text
stringlengths 1.96k
5.76k
| author
int64 1
50
|
|---|---|
nay and perchance to bring him to the block and he pat the paper in his own bosom said a prayer over the dead man and set forth again through the woods his fatigue and weakness increased his ears sang his steps faltered his mind at intervals failed him so low had he been brought by loss of blood doubtless he made many from his true path but at last he came out upon the high road not very far from hamlet a rough voice bid him stand stand repeated dick by the mass but i am nearer falling and he suited the action to the word and fell au his length upon the road two men came forth oat of the thicket each in t the black green forest with bow and quiver and sword why lawless said the younger of the two it is young ay this will be as good as bread to john all returned the other though faith he bath been to the wars here is a tear in his that must a cost him many a good of blood and here added is a hole in his shoulder that must have pricked him well who hath done this think ye if it be one of ours he may all to prayer will give him a short and a long rope up with the said lawless clap him on my back and then when dick had been hoisted to his shoulders and he had taken the lad s arms about his neck and got a firm hold of him the ex added keep ye the post brother i will on with him by myself so returned to his on the and lawless down the bill whistling as he went with dick still in a dead faint comfortably settled on his shoulders the sun rose as he came out of the skirts of the wood and saw hamlet ling up the opposite hill all seemed quiet but a strong post of some half a score of lay close by the bridge on either le dick side of the road and as soon as they perceived lawless with his began to themselves and set arrow to string like who goes cried the man in command will lawless by the ye know me as well as your own hand returned the contemptuously give the word lawless returned the other now heaven thee thou great fool replied lawless did i not tell it thee myself but ye are all mad for this playing at soldiers when i am in the give me ways and my word for this tide is a fig for all mock i lawless ye but show an ill example give us the word fool said the commander of the post and if i had f oi it asked the other an ye bad forgotten it as i know j ave not by the mass i would clap an arrow in bo your big body returned the first nay an y are so ill a said lawless ye shall have your word for me and is the word and here to the illustration is on my shoulders and to do i carry him pass lawless said the and where is john asked the grey he a court by the mass and rents as to the manner bom i cried another of the company so it proved when lawless got as far up the village as the little inn he found surrounded by sir daniel s tenants and by the right of the black hie good company of coolly rents and g written in return for them by the faces of the tenants it was plain how little this proceeding pleased them for they argued very rightly that they would simply have to pay them twice as soon as he what had brought lawless dismissed the remainder of the tenants and with every mark of interest and apprehension conducted dick into an inner chamber of the inn there the lad s hurts were looked to and he was recalled by simple dear lad said pressing his hand y are in a friend s hands that loved your father and loves you for his sake rest ye a little quietly for ye are somewhat out of case then shall ye tell me your story and the two of us we shall find a remedy for all a little later in the day and after dick had awakened from a slumber to find himself still very weak hut clearer in mind and easier in body returned and sitting down by the bedside beg d him in the name of hie father to relate the circumstance of his escape from moat house there was something in the strength of s frame in the honesty of his brown face in the clearness and of his eyes that moved dick to obey him and from first to last the lad told him the story of his two days adventures well said when he had done see what the kind saints have done for yon dick not how dick s de alone to save your body in so numerous and deadly perils but to bring you into my hands that have no dearer wish than to assist your father s son be but to me and i see y are true and you and me we shall bring that false heart traitor to the death will ye assault the house asked dick i were mad indeed to think of it returned he hath too much power hia men gather to him those that gave me the slip night and by the mass came in so for you those have made him safe nay dick to the contrary thou and i and my brave we must all slip from this forest speedily and leave sir daniel free my mind me for jack said the lad for jack | 38 |
repeated oh i see for the i nay dick i promise you if there come talk of any e we shall act at once till then or till the time is ripe we shall all disappear even like shadows at morning j sir daniel shall look east and west and see none enemies he shall think by the mass that he hath dreamed awhile and hath now awakened in his bed but our four eyes dick shall follow him right close and our four hands so help us all the army of the saints shall bring that traitor low i two days later sir daniel s garrison had grown to a strength that he ventured on a sally and at the head of some two score pushed without as far as hamlet not an arrow flew not a man stirred in the thicket the bridge was no longer guarded but open to all comers and as sir daniel crossed it he saw the villagers looking timidly from their doors presently one of them taking heart of grace came forward and with the presented a letter to the knight his face darkened as he read the contents it ran to the and cruel sir daniel these i ye were and fro the first ye have ray father s blood upon your hands let be it will not some day ye shall perish by my so much i let you to and i let you to farther that if ye seek to wed to any other the woman whom that i am bound upon a great oath to wed myself the blow will be very the first step will be thy first step to the grave t in my lord chapter i ths house by thb e months had passed away since richard made his escape from the hands of his guardian these months had been for england the party of which was then in the very article of death had once more raised its head the defeated and their leader on the field it seemed for a very brief season in the winter following upon the events already recorded as if the house of had finally over its foes the small town of on the till was full of the of the neighbourhood earl was there with three hundred men at arms lord with two hundred sir daniel himself high in favour and once more growing rich on lay in a house of his own on the main street with three score men the world had changed indeed it was a black bitter cold evening in the first week of january with a hard frost a high wind and every of snow before the morning i thk black in an obscure in by street near tbe three or four men sat drinking ale and eating a hasty mess of eggs they were all likely weather beaten fellows hard of hand bold of eye and though tbey wore plain like country even a drunken soldier might have looked twice before he sought a quarrel in such company a little apart before the huge fire sat a younger man almost a boy dressed in much tbe same fashion though it was ea y to see by his looks that he was better bom and might have worn a sword had the time suited nay said one of the men at the table i like it not ill will come of it this is no place for jolly fellows a jolly fellow open country good cover and scarce foes but here we are shut in a town about with enemies and for tbe s eye of misfortune see if it snow not ere the morning tis for master there another nodding bis head towards the lad before the fire i will do much for master returned the first but to come to the gallows for any man nay brothers not that tbe door of the inn opened and another man entered hastily and approached tbe youth before the fire master be said sir daniel forth with a pair of links and four dick for this was our young friend rose instantly to bis feet t hi l lawless he said ye will lake john s watch green she ve follow with me lead forward we will follow him this time an he go to york the next moment they were outside in the dark street and the man who had just come pointed to where two in the wind at a little distance the town was already sound asleep no one moved upon the streets and there was easier than to follow the party without observation the two went first next followed a single man whose long cloak blew about him in the wind and the rear was brought up by the with his bow upon hie arm moved at a brisk walk the intricate lanes and drawing nearer to the shore he hath gone each night in this direction asked dick in a whisper this is the third night running master returned and still at the same hour and with the same small following as though his end were secret sir daniel and his six men were now come to the outskirts of the country was an open town and though the lords who lay there kept a strong guard on the main roads it was still possible to enter or depart unseen by any of the lesser streets or across the open country the lane which sir daniel had been following h the black to an abrupt end before him there was a of rough down and the of the sea surf was audible upon one hand there were no guards in the neighbourhood nor any light in that quarter of the town dick and his two drew a little closer to the object of their chase and presently as they came forth from between the | 38 |
feeling of but he had little opportunity for thought a low sounded from close by and he hastened to the ladder who goes he whispered came the reply in tones guarded what want ye asked the house ia watched master returned the we are not alone to watch it for even as i lay on my belly on the wall i saw men in the dark and heard them whistle softly one to the other by my said dick but this is passing strange were they not men of sir daniel s nay sir tliat they were not returned for if i have eyes in my head every man jack of them me a white in his bonnet something with dark white with dark repeated dick faith tis a i know not it is none of this country s well an that he so let us slip as quietly forth from this garden as we may for here we are in an evil posture for defence beyond all question there are men of sir daniel s in that house and to he taken between two shots is a s position take me this ladder i must leave it where i found it the house by the shore they returned the ladder to the stable and their way to the place where they had entered had taken s position on the cope and now he leaned down his hand and first one and then the other pulled them up cautiously and silently they dropped again upon the other side nor did they dare to speak until they had returned to their old in the now john said dick back with you to even as for your life bring me instantly what men ye can collect here shall be the or if the men be scattered and tlie day be near at hand before they muster let the e be something farther back and by the entering in of the town and i lie here to watch speed ye john and the saints aid you to despatch and now he continued as soon as had departed let thou and i go round about the garden in a wide circuit i would fain see whether thine eyes betrayed thee keeping well from the wall and by every height and hollow they passed about two sides beholding nothing on the third side the garden wall was built close upon the beach and to preserve the distance necessary to their purpose they had to go some way down upon the sands although the tide was still pretty far out the surf was so high and the sands so flat that at each a great sheet of and water came over the and dick and made this part of their inspection the now to the ankles and now as deep as to the knees in the salt and icy waters of the german ocean suddenly against the comparative whiteness of the garden wall the figure of a man was seen like a faint chinese shadow violently with both arms as he dropped again to the earth another arose a little farther on and repeated the same and so like a silent these made the round of the garden they keep good watch dick whispered let us back to hind good master answered gi we stand here too open for look ye when the seas break heavy and white out there behind os they shall see ua plainly against the foam ye speak dick ashore with right speedily chapter ii a in the dark and chilled the two returned to their position in the i pray heaven that make good speed i said dick i vow a candle to st mary o if he come before the hour y are in a master dick asked t a in the j i ay good fellow answered for in that house my lady whom i love who should these be that lie about her by night for sure well returned an john come speedily we shall give a good an of them they are not two score at the outside i judge so by of their and taken where they are lying so widely one score would scatter them and yet master an she he in sir daniel s power y it will little hurt that she should change into another s who should these be i do suspect the lord of dick replied when came they they began to come master dick said about the time ye crossed the wall i had not lain there the space of a minute ere i marked the first of the crawling round the corner the last light had been already extinguished in the little house when they were in the wash of the and it was impossible to at what moment the lurking men about the garden wall might make their of two evils dick preferred the east he preferred that should remain under the of sir daniel rather than pass into the of lord and his mind was made up if the house should be to come at once to the relief of the but the time passed and still there was no move tub black arrow meat from quarter of an hour to quarter of an hour the same passed about the garden wall as if the leader desired to assure himself of the vigilance of his scattered followers but in every other particular the neighbourhood of the little house lay undisturbed presently dick s began to arrive the night was not yet old before nearly a score of men crouched beside him in the separating these into two bodies he took the command of the smaller himself and the larger to the of now said he to this last take me your men to the near angle of the garden wall upon the beach post them strongly and wait till that ye hear me falling on | 38 |
upon the other side it is those upon the sea front that i would fain make certain of for there will be the leader the rest will run even let them and now lads let no man draw an arrow ye will hut hurt friends take to the steel and keep to the steel and if we have the uppermost i promise every man of you a gold noble when come to mine estate out of the odd collection of broken men thieves and ruined whom had gathered together to serve the purposes of his revenge some of the and the most experienced in war had volunteered to follow richard the of watching sir daniel s movements in the town of had from the first been irksome to their and they had of late begun to a df tub loudly and threaten to the prospect of a sharp encounter and possible spoils restored them to good humour and they joyfully prepared for battle their long thrown aside they appeared some in plain green and some in stout under their many wore strengthened by iron plates and for offensive swords a few stout and a dozen of bright bills put them in a posture to engage even regular troops the bows and were concealed among the and the two bands set resolutely forward dick when he had reached the other side of the house posted his six men in a line about twenty yards from the wall and took position himself a few paces in front then they all shouted with one voice and closed upon the enemy these lying widely scattered stiff with cold and taken at unawares sprang to their feet and stood before they had time to get their courage about them or even to form an idea of the number and of their a similar shout of sounded in their ears from the far side of the thereupon they gave themselves up for lost and ran in this way the two small troops of the men of the black arrow closed upon the sea front of the garden wall and took a part of the strangers as it were between two fires while the whole of the remainder ran the black arrow for their lives in different directions and were soon scattered in the darkness for all tliat the tight was but beginning dick s although they had the advantage of the surprise were still considerably by the men they had surrounded the tide had flowed in the meanwhile the beach was to a strip and on this wet field between the surf and the garden wall there began in the darkness a doubtful furious and deadly contest the strangers were well armed they fell in silence upon their and the became a series of single dick who had come first into the was engaged by three the first he cut down at the first blow but the other two coming upon him hotly he was fain to give ground before their one of these two was a huge fellow almost a giant for stature and armed with a two handed sword he like a against this opponent with his reach of arm and the length and weight of his weapon dick and his bill were quite and had the other continued to join vigorously in the attack the must have fallen this second man however less in stature and slower in his movements paused for a moment to peer about him in the darkness and to give ear to the sounds of the battle the giant still pursued his advantage and still dick fled before him for his chance then the blade flashed and descended and the lad leaping on one side and running in sideways and upwards with a is his bill a roar of a responded and before the wounded man could raise his formidable weapon k twice repeating his blow had brought him to the ground the next moment be was engaged upon more equal terms with his second here there was no great difference in size and though the man fighting with sword and dagger against a bill and being wary and quick of fence had a certain superiority of arms dick more than made it up by his gi i on foot neither at first gained any obvious advantage but the older man was still by the of the younger to lead him where he would and presently dick found that they had crossed the whole width of the beach and were now fighting above the knees in the and of the here bis own superior activity was rendered useless he found himself more or less at the discretion of his foe yet a little and he had bis turned upon his own men and saw that this and skilful adversary was bent upon drawing him farther and farther away dick ground his teeth he determined to decide the combat instantly and when the wash of the next wave bad and left them dry he rushed in caught a blow upon his bill and leaped right at the throat of his opponent the man went down backwards with dick still upon the top of him and the next wave speedily succeeding the last buried him below a rush of water d g l ic black while he waa still dick forced his dagger from his grasp and rose to his feet victorious yield ye he said i give you life i yield me said the other getting to his knees ye fight like a young man and but by the array o the saints ye fight bravely i dick turned to the beach the combat was still raging doubtfully in the night over the hoarse roar of the steel upon steel and cries of pain and the about of battle lead me to your captain youth said the conquered it is fit this should cease sir replied dick so far as | 38 |
these brave fellows have a captain the poor gentleman who here addresses you is he call off your d then and i will bid my hold returned the other there was something noble both in the voice and manner of his late opponent and dick instantly dismissed all fears of treachery lay down your arms men cried the stranger knight i have yielded me upon promise of life the tone of the stranger was one of absolute command and almost instantly the din and confusion of the ceased lawless cried dick are ye safe ay cried lawless safe and hearty light me th lantern sa m pi k a in dark j is not sir daniel here inquired the knight sir daniel echoed dick now by the i pray not it would go ill with me i he were with fair sir inquired the other nay then if ye be not of sir daniel s party i profess i comprehend no longer wherefore then fell ye upon mine f in what quarrel my young and very fiery friend to what earthly purpose and to make a clear end of questioning to what good gentleman have i but before dick could answer a voice spoke in the darkness from close by dick could see the speaker s black and white and the respectful salute which he addressed to his superior my lord said he if these gentlemen be to sir daniel it is a pity indeed we should have been at blows with them but it were greater that either they or we should linger here the in the house unless they be all dead or deaf have heard our this quarter hour instantly they will have to the town and unless we be the in our departure we are like to be taken both of us by a fresh foe is in the right added the lord how please ye sir whither shall we march nay my lord said dick go where you will for me i do begin to suspect we have some ground of friendship and if indeed i began our acquaintance somewhat i would not continue t the lack let us then my lord your laying your right in mine and at the hour and place that ye shall name let us encounter and agree y are too boy said the other but this time your trust is not i will meet you at the point of day at st bride s cross come lads follow the strangers disappeared from the scene with a rapidity that seemed suspicious and while the fell to the congenial task of the dead bodies diet made once more the circuit of the garden wall to examine the front of the house in a little upper of the roof he beheld a light set and as it would certainly be visible in town from the back windows of sir daniel s mansion he doubted not that this was the signal feared by and that ere long the of the knight of would arrive upon the he put his ear to the ground and it seemed to him as if he heard a and hollow noise from back to the beach he went hurrying but the work was done the last body was and stripped to the skin and four fellows were already to commit it to the of the deep a few minutes later when there out o the nearest lanes of some two score hastily arrayed and moving at the gallop of their the neighbourhood of the house beside the sea was entirely silent and deserted d o i st bride s cross meanwhile dick and his men had returned to the ale house of the goat and to snatch some hours of sleep before the morning chapter iii bt cross st bride s a little way back from on the skirts of forest two roads met one from holy wood across the forest one that road from down which we saw the of a army in disorder here the two joined issue and went on together down the hill to and a little back from the point of the of a little was crowned by the ancient and weather beaten cross here then about seven in the morning dick arrived it was as cold as ever the earth was all grey and silver with the frost and the day began to break in the with many colours of purple and orange dick set him down upon the lowest step of the cross wrapped himself well in his and looked upon all sides he had not long to wait down the road from a gentleman in very rich and bright and wearing over that a of the came pacing on a splendid twenty yards behind him followed a of but these halted as soon as they came in view of the the bi d ok place while the gentleman in the fur continued to advance alone his was raised and showed a countenance of great command and dignity to the richness of his attire and arms and it was with some confusion of manner that dick arose from the cross and stepped down the bank to meet his prisoner i thank you my lord for your he said very low will it please your to set foot to earth are ye here alone young man inquired the other was not so simple answered dick and to be plain with your the woods upon either hand of this cross lie full of mine honest fellows lying on their weapons y ave done wisely said the lord it me the rather since last night ye fought and more like a n lunatic than any christian warrior but it becomes not me to complain that had the ye had the indeed my lord since ye so fell returned dick but had the waves not me it was i that should have had | 38 |
the worst ye were pleased to make me yours with several dagger marks which i still carry and in fine my lord i had all the danger as well as all the profit of that little blind man s on the beach y are shrewd enough to make light of it i see returned the stranger t st b nay my lord not shrewd replied dick in that i at no advantage to myself but when by the light of this new day i see how stout a knight hath yielded not to my arms alone but to fortune and the darkness and the surf and how easily the battle had gone otherwise with a soldier so and rustic as myself think it not strange my lord if i feel confounded with my victory ye speak well said the stranger your name my name an t like you is answered dick men call me the added the other then my lord and under your good favour ye are guardian to the sweetest maid in england replied dick and for your and the of such as were taken with you on the beach there will be no uncertainty of terms i pray you my lord of and yield me the hand of my mistress and take ye upon the other part your liberty the liberty of these your followers and if ye will have it my gratitude and service till i die but are ye not ward to sir daniel if y are harry s son that i had heard it so reported said will it please you my lord to alight i would fain tell you fully who i am how and why so bold in my demands you my lord take place these steps hear me to a full end and judge me with allowance l i d o i thk black arrow and bo saying dick lent a hand to lord to mount led him up the to the cross him in the place where he had himself been sitting and standing respectfully before his noble prisoner related the story of his np to the events of the evening before lord listened gravely and when dick had done master he said ye are a most fortunate unfortunate young gentleman but what fortune y ave had have amply and what ye have deserved be of a good cheer j for ye have made a who is devoid neither of power nor favour for yourself although it fits not for a person of your birth to herd with i must own ye are both brave and honourable very dangerous in battle right courteous in peace a youth of excellent disposition and brave bearing for your estates ye will never see them till the world shall change again so long as hath the hand so long shall sir daniel enjoy them for his for my ward it is another matter i had promised her before to a gentleman a of my house one the promise old ay my lord and now sir daniel hath promised her to my lord interrupted dick and his promise for all it ia but young is still the to be made good tis the plain truth returned his and considering moreover that i am your prisoner upon no the flood hope better than my bare life aod over and above that that the is unhappily in hands i will so far aid me with your good fellows my lord cried dick tbey are these that ye blame me for with let them be what they will they can fight returned lord help me then and if between ua we regain the maid upon my honour she shall marry you i dick bent his knee before his prisoner but he leaping up lightly from the cross caught the lad up and embraced him like a son come he said an y are to marry we must be early friends chapter iv the good hope an hour thereafter dick was back at the goat and breaking his fast and receiving the report of his messengers and was still absent from and this was frequently the case for he played many parts in the world shared many different interests and conducted many various affairs he had founded that fellowship of the black arrow as a rained man longing for vengeance and money and yet among black e who knew him best lie was thought to be tbe i and of the great king maker of england earl of in his absence at any rate it fell upon richard to command in and as he bat at meat his mind was full of care and his face heavy with consideration it had been determined between h m and the lord to make one bold strike that evening and by brute force to set free the obstacles however were many and as one after another of his arrived each brought him more news sir daniel was alarmed by the of the night before he had increased the garrison of the house in the but not content with that he had stationed in all the neighbouring lanes so that he might have instant word of any movement meanwhile in the court of his mansion stood and the armed at every point awaited but the signal to ride the adventure of the night appeared more and more difficult of till suddenly dick s countenance lightened lawless i he cried you that were a can ye me a ship master dick replied lawless if ye would back me i would agree to steal york presently after these two set forth and descended to the harbour it was a considerable basin lying among thb good and surrounded with patches of down ancient lumber and tumble down of the town many ships and many open boats either lay there at anchor or had been drawn up on the beach a | 38 |
sandy creek the of the good lay among many others from which it was easily by extreme and indeed when dick and his two men had taken their places and begun to put forth out of the creek into the open harbour the little dipped into the swell and under every gust of wind like a thing upon the point of sinking the good rope as we have said was far out where the swell was no other vessel lay nearer than several length those that were the nearest were themselves entirely deserted and as the approached a of snow and a sudden darkening of the weather further concealed the movements of the from all possible in a they had leaped upon the heaving deck and the was dancing at the stem the good hope was she was a good stout boat in the bows and but open in the stem she carried one mast and was between a and a it would seem that had made an excellent venture for the hold was full of pieces of french wine and in the little cabin besides the virgin mary in the bulk thb buck head which the captain s piety there many and which showed him to be rich and careful a dog who was the sole of the vessel furiously and bit the heels of the but he was soon kicked into the cabin and the door shut upon his just resentment a lamp was lit and fixed in the to mark the vessel clearly from the shore one of the wine pieces in the hold was and a cup of excellent emptied to the adventure of the evening and then while one of the beg i to get ready his bow and arrows and prepare to hold the ship against all comers the other hauled in the and got overboard where he held on waiting for well jack keep me a good watch said the young commander preparing to follow his subordinate ye will do right well why returned jack i shall do excellent well indeed so long as we lie here but once we put the nose of this poor ship outside the harbour see there she i nay the poor heard the words and the heart her in her oak tree ribs but look master dick how black the weather the darkness ahead was indeed astonishing great heaved up out of the one after another and one after another the good hope climbed and plunged upon the further side a thin of snow and thin of foam came thk good hope and powdered tlie deck and the wind among the in it said dick but what cheer i tis but a and presently it will blow over but in spite of his words he waa affected by the bleak disorder o the sky and the wailing and of the wind and as be got over the side of the hope and made once more for the landing creek with the best speed of oars be crossed himself devoutly and recommended to heaven the lives of all who should adventure on the sea at the landing creek there bad already gathered about a dozen of the to these the was left and they were without delay a little further up the beach dick found lord hurrying in quest of him his face concealed with a dark hood and his bright covered by a long mantle of a poor appearance young he said are ye for sea then truly my lord replied they he about the with it may not be reached from the land side without and sir daniel once advertised of our adventure we can no more carry it to a good end than saving your presence we could ride upon the wind now in going round by sea we do run some peril by the elements but what much all we have a chance to make good our purpose and bear off the maid t thb black well returned lord lead on i will in some sort follow you for shame s sake but i own would i were in bed here then said dick hither we go to fetch our pilot and be led the way to the rude where he had given to a portion of hie men some of these be found lingering round the door outside others bad pushed more boldly in and places as near as possible to where they saw their comrade gathered close about lawless and the two these to judge by the countenance and cloudy eye had long since gone beyond the boundaries of moderation and as richard entered closely followed by lord they were all three up an old pitiful sea to the chorus of the wailing of the gale the young leader cast a rapid glance about the shed the fire had just been and gave forth volumes of black smoke so that it was difficult to see clearly in the further corners it was plain however that the very largely the remainder of the guests satisfied upon this point in case of any failure in the operation of his plan dick strode up to the table and resumed his place upon the bench hey cried the who are ye hey i want a word with you without master returned dick and here is what we shall talk of and he showed him a gold noble in the glimmer of the t the k the a eyes burned although he still failed to recognise our hero ay he said i am with you gossip i will be back drink ir gossip and taking dick s arm to his steps he walked to the door o the as soon as he was over the threshold ten strong arms had seized and bound him and in two minutes more with his limbs one to another and a good in his mouth he had been tumbled neck and | 38 |
crop into a neighbouring bay bam presently his man tom secured was tossed beside him and the pair were left to their uncouth reflections for the night and now as the time for concealment had gone by lord s followers were summoned by a signal and the party boldly taking possession of as many boats as their numbers required pulled in a for the light in the of the ship long before the last man had climbed to the deck of the good hope the sound of furious shouting from the shore showed that a part at least of the had discovered the loss of their but it was now too late whether for recovery or revenge out of some forty fighting men now in the stolen ship eight had been to sea and could play the part of with the aid of these a of sail was got upon her the cable was cut lawless on his feet and still shouting the chorus of sea took the long in his hands and the tiie black arrow good hope began to forward into the darkness of the night and to face the great waves beyond the bar took his place beside the weather rising except for the ship s own lantern and for some lights in town that were already fading to the whole world of air was as black as in a pit only from time to time as the good hope down into the valley of the a crest would break a great of snowy foam would leap in one instant into being and in an instant more would stream into the wake and vanish many of the men lay holding on and praying aloud many more were sick and had crept into the bottom where they among the cargo and what with the extreme violence of the motion and the continued drunken of lawless still shouting and singing at the the heart on board may have nourished a shrewd as to the result but lawless as if guided by an instinct the ship across the struck the lee of a great where they a while in smooth water and presently after laid her alongside a rude stone pier where she was hastily made fast and lay and grinding in the t chapter v the good hope tub pier was rot far distant from the house in which lay j it now only remained to get the men on shore to surround the house with a strong party burst in the door and carry off the captive they ht then r ard themselves as done with the good hope it had placed them on the rear of their enemies and the retreat whether they should succeed or fail iu the main enterprise would be directed with a greater measure of hope in the direction of the forest and my lord s reserve to get the men on shore however was no easy task many had been sick all were pierced with cold the and disorder on board had shaken their discipline the movement of the ship and the darkness of the night had their spirits they made a rush upon the pier my lord with his sword drawn on his own must throw himself in front and this impulse of was not restrained without a certain of voices highly to be regretted in the ease when some degree of order had been restored dick with a few chosen men set forth in advance the darkness on shore by contrast with the flashing of the surf appeared before him like a solid body and the howling and whistling of the gale drowned any lesser noise lie had scarce reached the end of the pier however le black arrow when there fell a lull of the wind au j in this he to hear on shore the hollow footing of horses and the clash of arms his immediate followers he passed forward a step or two alone even setting foot upon the down and here he made sure he could detect the shape of men and horses moving a strong assailed if their enemies were really on the if they had the end of the pier he and lord were taken in a posture of very poor defence the sea behind the men in the dark upon a narrow he gave a cautious whistle the signal previously agreed upon it proved to be a signal for more than he desired instantly there fell through the black night a shower of arrows sent at a venture and so close were the men huddled on the pier that more than one was hit and were answered with cries of both fear and pain in this first discharge lord was struck down had him carried on board again at once and his men during the brief remainder of the fought when they fought at all without guidance that was perhaps the chief cause of the disaster which made haste to follow at the shore end of the pier for perhaps a minute dick held his own with a handful one or two were wounded upon either side steel crossed steel nor had there been the least signal of advantage when in the twinkling of an eye the tide turned against the party thb good hope from the ship cried out that all was lost the men were in the very humour to lend an ear to a counsel the cry waa taken up on board lads for your lives cried another a third with the true instinct of the coward raised that inevitable report on all we are betrayed and in a moment the whole mass of men went and backward down the pier turning their backs on their and piercing the night with one coward off the ship s stem while another till held her by the bows the leaped screaming and were hauled on board or fell back | 38 |
and perished in the sea some were cut down upon the pier by the many were injured on the ship s deck in the blind haste and terror of the moment one man leaping upon another and a third on both at last and whether by design or accident the bows of the good were and the ever ready lawless who had maintained his place at the through all the by sheer strength of body and a liberal use of the cold steel instantly clapped her on the proper tack the ship b an to move once more forward on the stormy sea its running blood its deck heaped with fallen men and struggling in the dark thereupon lawless his dagger and turning to his next neighbour i have left my mark on t em gossip said he the coward hounds u thb black now while they were all leaping and struggling for their lives the men had not appeared to observe the rough and cutting with which lawless held hie post in the confusion but perhaps they had already begun to understand somewhat more clearly or perhaps another ear had overheard the s speech panic stricken troops recover slowly and men who have disgraced themselves by cowardice as if to wipe ont the memory of their fault will sometimes run straight into the opposite extreme of so it was now j and the same who had thrown away their weapons and been hauled feet foremost into the hope began to cry out upon their leaders and demand that should be punished this growing ill feeling turned upon lawless in order to get a proper the old had put the head of the good hope to what one of the he to tis cried another nay we are betrayed for sure and they all began to cry out in chorus that they were betrayed and in shrill tones and with abominable oaths bade lawless go ship and them speedily ashore grinding his teeth continued in to steer the true course guiding the good hope among the formidable to their empty terrors as to their threats between drink thb good and dignity he to make reply the drew together a little the mast and it was plain they were like for courage presently they would be fit for any extremity of injustice or ingratitude dick began to mount by the ladder eager to but one of the who was also something of a seaman got beforehand lads he began y are right wooden heads i think for to get back by the mass we have an must we not and this old lawless struck the speaker on the mouth and the next moment as a fire springs among dry straw he was npon the deck trampled under the feet and despatched by the of his cowardly companions at this the wrath of lawless rose and broke steer yourselves he with a curse and careless of tiie he left the the good hope was at that moment trembling on the summit of a swell she subsided with sickening upon the side a wave like a great black immediately in front of her and with a staggering blow she plunged head foremost that liquid hill the green water passed right over her from stem to stern as high as a man s knees the ran higher than the mast and she rose again upon the other side with an appalling like a beast that has been deadly wounded six or seven of the had been carried bodily overboard and as for the remainder when the ck they found their tongues again it was to to the saints and wail upon lawless to come back and take the nor did lawless wait to be twice the terrible result of his fling of just resentment him completely he knew better than any one on board bow nearly the good hope had gone bodily down below their feet and he could t ll by the with which she met the sea that the peril was by no means over dick who had been thrown down by the and half drowned rose to his knees in the well of the stem and crept to the old s side lawless he said we do all depend on yon y are a brave steady man indeed and in the management o ships i shall three sure men to watch upon your safety my master said the peering forward through the dark we come every moment somewhat clearer of these with every moment then the sea upon us heavier and for all these they will presently be on their backs for my master tis a right mystery but true there never yet was a bad man that was a good none but the honest and the bold can endure me this tossing of a ship nay lawless said dick laughing that is a right s and hath no more of sense the good hope than the whistle of the wind but how go we do we lie well i are we in good case master replied lawless i have been a grey i praise fortune an a thief and a of all these coats i had the best fancy to die in the grey s as ye may readily conceive and the least fancy to die in john s jacket and that for two excellent good reasons first that the death take a man suddenly and second for the horror of that great salt and under my foot here and lawless stamped with his foot he went on an i die not a sailor s death and that this night i shall owe a tall candle to our lady is it so asked dick it is right so replied the do ye not feel how heavy and dull she moves upon the waves do ye not hear the water washing in her hold she will scarce mind the | 38 |
even now bide till she has settled a bit lower and she will either go down below your boots like a stone image or drive ashore here under our lee and come all to pieces like a twist of string ye speak with a good courage returned ye are not then appalled why master ed lawless if ever a man bad an ill crew to come to port with it is i a a thief and all the rest on t well ye may wonder but i keep a good hope in my and if black arrow that i be to drown i will drown with a eye r and a steady hand dick returned no answer but he was surprised to find the old vagabond o so resolute a temper and fearing some fresh violence or tr set forth upon hia quest for three sure men the great bulk of the men now deserted the deck which was continually with the flying and where they lay exposed to the o the winter wind they had gathered instead into the hold of the among the of wine and by two swinging here a few kept up the form of and each other deep in s wine but as the good hope continued to tear through the smoking waves and toss her stem and stern alternately high in air and deep into white foam the number of these jolly companions diminished with every moment and with every many sat apart tending their hurts but the majority were already with sickness and lay moaning in the and a young fellow of lord s whom dick had already remarked for his intelligence and spirit were still however both fit to understand and willing to obey these dick set as a about the person of the and then with a last look at the black sky and sea he turned and went below into the cabin whither lord been carried by his servants i i g the hope chapter vi the good concluded the of the wounded baron blended with the wailing of the ship s dog the poor whether he was merely sick at heart to be separated from his friends or whether he indeed recognised some peril in the of the ship raised his cries like minute guns above the roar of wave and weather and the more superstitious of the men heard in these sounds the of the good hope lord had been laid in a berth upon a fur cloak a little lamp burned dim before the virgin in the bulk head and by its glimmer dick could see the pale countenance and hollow eyes of the hurt man i am sore hurt said he come near to my side young let there be one by me who at least is gentle born for after having lived nobly and richly all the days of my life this is a sad pass that i should get my hurt in a little and die here in a foul cold ship upon the sea among broken men and nay my lord said dick i pray rather to the saints that ye will recover you of your hurt and come soon and sound ashore how demanded his come sound ashore there is then a qui of it g thb black the ship the sea ia grievous and contrary replied the ad and by what i can learn of my fellow that us we shall do well indeed if we come to land ha i the baron gloomily thus shall every terror attend upon the passage of my soul sir pray rather to live hard that ye may die easy than to be and all through life as to the pipe and and in the last hour be plunged among misfortunes i have that upon my mind that must not be delayed we have no priest aboard none replied dick here then to my interests resumed lord ye must be as good a friend to me dead as i found you a gallant enemy when i was living i fall in an evil hour for me for england and for them that trusted me my men are being brought by he that was your rival they will in the long room at this ring from off my finger will you to represent mine orders and i shall write besides two words upon this paper bidding yield to you the will ye obey i know not but my lord what orders inquired dick ay the baron ay the orders and he looked upon dick with hesitation are ye i or york be asked at length i shame to say it answered dick t can scarce the good hope clearly answer but so much i think is certain since i serve with i serve the house of york well if that be so i declare for york it is well returned the other it is exceeding well for truly had ye said i not for the world what i had done but ye are for york follow me i came hither hut to these lords at while mine excellent young lord richard of a sufficient force to fall upon and scatter them i have made me notes of their strength what watch they keep and how they lie and these i was to deliver to my young lord on sunday an hour before noon at st bride s cross beside the forest this i am not like to keep hut i pray you of courtesy to keep it in my stead and see that not pleasure nor pain tempest wound nor withhold you from the hour and place for the welfare of england upon this cast i do take this upon me said dick in so far as in me your purpose shall be done it is good said the wounded man my lord duke shall order you farther and if ye | 38 |
obey him with spirit and good will then is your fortune made give me the lamp a little nearer to mine eyes till that i write these words for you he wrote a note to his sir at the date of this story could not been rare ted of but for with the e leave he shall so be called d o i i s bi ck john and then a second which he left without external this is for the duke he said the word ia england and edward and the counter england and york and my lord asked nay ye must get how ye can replied the baron i have named you for my choice in both these letters but ye must get her for yourself boy i have tried as ye see here before you and have lost my life more could no man do by this time the wounded man began to be very weary and dick putting the precious papers in his bosom bade him be of good cheer and left him to repose the day was beginning to break cold and blue with flying of snow close under the lee of the good hope the coast lay in alternate rocky and sandy and further inland the wooded hill tops of showed along the sky both the wind and the sea had gone down but the vessel deep and scarce rose upon the waves lawless was still fixed at the and by this time nearly all the men had crawled on deck and were now gazing with blank the coast are we going ashore asked dick ay said lawless unless we get first to the bottom t thb good hope and just the ship rose bo languidly to meet a sea and the water so loudly in her hold that dick seized the by the arm by the mass cried dick as the bows o the good hope re appeared above the foam i thought we had indeed my heart was at my throat in the waist g and the better men of both companies were busy breaking up the deck to build a and to these dick joined himself working the harder to drown the memory of his but even as he worked every sea that struck the poor ship and every one of her dull as she tumbled among the waves recalled him with a horrid pang to the immediate of death presently looking up from his work he saw that they were close in below a a piece of against the base of which the sea broke white and heavy almost the deck and above that again a house appeared crowning a down inside the bay the seas ran gaily raised the good hope upon their foam shoulders carried her beyond the control of the and in a moment dropped her with a great on the sand and began to break over her half mast high and roll her to and fro another great wave followed raised her again and carried her yet farther in and then a third succeeded and left her far of the more dangerous upon a bank now cried the saints have a thb black care of as indeed the tide let us bat down and drink a cup of wine and before half an hour ye may all march me ashore as safe as on a bridge a barrel was and sitting in what shelter they find from the flying and spray the company handed the cup around and sought to warm their bodies and restore their spirits dick meanwhile returned to lord who lay in great perplexity and fear the floor of his cabin washing knee deep in water and the lamp which had l een his only light and extinguished by the violence of the blow my lord said young fear not at all the saints are plainly for us the seas have cast us high upon a and as soon as the tide hath somewhat we may walk ashore upon our feet it was nearly an hour before the vessel was sufficiently deserted by the sea and they could set forth for the land which appeared dimly before them through a veil of driving snow upon a on one side of their way a party of men lay huddled together suspiciously observing the movements of the new they might draw near and offer us some comfort dick remarked well an they come not to us let us even turn aside to them said the sooner we come to a good fire and a dry bed the better for my lord d g l ic good but th y had not moved ar io the direction of the before the with one consent rose suddenly to their feet and poured a flight of well directed arrows on the company back i back cried his beware in heaven s name that ye reply not nay cried pulling an arrow from his leather jack we are in no posture to fight it is certain being wet dog weary and three parts frozen but for the love of old england what them to shoot thus on their poor country people in distress they take us to be french answered lord in these most troublesome and days we cannot keep our own shores of england but onr old enemies whom we once chased on sea and land do now range at pleasure and and burning it is the pity and reproach of this poor land the men upon the lay closely observing them while they upward from the beach and wound inland among desolate sand hills for a mile or so they even hung upon the rear of the march ready at a sign to pour another on the weary and and it was only when striking at length upon a firm high road dick began to call his men to some more martial order that these jealous | 38 |
not be far at the door of the house the four men at arms bad ceased to follow and the ladies were now mounting the of polished oak ho better escort than that of the two waiting women dick followed close behind it was already the dusk of the day and in the house the darkness of the night had almost come on the stair in iron down the long a lamp by every door and where the door stood open dick could look in upon covered walls and rush floors glowing in the light of the wood fires two floors were passed and at every landing the younger and shorter of the two ladies had looked back keenly at the he keeping his eyes lowered and affecting the manners that suited his disguise had but seen her once and was unaware that he had attracted her attention and now on the third floor the party separated the younger lady continuing l thb black to ascend alone the other followed by the descending the corridor to the right dick mounted with a swift foot and holding to the comer thrust forth his head and followed the three women with his eyes turning or looking behind them they continued to descend the corridor it is right well thought dick let me but know my lady s chamber and it will go hard an i find not dame an errand and just then a hand was laid upon hie shoulder and with a bound and a choked cry he turned to his he was somewhat abashed to find in the person whom he had so roughly seized the short young lady in the she on her part was shocked and terrified beyond expression and hung trembling in his grasp madam said dick her i cry you a thousand but i have no eyes behind and by the mass i could not tell ye were a maid the girl continued to look at him but by this time terror began to be succeeded by surprise and surprise by dick who could read these changes on her face became alarmed for his own safety in that hostile house fair maid he said affecting suffer me to kiss your hand in token ye forgive my and i will even go t are a strange young sir returned the young lady looking him both boldly and in le in u tlie face and now that my first astonishment hath somewhat passed away i can spy the in each word you utter what do ye here why are ye thus out come ye in peace or war and why spy ye after lady like a thief madam dick of one thing i pray you to he very sure i am no thief and even if i come here in war as in some d i do i make no war upon fair maids and i entreat them to copy me so and to leave me be for indeed fair mistress cry out if be your pleasure cry but once and say what ye have seen and the poor gentleman before you is merely a dead man i cannot think ye would be cruel added dick and taking the girl s hand gently in both of bis he looked at her with admiration are ye then a spy a asked the maid madam he replied i am indeed a and in some sort a spy but that which me into this house the same which will win for me the pity and interest of your kind heart is neither of york nor i will wholly put my life in your discretion i am a lover and my name but here the young lady clapped her hand suddenly upon dick s month looked hastily up and down and east and west and seeing the coast clear b an to dr the young man with great strength and vehemence upstairs hush she sad and come shalt talk hereafter n r i i g bewildered dick suffered himself to be pulled up a corridor and thrust suddenly into a chamber lit like so many of the others by a blazing log upon the hearth now said the lady forcing him down upon a stool sit ye there and attend my sovereign good pleasure i have life and death over you and i will not scruple to abuse my power look to yourself y ave cruelly my arm he knew not i was a maid he had he known i waa a maid he had ta en his belt to me i and with these words she whipped out of the room and left dick gaping with wonder and not very sure if he were dreaming or awake ta en my belt to her i he repeated ta en my belt to her i and the recollection of that evening in the forest flowed back upon his mind and he once more saw s body and eyes and then he was recalled to the dangers of tjie present in the next room he heard a stir as of a person moving j then followed a sigh which sounded strangely near and then the rustle of skirts and tap of feet once more began ab he stood he saw the wave along the wall there was the sound of a door being opened the divided and lamp in hand entered the apartment she was attired in costly of deep and warm colours such as the winter and the snow upon her head her hair had been gathered together and in became her as a crown and she who had seemed so little and so awkward in the attire of was now tall like a young willow and swam across the floor as though she scorned the of walking without a start without a tremor she raised her lamp and looked at the what make ye here good brother she | 38 |
