! They're in a dry place now, but I -only mean them to remain there until you can take them to your own house -at Wirksworth, and put them in your strong room till I have need of -them." - -But this suggestion so alarmed Master Mittachip that he lost his balance -and nearly fell off the edge of his chair. - -"I, Sir Humphrey? .... I ... cross that lonely Heath again? ... and with -those letters about my person?..." - -"Tush, man! the footpads wouldn't take letters from you, and Beau -Brocade will be keeping an eye on me, and wouldn't again molest you..." - -"Aye! but he knows I enjoy the honour of your confidence, good Sir -Humphrey! Believe me, the letters would not be safe with me." - -"Adsbud!" said his Honour, firmly, "then I'll have to find someone else -to take care of those letters for me, and," he added significantly, "to -earn the two hundred guineas." - -Master Mittachip gave an anxious gasp. That two hundred guineas!!! the -ultimate ambition of his sordid, miserable existence! No! he would not -miss that! ... and yet he dreaded the Heath ... and was in terror of -Beau Brocade ... and he dreaded his Honour's anger ten thousand times -more than either: that anger would be terrible if, having taken charge -of the letters, he should be robbed of them. - -The alternative was an awful one! He racked his tortuous brain for a -likely issue. Sir Humphrey had risen, kicked his chair to one side, and -made as if he would go. - -"Now, harkee, friend Mittachip," he said firmly, "I want those letters -placed somewhere in absolute safety, where neither Lady Patience's -influence nor her chivalrous highwayman could possibly get at them. If -you find a way and means of doing this for me, the two hundred guineas -are yours. But if I have to manage this business myself, if I have to -take the almost certain risk of being robbed of the letters, if I carry -them about my own person, then you shall not get another shilling from -me. Now you can think this matter over. I'll across to speak to Squire -West, and see if I can't get that rascally highwayman captured and -clapped into jail before the day is done." - -He took up his hat, and threw his coat over his arm. The situation was -getting desperate. - -Then suddenly Master Mittachip had an idea. - -"I have it, Sir Humphrey," he cried excitedly. "I have it! A perfectly -safe way of conveying those letters to my strong room at Wirksworth!" - -"Let's have it, then." - -"I have bought some sheep of a farmer from over Aldwark way, for a -client at Wirksworth. Here," he added, pulling a paper out of his -pocket and handing it up to Sir Humphrey, "is the receipt and tally for -them. Jock Miggs--Master Crabtree's shepherd--is taking the sheep to -the town to-day. He'll most likely put up for the night on the Heath." - -"Well?" queried Sir Humphrey. - -"Well! Jock Miggs can neither read nor write." - -"Of course not." - -"Let us send _him_ to Wirksworth and tell him to leave the packet of -letters at my house in charge of my clerk, Master Duffy, who will put it -in the strong room until you want them. Duffy started for Wirksworth at -daybreak this morning, and should be there by nightfall." - -"Pshaw, man! would you have me trust such valuable letters to a fool of -a shepherd?" - -"Nay, Sir Humphrey, but that is our safeguard. Beau Brocade never -touches the poor or the peasantry, and certainly would never suspect -Jock Miggs of being in your Honour's confidence, whilst the ordinary -footpads would take no count of him. He is worth neither powder nor -shot." - -"That's true enough!" - -"I should tell Miggs that the papers are accounts for the sheep, and -promise him a silver crown if he delivers them safely at my door. We -can put the letters in a sealed packet; no one would ever suspect him." - -There was silence in the inn parlour for awhile. His Honour stood with -legs apart, opposite the tiny leaded window, gazing out into vacancy, -whilst Master Mittachip fixed his eyes meditatively on the broad back of -his noble patron. What a deal depended on what was going on at the -present moment in Sir Humphrey's active brain. - -Suddenly his Honour turned on his heel. - -"Odd's fish, Master Mittachip," he said, "but your plan is none so bad -after all." - -The attorney heaved a deep sigh of relief, and began mopping his beady -forehead. The tension had been acute. This lengthy, agitating -interview had been extremely trying. So much hung in the balance, and -so much had depended upon that very uncertain quantity, his Honour's -temper. But now the worst was over. Sir Humphrey was a man of -determination, who never changed his mind once that mind was made up, -and who carried any undertaking through with set purpose and unflinching -will. - -"Well! and when can I see that shepherd you speak of?" he asked. - -"If your Honour would ride over on the Heath with me this afternoon," -suggested the attorney, "I doubt not but we should come across Jock -Miggs and his sheep, and in any case he would be at the hut by -nightfall." - -"Very good!" rejoined his Honour. "Do you see that a couple of horses -be ready for us. We can start as soon as I have spoken with Squire West -and laid my information against that d--d Beau Brocade. With a posse of -soldiers at his heels he's less likely to worry us, eh, old scarecrow?" - -"We shall not be safe, your Honour," assented worthy Master Mittachip, -"until the rascal is dangling six feet above the ground. In the -meanwhile," he added, seeing that Sir Humphrey was making for the door, -"your Honour will be pleased to give me back that receipt and tally for -the sheep I showed you just now." - -But already his Honour was hurrying down the narrow passage, eager to -get through the business that would lay his enemy by the heels, and -render him safe in the possession of the important letters which were to -secure him Lady Patience's hand and fortune. - -"All right!" he shouted back lustily, "it's safe enough in my pocket. -I'll give it you back on my return." - -Left alone in the dingy, black-raftered parlour, Master Mittachip sat -pondering for awhile, his pale, watery eyes blinking at times with the -intensity of his satisfaction. Now for a little good luck--and he had -no cause to fear the reverse--and that glorious vision of two hundred -golden guineas would become a splendid reality. The advice he had given -Sir Humphrey was undoubtedly the safest which he could offer. Beau -Brocade, even with a posse of soldiers at his heels, was still a potent -personality on the Heath, and it certainly looked as if her ladyship had -cajoled him into her service. No one knew really who his friends and -accomplices were: on and about Brassing Moor he could reckon on the help -of most of the poorer villagers. - -But Jock Miggs at any rate was safe, alike from the daring highwayman -and the more humble footpad. The former would not suspect him, and the -latter would leave a poor shepherd severely alone. The footpath from the -hut by the roadside to the town of Wirksworth was but a matter of three -or four miles, and for a silver crown the shepherd would be ready enough -to take a sealed packet to the house of Master Mittachip in Fulsome -Street. - -Yes! it was all going to be for the best, in this best possible world, -and as Master Mittachip thought over it all, he rubbed his thin, -claw-like hands contentedly together. - - - - - CHAPTER XXII - - AN INTERLUDE - - -The Packhorse Inn, lower down the village, was not nearly so frequented -as was the Royal George. Its meagre, dilapidated appearance frightened -most customers away. A few yokels only patronised it to the extent of -sipping their small ale there, in the parlour when it was wet, or -outside the porch when it was fine. - -The few--very few--travellers, whom accident mostly brought to -Brassington, invariably preferred the more solid, substantial inn on the -green, but when it was a question of finding safe shelter for his -wounded friend, John Stich unhesitatingly chose the Packhorse. He had -improvised a rough kind of stretcher, with the help of the cushions from -Lady Patience's coach, and on this, with the aid of Timothy the groom, -he had carried Bathurst all the way across two miles of Heath into -Brassington. The march had been terribly wearisome: the wounded man, -fevered with past excitement, had become light-headed, and during -intervals of lucidity was suffering acutely from his wound. - -Lady Patience could not bring herself to leave him. A feeling she could -not have described seemed to keep her enchained beside this man, whom -but a few hours ago she had never seen, but in whom she felt now that -all her hopes had centred. He had asked her to trust him, and since -then had only recovered consciousness to plead to her with mute, aching -eyes not to take away that trust which she had given him. - -Fortunately, the noted bad state of the roads on Brassing Moor, which at -any time might prove impassable for the coach, had caused her to take -her own saddle as part of her equipment for her journey to London. This -John Stich had fixed for her on Jack o' Lantern's back, and the faithful -beast, as if guessing the sad plight of his master, carried her -ladyship, with Mistress Betty clinging on behind, with lamb-like -gentleness down the narrow bridle-path to Brassington. - -Thomas, the driver, had been left in charge of the coach, with orders to -find his way as quickly as may be along the road to Wirksworth. - -It had been Bathurst's firmly-expressed wish that they should put up at -Brassington, at any rate for the night. Besides being the nearest -point, it was also the most central, whence a sharp lookout could be -kept on Sir Humphrey Challoner's movements. Everything depended now on -how serious the young man's wound turned out to be. - -Patience felt that without his help she was indeed powerless to fight -her cunning enemy. She was never for one moment in doubt as to the -motive which prompted Sir Humphrey Challoner to steal the letters. He -meant to hold them as a weapon over her to enforce the acceptance of his -suit; this she knew well enough. Her instincts, rendered doubly acute -by the imminence of the peril, warned her that the Squire of Harrington -meant to throw all scruples to the wind, and would in wanton revenge -sacrifice Philip by destroying the letters, if she fought or defied him -openly. - -Patience bethought her of the scene at the forge, when Bathurst's ready -wit had saved her brother from the officious and rapacious soldiers: now -that the terrible situation had to be met with keenness and cunning, she -once more turned, with hope in her heart, to the one man who could save -Philip again: but he, alas! lay helpless. And all along the weary way -to Brassington she was listening with aching heart and throbbing temples -to his wild, delirious words and occasional, quickly-suppressed moans. - -However, they reached the Packhorse at last in the small hours of the -morning: money, lavishly distributed by Lady Patience, secured the one -comfortable room in the inn for the wounded man. - -As soon as the day broke John Stich went in quest of Master Prosser, the -leech, a gentleman famed for his skill and learning. Already the rest -on a good bed, and Lady Patience's cool hand and gentle words, had done -much to soothe the patient. Youth and an iron constitution quickly did -the rest. - -The leech pronounced the wound to be neither deep nor serious, and the -extraction of the ball caused the sufferer much relief. - -Within an hour after the worthy man's visit, Jack Bathurst had fallen -into a refreshing sleep, and at John Stich's earnest pleading, Lady -Patience had thrown herself on a bed in the small room which she had -secured for herself and Mistress Betty, and had at last managed to get -some rest. - -The sun was already well up in the heavens when Jack awoke. His eyes, -as soon as they opened, sought anxiously for her dear presence in the -room. - -"Feel better, Captain?" asked John Stich, who had been watching -faithfully by his side. - -"I feel a giant, honest friend," replied the young man. "Help me up, -will you?" - -"The leech said you ought to keep quiet for a bit, Captain," protested -the smith. - -"Oho! he did, did he?" laughed Jack, gaily. "Well! go tell him, friend, -from me, that he is an ass." - -"Where is she, John?" he asked quietly, after a slight pause. - -"In the next room, Captain." - -"Resting?" - -"Aye! she never left your side since you fainted on the Heath." - -"I know--I know, friend," said Jack, with a short, deep sigh; "think you -I could not feel her hand..." - -He checked himself abruptly, and with the help of John Stich raised -himself from the bed. He looked ruefully at his stained clothes, and a -quaint, pleasant smile chased away the last look of weariness and -suffering from his face. - -"Nay! what a plight for Beau Brocade in which to meet the lady of his -dreams, eh, John? Here, help me to make myself presentable! Run down -quickly to mine host, borrow brushes and combs, and anything you can lay -hands on. I am not fit to appear before her eyes." - -"Then will you keep quite still, Captain, until I return? And keep your -arm quietly in the sling? The leech said..." - -"Never mind what the leech said, run, John ... the sight of myself in -that glass there causes me more pain than this stupid scratch. Run -quickly, John, for I hear her footstep in the next room.... I'll not -move from the edge of this bed, I swear it, if you'll only run." - -He kept his word and never stirred from where he sat; but he strained -his ears to listen, for through the thin partition wall he could just -hear her footstep on the rough wooden floor, and occasionally her voice -when she spoke to Betty. - -Half an hour later, when John Stich had done his best to valet and dress -him, he waited upon her ladyship at breakfast in the parlour downstairs. - -She came forward to greet him, her dainty hand outstretched, her eyes -anxiously scanning his face. - -"You should not have risen yet, sir," she said half shyly as he pressed -her finger-tips to his lips, "your poor wounded shoulder..." - -"Nay, with your pardon, madam," he said lightly, "'tis well already -since your sweet hand has tended it." - -"'Twas my desire to nurse you awhile longer, and not allow you to risk -your life for me again." - -"My life? Nay! I'll trust that to mine old enemy, Fortune: she has -ta'en care of it all these years, that I might better now place it at -your service." - -She said nothing, for she felt unaccountably shy. She, who had had half -the gilded youth of England at her feet, found no light bantering word -with which to meet this man; and beneath his ardent gaze she felt -herself blushing like a school miss at her first ball. - -"Will you honour me, sir," she said at last, "by partaking of breakfast -with me?" - -All cares and troubles seemed forgotten. He sat down at the table -opposite to her, and together they drank tea, and ate eggs and bread and -butter: and there was so much to talk about that often they would both -become quite silent, and say all there was to say just with their eyes. - -He told her about the Heath which he knew and loved so well, the beauty -of the sunrise far out behind the Tors, the birds and beasts and their -haunts and habits, the heron on the marshy ground, the cheeky robins on -the branches of the bramble, the lizards and tiny frogs and toads: all -that enchanting world which peopled the Moor and had made it a home for -him. - -And she listened to it all, for he had a deep, tender, caressing voice, -which was always good to hear, and she was happy, for she was young, and -the world in which she dwelt was very beautiful. - -Yet she found this happiness which she felt, quite incomprehensible: she -even chid herself for feeling it, for the outside world was still the -same, and her brother still in peril. He, the man, alone knew whither -he was drifting; he knew that he loved her with every fibre of his -being, and that she was as immeasurably beyond him as the stars. - -He knew what this happiness meant, and that it could but live a day, an -hour. Therefore he drained the cup to its full measure, enjoying each -fraction of a second of this one glorious hour, watching her as she -smiled, as she sipped her tea, as she blushed when she met his eyes. -And sometimes--for he was clumsy with his one arm in a sling--sometimes -as she helped him in the thousand and one little ways of which women -alone possess the enchanting secret, her hand would touch his, just for -one moment, like a bird on the wing, and he, the poor outlaw, saw heaven -open before him, and seeing it, was content. - -Outside an early September sun was flooding the little village street -with its golden light. They did not dare to show themselves at the -window, lest either of them should be recognised, so they had drawn the -thin muslin curtain across the casement, and shut out the earth from -this little kingdom of their own. - -Only at times the bleating of a flock of sheep, or the melancholy lowing -of cattle would come to them from afar, or from the window-sill the -sweet fragrance of a pot of mignonette. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII - - A DARING PLAN - - -It was close on ten o'clock when they came back to earth once more. - -A peremptory knock at the door had roused them both from their dreams. - -Bathurst rose to open, and there stood John Stich and Mistress Betty, -both looking somewhat flurried and guilty, and both obviously brimming -over with news. - -"My lady! my lady!" cried Betty, excitedly, as soon as she caught her -mistress's eye, "I have just spied Sir Humphrey Challoner at the window -of the Royal George, just over the green yonder." - -"Give me leave, Captain," added John Stich, who was busy rolling up his -sleeves above his powerful arms, "give me leave, and I'll make the rogue -disgorge those letters in a trice." - -"You'd not succeed, honest friend," mused Bathurst, "and might get -yourself in a devil of a hole to boot." - -"Nay, Captain," asserted John, emphatically, "'tis no time now for the -wearing of kid gloves. I was on the green a moment ago, and spied that -ravenous scarecrow, Mittachip, conversing with the beadle outside the -Court House, where Squire West is sitting." - -"Well?" - -"When the beadle had gone, Master Mittachip walked across the green and -went straight to the Royal George. Be gy! what does that mean, -Captain?" - -"Oho!" laughed Jack, much amused at the smith's earnestness, "it means -that Sir Humphrey Challoner intends to lay information against one Beau -Brocade, the noted highwayman, and to see how nice he'll look with a -rope round his neck and dangling six foot from the ground." - -An involuntary cry from Lady Patience, however drowned the laughter on -his lips. - -"Tush, man!" he added seriously, "here's a mighty fine piece of work -we're doing, frightening her ladyship..." - -But John Stich was scowling more heavily than ever. - -"If the scoundrel should dare..." he muttered, clenching his huge fists. - -His attitude was so threatening, and his expression so menacing, that in -the midst of her new anxiety Lady Patience herself could not help -smiling. Beau Brocade laughed outright. - -"Dare?..." he said lightly. "Why, of course he'll dare. He's eager -enough in the pursuit of mischief, and must save the devil all the -trouble of showing him the way. But now," he added more seriously, and -turning to Mistress Betty, "tell me, child, saw you Sir Humphrey -clearly?" - -"Aye! clear as daylight," she retorted, "the old beast..." - -"How was he dressed?" - -"Just like he was yesterday, sir. A brown coat, embroidered waistcoat, -buff breeches, riding-boots, three-cornered hat, and he had in his hand -a gold-headed riding-crop." - -"Child!