inquired ye are doubtless ill directed whom do ye require and she set her lamp upon the said and then hi voice failed bim he began again ye said ye loved me j and the more fool i but i believed it dick she cried dick and then to the wonder of the lad this beautiful and tall young lady made but one step of it and threw her arms about bis neck and gave bim a hundred kisses all in one oh the fool fellow she cried oh dear dick oh if ye could see yourself i she added pausing i have spoilt you dick i have knocked of the paint off but that can be mended what cannot be mended dick or i much fear it cannot is my marriage with lord is it decided then asked the lad to morrow before noon dick in the abbey church she answered john and both shall come to a right miserable end there ie no help in tears or i could weep mine eyes out x have not spared myself to pray but heaven on thb black my and dear dick good dick but that ye can get tne forth of this house before the we kiss and say good bye nay said dick not i i will never that word like despair but while there s life there is hope yet will i hope ay by the mass and triumph i look ye now when ye were but a name to me did i not follow did i not rouse good men did i not stake my life upon the quarrel and now that i have seen you for what ye are the fairest maid and of england think ye i would turn if the deep sea were there i would straight through it if the way were full of lions i would scatter them like ay she said ye make a great about a sky blue robe nay protested dick tis not alone the robe but ye were disguised here am i disguised and to the proof do i not cut a figure of fun a right fool s figure ay dick an that ye do she answered smiling well then he ned triumphant so was it with you poor in the forest in ye were a to laugh at but now i so they ran on holding each other by both hands exchanging smiles and lovely looks and melting minutes into seconds j and so they might have continued all night long but presently there was a noise behind them and they were aware of the short young lady with her finger on her lips d r l i g c in she cried but wliat a noise keep can ye not speak in compass and now my fair maid of the woods what will ye give your gossip for you your sweetheart ran to her by way oe answer and embraced her ly and you sir added the young lady what do ye give me madam said dick i would fain offer to pay you in the same money come then said the lady it is permitted you but dick blushing like a only kissed her hand what ye at my face fair sir she inquired to the very ground j and then when dick had at length and most embraced her she added your sweetheart is very backward under your eyes but i warrant you when first we met he was more ready i am all black and blue trust me never if i be not black and blue and now she continued have ye said your sayings for i must speedily dismiss the but at this they both cried out that they had said nothing that the night was still very young and that they would not be separated so early and supper asked the young lady must we not go down to supper nay to be sure i cried i had forgotten black hide me then dick put me behind the shut me in a chest or what ye will so tliat i may be here on your return indeed fair lady he added bear this in mind that we are sore and may never look upon each other s ace from this ni ht forward till we die at this the young lady d and when a little after the bell sir daniel s household to the board dick was planted very stiffly against the wall at a place where a division in the permitted him to breathe the more freely and even to see into the room he had not been long in this position when be was somewhat strangely disturbed the silence in that upper of the house was broken by the flickering of the flames and the hissing of a green log in the chimney but presently to dick s strained bearing there came the sound of some one walking with extreme precaution and soon after the door opened and a little black faced fellow in lord s colours pushed first liis head and then his crooked body into the chamber his month was open as though to bear the better and his eyes which were very bright flitted and swiftly to and fro he went round and round the room striking here and there upon the but dick by a miracle escaped bis notice then he looked below the furniture and examined the lamp and at last with an air of cruel disappointment was preparing to go away as le in mine house silently b he had come when down be dropped upon his knees picked up something from among the rushes on the floor examined it and with every signal of delight concealed it in the at his belt dick s heart sank for the object in question was a from his own and it | 38 |
was plain to him that this spy who took a delight in his would lose no time in bearing it to his master the baron he was half tempted to throw aside the fall upon the and at the risk of his life remove the tell tale token and while he was still hesitating a new cause of concern was added a voice hoarse and broken by drink began to be audible from the stair and presently after wandering and heavy footsteps sounded without along the passage what make ye here my merry men among the the voice what make ye here hey what make ye here it added with a rattle of drunken laughter and then once more breaking into song if ye the wine fat john ye friend o if i eat and ye drink who shall sing the mass d ye think p lawless alas i rolling drunk was wandering the house seeking for a comer wherein to slumber the effect of his dick inwardly raged tlie spy at first terrified had grown reassured as he found ho had to deal with an man and now with hi the black a movement of cat like rapidity slipped from the chamber and was gone from richard s eyes what was to be done if he lost of lawless for the night he was left impotent whether to plan or carry forth s rescue if on the other hand he dared to address the drunken the spy might still be lingering within sight and the most fatal consequences it was nevertheless upon this last hazard that dick decided slipping from behind the he stood ready in the doorway of the chamber with a warning hand lawless flushed crimson with his eyes on his feet drew still nearer at last he caught sight of bis commander and in despite of dick s imperious him instantly and by bis name dick leaped upon and shook the furiously beast be beast and no man i it is worse than treachery to be so we may all be for thy but lawless only laughed and staggered and tried to clap young on the back and just then dick s quick ear caught a rapid brushing in the he leaped towards the sound and the next moment a piece of the wall hanging had been torn down and dick and the spy were together in its folds over and over they rolled for each other s throat and still baffled by the and still silent in their deadly but thb dead dick wm by the stronger and soon the spy lay prostrate under his knee and with a single stroke of the long ceased to breathe chapter iii the dead spy this and rapid passage lawless had looked on helplessly and even when all was o er and dick already re to his feet was listening with the most passionate attention to the distant bustle in the lower of the house the old was still wavering on his legs like a in a breeze of wind and still staring on the face of the dead man it is well said dick at length they have not heard us praise the saints but now what shall i do with this poor spy at least i will take my from his so saying dick opened tbe within he found a few pieces of money the and a letter addressed to lord and sealed with my lord s the name awoke dick s and he instantly broke the wax and read the contents of the letter it was short but to dick s delight it gave evident proof that lord was corresponding with the house of york i i g the black the young fellow carried bis ink and implements about him and so now bending a knee beside tbe body oe the dead spy he was able to write these words upon a comer of the paper at ye that the letter ye why man is p bat let me yon marry not a herd all he laid this paper on the breast of the corpse and then lawless who had been looking on upon these last with some flickering returns of intelligence suddenly drew a black arrow from below his robe and pinned the paper in its place the sight of this or as it almost seemed cruelty to the dead drew a cry of horror from young but the old only laughed nay i will have the credit for mine order he my jolly boys must have the credit on t tbe credit and then shutting his eyes tight and opening his mouth like a he began to thunder in a formidable voice if ye should drink the wine peace cried dick and thrust bim hard against the wall in two words if so be that such a man can understand me who hath more wine than wit in him in two words and a mary s name out of this house where if ye continue to abide ye will not only hang yourself but me also faith then up foot be or by the mass i may forget that dead spy i am in some sort your captain and in some your i go the was now in degree recovering the use of his intelligence and the ring in dick s voice and the glitter in dick s eye stamped home the meaning of hie words by the cried lawless an i he not wanted i can and he turned along the corridor and proceeded to down against the wall so soon as he was out of sight dick returned to his hiding place resolutely fixed to see the matter out wisdom indeed moved him to be gone hut love and curiosity were stronger time passed slowly for the young man bolt upright behind the the fire in the room began to die down and the lamp | 38 |
to bum low and to smoke and still there was no word of the return of any one to these upper quarters of the house still the faint hum and clatter of the supper party sounded from far below and still under the thick fall of the snow town lay silent upon every side at length however feet and voices began to draw near upon the stair and presently after several of sir daniel s guests arrived upon the landing and turning down the corridor beheld the torn and the body of the spy some ran forward and some back and all together began to cry aloud d g l ic thb black at the of their cries guests men at arms ladies and in a word all the of that great house came fly log from every and began to join their voices to the tumult soon a way was cleared and sir daniel came forth in person followed by the bridegroom of the morrow my lord my lord sir daniel have i not told yon of this black arrow to the proof behold it i there it stands and by the my gossip in a man of yours or one that stole your colours in good it was a man of mine replied lord hanging back i would i had more such he was keen as a and secret as a ay gossip truly asked sir daniel keenly and what came he smelling up so many stairs in my poor mansion but he will smell no more an t please yon sir daniel said one here is a paper written upon with some matter pinned upon his breast give it me arrow and all said the knight and when he had taken into his hand the shaft he continued for some time to gaze upon it in a sullen musing ay be said addressing lord here is a hate that hard and close upon my heels this black stick or its just likeness shall yet bring me down and gossip suffer a plain knight to counsel you j and if these hounds begin to wind you flee tis like a sickness it still upon the limbs till but let as bee what they have written it is as i thought my lord y re marked like an old oak by the to morrow or next day by will come the axe but what wrote ye in a letter lord snatched the paper from the arrow read it it between his hands and the reluctance which had hitherto withheld him from approaching threw himself on his knees beside the body and eagerly in the he rose to hia feet with a somewhat unsettled gossip he said i have indeed lost a letter here that much imported and could i lay my hand npon the that took it he grace a but let us first of all secure the issues of the house here is enough harm already by st george were posted close around the house and garden a on every landing of the stair a whole troop in the main entrance hall and yet another about the in the shed sir daniel s followers were by lord s j there was thus no of men or weapons to make the house secure or to a lurking enemy should one be there meanwhile the body of the spy was carried out through the falling snow and deposited in the church it was not until these dispositions had been taken and all had returned to a silence that the two girls drew richard from his place of the black and made a full report to him of what had passed he upon his side the visit of the spy his dangerous discovery and speedy end leaned back very faint i the wall it will avail but little she said i shall be wed to morrow in the morning after all i what cried her friend and here is our that lions i ye have little faith of a but come friend lion driver give us some comfort speak and let us hear bold counsels dick was confounded to be thus with his own exaggerated words but though he coloured be still spoke truly said he we arc in straits yet could i but win out of this house for half an hour i do honestly tell myself that all might still go well and for the marriage it should be prevented and for the lions the girl they shall be driven i your excuse said dick i speak not now in any but rather as one inquiring after help or counsel for if i get not forth of this house through these i can do less than naught take me i pray you rightly why said ye he was rustic the girl inquired i warrant he hath a tongue in his head ready soft and hold is his speech at pleasure what w ould ye more t the spy sighed with a they have changed me my friend dick tis sure enough when beheld him he was rough indeed but it matters little there is do help for my hard case and i must still he lady nay then said dick i will even make the adventure a is not much regarded and if i found a good fairy to lead me up i may find another to carry me down how call they the name of this spy said the young lady j and an excellent good name to call him by but how mean ye f what is in your mind to do to offer boldly to go forth returned dick j and if any stop me to keep an unchanged countenance and say i go to pray for they will be praying over his poor clay even now the device is somewhat simple replied the girl yet it may hold nay said young it | 38 |
is no device but mere boldness which often better in great straits ye say true she said well go a mary s name and may heaven speed you ye leave here a poor maid that loves you entirely and another that is most heartily your friend be wary for their and make not of your safety ay added go dick ye run no more peril whether ye go or stay go ye take my heart with you the saints defend you dick passed the first so assured a hi black c that the fellow merely and stared but at the landing the man his and bade him name business answered dick i go to pray over the body of this poor like enough returned the but to go alone is not permitted you he leaned over the aod whistled shrill one t be cried and then dick to pass at the foot of the stair he found the guard and awaiting bis arrival and when be bad once more repeated bis story tbe commander of the post ordered four men out to accompany him to the let him not slip my lads he said bring bim to sir on your lives the door was then opened one of the men took dick by either arm another marched ahead with a link and tbe fourth with bent bow and the arrow on the string brought up tbe rear in this order they proceeded through the garden under the thick darkness of the night and tbe scattering snow and drew near to the dimly illuminated windows of tbe abbey church at tbe western a of stood taking what shelter they could find in the hollow of the arched and all powdered with the snow and it was not until dick s bad exchanged a word with these that they were suffered to pass forth and enter tbe of the sacred edifice tbe church was doubtfully lighted by tlie d ad spy upon the great altar and bj a lamp or two that swung from the arched roof before the private of families in the midst of the choir the dead spy lay his composed upon a a hurried of prayer sounded along the arches figures knelt in the of the choir and on the steps of the high altar a priest in celebrated mass upon this fresh entrance one of the figures arose and coming down the steps which elevated the level of the choir above that of the demanded from the leader of the four men what business brought him to the church out of respect for the service and the dead they spoke in guarded tones but the echoes of that huge empty building caught up their words and repeated and repeated them along the a i returned sir for he it was when he had heard the report of the my brother i looked not for your coming he added turning to young in all civility who are ye and at whose instance do ye join your to ours dick keeping his about his face signed to sir to move a pace or two aside from the and so soon as the priest had done so i cannot hope to deceive you sir he said my life is in hands sir violently started his cheeks grew pale and for a space ho was silent r i got thb black be said what you i know not j but i it to be evil for the kindness that was i would not willingly deliver you to ye shall all night beside me in the ye shall sit there till my lord of be married and the party gone home and if all well and ye have planned no evil in the end ye shall go whither ye will but if your purpose be bloody it shall return upon your head amen and the priest devoutly crossed himself and turned and to the altar with that he spoke a few words more to the soldiers and taking dick by the band led him up to the choir and placed him in the stall beside bis own where for mere decency the lad had instantly to kneel and appear to be busy with his his mind and his eyes however were continually wandering three of the soldiers he observed instead of returning to the house had got them quietly into a point of iu the aisle and he could not doubt that they bad done so by sir s command here then he was here be must spend the night in the ghostly glimmer and shadow of the church and looking on the pale face of him he and here in the morning he must see his sweetheart married to another man before his eyes but for all that he obtained a command npon bis mind and built himself up in to await the issue d g l ic m the chapter iv ib thb in abbey church the prayers were kept up all night without now with the singing of now with a note or two upon the bell the spy was nobly there he lay meanwhile as they had arranged him his dead hands crossed upon his bosom his dead eyes staring on the roof and hard by in the stall the lad who had slain him waited in sore the coming of the morning once only in the course of the hours sir leaned across to his captive richard he whispered my son if ye mean me evil i will on my soul s welfare ye design upon an innocent man sinful in the eye of heaven i do declare myself but sinful as against you i am not neither have been ever my father returned dick in the same tone of voice trust me i design nothing but as for your innocence i may not forget that ye cleared yourself but a man may be innocently guilty | 38 |
replied the priest he may be set upon a mission ignorant of its true scope so it was with me i did your father to his death j but as heaven sees us in this sacred place i knew not what i did r ni i g the black arrow it may returned dick but see what s strange web ye have woven that i be at this at once your prisoner and your judge that ye should both threaten my days and my anger if ye had been all your life a true and good priest ye would neither thus fear nor thus me and now to your prayers i do obey you since needs must but i will not be with your company the priest red a sigh so heavy that it had almost touched the ind into some sentiment of pity aud he bowed bis head upon his hands like a man borne down below a weight of care he joined no longer in the hut dick could hear the beads rattle through his fingers and the prayers a between his teeth yet a little and the grey of the morning began to le through the painted of the church and to put to shame the glimmer of the the light slowly and brightened and presently through the south eastern a flush of rosy sunlight on the walls the storm was over the great clouds had their snow and fled farther on and the new day was breaking on a merry winter landscape in white a bustle of church officers followed the was carried forth to the and the of blood were from the that no such ill spectacle should disgrace the marriage of lord at the same time the very who had been ur the church bo engaged all night began to put on morning faces to do honour to the ceremony which was about to follow and further to the coming of the day the pious of the town began to and fall to prayer before their favourite or wait their turn at the favoured by this stir it was of course easily possible for any man to avoid the vigilance of sir daniel s at the door and presently dick looking about him wearily caught the eye of no less a person than will lawless still in his s habit the at the same moment recognised hia leader and signed to him with hand and eye dick was far from having forgiven the old rogue his most but he had no desire to involve him in bis own and he back to him as plain as he was able to lawless as though he bad understood disappeared at once behind a pillar and dick breathed again what then was his dismay to feel himself plucked by the sleeve and to find the old robber beside him upon the next seat and to all appearance plunged in his instantly sir arose from his place and gliding behind the made for the soldiers in the aisle if the priest s suspicions bad been so lightly the harm was already done and lawless a prisoner in the church p r m i m s the buck ix move not dick we are in the pass thanks before all things to thy of when ye saw me here so strangely seated where i have neither right nor interest what a could ye not smell harm and get ye gone from evil nay returned lawless i ye had heard from and were here on duty echoed dick la then returned for sure replied the he came last night and me sore for being in wine so there ye are my master a furious man is he hath ridden me hot spur from to prevent this marriage j and master dick ye know the way of him do so he will nay then returned dick with composure you and i my poor brother are dead men for i sit here a prisoner upon suspicion and my neck was to answer for this very marriage that he to mar i bad a fair choice by the i to lose my sweetheart or else lose my life well the cast is thrown it is to be my life by the mass cried lawless half arising i am gone but dick had his hand at once npon his shoulder friend lawless sit ye still he said an ye have eyes look yonder at the comer by the arch see ye not that even upon the motion of your rising yon armed men are up and ready to you yield in tub ye friend ye were bold aboard ship when ye thought to die a sea death be bold again now that y are to die presently upon the gallows master dick gasped lawless the thing hath come upon me somewhat of the but give me a moment till i fetch my breath again and by the mass i will be as stout hearted as yourself here is my bold fellow i returned dick and yet lawless it goes hard the grain with me to die but where nothing wherefore nay that indeed i lawless and a fig for death at worst i it has to be done my master soon or late and hanging in a good quarrel is an easy death they say though i could never hear of any that came back to say so and so saying the stout old rascal leaned back in his stall folded his arms and began to look about him with the greatest air of insolence and and for the matter of that dick added it is yet our best chance to keep quiet we not yet what purposes and when all is said and if the worst befall we may yet clear our feet of it now that they ceased talking they were aware of a very distant and thin strain | 38 |
of music which steadily drew nearer louder and the bells in the tower began to break forth into a peal and a greater and greater of people to crowd into the church the snow from off their feet and thb buck clapping and blowing ia their hands the door was flung wide open showing a glimpse of street and admitting in a great gust the shrewd air o the morning and in short it became plain by every sign that lord desired to be married very early in the day and that the wedding train was some of lord s men now cleared a passage down the middle aisle forcing the people back with lance and just then outside the the could be drawing near over the frozen snow the and scarlet in the face with blowing the and the beating as for a these as they drew near the door of the sacred building filed on either side and marking time to their own vigorous music stood stamping ia the as they thus opened their ranks the leaders of this noble train appeared behind and between them and such was the variety and gaiety of their attire such the display of and velvet fur and satin and lace that the procession showed forth upon the snow like a flower bed in a path or a painted window in a wall first came the bride a sorry sight as pale as winter clinging to sir daniel s arm and attended as by the short young lady who had dick the night before close behind in the most radiant toilet followed the bridegroom halting on a foot in the abbey and as lie passed the threshold of the sacred buildings and his hat his bald head was seen to be rosy with and now came the hour of dick who sat stunned among contrary emotions grasping the desk in front of him beheld a movement in the crowd people backward and eyes and arms uplifted following these signs he beheld three or four men with bent bows leaning from the gallery at the same instant they their and before the and cries of the astounded had time to swell fully upon the ear they had flitted from their perch and disappeared the was full of swaying heads and voices screaming the thronged in terror from their places the music ceased and though the bells overhead continued for some seconds to npon the air some wind of the disaster seemed to find its way af last even to the chamber where the were leaping on their ropes and they also from their merry labours right in the midst oi the the bridegroom lay stone dead pierced by two black arrows the bride had fainted sir daniel stood towering above the crowd in his surprise and anger a shaft quivering in his left and his face streaming blood from another which had his brow long before any search could be made for them the authors of this tragic interruption had s thb buck down a and hy a door dick and still remained in they had indeed arisen on the first alarm and pushed to gain the door but what with the of the and the crowding of terrified priests and the attempt had heen in rain and they had resumed their places and now pale with horror sir rose to his feet and called upon sir daniel pointing with one hand to dick here he cried is richard alas the hour i blood guilty seize him i bid him be seized for all our lives take him and hind him he hath sworn our fall sir daniel was blinded by blinded by the hot blood that still streamed his face where he hale him forth by the cross of but he shall this hour the crowd fell back and a party of invaded the choir laid rough hands on dick dragged him head foremost from the stall and thrust him by the shoulders down the steps lawless on his part sat as still as a mouse sir daniel brushing the blood out of his eyes stared upon his captive ay he said treacherous and insolent i have thee fast and by all potent oaths for eveiy drop of blood that now in mine eyes i will a in the out of thy away with him i he added here is do place i os with him to my house i will every joint o thy body with a torture but putting off his uplifted his voice i he shouted i ho there my fathers i they would drag me from the church from the thou hast with murder boy added a tall man dressed on what cried dick they do accuse me indeed of some but have not proved one i was in truth a for this s hand and she i will be bold to say it repaid my suit with favour bat what then to love a maid is no offence i nay nor to gain her love in all else i stand here free from there was a murmur of approval among the so boldly dick declared his innocence but at the same time a throng of arose upon the other side crying how he had been found last night in sir daniel s house how he wore a disguise and in the midst of the sir indicated lawless both by voice and gesture as to the fact he in his turn was dragged from his seat and set beside his leader the feelings of the crowd rose high on either side and while some dragged the prisoners to and fro to favour their escape others cursed and struck them with their fists dick s ears rang and brain swam like a ling in the of a river but the tall man who had already answered dick by a of voice restored silence and | 38 |
order in the mob search them he said for arms we may so judge of their intentions upon dick they found no weapon but his and this told in his favour until one man drew it from its and found it of the blood of b utter at this there was a great shout among sir daniel s followers which the tall man suppressed by a gesture and an imperious glance but when it came to the turn of lawless there was found under his gown a of arrows with those that had been shot how say ye now asked the tall man of dick sir replied dick i am here in is it not so well sir i see by your bearing that ye are high in station and i read in your countenance the marks of piety and justice to you then i will yield me prisoner and that foregoing the advantage of this holy place but rather than to be yielded into the discretion of that whom i do here accuse with a loud te be the murderer of my natural ther and the unjust of my lands and rather than that i would you under favour with your own gentle hand to me on the spot ik your own ears have heard how before that i was guilty he did threaten me with it not with your own honour to deliver me to my sworn enemy and old but to try me fairly by the way of law and i that i be guilty indeed to me my cried sir daniel ye will not to this wolf his bloody dagger him the lie into his face nay but suffer me good knight returned the tall stranger your own vehemence doth somewhat tell against yourself and here the bride who had come to herself some minutes past and looked wildly on upon this scene broke loose from those that held her and fell upon her knees before the last speaker my lord of she cried hear me in justice i am here in this man s by mere force from mine own people since that day i had never pity nor comfort from the face of man but from him only richard whom they dow accuse and labour to undo my lord if he was iu sir mansion it was i that brought him there he came but at my prayer and thought to do no hurt while yet sir daniel was a good lord to him he fought with them of the black arrow but when hie foul guardian sought his life by and he fled by night for his soul s sake out of that bloody house whither was he to turn black be or if he be fallen among ill company whom should ye blame the lad that was handled or the guardian that did abuse his trust and then the short young lady fell on her knees by s side and i my good lord and natural uncle she added i can bear testimony on my conscience and before the face of all that what this maiden is true it was i unworthy that did lead the young man in earl bad beard in silence and when the voices ceased he still stood silent for a space be gave his hand to arise though it was to be observed that he did not offer the like courtesy to her who had called his niece sir daniel he said here is a right intricate tbe which with your good leave it shall be mine to examine and content ye then your business is in careful hands justice shall be done you and in the meanwhile get ye home and have your hurts attended tbe air is shrewd and i would not ye took cold upon these he made a sign with bis band it was passed down the by servants who waited there upon his smallest gesture instantly without the church a sounded shrill and through tbe open and men at arms uniformly arrayed in tbe colours and wearing tbe of lord to file into the took pick and lawless from those who detained them and closing their about the marched forth again and disappeared as they were passing held both her hands to dick and cried him her farewell and the nothing downcast by her s evident displeasure blew him a kiss with a keep your heart up i that for the first time since the accident called up a smile to the faces of the crowd v although by far the most important person then in was poorly lodged in the house of a private gentleman upon the extreme outskirts of the town nothing but the armed men at the doors and the mounted messengers that kept arriving and departing announced the temporary residence of a great lord thus it was that from lack of space dick and were clapped into the same apartment well spoken master richard said the it was well spoken and for my part i thank cordially here we are in good hands we shall be justly tried and some time this evening decently hanged on the same tree t t arrow indeed my poor friend i do believe it answered dick yet have we a string to our bow returned lawless is a man oat of ten thousand be you right near his heart both for your own and for your father s sake and knowing you of this fact he will stir earth and heaven to bear you clear it may not be said dick what can he do he hath but a handful if it were but tomorrow could i but keep a certain an hour before noon to morrow all were i think otherwise but now there is no help well concluded lawless an ye will stand to it for my innocence i will stand to | 38 |
it for yours and that stoutly it shall naught avail us hut an i be to hang it shall not be for lack of swearing and then while dick gave himself over to his reflections the old curled himself down into a corner pulled his hood about his face and composed himself to sleep soon he was loudly so utterly had his long life of hardship and adventure the sense of apprehension it was long after noon and the day was already failing before the door was opened and dick taken forth and led up to where in a warm cabinet earl sat musing over the on his captive s entrance he looked up sir lie said i knew your father who was a man of honour and this me to be the more but i may not hide from yon that heavy charges he against your character ye do with and robbers upon a clear ye have carried war against the king s peace ye are suspected to have seized upon a ship ye are found with a in your enemy s a man is slain that very evening an it like you my lord dick interposed i will at once my guilt such as it ia i this fellow and to the proof searching in his bosom here is a letter from his took the letter and opened and read it twice ye have read this be inquired i have read it answered dick are ye for york or the earl demanded my lord it was bnt a little while back that i asked that question and knew not how to answer it said dick but having answered once i will not vary my lord i am for york the earl nodded honestly replied he said but wherefore then deliver me this letter nay but against nay lord are not all sides arrayed cried dick i would they were young gentleman returned the earl and i do at least approve your saying no thi buck there is more youth than in yon do perceive j and were not sir daniel a mighty man our side i were half tempted to your quarrel for i have inquired and it appears that you have been hardly de t with and have much excuse but look ye i am before all else a leader in the queen s interest j and though by nature a just man as i believe and leaning even to the excess of mercy yet must order my for my party s interest and to keep sir daniel i would go far about my lord returned dick ye will think me veiy bold to counsel you but do ye count upon sir daniel s faith he had changed sides often nay it is the way of england what would ye have the earl demanded but ye are unjust to the knight of and as faith goes in this generation he hath of late been true to us of even in our last he stood firm an it please you then said dick to cast your eye upon this letter ye might somewhat change your thought of him and he handed to the earl sir daniel s letter to lord the effect upon the earl s countenance was he lowered like an angry lion and his hand with a sudden movement clutched at his r ye have read this also be asked even so said dick it is your s own estate he offers to lord go i le it is my own estate even as ye say returned the earl i am your for this letter it hath shown me a fox s hole command me master i will not be backward in gratitude and to begin with york or true man or thief i do now set you at freedom go a mary s name i but judge it right that i retain and hang your fellow lawless the crime hath been most open and it were fitting that some open punishment should follow my lord i make it my first suit to you to spare him also pleaded dick it is an old condemned rogue thief and vagabond master said the earl he hath been this score of years and whether for one thing or another whether to morrow or the day after where is the great choice yet my lord it was love to me that he came hither answered dick and i were and to desert him master ye are replied the earl severely it is an evil way to prosper in this world and to be quit of your i will once more humour you go then together but go and get swiftly out of town for this sir daniel whom may the saints confound most gi to have your blood my lord i do now offer you in words my trusting at some brief date to pay you some of it in service replied dick as he turned from the apartment tub bi ck chapter vi ee again dick and lawless were suffered to by a back way oat of the house where lord held his the evening bad already come tbey paused ia shelter of the garden wall to consult od their best course the danger was extreme if one of sir daniel s men caught sight of them and raised the view they would be run down and instantly and not only was the town of a mere net of peril for their lives but to make for the open country was to run the risk of the a little way off upon some open ground tbey a standing j and hard by that a very large with open doors how if we lay there until the night fall dick proposed and lawless having no better suggestion to offer tbey made a straight push for the at a run and concealed themselves behind the door | 38 |
among some straw the daylight rapidly departed and presently the moon was the frozen snow now or never was their opportunity to gain the goat and unobserved and change their tell tale yet even then it was advisable to go round by the outskirts not run the of the market place where in the of people they the more imminent to be recognised and slain this course was a long one it took them not tar from the house by the beach now lying dark and silent and brought them forth at last by the margin of the harbour many of the ships as they could see by the clear had weighed anchor and by the calm sky proceeded for more distant parts to this the rude along the beach although in defiance of the law they still shone with fire and candle were no longer thronged with customers and no longer echoed to the chorus of sea songs hastily half running with their to the knee they plunged through the deep snow and the of marine lumber and they were already more than half way round the harbour when as they were passing close before an the door suddenly opened and let out a of light upon their fleeting figures instantly they stopped and made believe to be engaged in earnest conversation three men one after another came out of the and the last closed the door behind him all three were unsteady upon their feet as if they had passed the day in deep and they now stood wavering in the moonlight like men who knew not what they would be after the of the three was talking in a loud lamentable voice seven pieces of as good as ever a tub black he was saying the best ship out o the port o a virgin mary parcel gilt thirteen pounds of good gold money i have bad losses too interrupted one of the others i have had losses of mine own gossip i was robbed at of five shillings and a leather well worth dick s heart smote him at what he heard until that moment he had not perhaps thought twice of the poor who had been ruined by the loss of the good hope so careless in those days were men who wore arms of the goods and interests of their but this sudden encounter reminded him sharply of the high handed manner and ill ending of his enterprise and both he and lawless turned their heads the other way to avoid the chance of recognition the ship s dog had however made his escape from the wreck and found his way back again to he was now at s heels aud suddenly and his ears he darted forward and began to bark furiously at the two sham his master followed him hey i he cried have ye ever a penny piece for a poor old clean destroyed by i am a man that would have paid for you both o thursday morning and now here i be o saturday night begging for a of ale ask my man tom if ye me seven pieces of good wine a ship that was mine own and s was ray father s before me a blessed mary of plane tree wood nod parcel and thirteen pounds in gold and silver hey i what say ye a man that fought the too for i have fought the french i have cut more french throats upon the high seas than ever a man that sails out of come a penny piece neither dick nor lawless answer him a word lest he should recognise their voices and they stood there as helpless as a ship ashore not knowing where to turn nor what to hope are ye boy inquired the mates he added with a they be dumb i like not this manner of for an a man he dumb so be as he s courteous he will still speak when he was spoken to by this time the sailor tom who was a man oe great personal strength seemed to have conceived some suspicion of these two speechless figures and being than his captain stepped suddenly before him took lawless roughly by the shoulder and asked him with an oath what him that he held his tongue to this the thinking all was over made answer by a that the sailor on the sand and calling upon to follow him took to his heels among the lumber the affair passed in a second before dick could run at all had him in his arms tom crawling on his face had caught by one foot l ie the black arrow and the third man had a drawn above his head it was not so the danger it was not so much the annoyance that now down the spirits of young it was the profound humiliation to have escaped sir daniel convinced lord and now fall helpless in the hands of this old drunken sailor and not merely helpless but as his conscience loudly told him when it was too late actually guilty actually the of the man whose ship he had stolen and lost bring me him back into the till i see his face said nay nay returned tom j hot let us first his lest the other lads cry share but though he was searched from head to foot not a penny was found upon him j nothing but lord s which they plucked savagely from his finger turn me him to the moon said the and taking dick by the chin he cruelly jerked hie head into the air blessed virgin i he cried it is the hey i cried tom by the vii n of it is the man himself repeated what sea thief do i hold yon he cried where is my ship where is my wine hey have i you in my hands | 38 |
tom give me one end of a cord here i will so me this sea thief and foot together like a turkey marry i will bind him op aad thereafter i will bo beat so beat him i and bo he mn on winding the cord meanwhile about dick s limbs with the dexterity peculiar to and at every turn and cross securing it with a knot and the whole fabric with a savage pull when he had done the lad was a mere in his hands as as the dead the held him at arm s length and laughed aloud then be fetched him a on the ear and then turned him about and furiously kicked and kicked him anger rose up in dick s bosom like a storm anger him and he thought to have died but when the sailor tired o this cruel play dropped him all his length upon the sand and turned to consult with bis companions he instantly regained command of his temper here was a momentary ere they began again to torture him he might have found some method to escape from this degrading aud fatal presently sure enough and while his were still what to do with bim he took heart of grace and with a pretty steady voice addressed them my masters he began are ye gone clean foolish here hath heaven put into your hands as pretty an occasion to grow rich as ever had such as ye might make thirty over sea adventures and not find again and by the mass i what do ye beat me nay so thb ck arrow an angry child i but for long headed that fear not fire nor water and that love gold ae they love beef ye are not wise ay said tom now y are ye would you repeated dick nay if ye be fools it would be easy but if ye be shrewd fellows as i ye are ye can see plainly where your interest lies when i took your ship from yon we were many we were well clad and armed but now you a little who that array one that hath made much gold and if he being already rich to hunt after more even in the face of storms you once more shall there not be a treasure somewhere hidden what he asked one of the men why if ye have lost an old and a few of wine continued dick forget them for the they are and do ye rather to an adventure worth the name that shall in twelve hours make or mar you for ever but take me up from where i lie and let us go somewhere near at hand and talk across a for i am sore and frozen and my mouth is half among the snow he seeks but to us said tom contemptuously i cried the third man i would i could see the man that could me he were a indeed nay i was not bom yesterday i can bee ft when it a on it and for my part gossip there is some sense in this young man shall we go hear him indeed say shall we go hear him i would look gladly on a of strong ale good faster returned how say ye tom but then the is empty i will pay said the other i will pay i would fain see this matter out i do believe upon my conscience there is gold in it nay if ye get again to drinking all ia lost cried tom gossip ye suffer your fellow to have too much liberty returned master would ye be led by a hired man i peace fellow said addressing tom will ye your oar in truly a fine when the crew is to correct the well then go your way tom i wash my hands of you set him then upon his feet said master i know a place where we may drink and discourse tf i am to walk my friends ye must set my feet at liberty said dick when he had been once more planted upright like a post he true laughed truly he could not walk as ne is give it a out with your knife and it gossip d o i ss thb black even paused at this proposal but as his companion continued to insist and dick the sense to keep the merest indifference of expression and only shrugged his over the delay the consented at last and cut the which tied his prisoner s feet and legs not only did this enable dick to walk but the whole o his bonds being loosened he felt the arm behind his back begin to move more freely and could hope with time and trouble to entirely it so much he owed already to the and of master that worthy now assumed the lead and conducted them to the very same rude where lawless had taken on the day of the gale it was now quite deserted the fire was a pile of red embers the most ardent heat and when they had chosen their places and the landlord bad set before them a measure of ale both and stretched forth their legs and their elbows like men bent upon a pleasant hour the table at which they sat like all the others in the consisted o a heavy square board set on a pair of barrels and each of the four sat at one side of the square facing and dick opposite to the common sailor and now young man said to your tale it doth appear indeed that ye have somewhat abused our gossip but what then p make it up to again liim tut to become wealthy and i will go pledge he will for ve you so far dick had | 38 |
spoken pretty much at random bnt it was now necessary under the of six eyes to invent and tell some marvellous if it were possible get back into his hands the all important to time was the first necessity the longer his stay lasted the more would his drink and the he be when he attempted his escape well dick was not much of an and what he told was pretty much the tale of ah with and forest for the east and the treasures of the rather exaggerated than diminished as the reader is aware it is an excellent story and has but one that it is not true and so as these three simple now heard it for the first time their eyes stood out of their faces and their mouths like at a s pretty soon a second measure of ale was called for and while dick was still spinning out the incidents a third followed the second here was the position of the parties towards the end three parts drunk and one half asleep hung helpless on his stool even tom had been much delighted with the tale and his vigilance had in proportion meanwhile dick had gradually his right arm clear of its bonds and was ready to risk t the ck and so said y are one of these i was made so replied dick against my will bnt an i bnt get a sack or two of gold coin to my share i should be a fool indeed to continue dwelling in a filthy cave and standing shot and like a soldier here be we four good let then go forth into the forest to morrow ere the sun be np could we come honestly by a donkey it were better but an we cannot we have onr four strong backs and i warrant me we shall come home ring licked his lips and this magic he said this whereby the cave is opened how call ye it friend nay none know the word but the three chiefs returned dick but here is great good fortune that on this very evening i should be the bearer of a spell to open it it is a thing not trusted twice a year beyond the captain s a spell i said half awakening and upon dick with one eye thee no i i he a good christian ask my man tom else nay but this is white magic said dick it doth naught with the devil only the powers of numbers and ay ay said tis but white gossip there is no sin therein i do assure you but proceed good youth this spell in what should it consist t that i will show you answered dick have ye there the ring ye took from my finger good t now hold it forth before you by the extreme finger ends at the arm s length and over against the shining of these embers tis so exactly thus then ia the spell with a haggard glance dick saw the coast was clear between him and the door he put up an internal prayer then forth his arm he made but one snatch of the ring and at the same instant up the table he sent it bodily over upon the seaman tom he poor soul went down under the ruins and before understood that anything was wrong or could collect his dazzled wits dick had run to the door and escaped into the night the moon which now rode in the mid heavens and the extreme whiteness o the snow made the open ground about the harbour bright as day and young leaping with robe among the lumber was a conspicuous figure from afar tom and followed with shouts from every drinking shop they were joined by others whom their cries aroused and presently a whole fleet of sailors was in full pursuit but jack ashore was a bad even in the century and dick besides had a start which he rapidly improved until as he drew near the entrance of a narrow lane he even paused and looked behind him upon the white floor of snow all the of the black came in an mass and in oat in isolated every man was or screaming every man was with both arms in air some one was continually falling and to complete the when one fell a dozen would fall upon the top of him the confused mass of sound which they rolled up as high as to the moon was partly and partly to the fugitive whom they were hunting in itself it was impotent for he made sure no seaman in the port could run him down but the mere volume of noise in so far as it must awake all the in and bring all the to the street did really threaten him with danger in the front so a dark doorway at a corner he whipped briskly into it and let the uncouth hunt go by him still shouting and and all red with hurry and white with iu the snow it was a long while indeed before this great invasion of the town by the harbour came to an end and it was long before silence was restored for long lost sailors were still to be heard and shouting through the streets in all directions and in every quarter of the town quarrels followed sometimes among themselves sometimes with the men of the knives were blows given and received and more than one dead body remained behind upon the when a full hour later the last seaman returned again to the harbour and hia tavern it may fairly be questioned if he had ever known what manner of man he was pursuing but it was absolutely sure that he had now forgotten by next morning there were many strange stones and a little while after the legend | 38 |
singular sneer played about the young nobleman s mouth as be made answer richard would have been really far at this date t thk bu ok arrow these are very words bat to the are ye or york my lord i make no secret i am clear for york dick answered by the mass replied the other it is well for yon and so saying he towards one of his followers let me see he continued in the same and tones let me see a clean end of these brave gentlemen me them np there were but five of the attacking party seized them by the arms they were hurried to the borders of the wood and each placed below a tree of suitable dimensions the rope was adjusted an carrying the end of it hastily overhead and before a minute was over and without a word passing upon either hand the five men were swinging by the neck and now cried the leader back to your posts and when i summon you next be to attend my lord duke one man you not here alone keep but a handful of at your hand fellow said the duke i have to you for your cross me not therefore i trust my hand and arm for all that i be crooked ye were backward when the trumpet sounded and ye are the now too forward with your counsels but it is ever so last with the and first witli let it be reversed and with a gesture that was not without a sort of dangerous nobility he waved them off the climbed again to their seats behind the men at arms and the whole party moved slowly away and disappeared in twenty different directions under the cover of the forest the day was by this time beginning to break and the stars to fade the first grey glimmer of dawn shone upon the countenances of the two young men who now turned once more to face each other here said the duke ye have seen my vengeance which is like my blade both sharp and ready but i would not have you for all suppose me you that came to my aid with a good and a better courage unless that ye from my mis come to my heart and so saying the young leader held out his arms for an embrace in the bottom of hia heart dick already a great terror and some hatred for the man whom he had rescued but the invitation was so that it would not have been merely but cruel to refuse or hesitate and he hastened to and now my lord duke he said when he had regained his freedom do i suppose aright p ye my lord duke of d o i the black i am of returned the and you how call they yoa dick told him his name and presented lord s the duke immediately recognised ye come too soon he but why should i ye are like me that waa here at watch two hours before the day but this is the first sally of mine arms upon this adventure master shall i make or mar tjie quality of my renown there lie mine enemies under two old skilled captains and well posted for strength i do believe but yet upon two sides without retreat enclosed the sea the harbour and the river here were a great blow to be stricken an we could strike it silently and suddenly i do think so indeed cried dick warming have ye my lord s notes inquired the duke and then dick having explained how he was without them for the moment made himself bold to offer information every as good of his own knowledge and for mine own part my lord duke he added an ye had men enough i would fall on even at this present for look ye at the peep of day the watches of the night are over but by day they keep neither watch nor ward only the outskirts with now then when the night watch is already and the rest are at their morning cup now were the time to break them t le the how many do ye count asked they number two dick replied i have seven hundred iu the woods behind us said the duke seven hundred follow from and will be here anon behind these and farther are four hundred and my lord hath live hundred half a day from here at shall we attend their coming or fall on my lord said dick when ye hanged these five poor ye did decide the question although they were in these uneasy times they will be lacked and looked for and the alarm be given therefore my lord if ye do count upon the e of a surprise ye have not in my poor opinion one whole hour in front of you i do think so indeed returned well before an hour ye shall be in the thick on t winning spurs a swift man to carrying lord e another along the road to speed my la nay by the it may be done he once more set his trumpet to his lips and blew this time he was not long kept w ting in a moment the open space about the cross was filled with horse and foot richard of ter took bis place upon the and despatched messenger after messenger to hasten the of the seven hundred men that lay hidden in the immediate neighbourhood the ck among the woods and before a quarter of au hour had passed all his being taken he put himself at their head and be an to move down the hill towards his plan was simple he was to seize a quarter of the town of lying on the right hand of the high road and | 38 |
for a head woe unto yon if ye return without him i but if he be or for one instant ye him him from behind in the meanwhile dick hastened to secure hie post the street he had to guard was very narrow and closely lined with houses which projected and the but narrow and dark as it was since it opened upon the market place of the town the main issue of the battle would probably fall to be decided on that spot the market place was full of in disorder but there was as yet no sign of any ready to attack and dick judged he had some time before him to make ready his defence the two houses at the end stood deserted with open doors as the inhabitants had left them in their flight b ot and from these he had the furniture hastily forth and piled into a barrier in the entry of the lane a hundred men were placed at his disposal of these he threw the more part into the houses where they might lie in shelter and deliver their arrows from the windows with the under his own immediate eye he lined the meanwhile the utmost uproar and confusion bad to prevail throughout the town and what with the hurried of bells the sounding of trumpets the swift movement of bodies of horse the cries of the and the shrieks of women the noise was almost to the ear presently little by little the tumult began to and soon after of men in and bodies of h an to and form in line of battle in the a large portion of this body were in and blue and in the mounted knight who ordered array dick recognised sir daniel then there a long pause which was followed by the almost sounding of four trumpets from four different quarters of the town a fifth rang in answer from the market place and at the same moment the began to move and a shower of arrows rattled about the and sounded like blows upon the walls of the two houses the attack had b un by a common signal on all the five of the quarter was tub black every side and dick judged if lie would make good his post he rely entirely on the hundred men of hia command seven of arrows followed one upon the other and in the very thick of the es dick was touched from behind upon the arm and found a page holding out to him a strengthened with bright of mail it is from my lord of said the page he hath observed sir richard that ye went dick with a glow at his heart at being so addressed got to hia feet and with the assistance of the page tlie coat even as he did so two arrows rattled upon the s and a third struck down the page wounded at his feet meantime the whole body of the enemy had been steadily drawing nearer across the market place and by this time were so close at hand that dick gave the order to return their shot immediately from behind the barrier and from the windows of the houses a of arrows sped carrying death but the as if they bad but waited for a signal shouted loudly in answer and began to close at a run upon the barrier the still hanging back with lowered then followed an obstinate and deadly struggle hand to hand the their the battle of with one hand strove with the other to drag down the structure of the on the other side the parts were reversed and the exposed themselves like to protect their so for some minutes the contest raged almost in silence friend and foe falling one upon another but it is always the easier to destroy and when a single note upon the recalled the attacking party from this desperate service much of the had been removed and the whole fabric had sunk to half its height and to a general fall and now the in the market place fell back at a run on every side the who had been standing in a line two deep wheeled suddenly and made their flank into their front and as swift as a striking the long steel clad column was launched upon the of the first two one fell rider and and was ridden down by bis companions the second leaped clean npon the summit of the an his almost in the same instant be was dragged from the saddle and his horse despatched and then the full weight and of the charge burst upon and scattered the the men their fallen comrades and carried onward by the fury of their dashed through dick s broken line and poured thundering up the lane beyond as a stream and across a broken dam buck yet was the not over still in the narrow jaws of the dick and a few plied their bills like j and already across the width of the passage there had been formed a second s higher and a more effectual of fallen men and horses in the agonies of death hy this fresh obstacle the remainder of the cavalry fell back j and as at the sight of this movement the flight of arrows from the of the houses their retreat had for a moment almost into sight almost at the same time those who had crossed the and charged farther up the street being met before the door of the by the formidable and the whole reserve of the began to come backward in the excess of and terror dick and his fellows faced about fresh men poured out of the houses a cruel blast of arrows met the full in the face while was already riding down their rear in the inside of a minute and a half there was | 38 |
a danger and sore enough about half way up the little street a door was suddenly opened from within and the the battle of h house continued for seconds and both by door and window to a torrent of these as they leaped down hurriedly stood to their ranks bent their bows and proceeded to pour upon dick s rear a flight of arrows at the same time the in the market place their shot and began to close in stoutly upon the dick called down his whole command out of the houses and facing them both ways and encouraging their both by word and gesture returned as best he could the double shower of shafts that fell about his post meanwhile house after house was opened in the street and the continued to pour out of the doors and leap down from the windows shouting victory until the number of enemies upon dick s rear was almost equal to the number in his face it was plain that he could hold the post no longer what was worse even if he have held it it had now become useless and the whole army lay in a posture of helplessness upon the brink of a complete disaster the men behind him formed the vital flaw in the general defence and it was upon these that dick turned charging at the head of bis men so vigorous was the attack that the an gave ground and staggered and at last breaking their ranks began to crowd back into the houses from which they had recently and so r ni i ck arrow meanwhile the from the market place had across the and fell on upon the other side and dick mast once again face about and proceed to drive them back once again the spirit of his men prevailed thej cleared the street in a triumphant style but even as they did so the others issued again out of the houses and took them a third time upon the rear the began to he scattered several times dick himself alone among his foes and his bright sword for life several times he was conscious of a hurt and meanwhile the fight swayed to and fro in the street without result suddenly dick was of a great the outskirts of the town the war cry of york began to be rolled up to heaven as hy many and triumphant voices and at the same time the men in front of him b n to give ground rapidly streaming out of the street and back upon the market place some one gave the word to fly trumpets were blown some for a rally some to charge it was plain that a great blow had been struck and the were thrown at least for the moment into full disorder and some degree of panic and then like a theatre trick there followed the last act of battle the men in front of richard tail like a dog that has been whistled home and fled like the wind at the same moment there came through the market place a storm of the of and the turning back to strike with the sword the them down at the point of the lance conspicuous in the dick beheld the he was already giving a of that furious and skill to cut his way across the ranks of war which years afterwards upon the field of and when he was stained with crimes to change the fortunes of the day and the destiny of the english throne striking riding down he so forced and so strong horse so defended himself and so liberally scattered death to bis that he was now far ahead of the foremost of bis knights his way with the of a bloody sword to where lord was the a moment more and they had met the tall splendid and famous warrior against the and sickly boy yet had never a doubt of the result j and when the fight opened for a moment the figure of the earl had disappeared but still in the first of the danger dick was his big horse and the of his sword thus by s courage in holding the mouth of the street the first attack and by the arrival of his seven hundred the lad who was afterwards to he down to the of posterity under the name of richard had won bis first considerable fight chapter iv the of h was not a foe left within distance and k dick as he looked him on the remainder of his gallant force began to count the cost of victory he was himself now that the danger waa ended so stiff and sore so and ont and broken and above all so utterly by his desperate and labours in the fight that he seemed incapable of any fresh but this was not yet the hour for repose had been taken by assault and though an open town and not in any manner to be with the resistance it was plain that these rough would be not less rough now that the fight waa over and that the more horrid part of war would fall to be of waa not the captain to protect the citizens from his and even if he had the will it might be questioned if he had the power it was therefore dick s business to find and to protect and with that end be looked about him at the faces of his men the three or four who seemed to be obedient and to keep sober he drew aside and promising them a rich reward and a special recommendation to the duke led them across the now empty of and into the streets upon the farther side t thi back of b every here and there small of from two to a dozen still raged npon the open street here aad there a | 38 |
the town while dick stood watching them they had gained the first fringe of the forest and turning a uttle from their direction the sun fell for a moment full on their array as it was relieved against the dusky wood and blue cried dick i swear and blue i the next moment he was descending the it was now his business to seek out the duke of who alone in the disorder of the forces might be able to supply him with a of men thb black the in tlie main town was now practically at an end and as dick ran hither and thither seeking the commander the streets were thick with wandering soldiers some laden with more than they could well under others shouting drunk none of them when questioned had the least notion of the duke s whereabouts and at last it was by sheer good foi tune that dick found him where he sat in the saddle directing operations to the from the harbour side sir ye are well found he said i owe you one thing that i value little my life and one that i can never pay you for this victory if i had ten such captains as sir i would mai ch on london but now sir claim your reward freely my lord said dick freely and loudly one hath escaped to whom i owe some grudge and taken with him one whom i owe love and service give me then fifty that i may pursue and for any obligation that your is pleased to allow it shall be clean discharged how call ye him inquired the duke sir daniel answered out upon him double face cried here is no reward sir here is fresh service offered and if that ye bring his head to me a fresh debt upon my conscience get him these and you sir ye in the meanwhile ths sack of h what pleasure honour or pro t it shall be mine to give you just then the carried one of the in upon it on three and driving out or taking its dick was pleased to cheer the and pushing his horse a little called to see the prisoners there were four or five of them two men of my lord s and one of lord s among the and last but in dick s eyes not least a tall old between drunk and sober and with a dog and jumping at his heels the young duke passed them for a moment under a severe review good he said hang them and he turned the other way to watch the progress of the fight my lord said dick so please you i have found my reward grant me the life and liberty of yon old turned and looked the speaker in the face sir richard he said i make not war with s feathers but steel shafts those that are mine i and that without excuse or favour for ye in this realm of england that is so torn in pieces there is not a man of mine but hath a brother or a friend upon the other party if then i did begin to grant these i might my sword it may be so my lord and yet i will be and at the risk of recall your s promise replied dick richard of flushed mark it right well he said harshly i love not mercy nor yet ye have this day laid the foundations of high fortune if ye oppose to me my word which i have i will yield but by the glory of heaven there your favour dies mine is the loss said dick give him sailor said the duke and horse he turned his back upon young dick was nor glad nor he had seen too much of the young duke to set great store on his affection and the origin and growth of his own favour had been too and too rapid to inspire much confidence one thing alone he feared that the leader might the of the but here he did justice neither to s honour such as it was nor above all to his decision if he had once judged dick to be the right man to pursue sir daniel he was not one to change and he soon proved it by shouting after to be speedy for the was waiting in the meanwhile dick turned to the old who had equally indifferent to his condemnation and to his subsequent release t thb sack or s said dick i have done you ill but now by the i think t have cleared the score but the old only looked upon him and field his peace come continued dick a life is a life old and it is more than ships or liquor say ye forgive me for if your life is worth nothing to you it hath cost me the of my fortune come i have paid for it dearly be not so an had had my ship said i would v been forth and safe on the high seas i and my man tom but ye took my ship gossip and i m a beggar and for my man tom a fellow in shot him down i he and never again was the of his words and the poor spirit of him passed a will never sail no more will my tom dick was seized with and pity he sought to take the s hand but avoided his touch nay said he let be y have played the devil with me and let that content you the words died in s throat he saw through tears the poor old man with liquor and sorrow go away with bowed head across the and the unnoticed dog at his heels j and for the first time began to understand the desperate game that we | 38 |
play in life and how a thing once done ig not to be changed or by any w thk buck but there was no time left to him for vain regret had now collected the and riding np to dick he and offered him his horse this he said i somewhat of your onr it hath not been of a long growth and now sir richard it is with a very good heart that i you this horse to ride away with suffer me yet a moment replied dick this of mine whereupon was it founded upon name answered it is my lord s chief superstition were my name richard i should be an earl to morrow well sir i thank you returned dick and since i am little likely to follow these great fortunes i will even say farewell i will not pretend i was displeased to think myself upon the road to fortune but i will not neither that i am over sorry to be done with it command and riches they are brave things to be sure but a word in your ear yon duke of yours he is a laughed nay said he of a he that rides with crooked dick will ride deep well god keep us all from evil speed ye well thereupon dick put himself at the head of his men and giving the word of command rode off he made straight across the town following what he supposed to be the route of sir daniel and around for any signs that might decide if he were right the back of the streets were strewn with the dead and the wounded whose fate in the bitter frost was far the more pitiable of the went from house to house and and sometimes singing t ther as tbey went from different quarters as he rode on tbe sounds of violence and outrage came to young s ears now tbe blows of ihe hammer on some door and now the miserable shrieks of women dick s heart had just been awakened he had just seen the cruel consequences of his own behaviour and the thought of the sum of misery that was now acting in the whole of filled him with despair at length he reached the outskirts and there sure he saw straight before him the same broad beaten track across tbe snow that he had marked from the summit of the church here then be went the faster on but still as he rode he kept a bright eye upon the fallen men and horses that lay beside the track many of these he was relieved to see wore sir daniel s colours and the faces of some who lay upon their back he even recognised about half way between the town and the forest those whom he was following had plainly been assailed by j for the lay pretty closely scattered each pierced by an arrow and here dick among tbe rest the body of a very young lad whose face was somehow familiar to him he halted his troop dismounted and raised the lad s t the black bead as he did the hood fell and a oe long brown hair itself at the same time the eyes opened ah i lion driver i said a feeble voice she is farther on ride ride fast and then the poor lady fainted once again one of dick s men carried a of some cordial and with this dick succeeded in con then he took s friend upon his saddle bow and once more pushed toward the forest why do ye take me said the girl ye bat delay your speed nay mistress replied dick is of blood and and riot here ye are safe content ye i will not be to any of your she cried set me down madam ye know not what ye say returned dick y are hurt i am not she said it was my horse was slain it matters not one replied richard ye are here in the midst of open snow and about with enemies whether ye will or not i carry yon with me glad am i to have the occasion j for thus shall i repay some portion of our debt for a little while she was silent then very suddenly she asked my uncle n r i go le sight ih the woods my lord f returned dick i would i had good news to give you madam but i have none i b w him once iu the battle and only ua hope the chapter v in the woods it was almost certain that sir daniel had made for the moat considering the heavy snow the o the and the necessity under which he he of avoiding the few roads and across the it was equally certain that he could not hope to reach it ere the morrow there were two courses open to either to continue to follow ig the knight s trail and if he were able to fall upon him that very night in camp or to strike out a path of his own and seek to place himself between sir daniel and his destination either scheme was open to serious objection and dick who feared to expose to the of a fight had not yet decided between them when he reached the borders of the wood at this point sir daniel had turned a little to his left and then plunged straight under a grove of very lofty timber his party had then formed to a front in order to pass between the trees and the track waa trod deeper in the the eye followed it under the of the oaks running direct and narrow the trees stood over it with joints and the great uplifted forest of their boughs there was no sound whether o or beast not so much as | 38 |
the stirring of a robin j and over the field of snow the winter sun lay golden among how say ye asked dick of one of the men to follow straight on or strike across for sir richard replied the man at arms i would follow the line until they scatter ye are doubtless right returned dick but we came right hastily upon the errand even as the time commanded here are no houses neither for food nor shelter and by the morrow s dawn we shall know both cold fingers and an empty belly how say ye lads will ye stand a pinch for expedition s sake or shall we turn by holy wood and sup with mother the o being somewhat doubtful i will drive no man yet if ye would me to lead you ye would choose the first the men answered almost with one voice that they would follow sir richard where he would and dick setting spur to his horse b an once more to go forward the snow in the trail had been trodden very hard and the had thus a great advantage over the pursued they pushed on indeed at a round trot night ik the woods two ed alternately on the dull pavement of the snow and the of weapons and the of horses raising a warlike noise along the arches of the silent wood presently the wide of the pursued came out upon the high road from it was there for a moment and where it once more plunged into the snow upon the farther dick was surprised to it and lighter trod plainly by the road sir daniel had begun already to scatter his command at all one chance being equal to another dick continued to pursue the straight trail and that after an hour s riding in which it led into the very depths of the forest suddenly split like a bursting shell into two dozen others leading to every point of the compass dick drew bridle in despair the short winter s day was near an end the sun a dull red orange of rays swam low among the tho shadows were a mile long upon the snow the frost bit cruelly at the finger and the breath and steam of the horses mounted in a cloud well we are dick confessed strike we tor after all it is still nearer us than or should be by the station of the sun so they wheeled to their left turning their backs on the red shield of sun and made across country for the abbey but now times were changed with them they thb no longer forth on a beaten firm hy the passage of their foes and for a goal to which that path itself d them now they must plough at a dull pace through the snow continually pausing to decide their course continually in the sun soon left them the glow of the west decayed and presently they were wandering in a shadow of blackness under frosty stars presently indeed the moon would clear the and they might resume their march bat till then every random p might carry them wider of their march there was nothing for it but to camp and wait were posted j a spot of ground was cleared of snow and after some failures a good fire blazed in the midst the men at sat close about this forest hearth sharing such provisions as they had and passing about the and dick having collected the most delicate of the rough and scanty fare brought it to lord s niece where she sat apart from the against a tree she sat upon one horse cloth wrapped in another and stared straight before her at the scene at the offer of food she started like one from a dream and then silently refused madam said dick let me you punish me not so cruelly wherein i have offended you i know not i have indeed carried you away but with a friendly violence i have indeed exposed you to the in the woods ot night but the hurry that lies upon me hath for its end the preservation of another who is no less frail and no less than yourself at least madam punish not yourself and eat if not for hunger for strength i will eat nothing at the hands that my she replied bear madam dick cried i swear to you upon the i him not swear to me that he still lives she returned i will not with you answered dick pity bids me to wound you in my heart i do believe him dead and ye ask me to eat she cried ay and they call you sir y have won your spurs by my good s murder and had i not been fool and traitor both and saved you in your enemy s house ye should have died the death and he he that was worth twelve of you were living i did but my man s best even as your did upon the other party answered dick were he still living as i vow to heaven i wish it he would praise not blame me sir daniel hath told me she replied he marked you at the upon you he their party it was you that won the battle well then it was you that my good lord as sure as though ye had him and ye would have me eat with you and your hands not washed from ths ck killing but sir daniel hath sworn your he tis that will me i the unfortunate dick was plunged in gloom old returned upon his and he groaned aloud do ye hold me so guilty he said you that defended me you that are s friend what made ye in the battle she retorted y are of no party | 38 |
j y are but a lad but legs and body without government of wit or counsel wherefore did ye fight for the love of hurt nay cried dick i know not but as the realm of england goes if that a poor gentleman fight not upon the one side he must fight upon the other he may not stand alone tis not in nature they that have no judgment should not draw the sword the young lady ye that fight but for a hazard what are ye but a butcher war is but noble by the cause and y have disgraced it madam said the miserable dick i do partly see mine error i have made too much haste i have been busy before my time already i stole a i do swear it to do well and thereby brought about the death of many innocent and the grief and ruin of a poor old man whose face this very day hath me like a dagger and for this morning i did but design to do myself credit and get fame to marry with and behold i have brought about the death of your dear that was good to me and what besides i know not for alas i may have set york upon the in thk woods throne and tliat may be the cause and may do hurt to england o madam i do see my sin i am unfit for life i will for penance sake and to avoid worse evil once i have finished this adventure get me to a i will and the trade of arms i will be a and pray for your good s spirit all my days it appeared to dick in this extremity o bis humiliation and repentance that the young lady had laughed his countenance he found her looking down upon him in the fire light with a somewhat peculiar but not unkind expression madam he cried thinking the laughter to have been an illusion of his hearing but still from her changed looks hoping to have touched her heart madam will not this content you i give up all to undo what i have done amiss i make heaven certain for lord and all this upon the very day that i have won my spurs and thought myself the happiest young gentleman on ground boy she said good boy i and then to the extreme surprise of dick she first very tenderly wiped the tears away from his cheeks and then as if yielding to a sudden impulse threw both her arms about his neck drew up his face and kissed him a pitiful bewilderment came over simple minded dick but come she said with great cheerfulness you that are a captain ye must eat why sup ye not the ck dear mistress replied dick i did but wait first upon my prisoner but to say truth will do longer suffer me to endure the sight of food i were r to dear lady and to pray call me she said are we not old friends and now come i will eat with you hit for bit and sup for sup so if ye eat not neither will i but if ye eat hearty i wiu dine like a so there and then she fell to and dick who had an excellent stomach proceeded to hear her company at first with great reluctance hut gradually as he entered into the spirit with more and more vigour and devotion until at last he forgot even to watch his model and most heartily repaired the expenses of his day of labour and excitement lion driver she said at length ye do not e a ami in a man s the moon was now up and they were only waiting to repose the wearied horses by the moon s light the still penitent but now well fed richard beheld her somewhat down upon him madam he stammered surprised at this new turn in her manners nay she interrupted it not to deny hath told me but come sir lion driver look at me am i so homely come i and she made bright eyes at him ye are something indeed began dick t ik thb woods and here again she him this time with a ringing peal of laughter that completed his and i she cried now he honest as ye are bold i am a dwarf or little r but tor all that come tell me i for all that fair to look ie t not bo nay madam exceedingly fair said the distressed knight trying to seem and a man would be right glad to wed me she pursued madam right glad i agreed call me said sha sir richard well lion driver she continued that ye my and left me without stay ye owe me in honour every do ye not i do madam said sick although upon my heart i do hold me hut partially guilty of that brave knight s blood would ye me she cried madam not so i have told you at your bidding i will even turn me a said richard then in honour ye belong to me she concluded in honour madam i suppose began the man go to i she interrupted ye are too full of catches in honour do ye belong to me till ye have paid the evil t thb black in honour i do said dick hear then she continued ye make but a sad and since i am to dispose of yon at pleasure i will even take yon for my nay now no words cried she they will avail you nothing for see how just it is that you who deprived me of one home should supply me with another and as for she will be the first believe me to commend the change for after all as we be | 38 |
at my whistle and with one shoot of arrows i could answer for you all master dick said it goes against my heart but i must do my duty the saints help yon and he raised a little to his mouth and wound a rousing call then followed a moment of confusion j for while dick fearing for the ladies still hesitated to give the word to s little band sprang to their weapons and formed back to back as for a fierce resistance in tbe hurry of their change of place night in the woods sprang from her and ran like an arrow to her lover s side here dick i she cried as clasped hie hand in hers but dick still stood j he was yet young to the more deplorable necessities of war and the thought of old lady the command upon his tongue his own men became some of them cried on him by name others of their own accord began to shoot and at the first discharge poor bit the dust then dick awoke on he cried shoot boys and keep to cover england and york but just then the dull beat of many horses on the snow suddenly arose in the hollow ear of the night and with incredible swiftness drew nearer and swelled louder at the same time answering repeated and repeated s call rally rally cried dick upon met for your lives i but his men scattered taken in the hour when they had counted on an easy triumph began instead to give ground and either stood wavering or dispersed into the and when the first of the came charging through the open avenues and fiercely riding their into the a few were or among the brush but the bulk of dick s command had simply melted at the rumour of their coming d r i thb black arrow dick for bitterly the fruits of his and unwise sir had seen the fire he had moved with his main force whether to attack his or to take them in the rear if they should venture the assault his had been throughout the part of a sagacious captain the conduct of an eager and here was the knight his sweetheart indeed holding him tightly by the hand but otherwise alone his whole command of men and horses dispersed in the night and the wide forest like a paper of pins in a hay bam the saints me i he thought it is well i was for this morning s matter this doth me little honour and thereupon still holding he began to run the silence of the night was now shattered by the shouts of the men of as they galloped hither and thither hunting and dick broke boldly through the and ran straight before him like a deer the silver clearness of the moon upon the open snow increased by contrast the obscurity of the and the extreme of the led the into widely nt paths hence in but a little while dick and paused in a close covert and heard the sounds of the pursuit scattering abroad indeed in all directions but yet fainting already in the distance an i had but kept a reserve of them together d o i i night in thb dick cried bitterly i could have turned the yet i well we live and learn j next time it shall go better by the nay dick said what matters it here we are together once ain he looked at her and there she was john as of in and but now he knew her now even in that dress she smiled upon him bright with love and his heart was transported with joy sweetheart he said if ye forgive this what care i make we direct for there your good guardian and my better friend lord there shall we be wed and whether poor or wealthy famous or unknown what matters it this day dear love i won my spurs i was commended by great men for my i thought myself the man of war in all broad then first i fell out of my favour with the great and now have i been well and clean lost my soldiers there was a for conceit but dear i care not dear if ye still love me and will wed i would have my done away and mind it not a my dick i she cried and did they knight you ay dear ye are my lady now he answered fondly or ye shall ere noon to morrow will yo not t the black tliat will i with a glad heart she answered ay sir ye were to be a said a voice in their ears cried even replied the young lady coming forward whom ye left for dead and whom your found and to life again and by my made love if ye want to know i ll not believe it cried dick dick dick indeed i ay fair six and ye desert poor in distress she continued turning to the young knight ye leave them planted behind oaks but they say true the age of chivalry is dead madam cried dick in despair upon my soul i had forgotten you outright madam ye must try to pardon me ye see i had new found i i did not suppose that ye had done it o purpose she retorted but i will be cruelly i will tell a secret to my lady she that is to be she added she continued i believe upon my soul your sweetheart is a bold fellow in a fight but he is let me tell you plainly the in england go to ye may do your pleasure with him i and now fool children first kiss me either one of you for luck and kindness and then kiss each other just one | 38 |
minute by the glass and not one second longer and then let all three ik the woods bet forth for holy wood as fast as we can for these woods are full of peril and exceeding cold but did my dick make love to you asked clinging to her sweetheart s side nay fool girl returned it was i made love to him i offered to marry him indeed but he bade me go many with my likes these were his words nay that i will say he is more plain than pleasant but now children for the sake of sense set forward shall we go once more over the or push straight for holy wood why said dick i would like dearly to get upon a for i have been sore and beaten one way and another these last days and my poor body is one but how think ye if the men upon the alarm of the fighting had fled away we should have gone about for nothing but some three short miles to direct the bell hath not beat the snow is pretty firm to walk upon the moon clear how if we went even as we are agreed cried but only pressed upon dick s arm forth then they went through open groves and down snow clad under the white face of the winter moon dick and walking hand in hand and in a heaven of pleasure and their light minded companion her own heartily forgotten followed a pace or two behind now them upon thb black arrow their and now drawing of their future and united lives still indeed in the distance of the wood the of might he heard urging their pursuit ind from time to time cries or the clash of steel announced the shock of enemies but in these young folk bred among the of war and fresh from such a of dangers neither fear nor pity could be content to find tlie sounds still drawing farther and farther away they gave up their hearts to the enjoyment of the hour walking already as put it in a wedding procession and neither the rude solitude of the forest nor the com of the night had any force to shadow or their happiness at length from a rising hill they looked below them on the of the great windows of the forest abbey shone with torch and candle its high and arose very clear and silent and the gold upon the summit glittered brightly in the moon all about it in the open camp fires were burning and the ground was thick with huts j and across the midst of the picture the frozen river curved by the mass said richard there are lord s fellows still the messenger hath certainly well then so better we have power at hand to face sir daniel but if lord s men still lay in the long at it was from a different reason from the one supposed by dick they had marched in the woods indeed for but ere they were half way thither a second met and bade them return to their morning s camp to bar the road against and to be bo much nearer to the main of york for richard of having finished the battle and stamped out bis foes in that district was already on the march to bis brother and not long after the return of my lord s himself drew rein before the abbey door it was in honour of this august visitor that the windows shone with lights and at the hour of dick s arrival with his sweetheart and her friend the whole party was being entertained in the with the splendour of that powerful and luxurious dick not quite with his good will was brought before them sick with fatigue sat leaning upon one hand his white and countenance lord half recovered from his wound was in a place of honour on his left how sir asked richard have ye brought me sir daniel s head my lord duke replied dick stoutly enough but with a at heart i have not even the good fortune to return with my command i have been so please your grace well beaten looked upon him a formidable frown i gave yon fifty sir he said the term lance included a not certain number of foot soldiers attached to uie ki s the buck my lord duke i had but fifty men at arms replied the young knight how ia this said he did ask me fifty may it please your grace replied smoothly for a pursuit we gave him but the horse it ia well replied adding ye may go stay said lord this young man likewise had a charge from me it may be he hath better sped say master have he found the maid i praise the saints my lord said dick she is in this house is it even so well then my lord the duke lord with your good will to morrow before the army march i do propose a marriage this young squire young knight interrupted say ye so sir william cried lord i did myself and for good service him knight said he hath twice served me it is not of hands it ia a man a mind of iron that he he will not rise lord tis a fellow that will fight indeed bravely in a but hath a s heart if he ia to marry marry him in the name of mary and be done i nay he is a brave lad i know it said lord t dick s content ye then sir richard i have this affair with master and tomorrow ye shall wed whereupon sick judged it prudent to withdraw but he was not yet clear o the when a man but newly alighted at the gate came running four stairs at a bound and brushing | 38 |
through the abbey servants threw himself on one knee before the victory my lord he cried and before dick had got to the chamber set apart for him as lord s guest the troops in the were cheering around their fires for upon that same day not twenty miles away a second crushing blow had been dealt to the power of x chapter vii dick s revenge the nest morning dick was before the and having dressed himself to the best advantage with the aid of the lord s baggage and got good reports of be set forth on foot to walk away his impatience for some while he made rounds among the who were getting to arms in the wintry twilight of the dawn and by the red glow of but gradually he strolled further and at length passed clean beyond the black the aod walked alone in the frozen forest waiting for the his thoughts were both quiet and happy his brief favour with the duke he could not find it in his heart to mourn with to wife and my lord for a faithful patron he looked most happily upon the future j and in the past he found little to regret as he thus strolled and pondered the light of the morning grew more clear the east was already coloured hy the sun and a little wind blew up the frozen snow he turned to go but even as he turned his eye lit upon a figure behind a tree stand i be cried who goes the figure stepped forth and waved its hand like a dumb person it was arrayed like a pilgrim th hood lowered over the face but dick in an instant recognised sir daniel he strode up to him drawing his sword and the knight putting his hand in his bosom as if to seize a hidden weapon awaited his approach well said sir daniel how is it to be do ye make war upon the fallen i made no war upon your life replied the lad i was your true friend until ye sought for mine bat ye have sought for it nay self defence replied the knight and now boy the news of this battle and the presence of crooked devil here in mine own wood have broken dick s me beyond all help i go to for thence what i can carry and to life again in or ye may not go to said dick how may not asked the knight look ye sir daniel this is my marriage mom said dick and yon sun that is to rise will make the brightest day that ever shone for me your life is doubly for my father s death and your own to me ward but i myself have done amiss i have brought about men s deaths and this glad day i will be neither judge nor an ye were the devil i would not lay a hand on you an ye were the devil ye might go where ye will for me seek god s forgiveness mine ye have freely but to go on to is different i carry arms for york and i will no spy within their lines hold it then for certain if ye set one foot before another i will my voice and call the nearest post to seize you ye mock me said sir daniel i have no safety out of i care no more returned richard i let you go east west or south north i will not is shut against you go and seek not to return j or once ye are gone i will warn every post about this army and there will be so shrewd a watch upon all that once again were ye the very ye would find it ruin to make the essay t s thk ye doom me said sir daniel gloomily i doom you not returned richard if it bo please you to set your t mine come on and though i fear it be to my party i will take the challenge openly and fully fight you with mine own single strength and call for none to help me so shall i my father with a perfect conscience ay said sir daniel y have a long sword against my dagger i rely upon heaven only answered dick casting his sword some way behind him on the snow now if your ill te bids you come and under the pleasure of the almighty i make myself bold to feed bones to i did but try you returned tbe knight with an uneasy semblance of a laugh i would not your blood go then ere it be too late replied in five minutes i will call the post i do perceive that i am too long suffering had hut our places been reversed i should have been hand and foot some minutes past well i will go replied sir daniel when we next meet it shall repent you that ye were so harsh and with these words the knight turned and began to move off under the trees dick watched him with strangely mingled feelings as he went swiftly and and ever and again turning a wicked eye upon dick s the lad who had spared him and whom he still suspected there was upon one side o where he went a thicket with green ivy and even in its winter state to the eye all of a sudden a bow sounded like a note of music an arrow flew and with a great choked cry of agony and anger the knight of threw up his hands and felt forward in the snow dick bounded to his side and raised him hia face desperately worked his whole body was shaken by is the arrow black he gasped it is black replied dick gravely and then before he could add one word a desperate of pain | 38 |
r c v s d m the it of the by with m a h s simple of by w v a climb d i y se with ho os e x a by india l l grant j library india and and tl e people k m and fireside ell a book of bat t w by g swift m the a m p i h c h a john ee i n m the pr by a r de tn by by r l s col o i d ss ki o a mine m t from s the a by a lady by frank lady a the as mi land the by j a i nd scare and a of ni about to by a l od by wai a and other time publication are now published exclusively by a list m i i local gold and silver by j h ia local government in and by the right hon g c b c and south railway the n and western railway the illustrated guide to the is i as london and south railway the illustrated guide to the is as london by edward two with about s poetical works a or martin his life and times bj i the practical of draw o ted guide to europe a history of by c a m a vol i mn to s as vol ii rt l c of by ev sir f a two s in weekly volumes each about pages paper d cloth a s t s by l r n z n i h h a m d f l s with several hundred b m natural s new by p m b f r s f g s complete in vou with cloth as each in the north or and in the by a for the home and the a ol by wood edition la d cloth aa oil painting a of by hon the by s our own country with i d each with more than ma ua medium ro cloth m painting practical guides to coloured plates and full marine animal b s d painting s flower a each tree b a tint js se ha ui s each or ia one vi sa flowers and how to them sa i i g f s the u i si i ui i flower b f sir mi i i of world tbe in six by dr t ad thb by w b t c is ud fable of by the rev dr c ai ad or lack m america in four vol s ud lot original wood t la canada with as europe in fin ii steel plates original and nearly too the edition is hi fin keeper the practical by tbe book oc by and arranged by l with coloured ain ed hall la a miniature library of tbe ib i as two la ad two as d as d hood h and a two as ad i as id in cur lis police code and manual of the law by c e m p la popular library b is each tbe d the p of the ll tlie re hill of fifty the of sir s penny poultry tbe practical by coloured and a d poultry the book of by c cloth s hair s poultry the book of by ht los the in the gallery is and by j f queen victoria the life and of by com queer race a by w s quiver the volume containing seven hu ed rabbit keeper the practical by s d nd selected by ihe poets s republic ef the future the by do royal river tho the thames source to sea with t j i by a wall chapter si war b of i yearly volume science for all by dr b each sea the story of section g or the fall back try the the l half ni n a the royal with i a novel by jl m n d popular la earl of k q the life and work of three di king by by ts b i by frank a s edition by ana ty and t by b ib re miniature in twelve in box n red i the t z v sea by r j shan from nature c d horn nature in water by with in a and hair tho management of by m f r c s ta aad by m a u steam engine the theory and action of the for practical hen k c e d stock exchange year book the by thomas in m little holiday number ib t from j cow hy i and with ei u d of the craft of in an by sir james i by f c character from six new aad draw of the a novel by l u a d a a novel by a by r l treatment the year book of a trees familiar by g s f l s two is by w h j boot of in the of by the the book is d each united states a history of the by the three gi united the youth s history of the by edward s s st it by john m d d p h u d beyond the a novel by s b cloth a id r of t d other works by coloured in each d wild flowers familiar by f e f l s f s a five series with coloured in each each wise woman the by mai d aa woman | 38 |
s world the yearly volume world of wit and humour the with illustrations m cloth gilt gilt edge los d world of wonders two with a ed each yoke of the the a novel by boards e annual is illustrated magazines monthly m monthly monthly m of art monthly is the world monthly is journal weekly id monthly company i h t fl mt t i ma bible the crown bout i a reference c s m bible i gilt t bible i with oi s bible the by v iy rev d d with m c four s bible work at home and abroad b s a b d a t with d child s life of christ the ha child s bible the s m bible witli s by dost small doth fi of the popular edition volume cloth g cloth gilt edges js d id tree calf prayer book the by rev m a and rev s crown to doth sa d d works by tub holy and the bible a book of thb b six m tn k ir s os on m y tt a to b the of grace by a as d heart red edge ml bible on of t shilling by m n mr c i m object i i s i t di li t helps to belief s of h l s on the re shore l ki fi om f i short mi em life of christ th bible by m doth edges by the d d f r s n to edges b d p martin his life and times by ll d pages the by d d bound b white gilt in a mom ba d i the harmony of the bible with by th rev samuel d f k a s c by the t c j and in three vol li the vol iii the remaining books of the new tes i by ihe right re c j and complete in s vol vol i to numbers vol iii kings i lo v rf ii vol iv job to samuel ii vol v the history of by ihe rev j a ll d quiver volume the high class d the of by ihe rev w b d st for england and other sermons preached to children by the rev t shore m a s st paul the and work of by the v n d d f r s in to the illustrated complete in one volume with is la popular edition one volume cloth te gilt edges j tree calf e the by john t company s b a d the modern ey b sc loud test cards si af by for is doth b for the million a for jones s u the public school j h m a s d t e new testament by the lord bishop of and handy volume edition st b d si st js ed st john r m the d as od and il a and aud s and b peter and john s the a an old testament bv bishop handy volume edition js number as d as d copy a id each copy books modern school t id each copies s new standard basis books a to f for i to iv ad each books g h k l m o for standards v to vii d each books n and p d each wins copies s modem school first grade is second grade m practical by w e a d and motion a text book of by m a is en literature first of and y ta d literature the story of by boards h s by m a la the first four books of french reader s public school by s french s lessons in new and i and ii each d j complete s d is d french en and english french dictionary and js d and s scientific by the rev v n b a b m a and the rev m d d c l s d plane s books i ii iii as d book v vi aa d tables s d natural philosophy js d as s d a i a engine s v tb and english and with cards s and english dictionary a first lessons in by a st illustrated day by dr of new code of by john f moss is each mounted on canvas and s u historical course for schools s illustrated throughout history la ii the simple ul english is d iii the class history of england m t by j r v m a latin dictionary by j r d d and c beard e a ed by j p crown as of life by h o is d little by of the home th a book of economy for school ud home use ii d ii it d m french as m d od m in practical by r g h e with a ad of by la popular s complete in ai the world in b carefully and l art s printed od paper and bound in l at an for infant coloured three books each con readers the modem school readers til modem school m i m and book b la school bank manual by price a for school use books each book the by h m a m issued in three books is each x of by manual of by j t ll d is b and b d | 38 |
to believe neither a nor a coward from the whole tone of the young man s statement the suicide club it was plain that he very bitter and contemptuous thoughts about himself his were led to imagine that his love affair was nearer his heart than he admitted and that he had a design on his own life the farce of the cream began to have very much the air of a tragedy in disguise why is this not odd broke out giving a look to prince that we three fellows should have met by the merest accident in so large a wilderness as london and should be so nearly in the same condition how cried the young man are you too ruined is this supper a folly like my cream has the devil brought three of his own together for a last the devil depend upon it can sometimes do a very gentlemanly thing returned prince and i am so much touched by this coincidence that although we are not entirely in the same case i am going to put an end to the let your heroic treatment of the last cream be my example so saying the prince drew out his purse and took from it a small bundle of bank notes you see i was a week or so behind you but i mean to catch you up and come neck and neck into the winning post he continued this laying one of the notes upon the table will suffice for the bill as for the rest he tossed them into the fire and they went up the chimney in a single blaze the young man tried to catch his arm but as the table was between them his interference came too late unhappy man he cried you should not have burned them all you should have kept forty pounds forty pounds repeated the prince why in heaven s name forty pounds why not eighty cried the colonel for to my certain knowledge there must have been a hundred in the bundle lo ne w nights m it was only forty pounds he needed said the young man gloomily but without them there is no admission the rule is strict forty pounds for each accursed life where a man cannot even die without money the prince and the colonel exchanged glances explain yourself said the latter i have still a pocket book tolerably well lined and i need not say how readily i would share my wealth with but i must know to what end you must certainly tell us what you mean the young man seemed to awaken he looked uneasily from one to the other and his face flushed deeply you are not me he asked you are indeed ruined men like me indeed i am for my part replied the colonel and for mine said the prince i have given you proof who but a ruined man would throw his notes into the fire the action speaks for itself a ruined man yes returned the other suspiciously or else a enough sir said the prince i have said so and i am not accustomed to have my word remain in doubt ruined said the young man are you ruined like me are you after a life of indulgence come td such a pass that you can only indulge yourself in one thing more are you he kept lowering his voice as he went on are ou going to give yourselves that last indulgence are you going to avoid the consequences of your folly by the one and easy path are you going to give the slip to the s officers of conscience by the one open door suddenly he broke off and attempted to laugh here is your health he cried his glass and good night to you my merry ruined men colonel caught him by the arm as he was about to rise the suicide club ii you lack confidence in us he said and you are wrong to all your questions i make answer in the affirmative but i am not so timid and can speak the queen s english plainly we too like yourself have had enough of life and are determined to die sooner or later alone or together we meant to seek out death and beard him where he lies ready since we have met you and your case is more pressing let it be tonight and at once and if you will all three together such a he cried should go arm in arm into the halls of and give each other some countenance among the shades had hit exactly on the manners and that became the part he was playing the prince himself was disturbed and looked over at his with a shade of doubt as for the young man the flush came back darkly into his cheek and his eyes threw out a spark of light you are the men for me he cried with an almost terrible shake hands upon the bargain his hand was cold and wet you little know in what a company you will begin the march you little know in what a happy moment for yourselves you partook of my cream i am only a but i am a in an army i know death s private door i am one of his and can show you into eternity without ceremony and yet without scandal they called upon him eagerly to explain his meaning can you muster eighty pounds between you he demanded consulted his pocket book and replied in the affirmative fortunate beings cried the young man forty pounds is the entry money of the suicide club the suicide club said the prince why what the devil is that listen said the young man this is the age of new nights and i have to tell you of the last perfection of the sort we | 38 |