--child!" cried Bathurst, joyfully, "an those bright eyes of -yours have not deceived you, yours'll be the glory of having saved us -all." - -"What are you going to do?" asked Patience, eagerly. - -"Pit my poor wits against those of Sir Humphrey Challoner," he replied -gaily. - -"I don't quite understand." - -He came up quite close to her and tried to meet her eyes. - -"But you trust me?" he asked. - -And she murmured,-- - -"Absolutely." - -"May Heaven bless you for that word!" he said earnestly. "Then will you -deign to do as I shall direct?" - -"Entirely." - -"Very well! Then whilst friend Stich will fetch my hat for me, will you -write out a formal plaint, signed with your full name, stating that last -night on the Heath you were waylaid and robbed by a man, whom I, your -courier, saw quite plainly, and whom you have desired me to denounce?" - -"But..." - -"I entreat you there's not a moment to be lost," he urged, taking pen, -ink and paper from the old-fashioned desk close by, and placing them -before her. - -"I'll do as you wish, of course," she said, "but what is your purpose?" - -"For the present to take your ladyship's plaint over to his Honour, -Squire West, at the Court House." - -"You'll be seen and recognised and..." - -"Not I. One or two of the yokels may perhaps guess who I am, but they'd -do me no harm. I entreat you, do as I bid you. Every second wasted may -imperil our chance of safety." - -He had such an air of quiet command about him that she instinctively -obeyed him and wrote out the plaint as he directed, then gave it in his -charge. He seemed buoyant and full of hope, and though her heart -misgave her, she managed to smile cheerfully when he took leave of her. - -"I humbly beg of you," he said finally, as having kissed her finger-tips -he prepared to go, "to wait here against my return, and on no account to -take heed of anything you may see or hear for the next half-hour. An I -mistake not," he added with a merry twinkle in his grey eyes, "there'll -be strange doings at Brassington this noon." - -"But you...?" she cried anxiously. - -"Nay! I pray you have no fear for me. In your sweet cause I would -challenge the world, and, if you desired it, would remained unscathed." - -When he had gone, she sighed, and obedient to his wish, sat waiting -patiently for his return in the dingy little parlour which awhile ago -his presence had made so bright. - -It was at this moment that Master Mittachip, after his interview with -the beadle, was in close conversation with Sir Humphrey Challoner at the -Royal George. - -Outside the inn, Bathurst turned to John Stich, who had closely followed -him. - -"How's my Jack o' Lantern?" he asked quickly. - -"As fresh as a daisy, Captain," replied the smith. "I've rubbed him down -myself, and he has had a lovely feed." - -"That's good. You have my saddle with you?" - -"Oh, aye! I knew you'd want it soon enough. Jack o' Lantern carried it -for you himself, bless 'is 'eart, along with her ladyship and Mistress -Betty." - -"Then do you see at once to his being saddled, friend, and bring him -along to the Court House as soon as may be. Hold him in readiness for -me, so that I may mount at a second's notice. You understand?" - -"Yes, Captain. I understand that you are running your head into a -d----d noose, and..." - -"Easy, easy, friend! Remember..." - -"Nay! I'll not forget for whose sake you do it. But you are at a -disadvantage, Captain, with only one good arm." - -"Nay, friend," rejoined Bathurst, lightly, "there's many a thing a man -can do with one arm: he can embrace his mistress ... or shoot his -enemy." - -The sleepy little village of Brassington lay silent and deserted in the -warmth of the noon-day sun, as Bathurst, having parted from John Stich, -hurried across its narrow streets. As he had passed quickly through the -outer passage of the Packhorse he had caught sight of a few red coats at -the dingy bar of the inn, and presently, when he emerged on the green, -he perceived another lot of them over at the Royal George yonder. - -But at this hour the worthy soldiers of His Majesty, King George, were -having their midday rest and their customary glasses of ale, and were -far too busy recounting their adventure with the mysterious stranger at -the forge to the gaffers of Brassington, to take heed of anyone hurrying -along its street. - -And thus Bathurst passed quickly and unperceived; the one or two yokels -whom he met gave him a rapid glance. Only the women turned round, as he -went along, to have another look at the handsome stranger with one arm -in a sling. - -Outside the Court House he came face to face with Master Inch, whose -pompous dignity seemed at this moment to be severely ruffled. - -"Hey, sir! Hey!" he was shouting, and craning his fat neck in search of -Master Mittachip, who had incontinently disappeared, "the Court is -determinating--Squire West will grant you the interview which you -seek.... Lud preserve me!" he added in noble and gigantic wrath, "I do -believe the impious malapert was trying to fool me ... sending me on a -fool's errand ... _me_ ... Jeremiah Inch, beadle of this parish!..." - -Bathurst waited a moment or two until the worst of the beadle's anger -had cooled down a little, then he took a silver crown from his pocket, -and pushed past the worthy into the precincts of the house. - -"The interview you've arranged for, friend," he said quietly; "will do -equally well for her ladyship's courier." - -Master Inch was somewhat taken off his balance. Mittachip's -disappearance and this stranger's impertinence had taken his breath -away. Before he had time to recover it, Bathurst had pressed the silver -crown into his capacious palm. - -"Now tell Squire West, friend," he said with that pleasant air of -authority which he knew so well how to assume, "that I am here by the -command of Lady Patience Gascoyne and am waiting to speak with him." - -Master Inch was so astonished that he found no word either of protest or -of offended dignity. He looked doubtfully at the crown for a second or -two, weighed it in his mind against the problematical half-crown -promised by the defaulting attorney, and then said majestically,-- - -"I will impart her ladyship's cognomen to his Honour myself." - -The next moment Jack Bathurst found himself alone in a small private -room of the Court House, looking forward with suppressed excitement to -the interview with Squire West, which in a moment of dare-devil, madcap -frolic, yet with absolute coolness and firm determination, he had -already arranged in his mind. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV - - HIS HONOUR, SQUIRE WEST - - -Squire West was an elderly man, with a fine military presence and a -pleasant countenance beneath his bob-tail wig: in his youth he had been -reckoned well-favoured, and had been much petted by the ladies at the -county balls. Owing to this he had retained a certain polish of manner -not often met with in the English country gentry of those times. - -He came forward very politely to greet the courier of Lady Patience -Gascoyne. - -"What hath procured to Brassington the honour of a message from Lady -Patience Gascoyne?" he asked, motioning Bathurst to a chair, and seating -himself behind his desk. - -"Her ladyship herself is staying in the village," replied Jack, "but -would desire her presence to remain unknown for awhile." - -"Oh, indeed!" said the Squire, a little flurried at this unexpected -event, "but ... but there is no inn fitting to harbour her ladyship in -this village, and ... and ... if her ladyship would honour me and my -poor house..." - -"I thank you, sir, but her ladyship only remains here for an hour or so, -and has despatched me to you on an important errand which brooks of no -delay." - -"I am entirely at her ladyship's service." - -"Lady Patience was on her way from Stretton Hall, your Honour," -continued Bathurst, imperturbably, "when her coach was stopped on the -Heath, not very far from here, and her jewels, money, and also certain -valuable papers were stolen from her." - -Squire West hemmed and hawed, and fidgeted in his chair: the matter -seemed, strangely enough, to be causing him more annoyance than -surprise. - -"Dear! dear!" he muttered deprecatingly. - -"Her ladyship has written out her formal plaint," said Jack, laying the -paper before his Honour. "She has sent her coach on to Wirksworth, but -thought your Honour's help here at Brassington would be more useful in -capturing the rogue." - -"Aye!" murmured the worthy Squire, still somewhat doubtfully, and with a -frown of perplexity on his jovial face. "We certainly have a posse of -soldiers--a dozen or so at most--quartered in the village just now, -but..." - -"But what, your Honour?" - -"But to be frank with you, sir, I fear me that 'twill be no good. An I -mistake not, 'tis another exploit of that rascal, Beau Brocade, and the -rogue is so cunning! ... Ah!" he added with a sigh, "we shall have no -peace in this district until we've laid him by the heels." - -It was certainly quite obvious that the Squire was none too eager to -send a posse of soldiers after the notorious highwayman. He had himself -enjoyed immunity on the Heath up to now, and feared that it would be his -turn to suffer if he started an active campaign against Beau Brocade. -But Bathurst, from where he sat, had a good view through the casement -window of the village green, and of the Royal George beyond it. Every -moment he expected to see Sir Humphrey Challoner emerging from under the -porch and entering this Court House, when certainly the situation would -become distinctly critical. The Squire's hesitancy nearly drove him -frantic with impatience, yet perforce he had to keep a glib tongue in -his head, and not to betray more than a natural interest in the subject -which he was discussing. - -"Aye!" he said gaily, "an it was that rogue Beau Brocade, your Honour, -he's the most daring rascal I've ever met. The whole thing was done in -a trice. Odd's fish! but the fellow would steal your front tooth whilst -he parleyed with you. He fired at me and hit me," he added ruefully, -pointing to his wounded shoulder. - -"You were her ladyship's escort on the Heath, sir?" - -"Aye! and would wish to be of assistance in the recovery of her -property: more particularly of a packet of letters on which her ladyship -sets great store. If the rogue were captured now, these might be found -about his person." - -"Ah! I fear me," quoth his Honour, with singular lack of enthusiasm, -"that 'twill not be so easy, sir, as you imagine." - -"How so?" - -"Beau Brocade is in league with half the country-side and..." - -"Nay! you say you have a posse of soldiers quartered here! Gadzooks! if -I had the chance with these and a few lusty fellows from the village, -I'd soon give an account of any highwayman on this Heath!" - -"Dear! dear!" repeated Squire West, sorely puzzled, "a very regrettable -incident indeed." - -"Can I so far trespass on your Honour's time," queried Bathurst, with a -slight show of impatience, "as to ask you at least to take note of her -ladyship's plaint?" - -"Certainly ... sir, certainly ... hem! ... er.... Of course we must -after the rogue ... the beadle shall cry him out on the green at once, -and..." - -It was easy to see that the worthy Squire would far sooner have left the -well-known hero of Brassing Moor severely alone; still, in his official -capacity he was bound to take note of her ladyship's plaint, and to act -as justice demanded. - -"'Tis a pity, sir," he said, whilst he sat fidgeting among his papers, -"that you, or perhaps her ladyship, did not see the rogue's face. I -suppose he was masked as usual?" - -"Faix! he'd have frightened the sheep on the Heath, maybe, if he was -not. But her ladyship and I noted his hair and stature, and also the -cut and colour of his clothes." - -"What was he like?" - -"Tall and stout of build, with dark hair turning to grey." - -"Nay!" ejaculated Squire West, in obvious relief, "then it was not Beau -Brocade, who is young and slim, so I'm told, though I've never seen him. -You saw him plainly, sir, did you say?" - -"Aye! quite plainly, your Honour! And what's more," added Jack, -emphatically, "her ladyship and I both caught sight of him in -Brassington this very morning." - -"In Brassington?" - -"Outside the Royal George," asserted Bathurst, imperturbably. - -"Nay, sir!" cried Squire West, who seemed to have quite lost his air of -indecision, now that he no longer feared to come in direct conflict with -Beau Brocade, "why did you not say this before? Here, Inch! Inch!" he -added, going to the door and shouting lustily across the passage, "where -is that cursed beadle? In Brassington, did you say, sir?" - -"I'd almost swear to it, your Honour." - -"Nay! then with a bit of good luck, we may at least lay _this_ rascal by -the heels. I would I could rid this neighbourhood of these rogues. -Here, Inch," he continued, as soon as that worthy appeared in the -doorway, "do you listen to what this gentleman has got to say. There's -a d----d rascal in this village and you'll have to cry out his -description at once, and then collar him as soon as may be." - -Master Inch placed himself in a posture that was alike dignified and -expectant. His Honour, Squire West, too, was listening eagerly, whilst -Jack Bathurst with perfect _sang-froid_ gave forth the description of -the supposed highwayman. - -"He wore a brown coat," he said calmly, "embroidered waistcoat, buff -breeches, riding-boots and three-cornered hat. He is tall and stout of -build, has dark hair slightly turning to grey, and was last seen -carrying a gold-headed riding-crop." - -"That's clear enough, Inch, is it not?" queried his Honour. - -"It is marvellously pellucid, sir," replied the beadle. - -"You may add, friend Beadle," continued Jack, carelessly, "that her -ladyship offers a reward of twenty guineas for that person's immediate -apprehension." - -And Master Inch, beadle of the parish of Brassington, flew out of the -door, and out of the Court House, bell in hand, for with a little bit of -good luck it might be that he would be the first to lay his hand on the -tall, stout rascal in a brown coat, and would be the one to earn the -twenty guineas offered for his immediate apprehension. - -Squire West himself was over pleased. It was indeed satisfactory to -render service to so great a lady as Lady Patience Gascoyne without -interfering over much with that dare-devil Beau Brocade. The -depredations on Brassing Moor had long been a scandal in the county: it -had oft been thought that Squire West had not been sufficiently active -in trying to rid the Heath of the notorious highwayman, whose exploits -now were famed far and wide. But here was a chance of laying a cursed -rascal by the heels and of showing his zeal in the administration of the -county. - -The Squire, in the interim, busied himself with his papers, whilst -Bathurst, who was vainly trying to appear serious and only casually -interested, stood by the open window, watching Master Inch's progress -across the green. - -Outside the Court House faithful John Stich stood waiting, with Jack o' -Lantern pawing the ground by his side. - - - - - CHAPTER XXV - - SUCCESS AND DISAPPOINTMENT - - -Thus it was that when Sir Humphrey Challoner, after his lengthy -interview with Mittachip, stepped out of the porch of the Royal George -on his way to the Court House, he found the village green singularly -animated. - -A number of yokels, including quite a goodly contingent of women and -youngsters, were crowding round Master Inch, the beadle, who was ringing -his bell violently and shouting at the top of his lusty voice,-- - -"Oyez! Oyez! Oyez! Take note that a robber, vagabond and thief is in -hiding in this village." - -Interested in the scene, Sir Humphrey had paused a moment, watching the -pompous beadle and the crowd of gaffers and women. He still carried his -riding-crop, and flicked it with a certain pleasurable satisfaction -against his boot, eagerly anticipating the moment when the village crier -would be giving forth in the same stentorian tones the description of -Beau Brocade, the highwayman. - -"Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!" continued Master Inch, with ever-increasing -vigour. "Take note that this vagabond is apparelled in a brown coat, -embroidered waistcoat, buff nether garments and riding-boots. Oyez! -Oyez! Oyez! take note that he carried with him this morning a -gold-headed riding-whip, that he is tall and slightly rotund in his -corporation and has raven hair slightly attenuated with grey. - -"Oyez! Oyez! Oyez! take note that if any of you observate such a -person as I have just descriptioned, you are to apprise me of this -instantaneously, so that I may take him by force and violence even into -the presence of his Honour. - -"Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!" - -The gaffers were putting their heads together, whilst the young ones -whispered eagerly,-- - -"Brown coat! ... embroidered waistcoat! ... a gold-headed whip!..." - -Nay, 'twas often enough that Master Inch had to cry out the description -of some wretched vagabond in hiding in the village, but it was not usual -that such an one was attired in the clothes of a gentleman. - -It even struck Sir Humphrey as very strange, and he pushed through the -group of yokels to hear more clearly Master Inch's renewed description -of the rogue. - -"Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!" - -At first the interest in Master Inch's pompous words was so keen that -Sir Humphrey remained practically unnoticed. One or two villagers, -noting that a gentleman was amongst them, respectfully made way for him, -then one youngster, struck by a sudden idea, stared at him and whispered -to his neighbour,-- - -"He's got a brown coat on..." - -"Aye!" whispered the other in reply, "and an embroiderated waistcoat -too." - -Some of them began crowding around Sir Humphrey, so that he raised his -whip and muttered angrily,-- - -"What the devil are ye all staring at?" - -It was at this very moment that Master Inch suddenly caught sight of -him, just in the very middle of a stentorian,-- - -"Oyez!" - -He gave one tremendous gasp, the bell dropped out of his hand, his jaw -fell, his round, beady eyes nearly bulged out of his head. - -"'Tis him!" murmured the yokel, who stood close to his ear. - -This remark brought back Master Inch to his senses and to the importance -of his position. He raised his large hand above his head and brought it -down with a tremendous clap on Sir Humphrey Challoner's shoulder. - -"Aye! 'tis him!" he shouted lustily, "and be gy! he's got guilt writ all -over his face, and 'tis a mighty ugly surface!" - -Sir Humphrey, taken completely by surprise, was positively purple with -rage. - -"Death and hell!" he cried, clutching his riding-whip significantly. -"What's the meaning of this?" - -But already the younger men, full of excitement and eagerness, had -closed round him, impeding his movements, whilst two more lusty fellows -incontinently seized him by the collar. They felt neither respect nor -sympathy for a vagabond attired in gentleman's clothes. - -Sir Humphrey tried to shake himself free, whilst the beadle majestically -replied,-- - -"You'll have it explanated to you, friend, before his Honour!" - -The excitement and lust of capture was growing apace. - -"Got him!" shouted most of the men. - -"Showin' his ugly face in broad daylight!" commented the women. - -"Hold him tight, beadle," was the universal admonition. - -"You rascal! you dare!..." gasped Sir Humphrey, struggling violently, -and shaking a menacing fist in the beadle's face. - -"Silence!" commanded Master Inch, with supreme dignity. - -"I'll have you whipped for this!" - -But this aroused the beadle's most awesome ire. - -"To the stocks with him!" he ordered, "he insultates the Majesty of the -Law!" - -"You low-born knave! Aye! you'll hang for this!" - -It was all this clamour that at last aroused Master Mittachip in the -parlour of the Royal George from the happy day-dreams in which he was -indulging. At first he took no count of it, then he quietly strolled up -to the window and undid the casement, to ascertain what all the tumult -was about. - -What he did see nearly froze the thin blood within his veins. He would -have cried out, but his very throat contracted with the horror of the -spectacle which he beheld. - -There! across the village green, he saw Sir Humphrey Challoner, his -noble patron, the Squire of Hartington, being clapped into the village -stocks, whilst a crowd of yokels, the clumsy, ignorant d----d louts! -were actually pelting his Honour with carrots, turnips and potatoes! - -Oh! was the world coming to an end? There! a peck of peas hit Sir -Humphrey straight in the eye. No wonder his Honour was purple, he would -have a stroke of apoplexy for sure within the next five minutes. - -At last Master Mittachip recovered the use of his limbs. With one bound -he was out of the inn parlour, and had pushed past mine host and -hostess, who, as ignorant as were all the other villagers of their -guest's name and quality, were watching the scene from the porch, and -holding their sides with laughter. - -Jack Bathurst had watched it all from the window of the Court House: his -dare-devil, madcap scheme had succeeded beyond his most sanguine hopes. -When he saw Sir Humphrey Challoner actually clapped in the village -stocks, with the pompous beadle towering over him, like the sumptuous -Majesty of the Law, he could have cried out in wild merry glee. - -But Jack was above all a man of prompt decision and quick action. For -his own life he cared not one jot, and would gladly have laid it down -for the sake of the woman he loved with all the passionate ardour of his -romantic temperament, but with him, as with every other human being, -self-preservation was the greatest and most irresistible law. He had -readily imperilled his safety in order to obtain possession of the -letters, which meant so much happiness to his beautiful white rose: but -this done, he was ready to do battle for his own life, and to sell his -freedom as dearly as may be. - -He hoped that he had effectually accomplished his purpose through the -arrest of Sir Humphrey Challoner, whose pockets Master Inch was even now -deliberately searching, in spite of vigorous protests and terrible -language from his Honour. His heart gave a wild leap of joy when he saw -the beadle presently hurrying across the green and holding a paper in -his hand. It looked small enough--not a packet, only a single letter: -but if it were the momentous one, then indeed would all risks, all -perils seem as nothing when weighed against the happiness of having -rendered _her_ this service. - -But Jack also saw Master Mittachip darting panic-stricken out of the inn -opposite. He knew of course that within the next few moments--seconds -perhaps--the fraud would be discovered and Sir Humphrey Challoner -liberated, amidst a shower of abject apologies from the Squire and -parish of Brassington combined. What the further consequences of it all -would be to himself was not difficult to foresee. - -He looked behind him. The Squire was sitting at his desk, apparently -taking no notice of the noise and shouting outside. Down below, John -Stich, who had been watching the scene on the green with the utmost -delight, stood ready, holding Jack o' Lantern by the bridle. In a -moment, with a few courteous words to the Squire, Bathurst had hurried -out of the Court House. He met the beadle at the door, who, paper in -hand, conscious of his own importance and flurried with wrath, was -hurrying to report the important arrest to Squire West. - -Bathurst stopped him with a quick,-- - -"'Twas well done, Master Inch!" - -And pressing a couple of guineas into the beadle's hand, he added,-- - -"Her ladyship will further repay when you've found the rest of her -property. In the meanwhile, these, I presume, are the letters she -lost." - -"Only one letter, sir," said Master Inch, as somewhat taken off his -pompous guard he allowed Jack to take the paper from him. - -There was not a minute to be lost. Master Mittachip, having vainly -tried to harangue the yokels, who were still pelting his Honour with -miscellaneous vegetables, was now hurrying to the Court House as fast as -his thin legs would carry him. - -Bathurst took one glance at the paper which Master Inch had given him. -A cry of the keenest disappointment escaped his lips. - -"What is it, Captain?" asked John Stich, who had anxiously been watching -his friend's face. - -"Nothing, friend," replied Bathurst, "only a receipt and tally for some -sheep." - -John Stich uttered a violent oath. - -"And the scoundrel'll escape with a shower of potatoes and no more -punishment than the stocks. And you've risked your life, Captain, for -nothing!" - -"Nay! not for nothing, honest friend," said Jack, in a hurried whisper, -as he mounted Jack o' Lantern with all the speed his helpless arm would -allow. "Do you go back to her ladyship as fast as you can. Beg her -from me not to give up hope, but to feign an illness and on no account -speak to anyone about the events of to-day until she has seen me again. -You understand?" - -"Aye! aye! Captain!" - -At this moment there came a wild cry from the precincts of the Court -House, and Master Mittachip, accompanied by Squire West himself, and -closely followed by the beadle, were seen tearing across the green -towards the village stocks. - -"The truth is out, friend," shouted Jack, as pressing his knees against -Jack o' Lantern's sides, and giving the gallant beast one cry of -encouragement, he galloped away at break-neck speed out towards the -Moor. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI - - THE MAN HUNT - - -By the time Squire West and the whole of the parish of Brassington had -realised what a terrible practical joke had been perpetrated on them by -the stranger, the latter was far out of sight, with not even a cloud of -dust to mark the way he went. - -But the hue-and-cry after him had never ceased the whole of that day. -Squire West, profuse and abject in his apologies, had told off all the -soldiers who were quartered in the village to scour the Heath day and -night, until that rogue was found and brought before him. The Sergeant, -who was in command of the squad, and the Corporal too, had a score of -their own to settle with the mysterious stranger, whom the general -consensus of opinion declared to have been none other than that -scoundrel unhung, the notorious highwayman, Beau Brocade. - -Master Inch, as soon as he had recovered his breath, distinctly -recollected now seeing a beautiful chestnut horse pawing the ground -outside the Court House during the course of the morning: he blamed -himself severely for not having guessed the identity of the creature, so -closely associated in every one's mind with the exploits of the -highwayman. - -The yokels, however, at this juncture, entrenched themselves behind a -barrier of impenetrable density. In those days, just as even now, it is -beyond human capacity to obtain information from a Derbyshire countryman -if he do not choose to give it. Whether some of those who had pelted -Sir Humphrey Challoner with vegetables had or had not known who his -Honour was, whether some of them had or had not guessed Beau Brocade's -presence in the village, remained, in spite of rigorous -cross-examination a complete mystery to the perplexed Squire and to his -valiant henchman, the beadle. - -Promises, threats, bribes were alike ineffectual. - -"I dunno!" was the stolid, perpetual reply to every question put on -either subject. - -Her ladyship, on the other hand, overcome with fatigue, was too ill to -see anyone. - -The posse of soldiers, a score or so by now, had however been reinforced -as the day wore on by a contingent of Squire West's own indoor and -outdoor servants, also by a few loafers from Brassington itself, of the -sort that are to be found in every corner of the world where there is an -ale-house, the idlers, the toadies, those who had nothing to lose and -something to gain by running counter to popular feeling and taking up -cudgels against Beau Brocade, for the sake of the reward lavishly -promised by Squire West and Sir Humphrey Challoner. - -The latter's temper had not even begun to simmer down at this late hour -of the day when, all arrangements for the battue after the highwayman -being completed, he at last found himself on horseback, ambling along -the bridle-path towards the shepherd's hut, with Master Mittachip beside -him. - -It had been a glorious day, and the evening now gave promise of a balmy -night to come, but the Heath's majestic repose was disturbed by the -doings of man. Beneath the gorse and bracken lizards and toads had gone -to rest in the marshy land beyond, waterhen and lapwing were asleep, but -all the while on the great Moor, through the scrub and blackthorn, along -path and ravine, man was hunting man and finding enjoyment in the sport. - -As Sir Humphrey Challoner and the attorney rode slowly along, they could -hear from time to time the rallying cry of the various parties stalking -the Heath for their big game. The hunt was close on the heels of Beau -Brocade. Earlier in the afternoon his horse had been seen to make its -way, riderless, towards the forge of John Stich. - -The quarry was on foot, he was known to be wounded, he must fall an easy -prey to his trackers soon enough: sometimes in the distance there would -come a shout of triumph, when the human blood-hounds had at last found a -scent, then Sir Humphrey would rouse himself from his moody silence, a -look of keen malice would light up his deep-set eyes, and reining in his -horse, he would strain his ears to hear that shout of triumph again. - -"He'll not escape this time, Sir Humphrey," whispered Mittachip, falling -obsequiously into his employer's mood. - -"No! curse him!" muttered his Honour with a string of violent oaths, "I -shall see him hang before two days are over, unless these dolts let him -escape again." - -"Nay, nay, Sir Humphrey! that's not likely!" chuckled Master Mittachip. -"Squire West has pressed all his own able-bodied men into the service, -and the posse of soldiers were most keen for the chase. Nay, nay, he'll -not escape this time." - -"'Sdeath!" swore his Honour under his breath, "but I do feel stiff!" - -"A dreadful indignity," moaned the attorney. - -"Nay! but Squire West was most distressed, and his apologies were -profuse! Indeed he seemed to feel it as much as if it had happened to -himself." - -"Aye! but not in the same place, I'll warrant! Odd's life, I had no -notion how much a turnip could hurt when flung into one's eye," added -his Honour, with one of those laughs that never boded any good. - -"A most painful incident, Sir Humphrey!" sighed Mittachip, brimming over -with sympathy. - -"'Twas not the incident that was painful! Zounds! I am bruised all -over. But I'll have the law of every one of those dolts, aye! and make -that fool West administer it on all of them! As for that ape, the -beadle, he shall be publicly whipped. Death and hell! they'll have to -pay for this!" - -"Aye! aye! Sir Humphrey! your anger is quite natural, and Squire West -assured me that that rascal Beau Brocade, who played you this impudent -trick, cannot fail to be caught. The hunt is well organised, he cannot -escape." - -As if to confirm the attorney's words, there rose at this moment from -afar a weird and eerie sound, which caused Master Mittachip's shrivelled -flesh to creep along his bones. - -"What was that?" he whispered, horror-struck. - -"A blood-hound, the better to track that rascal," muttered Sir Humphrey, -savagely. - -The attorney shivered; there had been so much devilish malice in his -Honour's voice, that suddenly his puny heart misgave him. He took to -wishing himself well out of this unmanly business. The horror of it -seemed to grip him by the throat: he was superstitious too, and firmly -believed in a material hell; the sound of that distant snarl, followed -by the significant yelping of a hound upon the scent, made him think of -the cries the devils would utter at sight of the damned. - -"The dog belongs to one of Squire West's grooms," remarked his Honour, -carelessly, "a savage beast enough, by the look of him. Luck was in our -favour, for our gallant highwayman had carried Lady Patience's plaint -inside his coat for quite a long time, and then left it on his Honour's -table ... quite enough for any self-respecting blood-hound, and this one -is said to be very keen on the scent.... Squire West tried to protest, -but set a dog to catch a dog, say I." - -Master Mittachip tried to shut his ears to the terrible sound. -Fortunately it was getting fainter now, and Sir Humphrey did not give -him time for much reflection. - -His Honour had stopped for awhile listening, with a chuckle of intense -satisfaction, to the yelping of the dog straining on the leash, then -when the sound died away, he said abruptly,-- - -"Are we still far from the hut?" - -"No, Sir Humphrey," stammered Mittachip, whose very soul was quaking -with horror. - -"We'll find the shepherd there, think you?" - -"Y ... y ... yes, your Honour!" - -"Harkee, Master Mittachip. I'll run no risk. That d----d highwayman -must be desperate to-night. We'll adhere to our original plan, and let -the shepherd take the letters to Wirksworth." - -"You ... you ... you'll not let them bide to-night where they are, Sir -Humphrey?" - -"No, you fool, I won't. They are but just below the surface, under -cover of some bramble, and once those fellows come scouring round the -hut, any one of them may unearth the letters with a kick of his boot. -There's been a lot of talk of a reward for the recovery of a packet of -letters! ... No, no, no! I'll not risk it." - -Sir Humphrey Challoner had thought the matter well out, and knew that he -ran two distinct risks in the matter of the letters. To one he had -alluded just now when he spoke of the probability--remote perhaps--of -the packet being accidentally unearthed by one of the scouring parties. -Any man who found it would naturally at once take it to Squire West, in -the hope of getting the reward promised by her ladyship for its -recovery. The idea, therefore, of leaving the letters in their -hiding-place for awhile did not commend itself to him. On the other -hand, there was the more obvious risk of keeping them about his own -person. Sir Humphrey thanked his stars that he had not done so the day -before, and even now kept in his mind a certain superstitious belief -that Beau Brocade--wounded, hunted and desperate--would make a final -effort, which might prove successful, to wrench the letters from him on -the Heath. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVII - - JOCK MIGGS'S ERRAND - - -Master Mittachip had tried to utter one or two feeble protests, but Sir -Humphrey had interrupted him emphatically,-- - -"The rascal may hope to win his pardon through the Gascoyne influence, -by rendering her ladyship this service. Where'er he may be at this -moment, I am quite sure that his eye is upon me and my doings." - -Mittachip shuddered and closed his eyes: he dared not peer into the dark -scrub beside him, and drew his horse in as close to Sir Humphrey's as he -could. - -"If you're afraid, you lumbering old coward," added his Honour, "go back -and leave me in peace. I'll arrange my own affairs as I think best." - -But the prospect of returning to Brassington alone across this awful -Heath sent Master Mittachip into a renewed agony of terror: though his -noble patron seemed suddenly to have become uncanny in this inordinate -lust for revenge, he preferred his Honour's company to his own, and -therefore made a violent effort to silence his worst fears. The Moor -just now was comparatively calm: the shouts of the hunters and the -yelping of the hound had altogether ceased; perhaps they had lost the -scent. - -Another half-hour's silent ride brought them to the spur of the hill, -along the top of which ran the Wirksworth Road, and as they left the -steep declivity behind them, their ears were pleasantly tickled by the -welcome and bucolic sound of the bleating of sheep. - -"Your friend the shepherd seems to be at his post," quoth Sir Humphrey -with a sigh of satisfaction. - -They were close to the point where on the previous night Lady Patience's -coach had come to a halt, and the next moment brought them in sight of -the shepherd's hut, with the pen beyond it, vaguely discernible in the -gloom. - -Sir Humphrey gave the order to dismount. Master Mittachip, feeling more -dead than alive, had perforce to obey. They tied their horses loosely -to a clump of blackthorn by the roadside and then crept cautiously -towards the hut. - -It suited their purpose well that the night was a dark one. The moon -was not yet high in the heavens, and was still half-veiled by a thin -film of fleecy clouds, leaving the whole vista of the Moor wrapped in -mysterious grey-blue semitones. - -"You have brought the lanthorn," whispered Sir Humphrey, hurriedly. - -"Y ... y ... y ... yes, your Honour," stammered Mittachip. - -"Then quick's the word," said his Honour, pointing to a thick clump of -gorse and bramble quite close to the shed. "The letters are in the very -centre of that clump, and only just below the surface. Do you creep in -there and get them." - -There was nothing for Master Mittachip to do but to obey, and that with -as much alacrity as his terror would allow. His teeth were chattering -in his head, and his hands were trembling so violently that he was some -time in striking a light for the lanthorn. - -Sir Humphrey suppressed an oath of angry impatience. - -"Lud preserve me," murmured the poor attorney, "if that highwayman -should come upon me whilst I am engaged in the task! ... You ... you'll -not leave me, Sir Humphrey?..." - -"I'll lay my stick across your cowardly shoulders if you don't hurry," -was his Honour's only comment. - -He watched Mittachip crawling on his hands and knees underneath the -bramble, and his deep stertorous breathing testified to the anxiety -which was raging within him. A few moments of intense suspense, and -then Master Mittachip reappeared from beneath the scrub, covered with -wet earth, still trembling, but holding the packet of letters -triumphantly in his hand. - -Sir Humphrey snatched it from him. - -"Quick! find the shepherd now! Don't waste time!" he whispered, pushing -the cowering attorney roughly before him. "One feels as if every blade -of grass had a pair of ears on this damned Heath!" he muttered under his -breath. - -Jock Miggs, the shepherd, had counted over his sheep, closed the gate of -the pen, and was just turning into the hut for the night, when he was -hailed by Master Mittachip. - -"Shepherd! hey! shepherd!" - -Miggs looked about him, vaguely astonished. - -Since his adventure of the previous night, when he had been made to play -a tune for mad folks to dance to, he felt that nothing would seriously -surprise him. - -When therefore he felt himself seized by the arm without more ado and -dragged into the darkest corner of the hut, he did not even protest. - -"Did you wish to speak with me, sir?" he asked plaintively, rubbing his -arm, for Sir Humphrey's impatient grip had been very strong and hard. - -"Yes!" said the latter, speaking in a rapid whisper, "here's Master -Mittachip, attorney-at-law, whom you know well, eh?" - -"Aye, aye," murmured Jock Miggs, pulling at his forelock, "t' sheep -belong to his Honour Oi believe." - -"Exactly, Miggs," interposed Master Mittachip, spurred to activity by a -vigorous kick from Sir Humphrey, "and I have come out here on purpose to -see you, for it is very important that you should go at once on to -Wirksworth for me, with a packet and a note for Master Duffy, my clerk." - -"What, now? This time o' night?" quoth Jock, vaguely. - -"Aye, aye, Miggs ... you are not afraid, are you?" - -Sir Humphrey had taken up his stand outside the hut, leaving Mittachip -to arrange this matter with the shepherd. He had leaned his powerful -frame against the wall of the shed, and was grasping his -heavily-weighted riding-crop, ready and alert in case of attack. The -darkness round him at this moment was intense, and his sharp eyes vainly -tried to pierce the gloom, which seemed to be closing in upon him, but -his ears were keenly alive to every sound which came to him out of the -blackness of the night. - -And all the while he tried not to lose one word of the conversation -between Mittachip and the shepherd. - -"That's true, Jock," the attorney was saying. "Well! then if you'll go -to Wirksworth for me, now, at once, there'll be a guinea for you." - -"A guinea!" came in bewildered accents from the worthy shepherd, "Lordy! -Lordy! but these be 'mazing times!" - -"All I want you to do, Jock, is to take a packet for me to my house in -Fulsome Street. You understand?" - -But here there was a pause. Miggs was evidently hesitating. - -"Well?" queried Mittachip. - -"Oi'm thinking, sir..." - -"What?" - -"How can Oi go on your errand when Oi've got to guard this 'ere sheep -for you?" - -"Oh, damn the sheep!" quoth Master Mittachip, emphatically. - -"Well, sir! if you be satisfied..." - -"You know my house at Wirksworth?" - -"Aye, aye, sir." - -"I'll give you a packet. You are to take it to Wirksworth now at once, -and to give it to my clerk, Master Duffy, at my house in Fulsome Street. -You are quite sure you understand?" - -"I dunno as I do!" quoth Jock, vaguely. - -But with an impatient oath Sir Humphrey turned into the hut: matters -were progressing much too slowly for his impatient temperament. He -pushed Mittachip aside, and said peremptorily,-- - -"Look here, shepherd, you want to earn a guinea, don't you?" - -"Aye, sir, that I do." - -"Well, here's the packet, and here's a letter for Master Duffy at Master -Mittachip's house in Fulsome Street. When Master Duffy has the packet -and reads the letter he will give you a guinea. Is that clear?" - -And he handed the packet of letters, and also a small note, to Jock -Miggs, who seemed to have done with hesitation, for he took them with -alacrity. - -"Oh! aye! that's clear enough," he said, "'tis writ in this paper that -I'm to get the guinea?" - -"In Master Mittachip's own hand. But mind! no gossiping, and no -loitering. You must get to Wirksworth before cock-crow." - -Jock Miggs slipped the packet and the note into the pocket of his smock. -The matter of the guinea having been satisfactorily explained to him, he -was quite ready to start. - -"Noa, for sure!" he said, patting the papers affectionately. "Mum's the -word! I'll do your bidding, sir, and the papers'll be safe with me, -seeing it's writ on them that I'm to get a guinea." - -"Exactly. So you mustn't lose them, you know." - -"Noa! noa! I bain't afeeard o' that, nor of the highwaymen; and Beau -Brocade wouldn't touch the loikes o' me, bless 'im. But Lordy! Lordy! -these be 'mazing times." - -Already Sir Humphrey was pushing him impatiently out of the hut. - -"And here," added his Honour, pressing a piece of money into the -shepherd's hand, "here's half-a-crown to keep you on the go." - -"Thank 'ee, sir, and if you think t' sheep will be all right..." - -"Oh, hang the sheep!..." - -"All right, sir ... if Master Mittachip be satisfied ... and I'll leave -t' dog to look after t' sheep." - -He took up his long, knotted stick, and still shaking his head and -muttering "Lordy! Lordy!" the worthy shepherd slowly began to wend his -way along the footpath, which from this point leads straight to -Wirksworth. - -Sir Humphrey watched the quaint, wizened figure for a few seconds, until -it disappeared in the gloom, then he listened for awhile. - -All round him the Heath was silent and at peace, the plaintive bleating -of the sheep in the pen added a note of subdued melancholy to the vast -and impressive stillness. Only from far there came the weird echo of -hound and men on the hunt. - -His Honour swore a round oath. - -"Zounds!" he muttered, "the rogue must be hard pressed, and he's not -like to give us further trouble. Even if he come on us now, eh, you old -scarecrow? ... the letters are safe at last! What?" - -"Lud preserve me!" sighed the attorney, "but I hope so." - -"Back to Brassington then," quoth Sir Humphrey, lustily. "Beau Brocade -can attack us now, eh? Ha! ha! ha!" he laughed in his wonted boisterous -way, "methinks we have outwitted that gallant highwayman after all." - -"For sure, Sir Humphrey," echoed Mittachip, who was meekly following his -Honour's lead across the road to where their horses were in readiness -for them. - -"As for my Lady Patience! ... Ha!" said his Honour, jovially, "her -brother's life is ... well! ... in my hands, to save or to destroy, -according as she will frown on me or smile. But meseems her ladyship -will have to smile, eh?" - -He laughed pleasantly, for he was in exceedingly good temper just now. - -"As for that chivalrous Beau Brocade," he added as he hoisted himself -into the saddle, "he shall, an I mistake not, dangle on a gibbet before -another nightfall." - -"Hark!" he added, as the yelping of the bloodhound once more woke the -silent Moor with its eerie echo. - -Mittachip's scanty locks literally stood up beneath his bob-tail wig. -Even Sir Humphrey could not altogether repress a shudder as he listened -to the shouts, the cries, the snarls, which were rapidly drawing nearer. - -"We should have waited to be in at the death," he said, with enforced -gaiety. "Meseems our fox is being run to earth at last." - -He tried to laugh, but his laughter sounded eerie and unnatural, and -suddenly it was interrupted by the loud report of a pistol shot, -followed by what seemed like prolonged yells of triumph. - -Master Mittachip could bear it no longer; with the desperation of -intense and unreasoning terror he dug his spurs into his horse's flanks, -and like a madman galloped at breakneck speed down the hillside into the -valley below. - -Sir Humphrey followed more leisurely. He had gained his end and was -satisfied. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVIII - - THE QUARRY - - -Some few minutes before this the hunted man had emerged upon the road. - -As, worn-out, pallid, aching in every limb, he dragged himself wearily -forward on hands and knees, it would have been difficult to recognise in -this poor, suffering fragment of humanity the brilliant, dashing -gentleman of the road, the foppish, light-hearted dandy, whom the -countryside had nicknamed Beau Brocade. - -The wound in his shoulder, inflamed and throbbing after the breakneck -ride from the Court House to the Heath, had caused him almost -unendurable agony, against which he had at first resolutely set his -teeth. But now his whole body had become numb to every physical -sensation. Covered with mud and grime, his hair matted against his damp -forehead, the lines of pain and exhaustion strongly marked round his -quivering mouth, he seemed only to live through his two senses: his -sight and his hearing. - -The spirit was there though, indomitable, strong, the dogged obstinacy -of the man who has nothing more to lose. And with it all the memory of -the oath he had sworn to her. - -All else was a blank. - -Hunted by men, and with a hound on his track, he had--physically--become -like the beasts of the Moor, alert to every sound, keen only on eluding -his pursuers, on putting off momentarily the inevitable instant of -capture and of death. - -Early in the day he had been forced to part from his faithful companion. -Jack o' Lantern was exhausted and might have proved an additional source -of danger. The gallant beast, accustomed to every bush and every corner -of the Heath, knew its way well to its habitual home: the forge of John -Stich. Jack Bathurst watched it out of sight, content that it would look -after itself, and that being riderless it would be allowed to wend its -way unmolested whither it pleased, on the Moor. - -And thus he had seen the long hours of this glorious September afternoon -drag on their weary course; he had seen the beautiful day turn to late, -glowing afternoon, then the sun gradually set in its mantle of purple -and gold, and finally the grey dusk throw its elusive and mysterious -veil over Tors and Moor. And he, like the hunted beast, crept from -gorse bush to scrub, hiding for his life, driven out of one stronghold -into another, gasping with thirst, panting with fatigue, determined in -spirit, but broken down in body at last. - -By instinct and temperament Jack Bathurst was essentially a brave man. -Physical fear was entirely alien to his nature: he had never known it, -never felt it. During the earlier part of the afternoon, with a score -of men at his heels, some soldiers, others but indifferently-equipped -louts, he had really enjoyed the game of hide-and-seek on the Heath: to -him, at first, it had been nothing more. It was but a part of that -wild, mad life he had chosen, the easily-endured punishment for the -breaking of conventional laws. - -He knew every shrub and crag on this wild corner of the earth which had -become his home, and could have defied a small army, when hidden in the -natural strongholds known only to himself. - -But when he first heard the yelping of the bloodhound set upon his track -by the fiendish cunning of an avowed enemy, an icy horror seemed to -creep into his very marrow: a horror born of the feeling of -powerlessness, of the inevitableness of it all. His one thought now was -lest his hand, trembling and numb with fatigue, would refuse him service -when he would wish to turn the muzzle of his pistol against his own -temple, in time to evade actual capture. - -The dog would not miss him. It was practically useless to hide: flight -alone, constant, ceaseless flight, might help him for a while, but it -was bound to end one way, and one way only: the scent of blood would -lead the cur on his track, and his pursuers would find and seize him! -bind him like a felon, and hang him! Aye! hang him like a common thief! - -He had oft laughed and joked with John Stich about his ultimate probable -fate. He knew that his wild, unlawful career would come to an end -sooner or later, but he always carried pistols in his belt, and had not -even remotely dreamt of capture. - -... Until now! - -But now he was tired, ill, half-paralysed with pain and exhaustion. His -trembling hand crept longingly round the heavy silver handle of the -precious weapon. Every natural instinct in him clamoured for death, now, -at this very moment before that yelping cur drew nearer, before those -shouts of triumph were raised over his downfall. - -Only ... after that ... what would happen? He would be asleep and at -peace ... but she? ... what would she think? ... that like a coward he -had deserted his post ... like a felon he had broken his oath, whilst -there was one single chance of fulfilling it ... that he had left her at -the mercy of that same enemy who had already devised so much cruel -treachery. - -And like a beast he crept back within his lair, and watched and listened -for that one chance of serving her before the end. - -He had seen Sir Humphrey Challoner and Mittachip ambling up the -hillside. He tried not to lose sight of them, and, if possible, to keep -within earshot, but he was driven back by a posse of his pursuers, close -upon his heels, and now having succeeded in reaching the road at last, -he had the terrible chagrin of seeing that he was too late; the two men -were remounting their horses and turning back towards Brassington. - -"Methinks we have outwitted that gallant highwayman after all," Sir -Humphrey was saying with one of those boisterous outbursts of merriment, -which to Bathurst's sensitive ears had a ring of the devil's own glee in -it. - -"What hellish mischief have those two reprobates been brewing, I -wonder?" he mused. "If those fellows at my heels hadn't cut me off I -might have known..." - -He crept nearer to the two men, but they set their horses at a sharp -trot down the road: Jack vainly strained his ears to hear their talk. - -For the last eight hours he had practically covered every corner of the -Heath, backwards and forwards, across boulders and through morass; the -hound had had some difficulty in finding and keeping the trail, but now -it seemed suddenly to have found it, the yelping drew nearer, but the -shouts had altogether ceased. - -What was to be done? God in heaven, what was to be done? - -It was at this moment that the plaintive bleating of one or two of the -penned-up sheep suddenly aroused every instinct of vitality in him. - -"The sheep!..." he murmured. "A receipt and tally for some sheep!..." - -Fresh excitement had in the space of a few seconds given him a new lease -of strength. He dragged himself up to his feet and walked almost -upright as far as the hut. - -There certainly was a flock of sheep in the pen: the dog was watching -close by the gate, but the shepherd was nowhere to be seen. - -"The sheep! ... A receipt and tally for some sheep! ... In Sir Humphrey -Challoner's coat pocket! ..." - -Oh! for one calm moment in which to think ... to think! - -"The sheep!..." This one thought went on hammering in the poor tired -brain, like the tantalising, elusive whisper of a mischievous sprite. - -And with it all there was scarce a second to be lost. - -The hound, yelping and straining on the leash, was not half a mile away; -the next ten or perhaps fifteen minutes would see the end of this awful -man-hunt on the Moor. And yet there close by, behind those clumps of -gorse and the thickset hedge of bramble, was the clearing, where just -twenty-four hours ago he had danced that mad rigadoon, with her almost -in his arms. - -Instinctively, in the wild agony of this supreme moment, Beau Brocade -turned his steps thither. This clearing had but two approaches, there -where the tough branches of furze had once been vigorously cut into. -Last night he had led her through the one whilst Jock Miggs sat beside -the other, piping the quaint sad tune. - -For one moment the hunted man seemed to live that mad, merry hour again, -and from out the darkness fairy fingers seemed to beckon: and her -face--just for one brief second--smiled at him out of the gloom. - -Surely this was not to be the end! Something would happen, something -_must_ happen to enable him to render her the great service he had sworn -to do. - -Oh! if that yelping dog were not quite so close upon his track! Within -the next few minutes, seconds even, he would surely think of something -that would guide him towards that great goal: _her service_. Oh! for -just a brief respite in which to think! a way to evade his captors for a -short while--a means to hide! a disguise! anything. - -But for once the Moor--his happy home, his friend, his mother--was -silent, save for the sound of hunters on his trail, of his doom drawing -nearer and nearer, whilst he stood and remembered his dream. - -It was madness surely, or else a continuance of that fairy vision, but -now it seemed to him, as he stood just there, where yesterday her foot -had plied the dear old measure, that his ear suddenly caught once more -the sound of that self-same rigadoon. - -It was a dream of course. He knew that, and paused awhile, although -every second now meant life or death to him. - -The tune seemed to evade him. It had been close to his ear a moment -ago, now it was growing fainter and fainter, gradually vanishing away: -soon he could scarce hear it, yet it seemed something tangible, -something belonging to her: it was the tune which she had loved, to -which her foot had danced so gladsomely, so he ran after it, ran as fast -as his weary body would take him, to the further end of the clearing, -whither the sweet, sad tune was leading him with its tender, plaintive -echo. - -There, just where the clearing debouched upon the narrow path which -leads to Wirksworth, he overtook Jock Miggs who was slowly wending his -way along, and who just now must have passed quite close to him, blowing -on his tiny pipe, as was his wont. - -"The shepherd! ... Chorus of angels in paradise lend me your aid now!" - -With a supreme effort he pulled his scattered senses together: the -mighty fever of self-defence was upon him, that tower of strength which -some overwhelming danger will give to a brave man once perhaps in his -lifetime. The veil of semi-consciousness, of utter physical -prostration, was lifted from his dull brain for this short brief while. -The exhausted, suffering, hunted creature had once more given place to -the keen, alert son of the Moor, the mad, free child of Nature, with a -resourceful head and a daring hand. And for that same brief while the -great and mighty power whom men have termed Fate, but whom saints have -called God, allowed his untamed spirit to conquer his body and to hold -it in bondage, chasing pain away, trampling down exhaustion, whilst -disclosing to his burning eyes, amidst the dark and deadly gloom, the -magic, golden vision of a newly-awakened hope. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIX - - THE DAWN - - -A while ago, in an agony of longing, he had cried out for a moment's -respite! for a disguise! and now there stood before him Jock Miggs in -smock and broad-brimmed hat, with pipe and shepherd's staff. His -pursuers, headed by the yelping dog, were still a quarter of a mile -away. Five minutes in which to do battle for his life, for his freedom, -for the power to keep his oath! The plan of action had surged in his -mind at first sight of the wizened little figure of the shepherd beside -the further approach to the clearing. - -Beau Brocade drew himself up to his full height, sought and found in the -pocket of his coat the black mask which he habitually wore; this he -fixed to his face, then drawing a pistol from his belt, he overtook Jock -Miggs, clapped him vigorously on the shoulder, and shouted lustily,-- - -"Stand and deliver!" - -Jock Miggs, aroused from his pleasant meditations, threw up his hands in -terror. - -"The Lud have mercy on my soul!" he ejaculated as he fell on his knees. - -"Stand and deliver!" repeated Beau Brocade, in as gruff a voice as he -could command. - -Jock Miggs was trying to collect his scattered wits. - -"B ... b ... but ... kind sir!" he murmured, "y ... y ... you wouldn't -harm Jock Miggs, the shepherd ... would you?" - -"Quick's the word! Now then..." - -"But, good sir ... Oi ... Oi ... Oi've got nowt to deliver..." - -Jock Miggs was pitiful to behold: at any other moment of his life -Bathurst would have felt very sorry for the poor, scared creature, but -that yelping hound was drawing desperately near and he had only a few -minutes at his command. - -"Naught to deliver?" he said with a great show of roughness, and seizing -poor Jock by the collar. - -"Look at your smock!" - -"My smock, kind sir?..." - -"Aye! I've a fancy for your smock ... so off with it ... quick!" - -Jock Miggs struggled up to his feet, he was beginning to gather a small -modicum of courage. He had lived all his life on Brassing Moor and it -was his first serious encounter with an armed gentleman of the road. -Whether 'twas Beau Brocade or no he was too scared to conjecture, but he -had enough experience of the Heath to know that poor folk like himself -had little bodily hurt to fear from highwaymen. - -But of course it was always wisest to obey. As to his old smock... - -"He! he! he! my old smock, sir!" he laughed vaguely and nervously, -"why..." - -"I don't want to knock the poor old cuckoo down," murmured Bathurst to -himself, "but I've just got three minutes before that cur reaches the -top of the clearing and ... Off with your smock, man, or I fire," he -added peremptorily, and pointing the muzzle of his pistol at the -trembling shepherd. - -Miggs had in the meanwhile fully realised that the masked stranger was -in deadly earnest. Why he should want the old smock was more than any -shepherd could conceive, but that he meant to have it was very clear. -Jock uttered a final plaintive word of protest. - -"Kind sir ... but if Oi take off my smock ... I sha'nt be quite d ... d -... decent ... sir ... wi' only my shirt." - -"You shall have my coat," replied Bathurst, decisively. - -"Lud preserve me! ... Your coat, sir!" - -"Yes! it's old and shabby, and my waistcoat too.... Now off with that -smock, or..." - -Once more the muzzle of the pistol gleamed close to Jock Miggs's head. -Without further protest he began to divest himself of his smock. The -process was slow and laborious, and Jack set his teeth not to scream -with the agony of the suspense. - -He himself had had little difficulty in taking off his own coat and -waistcoat, for earlier in the day, before he had been so hard pressed, -the pain in his shoulder had caused him to slip his left arm out of its -sleeve. - -Moreover, the excitement of these last fateful moments kept him at fever -pitch: he was absolutely unconscious of aught save of the rapid flight -of the seconds and the steady approach of dog and men towards the -clearing. - -Even Jock Miggs, who up to now had been too intent on his own adventure -to take much heed of what went on in the gloom beyond, even he perceived -that something unusual was happening on the Moor. - -"What's that?" he asked with renewed terror. - -"A posse of soldiers at my heels," said Beau Brocade, decisively, -"that's why I want your smock, my man, and if I don't get it there'll be -just time to blow out your dull brains before I fall into their hands." - -This last argument was sufficiently convincing. Miggs thought it -decidedly best to obey; he helped his mysterious assailant on with his -own smock, cap and kerchief, and not unwillingly attired himself in Beau -Brocade's discarded coat and waistcoat. - -"A pistol in your belt in case you need it, friend," whispered Bathurst, -rapidly, as he slipped one of the weapons in Miggs's belt, keeping the -other firmly grasped in his own hand. - -There was no doubt that the hound was on the scent now: the men had -ceased shouting but their rapid footsteps could be heard following -closely upon the dog, whose master was muttering a few words of -encouragement. - -Anon there came a whisper, louder than the rest,-- - -"This way!..." - -Then another,-- - -"There's a path here!" - -"Be gy! this confounded darkness!" - -"Steady, Roy! steady, old man! Eh? What?" - -"This way!" - -"Can't you find the trail, old Roy?" - -And the gorse was crackling beneath rapid and stealthy footsteps. There -was now just the width of the clearing between Beau Brocade and his -pursuers. - -"This way, Sergeant. Roy's got the trail again." - -Neither Jock Miggs nor yet Beau Brocade could see what was going on at -the further end of the clearing. The dog, wildly straining against the -leash, was quivering with intense excitement, his master hanging on to -him with all his might. - -Miggs, scared like some sheep lost among a herd of cows, was standing -half-dazed, smoothing down with appreciative fingers the fine cloth of -his new apparel, terrified every time his hand came in contact with the -pistol in his belt. - -But Beau Brocade had crept underneath a heavy clump of gorse and -bramble, and with his finger on the trigger of his weapon he cowered -there, ready for action, his eyes fixed upon the blackness before him. - -The next moment the outline of the hound's head and shoulders became -faintly discernible in the gloom. With nose close to the ground, -powerful jaws dropping and parched tongue hanging out of its mouth, it -was heading straight for the clump of gorse where cowered the hunted -man. - -Beau Brocade took rapid aim and fired. The dog, without a howl, rolled -over on its side, whilst Jock Miggs uttered a cry of terror. - -Then there was an instant's pause. The pursuers, silenced and awed, had -stopped dead, for they had been taken wholly unawares, and for a second -or two waited, expecting and dreading yet another shot. - -Then a mild, trembling voice came to them from the darkness. - -"There 'e is, Sergeant! Just afore you--standing ... see!..." - -The Sergeant and soldiers had no need to be told twice. Their pause had -only been momentary and already they had perceived the outline of Jock -Miggs's figure, standing motionless not far from the body of the dead -dog. - -With a shout of triumph Sergeant and soldiers fell on the astonished -shepherd, whilst the same mild, trembling voice continued to pipe -excitedly,-- - -"Hold 'un tight, Sergeant! Jump on 'im! Tie 'is legs! Sure, an' 'tis -he, the rascal!" - -Jock Miggs had had no chance of uttering one word of protest, for one of -the soldiers, remembering a lesson learnt the day before at the smithy, -had thrown his own heavy coat right over the poor fellow's head, -effectually smothering his screams. Another man had picked up the still -smoking pistol from the ground close to Miggs's feet. - -"Pistols!" said the Sergeant, excitedly. "The pair o' them too," he -added, pulling the other silver-mounted weapon out of Miggs's belt, and -the black mask out of the pocket of his coat: "and silver-mounted, be -gy! ... And his mask! ... Now, my men, off with him.... Tie his legs -together--off with your belts, quick! ... and you, Corporal, keep that -coat tied well over his head ... the rascal's like an eel, and'll -wriggle out of your hands if you don't hold him tight.... Remember -there's a hundred guineas reward for the capture of Beau Brocade." - -Poor old Miggs, smothered within the thick folds of the soldier's coat, -could scarce manage to breathe. The men were fastening his knees and -ankles together with their leather belts, his arms too were pinioned -behind his back. Thus trussed and spitted like a goose ready for -roasting, he felt himself being hauled up on the shoulders of some of -the men and then borne triumphantly away. - -"We've gotten Beau Brocade!" - -"Hip! hip! hurray!" - -And so they marched away, shouting lustily, whilst Beau Brocade remained -alone on the Heath. - -The excitement was over now. He was safe for the moment and free. But -the hour of victory seemed like the hour of death; as the last shouts of -triumph, the last cry of "Hurrah!" died away in the distance, he fell -back against the wet earth; his senses were reeling, the very ground -seemed to be giving way beneath his feet, a lurid, red film to be rising -before his closing lids, blotting out the darkness of the Moor, and that -faint, very faint, streak of grey which had just appeared in the east. - -God, to whom he had cried out in his agony, had given him the respite -for which he had craved. He was safe and free to think ... to think of -her ... and yet now his one longing seemed to be to lie down and rest -... and rest ... and sleep... - -Many a night he had lain thus on the open Moor, with the soft, -sweet-scented earth for his bed, and the tender buds of heather as a -pillow for his head. But to-night he was only conscious of infinite -peace, and his trembling hands drew the worthy shepherd's smock closer -round him. - -His wandering spirit paused awhile to dwell on poor Miggs in his sorry -plight.... Ah, well! the morning would see Jock free again, but in the -meanwhile... - -Then all of a sudden the spirit was back on earth, back to life and to a -mad, scarce understandable hope. His hand had come in contact with a -packet of letters in the pocket of Miggs's smock. - -Far away in the sky the eastern stars had paled before the morning -light. One by one the distant peaks of the Derbyshire hills emerged -from the black mantle of the night, and peeped down on the valley below, -blushing a rosy red. Upon the Heath animal life began to be astir--in -the morass beyond a lazy frog started to croak. - -Beau Brocade had clasped the letters with cold, numb fingers: he drew -them forth and held them before his dimmed eyes. - -"The letters!..." he murmured, trembling with the agony of this great -unlooked-for joy. "The letters!..." - -How they came there, he could not tell. He was too weary, too ill to -guess. But that they were her letters he could not for a moment doubt. -He had found them! God and His angels had placed them in his hands! - -Ah, Fortune! fickle Fortune! the wilful jade and the poor outlaw were to -be even then after all. And 'twas Beau Brocade, highwayman, thief, who -was destined in a few hours to bring her this great happiness. - -"Will she ... will she smile, I wonder..." - -He loved to see her smile, and to watch the soft tell-tale blush slowly -mounting to her cheek. Ah! now he was dreaming ... dreams that never, -never could be. He would bring her back the letters, for he had sworn -to her that she should have them ere the sun had risen twice o'er yon -green-clad hills. And then all would be over, and she would pass out of -his life like a beautiful comet gliding across the firmament of his -destiny. - -A moment but not to stay. - -In the east, far away, rose had changed to gold. From Moor and Heath and -Bogland came the sound of innumerable bird-throats singing the great and -wonderful hymn of praise, hosanna to awakening Nature. - -The outlaw had kept his oath; he turned to where the first rays of the -rising sun shed their shimmering mantle over the distant Tors, and in -one great uplifting of his soul to his Maker he prayed that sweet death -might kiss him when he placed the letters at her feet. - - - - - PART IV - - H.R.H. THE DUKE OF CUMBERLAND - - - - CHAPTER XXX - - SUSPENSE - - -Throughout the whole range of suffering which humanity is called upon to -endure, there is perhaps nothing so hard to bear as suspense. - -The uncertainty of what the immediate future might bring, the -fast-sinking hope, the slowly-creeping despair, the agony of dull, weary -hours: Patience had gone through the whole miserable gamut during that -long and terrible day when, obedient to Bathurst's wishes, she had shut -herself up in the dingy little parlour of the Packhorse and refused to -see anyone save the faithful smith. - -And the news which John Stich brought to her from time to time was -horrible enough to hear. - -He tried to palliate as much as possible the account of that awful -battue organised against Beau Brocade, but she guessed from the troubled -look on the honest smith's face, and from the furtive, anxious glance of -his eyes, that the man whom she had trusted with her whole heart was now -in peril, even more deadly than that which had assailed her brother. - -And with the innate sympathy born of a true and loving heart, she -guessed too how John Stich's simple, faithful soul went out in -passionate longing to his friend, who, alone, wounded, perhaps helpless, -was fighting his last battle on the Heath. - -Yet the trust within her had not died out. Beau