have affairs in different places and hence were invented separated us from our friends and so were made that we might communicate speedily at great distances even in hotels we have lifts to spare us a climb of some hundred steps now we know that life is only a stage to play the fool upon as long as the part us there was one more convenience lacking to modern comfort a decent easy way to quit that stage the back stairs to liberty or as i said this moment death s private door this my two fellow is supplied by the suicide club do not suppose that you and i are alone or even exceptional in the highly reasonable desire that we profess a large number of our fellow men who have grown heartily sick of the performance in which they are expected to join daily and all their lives long are only kept from flight by one or two considerations some have families who would be shocked or even blamed if the matter became public others haye a weakness at heart and from the circumstances of death that is to some extent my own experience i cannot put a pistol to my head and draw the for something stronger than myself the act and although i life i have not strength enough in my body to take hold of death and be done with it tor such as i and for all who desire to be out of the without scandal the suicide club has been how this has been managed what is its history or what may be its in other lands i am myself and what i know of its constitution i am not at liberty to communicate to you to this extent however i am at your service if you are truly tired of life i will introduce you to night to a meeting and if not to night at least some time within the week you will be easily relieved of your it is now consulting his watch eleven by half past at latest we must leave the suicide club this place so that you have half an hour before you to consider my proposal it is more serious than cream he added with a smile and i suspect more more serious certainly returned colonel and as it is so much more so will you allow me five minutes speech in private with my friend mr it is only fair answered the young man if you will permit i will retire you will be very obliging said the colonel as soon as the two were alone what said prince is the use of this i see you are whereas my mind is very made up i will see the end of this your said the colonel turning pale let me ask you to consider the importance of your life not only to your friends but to the public interest if not to night said this madman but supposing that to night some disaster were to overtake your s person what let me ask you what would be my despair and what the concern and disaster of a great nation i will see the end of this repeated the prince in his most deliberate tones and have the kindness colonel to remember and respect your word of honor as a gentleman under no circumstances recollect nor without my special authority are you to betray the under which i choose to go abroad these were my commands which i now and now he added let me ask you to call for the bill colonel bowed in submission but he had a very white face as he summoned the young man of the cream and issued his directions to the waiter the prince preserved his undisturbed and described a royal farce to the young suicide with great humor and he avoided the colonel s appealing looks without and selected new nights another with more than usual care indeed he was now the only man of the party who kept any command over his nerves the bill was discharged the prince giving the whole change of the note to the astonished waiter and the three drove off in a four they were not long upon the way before the cab stopped at the entrance to a rather dark court here all descended after had paid the fare the young man turned and addressed prince as follows it is still time mr to make good your escape into and for you too major reflect well before you take another step and if your hearts say no here are the lead on sir said the prince i am not the man to go back from a thing once said your coolness does me good replied their guide i have never seen anyone so unmoved at this and yet you are not the first whom i have escorted to this door more than one of my friends has preceded me where i knew i must shortly follow but this is of no interest to you wait me here for only a few moments i shall return as soon as i have arranged the of your introduction and with that the young man waving his hand to his companions turned into the court entered a doorway and disappeared of all our follies said colonel in a low voice this is the wildest and most dangerous i perfectly believe so returned the prince we have still pursued the colonel a moment to ourselves let me your to profit by the opportunity and retire the consequences of this step are so dark and may be so grave that i feel myself justified in pushing a little farther than usual the liberty which your is so as to allow me in private am i to understand that colonel is ic the suicide club afraid asked his taking his from his lips and looking keenly | 38 |
into the other s face my fear is certainly not personal replied the other proudly of that your may rest well assured i had supposed as much returned the prince with undisturbed good humor but i was unwilling to remind you of the difference in our stations no more no more he added seeing about to you stand excused and he smoked placidly leaning against a railing until the young man returned well he asked has our reception been arranged follow me was the reply the president will see you in the cabinet and let me warn you to be frank in your answers i have stood your but the club requires a searching inquiry before admission for the of a single member would lead to the of the whole society forever the prince and put their heads together for a moment bear me out in this said the one and bear me out in that said the other and by boldly taking up the characters of men with whom both were acquainted they had come to an agreement in a twinkling and were ready to follow their guide into the president s cabinet there were no formidable obstacles to pass the outer door stood open the door of the cabinet was and there in a small but very high apartment the young man left them once more he will be here immediately he said with a nod as he disappeared voices were audible in the cabinet through the folding doors which formed one end and now and then the noise of a champagne cork followed by a burst of laughter among the sounds of conversation a single tall window looked out upon the river and the and by the disposition of the lights they judged themselves not far from cross station t ne w nights the furniture was scanty and the worn to the thread and there was nothing except a hand bell in the centre of a round table and the hats and coats of a considerable party hung round the wall on what sort of a den is this said that is what i have come to see replied the prince if they keep live devils on the premises the thing may grow amusing just then the folding door was opened no more than was necessary for the passage of a human body and there entered at the same moment a louder of talk and the president of the suicide club the president was a man of fifty or upwards large and rambling in his gait with shaggy a bald top to his head and a veiled gray eye which now and then a twinkle his mouth which embraced a large cigar he kept continually round and round and from side to side as he looked and coldly at the strangers he was dressed in light with his neck v ry open in a striped shirt collar and carried a minute book under one arm good evening said he after he had closed the door behind him i am told you wish to speak with me we have a desire sir to join the suicide club replied the colonel the president rolled his cigar about in his mouth what is that he said abruptly pardon me returned the colonel but i believe you are the person best qualified to give us information on that point i cried the president a suicide club come come this is a for all fools day i can make for gentlemen who get merry in their liquor but let there be an end to this call your club what you will said the colonel you have some company behind these doors and we insist on joining it the suicide club sir returned the president you have made a mistake this is a private house and you must leave it instantly the prince had remained quietly in his seat throughout this little but now when the colonel looked over to him as much as to say take your answer and come away for god s sake he drew his from his mouth and spoke i have come here said he upon the invitation of a friend of yours he has doubtless informed you of my intention in thus on your party let me remind you that a person in my circumstances has exceedingly little to bind him and is not at to much i am a very quiet man as a usual thing but my dear sir you are either going to oblige me in the little matter of which you are aware or you shall very bitterly repent that you ever admitted me to your chamber the president laughed aloud that is the way to speak said he you are a man who is a man you know the way to my heart and can do what you like with me will you he continued addressing will you step aside for a few minutes i shall finish first with your companion and some of the club s require to be fulfilled in private with these words he opened the door of a small closet into which he shut the colonel i believe in you he said to as soon as they were alone but are you sure of your friend not so sure as i am of myself though he has more reasons answered but sure enough to bring him here without alarm he has had enough to cure the most man of life he was the other day for at cards a good reason i replied the president at least we have another in the same case and i feel sure of him have you also been in the service may i ask ne w i air nights i have was the reply but i was too lazy i left it early what is your reason for being tired of life pursued the president the same as near as | 38 |
i can make out answered the prince the president started d n it said he you must have something better than that i have no more money added that is also a vexation without doubt it brings my sense of idleness to an acute point the president rolled his cigar round in his mouth for some seconds directing his gaze straight into the eyes of this unusual but the prince supported his scrutiny with good temper if i had not a deal of experience said the president at last i should turn you off but i know the world and this much any way that the most frivolous excuses for a suicide are often the to stand by and when i downright like a man as i do you sir i would rather strain the than deny him the prince and the colonel one after the other were subjected to a long and particular the prince alone but in the presence of the prince so that the president might observe the countenance of the one while the other was being warmly cross examined the result was satisfactory and the president after having a few details of each case produced a form of oath to be accepted nothing could be conceived more passive than the obedience promised or more than the terms by which the bound himself the man who a pledge so awful could scarcely have a rag of honor or any of the of religion left to him signed the document but not without a shudder the colonel followed his example with an air of great depression then the president received the entry money and without more introduced the two friends into the smoking room of the suicide club the suicide club the smoking room of the suicide club was the same height as the cabinet into which it opened but much larger and from top to bottom with an imitation of oak a large and cheerful fire and a number of gas illuminated the company the prince and his made the number up to eighteen most of the party were smoking and drinking champagne a feverish reigned with sudden and rather ghastly pauses is this a full meeting asked the prince said the president by the way he added if you have any money it is usual to offer some champagne it keeps up a good spirit and is one of my own little said i may leave the champagne to you and with that he turned away and began to go round among the guests accustomed to play the host in the highest circles he charmed and all whom he approached there was something at once winning and in his address and his extraordinary coolness gave him yet another distinction in this half society as he went from one to another he kept both his eyes and ears open and soon began to gain a general idea of the people among whom he found himself as in all other places of resort one type people in the prime of youth with every show of intelligence and sensibility in their appearance but with little promise of strength or the quality that makes success few were much above thirty and not a few were still in their they stood leaning on tables and shifting on their feet sometimes they smoked fast and sometimes they let their cigars go out some talked well but the conversation of others was plainly the result of nervous and was equally without wit or purport as each new bottle of champagne was opened there was a manifest improvement in gaiety only two were seated one in a chair in the recess of ne w nights the window with his head hanging and his hands plunged deep into his pockets pale visibly moist with perspiration saying never a word a very wreck of soul and body the other sat on the close by the chimney and attracted notice by a from all the rest he was probably upwards of forty but he looked fully ten years older and thought he had never seen a man more naturally hideous nor one more by disease and he was no more than skin and bone was partly and wore spectacles of such unusual power that his eyes appeared through the glasses greatly and distorted in shape except the prince and the president he was the only person in the room who preserved the composure of ordinary life there was little decency among the members of the club some boasted of the disgraceful actions the consequences of which had reduced them to seek refuge in death and the others listened without there was a understanding against moral judgments and whoever passed the club doors enjoyed already some of the of the tomb they drank to each other s memories and to those of notable in the past they compared and developed their different views of death some declaring that it was no more than blackness and others full of a hope that that very night they should be the stars and with the mighty dead to the eternal memory of baron the type of cried one he went out of a small cell into a smaller that he might come forth again to freedom for my part said a second i wish no more than a for my eyes and cotton for my ears only they have no cotton thick enough in this world a third was for reading the mysteries of life in a the suicide club i future state and a fourth professed that he would never have joined the club if he had not been induced to believe in mr i could not bear said this remarkable suicide to be descended from an a e altogether the prince was disappointed by the bearing and conversation of the members it does not seem to me he thought a matter for so much disturbance if a | 38 |
man has made up his mind to kill himself let him do it in god s name like a gentleman this flutter and big talk is out of place in the meanwhile colonel was a prey to the apprehensions the club and its rules were still a mystery and he looked round the room for some one who should be able to set his mind at rest in this survey his eye lighted on the person with the strong spectacles and seeing him so exceedingly tranquil he the president who was going in and out of the room under a pressure of business to present him to the gentleman on the the explained the of all such within the club but nevertheless presented mr to mr mr looked at the colonel curiously and then requested him to take a seat upon his right you are a new comer he said and wish information you have come to the proper source it is two years since i first visited this charming club the colonel breathed again if mr had frequented the place for two years there could be little danger for the prince in a single evening but was none the less astonished and began to suspect a what cried he two years i but indeed i see i have been made the subject of a by no means replied mr mildly my case is peculiar i am not properly speaking a suicide at all but as it were an member i ne w nights rarely visit the club twice in two months my infirmity and the kindness of the president have procured me these little for which besides i pay at an advanced rate even as it is my luck has been extraordinary i am afraid said the colonel that i must ask you to be more explicit you must remember that i am still most imperfectly acquainted with the rules of the club an ordinary member who comes here in search of death like yourself replied the returns every evening until fortune him he can even if he is get board and lodging from the president very fair i believe and clean although of course not luxurious that could hardly be considering the if i may so express myself of the and then the president s company is a delicacy in itself indeed cried he had not greatly me ah said mr you do not know the man the fellow what stories what he knows life to admiration and between ourselves is probably the most corrupt rogue in and he also asked the colonel is a like yourself if i may say so without offence indeed he is a in a very different sense from me replied mr i have been graciously spared but i must go at last now he never plays he and for the club and makes the necessary arrangements that man my dear mr is the very soul of ingenuity for three years he has pursued in london his useful and i think i may add his artistic calling and not so much as a whisper of suspicion has been once aroused i believe him myself to be inspired you doubtless remember the celebrated case six months ago of the gentleman who was accidentally poisoned in a s the suicide club shop that was one of the least rich one of the least of his notions but then how simple and how safe you me said the colonel was that unfortunate gentleman one of the he was about to say victims but himself in time he members of the club in the same flash of thought it occurred to him that mr mai thus himself had not at all spoken in the tone of one who is in love with death and he added hurriedly but i perceive i am still in the dark you speak of shuffling and dealing pray for what end and since you seem rather unwilling to die than otherwise i must own tliat i cannot conceive what brings you here at all you say truly that you are in the dark replied mr with more animation why my dear sir this club is the temple of if my health could support the excitement more often you may depend upon it i should be more often it requires all the sense of duty by a long habit of ill health and careful to keep me from excess in this which is i may say my last i have tried them all sir he went on laying his hand on s arm all without exception and i declare to you upon my honor there is not one of them that has not been and people trifle with love now i deny that love is a strong passion fear is the strong passion it is with fear that you must trifle if you wish to taste the intense joys of living envy me envy me sir he added with a chuckle i am a coward could scarcely repress a movement of for this deplorable wretch but he commanded himself with an effort and continued his inquiries how sir he asked is the excitement so art nights fully prolonged and where is there any element of uncertainty i must tell you how the victim for every evening is selected returned mr and not only the victim but another member who is to be the instrument in the club s hands and death s high priest for that occasion good god said the colonel do they then kill each other the trouble of suicide is removed in that way returned with a nod merciful heavens ejaculated the colonel and may you may i may the my friend i mean may any of us be pitched upon this evening as the of another man s body and immortal spirit can such things be possible among men born of women | 38 |
oh of he was about to rise in his horror when he caught the prince s eye it was fixed upon him from across the room with a frowning and angry stare and in a moment recovered his composure after all he added why not and since you say the game is interesting la i follow the club mr had keenly enjoyed the colonel s amazement and disgust he had the vanity of wickedness and it pleased him to see another man give way to a generous movement while he felt himself in his entire corruption superior to such emotions you now after first moment of surprise said he are in a position to appreciate the delights of our society you can see how it the excitement of a table a and a roman the did well enough i admire the refinement of their minds but it has been reserved for a christian country to attain this extreme this this absolute of you will understand how are all amusements to a who has acquired a t for this one the the suicide club game we play he continued is one ot extreme simplicity a full pack but i perceive you are about to see the thing in progress will you lend me the help of your arm i am unfortunately indeed just as mr was beginning his description another pair of doors was thrown open and the whole club began to pass not without some hurry into the adjoining room it was similar in every respect to the one from which it was entered but somewhat differently furnished the centre was occupied by a long green table at which the president sat shuffling a pack of cards with great even with the stick and the colonel s arm mr walked with so much difficulty that was seated before this pair and the prince who had waited for them entered the apartment and in consequence the three took seats close together at the lower end of the board it is a pack of fifty two whispered mr watch for the ace of which is the sign of death and the ace of which the official of the night happy happy young men he added you have good eyes and can follow the game alas i cannot tell an ace from a deuce across the table and he proceeded to himself with a second pair of spectacles i must at least watch the faces he explained the colonel rapidly informed his friend of all that he had learned from the member and of the horrible alternative that lay before them the prince was conscious of a deadly chill and a about his heart he swallowed with difficulty and looked from side to side like a man in a one bold stroke whispered the colonel and we may still escape but the suggestion recalled the prince s spirits silence said he let me see that you can play like a gentleman for any stake however serious ne w nights and he looked about him once more to all appearance at his ease although his heart beat thickly and he was conscious of an unpleasant heat in his bosom the members were all very quiet and intent was pale but none so pale as mr mai thus his eyes his head t nodding involuntarily upon his his hands found their way one after the other to his mouth where they made at his tremulous and lips it was plain that the member enjoyed his on very startling terms attention gentlemen said the president and he began slowly dealing the cards about the table in the reverse direction pausing until each man had shown his card nearly hesitated and sometimes you would see a player s fingers more than once before he could turn over the momentous slip of as the prince s turn drew nearer he was conscious of a growing and almost excitement but he had somewhat of the s nature and recognized almost with astonishment that there was a degree of pleasure in his sensations the nine of clubs fell to his lot the three of was dealt to and the queen of hearts to mr who was unable to suppress a sob of relief the young man of the cream almost immediately afterwards turned over the ace of clubs and remained frozen with horror the card still resting on his finger he had not come there to kill but to be killed and the prince in his generous sympathy with his position almost forgot the peril that still hung over himself and his friend the deal was coming round again and still death s card had not come out the players held their and only breathed by the prince received another club had a diamond but when mr turned up his card a horrible noise like that of something breaking issued from his mouth and he rose from his seat and sat down again the suicide club with no sign of his it was the ace of the member had once too often with his terrors conversation broke out again almost at once the players relaxed their rigid attitudes and began to rise from the table and stroll back by and into the smoking room the president stretched his arms and yawned like a man who had finished his day s work but mr sat in his place with his head in his hands and his hands upon the table drunk and motionless a thing stricken down the prince and made their escape at once in the cold night air their horror of what they had witnessed was alas cried the prince to be bound by an oath in such a matter to allow this trade in murder to be continued with profit and if i but dared to my pledge that is impossible for your replied the colonel whose honor is the honor of but i dare | 38 |
and may with propriety mine said the prince if your honor suffers in any of the adventures into which you follow me not only will i never pardon you but what i believe will much more sensibly affect you i should never forgive myself i receive s commands replied the colonel shall we go from this accursed spot yes said the prince call a cab in heaven s name and let me try to forget in slumber the memory of this night s disgrace but it was notable that he carefully read the name of the court before he left it the next morning as soon as the prince was stirring colonel brought him a daily newspaper with the following paragraph marked melancholy accident this morning about two o clock mr of i place grove on his way home from ts ne w nights a party at a friend s house fell over the upper in square his skull and breaking a leg and an arm death was mr accompanied by a friend was engaged in looking for a cab at the time of the unfortunate occurrence as mr was it is thought that his fall may have been occasioned by another the unhappy gentleman was well known in the most respectable circles and his loss will be widely and deeply if ever a soul went straight to hell said solemnly it was that man s the prince buried his face in his hands and remained silent i am almost rejoiced continued the colonel to know that he is dead but for our young man of the cream i confess my heart said the prince raising his face that unhappy lad was last night as innocent as you and i and this morning the guilt of blood is on his soul when i think of the president my heart grows sick me i do not know how it shall be done but i shall have that scoundrel at my mercy as there is a god in heaven what an experience what a lesson was that game of cards one said the colonel never to be repeated the prince remained so long without replying that grew alarmed you cannot mean to return he said you have suffered too much and seen too much horror already the duties of your high position forbid the repetition of the hazard there is much in what you say replied prince and i am not altogether pleased with my own determination alas in the clothes of the greatest what is there but a man i never felt my weakness more than now but it is stronger than i can i cease to interest myself in the fortunes of the unhappy young man who the suicide club with us some hours ago can i leave the president to follow his career can i begin an adventure so and not follow it to an end no you ask of the prince more than the man is able to perform to night once more we take our places at the table of the suicide club colonel fell upon his knees will your take my life he cried it is his his freely but do not o do not let him ask me to countenance so terrible a risk colonel replied the prince with some of manner your life is absolutely your own i only looked for obedience and when that is unwillingly rendered i shall look for that no longer i add one word your in this affair has been sufficient the master of the horse regained his feet at once your he said may i be excused in my attendance this afternoon i dare not as an honorable man venture a second time into that fatal house until i have perfectly ordered my affairs your shall meet i promise him with no more opposition from the most devoted and grateful of his servants my dear returned prince i always regret when you oblige me to remember my rank dispose of your day as you think fit but be here before eleven in the same disguise the club on this second evening was not so fully attended and when and the prince arrived there were not above half a dozen persons in the smoking room his took the president aside and congratulated him warmly on the of mr i like he said to meet with capacity and certainly find much of it in you your profession is of a very delicate nature but i see you are well qualified to conduct it with success and secrecy ne nights the president was somewhat affected by these compliments from one of his s superior bearing he acknowledged them almost with humility poor he added i shall hardly know the club without him the most of my are boys sir and poetical boys who are not much company for me not but what had some poetry too but it was of a kind that i could understand i can readily imagine you should find yourself in sympathy with mr returned the prince he struck me as a man of a very original disposition the young man of the cream was in the room but painfully depressed and silent his late companions sought in vain to lead him into conversation how bitterly i wish he cried that i had never brought you to this infamous abode while you are clean handed if you could have heard the old man scream as he fell and the noise of his bones upon the pavement wish me if you have any kindness to so fallen a being wish the ace of for me to night a few more members dropped in as the evening went on but the club did not muster more than the devil s dozen when they took their places at the table the prince was again conscious of a certain joy in his but he | 38 |
was astonished to see so much more self possessed than on the night before it is extraordinary thought the prince that a will made or should so greatly influence a young man s spirit attention gentlemen said the president and he began to deal three times the cards went all round the table and neither of the marked cards had yet fallen from his hand the excitement as he began the fourth distribution was overwhelming there were just cards enough to go once more entirely round the prince who sat second from the dealer s left would receive the suicide club in the reverse mode of dealing at the club the second last card he third player turned up a black ace it was the ace of clubs the next received a diamond the next a heart and so on but the ace of was still at last who sat upon the prince s left turned his card it was an ace but the ace of hearts when prince saw his fate upon the table in front of him his heart stood still he was a brave man but the sweat poured off his face there exactly fifty chances out of a hundred that he was doomed he reversed the card it was the ace of a loud roaring filled his brain and the table swam before his eyes he heard the player on his right break into a fit of laughter that sounded between mirth and disappointment he saw the company rapidly l ut his mind was full of other thoughts he recognized how foolish how criminal had been his conduct in perfect health in the prime of his years the heir to a throne he d away his future and that of a brave and loyal country god he cried god forgive me and with that the confusion of his senses passed away and he regained his self possession in a moment to his surprise had disappeared there was no one in the card room but his destined butcher consulting with the president and the young man of the cream who slipped up to the prince and whispered in his ear i would give a million if i had it for your luck his could not help reflecting as the young man departed that he would have sold his opportunity for a much more moderate sum the whispered conference now came to an end the of the ace of clubs left the room with a look of intelligence and the president approaching the unfortunate prince proffered him his hand i am pleased to have met you sir said he and pleased to have been in a position to do you this new nights fling service at least you cannot complain of delay on the second evening what a stroke of luck the prince endeavored in vain to articulate something in response but his mouth was dry and his tongue seemed you feel a little asked the president with some show of solicitude most gentlemen do will you take a little brandy the prince signified in the affirmative and the other immediately filled some of the spirit into a poor old ejaculated the president as the prince drained the glass he drank near upon a pint and little enough good it seemed to do him i am more to treatment said the prince a good deal revived i am my own man again at once as you perceive and so let me ask you what are my directions you will proceed along the strand in the direction of the city and on the left hand pavement until you meet the gentleman who has just left the room he will continue your instructions and him you will have the kindness to obey the authority of the club is in his person for the night and now added the president i wish you a pleasant walk acknowledged the salutation rather awkwardly and took his leave he passed through the smoking room where the bulk of the players were still champagne some of which he had himself ordered and paid for and he was surprised to find himself cursing them in his heart he put on his hat and great coat in the cabinet and selected his umbrella from a corner the familiarity of these acts and the thought that he was about them for the last time betrayed him into a fit of laughter which sounded in his own ears he conceived a reluctance to leave the cabinet and turned instead to the v the sight of the lamps and the darkness recalled him to himself come come i must be a man he thought and tear myself away the suicide club at the comer of box court three men fell upon prince and he was thrust into a carriage which at once drove rapidly away there was already an will your pardon my zeal said a voice the prince threw himself upon the colonel s neck in a passion of relief how can i ever thank you he cried and how was this effected although he had been willing to march upon his doom he was to yield to friendly violence and return once more to life and hope you can thank me effectually enough replied the colonel by avoiding all such dangers in the future and as for your second question all has been managed by the simplest means i arranged this afternoon with a celebrated secrecy has been promised and paid for your own servants have been principally engaged in the affair the house in box court has been surrounded since nightfall and this which is one of your own carriages has been awaiting you for nearly an hour and the miserable creature who was to have me what of him inquired the prince he was as he left the club replied the colonel and now your sentence at the palace where he will | 38 |
soon be joined by his said the prince you have saved me against my explicit orders and you have done well i owe you not only my life but a lesson and i should be unworthy of my rank if i did not show myself grateful to my teacher let it be yours to choose the manner there was a pause during which the carriage continued to speed though the streets and the two men were each buried in his own reflections the silence was broken by colonel your said he has by this time a n nights considerable body of prisoners there is at least one criminal among the number to whom justice should be dealt our oath us all recourse to law and discretion would forbid it equally if the oath were loosened may i inquire your intention it is decided answered the president must fall in it only remains to choose his adversary your has permitted me to name my own said the colonel will he permit me to ask the appointment of my brother it is an honorable post but i dare assure your that the lad will himself with credit you ask me an favor said the prince but i must refuse you nothing the colonel kissed his hand with the greatest affection and at that moment the carriage rolled under the of the prince s splendid residence an hour after in his official robes and covered with the orders of received the members of the suicide club foolish and wicked men said he as many of you as have been driven into this strait by the lack of fortune shall receive employment and from my officers those who suffer under a sense of guilt must have recourse to a higher and more generous than i i feel pity for all of you deeper than you can imagine to morrow you shall tell me your stories and as you answer more frankly i shall be the more able to remedy your misfortunes as for you he added turning to the president i should only offend a person of your parts by any offer of assistance but i have instead a piece of diversion to propose to you here laying his hand on the shoulder of colonel s young brother is an officer of mine who desires to make a little tour upon the continent and i ask you as a favor to accompany him on this excursion do you he went on changing his tone do you shoot well with the pistol because the suicide club you may have need of that accomplishment when two men go together it is best to be prepared for all let me that if by any chance you should lose young mr upon the way i shall always have another member of my household to place at your disposal and i am known mr president to have long and as long an arm with these words said with much the prince concluded his address next morning the members of the club were provided for by his and the president set forth upon his travels under the of mr and a pair of faithful and well trained in the prince s household not content with this discreet agents were put in possession of the house of box court and all letters of visitors for the suicide club or its officials were to be examined by prince in person here says my author ends the story of the young man with the cream who is now a comfortable in street square the number for obvious reasons i suppress those who care to pursue the adventures of prince and the president of the suicide may read the history of the physician and the trunk story of the physician and the trunk mr q was a young american of a simple and harmless disposition which was more to his credit as he came from new england a quarter of the new world not precisely famous for those qualities although he was exceedingly rich he kept a note of all his expenses in a little paper pocket book and he had chosen to study the attractions of paris from the seventh story of what is called a furnished hotel in the latin quarter there was a great deal of habit in his and his virtue which was very remarkable among his associates was principally founded upon and youth the next room to his was inhabited by a lady very attractive in her air and very elegant in whom on his first arrival he had taken for a in course of time he had learned that she was known by the name of madame z and that whatever station she occupied in life it was nor that of a person of title madame z probably in the hope of the young american used to by him on the stairs with a civil inclination a word of course and a knock down look out of her black eyes and in a rustle of silk and with the revelation of an admirable foot and ankle but these advances so far from encouraging mr plunged him into the depths of depression and she had come to him several times for a light or to for the imaginary of her but his mouth was closed in the presence of so superior a being his french promptly left him and he could only stare and until she was gone the of their intercourse did not prevent him from the suicide club throwing out of a very glorious order when he was safely alone with a few the room on the other side of the american s for there were three rooms on a floor in the hotel was by an old english physician of rather doubtful reputation dr for that was his name had been forced to leave london where he enjoyed a large and increasing practice | 38 |
and it was hinted that the police had been the of this change of sc ne at least he who had made something of a figure in earlier life now dwelt in the latin quarter in great simplicity and solitude and devoted much of his time to study mr had made his and the pair would now and then dine together in a across the street q had many little vices of the more respectable order and was not restrained by delicacy from indulging them in many rather doubtful ways chief among his stood curiosity he was a bom gossip and life a nd especially those parts of it in which he had no experience interested him to the degree of passion he was a invincible pushing his inquiries with equal and he had been observed when he took a letter to the post to weigh it in his hand to turn it over and over and to study the address with care and when he found a flaw in the between his room and madame z s instead of filling it up he enlarged and improved the opening and made use of it a a spy hole on his neighbor s affairs one day in the end of march his curiosity growing as it was indulged he enlarged the hole a little further so that he might command another corner of the room that evening when he went as usual to inspect madame z s movements he was astonished to find the obscured in an odd manner on the other side and still more abashed when the obstacle was suddenly withdrawn and a of laughter reached his ears some of the plaster had evidently betrayed the secret ne w nights of his spy hole and his neighbor had been returning the compliment in kind mr was moved to a very acute feeling of annoyance he condemned madame z he even blamed himself but when he found next day that she had taken no means to him of his favorite he continued to profit by her carelessness and gratify his idle curiosity that next day madame z received a long visit from a tall loosely built man of fifty or upwards whom had not hitherto seen his suit and colored shirt no less than his shaggy side whiskers identified him as a and his dull gray eye affected with a sense of cold he kept his mouth from side to side and round and round during the whole which was carried on in whispers more than once it seemed to the young new as if their gestures indicated his own apartment but the only thing definite he could gather by the most scrupulous attention was this remark made by the englishman in a somewhat higher key as if in answer to some reluctance or opposition i have studied his taste to a and i tell you again and again you are the only woman of the sort that i can lay my hands on in answer to this madame z sighed and appeared by a gesture to resign herself like one yielding to authority that afternoon the was finally blinded a wardrobe having been drawn in front of it upon the other side arid while was still over this misfortune which he attributed to the s suggestion the brought him up a letter in a female handwriting it was conceived in french of no very bore no signature and in the most encouraging terms invited the young american to be present in a certain part of the ball at eleven o clock that night curiosity and timidity fought a long battle in his heart some the suicide club times he was all virtue sometimes all fire and daring and the result of it was that long before ten mr q presented himself in attire at the door of the ball rooms and paid his entry money with a sense of reckless that was not without its charm it was time and the ball was very full and noisy the lights and the crowd at first rather abashed our young adventurer and then mounting to his brain with a sort of put him in possession of more than his own share of manhood he felt ready to face the devil and in the with the of a while he was thus he became aware of madame z and her in conference behind a pillar the cat like spirit of dropping overcame him at once he stole nearer and nearer on the couple from behind until he was within that is the man the was saying there with the long hair speaking to a girl in green identified a very handsome young fellow of small stature who was plainly the object of this it is well said madame z i shall do my utmost but remember the best of us may fail in such a matter tut returned her companion i answer for the result have i not chosen you from thirty go but be wary of the prince i cannot think what cursed accident has brought him here to night as if there were not a dozen balls in paris better worth his notice than this riot of students and counter see him where he sits more like a emperor at home than a prince upon his holidays was again lucky he observed a person of rather a full build strikingly handsome and of a very stately and courteous seated at table with another handsome young man several years his junior ne w nights who addressed him with conspicuous deference the name of prince struck gratefully on s republican hearing and the aspect of the person to whom that name was applied exercised its usual charm upon his he left madame z and her englishman to take care of each other and his way through the assembly approached the table which the prince and his had honored with their | 38 |
choice i tell you the former was saying the action is madness yourself i am glad to remember it chose your brother for this perilous service and you are bound in duty to have a guard upon his conduct he has consented to delay so many days in paris that was already an considering the character of the man he has to deal with but now when he is within eight and forty hours of his departure when he is within two or three days of the decisive trial i ask you is this a place for him to spend his time he should be in a gallery at practice he should be sleeping long hours and taking moderate exercise on foot he should be on a diet without white or brandy does the dog imagine we are all playing comedy the thing is deadly earnest i know the lad too well to interfere replied colonel and well enough not to be alarmed he is more cautious than you fancy and of an spirit if it had been a woman i should not say so much but i trust the president to him and the two without an instant s apprehension i am gratified to hear you say so replied the prince but my mind is not at rest these servants are well trained and already has not this succeeded three times in their observation and spending several hours on end in private and most likely dangerous affairs an amateur might have lost him by accident but if and were thrown off the scent it must have been done on purpose and by a man who had a reason and exceptional resources the suicide club i believe the question is now one between my brother and myself replied with a shade of in his tone i permit it to be so colonel returned prince perhaps for that very reason you should be all the more ready to accept my counsels but enough that girl in yellow dances well and the talk into the ordinary topics of a paris in the remembered where he was and that the hour was already near at hand when he ought to be upon the scene of his the more he reflected the less he liked the prospect and as at that moment an in the crowd began to draw him in the direction of the door he suffered it to carry him away without resistance the him in a corner under the gallery where his ear was immediately struck with the voice of madame z she was speaking in french with the young man of the locks who had been pointed out by the strange not half an hour before i have a character at stake she said or i would put no other condition than my heart but you have only to say so much to the porter and he will let you go by without a word but why this talk of debt objected her companion heavens said she do you think i do not understand my own hotel and she went by clinging affectionately to her companion s arm this put in mind of hi ten minutes hence thought he and i may be walking with as beautiful a woman as that and even better dressed perhaps a real lady possibly a woman of title and then he remembered the and was a little downcast but it may have been written by her maid he imagined ne w nights the clock was only a few minutes from the hour and this immediate set his heart beating at a curious and rather disagreeable speed he reflected with relief that he was in no way bound to put in an appearance virtue and cowardice were together and he made once more for the door but this time of his own accord and against the stream of people which was now moving in a contrary direction perhaps this prolonged resistance wearied him or perhaps he was in that frame of mind when merely to continue in the same determination for a certain number of minutes produces a reaction and a different purpose certainly at least he wheeled about for a third time and did not stop until he had found a place of concealment within a few yards of the appointed place here he went through an agony of spirit in which he several times prayed to god for help for had been devoutly educated he had now not the least inclination for the meeting nothing kept him from flight but a silly fear lest he should be thought but this was so powerful that it kept head against all other motives and although it could not decide him to advance prevented him from definitely running away at last the clock indicated ten minutes past the hour young s spirit began to rise he peered round the corner and saw no one at the place of meeting doubtless his unknown correspondent had wearied and gone away he became as bold as he had formerly been timid it seemed to him that if he came at all to the appointment however late he was clear from the charge of cowardice nay now he began to t a and actually himself on his in having suspected and out his so very idle a thing is a boy s mind armed with these reflections he advanced boldly from his corner but he had not taken above a couple of steps before a hand was laid upon his arm he turned and beheld a lady cast in a very large mould the suicide club and with somewhat stately features but bearing no mark of severity in her looks i see that you are a very self confident said she for you make yourself expected but i was determined to meet you when a woman has once so far forgotten herself as to make the first advance she | 38 |
has long ago left behind her all considerations of petty pride was by the size and attractions of his correspondent and the suddenness with which she had fallen upon him but she soon set him at his ease she was very and in her behavior she led him on to make and then applauded him to the echo and in a very short time between and a liberal exhibition of warm brandy she had not only induced him to fancy himself in love but to declare his passion with the greatest vehemence alas she said i do not know whether i ought not to this moment great as is the pleasure you give me by your words hitherto i was alone to suffer now poor boy there will be two i am not my own mistress i dare not ask you to visit me at my own house for i am watched by jealous eyes let me see she added i am older than you although so much weaker and while i trust in your courage and determination i must employ my own knowledge of the world for our mutual benefit where do you live he told her that he lodged in a furnished hotel and named the street and number she seemed to reflect for some minutes with an effort of mind i see she said at last you will be faithful and obedient will you not assured her eagerly of his fidelity to morrow night then she continued with an encouraging smile you must remain at home all the evening and if any friends should visit you dismiss w nights them at once on any pretext that most readily presents itself your door is probably shut by ten she asked by eleven answered at a quarter past eleven pursued the lady leave the house merely cry for the door to be opened and be sure you fall into no talk with the porter as that might ruin everything go straight to the comer where the gardens join the there you will find me waiting you i trust you to follow my advice from point to point and remember if you fail me in only one particular you will bring the trouble on a woman whose only fault is to have seen and loved you i cannot see the use of all these instructions said i believe you are already beginning to treat me as a master she cried tapping him with her fan upon the arm patience patience that should come in time a woman loves to be obeyed at first although afterwards she finds her pleasure in obeying do as i ask you for heaven s sake or i will answer for nothing indeed now i think of it she added with the manner of one who had just seen further into a difficulty i find a better plan of keeping visitors away tell the porter to admit no one for you except a person who may come that night to claim a debt and speak with some feeling as though you feared the interview so that he may take your words in earnest i think you may trust me to protect myself against he said not without a little that is how i should prefer the thing arranged she answered coldly i know you men you think nothing of a woman s reputation blushed and somewhat hung his head for the scheme he had in view had involved a little vain before his acquaintances above all she added do not speak to the porter as you come out the suicide club and why said he of all your instructions that seems to me the least important you at first doubted the wisdom of some of the others which you now see to be very necessary she replied believe me this also has its uses in time you will see them and what am i to think of your affection if you refuse me such trifles at our first inter view confounded himself in explanations and apologies in the middle of these she looked up at the clock and clapped her hands together with a suppressed scream heavens she cried is it so late i have not an instant to lose alas we poor women what slaves we are what have i not risked for you already and after repeating her directions which she combined with caresses and the most abandoned looks she b de him farewell and disappeared among the crowd the whole of the next day was filled with a sense of great importance he was now sure she was a and when evening came he obeyed her orders and was at the comer of the gardens by the hour appointed no one was there he waited nearly half an hour looking in the face of who passed or near the spot he even visited the neighboring corners of the and made a complete circuit of the garden but there was no beautiful to throw herself into his arms at last and most reluctantly he began to his steps towards his hotel on the way he remembered the words he had heard pass between madame z and the young man and gave him an indefinite uneasiness it appears he reflected that has to tell lies to our porter he rang the bell the door opened before him and the porter in his bed clothes came to offer him a light ne w nights has he gone inquired the porter he whom do you mean asked somewhat sharply for he was irritated by his disappointment i did not notice him go out continued the porter but i trust you paid him we do not care in this house to have who cannot meet their what the devil do you mean demanded rudely i cannot understand a word of this the short young man who came for his debt returned the other him it is i | 38 |