Brocade had sworn to do -her service and to bring her back the letters ere the sun had risen -twice o'er the green-clad hills. To her overwrought mind it seemed -impossible that he should fail. He was not the type of man whom fate or -adverse circumstance ever succeeded in conquering, and on his whole -magnetic personality, on the intense vitality of his being, Nature had -omitted to put the mark of failure. - -But the hours wore on and she was without further news. Her terror for -her brother increased the agony of her suspense. She could see that -John Stich too had become anxious about Philip. There was no doubt that -with an organised man-hunt on the Moor the lonely forge by the -cross-roads would no longer be a safe hiding-place for the Earl of -Stretton. The smithy was already marked as a suspected house, and John -Stich was known to be a firm adherent of the Gascoynes and a faithful -friend of Beau Brocade. - -During the course of this eventful day the attention of the Sergeant and -soldiers had been distracted, through Bathurst's daring actions, from -Stich's supposed nephew out o' Nottingham, but as the beautiful -September afternoon turned to twilight and then to dusk, and band after -band of hunters set out to scour the Heath, it became quite clear both -to Patience and to the smith that Philip must be got away from the forge -at any cost. - -He could remain in temporary shelter at the Packhorse, under the guise -of one of Lady Patience's serving-men, at anyrate until another -nightfall, when a fresh refuge could be found for him, according as the -events would shape themselves within the next few hours. - -Therefore, as soon as the shadows of evening began to creep over -Brassing Moor, Stich set out for the cross-roads. He walked at a brisk -pace along the narrow footpath which led up to his forge, his honest -heart heavy at thought of his friend, all alone out there on the Heath. - -The weird echo of the man-hunt did not reach this western boundary of -the Moor, but even in its stillness the vast immensity looked hard and -cruel in the gloom: the outlines of gorse bush and blackthorn seemed -akin to gaunt, Cassandra-like spectres foreshadowing some awful -disaster. - -Within the forge Philip too had waited in an agony of suspense, whilst -twice the glorious sunset had clothed the Tors with gold. - -Driven by hunger and cold out of the hiding-place on the Moor which -Bathurst had found for him, he had returned to the smithy the first -night, only to find John Stich gone and no trace of his newly-found -friend. His sister, he knew, must have started for London, but he was -without any news as to what had happened in the forge, and ignorant of -the gallant fight made therein by the notorious highwayman. - -The hour was late then, and Philip was loth to disturb old Mistress -Stich, John's mother, who kept house for him at the cottage. Moreover, -he had the firm belief in his heart that neither Bathurst nor Stich -would have deserted him, had they thought that he was in imminent -danger. - -Tired out with the excitement of the day, and with a certain amount of -hope renewed in his buoyant young heart, he curled himself up in a -corner of the shed and forgot all his troubles in a sound sleep. - -The next morning found him under the care of old Mistress Stich at the -cottage. She had had no news of John, who had wandered out, so she -said, about two hours after sunset, possibly to find the Captain; but -she thrilled the young man's ears with the account of the daring fight -in the forge. - -"Nay! but they'll never get our Captain!" said the worthy dame, with a -break in her gentle old voice, "and if the whole countryside was after -him they'd never get him. Leastways so says my John." - -"God grant he may speak truly," replied the young man, fervently; "'tis -shame enough on me that a brave man should risk his life for me, whilst -I have to stand idly behind a cupboard door." - -The absence of definite news weighed heavily upon his spirits, and as -the day wore on and neither John Stich nor Bathurst reappeared, his -hopes very quickly began to give way to anxiety and then to despair. -Philip always had a touch of morbid self-analysis in his nature: unlike -Jack Bathurst, he was ever ready to bend the neck before untoward fate, -heaping self-accusation on self-reproach, and thus allowing his spirit -to bow to circumstance, rather than to attempt to defy it. - -And throughout the whole of this day he sat, moody and silent, with the -ever-recurring thought hammering in his brain,-- - -"I ought not to have allowed a stranger to risk his life for me. I -should have given myself up. 'Twas unworthy a soldier and a gentleman." - -By the time the shadows had lengthened on the Moor, and Jack o' Lantern -covered with sweat had arrived riderless at the forge, Philip was -formulating wild plans of going to Wirksworth and there surrendering -himself to the local magistrate. He worked himself up into a fever of -heroic self-sacrifice, and had just resolved only to wait until dawn to -carry out his purpose, when John Stich appeared in the doorway of his -smithy. - -One look in the honest fellow's face told the young Earl of Stretton -that most things in his world were amiss just now. A few eager -questions, and as briefly as possible Stich told him exactly how matters -stood: the letters stolen by Sir Humphrey Challoner, Bathurst's -determination to re-capture them and the organized hunt proceeding this -very night against him. - -"Her ladyship and I both think, my lord, that this place is not safe for -you just now," added John, finally, "and she begs you to come to her at -Brassington as soon as you can. The road is safe enough," added the -smith, with a heavy sigh, "no one'd notice us--they are all after the -Captain, and God knows but perhaps they've got him by now." - -Philip could say nothing, for his miserable self-reproaches had broken -his spirit of obstinacy. His boyish heart was overflowing with sympathy -for the kindly smith. How gladly now would he have given his own life -to save that of his gallant rescuer! - -Obediently he prepared to accede to his sister's wishes. He knew what -agony she must have endured when the letters were filched from her; he -guessed that she would wish to have him near her, and in any case he -wanted to be on the spot, hoping that yet he could offer his own life in -exchange for the one which was being so nobly risked for him. - -Quite quietly, therefore, and without a murmur, he prepared to accompany -Stich back to Brassington. At the Packhorse a serving-man's suit could -easily be found for him, and he would be safe enough there, for a little -while at least. - -John Stich, having tended Jack o' Lantern with loving care, took a hasty -farewell of his mother. While his friend's fate and that of his young -lord hung in the balance he was not like to get back quietly to his -work. - -"The Captain may come back here for shelter mayhap," he said, with a -catch in his throat, as he kissed the old dame "good-bye"; "you'll tend -to him, mother?" - -"Aye! you may be sure o' that, John," replied Mistress Stich, fervently. - -"He'll need a rest mayhap, and some nice warm water; he's such a dandy, -mother, you know." - -"Aye! aye!" - -"And you might lay out his best clothes for him; he may need 'em -mayhap." - -"Aye! I've got 'em laid in lavender for him. That nice sky-blue coat, -think you, John?" - -"Aye, and the fine 'broidered waistcoat, and the black silk bow for his -hair, and the lace ruffles for his wrists, and..." - -Stich broke down, a great lump had risen in his throat. Would the -foppish young dandy, the handsome, light-hearted gallant, ever gladden -the eyes of honest John again? - - - - - CHAPTER XXXI - - "WE'VE GOTTEN BEAU BROCADE!" - - -The presence of Philip at the inn had done much to cheer Patience in her -weary waiting. He and John Stich had reached the Packhorse some time -before cockcrow, and the landlord had been only too ready to do anything -in reason to further the safety of the fugitive, so long as his own -interests were not imperilled thereby. - -This meant that he would give Philip a serving-man's suit and afford him -shelter in the inn, for as long as the authorities did not suspect him -of harbouring a rebel; beyond that he would not go. - -Lady Patience had paid him lavishly for this help and his subsequent -silence. It was understood that the fugitive would only make a brief -halt at Brassington: some more secluded shelter would have to be found -for him on the morrow. - -For the moment, of course, the thoughts of everyone in the village would -be centred in the capture of Beau Brocade. The highwayman had many -friends and adherents in the village, people whom his careless and -open-handed generosity had often saved from penury. To a man almost, -the village folk hoped to see him come out victorious from the awful and -unequal struggle which was going on on the Heath. So strong was this -feeling that the beadle, who was known to entertain revengeful thoughts -against the man who had played him so impudent a trick the day before, -did not dare to show his rubicund face in the bar-parlour of either inn -on that memorable night. - -No one had gone to bed. The men waited about, consuming tankards of -small ale, whilst discussing the possibility of their hero's capture. -The women sat at home with streaming eyes, plaintively wondering who -would help them in future in their distress, if Beau Brocade ceased to -haunt the Heath. - -Patience herself did not close an eye. Her hand clinging to that of -Philip, she sat throughout that long, weary night watching and waiting, -dreading the awful dawn, with the terrible news it would bring. - -And it was when the first rosy light shed its delicate hue over the tiny -old-world village, that the sweet-scented morning air was suddenly -filled with the hoarse triumphal cry,-- - -"We have gotten Beau Brocade!" - -"Hip! hip! hip! hurray!" - -Wearied and dazed with the fatigue of her long vigil, Patience had sunk -into a torpor when those shouts, rapidly drawing nearer to the village, -roused her from this state of semi-consciousness. - -She hardly knew what she had hoped during these past anxious hours: now -that the awful certainty had come, it seemed to stun her with the -unexpectedness of the blow. - -"We've gotten Beau Brocade!" - -The village folk turned out in melancholy groups from the parlour of the -inn; they too had entertained vague hopes that their hero would emerge -unscathed from the perils which encompassed him; to them too the news of -his capture came as that of a sad, irretrievable catastrophe. They -congregated in small, excited numbers on the village green, their stolid -heads shaking sadly at sight of the squad of soldiers, who were bringing -in a swathed-up bundle of humanity, smothered about the head in a -scarlet coat, and with hands and legs securely strapped down with a -couple of military belts. Only the fine brown cloth coat, the -beautifully-embroidered waistcoat and silver-mounted pistol proclaimed -that miserable, helpless bundle to be the gallant Beau Brocade. - -The soldiers themselves were in a wild state of glee; they had carried -their prisoner in triumph all the way from the Heath, and had never -ceased shouting until they had deposited him on the green. Owing to the -unusual hour, and to the absence of His Honour, Squire West, the -pinioned highwayman was to be locked up in the pound until noon. - -In the small private parlour of the Packhorse Patience had sat rigid as -a statue, while those shouts of triumph seemed to strike her heart as -with a hammer. Her fist pressed against her burning mouth, she was -making desperate efforts to smother the scream of agony which would have -rent her throat. - -But with one bound John Stich was soon out of the Packhorse, where he, -too, with aching heart and mind devoured with anxiety, had watched and -waited through the night. - -It did not take him long to reach the green, and using his stalwart -elbows to some purpose, he quickly made a way for himself through the -small crowd and was presently looking down on the huddled figure which -lay helpless on the ground. - -There was the Captain's fine brown coat sure enough, with its ample, -silk-lined, full skirts, and rich, cut-steel buttons; there was the -long, richly-embroidered waistcoat; the lace cuffs at the wrists, and -the handsome sword-belt, through which the finely-chased silver handle -of the pistol still protruded. But John Stich had need but to cast one -glance at the hands, and another at the feet encased in rough -countryman's boots, to realise with a sudden, wild exultation of his -honest heart that in some way or other his Captain had succeeded in once -more playing a trick on his pursuers, and that the man who lay there -muffled on the ground was certainly not Beau Brocade. - -But even in the suddenness of this intense joy and relief, John Stich -was shrewd enough not to betray himself. Obviously every moment, during -which the captors enjoyed their mistaken triumph, was a respite gained -for the hunted man out on the Heath. Therefore when the Sergeant ordered -the rascal to be locked up in the pound awaiting his Honour's orders, -and gave Stich a vigorous rap on the shoulder, saying lustily,-- - -"Well, Master Stich, we've got your friend after all, you see?" - -The smith quietly replied,-- - -"Aye! aye! you've gotten him right enough. No offence, Sergeant! Have a -small ale with me before we all go to bed?" - -"'Tis nowt to me," he added, seeing with intense satisfaction the heavy -bolts of the pound securely pushed home on the unfortunate Jock Miggs. - -The Sergeant was nothing loth, and eagerly followed Stich to the bar of -the Royal George, where small ale now flowed freely until the sun was -high in the heavens. - -But as soon as the smith had seen the soldiers safely installed before -their huge tankards, he rushed out of the inn and across the green, back -to the Packhorse, to bring the joyful news to Lady Patience and her -brother. - -In the privacy of the little back parlour he was able to give free rein -to his joy. - -"They'll never get the Captain," he shouted, tossing his cap in the air, -"and, saving your ladyship's presence, we was all fools to think they -would." - -Patience had said nothing when the smith first brought the news. She -smiled kindly and somewhat mechanically at the exuberance of his joy, -but when honest John once more left her, to glean more detailed account -of the great man-hunt on the Heath, she turned to her brother, and -falling on her knees she buried her fair head against the lad's shoulder -and sobbed in the fulness of her joy as if her heart would break. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXII - - A PAINFUL INCIDENT - - -A few hours later, when hunters and watchers had had a little rest, came -the rude awakening after the hour of triumph. - -Jock Miggs, still trussed and pinioned, had been hauled out of the -pound. Master Inch, the beadle, resplendent in gold-laced coat and the -majesty of his own importance, had taken the order of ceremony into his -own hands. - -His Honour, Squire West, would be round at the Court House about noon, -and Inch, still smarting under the indignity put upon him through the -instrumentality of the highwayman, had devised an additional little plan -of revenge. - -Sir Humphrey Challoner had emphatically declared that the beadle should -be publicly whipped for having dared to lay hands on the Squire of -Hartington's person. Master Inch remembered this possible and appalling -indignity, which mayhap he would be called upon to suffer, and therefore -when the bolts of the pound were first drawn, disclosing the swathed-up -bundle of humanity which was supposed to be the highwayman, the beadle -shouted in his most stentorian, most pompous tones,-- - -"To the pond with him!" - -The soldiers--most of them lads recruited from the Midland counties, and -a pretty rough lot to boot--were only too ready for this additional bit -of horseplay. - -'Twas fun enough to sit an old scold in the ducking-stool, but to carry -on the same game with Beau Brocade, the notorious highwayman, who had -defied the four counties and set every posse of soldiers by the ears, -would be rare sport indeed. - -With a shout of joy they seized Jock Miggs by the legs and shoulders, -and with much laughter and many a lively sally they carried him to the -shallow duck-pond at the further end of the green. Very sadly, and with -many an anxious shake of the head, the village folk followed the little -procession, which was headed by the Sergeant and pompous Master Inch. - -At the moment when the unfortunate shepherd was being swung in mid-air, -preparatory to his immersion in the water, one of the soldiers -laughingly dragged away the coat which swathed poor Miggs's head and -shoulders, and was near suffocating him. - -"We don't want 'im to drown, do we?" he said, just as his comrades -dropped the wretched man straight into the pond. - -Immediately there was a loud cry from beadle and spectators,-- - -"Lud love us all! that bain't Beau Brocade!" - -And one timid voice added,-- - -"Why! 'tis Jock Miggs, the shepherd!" - -The beadle nearly had a fit of apoplectic rage. That cursed highwayman -surely must be in league with the devil himself. The soldiers were -gasping with astonishment, and staring open-mouthed at the dripping -figure of Jock Miggs, who with unruffled stolidity was quietly -struggling out of the water. - -"Lordy! Lordy! these be 'mazing times," he muttered in his vague, -fatalistic way as he shook himself dry in the sunshine, after the manner -of his own woolly sheep-dog. - -"Oho! ho! ha! ha! ha!" came in merry chorus from the crowd of village -folk, "look at Jock Miggs, the highwayman!" - -The soldiers, were absolutely speechless. Master Inch, the beadle, had -said emphatically,-- - -"Damn!" - -Truly there was nothing more to be said: those who were inclined to be -superstitious felt convinced that the devil himself had had something to -do with this amazing substitution. - -That it was Beau Brocade who had been captured on the Heath last night -none of those who were present at the time doubted for a single instant. -To their minds the highwayman had been mysteriously spirited away by the -agency of Satan his friend, who had quietly deposited Jock Miggs, the -shepherd, in his place. - -John Stich, with Mistress Betty beside him, had watched these -proceedings from the other end of the green, fully prepared to come to -Miggs's assistance and to disclose the latter's identity at once if the -horse-play became at all too rough. He now pushed his way through the -group of soldiers, and good-naturedly taking hold of the bewildered -shepherd's arm, he led him to the porch of the Royal George. - -"You'd like to wet your gullet after this, eh, Jock?" he said, as he -ordered a tankard of steaming ale to be brought forthwith to the -dripping man. - -The soldiers, somewhat shamefaced, had pressed into the bar-parlour of -the inn: presently there would be a few broken heads in the village as a -result of the morning's work, but for the moment the yokels had not -begun to chaff: 'twas Jock who was the centre of attraction outside in -the porch, sitting on a bench and sipping large quantities of hot ale. - -"Let's all drink a glass of ale to the health of Jock Miggs, the -highwayman!" came in merry accents from one of the gaffers. - -"Hurrah for Jock Miggs, the highwayman!" was the universal gleeful -chorus. - -"Be gy! Don't he look formidable!" quoth one of the villagers, pointing -at the shepherd's scared figure on the bench. - -"Let me perish!" said another in mock alarm, "but I'se mightily afeeard -o' him." - -Mistress Betty too had mixed with the throng, and was eyeing Jock, with -irrepressible laughter dancing in her saucy little face. - -"Lud! 'tis that funny bit of sheep's wool!" she said gaily. "Faith! and -you do look sadly, Jock Miggs, and no mistake! Have you been in the -pond?" - -"How did 'e foind that out?" queried Miggs, vaguely. "Aye! they dumped -Oi in t' pond, they did ... and nearly throttled Oi ... 'tis a blamed -shame!" - -He had sipped huge tankards of hot ale until he felt thoroughly warm, -and was steaming now like a great loaf just out of the oven. - -"Dumped ye in the pond?" laughed Mistress Betty. "You were no beauty -before, Jock Miggs ... but now ... Oh! Gemini! ... Why, what had you -done?" - -"I'd done nowt!" retorted the bewildered shepherd. "A foine gentleman -he took a fancy to me old smock, he did ... he put a pistol to my head -... then he give me his own beautiful coat for to make me look decent -... and I were just puttin' it on when them soldiers fell on me ... and -nigh throttled me, and clapped me in the pound they did..." - -"Ye seem to have had a rough time o' it, friend Miggs," said John Stich, -kindly. - -"Aye, that be so!" commented Jock, vaguely. "'Mazing times these be!" - -"They mistook you in your fine clothes for Beau Brocade," explained one -of the villagers. - -"May be so!" quoth Miggs. "I dunno." - -But Mistress Betty held up a rosy finger at the unfortunate shepherd, -and said with grave severity,-- - -"Ye are not Beau Brocade, Jock Miggs, are ye?" - -"I dunno!" replied Jock Miggs with imperturbable vagueness. "I don't -rightly know who Oi be! I think them soldiers made a mistake, but I -dunno." - -He was undoubtedly the hero of the hour, and the rest of his morning was -spent in pleasant conviviality with all his friends in the village, -until by about noon the worthy shepherd was really hopelessly at sea as -to who he really was. At one o'clock he became quite convinced that he -was Beau Brocade the highwayman--or at any rate a very dangerous -character--and had only escaped hanging through his reputation of -supernatural cunning and bravery. - -The Sergeant and soldiers were drowning their acute disappointment in -the bar-parlour of the Royal George. They certainly were not in luck, -for even at the very moment when egged on by the Sergeant they were -planning a fresh battue of the Heath, there came into Brassington an -advance guard from the Duke of Cumberland, with the news that His Royal -Highness would pass through the village with his army corps on his way -to the north. The Sergeant was requisitioned to arrange for His -Highness's quarters at the Royal George: the men would not be allowed to -go hunting after a highwayman, in case their officers had need of them -for other purposes. - -All thoughts of a fresh hunt after their elusive quarry would therefore -have to be abandoned until after the army had passed through -Brassington, and Sergeant and soldiers could but hope that they would be -left behind, in order that they might make one more gigantic attempt to -earn the hundred guineas reward, offered for the capture of Beau -Brocade. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIII - - THE AWAKENING - - -John Stich could scarce contain himself for joy. Fate indeed and all the -angels in heaven had ranged themselves on the side of his Captain. - -That Beau Brocade should have emerged unconquered after all out of the -terrible position in which he was placed last night, seemed to the -worthy smith nothing short of miraculous, and only accomplished through -the special agency of heaven, whose most cherished child the gallant -highwayman most undoubtedly was, in his friend's enthusiastic -estimation. - -For the moment, therefore, the kindly smith felt tolerably happy about -his friend. The presence of His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland -with his army corps in this part of the country would do much towards -keeping the Sergeant and soldiers' attention away from the Heath, at any -rate for a day or two. Perhaps the squad now quartered at Brassington -would be drafted to one of the regiments, and a fresh contingent, -composed of men who'd have no special bone to pick with the highwayman, -left behind for the still active hunt against the rebels. - -But this train of thought brought the faithful smith's mind back to the -Earl of Stretton and the stolen letters. Reassured momentarily as to -his friend, he was still aware of the grave peril which threatened his -young lord. - -Neither he nor Lady Patience could conjecture what had become of the -letters. Sir Humphrey Challoner, after his woeful adventure in -Brassington, had condescended to accept Squire West's hospitality for -the nonce. Stich had spied him in the course of the morning, walking in -the direction of the village in close conversation with his familiar, -Master Mittachip, attorney-at-law. In spite of the momentary respite in -his anxiety, the smith felt that there lay still the real danger to Beau -Brocade and to Lord Stretton. Moreover, by now he longed to see his -friend and to learn how he'd fared. Vaguely in his honest heart he -feared that the young man had succumbed on the Heath to pain and -fatigue, and mayhap had failed to reach the forge. - -When he saw the entire population of Brassington busy with Jock Miggs, -and the soldiers intent on the news from the Duke of Cumberland's -advance guard, he determined to set out for the crossroads, in the hopes -of finding the Captain at the forge. - -He had just crossed the green and turned into the narrow bridle-path -which led straight to his smithy, when he spied a yokel, dressed in a -long smock and wearing a broad-brimmed hat, coming slowly towards him. -The man was leaning heavily on a thick knotted stick and seemed to be -walking with obvious pain and fatigue. - -Some unexplainable instinct caused the smith to wait awhile until the -yokel came a little nearer. This corner of the village was quite -deserted; the laughter of the folk assembled round the Royal George -could be heard only as a distant echo from across the green. The next -moment the smith uttered a quickly-suppressed cry of astonishment as he -recognised Bathurst's face underneath the broad-brimmed hat. - -"Sh! ... sh ... sh!" whispered the young man hurriedly--"her ladyship? -... can I see her?" - -"Yes! yes!" replied John, whose honest eyes were resting anxiously on -his friend's pallid face, "but you, Captain? ... you?..." - -He did not like to formulate the question, and Bathurst interrupted him -quickly. - -"I've rested awhile at the forge, John ... your mother was an angel ... -and now I want to see her ladyship." - -John's honest heart misgave him. His friend's fresh young voice sounded -hoarse and unnatural, there was a restless, feverish glitter in his -eyes, and the slender, tapering hand which rested on the stick trembled -visibly. - -"You ought to be in bed, Captain," he muttered gruffly, "and well nursed -too; you are ill..." - -"I am sufficiently alive, friend, at any rate to serve Lady Patience to -the end." - -"I'll go tell her ladyship," said the smith, with a sigh. - -"Say a man from the village would wish to speak with her.... Don't -mention my name, John ... she'll not know me, I think.... 'Tis best -that she should not.... And I look a miserable object enough, don't I?" -he added with a feeble laugh. - -"Her ladyship would command you to rest if she knew..." - -"I don't wish her to know, friend," said Jack, smiling in spite of -himself at the good fellow's vehemence, "her tender pity would try to -wean me from my purpose, which is to serve her with the last breath left -in me. And now, quick, John.... Don't worry about me, old friend.... I -am only a little tired after that scramble on the Heath ... and the -wound that limb of Satan dealt me is at times rather troublesome.... -But I am very tough, you know.... All my plans are made, and I'll -follow you at a little distance. Beg her ladyship to speak with me in -the passage of the inn ... 'twould excite too much attention if I went -up to her parlour.... No one'll know me, never fear." - -John knew of old how useless it was to argue with the Captain once he -had set his mind on a definite course of action. Without further -protest, therefore, and yet with a heavy heart, he turned and quickly -walked back through the village to the Packhorse, followed at some -little distance by Bathurst. - -In order to arouse as little suspicion as possible, it had been -necessary for the young Earl of Stretton to mix from time to time with -the servant and the barman of the inn. He was supposed to be an -additional serving-man, come to help at the Packhorse in view of her -ladyship's unexpected stay there. In this out-of-the-way village of -Brassington no one knew him by sight, and he was in comparative safety -here, until nightfall, when he meant to strike up country again for -shelter. - -He was standing in the shadow behind the bar, when John Stich entered -the parlour, bearing the message from Beau Brocade. The room was dark -and narrow, over-filled with heavy clouds of tobacco smoke and with the -deafening clamour of loud discussions and exciting narratives carried on -by two or three soldiers and some half-dozen villagers over profuse -tankards of ale. - -John Stich managed to reach Philip's ear without exciting attention. -The young man at once slipped out of the room, in order to tell his -sister that a yokel bearing important news would wish to speak with her -privately. - -Her heart beating with eagerness and apprehension, Patience hurried down -the narrow stairs, and in the passage found herself face to face with a -man dressed in a long, dingy smock, and whose features she could not -distinguish beneath the broad brim of his hat. - -He raised a respectful hand to his forelock as soon as he was in her -ladyship's presence, but did not remove his hat. - -"You wished to speak with me, my man?" asked Lady Patience, eagerly. - -"I have a message for to deliver to Lady Patience Gascoyne," said -Bathurst, whose voice, hoarse and quavering with fatigue, needed no -assumption of disguise. He kept his head well bent, and the passage was -very dark. - -Patience, with her thoughts fixed on the gallant, upright figure she had -last seen so full of vitality and joy in the little inn-parlour -upstairs, scarce gave more than a passing glance to the stooping form, -leaning heavily on a stick before her. - -"Yes, yes," she said impatiently, "you have a message? From whom?" - -"I don't rightly know, my lady ... a gentleman 'twas ... on the Heath -this morning ... he give me this letter for your ladyship." - -Burying his tell-tale, slender hand well inside the capacious sleeve of -Jock Miggs's smock, Bathurst handed Patience a note written by himself. -She took it from him with a glad little cry, and when he turned to go -she put a restraining hand on his arm. - -"Wait till I've read the letter," she said, "I may wish to send an -answer." - -She unfolded the letter slowly, very slowly, he standing close beside -her and watching the tears gathering in her eyes as she began to read, -murmuring the words half audibly to herself:-- - - -"Have no fear. I have the letters, and with your permission will take -them straight to London. I have a powerful friend there who will help -me to place them before the King and Council without delay. To carry -this safely through it is important that I should not be seen again in -Brassington, as Sir Humphrey Challoner luckily has lost track of me for -the moment, and I can be at Wirksworth before nightfall, and on my way -to London before another dawn. Your enemy will keep watch on _you_, so I -entreat you to stay in Brassington so as to engage his attention, whilst -I go to London with the letters. His lordship would be safest, I think, -in the cottage of old Widow Coggins at Aldwark. It has been my good -fortune to do her some small service; she'll befriend his lordship for -my sake. John Stich will convey him thither as soon as maybe. I -entreat you to be of good cheer. A few days will see your brother a -free man, and rid you for ever of your enemy. Believe me, the plan I -have had the honour to set forth is safe and quick, and on my knees I -beg you to allow me to carry it through in your service." - - -She folded the letter and then slipped it into the folds of her gown. - -Through the open doorway behind her a ray of sunshine came shyly peeping -in, framing her graceful figure with a narrow fillet of gold. They were -alone in the passage, and she, intent upon the precious letter, was -taking no notice of him: thus he could feast his eyes once more upon his -dream, his beautiful white rose, drooping with the dew, the graceful -silhouette outlined against the sunlit picture beyond, the queenly head, -with its wealth of soft golden hair, bent with rapt attention on the -letter which trembled in her hand. - -His whole being ached with mad passionate longing for her, his lips -burned with a desire to cover her neck and throat with kisses, yet he -would have knelt on the flagstones before her and worshipped as did the -saints before Our Lady's shrine. In his heart was a great joy that he -could do her service, and a strange, wild hope that he might die for -her. - -"The gentleman who gave you this letter..." she said with a slight catch -in her low, melodious voice. "You saw him? ... He was well? ... How did -he look?..." - -Her eyes now were swimming in tears, and Bathurst had much ado to still -the mad beating of his heart, and to force his voice to a natural tone. - -"Lud, my lady," he said, "but he was just like any other body Oi -thought." - -"Not ill?" - -"Noa! noa! not that Oi could see." - -"Go back to him, friend," she said, with sudden eagerness, "tell him -that he must come to me at once ... I ... I would speak with him." - -It required all Bathurst's firm strength of will not to betray himself -before her. The tender pleading in her eyes, the gentle, womanly -sympathy in her voice, set all his pulses beating. But he had made up -his mind that she should not know him just then. A look, a cry, might -give him away, and there was but one chance now to be of useful service -to her, and that was to take the letters at once to London, whilst their -joint enemy had for the nonce no thought of him. - -Therefore he contrived to say quite stolidly,-- - -"Noa, noa, the gentleman said to Oi, 'You can bring a message, but th' -lady mustn't come nigh me!'" - -She gave a quick little sigh of disappointment. - -"Then, my good fellow," she said, "try to remember ... tell him ... tell -him ... I would wish to thank him ... tell him.... Nay! nay!" she -suddenly added, pulling a faded white rose from her belt, "tell him -nothing ... but give him this flower ... in token that I have received -his letter ... and will act as he bids me.... You'll remember?" - -He dared not trust himself to speak, but as she held out the rose to him -he took it from her hand and involuntarily his finger-tips came in -contact with hers just for a second ... long enough for the divine -magnetism of his great love to pass from him to her. - -She seized hold of his hand, for in that one magnetic touch she had -recognised him. Her heart gave a great leap of joy, the joy of being -near him once more, of again feeling the tender, grey eyes resting with -passionate longing on her face. But she uttered neither cry nor word, -for it was a great, silent and godlike moment--when at last she -understood. - -He had stooped still lower and rested his burning lips upon her cool -fingers, and upon the rose which she had worn at her breast. - -Neither of them spoke, for their hearts were in perfect unison, their -whole being thrilled with the wild, jubilant echo of a divine hosanna, -and around them the legions of God's angels made a rampart of snow-white -wings, to shut out all the universe from them, leaving them alone with -their love. - - - CHAPTER XXXIV - - A LIFE FOR A LIFE - - -That moment was brief, as all such great and happy moments are. - -But a few seconds had passed since both her hands had rested in his, and -he forgot the world in that one kiss upon her finger-tips. - -The next instant a fast-approaching noise of hurrying footsteps, -accompanied by much shouting, roused them from their dream. - -Both through the back and the front door a crowd of excited soldiers had -pushed their way into the inn, whilst the folk in the bar-parlour, -attracted by the sudden noise, pressed out into the narrow passage to -see what was happening. - -John Stich, foremost amongst these, made a rush for Patience's side. -She found herself suddenly pressed back towards the foot of the stairs, -and face to face with a noisy group of village folk, through which the -Sergeant and some half-dozen soldiers were roughly pushing their way. - -She looked round her, helpless and bewildered. Jack Bathurst had -disappeared. - -The whole thing had occurred in the brief space of a few seconds, even -before Patience had had time to realise that anything was amiss. - -The narrow staircase, at the foot of which she now stood, led straight -up to the private parlour, where Philip was even now awaiting her -return. - -"Out of the way, you rascals," the Sergeant was shouting, whilst -elbowing his way through the small group of gaping yokels, and pressing -forward towards the stairs. - -"Will your ladyship allow me the privilege of conducting you out of this -crowd?" said a suave voice at Patience's elbow. - -Sir Humphrey Challoner, closely followed by the obsequious Mittachip, -had pushed his way into the inn, in the wake of the soldiers, and was -now standing between her and the crowd, bowing very deferentially and -offering her his arm, to conduct her upstairs. - -But a few moments ago he had heard the startling news that Jock Miggs -had been captured on the Heath, in mistake for Beau Brocade. As far as -Sir Humphrey could ascertain nothing of importance had been found on the -shepherd's person, and in a moment he realised that, through almost -supernatural cunning, the highwayman must have succeeded in filching the -letters, and by now had no doubt once more restored them to Lady -Patience. - -All the scheming, the lying, the treachery of the past few days had -therefore been in vain; but Sir Humphrey Challoner was not the man to -give up a definite purpose after the first material check to his plans. -If her ladyship was once more in possession of the letters, they must be -got away from her again. That was all. And if that cursed highwayman -was still free to-day, 'sdeath but he'll have to hang on the morrow. - -In the meanwhile Philip's momentary safety was a matter of the greatest -moment to Sir Humphrey Challoner. If that clumsy lout of a Sergeant got -hold of the lad, all Sir Humphrey's schemes for forcing Lady Patience's -acceptance of his suit by means of the precious letters would -necessarily fall to the ground. - -But instinctively Patience recoiled from him; his suave words, his -presence near her at this terrible crisis, frightened her more -effectually than the Sergeant's threatening attitude. She drew close to -John Stich, who had interposed his burly figure between the soldiers and -the foot of the stairs. - -"Out of the way, John Stich," shouted the Sergeant, peremptorily, "this -is not your forge, remember, and by G---- I'll not be tricked again." - -"Those are her ladyship's private rooms," retorted the smith, without -yielding one inch of the ground. "Landlord," he shouted at the top of -his voice, "I call upon you to protect her ladyship from these -ruffians." - -"You insult His Majesty's uniform," quoth the Sergeant, briefly, "and do -yourself no good, smith. As for the landlord of this inn, he interferes -'tween me and my duty at his peril." - -"But by what right do you interfere with me, Master Sergeant?" here -interposed Lady Patience, trying to assume an indifferent air of calm -haughtiness. "Do you know who I am?" - -"Aye! that I do, my lady!" responded the Sergeant, gruffly, "and that's -what's brought me here this morning. Not half an hour ago I heard that -Lady Patience Gascoyne was staying at the Packhorse, and now the folks -say that a new serving-man came to give a helping hand here. He arrived -in the middle of the night, it seems. Strange time for a serving-man to -turn up, ain't it?" - -"I know nothing of any servant at this inn, and I order you at once to -withdraw your men, and not to dare further to molest me." - -"Your pardon, my lady, but my orders is my orders: I have been sent here -by His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland hisself to hunt out all the -rebels who are in hiding in these parts. I've strict orders to be on -the lookout for Philip James Gascoyne, Earl of Stretton, who, I -understand, is your ladyship's own brother, and as I've a right o' -search, I mean to see who else is staying in those rooms upstairs -besides your ladyship." - -"This is an outrage, Sergeant!" - -"Maybe, my lady," he retorted drily, "but with us soldiers orders is -orders, saving your presence. I was tricked at the smithy, and again on -the Heath. My belief is that we were hunting a bogey last night, There -may or mayn't be any highwayman called Beau Brocade, but there was a -fine young gallant at the forge the day afore yesterday, who did for me -and my men, and I'll take my oath that he was none other than the rebel, -Philip Gascoyne, Earl of Stretton." - -"'Tis false and you talk like a madman, Sergeant." - -"Maybe! but your ladyship'll please stand aside until I've searched -those rooms upstairs, or I'll have to order my men to lay hands on your -ladyship. Now then, John Stich, stand aside in the name of the King!" - -John Stich did not move, and Lady Patience still stood defiant and -haughty at the foot of the stairs. The villagers, stolid and stupid, -were staring open-mouthed, not daring to interfere. But of course it -was only a question of seconds, the worthy smith could not guard the -staircase for long against the Sergeant and a dozen soldiers, and in any -case nothing would be of any avail. Philip in the room upstairs was -trapped like a fox in its lair, and nothing could save him now from -falling into the soldiers' hands. - -In vain she sought for Bathurst among the crowd: with wild, unreasoning -agony she longed for him in this moment of her greatest need, and he was -not there. She felt sure that if only he were near her he would think -of something, do something, to avert the appalling catastrophe. - -"I give your ladyship one minute's time to stand quietly aside," said -the Sergeant, roughly. "After that I give my men orders to lay hands on -you, and on any one who dares to interfere." - -"Give me the letters," whispered Sir Humphrey Challoner, insinuatingly, -in her ear. "I can yet save your brother." - -"How?" she murmured involuntarily. - -He looked up towards the top of the stairs. - -"Then he _is_ up there?" - -She did not reply. It was useless to deny it, the next few moments -would bring the inevitable. - -"Stand back, Sergeant," quoth John Stich, defiantly. "I have the honour -to protect her ladyship's person against any outrage from you." - -"Good words, smith," retorted the Sergeant, "but I tell ye I've been -tricked twice by you and I mean to know the reason why. Let her -ladyship allow me to search the room upstairs and I'll not lay hands on -her." - -"Ye shall not pass," repeated the smith, obstinately. - -"The letters," whispered Sir Humphrey, "give me the letters and I pledge -you my honour that I can save him yet." - -But half mad with terror and misery, scornful, defiant, she turned on -him. - -"Your honour!" she said, with infinite contempt. - -But in her inmost heart she murmured in agonised despair,-- - -"What's to be done? Oh, God, protect him!" - -"Stand back, John Stich," repeated the Sergeant, for the third time, "or -I give my men the order to charge. Now then, my men!" - -"Ye shall not pass!" was the smith's persistent, obstinate answer to the -challenge. - -"Forward!" shouted the soldier in a loud voice. "Into it, my men! Use -your bayonets if anyone interferes with ye!" - -The soldiers, nothing loth, were ready for the attack: there had already -been too much parleying to suit their taste. They had been baffled too -often in the last few days to be in the mood to dally with a woman, be -she her ladyship or no. - -With a loud cry they made a dash for the stairway, which behind Stich -and Lady Patience lost itself in the gloom above. - -And it was from out this darkness that at this moment a light-hearted, -fresh young voice struck upon the astonished ears of all those present. - -"Nay! too much zeal, friend Stich. Stand aside, I pray you. Faith! -it'll give me great pleasure to converse with these gallant lobsters." - -And Jack Bathurst, pushing the bewildered smith gently to one side, came -down the stairs with a smile upon his face, calm, debonnair, dressed as -for a feast. - -He had discarded Jock Miggs's long smock, broad-brimmed hat and -kerchief, and appeared in all the gorgeous finery of the beautiful -lavender-scented clothes, he had donned at the forge with the kindly aid -of Mistress Stich. He was still very pale and there were a few lines of -weariness and of bodily pain round the firm, sensitive mouth, but his -grey eyes, deep-sunk and magnetic, glowed with the keen fire of intense -excitement. The coat of fine blue cloth set off his tall, trim figure -to perfection. His left hand was tucked into the opening of his -exquisitely embroidered waistcoat, and dainty ruffles of delicate -Mechlin lace adorned his neckcloth and wrists. As he appeared there, -handsome, foppish and smiling, 'twas no wonder that the countryside had -nicknamed him Beau Brocade. - -"Well! my gallant friend!" he said, addressing the Sergeant, since the -latter seemed too astonished to speak, "what is it you want with me, -eh?" - -The Sergeant was gradually recovering his breath. Fate apparently was -playing into his hands. It was almost too bewildering for any bluff -soldier to realise, but it certainly seemed pretty clear that the rebel -Earl of Stretton and Beau Brocade the highwayman were one and the same -person. - -"You are Philip Gascoyne, Earl of Stretton?" he asked at last. - -"Faith! you've guessed that, have you?" responded Bathurst, gaily. -"Odd's life, 'tis marvellous how much penetration lies hidden beneath -that becoming coat of yours." - -"Then, Philip Gascoyne, Earl of Stretton, you are attainted by -Parliament for high treason, and I arrest you in the name of the King!" - -There were indeed many conflicting emotions raging in the hearts of all -those present whilst this brief colloquy was going on. - -John Stich, accustomed to implicit obedience where his Captain's actions -were concerned, had not dared to speak or stir. Sir Humphrey Challoner, -completely thrown off his mental balance by the unexpected appearance of -Bathurst, was hastily trying to make up his bewildered mind as to what -was now best to be done. - -As to Patience herself, at first a great, an overwhelming joy and pride -had seized her at the thought that he was near her now, that he had not -deserted her in the hour of her greatest need, that once again he had -interposed his magnetic, powerful personality between her and the danger -which threatened her and Philip. - -It was only when the Sergeant's momentous words, "I arrest you in the -name of the King!" rang out clearly and decisively above the loud tumult -which was beating in her heart, that she became aware of the deadly -peril which threatened the man she loved. - -True, he had come once more between her and danger, but once again he -had done it at risk of his life, and was like at last to lay it down for -her. - -She had been standing a little to one side, turning, as all had done, -toward the elegant, foppish figure in the fine clothes and dainty -ruffles of lace, but now she stepped forward with mad, unreasoning -impulse, thrusting herself between him and the Sergeant, and trying to -shield him behind the folds of her cloak. - -"No! no! no! no!" she said excitedly. "Sergeant, 'tis all a mistake! ... -I swear..." - -But already Jack Bathurst had bent forward, and had contrived to -whisper, unheard by all save her,-- - -"Hush--sh--your brother ... remember his danger..." - -"Your pardon, lady," said the Sergeant, seeing that she paused, -irresolute, not knowing what to do in face of this terrible alternative -which was confronting her. "Your pardon, lady, but this gentleman is -Philip, Earl of Stretton, is he not?" - -"For your brother's sake," whispered Bathurst once more. - -"No ... yes ... Oh! my God!" murmured Patience, in the agony of this -appalling misery. - -Her brother or the man she loved. One or the other betrayed by one word -from her, now at this moment, with no time to pray to God for help or -guidance, no chance of giving her own life for both! - -"Out on you, friend," said Bathurst, lightly, "do you not see her -ladyship is upset. Nay! have no fear, I'll follow you quietly!" he -added, seeing that the Sergeant and soldiers were making a motion to -surround him, "but you'll grant me leave to say farewell to my sister?" - -The Sergeant could not very well refuse. He was at heart a humane man, -and now that he was sure of this important capture, he would have done a -good deal to ingratiate himself, through little acts of courtesy, with -Lady Patience Gascoyne. - -However, he had no mind to be tricked again, and in face of an almost -immediate execution for high treason, the prisoner seemed -extraordinarily self-possessed and cheerful. But for her ladyship's -obvious despair and sorrow, the worthy Sergeant might even now have had -some misgivings. - -As it was, he told off three men to mount the stairs, and to stand on -guard at the top of them, in case the prisoner made a dash that way, in -the hopes of reaching the roof. The Sergeant still kept an idea in his -mind that some supernatural agency was at work in favour of this -extraordinary man, who up to now had seemed to bear a charmed life. He -had the little narrow passage and hall of the inn cleared of the gaping -yokels, who went off one by one, scratching their addled polls, -wondering what it all meant, and who was Beau Brocade. Was he the Earl -of Stretton? was he the highwayman? or some pixie from the Heath with -power to change himself at will? - -Sir Humphrey Challoner retired within the shadow of the stairway. On -the whole he preferred to leave the events to shape their own course. -In one way Fate had befriended him. Whether hanged in his own name or -in that of the Earl of Stretton, the highwayman would within the next -few hours be safely out of the way, and then it would be easier no doubt -to obtain possession of the letters once again. - -He too like the Sergeant and soldiers, felt an instinctive dread of -supernatural agency in connection with Beau Brocade. In these days -there existed still a deeply-rooted belief in witchcraft, and the -educated classes were not altogether proof against the popular -superstitions. - -Sir Humphrey had a curious, intense hatred for the man who had so -chivalrously championed Lady Patience's cause. His own love for her was -so selfish and lustful that overpowering jealousy formed its chief -characteristic. He was frantically, madly jealous of Jack Bathurst, for -with the keen eyes of the scorned suitor, he had noted the look of joy -and pride in her face when the young man first appeared on the stairs, -and he alone of all those present knew how to interpret her obvious -despair, her terrible misery, when brought face to face with the awful -alternative of giving up her brother or the man she loved. - -Sir Humphrey swore some heavy oaths under his breath at thought of the -scorn with which she had rejected him. Womanlike, she had yielded to -the blandishments of that thief, and proud Lady Patience Gascoyne had -fallen in love with a highwayman! - -But now Fate meant to be kind to Sir Humphrey. With that chivalrous -coxcomb out of the way, Lady Patience would be once more at his mercy. -Philip was still a fugitive under the ban of attainder, and the letters -could be got hold of once again, unless indeed the devil, with an army -of witches and evil sprites, came to the assistance of that rascal Beau -Brocade. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXV - - QUITS - - -Hemmed in by a compact little group of soldiers at the foot of the -stairs, and with three men on guard at the head of it, Bathurst and -Patience had but a few minutes in which to live these last brief moments -of their love. - -She clung passionately to him, throwing aside all the haughty reserve of -her own proud nature: conquered by her great love: a woman only, whose -very life was bound up in his. - -"They shall not take you!" she moaned in the agony of her despair. -"They shall not.... I will not let you go!" - -And he held her in his arms now, savouring with exquisite delight this -happiest moment of his life, the joy of feeling her tender form clinging -to him in passionate sorrow, to see the tears gathering in her blue -eyes, one by one, for him and to know that her love--her great, -measureless, divine love--was at last wholly his. - -But the moments were brief, and the Sergeant below was already waxing -impatient. He drew her gently into a dark angle of the stairs, up -against the banisters, and taking the packet of letters from his pocket, -he pressed them into her hand. - -"The letters! quick!" he whispered. "God guard you and him!" - -"The letters?" she murmured mechanically. - -"Aye! I can do nothing now ... but try to see the Duke of Cumberland -before you go to London, show him the letters.... He may be in this -village to-day ... if not, you can see him at Wirksworth.... He has -power to stay execution even if your brother is arrested ... he might -use it, if he had seen the letters..." - -"Yes! yes!" she murmured. - -Sorrow seemed to have dazed her, she did not quite know what she was -doing, but her left hand closed instinctively over the precious packet, -then dropped listlessly by her side. - -Neither she nor Bathurst had perceived a thin, attenuated figure -hoisting itself monkey-wise over the dark portion of the banisters. - -"Try and hear what those two are saying," Sir Humphrey had whispered, -and the attorney, obedient and obsequious, had made a desperate effort -to do as he was bid. The staircase was but partially lighted by a -glimmer of daylight, which came slanting round the corner from the -passage. The banisters were in complete shadow, and the Sergeant and -soldiers were too intent on watching their prisoner to notice Master -Mittachip or Sir Humphrey. - -The next moment Patience felt a terrific wrench on all her fingers; even -as she uttered a cry of pain and alarm, the packet of letters was torn -out of her hand from behind, and she was dimly conscious of a dark -figure clambering over the banisters and disappearing into the darkness -below. - -But with a mad cry of rage Jack Bathurst had bounded after that -retreating figure; wholly taken by surprise, he only saw the dim outline -of Mittachip's attenuated form, as the latter hastily dropped the packet -of letters at Sir Humphrey Challoner's feet, who stooped to pick them -up. Like an infuriated wild beast Jack fell on Sir Humphrey. - -"You limb of Satan!" he gasped. "You ... you.... Give me back those -letters! ... Stich! Stich! quick!..." - -The force of the impact had thrown both men to the ground. Bathurst was -gripping his antagonist by the throat with fingers of steel. But -already the Sergeant and his men had come to the rescue, dragging Jack -away from the prostrate figure of Sir Humphrey, whilst the soldiers from -above had run down and were forcibly keeping John Stich in check. - -Freed from his powerful antagonist, his Honour quietly picked himself -up, readjusted his crumpled neckcloth and flicked the dust from off his -coat. He was calmly thrusting the packet of letters in his pocket, -whilst the Sergeant was giving orders to his men to bind their prisoner -securely, if he offered further resistance. - -"Sergeant!" said Bathurst, despairingly, "that miscreant has just stolen -some letters belonging to her ladyship." - -"Silence, prisoner!" commented the Sergeant. "You do yourself no good by -this violence." - -It seemed as if Fate meant to underline this terrible situation with a -final stroke of her ironical pen, for just then the quiet village street -beyond suddenly became alive with repeated joyous shouts and noise of -tramping feet. In a moment the dull, monotonous air of Brassington was -filled with a magnetic excitement which seemed to pervade all its -inhabitants at once, and even penetrated within the small dingy inn, -where the last act of a momentous drama was at this moment being played. - -"It must be the Duke of Cumberland's army!" quoth the Sergeant, -straining his ears to catch the sound of a fast-approaching cavalcade. - -"Then you'll please His Royal Highness with the smart capture you've -made, Sergeant," said Sir Humphrey, with easy condescension. - -This was indeed Fate's most bitter irony. "The Duke has power to stay -execution, and would use it if you showed him the letters!" These were -the last words of counsel Bathurst had given Patience, and now with -freedom for her brother almost within her grasp, she was powerless to do -aught to save him. - -"The letters, Sir Humphrey!" she murmured imploringly, "an you've a -spark of honour left in you." - -"Nay!" he retorted under his breath, with truly savage triumph, "an you -don't close your lover's mouth, I'll hand your brother over to these -soldiers too, and then destroy the letters before your eyes." - -He turned, and for a moment regarded with an almost devilish sneer the -spectacle of his enemy rendered helpless at last. Bathurst, like some -fettered lion caught in a trap, was still making frantic efforts to free -himself, until a violent wrench on his wounded shoulder threw him half -unconscious on his knees. - -"Ha! ha! ha!" laughed Sir Humphrey, "I think, my chivalrous friend, you -and I are even at last." - -"Come, prisoner, you'd best follow me quietly now," said the Sergeant, -touched in spite of himself by Patience's terrible sorrow. - -But at Sir Humphrey's final taunt Jack Bathurst had shaken off the -deadly feeling of sickness which was beginning to conquer him. He threw -back his head, and with the help of the soldiers struggled again to his -feet. The clamour outside was beginning to be louder and more -continuous: through it all came the inspiriting sound of a -fast-approaching regimental band. - -"The Duke of Cumberland, is it, Sergeant?" he said suddenly. - -"Marching through the village on his way to the north," assented the -Sergeant. "Now then, prisoner..." - -"Nay, then, Sergeant," shouted Jack in a loud voice, as, wrenching his -right arm from the grasp of the soldier who held him, he pointed to Sir -Humphrey Challoner, "detain that man! ... An I am the rebel Earl of -Stretton, he was my accomplice, and has all the papers relating to our -great conspiracy at this moment about his person ... the door!--the -door!" he added excitedly, "take care! ... he'll escape you! ... and he -has papers on him now that would astonish the King." - -Instinctively the soldiers had rushed for both the doorways, and when -Sir Humphrey, with a shrug of the shoulders, made a movement as if to -go, the Sergeant barred the way and said,-- - -"One moment, sir." - -"You would dare?" retorted Sir Humphrey, haughtily. "Are you such a -consummate fool as not to see that that man is raving mad?" - -"Search him, Sergeant!" continued Bathurst, excitedly, "you'll find the -truth of what I say.... Search him ... her ladyship knows he was my -accomplice.... Search him!--the loss of those papers'd cost you your -stripes." - -The Sergeant was not a little perplexed. Already, the day before, the -seizure of Sir Humphrey Challoner's person had been attended with -disastrous consequences for the beadle of Brassington, and now.... - -No doubt the Sergeant would never have ventured, but the near approach -of the Duke of Cumberland's army, and of his own superior officers, gave -the worthy soldier a certain amount of confidence. He had full rights -and powers of search, and had been sent to this part of the country to -hunt for rebels. He had been tricked and hoodwinked more often than he -cared to remember, and he knew that his superior officers would never -blame him for following up a clue, even if thereby he was somewhat -overstepping his powers. - -"The papers," continued Bathurst, "the papers which'll prove his guilt -... the papers! or he'll destroy them." - -The Sergeant gave a last look at his prisoner. He seemed secure enough -guarded by three men, who were even now strapping his hands behind his -back. The accusation therefore could be no trick to save his own skin, -and who knows? if the Earl of Stretton was a rebel lord, then why not -the Squire of Hartington? - -"Seize him, and search him!" commanded the Sergeant, "in the name of the -King!" - -"Your pardon, sir," he added deferentially, "but the Duke of Cumberland -is within earshot almost, and I should be cashiered if I neglected my -duty." - -"This is an outrage!" cried Sir Humphrey, who had become purple with -rage. - -"It's doing your Honour no harm! and if I've done wrong no doubt I shall -be punished. Search him, my men!" - -It was Sir Humphrey's turn now to be helpless in the hands of the -soldiers. He knew quite well that the Sergeant was within his duty and -would certainly not get punished for this. Worse outrages than this -attempt on his august person had been committed in the Midlands on -important personages, on women and even children, during this terrible -campaign against fugitive rebels. - -Less than five seconds had elapsed when the soldier drew the packet of -letters from Sir Humphrey's pocket and handed it to his Sergeant. - -"They'd best be for His Royal Highness's own inspection," said the -latter, quietly, as he slipped them inside his scarlet coat. - -"Aye! for His Royal Highness!" quoth Jack Bathurst in mad, wild, -feverish glee. "Oh, now is it that your Honour thought you could be -even with me? What?" - -Sir Humphrey was speechless with the hopelessness of his baffled rage. -But Patience, almost hysterical with the intensity of her relief after -the terrible suspense which she had just endured, had fallen back half -fainting against the stairs, and murmuring,-- - -"The letters! ... Before His Royal Highness! ... Thank God! ... Thank -God!..." - -Then suddenly she drew herself up, and laughing, crying, joyous, happy, -she flew upstairs shouting,-- - -"Philip!--Philip!--come down!--come down! ... you are safe!..." - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVI - - THE AGONY OF PARTING - - -About half an hour ago, when Jack Bathurst suddenly burst in upon Lord -Stretton in the dingy little parlour upstairs, he gave the lad no -inkling of what was happening down below. He had hastily discarded Jock -Miggs's smock and hat and extracted a solemn promise from Philip not to -stir from the parlour, whatever might be the tumult downstairs. - -Then he had left the boy chafing like a wild beast in its cage. The -heavy oak doors and thick walls of the old-fashioned inn deadened all -the sounds from below, and Bathurst had taken the precaution of locking -the door behind him. But for this, no doubt Philip would have broken -his word, sooner than allow his chivalrous friend once more to risk his -life for him. - -As the noise below grew louder and louder, Stretton became more and more -convinced that some such scene as had been enacted a day or two ago at -the forge was being repeated in the hall of the Packhorse. He tried -with all his might to force open the door which held him imprisoned, and -threw his full weight against it once or twice, in a vain endeavour to -break the thick oaken panels. - -But the old door, fashioned of stout, well-seasoned wood, resisted all -his efforts, whilst the noise he made thereby never reached the ears of -the excited throng. - -Like a fettered lion he paced up and down the narrow floor of the dingy -inn parlour, chafing under restraint, humiliated at the thought of being -unable to join in the fight, that was being made for his safety. - -His sister's cry came to him in this agonising moment like the most -joyful, the most welcome call to arms. - -"The door! ... quick!..." he shouted as loudly as he could, "it is -locked!" - -She found the bolt and tore open the door, and the next instant he was -running downstairs, closely followed by Patience. - -The Sergeant and soldiers had been not a little puzzled at hearing her -ladyship suddenly calling in mad exultation on her brother, whom they -believed they were even now holding prisoner. - -The appearance of Philip at the foot of the stairs, and dressed in a -serving-man's suit, further enhanced their bewilderment. - -But already Patience stood proud, defiant, and almost feverish in her -excitement, confronting the astonished group of soldiers. - -"This, Sergeant!" she said, taking hold of her brother's hand, "is -Philip Gascoyne, Earl of Stretton, my brother. Arrest _him_ if you -wish, he surrenders to you willingly, but I call upon you to let your -prisoner go free." - -The Sergeant was sorely perplexed. The affair was certainly getting too -complicated for his stolid, unimaginative brain. He would have given -much to relinquish command of this puzzling business altogether. - -"Then you, sir," he said, addressing Philip, "you are the Earl of -Stretton?" - -"I am Philip James Gascoyne, Earl of Stretton, your prisoner, Sergeant," -replied the lad, proudly. - -"But then, saving your ladyship's presence," said the soldier, in -hopeless bewilderment, "who the devil is my prisoner?" - -"Surely, Sergeant," quoth Sir Humphrey, with a malicious sneer, "you've -guessed that already?" - -Jack Bathurst, exhausted and faint after his long fight and victory, had -listened motionless and silent to what was going on around him. With -the letters safely bestowed in the Sergeant's wallet and about to be -placed before His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland himself, he felt -that indeed his task was accomplished. - -Fate had allowed him the infinite happiness of having served his -beautiful white rose to some purpose. Philip now would be practically -safe; what happened to himself after that he cared but little. - -At sound of Sir Humphrey's malicious taunt, an amused smile played round -the corners of his quivering mouth; but Patience, with a rapid movement, -had interposed herself between Sir Humphrey and the Sergeant. - -"Your silence, Sir Humphrey," she commanded excitedly, "an you've any -chivalry left in you." - -"Aye!" he replied in her ear, "my silence now ... at a price." - -"Name it." - -"Your hand." - -So low and quick had been questions and answers that the bewildered -Sergeant and his soldiers had not succeeded in catching the meaning of -the words, but Sir Humphrey's final eager whisper, "Your hand!" reached -Jack Bathurst's sensitive ear. The look too in the Squire of -Hartington's face had already enabled him to guess the purport of the -brief colloquy. - -"Nay, Sir Humphrey Challoner," he said loudly, "but 'tis not a -marketable commodity you are offering to this lady for sale. I'll break -your silence for you. What is the information that you would impart to -these gallant lobsters? ... That besides being my mother's son I am also -the highwayman, Beau Brocade!" - -"No! no! no!" protested Patience, excitedly. - -"Odd's my life!" quoth the Sergeant, "but methought..." - -"Aye, Beau Brocade," said Sir Humphrey, with a sneer, "robber, vagabond -and thief, that's what this ... _gentleman_ means." - -"Faith! is that what I meant?" retorted Jack Bathurst, lightly. "I -didn't know it for sure!" - -But with a wild cry Patience had turned to the Sergeant. - -"It's a lie, Sergeant!" she repeated, "a lie, I tell you. This -gentleman is ... my friend ... my..." - -"Well, whichever you