mean who else should it be when i had your orders to admit no one else why good god of course he never came retorted j believe what i believe retorted the porter putting his tongue into his cheek with a most air you are an insolent scoundrel cried and feeling that he had made a ridiculous exhibition of and at the same time bewildered by a dozen he turned and began to run up stairs do you not want a light then cried the porter but only hurried the faster and did not pause until he had reached the seventh landing and stood in front of his own door there he waited a moment to recover his breath assailed by the worst and almost to enter the room when at last he did so he was relieved to find it dark and to all appearance he drew a long breath here he was home again in safety and this should be his last folly as certainly as it had been his first the matches stood on a little table by the bed and he began to his way in that direction as he moved his apprehensions grew upon him once more and he was pleased when his foot encountered an obstacle to find it nothing more alarming than a chair at last he touched curtains from the the suicide club tion of the window which was faintly visible he knew he must be at the foot of the bed and had only to feel his way along it in order to reach the table in question he lowered his hand but what he touched was not simply a it was a with something underneath it like the outline of a human leg withdrew his arm and stood a moment what what he thought can this he listened intently but there was no sound of breathing once more with a great effort he reached out the end of his finger to the spot he had already touched but this time he leaped back half a yard and stood shivering and fixed with terror there was something in his bed what it was he knew not but there was something there it was some seconds before he could move then guided by an instinct he fell straight upon the matches and keeping his back toward the bed lighted a candle as soon as the flame had kindled he turned slowly round and looked for what he feared to see sure enough there was the worst of his realized the was drawn carefully up over the pillow but it the outline of a human body lying motionless and when he dashed forward and flung aside the sheets he beheld the young man whom he had seen in the ball the night before his eyes open and without speculation his face swollen and blackened and a thin stream of blood from his nostrils uttered a long tremulous wail dropped the candle and fell on his knees beside the bed was awakened from the stupor into which his terrible discovery had plunged him by a prolonged but discreet tapping at the door it took him some seconds to remember his position and when he has to prevent anyone from entering it was already too late dr in a tall carrying a lamp which lighted up his long white countenance ne w nights in his gait and peering and his head like some sort of bird pushed the door slowly open and advanced into the middle of the room i thought i heard a cry began the doctor and fearing you might be did not hesitate to offer this intrusion with a flushed face and a fearful beating heart kept between the doctor and the bed but he found no voice to answer you are in the dark pursued the doctor and yet you have not even begun to prepare for rest you will not easily persuade me against my own and your face declares most that you require either a friend or a physician which is it to be let me feel your pulse for that is often a just of the heart he advanced to who still retreated before him backwards and sought to take him by the wrist but the strain on the young american s nerves had become too great for endurance he avoided the doctor with a movement and throwing himself upon the floor burst into a flood of weeping as soon as dr perceived the dead man in the bed his face darkened and hurrying back to the door which he had left he hastily closed and it up he cried addressing in tones this is no time for weeping what have you done how came this body in your room speak freely to one who may be do you imagine i would ruin you do you think this piece of dead flesh on your pillow can alter in any degree the sympathy with which you have inspired me youth the horror with which blind and unjust law regards an action never to the in the eyes of those who love him and if i saw the friend of my heart return to me out of seas of blood he would be in no way changed in my affection raise yourself he said good and ill are a there is naught in the suicide club life except destiny and however you may be there is one at your side who will help you to the last thus encouraged gathered himself together and in a broken voice and helped out by the doctor s contrived at last to put him in possession of the facts but the conversation between the prince and he altogether omitted as he had understood little of its purport and had no idea that it was in any way related to his own alas cried dr i am much abused or you have fallen | 38 |
innocently into the most dangerous hands in europe poor boy what a pit has been dug for your simplicity into what a deadly peril have your feet been conducted this man he said this englishman you twice saw and whom i suspect to be the soul of the contrivance can you describe him was he young or old tall or short but who for all his curiosity had not a seeing eye in his head was able to supply nothing but meagre which it was impossible to recognize i would have it a piece of education in all schools cried the doctor angrily where is the use of and articulate speech if a man cannot observe and recollect the features of his enemy i who know all the of europe might have identified him and gained new weapons for your defence cultivate this art in future my poor boy you may find it of momentous service the future repeated what future is there left for me except the gallows youth is but a cowardly season returned the doctor and a man s own troubles look than they are i am old and yet i never despair can i tell such a story to the police demanded assuredly not replied the doctor from what ne w nights i see already of the in which you have been involved your case is desperate upon that side and for the narrow eye of the authorities you are the guilty person and remember that we only know a portion of the plot and the same infamous have doubtless arranged many other circumstances which would be by a police inquiry and help to fix the guilt more certainly upon your innocence i am then lost indeed cried i have not said so answered dr for i am a cautious man but look at this objected pointing to the body here is this object in my bed not to be explained not to be disposed of not to be regarded without horror horror replied the doctor no when this sort of clock has run down it is no more to me than an ingenious piece of to be with the when blood is once cold and it is no longer human blood when flesh is once dead it is no longer that flesh which we desire in our lovers and respect in our friends the grace the attraction the terror have all gone from it with the spirit yourself to look upon it with composure for if my scheme is practicable you will have to live in constant to that which now so greatly you your scheme cried what is that tell me speedily doctor for i have scarcely courage enough to continue to exist without replying dr turned towards the bed and proceeded to examine the corpse quite dead he murmured yes as i had supposed the pockets empty yes and the name cut off the shirt their work has been done thoroughly and well fortunately he is of small stature sl as followed these words with an extreme anxiety at last the doctor his completed took the suicide club a chair and addressed the young american with a smile since i came into your room said he although my ears and my tongue have been so busy i have not suffered my eyes to remain idle i noted a little while ago that you have there in the comer one of those monstrous which your fellow countrymen carry with them into all quarters of the globe in a word a trunk until this moment i have never been able to conceive the utility of these but then i began to have a glimmer whether it was for convenience in the slave trade or to the results of too ready an employment of the i cannot bring myself to decide but one thing i see plainly the object of such a box is to contain a human body surely cried surely this is not a time for although i may express myself with some degree of replied the doctor the purport of my words is entirely serious and the first thing we have to do my young friend is to empty your of all it contains obeying the authority of doctor put himself at his disposition the trunk was soon of its contents which made a considerable litter on the floor and then taking the heels and the doctor supporting the shoulders the body of the murdered man was carried from the bed and after some difficulty doubled up and inserted whole into the empty box with an effort on the part of both the lid was forced down upon this unusual baggage and the trunk was locked and by the doctor s own hand while disposed of what had been taken out between the closet and a chest of drawers now said the doctor the first step has been taken on the way to your to morrow or rather to day it must your task to the nights of your porter paying him all that you owe while you may trust me to make the arrangements necessary to a conclusion meantime follow me to my room where i shall give you a safe and powerful for whatever you do you must have rest the next day was the longest in s memory it seemed as if it would never be done he denied himself to his friends and sat in a comer with his eyes fixed upon the trunk in dismal contemplation his own former were now returned upon him in kind for the had been once more opened and he was conscious of an almost continual study from madame s apartment so distressing did this become that he was at last obliged to block up the spy hole from his own side and when he was thus secured from observation he spent a considerable portion of his time | 38 |
in tears and prayer late in the evening dr the room carrying in his hand a pair of sealed without address one somewhat and the other so slim as to seem without he said himself at the table the time has now come for me to explain my plan for your salvation to morrow morning at an early hour prince of returns to london after having diverted himself for a few days with the it was my fortune a good while ago to do colonel his master of the horse one of those services so common in my profession which are never forgotten upon either side i have no need to explain to you the nature of the obligation under which he was laid suffice it to say that i knew him ready to serve me in any practicable manner now it was necessary for you to gain london with your trunk to this the custom house seemed to oppose a fatal difficulty but i me that the baggage of so considerable a person as the prince is as a matter of courtesy passed without the suicide club tion by the officers of custom i applied to colonel and succeeded in obtaining a favorable answer to morrow if you go before six to the hotel where the prince your baggage will be passed over as a part of his and you yourself will make the journey as a member of his it seems to me as you speak that i have already seen both the prince aad colonel i even overheard some of their conversation the other evening at the ball it is probable enough for the prince loves to mix with all societies replied the doctor once arrived in london he pursued your task is nearly ended in this more envelope i have given you a letter which i dare not address but in the other you will find the of the house to which you must carry it along with your box which will there be taken from you and not trouble you any more alas said i have every wish to believe you but how is it possible you open up to me a bright prospect but i ask you is my mind capable of receiving so unlikely a solution be more generous and let me farther understand your meaning the doctor seemed painfully impressed boy he answered you do not know how hard a thing you ask of me but be it so i am now to humiliation and it would be strange if i refused you this after having granted you so much know then that although i now make so quiet an appearance solitary to study when i was younger my name was once a cry among the most and dangerous spirits of london and while i was outwardly an object for respect and consideration my true power resided in the most secret terrible and criminal relations it is one of the persons who then obeyed me that i now address myself to deliver you from your burden they were men of many different nations and all bound together by a formidable oath and working to the nights same purposes the trade of the association was in murder and i who speak to you innocent as i appear was the of this crew what cried a murderer one with whom murder was a trade can i take your hand ought i to so much as accept your services dark and criminal old man would you make an of my youth and my distress the doctor bitterly laughed you are difficult to please mr said he but i now offer you your choice of company between the murdered man and the murderer if your conscience is too nice to accept my aid say so and i will immediately leave you you can deal with your trunk and its as best suits your conscience i own myself wrong replied i should have remembered how generously you offered to shield me even before i had convinced you of my innocence and i continue to listen to your with gratitude that is well returned the doctor and i perceive you are beginning to learn some of the lessons of experience at the same time resumed the new as you confess yourself accustomed to this business and the people to whom you recommend me are your own former associates and friends could you not yourself undertake the transport of the box and rid me at once of its detested presence upon my word replied the doctor i admire you cordially if you do not think i have already sufficiently in your concerns believe me from my heart i the contrary take or leave my services as i offer them and trouble me with no more words of gratitude for i value your consideration even more lightly than i do your intellect a time will come if you should be spared to see a number of years in health and mind when you will think differ the suicide club of all this and blush for your to night s behavior so saying the doctor arose from his chair repeated his directions briefly and clearly and departed from the room without permitting any time to answer the next morning presented himself at the hotel where he was politely received by colonel and relieved from that moment of all immediate alarm about his trunk and its contents the journey passed over without much incident although the young man was to the sailors and railway complaining among themselves about the unusual weight of the prince s baggage in a carriage with the for prince chose to be alone with his master of the horse on board the steamer however attracted his attention by the melancholy of his air and attitude as he stood gazing at the pile of baggage for he was still full of about the future a | 38 |
young man observed the prince who must have some cause for sorrow that replied is the american for whom i obtained permission to travel your you remind me that i have been in courtesy said prince and advancing to he addressed him with the most exquisite condescension in these words i was charmed young sir to be able to gratify the desire you made known to me through colonel remember if you please that i shall be glad at any future time to lay you under a more serious obligation then he put some questions as to the political condition of america which answered with sense and propriety you are still a young man said the prince but i observe you to be very serious for your years perhaps you allow your attention to be too much new nights with grave studies but perhaps on the other hand i am myself and touch upon a painful subject i have certainly cause to be the most miserable of men said never has a more innocent person been more abused i will not ask you for confidence returned prince but do not forget that colonel s recommendation is an and that i am not only willing but possibly more able than many others to do you a service was delighted with the of this great personage but his mind soon returned upon its gloomy for not even the favor of a prince to a republican can discharge a brooding spirit of its cares the train arrived at cross where the officers of the respected the baggage of prince in the usual manner the most elegant were in waiting and was driven along with the rest to the prince s residence there colonel sought him out and expressed himself pleased to have been of any service to a friend of the physician s for whom he professed a great consideration i hope he added that you will find none ef your injured special orders were given along the line to deal tenderly with the prince s effects and then directing the servants to place one of the carriages at the young gentleman s disposal and at once to charge the trunk upon the the colonel shook hands and excused himself on account of his occupations in the household now broke the seal of the envelope containing the address and directed the stately footman to drive him to box court opening off the strand it seemed as if the place were not at all unknown to the man for he looked startled and begged a repetition of the order the suicide club it was with a heart full of that mounted into the luxurious vehicle and was driven to his destination the entrance to box court was too narrow for the passage of a coach it was a mere between with a post at either end on one of these posts was seated a man who at once jumped down and exchanged a friendly sign with the driver while the footman opened the door and inquired of whether he should take down the trunk and to what number it should be carried if you please said to number three the footman and the man who had been sitting on the post even with the aid of himself had hard work to carry in the trunk and before it was deposited at the door of the house in question the young american was to find a score of looking on but he knocked with as good a countenance as he could muster up and presented the other envelope to him who opened he is not at home said he but if you will leave your letter and return to morrow early i shall be able to inform you whether and when he can receive your visit would you like to leave your box he added dearly cried and the next moment he repented his and declared with equal emphasis that he would rather carry the box along with him to the hotel the crowd at his and followed him to the carriage with insulting remarks and covered with shame and terror implored the servants to conduct him to some quiet and comfortable house of entertainment in the immediate neighborhood the prince s deposited at the hotel in street and immediately drove away leaving him alone with the servants of the inn the only vacant room it appeared was a little den up four pairs of stairs and looking towards the back to this with infinite trouble and complaint a pair new nights of stout carried the trunk it is needless to mention that kept closely at their heels throughout the ascent and had his heart in his mouth at every corner a single false step he reflected and the box might go over the and land its fatal contents plainly discovered on the pavement of the hall arrived in the room he sat down on the edge of his bed to recover from the agony that he had just endured but he had hardly taken his position when he was recalled to a sense of his peril by the action of the boots who had knelt beside the trunk and was proceeding to undo its elaborate let it be cried i shall want nothing from it while i stay here you might have let it lie in the hall then growled the man a thing as big and heavy as a church what you have inside i cannot fancy if it is all money you are a richer man than me money repeated in a sudden what do you mean by money i have no money and you are speaking like a fool all right captain retorted the boots with a wink there s nobody will touch your s money i m as safe as the bank he added but as the box is heavy i shouldn t mind drinking something to your s health | 38 |
pressed two upon his acceptance at the same time for being obliged to trouble him with foreign money and pleading his recent arrival for excuse and the man grumbling with even greater and looking contemptuously from the money in his hand to the trunk and back again from the one to the other at last consented to withdraw for nearly two days the dead body had been packed into s box and as soon as he was alone the unfortunate new all the cracks and the suicide club with the most passionate attention but the weather was cool and the trunk still managed to contain his shocking secret he took a chair beside it and buried his face in his hands and his mind in the most profound reflection if he were not speedily relieved no question but he must be speedily discovered alone in a strange city without friends or if the doctor s introduction failed him he was a lost new he reflected over his ambitious designs for the future he should not now become the hero and of his native place of he should not as he had fondly anticipated move on from office to office from honor to honor he might as well himself at once of all hope of being president of the united states and leaving behind him a statue in the worst possible style of art to adorn the at washington here he was chained to a dead englishman doubled up inside a trunk whom he must get rid of or perish from the rolls of national glory i should be afraid to chronicle the language employed by this young man to the doctor to the murdered man to madame z to the boots of the hotel to the prince s servants and in a word to all who had been ever so connected with his horrible misfortune he down to dinner about seven at night but the yellow coffee room appalled him the eyes the other seemed to rest on his with suspicion and his mind remained upstairs with the trunk when the waiter came to offer him cheese his nerves were already so much on edge that he leaped half way out of his chair and upset the remainder of a pint of ale upon the table cloth the fellow offered to show him the smoking room when he had done and although he would have much preferred to return at once to his perilous treasure he had not the courage to refuse and was shown down o ne w nights stairs to the black gas lit cellar which formed and possibly still forms the of the hotel two very sad men were playing attended by a moist and for the moment imagined that these were the only occupants of the apartment but at the next glance his eye fell upon a person smoking in the farthest corner with lowered eyes and a most respectable and modest aspect he knew at once that he had seen the face before and in spite of the entire change of clothes recognized the man whom he had found seated on a post at the entrance to box court and who had helped him to carry the trunk to and from the carriage the new simply turned and ran nor did he pause until he had locked and bolted himself into his bedroom there all night long a prey to the most terrible he watched beside the fatal of dead flesh the suggestion of the boots that his trunk was full of gold inspired him with all manner of new terrors if he so much as dared to close an eye and the presence in the smoking room and under an obvious disguise of the from box court convinced him that he was once more the centre of obscure midnight had sounded some time when impelled by uneasy suspicions opened his bedroom door and peered into the passage it was dimly illuminated by a single jet of gas and some distance off he perceived a man sleeping on the floor in the costume of an hotel under servant drew near the man on he lay partly on his back partly on his side and his right concealed his face from recognition suddenly while the american was still bending over him the removed his arm and opened his eyes and found himself once more face to face with the of box court good night sir said the man pleasantly but was too profoundly moved to find an answer and regained his room in silence the suicide club i towards morning worn out by apprehension he fell asleep on his chair with his head forward on the trunk in spite of so constrained an attitude and such a pillow his slumber was sound and prolonged and he was only awakened at a late hour and by a sharp tapping at the door he hurried to open and found the boots without you are the gentleman who called yesterday at box court he asked with a admitted that he had done so then this note is for you added the servant a sealed envelope tore it open and found inside the words twelve o clock he was punctual to the hour the trunk was carried before him by several stout servants and he was himself ushered into a room where a man sat warming himself before the fire with his back towards the door the sound of so many persons entering and leaving and the of the trunk as it was deposited upon the bare boards were alike unable to attract the notice of the and stood waiting in an agony of fear until he should to recognize his presence perhaps five minutes had elapsed before the man turned leisurely about and disclosed the features of prince of so sir he said with great severity this is the manner in which you abuse my politeness you join yourselves | 38 |
to persons of condition i perceive for no other purpose than to escape the consequences of your crimes and i can readily understand your embarrassment when i addressed myself to you yesterday indeed cried i am innocent of everything except misfortune and in a hurried voice and with the greatest he to the prince the whole history of his i see i have been mistaken said his new nights when he had heard him to an end you are no other than a and since i am not to punish you you maybe sure i shall do my utmost to help and now he continued to business open your box at once and let me see what it contains changed color i almost fear to look upon it he exclaimed nay replied the prince have you not looked at it already this is a form of to be resisted the sight of a sick man whom we can still help should appeal more directly to the feelings than that of a dead man who is equally beyond help or harm love or hatred nerve yourself mr and then seeing that still hesitated i do not desire to give another name to my request he added the young american awoke as if out of a dream and with a shiver of addressed himself to loose the and open the lock of the trunk the prince stood by watching with a composed countenance and his hands behind his back the body was quite stiff and it cost a great effort both moral and physical to it from its position and discover the face prince started back with an exclamation of painful surprise alas he cried you little know mr what a cruel gift you have brought me this is a young man of my own the brother of my trusted friend and it was upon matters of my own service that he has thus perished at the hands of violent and treacherous men poor he went on as if to himself in what words am i to tell you of your brother s fate how can i excuse myself in your eyes or in the eyes of god for the schemes that led him to this bloody and unnatural death ah when will you learn the discretion that suits mortal life and be no longer dazzled with the image of power at your disposal the suicide club power he cried who is more powerless i look upon this young man whom i have sacrificed mr and feel how small a thing it is to be a prince was moved at the sight of his emotion he tried to murmur some words and burst into tears the prince touched by his obvious intention came up to him and took him by the hand command yourself said he we have both much to learn and we shall both be better men for to day s meeting thanked him in silence with an affectionate look write me the address of doctor on this piece of paper continued the prince leading him towards the table and let me recommend you when you are again in paris to avoid the society of that dangerous man he has acted in this matter on a generous inspiration that i must believe had he been to young s death he would never have despatched the body to the care of the actual criminal the actual criminal repeated in astonishment even so returned the prince this letter which the disposition of almighty providence has so strangely delivered into my hands was addressed to no less a person than the criminal himself the infamous president of the suicide club seek to no further in these perilous affairs but content yourself with your own miraculous escape and leave this house at once i have pressing affairs and must arrange at once about this poor clay which was so lately a gallant and handsome youth took a grateful and leave of prince but he lingered in box court until he saw him depart in a splendid carriage on a visit to colonel of the police republican as he was the young american took off his hat with almost a sentiment of new nights devotion to the retreating carriage and the same night he started by rail on his return to paris here my author is the end of the history of the physician and the trunk some reflections on the power of providence highly in the original but little suited to our taste i shall only add that mr has already b gun to mount the ladder of political fame and by last was the of his native town the ad venture of the cab lieutenant rich had greatly distinguished himself in one of the lesser indian hill wars he it was who took the prisoner with his own hand his gallantry was universally applauded and when he came home by an ugly cut and a protracted fever society was prepared to welcome the lieutenant as a of minor but his was a character remarkable for unaffected modesty adventure was dear to his heart but he cared little for and he waited at foreign and in until the fame of his exploits had run through it s nine day s vitality and begun to be forgotten he arrived in london at last in the early season with as little observation as he could desire and as he was an orphan and had none but distant relatives who lived in the provinces it was almost as a foreigner that he himself in the capital of the country for which he had shed his blood on the day following his arrival he dined alone at a military club he shook hands with a few old comrades and received their congratulations but as one and all had some engagement for the evening he found himself left entirely to his own resources he was in dress for he | 38 |
had entertained the notion of visiting a but the great city was new to him he had gone from a provincial school to a military college and thence direct to the eastern empire and he promised himself a variety of delights in this world for swinging his cane he took his way westward it was a mild evening already dark and now and then threatening rain the succession of faces in the stirred the lieutenant s imagination and it seemed to him as if he could walk for ever s ne w nights in that city atmosphere and s b the mystery of four million private lives he glanced at the houses and what was passing behind those warmly lighted windows he looked into face after face and saw them each intent upon some unknown interest criminal or kindly they talk of war he thought but this is the great of mankind and then he began to wonder that he should walk so long in this complicated scene and not chance upon so much as the shadow of an adventure for himself all in good time he reflected i am still a stranger and perhaps wear a strange air but i must be drawn into the before long the night was already well advanced when a plump of cold rain fell suddenly out of the darkness paused under some trees and as he did so he caught sight of a making him a sign that he was disengaged the circumstance fell in so happily to the occasion that he at once raised his cane in answer and had soon himself in the london where to sir asked the driver where you please said and immediately at a pace of surprising swiftness the drove off through the rain into a of one villa was so like another each with its front garden and there so little to distinguish the deserted lamp lit streets and through which the flying took its way that soon lost all idea of direction he would have been contented to believe that the was amusing himself by driving him round and round and in and out about a small quarter but there was something in the speed which convinced him of the contrary the man had an object in view he was hastening towards a definite end and was at once astonished at the fellow s skill in picking a way through such a and a little concerned to imagine l suicide club what was the occasion of his hurry he had heard tales of strangers falling ill in london did the driver belong to some bloody and treacherous association and was he himself being whirled to a death the thought had scarcely presented itself when the cab swung sharply round a corner and pulled up before the garden gate of a villa in a long and wide road the house was brilliantly lighted up another had just driven away and could see a gentleman being admitted at the front door and received by several servants he was that the should have stopped so immediately in front of a house where a reception was being held but he did not doubt it was the result of accident and sat placidly smoking where he was until he heard the trap thrown open over his head here we are sir said the driver here repeated where you told me to take you where i pleased sir returned the man with a chuckle and here we are it struck that the voice was wonderfully smooth and courteous tor a man in so inferior a position he remembered the speed at which he had been driven and now it occurred to him that the was more appointed than the common run of public i must ask you to explain said he do you mean to turn me out into the rain my good man i suspect the choice is mine the choice is certainly yours replied the driver but when i tell you all i believe i know how a gentleman of your figure will decide there is a gentlemen s party in this house i do not know whether the master be a stranger to london and without acquaintances of his own or whether he is a man of odd notions but certainly i was hired to single gentlemen in evening dress as many as i pleased but military officers by preference you have simply to go in and say that mr invited you ne w nights are you mr inquired the lieutenant oh no replied the mr is the person of the house it is not a common way of collecting guests said but an eccentric man might very well indulge the whim without any intention to offend and suppose that i refuse mr s invitation he went on what then my orders are to drive you back where i took you from replied the man and set out to look for others up to midnight those who have no fancy for such an adventure mr said were not the guests for him these words decided the lieutenant on the spot after all he reflected as he descended from the i have not had long to wait for my adventure he had hardly found footing on the side walk and was still feeling in his pocket for the fare when the cab swung about and drove off by the way it came at the former break neck shouted after the man who paid no heed and continued to drive away but the sound of his voice was overheard in the house the door was again thrown open a flood of light upon the garden and a servant ran down to meet him holding an umbrella the has been paid observed the servant in a very civil tone and he proceeded to escort along the path and up the steps in the hall several other attendants relieved him of his | 38 |
hat cane and gave him a ticket with a number in return and politely hurried him up a stair adorned with tropical flowers to the door of an apartment on the first story here a grave butler inquired his name and announcing lieutenant rich ushered him into the drawing room of the house a young man slender and singularly came forward and greeted him with an air at the suicide club and affectionate hundreds of candles of the finest wax lit up a room that was like the staircase with a profusion of rare and beautiful shrubs a side table was loaded with tempting several servants went to and fro with fruits and of champagne the company was perhaps sixteen in number all men few beyond the prime of life and with hardly an exception of a dashing and capable exterior they were divided into two groups one about a board and the other surrounding a table at which one of their number held a bank of i see thought i am in a private gambling saloon and the was a his eye had embraced the details and his mind formed the conclusion while his host was still holding by the hand and to him his looks returned from this rapid survey at a second view mr surprised him still more than on the first the easy elegance of his manners the distinction and courage that appeared upon his features fitted very ill with the lieutenant s on the subject of the proprietor of a hell and the tone of his conversation seemed to mark him out for a man of position and merit found he had an instinctive liking for his and though he himself for the weakness he was unable to resist a sort of friendly attraction for mr s person and character i have heard of you lieutenant rich said mr lowering his tone and believe me i am gratified to make your acquaintance your looks accord with the reputation that has preceded you from india and if you will forget for a while the of your in my house i shall feel it not only an honor but genuine pleasure besides a man who makes a of he added a laugh should not be appalled by a breach of etiquette however serious ne iv nights and he led him towards the pressed him to partake of some upon my word the lieutenant reflected this is one of the fellows and i do not doubt one of the most agreeable societies in london he partook of some champagne which he found excellent and observing that many of the company were already smoking he lit one of his own and strolled up to the board where he made a stake and sometimes looked on on the fortune of others it was while he was thus that he became aware of a sharp scrutiny to which the whole of the guests were subjected mr went here and there busied on hospitable concerns but he had ever a shrewd glance at disposal not a man of the party escaped his sudden searching looks he took stock of the bearing of heavy he valued the amount of the he paused behind couples who were deep in conversation and in a word there was hardly a characteristic of anyone present b jt he seemed to catch and make a note of it began to wonder if this were indeed a gambling hell it had so much the air of a private he followed mr in all his movements and although the man had a ready smile he seemed to perceive as it were under a mask a haggard and spirit the fellows around him laughed and made their game but had lost interest in the guests this thought he is no in the room some deep purpose him let it be mine to it now and then mr would call one of his visitors aside and after a brief in an he would return alone and the visitors in question reappeared no more after a certain number of this performance excited s curiosity to a high degree he determined to e at the bottom of this minor mystery at once and strolling the suicide club into the found a deep window recess concealed by curtains of the fashionable green here he hurriedly himself nor had he to wait long before the sound of steps and voices near him from the principal apartment peering through the division he saw mr a fat and ruddy personage with somewhat the look of a commercial whom had already remarked for his coarse laugh and under bred behavior at the table the pair halted immediately before the window so that lost not a word of the following discourse i beg you a thousand began mr with the most manner and if i appear rude i am sure you will readily forgive me in a place so great as london accidents must continually happen and the best that we can hope is to remedy them with as small delay as possible i will not deny that i fear you have made a mistake and honored my poor house by for to speak openly i cannot at all remember your appearance let me put the question without unnecessary between gentlemen of honor a word will suffice under whose roof do you suppose yourself to be that of mr replied the other with a prodigious display of confusion which had been visibly growing upon him throughout the last few words mr john or mr james inquired the host i really cannot tell you returned the unfortunate guest i am not personally acquainted with the gentlemen any more than i am with yourself i see said mr there is another person of the same name farther down the street and i have no doubt the policeman will be able to supply you with his number believe me | 38 |
i myself on the misunderstanding which has procured me the pleasure of your company for so long and let me express a hope that we may meet again upon a more new nights regular footing meantime i would not for the world detain you longer from your friends john he added raising his voice will you see that the gentleman finds his great coat and with the most agreeable air mr escorted his visitor as far as the room door where he left him under conduct of the butler as he passed the window on his return to the drawing room could hear him utter a profound sigh as though his mind was loaded with a great anxiety and his nerves already fatigued with the task on which he was engaged for perhaps an hour the kept arriving with such that mr had to receive a new guest for every old one that he sent away and the company preserved its number but towards the end of that time the grew few and far between and at length ceased entirely while the process of was continued with activity the drawing room began to look empty the was for lack of a banker more than one person said good night of his own accord and was suffered to depart without and in the meanwhile mr in agreeable attentions to those who stayed behind he went from group to group and from person to person with looks of the sympathy and the most and pleasing talk he was not so much like a host as like a hostess and there was a feminine and condescension in his manner which charmed the hearts of all as the guests grew thinner lieutenant rich strolled for a moment out of the drawing room into the hall in quest of air but he had no sooner passed the threshold of the chamber than he was brought to a dead halt by a discovery of the most surprising nature the shrubs had disappeared from the staircase three large furniture stood before the garden gate the servants were busy the house upon all sides and some of them had the suicide club already their great coats and were preparing to depart it was like the end of a country ball where everything has been supplied by contract had indeed some matter for reflection first the guests who were no real guests after all had been dismissed and now the servants who could hardly be genuine servants were was the whole establishment a sham he asked himself the of a single night which should disappear before morning watching a favorable opportunity dashed upstairs to the higher regions of the house it was as he had expected he ran from room to room and saw not a stick of furniture nor so much as a picture on the walls although the house had been painted and it was not only at present but plainly had never been inhabited at all the young officer remembered with astonishment its settled and hospitable air on his arrival it was only at a prodigious cost that the could have been carried out upon so great a scale who then was mr what was his intention in thus playing the for a single night in the remote west of london and why did he collect his visitors at hazard from the streets remembered that he had already delayed too long and hastened to join the company many had left during his absence and counting the lieutenant and his host there were not more than five persons in the drawing room recently so thronged mr greeted him as he re entered the apartment with a smile and immediately rose to his feet it is now time gentlemen said he to explain my purpose in you from your amusements i trust you did not find the evening hang very on your hands but my object i will confess it was not to entertain your leisure but to help myself in an unfortunate necessity you are all gentlemen he continued your appearance does you that much justice and i ne w nights ask for no better security hence i speak it without concealment i ask you to render me a dangerous and delicate service dangerous because you may run the hazard of your lives and delicate because i must ask an absolute discretion upon all that you shall see or hear from an utter stranger the request is almost extravagant i am well aware of this and i would add at once if there be anyone present who has heard enough if there be one among the party who from a dangerous confidence and a piece of devotion to he knows not whom here is my hand ready and i shall wish him good night and with all the sincerity in the world a very tall black man with a heavy stoop immediately responded to this appeal i commend your frankness sir said he and for my part i go i make no reflections but i cannot deny that you fill me with suspicious thoughts i go myself as i say and perhaps you will think i have no right to add words to my example on the contrary replied mr i am obliged to you for all you say it would be impossible to the gravity of my proposal well gentlemen what do you say said the tall man addressing the others we have had our evening s shall we go homeward in a body you will think well of my suggestion in the morning when you see the sun again in innocence and safety the speaker pronounced the last words with an which added to their force and his face wore a singular expression full of gravity and significance another of the company rose hastily and with some appearance of alarm prepared to take his leave there were only two who held their ground | 38 |
and an old red cavalry major but these two preserved a and beyond a look of intelligence which they rapidly exchanged appeared entirely foreign to the discussion that had just been terminated the suicide club mr conducted the as far as the door which he closed upon their heels then he turned round a countenance of mingled relief and animation and addressed the two officers as follows i have chosen my men like in the bible said mr and i now believe i have the pick of london your appearance pleased my then it delighted me i have watched your behavior n a strange company and under the most unusual circumstances i have studied how you played and how you bore your losses lastly i have put you to the test of a staggering announcement and you received it like an invitation to dinner it is not for nothing he cried that i have been for years the companion and the pupil of the and wisest in europe at the affair of observed the major i asked for twelve and every in the ranks replied to my appeal but a party is not the same thing as a regiment under fire you may be pleased i suppose to have found two and two who will not fail you at a push as for the pair who ran away i count them among the most pitiful hounds i ever met with lieutenant rich he added addressing i have heard much of you of late and i cannot doubt but you have also heard of me i am major o and the his hand which was red and tremulous to the young lieutenant who has not answered when this little matter is settled said mr you will think i have sufficiently rewarded you for i could offer neither a more valuable service than to make him acquainted with the other and now said major o is it a a after a fashion replied mr a with unknown and dangerous enemies and as i gravely fear a to the death i must ask you he continued to call me no longer call me if u new nights you please my real name as well as that of another person to whom i hope to present you before long you will gratify me by not asking and not seeking to discover for yourselves three days ago the person of whom i speak disappeared suddenly from home and until this morning i received no hint of his situation you will fancy my alarm when i tell you that he is engaged upon a work of private justice bound by an unhappy oath too lightly sworn he finds it necessary without the help of law to rid the earth of an and bloody villain already two of our friends and one of them my own bom brother have perished in the enterprise he himself or i am much deceived is taken in the same fatal toils but at least he still lives and still hopes as this sufficiently proves and the speaker no other than colonel proffered a letter thus conceived major on wednesday at a m you will be admitted by the small door to the gardens of house s park by a man who is entirely in my interest i must request you not to fail me by a second pray bring my case of swords and if you can find them one or two gentlemen of conduct and discretion to whom my person is unknown my name must not be used in this affair t from his wisdom alone if he had no other title pursued colonel when the others had each satisfied his curiosity my friend is a man whose directions should be followed i need not tell you therefore that i have not so much as visited the neighborhood of house and that i am still as wholly in the dark as either of yourselves as to the nature of my friend s i myself as soon as i had received this order to a furnishing and in a few hours the house in which we now are had assumed its late air of festival my scheme was at least original and i am far from the suicide club an action which has procured me the services of major o and lieutenant rich but the servants in the street will have a strange awakening the house which this evening was full of lights and visitors they will find and for sale to morrow morning thus even the most serious concerns added the colonel have a merry side and let us add a merry ending said the colonel consulted his watch it is now hard on two he said we have an hour before us and a swift cab is at the door tell me if i may count upon your help during a long life replied major o i never took back my hand from anything nor so much as a bet signified his readiness in the most becoming terms and after they had drunk a glass or two of wine the colonel gave each of them a loaded revolver and the three mounted into the cab and drove off for the address in question house was a magnificent residence on the banks of the canal the large extent of the garden isolated it in an unusual degree from the of neighborhood it seemed the r of some great nobleman or as far as could be seen from the street there was not a glimmer of light in any of the numerous windows of the mansion and the place had a look of neglect as though the master had been long from home the cab was discharged and the three gentlemen were not long in discovering the small door which was a sort of in a lane between two garden walls it still wanted ten or fifteen minutes of | 38 |
minutes the only sound in house was occasioned by the excursions of the rats behind the at the end of that period a loud of a broke in with surprising distinctness on the silence and shortly after the could distinguish a slow and cautious tread approaching up the kitchen stair at every second step the intruder seemed to pause and lend an ear and during these intervals which seemed of an duration a profound possessed the spirit of the listeners dr accustomed as he was to dangerous emotions suffered an almost pitiful physical his breath whistled in his lungs his teeth one upon another and his joints cracked aloud as he nervously shifted his position at last a hand was laid upon the door and the bolt shot back with a slight report there followed another pause during which could see the prince draw himself together noiselessly as if for some unusual exertion then the door opened letting in a little more of the light of the morning and the figure of a man appeared upon the threshold and stood motionless he was tall and carried a knife in his hand even in the twilight they could see his upper teeth bare and glistening for his mouth was open like that of a hound about to leap the man had evidently been over the head in water but a minute or two before and even while he stood there the drops kept falling from his wet clothes and on the floor the next moment he crossed the threshold there was a leap a stifled cry an struggle and before colonel could spring to his aid the prince held the man and helpless by the shoulders dr he said you will be so good as to the lamp ne iv nights and the charge of his prisoner to and he crossed the room and set his back against the chimney piece as soon as the lamp had kindled the party beheld an on the prince s features it was no longer the careless gentleman it was the prince of justly and full of deadly purpose who now raised his head and addressed the captive president of the suicide club president he said you have laid your last and your own feet are taken in it the day is beginning it is your last morning you have just the s canal it is your last in this world your old dr so far from betraying me has delivered you into my hands for judgment and the grave you had dug for me this afternoon shall serve in god s almighty providence to hide your own just doom from the curiosity of mankind kneel and pray sir if you have a mind that way for your time is short and god is weary of your the president made no answer either by word or sign but continued to hang his head and gaze sullenly on the floor as he were conscious of the prince s prolonged and regard gentlemen continued th ordinary tone of his conversation this is a fellow who has long me but whom thanks to dr i now have tightly by the heels to tell the story of h s would occupy more time than we can now afford but if the canal had contained nothing but the blood of his victims i believe the wretch would have been no than you see him even in an affair of this sort i desire to preserve the forms of honor but i make you the judges gentlemen this is more an execution than a and to give the rogue his choice of weapons would be to push too far a point of etiquette i cannot afford to lose my life in such a business he continued the case of swords the suicide club and as a pistol bullet travels so often on the wings of chance and skill and courage may fall by the most trembling i have decided and i feel sure you will approve my determination to put this question to the touch of swords when and major o to whom these remarks were particularly addressed had each intimated his approval quick sir added prince to the president choose a blade and do not keep me waiting i have an impatience to be done with you for ever for the first time since he was captured and the president raised his head and it was plain that he began instantly to pluck up courage is it to be stand up he asked eagerly and between you and me i mean so far to honor you replied the prince oh come cried the president with a fair field who knows how things may happen i must add that i consider it handsome behavior on your s part and if the worst comes to the worst i shall die by one of the most gallant gentlemen in europe and the president by those who had detained him stepped up to the table and began with minute attention to select a sword he was highly elated and seemed to feel no doubt that he should issue victorious from the contest the spectators grew alarmed in the face of so entire a confidence and prince to his intention it is but a farce he answered and i think i can promise you gentlemen that it will not be long a playing your will be careful not to said colonel returned the prince did you ever know me fail in a debt of honor i owe you this man s death and you shall have it the president at last satisfied himself with one of new nights the and signified his readiness by a gesture that was not devoid of a rude nobility the of peril and the sense of courage even to this villain lent an air of manhood and a certain grace the prince helped himself at random to a sword | 38 |
often whispered and repeatedly denied the of had presented this officer with the sixth known diamond of the world the gift transformed general from ne w nights a poor into a wealthy man from an obscure and soldier into one of the lions of london society the possessor of the s diamond was welcome in the most exclusive circles and he had found a lady young beautiful and well born who was willing to call the diamond hers even at the price of marriage with sir thomas it was commonly said at the time that as like draws to like one had attracted another certainly lady was not only a of the finest water in her own person but she showed herself to the world in a very costly setting and she was considered by many respectable authorities as one among the three or four best dressed women in england harry s duty as secretary was not particularly but he had a dislike for all prolonged work it gave him pain to ink his fingers and the charms of lady and her drew him often from the library to the he had the prettiest ways among women could talk fashions with enjoyment and was never more happy than when a shade of ribbon or running on an errand to the s in short sir thomas s correspondence fell into pitiful and my lady had another lady s maid at last the general who was one of the least patient of military arose from his place in a violent excess of passion and indicated to his secretary that he had no further use for his services with one of those gestures which are most rarely employed between gentlemen the door being unfortunately open mr fell down stairs head foremost he arose somewhat hurt and very deeply the life in the general s house precisely suited him he moved on a more or less doubtful footing in very genteel company he did little he ate of the best and he had a satisfaction in the presence of lady which in his own heart he by a more emphatic name the r a jaws diamond immediately after he had been outraged by the military foot he hurried to the and his sorrows you know very well my dear harry replied lady for she called him by name like a child or a domestic servant that you never by any chance do what the general tells you no more do i you may say but that is a woman can earn her for a good year of by a single submission and besides no one is married to his private secretary i shall be sorry to lose you but since you cannot tj y longer in a house where you have been insulted i shall wish you good bye and i promise you to make the u smart for his behavior harry s countenance fell tears came into his eyes and he gazed on lady with a tender reproach my lady said he what is an insult i should think little indeed of anyone who could not forgive them by the score but to leave one s friends to tear up the bonds of affection he was unable to continue for his emotion choked him and he began to weep lady looked at him with a curious expression this little fool she thought himself to be in love with me why should he not become my servant instead of the general s he is obliging and understands dress and besides it will keep him out of mischief he is positively too pretty to be that night she talked over the general who was already somewhat ashamed of his vivacity and harry was transferred to the feminine department where his life was little short of heavenly he was always dressed with uncommon wore delicate flowers in his button hole and could entertain a visitor with tact and he took a pride in to a beautiful woman received lady s com ne w nights as so many marks of favor and was pleased t exhibit himself before other men who an despised him in his character of male lady s maid an man nor could he think enough of his existence from a moral point of view wickedness seemed to him an essentially male attribute and to pass one s days with a delicate woman and about was to an among the storms of life one fine morning he came into the drawing room and began to arrange some music on the top of the piano lady at the other end of the apartment was speaking somewhat eagerly with her brother an elderly young man much broken with and very lame of ore foot the private secretary to whose entrance they paid no could not avoid a part of their conversation to day or never said the lady once and for all it shall be done to day to day if it must be replied the brother with a sigh but it is a false step a step and we shall live to repent it lady looked her brother steadily and somewhat strangely in the face you forget she said the man must die at last upon my word said i believe you are the most heartless rascal in england you men she returned are so built that you can never appreciate a shade of meaning you are yourselves violent careless of distinction and yet the least thought for the future you in a woman i have no patience with such stuff you would despise in a common banker the that you expect to find in us you are very likely right replied her brother you were always than i and anyway you know my motto the family before all the diamond yes she returned taking his hand in hers i know your motto better than you know it yourself and before the family is | 38 |
not that the second part of it indeed you are the best of brothers and i love you dearly mr got up looking a little confused by these family i had better not be seen said he i understand my part to a miracle tame cat do she replied he is an abject creature and might ruin all she kissed the tips of her fingers to him and the brother withdrew by the and the back stair harry said lady turning towards the secretary as soon as they were alone i have a commission for you this morning but you shall take a cab i cannot have my secretary she spoke the last words with emphasis and a look of half pride that caused great contentment to poor harry and he professed himself charmed to find an opportunity of serving her it is another of our great secrets she went on and no one must know of it but my secretary and me sir thomas would make the disturbance and if you only knew how weary i am of these scenes oh harry harry can you explain to me what makes you men so violent and unjust but indeed i know you cannot you are the only man in the world who knows nothing of these shameful passions you are so good harry and so kind you at least can be a woman s friend and do you know i think you make the more ugly by comparison it is you said harry gallantly who are so kind to me you treat me like like a mother interposed lady i try to be a mother to vou or at least she corrected herself with a smile almost a mother i am afraid i am too young to be your mother really let us say a a dear friend ne nights she paused long enough to let her words take effect in harry s sentimental quarters but not long enough to allow him a reply but all this is beside our purpose she resumed you will find a in the left hand side of the oak wardrobe it is underneath the pink slip that i wore on wednesday with my you will take it immediately to this address and she gave him a paper but do not on any account let it out of your hands until you have received a receipt written by myself do you understand answer if you please answer this is extremely important and i must ask you to pay some attention harry her by repeating her instructions perfectly and she was just going to tell him more when general flung into the apartment scarlet with anger and holding a long and elaborate s bill in his hand will you look at this madam cried he will you have the goodness to look at this document i know well enough you married me for my money and i hope i can make as great allowance as any other man in the service but as sure as god made me i mean to put a period to this mr said lady i think you understand what you have to do may i ask you to see to it at once stop said the general addressing harry one word before you go and then turning again to lady what is this precious fellow s errand he demanded i trust him no further than i do yourself let me tell you if he had as much as the of honesty he would scorn to stay in this house and what he does for his wages is a mystery to all the world what is his errand madam and why are you hurrying him away i supposed you had something to say to me in private replied the lady you spoke about an errand insisted the general the s diamond do not attempt to deceive me in my present state of temper you certainly spoke about an errand if you insist on making your servants to our humiliating replied lady perhaps i had better ask mr to sit down no she continued then you may go mr i trust you may remember all that you have heard in this room it may be useful to you harry at once made his escape from the and as he ran upstairs he could hear the general s voice in and the thin tones of lady planting icy at every opening how cordially he admired the wife how she could an awkward question with what secure she repeated her instructions under the very guns of the enemy and on the other hand how he detested the husband there had been nothing in the morning s events for he was continually in the habit of serving lady on secret principally connected with there was a skeleton in the house as he well knew the extravagance and the unknown of the wife had long since swallowed her own fortune and threatened day by day to that of the husband once or twice in every year exposure and ruin seemed imminent and harry kept trotting round to all sorts of shops telling small and paying small advances on the gross amount until another term was over and the lady and her faithful secretary breathed again for harry in a double capacity was heart and soul upon that side of the war not only did he lady and fear and dislike her husband but he naturally with the love of finery and his own single extravagance was at the tailor s he found the where it had been described arranged his toilet with care and left the house the sun shone brightly the distance he had to travel was considerable and he remembered with dismay that the new nights general s sudden had prevented lady from giving him money for a cab on this day there was every chance that his complexion would suffer severely and to | 38 |
walk through so much of london with a on his arm was a humiliation almost to a youth of his character he paused and took counsel with himself the lived in place his destination was near hill plainly he might cross the park by keeping well in the open and avoiding and he thanked his stars when he reflected that it was still comparatively early in the day anxious to be rid of his he walked somewhat faster than his ordinary and he was already some way through gardens when in a solitary spot among trees he found himself confronted by the general i beg your pardon sir thomas observed harry politely falling on one side for the other stood directly in his path where are you going sir asked the general i am taking a little walk among the trees replied the lad the general struck the with his cane with that thing he cried you lie sir and you know you lie indeed sir thomas returned harry i am not accustomed to be questioned in so high a key you do not understand your position said the general you are my servant and a servant of whom i have conceived the most serious suspicions how do i know but that your box is full of it contains a silk hat belonging to a friend said harry very well replied general then i want to see your friend s silk hat i have he added grimly a singular curiosity for hats and i believe you know me to be somewhat positive the ra jaws diamond u u i beg your pardon sir thomas i am exceedingly grieved harry but indeed this is a private affair the general caught him roughly by the shoulder with one hand while he raised his cane in the most menacing manner with the other harry gave himself up for lost but at the same moment heaven vouchsafed him an unexpected in the person of who now strode forward from behind the trees come come general hold your hand said he this is neither courteous nor manly cried the general round upon his new mr and do you mr that because i have had the misfortune to marry your sister i shall suffer myself to be dogged and by a and like you my acquaintance with lady sir has taken away all my appetite for the other members of her family and do you fancy general retorted that because my sister has had the misfortune to marry you she there and then her rights and privileges as a lady i own sir that by that action she did as much as anybody could to from her position but to me she is still a i make it my business to protect her from outrage and if you were ten times her husband i would not permit her liberty to be restrained nor her private messenger to be violently arrested how is that mr the general mr is of my opinion it appears he too that lady has something to do with your friend s silk hat saw that he had committed an blunder which he hastened to repair how sir he cried i suspect do you say i suspect nothing only where i find strength abused ne w nights and a man his i take the liberty to interfere as he said these words he made a sign to harry which the latter was too dull or too much troubled to understand in what way am i to your attitude sir demanded why sir as you please returned the general once more raised his cane and made a cut for s head but the latter lame foot and all the blow with his umbrella ran in and immediately closed with his formidable adversary run harry run he cried run you i harry s for a moment watching the two men sway together in this fierce embrace then he turned and took to his heels when he cast a glance over his shoulder he saw the general prostrate under s knee but still making desperate efforts to reverse the situation and the gardens seemed to have filled with people who were running from all directions towards the scene of fight this spectacle tent the secretary wings and he did not his pace until he had gained the road and plunged at random into an by street to see two gentlemen of his acquaintance thus each other was deeply shocking to harry he desired to forget the sight he desired above all to put as great a distance as possible between himself and general and in his eagerness for this he forgot everything about his destination and hurried before him headlong and trembling when he remembered that lady was the wife of one and sister of the other of these his heart was touched with sympathy for a woman so in life even his own situation in the general s house looked hardly so pleasing as usual in the light of these violent transactions he had walked some little distance busied with these meditations before a slight collision with the s diamond another passenger reminded him of the on his arm heavens cried he where was my head and whither have i wandered thereupon he the envelope which lady had given him the address was there but without a name harry was simply directed to ask for the gentleman who expected a parcel from lady and if he were not at home to his return the gentleman added the note should present a receipt in the handwriting of the lady herself all this seemed mighty mysterious and harry was above all astonished at the of the name and the formality of the receipt he had thought little of this last when he heard it dropped in conversation but reading it in cold blood and taking it in connection with the other strange particulars he became convinced he | 38 |
was engaged in perilous affairs for half a moment he had a doubt of lady herself for he found these obscure proceedings somewhat unworthy of so high a lady and became more critical when her secrets were preserved against himself but her empire over his spirit was too complete lie dismissed his suspicions and blamed himself for having so much as entertained them in one thing however his duty and interest his generosity and his terrors to get rid of the with the greatest possible despatch he the first policeman and courteously inquired his way it turned out that he was already not far from his destination and a walk of a few minutes brought him to a small house in a lane painted and kept with the most scrupulous attention the and bell pull were highly polished pot the of the different windows and curtains of some rich material concealed the interior from the eyes of curious passengers the place bad an air of repose and k i oo new nights and harry was so far caught with this spirit that he knocked with more than usual discretion and was more than usually careful to remove all from his boots a servant maid of some personal attractions immediately opened the door and seemed to regard the secretary with no unkind eyes this is the parcel from lady said harry i know replied the maid with a nod but the gentleman is from home will you leave it with me i cannot answered harry i am directed not to part with it but upon a certain condition and i must ask you i am afraid to let me wait well said she i suppose i may let you wait i am lonely enough i can tell you and you do not look as though you would eat a girl but be sure and do not ask the gentleman s name for that i am not to tell you do you say so cried harry why how strange but indeed for some time back i walk among surprises one question i think i may surely ask without is he the master of this house he is a and not eight days old at that returned the maid and now a question for a question do you know lady i am her private secretary replied harry with a glow of modest pride she is pretty is she not pursued the servant oh beautiful cried harry wonderfully lovely and not less good and kind you look kind enough yourself she retorted and i you are worth a dozen lady harry was properly ii he cried i am only a secretary do you mean that for me said the girl be the s d cause i am only a if you please and then at the sight of harry s obvious confusion i know you mean nothing of the sort she added and i like your looks but i think nothing of your lady oh these she cried to send out a real gentleman like you with a in broad day during this talk they had remained in their original positions she on the he on the for the sake of coolness and with the on his arm but upon this last speech harry who was unable to support such point blank compliments to his appearance nor the encouraging look which they were accompanied began to change his attitude and glance from left to right in in so doing he turned his face towards lower end of the lane and there to his indescribable dismay his eyes encountered those of general the general in a prodigious of heat hurry and indignation had been the streets in chase of his brother in law but so soon as he caught a glimpse of the secretary his purpose changed his anger flowed into a new channel and he turned on his heel and came tearing up the lane with gestures and harry made but one bolt of it into the house driving the maid before him and the door was in his s countenance is there a bar will it lock asked harry while a on the made the house echo from wall to wall why what is wrong with you asked the maid is it this old gentleman if he gets hold of me whispered harry i am as good as dead he has been pursuing me all day carries a sword and is an indian military officer these are fine manners cried the maid and what if you please may be his name i ne w nights it is the general my master answered harry he is after this did not i tell you cried the maid in triumph i told you i thought worse than nothing of your lady and if you had an eye in your head you might see what she is for yourself an ungrateful i will be bound for that the general renewed his attack upon the and his passion growing with delay began to kick and beat upon the of the door it is lucky observed the girl that i am alone in the house your general may hammer until he is weary and there is none to open for him follow me so saying she led harry into the kitchen where she made him sit down and stood by him herself in an affectionate attitude with a hand upon his shoulder the din at the door so far from continued to increase in volume and at each blow the unhappy secretary was shaken to the heart what is your name asked the girl harry he replied mine she went on is prudence do you like it very much said harry but hear for a moment how the general beats upon the door he will certainly break it in and then in heaven s name what have i to look for but death you put | 38 |
yourself very much about with no occasion answered prudence let your general knock he will do no more than his hands do you think i would keep you here if i were not sure to save you oh no i am a good friend to those that please me and we have a back door upon another lane but she added checking him for he had got upon his feet immediately on this welcome news but i will not show where it is unless you kiss me will you harry that will he cried remembering his gallantry the ra ah s diamond i not for your back door but because you are good and pretty and he administered two or three cordial which were returned to him in kind then prudence led him to the back gate and put her hand upon the key will you come and see me she asked i will indeed said harry do not i owe you life and now she added opening the door run as hard as you can for i shall let in the general harry scarcely required this advice fear had him by the and he addressed himself diligently to a few steps and he believed he would i to lady in honor and safety but these few steps had not been taken before he heard a man s voice him by name with many and looking over his shoulder he beheld waving him with both arms to the shock of this new incident was so sudden and profound and harry was already worked into so high a state of nervous that lie could think of nothing better than to his pace and continue running he should certainly have x the scene in gardens he should certainly have concluded that where the general his enemy could be no other han a friend but such was the fever and of his mind that he was struck by none of these considerations and only continued to run tlie faster up the lane by the sound of his voice and the vile terms that he hurled after the secretary was obviously himself with rage he too ran his very best t ut try as he might the physical advantages were not his side and his and the fall of his lame foot on the began to fall farther and farther into the wake harry s hopes began once more to arise the lane new an nights was both steep and narrow but it was exceedingly solitary bordered on either hand by garden walls with foliage and for as far as the fugitive could see in front of him there was neither a creature moving nor an open door providence weary of persecution was now offering him an open field for his escape alas as he came abreast of a garden door under a of it was suddenly drawn back and he could see inside upon a garden path the figure of a butcher s boy with his tray upon his arm he had hardly recognized the fact before he was some steps beyond upon the other side but the fellow had had time to observe him he was evidently much surprised to see a gentleman go by at so unusual a pace and he came out into the lane and began to call after harry with shouts of encouragement his appearance gave a new idea to who although he was now sadly out of breath once more his voice stop thief he cried and immediately the butcher s boy had taken up the cry and joined in the pursuit this was a bitter moment for the hunted secretary it is true that his terror enabled him once more to improve his pace and gain with every step on his but he was well aware that he was near the end of his resources and should he meet anyone coming the other way his in the narrow lane would be desperate indeed i must find a place of concealment he thought and that within the next few seconds or all is over with me in this world scarcely had the thought crossed his mind than the lane took a sudden turning and he found himself hidden from his enemies there are circumstances in which even the least energetic of mankind learn to behave with vigor and decision and the more cautious forget their prudence and embrace the diamond tions this was one of those occasions for harry and those who knew him best would have been the most astonished at the lad s audacity he stopped dead flung the over a garden wall and leaping upward with incredible and seizing the with his hands he tumbled headlong after it into the garden he came to himself a moment afterwards seated in a border of small his hands and knees were cut and bleeding for the wall had been protected against such an by a liberal provision of old bottles and he was conscious of a general and a painful swimming in the head facing him across the garden which was in admirable order and set with flowers of the most delicious perfume he beheld the back of a house it was of considerable extent and plainly but in odd contrast to the grounds it was crazy ill kept and of a mean appearance on all other sides the circuit of the garden wall appeared unbroken he took in these features of the scene with m r glances but his mind was still unable to piece together or draw a rational conclusion from what he saw and when he heard footsteps advancing on the gravel although he turned his eyes in that direction it was with no thought either for or flight the new comer was a large coarse and very sordid personage in clothes and with a in his left hand one less confused would have been affected with some alarm at the sight of | 38 |
this man s huge proportions and black and lowering eyes but harry was too gravely shaken by his fall to be so much as and if he was unable to divert his glances from the gardener he remained absolutely passive and suffered him to draw near to take him by the shoulder and to plant him roughly on his feet without a motion of resistance for a moment the two stared into each other s eyes o new nights harry fascinated the man filled with wrath and a cruel humor who are you he demanded at last who are you to come flying over my wall and break my de f what is your name he added shaking him and what may be your business here harry could not as much as a word in explanation but just at that moment and the butcher s boy went past and the sound of their feet and their hoarse cries echoed loudly in the narrow lane the gardener had received his answer and he looked down into harry s face with an smile a thief he said upon my word and a very good thing you must make of it for i see you dressed like a gentleman from top to toe are you not ashamed to go about the world in such a trim with honest folk i dare say glad to buy your cast off finery second hand speak up you dog the man went on you understand english i suppose and mean to have a bit of talk with you before i march you to the station indeed sir said harry this is all a dreadful and if you will go with me to sir thomas s in place i can promise that all will be made plain the most upright person as i now perceive can be led into suspicious positions my little man replied the gardener i will go with you no farther than the station house in the next street the no doubt will be glad to take a stroll with you as far as place and have a bit of afternoon tea with your great acquaintances or would you prefer to go direct to the home secretary sir thomas indeed perhaps you think i f don t know a gentleman when i see one from a com i mon run the hedge like you clothes or no clothes i j can read you like a book here is a shirt that maybe cost as much as my sunday hat and that coat i take j i the s diamond i it has never the inside of rag fair and then your the man whose eyes had fallen upon the ground stopped short in his insulting and remained for a moment looking intently upon something at his feet when he spoke his voice was strangely altered what in god s name said he is all this harry following the direction of the man s eyes beheld a spectacle that struck him dumb with terror and amazement in his fall he had descended upon the and burst it open from end to end thence a great treasure of diamonds had poured forth and now lay abroad part trodden in the soil part scattered on the surface in and glittering profusion there was a magnificent which he had often admired on lady there were rings and ear drops and and even rolling here and there among the like drops of morning dew a fortune lay between the two men upon the ground a fortune in the most inviting solid and form capable of being carried in an apron beautiful in itself and scattering the sunlight in a million rainbow flashes good god said harry i am lost his mind backward into the past with the of thought and he began to comprehend his day s adventures to conceive them as a whole and to recognize the sad in which his own character and fortunes had become involved he looked round him as if for help but he was alone in the garden with his scattered diamonds and his and when he gave ear there was no sound but the rustle of the leaves and the hurried of his heart it was little wonder if the young man felt himself a little deserted by his spirits and with a broken voice repeated his last i am lost i o new nights the gardener peered in all directions with an air of guilt but there was no face at any of the windows and he seemed to breathe again pick up a heart he said you fool the worst of it is done why could you not say at first there was enough for two two he repeated aye and for two hundred but come away from here where we may be observed and for the love of wisdom out your hat and brush your clothes you could not travel two steps the figure of fun you look just now while harry mechanically adopted these suggestions the gardener getting upon his knees hastily drew together the scattered jewels and returned them to the the touch of these costly sent a shiver of emotion through the man s frame his face was and his eyes shone with indeed it seemed as if he prolonged his occupation and with every diamond that he handled at last however it was done and concealing the in his the gardener beckoned to harry and preceded him in the direction of the house near the door they were met by a young man evidently in holy orders dark and strikingly handsome with a look of mingled weakness and resolution and very neatly attired after the manner of his caste the gardener was plainly annoyed by this encounter but he put as good a face upon it as he could and the clergyman with an and smiling air here is a fine afternoon mr | 38 |
said he a fine afternoon as sure as god made it and here is a young friend of mine who had a fancy to look at my roses i took the liberty to bring him in for i thought none of the would object speaking for myself replied the reverend mr i do not nor do i fancy any of the rest of us would be more difficult upon so small a matter the s diamond the garden is your own mr we must none of us forget that and because you give us liberty to walk there we should be indeed if we so far presumed upon your politeness as to interfere with the convenience of your friends but on second thoughts he added i believe that this gentleman and i have met before mr i i think i regret to observe that you have had a fall and he offered his hand a sort of maiden dignity and a desire to delay as long as possible the necessity for explanation moved harry to refuse this chance of help and to deny his own identity he chose the tender of the gardener who was at least unknown to him rather than the curiosity and perhaps the doubts of an acquaintance i fear there is some mistake said he my name is and i am a friend of mr s indeed said mr the likeness is amazing mr who had been upon thorns this now felt it high time to bring it to a period i wish you a pleasant sir said he and with that he dragged harry after him into the house and then into a chamber on the garden his first care was to draw down the blind for mr still remained where they had left him in an attitude of perplexity and thought then he emptied the broken on the table and stood before the treasure thus fully displayed with an expression of and rubbing his hands upon his for harry the sight of the man s face under the influence of this base emotion added another to those he was already suffering it seemed incredible that from his life of pure and delicate trifling he should be plunged in a breath among sordid and criminal relations he could reproach his conscience with no sinful no new nights act and yet he was now suffering the punishment of sin in its most acute and cruel forms the dread of punishment the suspicions of the good and the companionship and of vile and brutal natures he felt he could lay his life down with gladness to escape from the room and the society of mr and now said the latter after he had separated the jewels into two nearly equal parts and drawn one of them nearer to himself and now said he everything in this world has to be paid for and some things sweetly you must know mr if such be your name that i am a man of a very easy temper and good nature has been my stumbling block from first to last i could pocket the whole of these pretty pebbles if i chose and i should like to see you dare to say a word but i think i must have taken a liking to you for i declare i have not the heart to you so close so do you see in pure kind feeling i propose that we divide and these indicating the two heaps are the proportions that seem to me just and friendly do you see any objection mr may i ask i am not the man to stick upon a but sir cried harry what you propose to me is impossible the jewels are not mine and i cannot share what is another s no matter with whom nor in what proportions they are not yours are they not returned and you could not share them with anybody couldn t you well now that is what i call a pity for here i am obliged to take you to the station the police think of that he continued think of the disgrace for your respectable parents think he went on taking harry by the wrist think of the colonies and the day of judgment i cannot help it harry it is not my fault you will not come with me to place no replied the man i will not that is certain and i mean to divide these with you here the ra s diamond til and so saying he applied a sudden and severe sion to the lad s wrist harry could not suppress a scream and the perspiration burst forth upon his face perhaps pain and terror quickened his intelligence but certainly at that moment the whole business flashed across him in another light and he saw that there was nothing for it but to to the s proposal and trust to find the house and force him to under more favorable circumstances and when he himself was clear from all suspicion i agree he said there is a lamb sneered the gardener i thought you would recognize interests at last this he continued i shall bum with my rubbish it is a thing that curious folk might recognize and as for you scrape up your and put them in your pocket harry proceeded to obey watching him and every now and again his by some bright another jewel from the secretary s share and adding it to his own when this was finished both proceeded to the front door which cautiously opened to observe the street this was apparently clear of passengers for he suddenly seized harry by the of the neck and holding his face downward so that he could see nothing but the and the of the houses pushed him violently before him down one street and up another for the space of perhaps a minute and a half | 38 |
harry had counted three corners before the bully relaxed his grasp and crying now be off with you sent the lad flying with a well directed and kick when harry gathered himself up half stunned and bleeding freely at the nose mr had entirely disappeared for the first time anger and pain so completely overcame the lad s spirits that he burst into a fit of tears and remained sobbing in the middle of the road nights after he had thus somewhat his emotion he began to look about him and read the names of the streets at whose he had been deserted by the gardener he was still in an portion of west london among and large gardens but he could see some persons at a window who had evidently witnessed his misfortune and almost immediately after a servant came running from the house and offered him a glass of water at the same time a dirty rogue who had been somewhere in the neighborhood drew near him from the other side poor fellow said the maid how you have been handled to be sure why your knees are all cut and your clothes ruined do you know the wretch who used you so that i do cried harry who was somewhat refreshed by the water and shall run him home in spite of his precautions he shall pay dearly for this day s work i promise you you had better come into the house and have yourself washed and brushed continued the maid my mistress will make you welcome never fear and see i will pick up your hat why love of mercy she screamed if you have not dropped diamonds all over the street such was the case a good half of what remained to him after the of mr had been shaken out of his pockets by the and once more lay glittering on the ground he blessed his fortune that the maid had been so quick of eye there is nothing so bad but it might be worse thought he and the recovery of these few seemed to him almost as great an affair as the loss of all the rest but alas as he stooped to pick up his treasures the made a rapid both harry and the maid with a movement of his arms swept up a double handful of the diamonds and made off along the street with an amazing swiftness harry as soon as he could get upon his feet gave the diamond chase to the with many cries but the latter was too fleet of foot and probably too well acquainted with the locality for turn where the would he could find no traces of the fugitive in the deepest despondency harry the scene of his where the maid who was still waiting very honestly returned him his hat and the remainder of the fallen diamonds harry thanked her from his heart and being now in no humor for economy made his way to the nearest and set off for place by coach the house on his arrival seemed in some confusion as if a catastrophe had happened in the family and the servants clustered together in the hall and were unable or perhaps not altogether anxious to suppress their merriment at the figure of the secretary he passed them with as good an air of dignity as he could assume and made directly for the when he opened the door an astonishing and even menacing spectacle presented itself to his eyes for he beheld the general and his wife and of all people pen together and speaking with earnestness and gravity on some important subject harry saw at once that there was little left for him to explain confession had plainly been made to the general of the intended fraud upon his pocket and the unfortunate of the scheme and they had all made common cause against a common danger thank heaven cried lady here he is the harry the but harry stood before them silent and downcast speak she cried speak where is the and the men with threatening gestures repeated the demand harry drew a handful of jewels from his pocket he was very white this is all that remains said he i declare e nights before heaven it was through no fault of mine and if you will have patience although some are lost i am afraid for ever others i am sure may be still recovered alas cried lady all our diamonds are gone and i owe ninety thousand pounds for dress madam said the general you might have paved the with your own you might have made debts to fifty times the sum you mention you might have robbed me of my mother s and rings and nature might have still so far prevailed that i could have forgiven you at last but madam you have taken the s diamond the eye of light as the termed it the pride of you have taken from me the s diamond he cried raising his hands and all madam all is at an end between us believe me general she replied that is one of the most agreeable speeches that ever i heard from your lips and since we are to be ruined i could almost welcome the change if it me from you you have told me often enough that i married you for your money let me tell you now that i always bitterly repented the bargain and if you were still and had a diamond bigger than your head i should counsel even my maid against a union so and disastrous as for you mr she continued turning on the secretary you have sufficiently exhibited your valuable qualities in this house we are now persuaded that you equally lack manhood sense and self respect and i can see only one course open for you to withdraw and | 38 |
if possible return no more for your wages you may rank as a in my late husband s harry had scarcely comprehended this insulting address before the general was down upon him with another the s diamond i and in the mean time said that personage follow me before the nearest of police you may impose upon a simple minded soldier sir but the eye of the law will read your secret if must spend my old age in poverty through your with my wife i mean at least that you shall not remain for your pains and god sir will deny me a very considerable satisfaction if you do not pick from now until your dying day with that the general dragged harry from the apartment and hurried him downstairs and along the street to the police station of the district here says my author ended this deplorable business of the to the unfortunate secretary j he whole affair was the beginning of a and life the police were easily persuaded of his innocence after he had given what help he could in the subsequent he was even by one of the chiefs of the department on the and simplicity of h s behavior several persons interested themselves in one so unfortunate and soon after he inherited a sum of money from a maiden aunt in with this he married prudence and set sail for or according to another account for exceedingly content and with the best of projects story of the young man in holy orders the reverend mr had distinguished himself in the moral and was more than usually in the study of divinity his essay on the christian d of the social obligations obtained for him at the moment of its production a certain in the university of oxford and it was understood in and learned circles that young mr had in contemplation a considerable work a it was said on the authority of the fathers of the church these these ambitious designs however were far from helping him to any and still he was in quest of his first when a chance in that part of london the peaceful and rich aspect of the garden a desire for solitude and study and the of the lodging led him to take up his abode with mr the of lane it was his habit every afternoon after he had worked seven or eight hours on st or st to walk for a while in meditation among the roses and this was usually one of the most productive moments of his day but even a sincere appetite for thought and the excitement cf grave problems awaiting solution are not always sufficient to preserve the mind of the philosopher against the petty and of the world and when mr found general s secretary ragged and bleeding in the company of the landlord when he saw both change color and seek to avoid his questions and above all when the former denied his own identity with the most unmoved assurance he speedily forgot the saints and fathers in the vulgar interest of ii ft i the s diamond ii i cannot be mistaken thought he that is mr beyond a doubt how comes he in such a why does he deny his name and what can be his business with that black looking my landlord as he was thus reflecting another peculiar circumstance attracted his attention the face of mr appeared at a low window next the door and as chance directed his eyes met those of mr the seemed disconcerted and even alarmed and immediately after the blind of the apartment was pulled sharply down this may all be very well reflected mr it may be all well but i confess freely that i do not think so suspicious fearful of observation i believe upon my soul he thought the pair are some disgraceful action the that there is in all of us awoke and became in the bosom of mr and with a brisk eager step that bore no resemblance to his usual gait he proceeded to make the circuit of the garden when he came to the scene of harry s his eye was at once arrested by a broken and marks of on the he looked up and saw on the brick and a rag of floating from a broken bottle this then was the mode of entrance chosen by mr s particular friend it was thus that general s secretary came to admire a flower garden the young clergyman whistled softly to himself as he stooped to examine the ground he could make out where had landed from his perilous leap he recognized the flat foot of mr where it had sunk deeply in the soil as he pulled up the secretary by the collar nay on a closer inspection he seemed to distinguish the marks of groping fingers as though something had been abroad and eagerly collected upon my word h thought the thing grows vastly interesting ne w nights and just then he caught sight of something entirely buried in the earth in an instant he had a dainty case ornamented and clasped in gilt it had been trodden heavily under foot and thus escaped the hurried search of mr mr opened the case and drew a long breath of almost astonishment for there lay before him in a cradle of green a diamond of prodigious magnitude and of the finest water it was of the of a duck s egg beautifully shaped aad without a flaw and as the sun shone upon it it gave forth a lustre like that of and seemed to bum in his hand with a thousand internal fires he knew little of precious stones but the s diamond was a wonder that explained itself a village child if he found it would run screaming for the nearest cottage and a savage would prostrate | 38 |
polite gesture as though to ask permission he resumed the study of the review on his way home mr purchased a work on precious stones and several of s novels these last he eagerly until an advanced hour in the morning but although they introduced him to many new ideas he could nowhere discover what to do with a stolen diamond he was annoyed moreover to find the information scattered amongst romantic story telling instead of set forth after the manner of a manual and he concluded that even if new nights the writer had thought much upon these subjects he was totally lacking m method for the character and of however he was unable to contain his admiration he was truly a great creature mr he knew the world as i know s evidences there was nothing that he could not carry to a termination with his own hand and against the largest odds heavens he broke out suddenly is not this the lesson must i not learn to cut diamonds for myself it seemed to him as if he had sailed at once out of his he remembered that he knew a one b in who would be glad to put him in the way of the necessary training a few months perhaps a few years of sordid toil and he would be sufficiently expert to divide and sufficiently cunning ta dispose with advantage of the s diamond that done he might return to pursue his at leisure a wealthy and luxurious student envied and respected by all golden visions attended him through his slumber and he awoke refreshed and light hearted with the morning sun mr s house was on that day to be closed by the police and this afforded a pretext for his departure he cheerfully prepared his baggage transported it to king s cross where he left it in the and returned to the club to while away the afternoon and dine if you dine here to day observed an acquaintance you may see two of the most remarkable men in england prince of and old jack i have heard of the prince replied mr and general i have even met in society general is an ass returned the other this is his brother john the biggest adventurer the best judge of precious stones and one of the most acute in europe have you never heard the s diamond of his with the due de d of his exploits and when he was of of his dexterity in recovering sir samuel s nor of his services in the indian services by which the government but which the government dared not recognize you make me wonder what we mean by fame or even by for jack has prodigious claims to both run down stairs he continued take a table near them and keep your ears open you will hear some strange talk or i am much but how shall i know them inquired the clergyman know them cried his friend why the prince is the finest gentleman in europe the only living creature who looks like a king and as for jack if you can imagine at seventy years of age and with a cut across his face you have the man before you know them indeed why you could pick either of them out of a day eagerly hurried to the dining room it was as his friend had asserted it was impossible to mistake the pair in question old john was of remarkable force of body and obviously broken to the most difficult exercises he had neither the carriage of a nor of a sailor nor yet of one much to the saddle but something made up of all these and the result and expression of many different habits and his features were bold and his expression and his whole appearance that of a swift violent man of action and his copious white hair and the deep cut that traversed his nose and temple added a note of to a head already remarkable and menacing in itself in his companion the prince of mr was astonished to recognize the gentleman who had recommended him the study of doubtless prince who rarely visited the club of nights m which as of most others he was an member had been waiting for john when him on the previous evening the other had modestly retired into the angles of the room and left the distinguished pair in a certain but the young clergyman was by any sentiment of awe and marching up took his place at the nearest table the conversation was indeed new to the student s ears the ex of stated many extraordinary experiences in different quarters of the world and the prince supplied a which to a man of thought was even more interesting than the events themselves two forms of experience were thus brought together and laid before the young clergyman and he did not know which to admire the most the desperate actor or the skilled expert in life the man who spoke boldly of his own deeds and perils or the man who seemed like a god to know all things and to have suffered nothing the manner of each fitted with his part in the discourse the indulged in alike of speech and gesture his hand opened and shut and fell roughly on the table and his voice was loud and the prince on the other hand seemed the very type of and quiet the least movement the least had with him a significance than all the shouts and of his companion and if ever as must frequently have been the case he described some experience personal to himself it was so as to pass unnoticed with the rest at length the talk wandered on to the late and the s diamond that diamond would be better in the sea observed prince as a replied the | 38 |
your may imagine my i speak on grounds of public policy pursued the prince jewels so valuable should be reserved for the s diamond the collection of a prince or the treasury of a great nation to hand them about among the common sort of men is to set a price on virtue s head and if the of a prince i understand of great desired vengeance upon the men of europe he could hardly have gone more about his purpose th n by sending us this apple of discord there is no honesty too robust for such a trial i myself who have many duties and privileges of my own i myself mr could scarcely handle the crystal and be safe as for you who are a diamond hunter by taste and profession i do not believe there is a crime in the you would not i do not believe you have a friend in the world whom you would not eagerly betray i do not know if you have a family but if you have i declare you would sacrifice your children and all this for what not to be richer nor to have more comforts or more respect but simply to call this diamond yours for a year or two until you die and now and again to open a safe and look at it as one looks at a picture it is true replied i have hunted most things from men and women down to i have for coral i have followed both and and a diamond is the of the lot it has beauty and worth it alone can properly reward the of the chase at this moment as your may fancy i am upon the trail i have a sure a wide experience i know every stone of price in my brother s collection as a shepherd knows his sheep and i wish i may die if i do not recover them every one sir thomas will have great cause to thank you said the prince i am not so sure returned the with a laugh one of the will thomas or john peter or paul we are all nights i did not catch your observation said the prince with some disgust and at the same moment the waiter informed mr that his cab was at the door mr glanced at the clock and saw that he also must be moving and the coincidence struck him sharply and for he desired to see no more of the diamond hunter much study having somewhat shaken the young man s nerves he was in the habit of m the most luxurious manner and for the present journey he had taken a sofa in the sleeping carriage you will be very comfortable said the guard is no one in your and only one old gentleman in the other end it was close upon the hour arid the tickets were being examined when mr beheld this other fellow passenger ushered by several into his place certainly there was not another man in the world whom he would not have preferred for it was old john the ex the sleeping carriages on the great northern line divided into three one at each end for and one in the centre fitted with the of a a door running in separated each of the others from the but as there were neither nor locks the whole was practically common ground when mr had studied his position he perceived himself without defence if the chose to pay him a visit in the course of the night he could do no less than receive it he had no means of and lay open to attack as if he had been lying in the fields this situation caused him some agony of mind he recalled with alarm the statements of his fellow across the and the professions of which he had heard him offering to the disgusted prince some persons he remembered to have read are endowed v the diamond with a singular quickness of perception for the neighborhood of precious through walls and even at considerable distances they are said to divine the presence of gold might it not be the same with diamonds he wondered and if so who was more likely to enjoy this sense than the person who in the of the diamond hunter from such a man he recognized that he had everything to fear and longed eagerly for the arrival of the day in the meantime he neglected no precaution concealed his diamond in the most internal pocket of a system of great coats and devoutly recommended himself to the care of providence the train pursued its usual even and rapid course and nearly half the journey had been accomplished before slumber began to triumph over uneasiness in the breast of mr for some time he resisted its influence but it grew upon him more and more and a little before york he was fain to stretch himself upon one of the and suffer his eyes to close and almost at the same instant consciousness deserted the young clergyman his last thought was of his neighbor when he awoke it was still pitch dark except for the of the veiled lamp and the continual roaring and to the of the train he sat upright in a panic for he had been tormented by the most uneasy dreams it was some seconds before he recovered his self command and even after he had resumed a attitude sleep continued to flee him and he lay awake with his brain in a state of violent agitation and his eyes fixed upon the door he pulled his felt hat over his brow still farther to shield him from the light and he adopted the usual such as counting a thousand or thought by which experienced are accustomed to the approach of | 38 |
sleep in the case of mr they proved one and all new nights vain he was harassed by a dozen different anxieties the old man in the other end of the carriage haunted him in the most alarming shapes and in whatever attitude he chose to lie the diamond in his pocket occasioned him a sensible physical distress it burned it was too large it bruised his ribs and there were of a second in which he had half a mind to throw it from the window while he was thus lying a strange incident took place the sliding door into the stirred a little and then a little more and was finally drawn back for the space of about twenty inches the lamp in the was and in the lighted thus disclosed mr could see the head of mr in an attitude of deep attention he was conscious that the gaze of the rested intently on his own face and the instinct of self preservation moved him to hold his breath to refrain from the least movement and keeping his eyes lowered to watch his visitor from underneath the lashes after about a moment the head was withdrawn and the door of the replaced the had not come to attack but to observe his action was not that of a man threatening another but that of a man who was himself threatened if mr was afraid of him it appeared that he in his turn was not quite easy on the score of mr he had come it would seem to make sure that his only fellow was asleep and when satisfied on that point he had at once withdrawn the clergyman leaped to his feet the extreme of terror had given place to a reaction of daring he reflected that the rattle of the flying train concealed all other sounds and determined come what might to return the visit he had just received him self of his cloak which might have interfered with the freedom of his action he entered the and paused to listen as he had expected there was the s diamond to be heard above the roar of the train s progress and laying his hand on the door at the farther side he proceeded cautiously to draw it back for about six inches then he stopped and could not contain an of surprise john wore a fur cap with to protect his ears and this may have combined with the sound of the express to keep him in ignorance of what was going forward it is certain at least that he did not raise his head but continued without interruption to pursue his strange employment between his feet stood an open hat box in one hand he held the sleeve of his in the other a formidable knife with which he had just up the of the sleeve mr had read of persons carrying money in a belt and as he had no acquaintance with any but he had never been able rightly to conceive how this was managed but here was a stranger thing before his eyes for john it appeared carried diamonds in the of his sleeve and even as the young clergyman gazed he could see one glittering brilliant drop after another into the hat box he stood to the spot following this unusual business with his eyes the diamonds were for the most part small and not easily either in shape or fire suddenly the appeared to find a difficulty he employed both hands and stooped over his task but it was not until after considerable that he a large of diamonds from the and held it up for some seconds examination before he placed it with the others in the hat box the was a ray of light to mr he immediately recognized it for a part of the treasure stolen from harry by the there was no room for mistake it was exactly as the had described it there were the stars with a great in the centre there were the and there were the shaped i ne w nights each a single stone which gave a special value to lady s mr was relieved the was as deeply in the affair as he was neither could tell tales upon the other in the first glow of happiness the clergyman suffered a deep sigh to escape him and as his bosom had become choked and his throat dry during his previous suspense the sigh was followed by a cough mr looked up his face contracted with the and most deadly passion his eyes opened widely and his under jaw dropped in an astonishment that was upon the brink of fury by an instinctive movement he had covered the hat box with the coat for half a minute the two men stared upon each other in silence it was not a long interval but it for mr he was one of those who think swiftly on dangerous occasions he decided on a course of action of a singularly daring nature and although he felt he was setting his life upon the hazard he was the first to break silence i beg your pardon said he the shivered slightly and when he spoke his voice was hoarse what do you want here he asked i take a particular interest in diamonds replied mr with an air of perfect self possession two should be acquainted i have here a trifle of my own which may perhaps serve for an introduction and so saying he quietly took the case from his pocket showed the s diamond to the for an instant and replaced it in security it was once your brother s he added john continued to regard him with a look of almost painful amazement but he neither spoke nor moved i was pleased to observe resumed the young man that we have gems from the same collection it tt | 38 |