are, sir," quoth the Sergeant, turning to Beau -Brocade decisively, "rebel, lord or highwayman, you are my prisoner, -and," he added roughly, for many bitter remembrances of the past two -days had surged up in his stolid mind, "and either way you hang for it." - -"Aye! hang for it!" continued Sir Humphrey, savagely. "So, now -methinks, my chivalrous young friend, that we can cry quits at last. -And now, Sergeant," said his Honour, peremptorily, "that you've found -out the true character of your interesting prisoner, you can restore me -my letters, which he caused you to filch from me." - -But the Sergeant was not prepared to do that. He had been tricked and -hoodwinked so often, that he would not yield one iota of the advantage -which he had contrived to gain. - -"Your pardon, sir," he said deferentially yet firmly, "I don't exactly -know the rights o' that. I think I'd best show them to His Royal -Highness, and you, sir, will be good enough to explain yourself before -his Honour, Squire West." - -"You'll suffer for this insolence, Sergeant," retorted Sir Humphrey, -purple with rage. "I command you to return me those letters, and I warn -you that if you dare lay hands on me or hinder me in any way, I'll have -you degraded and publicly whipped along with that ape the beadle." - -But the Sergeant merely shrugged his shoulders and ordered off three of -his men to surround Sir Humphrey Challoner and to secure his hands if he -attempted to resist. His Honour's wild threats of revenge did not in -the least frighten the soldier, now that he felt himself on safe ground -at last. - -The rapid approach of the army gave him a sense of security; he knew -that if he had erred through excess of zeal, a reprimand would be the -only punishment meted out to him, whilst he risked being degraded if he -neglected his duty. Whether the Squire of Hartington had or had not -been a party to the late rebellion, he neither knew nor cared, but -certainly he was not going to give up a packet of letters over which -there had been so much heated discussion on both sides. - -The fast-approaching tumult in the street confirmed him in his resolve. -He turned a deaf ear to all Sir Humphrey's protestations, and only -laughed at his threats. - -Already the soldiers were chafing with eagerness to see the entry of His -Royal Highness with his staff: the village folk one by one had gone out -to see the more joyful proceedings, and left the Sergeant and his -prisoners to continue their animated discussion. - -"Are you ready, my lord?" asked the Sergeant, turning to Philip. - -"Quite ready!" replied the lad, cheerfully, as he prepared to follow the -soldiers. He gave his sister a look of joy and hope, for he was going -to temporary imprisonment only; within a few moments perhaps his safety -would be assured. Lady Patience Gascoyne, in virtue of her rank and -position, could easily obtain an audience of the Duke of Cumberland, and -in the meanwhile the letters proving Philip's innocence would have been -laid before His Royal Highness. No wonder that as the lad, marching -light-heartedly between two soldiers, passed close to Jack Bathurst, he -held out his hand to his brave rescuer in gratitude too deep for words. - -"Are you ready, sir?" quoth the Sergeant now, as he turned to Beau -Brocade. - -But here there was no question of either joy or hope: no defence, no -proofs of innocence. The daring outlaw had chosen his path in life, and -being conquered at the last, had to pay the extreme penalty which his -country demanded of him for having defied its laws. - -As he too prepared to follow the soldiers out into the open, Patience, -heedless of the men around her, clung passionately, despairingly to the -man who had sacrificed his brave life in her service, and whom she had -rewarded with the intensity, the magnitude of her love. - -"They shall not take you," she sobbed, throwing her protecting arms -round the dearly-loved form, "they shall not ... they shall not..." - -The cry had been so bitter, so terribly pathetic in its despair, that -instinctively the soldiers stood aside, awed in spite of their stolid -hearts at the majesty of this great sorrow; they turned respectfully -away, leaving a clear space round Patience and Bathurst. - -Thus for a moment he had her all to himself, passive in her despair, -half crazed with her grief, clinging to him with all the passionate -abandonment of her great love for him. - -"What? ... tears?" he whispered gently, as with a tender hand he pressed -back the graceful drooping head, and looked into her eyes, "one ... two -... three ... four glittering diamonds ... and for me! ... My sweet -dream!" he added, the intensity of his passion causing his low, tender -voice to quiver in his throat, "my beautiful white rose, but yesterday -for one of those glittering tears I'd gladly have endured hell's worst -tortures, and to-day they flow freely for me.... Why! I would not -change places with a King!" - -"Your life ... your brave, noble life ... thus sacrificed for me.... -Oh, why did I ever cross your path?" - -"Nay, my _dear_," he said with an infinity of tenderness, and an -infinity of joy. "Faith! it must have been because God's angels took -pity on a poor vagabond and let him get this early glimpse of paradise." - -His fingers wandered lovingly over her soft golden hair, he held her -close, very close to his heart, drinking in every line of her exquisite -loveliness, rendered almost ethereal through the magnitude of her -sorrow: her eyes shining with passion through her tears, the delicate -curve of throat and chin, the sensitive, quivering nostrils, the moist -lips on which anon he would dare to imprint a kiss. - -"And life now to me," she whispered 'twixt heart-broken sobs, "what will -it be? ... how shall I live but in one long memory?" - -"My life, my saint," he murmured. "Nay! lift your dear face up to me -again! let me take away as a last memory the radiant vision of your eyes -... your hair ... your lips..." - -His arms tightened round her, her head fell back as if in a swoon, she -closed her eyes and her soul went out to him in the ecstasy of that -first kiss. - -"Ah! it is a lovely dream I dreamt," he whispered, "and 'tis meet that -the awakening shall be only in death!" - -He tried to let her go but she clung to him passionately, her arms round -him, in the agony of her despair. - -"Take me with you," she sobbed, half fainting. "I cannot bear it ... I -cannot..." - -Gently he took hold of both her hands, and again and again pressed them -to his lips. - -"Farewell, sweet dream!" he said. "There! dry those lovely tears! ... -If you only knew how happy I am, you would not mourn for me.... I have -spun the one thread in life which was worth the spinning, the thread -which binds me to your memory.... Farewell!" - -The Sergeant stepped forward again. It was time to go. - -"Are you ready, sir?" he asked kindly. - -"Quite ready, Sergeant." - -She slid out of his arms, her eyes quite dry now, her hands pressed to -her mouth to smother her screams of misery. She watched the soldiers -fall into line, with their prisoner in their midst, and turn to the -doorway of the inn, through which the golden sunshine came gaily peeping -in. - -Outside a roll of drums was heard and shouts of "The Duke! The Duke!" -The excitement had become electrical. His Royal Highness, mounted on a -magnificent white charger, was making his entry into the village at the -head of his general staff, and followed at some distance by the bulk of -his army corps, who would camp on the Heath for the night. - -Squire West, his stiff old spine doubled in two, was in attendance on -the green, holding a parchment in his hand, which contained his loyal -address and that of the inhabitants of Brassington: the beadle, more -pompous than ever, and resplendent in blue cloth and gold lace, stood -immediately behind his Honour. - -In the midst of all this gaiety and joyful excitement the silent group, -composed of the soldiers with their three prisoners, appeared in strange -and melancholy contrast. Philip and Bathurst were to be confined in the -Court House, under a strong guard, pending his Honour the Squire's -decision, and as the little squad emerged upon the green, 'twas small -wonder that they caught His Royal Highness's eye. - -He had been somewhat bored by Squire West's long-winded harangue, and -was quite glad of an excuse for cutting it short. - -"Odd's buds!" he said, "and what have we here? Eh?" - -The Sergeant and soldiers stood still at attention, some twenty yards -away from the brilliant group of His Highness's general staff. The -little diversion had caused Squire West to lose the thread of his -speech, and much relieved, the Duke beckoned the Sergeant to draw -nearer. - -"Who are your prisoners, Sergeant?" queried His Highness, looking with -some interest at the two young men, one of whom was a mere lad, whilst -the other had a strange look of joy and pride in his pale face, an air -of aloofness and detachment from all his surroundings, which puzzled and -interested the Duke not a little. - -"'Tis a bit difficult to explain, your Royal Highness," replied the -Sergeant, making the stiff military salute. - -"Difficult to explain who your prisoners are?" laughed the Duke, -incredulously. - -"Saving your Highness's presence," responded the Sergeant, "one of these -gentlemen is Philip Gascoyne, Earl of Stretton." - -"Oho! the young reprobate rebel who was hand-in-glove with the -Pretender! I mind his case well, Sergeant, and the capture does your -zeal great credit. Which of your prisoners is the Earl of Stretton?" - -"That's just my trouble, your Royal Highness. But I hope that these -papers will explain." - -And the Sergeant drew from his wallet the precious packet of letters and -handed them respectfully to the Duke. - -"What are these letters?" - -"They were found on the person of that gentleman, sir," replied the -Sergeant, indicating Sir Humphrey Challoner, who stood behind the two -younger men, silent and sulky, and nursing desperate thoughts of -revenge. "He is said to be an accomplice and I thought 'twas my duty to -bring him before a magistrate. If I've done wrong...". - -"You've done quite right, Sergeant," said the Duke, firmly. "You were -sent here to rid the country of rebels, whom an Act of Parliament has -convicted of high treason, and it had been gross neglect of duty not to -refer such a case to the nearest magistrate. Give me the papers, I'll -look through them anon. See your prisoners safely under guard, then -come back to my quarters." - -"Damnation!" muttered Sir Humphrey, as he saw the Duke take the packet -of letters from the Sergeant's hand, and then turn away to listen to the -fag end of Squire West's loyal address. - -Throughout his chagrin, however, the Squire of Hartington was able to -gloat over one comforting idea. He had now lost all chance of pressing -his suit on Lady Patience, his actions in the past three days would -inevitably cause her to look upon him with utter hatred and contempt, -but the man who was the cause of his failure, the chivalrous and -meddlesome highwayman, Beau Brocade, would, as sure as the sun would set -this night, dangle on the nearest gibbet to-morrow. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVII - - REPARATION - - -It was in the middle of the afternoon when His Royal Highness, having -attended to other important affairs, and partaken of a hasty meal at the -Royal George, finally found leisure to look through the letters handed -up to him by the Sergeant. - -As he read one through, and then the other, Lord Lovat's letter urging -the Earl of Stretton to join the rebellion, that of Kilmarnock -upbraiding the lad for holding aloof, and finally the autograph of -Charles Edward himself at the end of a long string of reproaches, -calling Philip a traitor for his loyalty to King George,-- - -"There has been a terrible blunder here!" quoth His Royal Highness, -emphatically. "Bring the Earl of Stretton to me at once," he added, -speaking to his orderly. - -Ten minutes later Philip, with Patience by his side, was in the presence -of the Duke of Cumberland, who, on behalf of his country and its -government, was tendering apologies to the Earl of Stretton for grievous -blunders committed. - -"It seems you have suffered unjustly, my lord," said His Highness, with -easy graciousness. "It will be my privilege to keep you under my -personal protection until these letters have been placed before the King -and Council." - -"I myself will guarantee your brother's safety, Lady Patience," he -added, turning with a genial smile to her; "you will entrust him to my -care, will you not? Your father and I were old friends, you know. In -my young days I had the pleasure of staying at Stretton Hall, and the -privilege of dandling you on my knees, for you were quite a baby then. -I little thought I should have the honour of being of service to you in -later years." - -With courtly gallantry the Duke raised her cold finger-tips to his lips. -He looked at her keenly, for he could not understand the almost dead -look of hopeless misery in her face which she bravely, but all in vain, -tried to hide from him. Evidently she was quite unable to speak. When -her brother had been brought before His Highness she had begged for and -easily obtained the favour of being present at the interview, but even -at the Duke's most genial and encouraging words she had not smiled. - -"It was lucky," added His Royal Highness, kindly patting her hand, "that -so strange a Fate should have placed these letters in my hand." - -But at these gentle, almost fatherly words, Patience's self-control -entirely gave way. With a heart-broken sob she threw herself at the -Duke's feet. - -"Nay! not Fate, your Royal Highness," she moaned, "but the devotion of a -brave man, who has sacrificed his life to save my brother and me... Save -him, your Highness! ... save him! ... he is noble, brave, loyal, and you -are powerful ... save him! ... save him!..." - -It was impossible to listen unmoved to the heart-rending sorrow -expressed in this appeal. The Duke very gently raised her to her feet. - -"Nay, fair lady ... I pray you rise," he said respectfully. "Odd's my -life! but 'tis not beauty's place to kneel.... There! there!" he added, -leading her to a chair and sitting beside her, "you know how to plead a -cause; will you deign to confide somewhat more fully in your humble -servant? We owe your family some reparation at anyrate, and you some -compensation for the sorrow you have endured." - -And speaking very low at first, then gradually gaining confidence, -Patience began to relate the history of the past few days, the -treachery, of which she had been a victim, the heroic self-sacrifice of -the man who was about to lay down his life because of his devotion to -her and to her cause. - -His Highness listened quietly and very attentively, whilst she, wrapped -up in the bitter joy of memory, lived through these last brief and happy -days all over again. Even before she had finished, he had sent word to -the Sergeant to bring both his other prisoners before him at once. - -Sir Humphrey and Jack Bathurst were actually in the room before Patience -had quite completed her narrative. Bathurst ill and pale, but with that -strange air of aloofness still clinging about his whole person. He -seemed scarce to live, for his mind was far away in the land of dreams, -dwelling on that last exquisite memory of his beautiful white rose lying -passive in his arms, the memory of that first and last, divinely -passionate kiss. - -The Duke looked up when the prisoners entered the room; although he knew -neither of them by sight, he had no need to ask whose cause the -beautiful girl beside him had been pleading so earnestly. - -"What do you wish to say, sir?" he said, addressing Sir Humphrey -Challoner first. "You are no doubt aware of her ladyship's grievances -against you. They are outside my province, and unfortunately outside -the province of our country's justice. But I would wish to know why you -should have pursued the Earl of Stretton and that gentleman, your -fellow-prisoner, with so much hatred and malice." - -"I have neither hatred nor malice against the Earl of Stretton," replied -Sir Humphrey, with a shrug of the shoulders, "but no doubt her ladyship -would wish to arouse your Royal Highness's sympathy for a notorious -scoundrel. That gentleman is none other than Beau Brocade, the most -noted footpad and most consummate thief that ever haunted Brassing -Moor." - -The Duke of Cumberland looked with some surprise, not altogether unmixed -with kindliness, at the slim, youthful figure of the most notorious -highwayman in England. He felt all a soldier's keen delight in the -proud bearing of the man, the straight, clean limbs, the upright, -gallant carriage of the head, which neither physical pain nor adverse -circumstances had taught how to bend. - -Then he remembered Lady Patience's enthusiastic narrative, and said, -smiling indulgently,-- - -"Odd's my life! but I did not know gentlemen of the road were so -chivalrous!" - -"Your Royal Highness..." continued Sir Humphrey. - -"Silence, sir!" - -Then the Duke rose from his chair, and went up close to Bathurst, who, -half-dreaming, had listened to all that was going on around him, but had -scarce heard, for he was looking at Patience and thinking only of her. - -"Your name, sir?" asked the Duke very kindly, for the look of love akin -to worship which illumined Jack Bathurst's face had made a strong appeal -to his own manly heart. - -"Jack Bathurst," replied the young man, almost mechanically, and rousing -himself with an effort in response to the Duke's kind words, "formerly -captain in the White Dragoons." - -"Bathurst? ... Bathurst?" repeated the Duke, not a little puzzled. "Ah, -yes!" he added after a slight pause, "who was condemned and cashiered -for striking his superior officer after a quarrel." - -"The same, your Royal Highness." - -"'Twas Colonel Otway, who, we found out afterwards, was a scoundrel, a -liar, and a cheat," said His Highness with sudden eager enthusiasm, "and -fully deserving the punishment you, sir, had been brave enough to give -him." - -"Aye! he deserved all he got," replied Jack, with a wistful sigh and -smile, "I'll take my oath of that." - -"But ... I remember now," continued the Duke, "a tardy reparation was to -have been offered you, sir ... but you were nowhere to be found." - -"I'd become a scoundrel myself by then, and moneyless, friendless, -disgraced, had taken to the road, like many another broken gentleman." - -"Then take to the field now, man," exclaimed His Highness, gaily. "We -want good soldiers and gallant gentlemen such as you, and your country -still owes you reparation. You shall come with me, and in the glorious -future which I predict for you, England shall forget your past." - -He extended a kindly hand to Bathurst, who, still dreaming, still not -quite realising what had happened, instinctively bent the knee in -gratitude. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVIII - - THE JOY OF RE-UNION - - -On the green outside, the crowd of village folk were shouting themselves -hoarse,-- - -"Three cheers for the Duke of Cumberland!" - -Already the news had gone the round that Beau Brocade, the highwayman, -had been granted a special pardon by His Royal Highness. - -John Stich, half crazy with joy, was tossing his cap in the air, and in -the fulness of his heart was stealing a few kisses from Mistress Betty's -pretty mouth. - -The appearance of Sir Humphrey Challoner in the porch of the Royal -George, looking as black as thunder and followed by his obsequious -familiar, Master Mittachip, was the signal for much merriment and some -quickly-suppressed chaff. - -"Stand aside, you fool!" quoth Sir Humphrey, pushing Jock Miggs roughly -out of his way. - -"Nay, stand aside all of ye!" admonished John Stich, solemnly, "and mind -if any of ye've got any turnips about ... be gy!..." - -The Squire of Hartington raised his riding-crop menacingly. - -"You dare!" he muttered. - -But Mistress Betty interposed her pretty person 'twixt her lover and his -Honour's wrath. - -"Saving your presence, sir," she said pertly, "my intent was only going -to tell the lads to keep their turnips for this old scarecrow." - -And laughing all over her dimpled little face she pointed to Master -Mittachip, who was clinging terrified to Sir Humphrey's coat-tails. - -"Sir Humphrey..." he murmured anxiously, as Betty's sally was received -with a salvo of applause, "good Sir Humphrey ... do not let them harm -me.... I've served you faithfully..." - -"You've served me like a fool," quoth Sir Humphrey, savagely, shaking -himself free from the mealy-mouthed attorney. "Damn you," he added, as -he walked quickly out of the crowd and across the green, "don't yap at -my heels like a frightened cur." - -"God speed your Honour," shouted Stich after him. - -"Think you, John, he'll come to our wedding?" murmured Betty, saucily, -at which honest John hugged her with all his might before the entire -company. - -"Be gy! I marvel if the old fox'll go to her ladyship's and the -Captain's wedding, eh?" - -"Lordy! Lordy! these be 'mazing times," commented Jock Miggs, vaguely. - ----- - -But within the small parlour of the Royal George all this noise and -gaiety only came as a faint, merry echo. - -His Royal Highness had gone, followed by the Sergeant and soldiers, and -Bathurst was alone with his beautiful white rose. - -"And 'tis to you I owe my life," he whispered for the twentieth time, as -kneeling at her feet he buried his head in the folds of her gown. - -"I have done so little," she murmured, "one poor prayer ... when you had -done so much." - -"And now," he said, looking straight into the exquisite depths of her -blue eyes, "now you have robbed me of one great happiness, which may -never come to me again." - -"Robbed you? ... of happiness?..." - -"The happiness of dying for you." - -But she looked down at him, smiling now through a mist of happy tears. - -"Nay, sir," she whispered, "and when the Duke has no longer need of you, -will you not live ... for me?" - -He folded her in his arms, and held her closely, very closely to his -strong, brave heart. - -"Always at your feet," he murmured passionately, "and as your humble -slave, my dream." - -And as his lips sought hers once more, she whispered under her breath,-- - -"My husband!" - -"My dream!--My wife!" - ----- - -Outside the crowd of villagers were shouting lustily,-- - -"Three cheers for the Duke of Cumberland!" - - - - - L. 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