the s diamond the s surprise overpowered him i beg your pardon he said i begin to perceive that i am growing old i am positively not prepared for little incidents like this but set my mind at rest upon one point do my eyes deceive me or are you indeed a parson i am in holy orders answered mr well cried the other as long as i live i will never hear another word against the cloth you flatter me said mr pardon me replied pardon me man you are no coward but it still remains o be seen whether you are not the worst of fools he continued leaning back upon his seat perhaps you would oblige me with a few particulars h must suppose you had some object in the impudence of your proceedings and i confess i have i curiosity to know it it is very simple replied the clergyman it pro from my great of life i shall be glad to be persuaded answered van whereupon mr told him the whole story of liis connection with the s diamond from the time he found it in s garden to the time when he left london in the flying he added a brief sketch of his feelings and thoughts during the journey and concluded in these words when i recognized the i knew we were in the same attitude towards society and this inspired me with a hope which i trust you will say was not that you might become in some sense my partner in the difficulties and of course the profits of my situation to one of your special knowledge and obviously great experience the of the diamond would give but little trouble while to me it was a matter of impossibility on the other part i judged that i might lose nearly as much by cutting the diamond and that not with an hand ne w nights as might enable me to pay you with proper generosity for your assistance the subject was a delicate one to and perhaps i fell short in delicacy but i must ask you to remember that for me the situation was a new one and i was entirely with the etiquette in use i believe without vanity that i could have married or you in a very acceptable manner but every man has his own and this sort of bargain was not among the list of my t s i do not wish to flatter you replied but upon my word you have an unusual disposition for a life of crime you have more accomplishments than you imagine and though i have encountered a number of in different quarters of the world i never met with one so as yourself cheer up mr you are in the right profession at last as for helping you you may command me as you will i have only a day s business in on a little matter for my brother and once that is concluded i return to paris where i usually reside if you please you may accompany me thither and before the end of a month i believe i shall have brought your little business to a satisfactory conclusion at this contrary to all the of his our author breaks off the story of the young man in holy orders regret and condemn such but i must follow my original and refer the reader for the conclusion of mr s adventures to the next number of the the story of the house with the green blinds the story of the house with the green blinds francis a clerk in the bank of scotland at had attained the age of twenty five m a sphere of quiet creditable and domestic life his mother died while he was young but his father a of sense and had given him an excellent education at school and brought him up at home to and habits francis who was of a and affectionate disposition by these with zeal and devoted himself heart and to his employment a walk upon saturday an occasional dinner with members of his family ind a yearly tour of a fortnight in the or on the continent of europe were his principal and he grew rapidly in favor with his and enjoyed already a salary of nearly two pounds a year with the prospect of an advance to almost double that amount few men were more contented few more willing and than francis sometimes at when he had read the daily paper he would play upon the to amuse his father for whose qualities he entertained a great respect one day he received a note from a well known firm of writers to the the favor of an immediate interview with him the latter was marked private and confidential and had been addressed to him at the bank instead of at home two unusual circumstances which made him obey the summons with the more alacrity the senior member of the firm a man of much of manner made him gravely welcome requested him to take a seat and proceeded n a ft nights to explain the matter in hand in the picked expressions of a man of business a person who must remain nameless but of whom the lawyer had every reason to think well z man in short of some station in the country desired to make francis an annual allowance of five hundred pounds the capital was to be placed under the control of the lawyer s firm and two who must also remain there were conditions to this liberality but he was of opinion that his new would find nothing either excessive or in the terms and he repeated these two words with emphasis as though he desired to commit himself to nothing more francis asked their nature the conditions said the writer to the are as i have twice remarked | 38 |
neither nor excessive at the same time i cannot conceal from you that they are most unusual indeed the whole case is very much out of our way and i should certainly have refused it had it not been for the reputation of the gentleman who it to my care and let me add mr the interest i have been led to take in yourself by many complimentary and i have no doubt well deserved reports francis entreated him to be more specific you picture my uneasiness as to these conditions he said they are two replied the only two and the sum as you will remember is five hundred a year and i forgot to add and the lawyer raised his eyebrows at him with solemn the first he resumed is of remarkable simplicity you must be in paris by the afternoon of sunday the th there you v ill find at the box office of the com die a ticket for admission taken in our name and waiting you you are requested to sit out the whole performance in the seat provided and that is all the s diamond i should certainly have preferred a week day replied francis but after all once in a way and in paris my dear sir added the lawyer soothingly i believe i am something of a myself but upon such a consideration and in paris i should not hesitate an instant and the pair laughed pleasantly together the other is of more importance continued the writer to the it regards your marriage my taking a deep interest in your welfare desires to advise you absolutely in the choice of a absolutely you understand he repeated let us be more explicit if you please returned francis am i to marry anyone maid or widow k or white whom this invisible person chooses to propose i was to assure you that of age and position should be a principle with your benefactor replied the lawyer as to race i confess the difficulty had not occurred to me and i failed to inquire but if you like i will make a note of it at once and advise you on the earliest opportunity sir said francis it remains to be seen whether this whole affair is not a most unworthy fraud the circumstances are inexplicable i had almost said incredible and until i see a little more daylight and some plausible motive i confess i should be very sorry to put a hand to the transaction i appeal to you in this difficulty for information i must learn what is at the bottom of it all if you do not know cannot guess or are not at liberty to tell me i shall take my hat and go back to my bank as i came i do not know answered the lawyer but i have an excellent guess your father and no one else is at the root of this apparently unnatural business my father cried francis in extreme disdain worthy man i know every thought of his mind every penny of his fortune you my words said the lawyer i new nights do not refer to mr senior for he is not your father when he and his wife came to you were already nearly one year old and you had not yet been three months in their care the secret has been well kept but such is the fact your father is unknown and i say again that i believe him to be the original of the offers am charged at present to to you it would be impossible to the astonishment of francis at this unexpected information he pleaded this confusion to the lawyer sir said he after a piece of news so startling you must grant me some hours for thought you shall know this evening what conclusion i have reached the lawyer commended his prudence and francis himself upon some pretext at the bank took a long walk into the country and fully considered the different steps and aspects of the case a pleasant sense of his own importance rendered him the more deliberate but the issue was from the first not doubtful his whole man leaned irresistibly towards the five hundred a year and the strange conditions with which it was he discovered in his heart an invincible to the name of which he had never hitherto disliked he began to despise the narrow and interest of his former life and when once his mind was fairly made up he walked with anew feeling of strength and freedom and nourished himself with the he said but a word to the lawyer and immediately received a check for two quarters for the allowance was dated from the first of january with this in his pocket he walked home the in scotland street looked mean in his eyes his nostrils for the first time against the of and he observed little defects of manner in his father which filled him with surprise and almost with disgust the next day he determined should see him on his way to paris the s diamond i in that city where he arrived long before the appointed date he put up at a modest hotel frequented by english and and devoted himself to improvement in the french tongue for this purpose he had a master twice a week entered into conversation with in the es and nightly frequented the theatre he had his whole renewed and was shaved and had his hair dressed every morning by a in a neighboring street this gave him something of a foreign air and seemed to wipe off the reproach of his past years at length on the saturday afternoon he himself to the box office of the theatre in the no sooner had he mentioned his name than the clerk produced the order in an envelope of which the address was scarcely dry it has | 38 |
been taken this moment said the clerk indeed said francis may i ask what the gentleman was like your friend is easy to describe replied the official he is old and strong and beautiful with white hair and a cut across his face you cannot fail to recognize so marked a person no indeed returned francis and i thank you for your politeness he cannot yet be far distant added the clerk if you make haste you might still overtake him francis did not wait to be twice told he ran from the theatre into the middle of the street and looked in all directions more than one man was within sight but though he overtook each of them in succession all wanted the cut for nearly half an hour he tried one street after another in the neighborhood until at length the folly of continued search he started on a walk to compose his agitated feelings for this of an encounter with him to whom he could not doubt he owed the day had profoundly moved the young man new nights it chanced that his way lay up the and thence up the des and chance in this case served him better than all the in the world for on the outer he saw two men in earnest upon a seat one was dark young and handsome dressed but with an stamp the other answered in every particular to the description given him by the clerk francis felt his heart beat high in his bosom he knew he was now about to hear the voice of his father and making a wide circuit he noiselessly took his place behind the couple in question who were too much interested in their talk to observe much else as francis had expected the conversation was conducted in the english language your suspicions begin to annoy me said the older man i tell you i am doing my utmost a man cannot lay his hand on millions in a moment have i not taken you up a mere stranger out of pure good will are you not living largely on my on your advances mr corrected the other advances if you choose and interest instead of good will if you prefer it returned angrily i am not here to pick expressions business is business and your business let me remind you is too muddy for such airs trust me or leave me alone and find else but let us have an end for god s sake of your i am beginning to learn the world replied the other and i see that you have every reason to play me false and not one to deal honestly i am not here to pick expressions either you wish the diamond for yourself you know you do you dare not deny it have you not already my name and searched my lodging in my absence i understand the causes of your you are lying in wait you are the diamond hunter and sooner or later by fair the s diamond means or foul you ll lay your hands upon it i tell you it must stop push me much further and i promise you a surprise it does not become you to use threats returned two can play at that my brother is here in paris the police are on the alert and if you persist in me with your i will arrange a little astonishment for you mr but mine shall be once and for all do you understand or would you prefer me to tell it you in hebrew there is an end to all things and you have come to the end of my patience tuesday at seven not a day not an hour sooner not the least part of a second if it were to save your life and if you do not choose to wait you may go to the pit for me and welcome and so saying the arose from the bench and marched off in the direction of shaking his head and swinging his cane with a most furious air while his companion remained where he was in an attitude of great francis was at the pitch of surprise and horror his sentiments had been shocked to the last degree the hopeful tenderness with which he had taken his place upon the bench was transformed into and despair old mr he reflected was a far more kindly and creditable parent th in this dangerous and violent but he retained his presence of mind and suffered not a moment to before he was on the trail of the that gentleman s fury carried him forward at a brisk pace and he was so completely occupied in his angry thoughts that he never so much as cast a look behind him till he reached his own door his house stood high up in the commanding a view of all paris and enjoying the pure air of the heights it was two stories high with green blinds and shutters and all the windows looking on the street were closed tops of trees showed over the i new nights high garden wall and the wall was protected by the paused a moment while he searched his pocket for a key and then opening a gate within the francis looked about him the neighborhood was very lonely the house isolated in its garden it seemed as if his observation must here come to an abrupt end a second glance however showed him a tall house next door presenting a to the garden and in this a single window he passed to the front and saw a ticket offering lodgings by the month and on inquiry the room which commanded the s garden proved to be one of those to let francis did not hesitate a moment he took the room paid an advance upon the rent and returned to his hotel to seek | 38 |
certainly replied the porter is the daughter of the house and strange it is to see how she is made to work for all his riches it is she who goes to market and every day in the week you may see her going by with a basket on her arm and the asked the other sir said the man they are immensely valuable more i cannot tell you since m de s arrival no one in the quarter has so much as passed the door suppose not returned francis you must surely have some notion what these famous galleries contain is it pictures statues jewels or what my faith sir said the fellow with a shrug it might be and still i could not tell you how should i know the house is kept like a garrison as you perceive and then as francis was returning disappointed to his room the porter called him back i have just remembered sir said he m de has been in all parts of the world and i once heard the old woman declare that he had brought many diamonds back with him if that be the truth there must be a fine show behind those shutters by an early hour on sunday francis was in his place at the theatre the seat which had been taken ne w nights him was only two or three numbers from the left hand side and directly opposite one of the lower boxes as the seat had been specially chosen there was doubtless something to be learned from its position and he judged by an instinct that the box upon his right was in some way or other to be connected with the drama in which he played a part indeed it was so situated that its occupants could safely observe him from beginning to end of the piece if they were so minded while by the depth they could screen themselves sufficiently well from any on his side he promised himself not to leave it for a moment out of sight and whilst he the rest of the theatre or made a show of attending to the business of the stage he always kept a comer of an e ie upon the empty box the second act had been some time in progress and was even drawing towards a close when the door opened and two persons entered and themselves in the darkest of the shade francis could hardly control his emotion it was mr and his daughter the blood came and went in his and veins with activity his ears sang his head turned he dared not look lest he should awake suspicion his play bill which he kept reading from end to end and over and over again turned from white to red before his eyes and when he cast a glance upon the stage it seemed far away and he found the voices and gestures of the actors to the last degree impertinent and absurd from time to time he risked a momentary look in the direction which principally arrested him and once at least he felt certain that his eyes encountered those of the young girl a shock passed over his body and he saw all the colors of the rainbow what would he not have given to what passed between the what would he not have given for the courage to take up his opera and steadily inspect their attitude and expression there for aught he the diamond s knew his whole life was being decided and he not able to interfere not able even to follow the debate but condemned to sit and suffer where he was in impotent anxiety at last the act came to an end the curtain fell and the people around him began to leave their places for the interval it was only natural that he should follow their example and if he did so it was not only natural but necessary that he should pass immediately in front of the box in question all his courage but keeping his eyes lowered francis drew near the spot his progress was slow for the old gentleman before him moved with incredible deliberation as he went what was he to do should he address the by name as he went by should he take the flower from his button hole and throw it into the box should he raise his face and one long and affectionate look upon the lady who was either his sister or his as he found thus struggling among so many he liad a vision of his old existence in the bank and was assailed by a thought of regret for the past by this time he had arrived directly opposite the box and although he was still what to do or whether to do anything he turned his head and lifted his eyes no sooner had he done so than he uttered a cry of disappointment and remained rooted to the spot the box was empty during his slow advance mr and his daughter had quietly slipped away a polite person in his rear reminded him that he was stopping the path and he moved on again with mechanical footsteps and suffered the crowd to carry him out of the theatre once in the street the pressure ceasing he came to a halt and the cool night air speedily restored him to the possession of his faculties he was surprised to find that his head ached violently and that he remembered not one word of the two acts which he had witnessed as the excite ne w nights ment wore away it was succeeded by an appetite for sleep and he hailed a cab and drove to his lodging in a state of extreme exhaustion and some disgust of life next morning he lay in wait for miss on her road to market and by eight o clock beheld her stepping | 38 |
down a lane she was simply and even poorly attired but in the carriage of her head and body there was something and noble that would have lent distinction to the meanest even her basket so did she carry it became her like an ornament it seemed to francis as he slipped into a doorway that the sunshine followed and the shadows fled before her as she walked and he was conscious for the first time of a bird singing in a cage above the lane he suffered her to pass the doorway and then coming forth once more addressed her by name from behind miss said he she turned and when she saw who he was pale pardon me he continued heaven knows i had no will to you and indeed there should be nothing startling in the presence of one who so well as i do and believe me i am acting rather from necessity than choice we have man things in common and i am sadly in the dark there is much that i should be doing and my hands are tied i do not know even what to feel nor who are my friends and enemies she found her voice with an effort i do not know who you are she said ah yes miss you do returned francis better than do myself indeed it is on that above all that i seek light tell me what yoa know he pleaded tell me who i am who you are and how our are give me a little help with my life miss only a word or two the s diamond to guide me only the name of my father if you and i shall be grateful and content i will not attempt to deceive you she replied i know who you are but i am not at liberty to say tell me at least that you have forgiven my presumption shall wait with all the patience i have he said if i am not to know i must do without it is cruel but i can bear more upon a push only do not add to my troubles the thought that i have made an enemy of you you did only what was natural she said and i have nothing to forgive you farewell is it to he farewell he asked nay that i do not know myself she answered farewell for the present if you like and with these words she was gone francis returned to his lodging in a state of considerable commotion of mind he made the most trifling progress with his for that and was more often at the window than at his writing table but beyond seeing the return of miss and the meeting between her and her father who was smoking a cigar in the there was nothing notable in the neighborhood of the house with the green blinds before the time of the midday meal the young man hastily his appetite in a neighboring and returned with the speed of curiosity to the house in the a mounted servant was leading a to and fro before the garden wall and the porter of francis s lodging was smoking a pipe against the door post absorbed in contemplation of the livery and the look he cried to the young man what fine cattle what an elegant costume they belong to the brother of m de who is now within upon a visit he is a great man a general in your country and you doubtless know him well by reputation i confess returned francis that i have never new nights heard of general before we have many officers of that grade and my pursuits have been exclusively civil it is he replied the porter who lost the great diamond of the indies of that at least you must have read often in the papers as soon as francis could himself from the porter he ran up stairs and hurried to the window immediately below the clear space in the chestnut leaves the two gentlemen were seated in conversation over a cigar the general a red military looking man offered some traces of a family resemblance to his brother he had something of the same features something although very little of the same free and powerful carriage but he was older smaller and more common in air his likeness was that of a and he seemed altogether a poor and being by the side of the they spoke in tones so low leaning over the table with every appearance of interest that francis could catch no more than a word or two on an occasion for as little as he heard he was convinced that the conversation turned upon himself and his own career several times the name of reached his ear for it was easy to distinguish and still more frequently he fancied he could distinguish the name francis at length the general as if in a hot anger broke forth into several violent exclamations francis he cried the last word francis i tell you the made a movement of his whole body half affirmative half contemptuous but his answer was to the young man was he the francis in question he wondered were they discussing the name under which he was to be married or was the whole affair a dream and a delusion of his own conceit and the s diamond after another interval of talk seemed again to arise between the couple underneath the chestnut and again the general raised his voice angrily so as to be audible to francis my wife he cried i have done with my wife for good i will not hear her name i am sick of her very name and he swore aloud and beat the table with his fist the appeared by his gestures to him after a paternal fashion and a little after he conducted him to the | 38 |
to obey thank you said francis as soon as he was alone with her in the garden i thank you from my soul this has been the bitterest evening of my life but it will have always one pleasant recollection i spoke as i felt she replied and in justice to you it made my heart sorry that you should be so used by this time they had reached the garden gate and miss having set the candle on the ground was already the one word more said francis this is not for the last time i shall see you again shall i not alas she answered you have heard my father what can i do but obey tell me at least that it is not with your consent returned francis tell me that you have no wish to see the last of me indeed replied she i have none you seem to me both brave and honest then said francis give me a iso new nights she paused for a moment with her hand upon th key for the various bars and were all and there was nothing left but to open the lock if i agree she said will you promise to do as tell you from point to point can you ask replied francis i would do s willingly on your bare word she turned the key and threw open the door be it so said she you do not know what ask but be it so whatever you hear she continued whatever happens do not return to this house hurry fast until you reach the lighted and of the city even there be upon your guard you an in a greater danger than you fancy promise me will not so much as look at any until you an in a place of safety i promise replied francis she put something loosely wrapped in a into the man s hand and at the same time more strength than he could have anticipated sh pushed him into the street now run she cried he heard the door close behind him and the noise of the being replaced my faith said he since i have promised and he took to his heels down the lane that leads into the he was not fifty paces from the house with the green blinds when the most suddenly arose out of the stillness of the night mechanically he stood still another passenger followed his example in the neighboring floors he saw people crowding to the windows a could not have produced more disturbance in this empty quarter and yet it seemed to be all the work of a single man roaring between grief and rage like a robbed of her and francis was surprised and alarmed to hear his own name shouted with english to the wind the diamond his first movement was to return to the house his second as he remembered miss s advice to continue his flight with greater expedition than before and he was in the act of turning to put his thought in action when the aloud his white hair blowing about his head shot past him like a ball out of the cannon s mouth and went down the street that was a close thought francis to himself what he wants with me and why he should be so disturbed i cannot think but he is plainly not good company for the moment and i cannot do better than follow miss s advice so saying he turned to his steps thinking to double and descend by the itself while his should continue to follow after him on the other line of street the plan was ill advised as a matter of fact he should have taken his seat in the nearest and waited there until the first heat of the pursuit was over but besides that francis had no experience and little natural for the small war of private life he was so unconscious of any evil on his part that he saw nothing to fear beyond a disagreeable interview and to disagreeable he felt he had already served his that evening nor could he suppose that miss had left anything indeed the young man was sore both in body and mind the one was all bruised the other was full of arrows and he owned to himself that mr was master of a very deadly tongue the thought of his reminded him that he had not only come without a hat but that his clothes had considerably suffered in his descent through the chestnut at the first magazine he purchased a cheap and had the disorder of his toilet repaired the still rolled in the handkerchief he thrust in the meanwhile into his trousers pocket not many steps beyond the shop he was conscious of a sudden shock a hand upon his throat an is j nights face close to his own and an open mouth curses in his ear the having found no trace of his was returning by the other way francis was a young fellow but he was no match for his adversary whether in strength or skill and after a few ineffectual struggles he resigned himself entirely to his what do you want with me we will talk of that at home returned the grimly and he continued to march the young man up hill in the direction of the house with the green blinds but francis although he no longer struggled was only waiting an opportunity to make a bold push for freedom with a sudden jerk he left the collar of his coat in the hands of mr and once more x ot made off at his best speed in the direction of the x ac the tables were now turned if the s the stronger francis in the top of his youth was more fleet of foot and he had soon effected his among the | 38 |
crowds relieved for a moment but a growing sentiment of alarm and wonder in his mind he walked briskly until he upon the de ra lit up like day with electric lamps this at least thought he should satisfy miss and turning to his right along the h rf entered the am and ordered some beer it was both late and early for the majority of the of the establishment only two or persons all men were dotted here and there at t rate tables in the hall and francis was too i h occupied by his own thoughts to observe their ence he drew the handkerchief from his pocket j object wrapped in it proved to be a case clasped and ornamented in gilt which opened by means of a spring and disclosed to the young mai the s diamond a diamond of monstrous and extraordinary brilliancy the circumstance was so inexplicable the value of the stone was plainly so enormous that francis sat staring into the open without movement without conscious thought like a man stricken suddenly with a hand was laid upon his shoulder lightly but firmly and a quiet voice which yet had in it the ring of command uttered these words in his ear close the and compose your face looking up he beheld a man still young of an and tranquil presence and dressed with rich simplicity this personage had risen from a neighboring table and bringing his glass with him had taken a seat beside francis close the replied the stranger and put it quietly back into your pocket where i feel persuaded it should never have been try if you please to throw off your bewildered air and act as though i were one of your acquaintances whom you had met by chance so touch glasses with me that is better i fear sir you must be an amateur and the stranger pronounced these last words with a smile of peculiar meaning leaned back in his seat and enjoyed a deep of tobacco for god s sake said francis tell me who you are and what this means why i should obey your most unusual suggestions i am sure i know not but the truth is i have fallen this evening into so many adventures and all i meet conduct themselves so strangely that i think i must either have gone mad or wandered into another planet your face me with confidence you seem wise good and experienced tell me for heaven s sake why you me in so odd a fashion all in due time replied the stranger but i have the first hand and you must begin by telling me how the s diamond is in your possession the s diamond o new nights i would not speak so loud if i were you returned the other but most certainly you have the s diamond in your pocket i have seen and handled it a score of times in sir thomas s collection sir thomas the general my father your father repeated the stranger i was not aware the general had any family i am sir replied francis with a flush the other bowed with gravity it was a respectful bow as of a man silently to his equal and francis felt relieved and comforted he scarce knew why the society of this person did him good he seemed to touch firm ground a strong feeling of respect grew up in his bosom and mechanically he removed his wide awake as though in the presence of a superior i perceive said the stranger that your adventures have not all been peaceful your collar is torn your face is scratched you have a cut upon your temple you will perhaps pardon my curiosity when i ask you to explain how you came by these injuries and how you happen to have stolen property to an enormous value in your pocket i must differ from you returned francis hotly i possess no stolen property and if you refer to the diamond it was given to me not an hour ago by miss in the by miss of the repeated the other you interest me more than you suppose pray continue heavens cried francis his memory had made a sudden bound he had seen mr take an article from the breast of his visitor and that article he was now persuaded was a case you have a light inquired the stranger listen said francis i know not who you are but i believe you to be worthy of confidence and the s diamond l l i find myself in strange waters i must have counsel and support and since you invite me i shall tell you all and he briefly his experiences since the day when he was summoned from the bank by his lawyer yours is indeed a remarkable history said the stranger after the young man had made an end of his narrative and your position is full of difficulty and peril many would counsel you to seek out your father and give the diamond to him but i have other views waiter he cried the waiter drew near will you ask the manager to speak with me a moment said he and francis observed once more both in his tone and manner the evidence of a habit of command the waiter withdrew and returned in a moment with the manager who bowed with respect what said he can i do to serve you have the goodness replied the stranger indicating francis to tell this gentleman my name you have the honor sir said the addressing young to occupy the same table with his prince of francis rose with and made a grateful reverence to the prince who bade him resume his seat i thank you said once more addressing the i am sorry to have you for so small a matter and he dismissed him | 38 |
with a movement of his hand and now added the prince turning to francis give me the diamond without a word the was handed over you have done right said your sentiments have properly inspired you and you will live to be grateful for the misfortunes of to night a new nights man mr may fall into a thousand but if his heart be upright and his he will issue from them all without dis honor let your mind be at rest your affairs are in my hands and with the aid of heaven i am enough to bring them to a good end follow me if you please to my carriage so saying the prince arose and having left a piece of gold for the waiter conducted the young man from the and along the to where an and a couple of servants out of livery awaited his arrival this carriage said he is at your disposal collect your baggage as rapidly as you can make it convenient and my servants will conduct you to a villa in the neighborhood of paris where you can wait in some degree of comfort until i have had time to arrange your situation you will find there a pleasant garden a library of good authors a cook a cellar and some good cigars which i recommend to your attention he added turning to one of the servants you have heard what i say i leave mr in your charge you will i know be careful of my friend francis uttered some broken phrases of gratitude it will be time enough to thank me said the prince when you are acknowledged by your father and married to miss and with that the prince turned away and strolled leisurely in the direction of he hailed the first passing cab gave an address and a quarter of an hour afterwards having discharged the driver some distance lower he was knocking at mr s garden gate it was opened with singular precautions by the in person who are you he demanded you must pardon me this late visit mr replied the prince the s diamond your is always welcome returned mr stepping back the prince by the open space and without waiting for his host walked right into the house and opened the door of the two people were seated there one was miss who bore the marks of weeping about her eyes and was still shaken from time to time by a sob in the other the prince recognized the young man who had consulted him on literary matters about a month before in a club smoking room good evening miss said you look fatigued mr i believe i hope you have by the study of mr but the young clergyman s temper was too much for speech and he contented himself with bowing stiffly and continued to his lip to what good wind said mr following his guest am i to attribute the honor of your s presence i am come on business returned the prince on business with you as soon as that is settled i shall request mr to accompany me for a walk mr he added with severity let me remind you that i have not yet sat down the clergyman sprang to his feet with an apology whereupon the prince took an arm chair beside the table handed his hat to mr his cane to mr and leaving them standing and thus employed upon his service spoke as follows i have come here as i said upon business but had i come looking for pleasure i could not have been more displeased with my reception nor more dissatisfied with my company you sir addressing mr you have treated your superior in station with you receive me with a smile but you know right well that your hands are not yet from i do not desire to be interrupted sir he added i am here new nights to speak and not to listen and i have to ask you to hear me with respect and to obey at the earliest possible date your daughter shall be mar at the to my friend francis your brother s acknowledged son you will oblige me by offering not less than ten thousand pounds for yourself i will indicate to you in writing a mission of some importance in which i to your care and now sir you will answer me in two words whether or not you agree to these conditions your will pardon me said mr and permit me with all respect to submit to him two the permission is granted replied the prince your resumed the has called mr his friend believe me had i known that he was thus honored i should have treated him with respect you said the prince but it will not serve your turn you have my commands if i had never seen that gentleman before to night it would not render them less absolute your my meaning with his usual returned once more i have unfortunately put the police upon the track of mr on a charge of am i to withdraw or to the accusation you will please yourself replied the question is one between your conscience and the laws of this land give me my hat and you mr give me my cane and follow me miss i wish you good evening i judge he added to that your silence means assent if i can do no better replied the old man i shall submit but i warn you openly it shall not be without a struggle you are old said the prince but years are dis graceful to the wicked your age is more than the youth of others do not provoke me or you may k the ra j ah s diamond ind me harder than you dream this is the first time i have fallen across your path in | 38 |
anger take care that it be the last with these words the clergyman to follow left the apartment and directed his steps towards the garden gate and the following with a candle gave them light and once more the elaborate with which he sought to protect himself from intrusion your daughter is no longer present said the prince turning on the threshold let me tell you that i understand your threats and you have only to lift your hand to bring upon yourself sudden and ruin the made no reply but as the prince turned his back upon him in the he made gesture full of menace and insane fury and the next moment slipping round a corner he was running at full speed for the nearest cab stand here says my the thread of is finally diverted from the house with the green blinds one more adventure he adds and we have done with the s diamond that last link in the chain is tm among the inhabitants of by the name of the adventure of prince and a adventure of prince and the prince walked with mr to the door of a small hotel where the latter resided they spoke much together and the clergyman was more than once affected to tears by the mingled severity and tenderness of s reproaches i have made ruin of my life he said at last help me tell me what i am to do i have alas neither the virtues of a priest nor the dexterity of i rogue now that you are said the prince i command no longer the have to do with god and not with princes but if you will let me advise you go to as a seek labor in the open air and try to forget that you have ever been a clergyman or that you ever set eyes on that accursed stone indeed replied mr where is it now what further hurt is it not working for mankind it will do no more evil returned the prince it is here in my pocket and this he added kindly will show that i place some faith in your young as it is suffer me to touch your hand pleaded mr no replied prince not yet the tone in which he uttered these last words was eloquent in the ears of the young clergyman and for some minutes after the prince had turned away he stood on the threshold following with liis eyes the retreating figure and the blessing of heaven upon a man so excellent in counsel for several hours the prince walked alone in the s diamond streets his mind was full of concern what to do with the diamond whether to return it to its owner whom he judged unworthy of this rare possession or to take some sweeping and courageous measure and put it out of the reach of all mankind at once and for ever was a problem too grave to be decided in a moment the manner in which it had come into his hands appeared and as he took out the jewel and looked at it under the street lamps its size and surprising brilliancy inclined him more and more to think of it as an and dangerous evil for the world god help me he thought if i look at it much oftener i shall begin to grow myself at last though still uncertain in his mind he turned his steps towards the small but elegant mansion on the which had belonged for centuries to his royal family the arms of are deeply over he door and upon the tall chimneys passengers have a look into a green court set with the most costly flowers and a the only one in paris on the all day long and keeps a crowd before the house grave servants are seen passing to and fro within and from time to time the great gate is thrown open and a carriage rolls below the arch for many reasons this residence was especially dear to the heart of prince he never drew near to it without enjoying that sentiment of home coming so rare in the lives of the great and on the present evening he beheld its tall roof and mildly illuminated windows with relief and satisfaction as he was approaching the door by which he always entered when alone a man stepped forth from the shadow and presented himself with an in the prince s path i have the honor of addressing prince of said he such is my title replied the prince what do you want with me new nights i am said the man a and i have to present your with this from the of police the prince took the letter and glanced it through by the light of the street lamp it was highly but requested him to follow the bearer to the without delay in short said i am arrested your replied the officer nothing i am certain could be further from the intention of the you will observe that he has not granted a warrant it is mere formality or call it if you prefer an obligation that your lays on the authorities at the same time asked the prince if i were to refuse to follow you i will not conceal from your that a considerable discretion has been granted me replied the with a bow upon my word cried your me yourself as an agent i must pardon but your shall dearly smart for their what have you any idea is the cause of this and act you will observe that i have as yet neither refused nor consented and much may depend on your prompt and answer let me remind you officer that this is an affair of some gravity your said the humbly general and his brother have had the incredible presumption to accuse you of the famous diamond they declare | 38 |
is in your hands a word from you in denial will most amply satisfy the nay i go farther if your would so far honor a as to declare his ignorance of the matter even to myself i should ask permission to retire upon the spot up to the last moment had regarded his adventure in the light of a trifle only serious upon the s diamond considerations at the name of the horrible truth broke upon him in a moment lie was not only arrested but he was guilty this was not only an incident it was a peril to his what was he to say what was he to do the s diamond was indeed an accursed stone it seemed as if he were to be the last victim to its influence one thing was certain he could not give the required assurance to the he must gain time his hesitation had not lasted a second be it so said he let us walk together to the the man once more bowed and proceeded to follow at a respectful distance in the rear approach said the prince i am in a humor to talk and if i mistake not now i look at you again this is not the first time that we have met i count it an honor replied the officer that your should recollect my face it is eight years since i had the pleasure of an interview to remember faces returned is as much a part of my as it is of yours indeed rightly looked upon a prince and a serve in the same corps we are both against crime only mine is the more and yours the more dangerous rank and there is a sense in which both may be made equally honorable to a good man i had rather strange as you may think it be a of character and parts than a weak and sovereign the officer was overwhelmed your returns good for evil said he to an act of presumption he replies by the most amiable condescension how do you know replied that i am not seeking to corrupt you heaven preserve me from the temptation cried the new nights i your answer returned the prince it is that of a wise and honest man the world is a great place and with wealth and beauty and there is no limit to the rewards that may be offered such an one who would refuse a million of money may sell his honor for an empire or the love of a woman and i myself who speak to you have seen occasions so tempting so irresistible to the strength of human virtue that i have been glad to tread in your steps and recommend myself to th grace of god it is thus thanks to that modest and becoming habit alone he added that you and i can walk this town together with hearts i had always heard that you were brave replied the officer but i was not aware that you were wise and pious speak the truth and you speak it with accent that moves me to the heart this world is indeed a place of trial we are now said in the middle of the bridge lean your elbows on the and look over as the water rushing below so the passions and of life carry away the honesty of weak men let me tell you a story i receive your s commands replied the man and the prince he leaned against the and disposed himself to listen the city was already sunk in had it not been for the of lights and the outline of buildings on the sky they might have been alone beside some country river an officer began prince a man of courage and conduct who had already risen by merit to an eminent rank and won not only admiration but respect visited in an unfortunate hour for his peace of mind the of an indian prince here he beheld a diamond so extraordinary for size and beauty that that instant he had only one desire in life honor reputation friendship the love of the s diamond try he was ready to sacrifice all for this lump of sparkling crystal for three years he served this as jacob served he he at he condemned and executed a brother officer who had the misfortune to the by some honest lastly at a time of great danger to his land he betrayed a body of his fellow soldiers and suffered them to be defeated and by thousands in the end he had a magnificent fortune and brought home with him the diamond years passed continued the prince and at length the diamond is accidentally lost it falls into the hands of a simple and laborious youth a a minister of god just entering on a career of usefulness and even distinction upon him also the spell is cast he deserts everything his holy calling his studies and with the into a foreign country the officer has a brother an daring man who the clergyman s secret what does he do tell his brother inform the police no upon this man also the charm has fallen he must have the stone for himself at the risk of murder he the young priest and the prey and now by an accident which is not important to my moral the jewel passes out of his into that of another who terrified at what he sees gives it into the keeping of a man in high station and above reproach the officer s name is thomas continued the stone is called the s diamond and suddenly opening his hand you behold it here before your eyes the officer started back with a cry we have spoken of corruption said the prince to me this of bright crystal is as as though it were crawling with the | 38 |
worms of death it is as shocking as though it were out of new nights cent blood i see it here in my hand and i know it is shining with hell fire i have told you but a part of its story what passed in former ages to what crimes and it men of the imagination to conceive for years and years it has faithfully served the powers of hell enough i say of blood enough of disgrace enough of broken lives and all things come to an end the evil like the good as well as beautiful music and as for this diamond god forgive me if i do wrong but its empire ends to night the prince made a sudden movement with his hand and the jewel describing an arc of light with a splash into the flowing river amen said with gravity i have slain a god pardon me cried the what have you done i am a ruined man i think returned the prince with a smile that many well to do people in this city might envy you your ruin alas your said the officer and you corrupt me after all it seems there was no help for it replied and now let us go forward to the not long after the marriage of francis and miss was celebrated in great privacy and the prince acted on that occasion as groom s man the two surprised some of what had happen to the diamond and their vast operations on the river are the wonder and amusement of the idle it is true that through some they have chosen the wrong branch of the river as for the prince that sublime person having now served his turn may go along with the author into space but if the reader on more specific information i am happy to say that a recent revolution hurled him from the the s diamond throne of in consequence of his continued absence and neglect of public business and that his now keeps a cigar store in street much frequented by other foreign i go there from time to time to smoke and have a chat and find him as great a creature as in the days of his prosperity he has an air behind the counter and although a life is beginning to tell upon his waistcoat he is probably take him for all in ally the in london the on the links inscribed to d a s in memory of da near k the on the links chapter i t how i in sea wood and be held a light in the i was a great solitary when i was young i made it my pride to keep aloof and suffice for my own entertainment and i may say that i had neither friends nor acquaintances until i met that friend who became my wife and the mother of my children with one man only was i on private terms this was r of in scotland we had met at college and though there was not much liking between us nor even much intimacy we were so nearly of a humor that we could associate with ease to both we believed ourselves to be but i have thought since that we were only sulky fellows it was scarcely a companionship but a in s exceptional violence of temper made it no easy affair for him to keep the peace with anyone but me and as he respected by silent ways and let me come and go as i pleased i could his presence without concern i think we called each other friends when took his degree and i decided to leave the university without one he invited me on a long visit to and it was thus that i first became acquainted with the scene of my adventures the mansion house of stood in a bleak stretch of country some three miles from the shore of the german ocean it was as large as a and as it had been built of a soft stone liable to new nights in the eager air of the it was damp and and half without it was impossible for two young men to lodge with comfort in such a dwelling but there stood in the northern part of the estate in a wilderness of links and blowing and between a plantation and the sea a small or of modern design which was exactly suited to our wants and in this speaking little reading much and rarely except at meals and i spent four winter months i might have stayed longer but one march night there sprang up between us a dispute which rendered my departure necessary spoke hotly i remember and i suppose i must have made some he leaped from his chair and me i had to fight without exaggeration for my life and it was only with a great effort that i mastered him for he was near as strong in body as myself and seemed filled with the devil the next morning we met on our usual terms but judged it more delicate to nor did he attempt to me it was nine years before i the neighborhood i at that time with a cart a tent and a cooking stove all day beside the wagon and at night whenever it was possible in a of the hills or by the side of a wood i believe i visited in this manner most of the wild and desolate regions both in england and scotland and as i had neither friends nor relations i was troubled with no correspondence and had nothing in the nature of head quarters unless it was the office of my from whom i drew my income twice a year it was a life in which i delighted and i fully thought to have grown old upon the march and at last died in a | 38 |
for lighting three rooms prepared with a luxury quite foreign to s habits and with water in the and the beds turned down a table set for three in the dining room and an ample supply of cold game and vegetables on the shelves there were guests expected that was plain but why guests when hated society and above all why was the new nights house thus stealthily prepared at dead of night and why were the shutters closed and the doors i all traces of my visit and came forth from the window feeling and concerned the was still in the same place and it flashed for a moment through my mind that this might be the red earl bringing the owner of the and his guests but the vessel s was set the other way chapter ii tells of the landing from the i returned to the den to cook myself a meal of which i stood in great need as well as to care for my horse whom i had somewhat neglected in the morning from time to time i went down to the edge of the wood but there was no change in the and not a human creature was seen all day upon the links the in the was the one touch of life within my range of vision she apparently with no set object stood off and on or lay to hour after hour but as the evening deepened she drew steadily nearer i became more convinced that she carried and his friends and that they would probably come ashore after dark not only because that was of a piece with the of the preparations but because the tide would not have flowed sufficiently before eleven to cover and the other sea that fortified the shore against all day the wind had been going down and the sea along with it but there was a return towards sunset of the heavy weather of the day before the night set in pitch dark the wind came off the sea in like the firing of a battery of cannon now and then there was a flaw of rain and the surf rolled heavier with the rising tide i was down at my among the elders when a light was run up to the of the and showed she was closer in than when i had last seen her by the dying daylight i concluded that this must be a signal to s associates on shore and stepping forth into the links looked around me for something in response a small ran along the margin of the wood and formed the most direct communication between new nights the and the mansion house and as i cast my eyes to that side i saw a spark of light not a quarter of a mile away and rapidly approaching from its course it appeared to be the light of a lantern carried by a person who followed the of the path and was often staggered and taken by the more violent concealed myself once more among the elders and waited eagerly for the new comer s advance it proved to be a woman and as she passed within half a rod of my i was able to recognize the features the deaf and silent old dame who had nursed in his childhood was his associate in this affair i followed her at a little distance taking advantage of the innumerable heights and hollows concealed by the darkness and favored not only by the nurse s but the uproar of the wind and surf she entered the and going at once to the upper story opened and set a light in one of the windows that looked towards the sea immediately afterwards the light at the s was run down and extinguished its purpose had been attained and those on board were sure that they were expected the old woman resumed her preparations although the other shutters remained closed i could see a glimmer going to and fro about the house and a of sparks from one chimney after another soon told me that the fires were being kindled and his guests i was now persuaded would come ashore as soon as there was water on the it was a wild night for boat service and i felt some alarm mingle with my curiosity as i reflected on the danger of the landing my old acquaintance it was true was the most eccentric of men but the present was both and to consider a variety of feelings thus led me towards the beach where i lay flat on my face in a hollow within six feet of the track that led to the thence i should have the satisfaction of the pa on the links the and if they should prove to be acquaintances greeting them as soon as they had landed some time before eleven while the tide was still low a boat s lantern appeared close in shore and my attention being thus awakened i could perceive another still far to violently tossed and sometimes hidden by the i he weather which was getting as the night went on and the perilous situation of the upon a lee shore had probably driven them to attempt a landing at the earliest possible moment a little afterwards four carrying a very heavy chest and guided by a fifth with a lantern passed close in front of me as i lay and were admitted to the by the nurse they returned to the beach and passed me a third time with another chest larger but apparently not so heavy as the first a third time they made the and on this occasion one of the carried a leather and the others a lady s trunk and carriage bag my curiosity was sharply excited if a woman were among the guests of it would show a change in his habits and an | 38 |
from his pet theories of life well calculated to fill me with surprise when he and i dwelt there together the had been a temple of and now one of the detested sex was to be under its roof i remembered one or two particulars a few notes of and almost of which had struck me the day before as i surveyed the preparations in the house their purpose was now clear and thought myself dull not to have perceived it from the first while i was thus reflecting a second lantern drew near me from the beach it was carried by a whom i had not yet seen and who was conducting two other persons to the these two persons were unquestionably the guests for whom the house was made ready and straining eye and ear i set myself to watch them as they passed one new nights was an unusually tall man in a hat over his eyes and a cape closely and turned up so as to conceal his face you could make out no more of him than that he was as i have said unusually tall and walked feebly with a heavy stoop by his side and either clinging to him or giving him support i could not make out which was a young tall and slender figure of a woman she was extremely pale but in the light of the lantern her face was so by strong and changing shadows that she might equally well have been as ugly as sin or as beautiful as i afterwards found her to be when they were just abreast of me the girl made some remark which was drowned by the noise of the wind hush said her companion and there was something in the tone with which the word was uttered that thrilled and rather shook my spirits it seemed to breathe from a bosom laboring under the terror i have never heard another syllable so expressive and i still hear it again when i am feverish at night and my mind runs upon old times the man turned towards the girl as he spoke i had a glimpse of much red beard and a nose which seemed to have been broken in youth and his light eyes seemed shining in his face with some strong and unpleasant emotion but these two passed on and were admitted in their turn to the one by one or in groups the returned to the beach the wind brought me the sound of a rough voice crying off then after a pause another lantern drew near it was alone my wife and i a man and a woman have often agreed to wonder how a person could be at the same time so handsome and so repulsive as he had the appearance of a his face bore every mark of intelligence and courage but the pa vi lion on the links you had only to look at him even in his most amiable to see that he had the temper of a slave captain i never knew a character that was both and to the same degree he combined the vivacity of the south with the sustained and deadly of the north and both traits were plainly on his face which was a sort of danger signal in person he was tall strong and active his hair and complexion very dark his features handsomely but spoiled by a menacing expression at that moment he was somewhat paler than by nature he wore a heavy frown and his lips worked and he looked sharply round as he walked like a man with apprehensions and yet i thought he had a look of triumph all as though he had already done much and was near the end of an achievement partly from a scruple of delicacy which i dare say came too late partly from the pleasure of startling an acquaintance i desired to make my presence known to him without delay i got suddenly to my feet and stepped forward said i i have never had so shocking a surprise in all my days he leaped on me without a word something shone in his hand and he struck for my heart with a dagger at the same moment i knocked him head over heels whether it was my quickness or his own uncertainty i know not but the blade only my shoulder while the and his fist struck me violently on the mouth i fled but not far i had often and often observed the of the sand hills for protracted or stealthy advances and and not ten yards from the scene of the down again upon the grass the lantern had fallen and gone out but what was my astonishment to see slip at a bound into the and hear him bar the door behind him with a of iron ne w nights he had not pursued me he had run away whom i knew for the most and daring of men had run away i could scarce believe my reason and yet in this strange bu ness where all was incredible there was nothing to make a work about in an more or less for why was the secretly prepared why had landed with his guests at dead of night in half a gale of wind and with the scarce covered why had he sought to kill me had he not recognized my voice i wondered and above all how had he come to have a dagger ready in his hand a dagger or even a sharp knife seemed out of keeping with the age in which we lived and a gentleman landing from his on the shore of his own estate even although it was at night and with some mysterious circumstances does not usually as a matter of fact walk thus prepared for deadly the more i reflected the further i | 38 |
saw him take forcible possession of her hand she struggled and uttered a cry that was almost a scream i sprang ne w nights to my feet of my strange position but ere i had taken a step i saw bare headed and bowing very low as if to and dropped again at once into my a few words were and then with another bow he left the beach to return to the he passed not far from me and i could see him flushed and lowering and cutting savagely with his cane among the grass it was not without satisfaction that i recognized my own in a great cut under his right eye and a round the for some time the girl remained where he had left her looking out past the and over the bright sea then with a start as one who throws off and puts energy again upon its she broke into a rapid and decisive walk she also was much by what had passed she had forgotten where she was and i beheld her walk straight into the borders of the where it is most abrupt and dangerous two or three steps farther and her life would have been in serious when i slid down the face of the sand hill which is there and running half way forward called to her to stop she did so and turned round there was not a tremor of fear in her behavior and she marched directly up to me like a queen i was and clad like a common sailor save for an egyptian round my waist and she probably took me at first for some one from the village after bait as for her when i thus saw her face to face her eyes set steadily and upon mine i was filled with admiration and astonishment and thought her even more beautiful than i had looked to find her nor could i think enough of one who acting with so much boldness yet preserved a air that was both quaint and engaging for my wife kept an precision of manner through all her admirable life an excellent thing in woman since it sets another value on her sweet the pa on the links i s what does this mean she asked you were walking i told her directly into you do not belong to these parts she said again you speak like an educated man i believe i have a right to that name said i although in this disguise but her woman s eye had already detected the oh she said your you you have said the word betray i resumed may i ask you not to betray me i was obliged to disclose myself in your interest but if learned my presence it might be worse than disagreeable for me do you know she asked to whom you are speaking not to mr s wife i asked by way of answer she shook her head all this while she was studying my face with an embarrassing then she broke out you have an honest face be honest like your face sir and tell me what you want and what you are afraid of do you think i could hurt you i believe you have far more power to injure me and yet you do not look unkind what do you mean you a gentleman by like a spy about this desolate place tell me she said who is it you hate i hate no one i answered and i fear no one face to face my name is frank i lead the life of a vagabond for my own good pleasure i am one of s oldest friends and three nights ago when i addressed him on these links he me in the shoulder with a knife it was you she said why he did so i continued the interruption is more than i can guess and more than i care to know i have not many friends nor am i very susceptible to friendship but no man shall drive me from a place by terror i had in new nights sea wood ere he came i camp in it still if you think i mean harm to you or yours madam the remedy is in your hand tell him that my camp is in the den and to night he can me in safety while i sleep with this i my cap to her and scrambled up once more among the sand hills i do not know why but i felt a prodigious sense of injustice and felt like a hero and a martyr while as a matter of fact i had not a word to say in my defence much as one plausible reason to offer for my conduct i had stayed at out of a curiosity natural enough but and though there was another motive growing in along with the first it was not one which at that period i could have properly explained to the lady of my heart certainly that night i thought of no one else and though her whole conduct and position seemed suspicious i could not find it in my he rt to entertain a doubt of her integrity i could have my life that she was clear of blame and though all was dark at the present that the explanation of the mystery would show her part in these events to be both right and needful it was true let me my imagination as i pleased that i could invent no theory of her relations to but i felt none the less sure of my conclusion because it was founded on instinct in place of reason and as i may say went to sleep that night with the thought of her under my pillow next day she came out about the same hour alone and as soon as the sand | 38 |
hills concealed her from the drew nearer to the edge and called me by name in guarded tones i was astonished to observe that she was deadly pale and seemingly under the influence of strong emotion mr she cried mr i appeared at once and leaped down upon the beach a remarkable air of relief her countenance as soon as she saw me the pa on the links oh she cried with a hoarse sound like one whose bosom has been lightened of weight and then thank god you are still safe she added knew if you were you would be here was not this strange so swiftly and wisely does nature prepare our hearts for these great life long that both my wife and i had been given a on this the second day of our acquaintance i had even then hoped that she would seek me she had felt sure that she would me do not she went on swiftly do not stay in this place promise me that you will sleep no longer in that wood you do not know how i suffer all last night i could not sleep for thinking of your peril peril i repeated peril from whom from not so she said did you think i would tell him after what you said not from i repeated then how from whom i see none to be afraid of you must not ask me was her reply for i am not free to tell you only believe me and go hence believe me and go away quickly quickly for your life an appeal to his alarm is never a good plan to rid of a spirited young man my obstinacy was but increased by what she said and i made it a point of honor to remain and her solicitude for my safety still more confirmed me in the resolve you must not think me inquisitive madam i replied but if is so dangerous a place you yourself perhaps remain here at some risk she only looked at me reproachfully you and your father i resumed but she interrupted me almost with a gasp my father how do you know that she cried i saw you together when you landed was my answer and i do not know why but it seemed satisfactory to both of us as indeed it was the truth ne w nights but i continued you need have no fear from me i see you have some reason to be secret and you may believe me your secret is as safe with me as if i were in i have scarce spoken to anyone for years my horse is my only companion and even he poor beast is not beside me you see then you may count on me for silence so tell me the truth my dear young lady are you not in danger mr says you are an honorable man she returned and i believe it when i see you i will tell you so much you are right we are in dreadful dreadful danger and you share it by remaining where you are ah said i you have heard of me from and he gives me a good character i asked him about you last night was her reply i pretended she hesitated i pretended to have met you long ago and spoken to you of him it was not true but i could not help myself without betraying you and you had put me in a difficulty he praised you highly and you may permit me one question does this danger come from i asked from mr she cried oh no he stays with us to share it while you propose that i should run away i said you do not rate me very high why should you stay she asked you are no friend of ours i know not what came over me for i had not been conscious of a similar weakness since i was a child but i was so by this retort that my eyes pricked and filled with tears as i continued to gaze n her face no no she said in a changed voice i did not mean the words it was i who offended i said and i held out my hand with a look of appeal that somehow touched her for she gave me hers at once and even eagerly i the pa vi lion on the links held it for awhile in mine and gazed into her eyes it was she who first tore her hand away and forgetting all about her request and the promise she had sought to ran at the top of her speed and without turning till she was out of sight and then i knew that i loved her and thought in my glad heart that she she herself was not indifferent to my suit many a time she has denied it in after days but it was with a smiling and not a serious denial for my part i am sure our hands would not have lain so closely in each other if she had not begun to melt to me already and when all is said it is no great since by her own she began to love me on the morrow and yet on the morrow very little took place she came and called me down as on the day before me for lingering at and when she found i was still began to ask me more particularly as to my arrival i told her by what series of accidents i had come to witness their and how i had determined to remain partly from the interest which had been in me by s guests and partly of his own attack as to the former i fear i was and led her to regard herself as having been an attraction to me from the | 38 |
first moment that i saw her on the links it my heart to make this confession even now when my wife is with god and already knows all things and the honesty of my purpose even in this for while she lived although it often pricked my conscience i had never the to her even a little secret in such a married life as ours is like the rose leaf which kept the princess from her sleep from this the talk into other subjects and i told her much about my lonely and wandering existence she for her part giving ear and saying little although we spoke very naturally and on topics that might seem indifferent we were both sweetly ne w nights agitated too soon it was time for her to go and we separated as if by mutual consent without shaking hands for both knew that between us it was no idle ceremony the next and that was the fourth day of our acquaintance we met in the same spot but early in the morning with much familiarity and yet much timidity on either side when she had once more spoken about my danger and that i understood was her excuse for coming i who had prepared a great deal of talk during the night began to tell her how highly i valued her kind interest and how no one had ever cared to hear about my life nor had i ever cared to relate it before yesterday suddenly she interrupted me saying with vehemence and yet if you knew who i was you would not so much as speak to me i told her such a thought was madness and little as we had met i counted her already a dear friend but my seemed only to make her more desperate my father is in hiding she cried my dear i forgetting for the first time to add young lady what do i care if he were in hiding twenty times over would it make one thought of change in you ah but the cause she cried the cause it is she faltered for a second it is disgraceful to us chapter iv tells in what a startling manner i learned that i was not alone in sea wood this was my wife s story as i drew it from her among tears and sobs her name was it sounded very beautiful in my ears but not so beautiful as that other name of which she wore during the longer and i thank god the happier portion of her life her father had been a private banker in a very large way of business many years before his affairs becoming disordered he had been led to try dangerous and at last criminal to himself from ruin all was in vain he became more and more cruelly involved and found his honor lost at the same moment with his fortune about this period had been his daughter with great though with small encouragement and to him knowing him thus disposed in his favor turned for help in his extremity it was not merely ruin and nor merely a legal condemnation that the unhappy man had brought on his head it seems he could have gone to prison with a light heart what he feared what kept him awake at night or recalled him from slumber into frenzy was some secret sudden and attempt upon his life hence he desired to bury his existence and escape to one of the islands in the south pacific and it was in s the red early that he designed to go the picked them up upon the coast of wales and had once more deposited them at till she could be and for the longer voyage nor could doubt that her hand had i ne w nights been as the price of passage for although was neither unkind or he had shown himself in several instances somewhat in speech and manner i listened i need not say with fixed attention and put many questions as to the more mysterious part it was in vain she had no clear idea of what the blow was nor of how it was expected to fall her father s alarm was and physically and he had thought more than once of making an surrender to the police but the scheme was finally abandoned for he was convinced that not even the strength of our english could shelter him from his he had had many affairs with italy and with resident in london in the later years of his business and these last as fancied were somehow connected with the doom that threatened him he had shown great terror at the presence of an italian seaman on board the red earl and had bitterly and repeatedly accused in consequence the latter had protested that that was the seaman s name was a capital fellow and could be trusted to the death but mr had continued ever since to declare that all was lost that it was only a question of days and that would be the n of him yet i regarded the whole story as the of d mind shaken by calamity he had suffered heavy loss by his italian transactions and hence the sight of an italian was hateful to him and the principal part in his nightmare would naturally enough be played by one of that nation what your father wants i said is a good doctor and some medicine but mr objected your mother he is by losses and shares in this terror i could not help laughing at what i considered her simplicity the pa on the links my dear said i you have told me yourself reward he has to look for all is fair in love you must remember and if your father s terrors it is not at all because he is afraid of any | 38 |
italian man but simply because he is with a charming english woman she reminded me of his attack upon myself on the night of the and this i was unable to explain in short and from one thing to another it was agreed between us that i should set out at once for the village as it was called look up all the newspapers i could find and see for myself if there seemed any basis of fact for these continued the next morning at the same hour and place i was to make my report to she said no more on that occasion about my departure nor indeed did she make it a secret that she clung to the thought or my as something and pleasant and for my part i could not have left her if she had gone upon her knees to ask it i reached before ten in the for in those days i was an excellent and the distance as i think i have said was little over seven miles fine walking all the way upon the turf the village is one of the on that coast which is saying much there is a church in a hollow a miserable haven in the rocks where many boats have been lost as they returned from fishing two or three score of stone houses arranged along the beach and in two streets one leading from the harbor and another striking out from it at right angles and at the corner of these two a very dark and cheerless tavern by way of principal hotel i had dressed myself somewhat more to my station in life and at once called upon the minister in his little beside the he knew me although it was more than nine years since we had met and when i told him that i had been long upon a walking tour and was behind with the news readily ne w nights lent me an of newspapers from a month back to the day before with these i sought the tavern and ordering some breakfast sat down to study the failure it had been it appeared a very case thousands of persons were reduced to poverty and one in particular had blown out his brains as soon as payment was suspended it was strange to myself that while i read these details i continued rather to with mr than with his victims so complete already was the empire of my love for my wife a price was naturally set upon the banker s head and as the case was and the public indignation thoroughly aroused the unusual figure of was offered for his capture he was reported to have large sums of money in his possession one day he had been heard of in spain the next there was sure intelligence that he was still lurking between and liverpool or along the border of wales and the day after a would announce his arrival in or but in all this there was no word of an italian nor any sign of mystery in the very last paper however there was one item not so clear the who were charged to the failure had it seemed come upon the traces of a very large number of thousands which figured for some time in the transactions of the house of but which came from nowhere and disappeared in the same mysterious fashion it was only once referred to by name and then under the x x but it had plainly been floated for the first time into the business at a period of great depression some six years ago the name of a distinguished royal personage had been mentioned by in connection with this sum the cowardly such i remember was the expression was supposed to have escaped with a large part of this mysterious fund still in his possession the pa on the links i was still brooding over the fact and trying to torture it into some connection with mr s danger when a man entered the tavern and asked for some bread and cheese with a decided foreign accent f said i si was his reply i said it was unusually far north to find one of his at which he shrugged his shoulders and replied that a man would go anywhere to find work what work he could hope to find at i was totally unable to conceive and the incident struck so upon my mind that i asked the landlord while he was counting me some change whether he had ever before seen an italian in the village he said he had once seen some who had been on the other side of ness and rescued by the from haven no said i but an italian like the man who has just had bread and cheese what cried he yon black fellow wi the teeth was he an i yon s the first that ever i saw an i dare say he s like to be the last even as he was speaking i raised my eyes and casting a glance into the street beheld three men in earnest conversation together and not thirty yards away one of them was my recent companion in the tavern parlor the other two by their handsome sallow features and soft hats should evidently belong to the same race a crowd of village children stood around them and talking in imitation the looked singularly foreign to the bleak dirty street in which they were standing and the dark gray heaven that them and i confess my incredulity received at that moment a shock from which it never recovered i might reason with myself as i pleased but i could not argue down the effect of what i had seen and i began to share in the italian terror it was already drawing towards the close of the day t o ne w nights | 38 |
before i had returned the newspapers at the and got well forward on to the links on my way home i shall never forget that walk it grew very cold and boisterous the wind sang in the short grass about my feet thin rain showers came running on the and an immense mountain range of clouds began to arise out of the bosom of the sea it would be hard to imagine a more dismal evening and whether it was from these external influences or because my nerves were already affected by what i had heard and seen my thoughts were as gloomy as the weather the upper windows of the commanded a considerable spread of links in the direction of to avoid observation it was necessary to the beach until i had gained cover from the higher sand hills on the little when i might strike across through the hollows for the margin of the wood the sun was about setting the tide was low and all the uncovered and i was moving along lost in unpleasant thought when i was suddenly to perceive the prints of human feet they ran parallel to my own course but low down upon the beach instead of along the border of the turf and when i examined them i saw at once by the size and of the impression that it was a stranger to me and to those in the who had recently passed that way not only so but from the of the course which he had followed near to the most formidable portions of the sand he was as evidently a stranger to the country and to the ill of beach step by step i followed the prints until a quarter of a mile further i beheld them die away into the south eastern boundary of there whoever he w s the miserable man had perished one or two who had perhaps seen him disappear wheeled over his with their usual melancholy the sun had broken through the clouds by a last effort and colored the wide level of the pa on the links ith a dusky purple stood for some time gazing at he spot chilled and by my own reflections and with a strong and commanding conscious of death i remember wondering how long the tragedy had taken and whether his screams had been at the and then making a strong resolution i was about to tear myself away when a than usual fell upon this quarter of the beach and i saw now whirling high in air now lightly across the surface of the sands a soft black felt hat somewhat in shape such as liad remarked already on the heads of the i believe but i am not sure that i uttered a cry the wind was driving the hat and i ran round the border of the to be ready against its arrival the gust fell dropping the hat for a while upon the and then once more landed it a few yards from where i stood i seized it with the interest you may imagine it had seen some service indeed it was than either of those i had seen that day upon the street the was red stamped with the name of the maker which i have forgotten and that of the place of manufacture this it is not yet forgotten was the name given by the to the beautiful city of then and for long after a part of their the shock was complete i saw imaginary upon every side and for the first and i may say for the last time in my experience became overpowered by what is called panic terror i knew nothing that is to be afraid of and yet i admit that i was heartily afraid and it was with a sensible reluctance that i returned to my exposed and solitary camp in the sea wood there i ate some cold which had been left over from the night before for i was to make a fire and feeling strengthened and reassured dismissed all these fanciful terrors from my mind and lay down to sleep with composure o ne w nights how long i may have slept it is impossible for me to guess but i was awakened at last by a sudden blinding flash of light into my face it woke me like a blow in an instant i was upon my knees but the light had gone as suddenly as it came the darkness was intense and as it was blowing great guns from the sea and pouring with rain the noises of the storm effectually concealed all others it was i dare say half a minute before i regained my self possession but for two circumstances i should have thought i had been awakened by some new and vivid form of nightmare first the of my tent which i had shut carefully when i retired was now and second i could still perceive with a that excluded any theory of the smell of hot metal and of burning oil the conclusion was obvious i had been awakened by some flashing a bull s eye lantern in my face it had been but a flash and away he had seen my face and then gone i asked myself the object of so strange a proceeding and the answer came pat the man whoever he was had thought to recognize me and he had not there was yet another question and to this i may say i feared to give an answer if he had recognized me what would he have done my fears were immediately diverted from myself for i saw that i had been visited in a mistake and i became persuaded that some dreadful danger threatened the it required some nerve to issue forth into the black and intricate thicket which surrounded and the den but i my way to the links | 38 |
night of landing and what i had subsequently seen and heard of the well said he when i had done it is here at last there is no mistake about that and what may i ask do you propose to do i propose to stay with you and lend a hand said i you are a brave man he returned with a peculiar i am not afraid said i and so he continued i am to understand thai the pa vi lion on the links you two are married and you stand up to it before my face miss we are not yet married said but we shall be as soon as we can cried and the bargain d n it you re not a fool young woman i may call a a with you how about the bargain you know as well as i do what your father s life depends upon i have only to put my hands under my coat tails and walk away and his throat would be cut before the evening yes mr returned with great spirit but that is what you will never do you made a bargain that was unworthy of a gentleman but you are a gentleman for all that and you will never desert a man whom you have begun to help said he you think i will give my for nothing you think i will risk my life and liberty for love of the old gentleman and then i suppose be best man at the wedding to wind up well he added with an odd smile perhaps you are not altogether wrong but ask here he knows me am i a man to trust am i safe and scrupulous am i kind i know you talk a great deal and sometimes i think very foolishly replied but i know you are a gentleman and i am not in the least afraid he looked at her with a peculiar approval and admiration then turning to me do you think i would give her up without a struggle frank said he i tell you plainly you look out the next time we come to blows will make the third i interrupted smiling aye true so it will he said i had forgotten well the third time s lucky the third time you mean you will have the crew of the red earl to help i said do you hear him he asked turning to my wife i hear two men speaking like said she nights i should despise myself either to think or speak like that and neither of you believe one word that you are saying which makes it the more wicked and silly she s a cried but she s not yet mrs i say no more the present is not for me then my wife surprised me i leave you here she said suddenly my father has been too long alone but remember this you are to be friends for you are both good friends to me she has since told me her reason for this step as long as she remained she declares that we two would have continued to quarrel and i suppose that she was right for when she was gone we fell at once into a sort of stared after her as she went away over the sand hill she is the only woman in the world he exclaimed with an oath look at her action i for my part leaped at tliis opportunity for a little further light see here said i we are all in a tight place are we not i believe you my boy he answered looking me in the eyes and with great emphasis we have all hell upon us that s the truth you may believe me or not but i m afraid of my life tell me one thing said i what are they after these what do they want with mr don t you know he cried the black old had funds on a deposit two hundred and eighty thousand and of course he it away on stocks there was to have been a revolution in the or but the revolution is off and the whole s nest is after we shall all be lucky if we can save our skins the v l exclaimed god help him indeed the pa on the links amen said and now look here i have said that we are in a fix and frankly i shall be glad of your help if i can t save i want at least to save the girl come and stay in the and there s my hand on it i shall act as your friend until the old man is either clear or dead but he added once that is settled you become my rival once again and i warn you mind yourself done i and we shook hands and now let us go directly to the fort said and he began to lead the way through the rain chapter vi tells of my introduction to the tall man we were admitted to the by and i was surprised by the completeness and security of the a of great strength and yet easy to supported the door against any violence from without and the shutters of the into which i was led directly and which was feebly illuminated by a were even more fortified the were strengthened by bars arid cross bars and these in their turn were kept in position by a system of and some on the floor some on the roof and others in fine against the opposite wall of the apartment it was at once a solid and well designed i of and i did not seek to conceal my admiration i am the engineer said you remember the in the garden behold them i did not know you had so many talents said | 38 |
i are you armed he continued pointing to an array of guns and pistols all in admirable order which stood in line against the wall or were displayed upon the thank you i returned i have gone armed since our last encounter but to tell you the truth i have had nothing to eat since early yesterday evening produced some cold meat to which i eagerly set myself and a bottle of good by which wet as i was i did not scruple to profit i have always been an extreme man on principle but it is useless to push principle to excess and en this occasion i believe that i finished three the pa vi lion on the j quarters of the bottle as i ate i still continued to admire the preparations for defence we could stand a siege i said at length ye es a very little one per it is not so much the strength of the i it is the double danger that me if we get to shooting wild as the country is some one is sure to hear it and then why then it s the same thing only different as they say by law or killed by there s the choice it is a devilish bad thing to have the law against you in this world and so i tell the old gentleman up stairs he is quite of my way of thinking speaking of that said i what kind of person is he oh he cried the other he s a fellow as far as he goes i should like to have his neck wrung to morrow by all the devils in italy i am not in this affair for him you take me i made a bargain for s hand and i mean to have it too that by the way said i i understand but how will mr take my intrusion leave that to returned i could have struck him in the face for this coarse familiarity but i respected the as i am bound to say did and so long as the danger continued not a cloud arose in our relation i bear him this testimony with the most satisfaction nor am i without pride when i look back upon my own behavior for surely no two men were ever left in a position so and as soon as i had done eating we proceeded to inspect the lower floor window by window we tried the different now and then making an change and the strokes of the hammer sounded with startling through the house i proposed i remembers to make but he told me they were already made in the windows of the upper story it was an anxious business this inspection nights and left me down hearted there were two doors and live windows to protect and counting only four of us to defend them against an unknown number of foes i communicated my doubts to who assured me with unmoved composure that he entirely shared them before morning said he we shall all be and buried in for me that is written i could not help shuddering at the mention of the but reminded that our enemies had spared me in the wood do not flatter yourself said he then you were not in the same boat with the old gentleman now you are it s the for all of us mark my words i trembled for and just then her dear voice was heard calling us to come upstairs showed me the way and when he had reached the landing knocked at the door of what used to be called my uncle s bedroom as the founder of the had designed it especially for himself come in come in dearer said a voice from within pushing open the door admitted me before him into the apartment as came in i could see the daughter slipping out by the side door into the study which had been prepared as her bedroom in the bed which was drawn back against the wall instead of standing as i had last seen it boldly across the window sat the banker little as i had seen of him by the shifting light oi the lantern on the links i had no difficulty in him for the same he had a long and sallow countenance surrounded by a long red beard and side whiskers his broken nose and high gave him somewhat the air of a and his light eyes shone with the excitement of a high fever he wore a skull cap of black silk a huge the pa vi li on on the links bible lay open before him on the bed with a pair of gold spectacles in the place and a pile of other books lay on the stand by hi side the green curtains lent a shade to his cheek and as he sat propped on pillows his great stature was painfully and his head till it his knees i believe if he had not died otherwise he must have fallen a victim to consumption in the course of but a very few weeks he held out to me a hand long thin and hairy come in come in mr said he another protector another protector always welcome as a friend of my daughter s mr how they have rallied about me my daughter s friends may god m heaven bless and reward them for it i gave him my hand of course because i could not help it but the sympathy i had been prepared to feel for s father was immediately by his appearance and the unreal tones in which he spoke is a good man said worth ten so i hear cried mr eagerly so my girl tells me ah mr my sin has found me out you see i am very low very low but i | 38 |
money and had we been in complete possession of our faculties i am sure we should have condemned it as unwise but we were with alarm grasped at a straw and determined although it was as much as mr s presence in the to carry my proposal into effect the sum was part in part in bank paper and part in circular notes to the name of james we took it out counted it enclosed it once more in a despatch box belonging to and prepared a letter in italian which he tied to the handle it was signed by both of us under oath and declared that this was all the money which had escaped the failure of the house of this was per new nights the action ever by two persons to be sane had the box fallen into other hands than those which it was intended we stood convicted on our own written testimony but as i have said we were neither of us in a condition to judge and had a thirst for action that drove us to do something right or wrong rather than endure the agony of waiting moreover as we were both convinced that the hollows of the links were alive with hidden upon our movements we hoped that our appearance with the box might lead to a and perhaps a compromise it was nearly three when we issued from the the rain had taken off the sun shone quite cheerfully i have never seen the fly so close about the house or approach so to human beings on the very one heavily past our heads and uttered its wild cry in my ear there is an omen for you said who like all was much under the influence of superstition they think we are already dead i made some light but it was with half r my heart for the circumstance had impressed me a yard or two before the gate on a patch of smooth turf we set down the despatch box and i waved a white handkerchief over his head nothing replied we raised our voices and cried aloud in italian that we were there as to t the quarrel but the stillness remained unbroken f by the sea and the surf i had a weight at my f heart when we and i saw that even was unusually pale he looked over his shoulder nervously as though he feared that some one had crept between him and the door by god he said in a whisper this is too much for me the pa on the links i replied in the suppose there should be none after all look there he returned nodding with his head as though he had been afraid to point i glanced in the direction indicated and there from the northern corner of the sea wood beheld a thin column of smoke rising steadily against the now sky i said we still continued to talk in whispers it is not possible to endure this suspense i prefer death fifty times over stay you here to watch the i will go forward and make sure if i have to walk right into their camp he looked once again all around him with eyes and then nodded to my proposal my heart beat like a hammer as set out walking rapidly in the direction of the smoke and though up that moment i had felt chill and shivering j was suddenly conscious of a glow of heat over all my body the ground in this direction was very a hundred men might have lain hidden in as many square yards about my path but i had not the business in vain chose such as cut at the very root of concealment and by keeping along the most convenient commanded several hollows at a time it was not long before i was rewarded for my caution coming suddenly on to a mound somewhat more elevated than the surrounding i saw not thirty yards away a man bent almost double and running as fast as his attitude permitted along the bottom of a i had one of the from his as soon as i sighted him i called loudly both in english and italian and he seeing concealment was no longer possible straightened himself out leaped from the and made off as straight as an arrow for the borders of the wood it was none of my business to pursue i had learned what i wanted that we were and watched new nights in the and i returned at once and walking as nearly as possible in my old footsteps to where awaited me beside the despatch box he was even paler than when i had left him and his voice shook a little could you see what he was like he asked he kept his back turned i replied let us go into the house frank i don t think i m a coward but i can stand no more of this he whispered all was still and about the as we turned to re enter it even the had flown in a wider circuit and were seen flickering along the beach and sand hills and this loneliness terrified me more than a regiment under arms it was not until the door was that i could draw a full inspiration and relieve the weight that lay upon my bosom and i exchanged a steady glance and i suppose each made his own reflections on the white and startled aspect of the other you were right i said all is over hands old man for the last time yes replied he i will shake hands for as surf as i am here i bear no malice but remember if by some impossible accident we should give the slip t r these i ll take the upper hand of you by fair or foul oh said i you weary | 38 |
me he seemed hurt and walked away in silence to the foot of the stairs where he paused you do not understand me said he i am not a j and i guard myself that is all it may weary you or not mr i do not care a rush i f speak for my own satisfaction and not for your amuse j ment you had better go upstairs and court the girl f for my part i stay here j and i stay with you i returned do you think j i would steal a march even with your permission frank he said smiling it s a pity you are an the pa vi li on on the links ass for you have the of a man i think i must he to day you cannot me even when you try do you know he continued softly i think we are the two most miserable men in england you and i we have got on to thirty without wife or child or so much as a shop to look after poor pitiful lost devils both and now we clash about a girl as if there were not several millions in the united kingdom ah frank frank the one who loses his throw be it you or me he has my pity it were better for him how does the bible say that a were hanged about his neck and he were cast into the depth of the sea let us take a drink he concluded suddenly but without any levity of tone i was touched by his words and consented he sat down on the table in the dining room and held up the glass of to his eye if you beat me frank he said i shall take to drink what will you do if it goes the other way god knows i returned well said he here is a toast in the meantime the remainder of the day was passed in the same dreadful and suspense i laid the table for dinner while north and prepared the meal together in the kitchen i could hear their talk as i went to and fro and was surprised to find it ran all the time upon myself again us together and rallied on a choice of husbands but he continued to speak of me with some feeling and uttered nothing to my prejudice unless he included himself in the condemnation this awakened a sense of gratitude in my heart which combined with the of our peril to fill my eyes with tears after all i thought and perhaps the thought was vain we were here three very noble human beings to perish in of a banker before we sat down to table i looked forth from an upstairs window the day was beginning to decline nights the links were utterly deserted the despatch box still lay untouched where we had left it hours before mr in a long yellow dressing gown took one end of the table the other while and i faced each other from the sides the lamp was brightly trimmed the wine was good the although mostly cold excellent of their sort we seemed to have agreed all reference to the impending catastrophe was carefully avoided and considering our tragic circumstances we made a party than could have been expected from time to time it is true or i would rise from the table and make a round of the and on each of these occasions mr was recalled to a sense of his tragic glanced up with ghastly eyes and bore for an instant on his countenance the stamp of terror but he hastened to empty his glass wiped his forehead with his handkerchief and joined again in the conversation i was astonished at the wit and information he displayed mr s was certainly no ordinary character he had read and observed for himself his gifts were sound and though i could never have learned to love the man i began to understand his success in business and the great respect in which he had been held before his failure he had above all the talent of society and though i never heard him speak but on this one and most occasion i set him down among the most brilliant i ever met he was relating with great and seemingly no feeling of shame the of a commission merchant whom he had known and studied in his youth and we were all listening with an odd mixture of mirth and embarrassment when our little party was brought abruptly to an end in the most startling manner a noise like that of a wet finger on the window pane interrupted mr s tale and in an instant the pa on the links we were all four as white as paper and sat tongue tied and motionless round the table a i said at last for i had heard that these animals make a noise somewhat similar in character be d d said hush the same sound was repeated twice at regular intervals and then a formidable voice shouted through the shutters the italian word t mr threw his head in the air his eyelids quivered next moment he fell insensible below the table and i had each run to the and seized a gun was on her feet with her hand at her throat so we stood waiting for we thought the hour of attack was certainly come but second passed after second and all but the surf remained silent in the neighborhood of the quick said upstairs with him before they come chapter viii tells the last of the tall man somehow or other by hook and and between the three of us we got upstairs and laid upon the bed in my uncle s room during the whole process which was rough enough he gave no sign of consciousness | 38 |
and he remained as we had thrown him without changing the position of a finger his daughter opened his shirt and began to wet his head and bosom while and i ran to the window the weather continued clear the moon which was now about full had risen and shed a very clear light upon the links yet strain our eyes as we might we could distinguish nothing moving a few dark spots more or less on the expanse were not to be identified they might be crouching men they might be shadows it was impossible to be sure thank god said is not coming to night was the name of the old nurse he had not thought of her till now but that he should think of her at all was a trait that surprised me in the man we were again reduced to waiting went to the fireplace and spread his hands before the red embers as if he were cold i followed him mechanically with my eyes and in so doing turned my back upon the window at that moment a very faint report was audible from without and a ball shivered a pane of glass and buried itself in the two inches from my head i heard scream and though i whipped instantly out of range and into a corner she was there so to speak before me to know if i were hurt i felt that i could stand to be shot at every day and all day long with such marks of the pa on the links for a reward and i continued to her vith the tenderest caresses and in complete forgetfulness of our situation till the voice of recalled me to myself an air gun he said they wish to make no noise i put aside and looked at him he was standing with his back to the fire and his hands clasped behind him and i knew by the black look on his face that passion was boiling within i had seen just such a look before he attacked me that march night in the adjoining chamber and though i could make every allowance for his anger i confess i trembled for the consequences he gazed straight before him but he could see us with the tail of his eye and his temper kept rising like a gale of wind with regular battle awaiting us outside this prospect of an strife within the walls began to me suddenly as i was thus closely watching his expression and prepared against the worst i saw a change a flash a look of relief upon his face he took up the lamp which stood beside him on the table and turned to us with an air of some excitement there is one point that we must know said he are they going to butcher the lot of us or only did they take you for him or fire at you for your own they took me for him for certain i replied i am near as tall and my head is fair i am going to make sure returned and he stepped up to the window holding the lamp above his head and stood there quietly death for half a minute sought to rush forward and pull him from the place of danger but i had the selfishness to hold her back by force yes said turning coolly from the window it s only they want oh mr cried but found no nights more to add the she had just witnessed seeming beyond the reach of words he on his part looked at me his head with a fire of triumph in his eyes and i understood at once that he had thus his life merely to attract s notice and me from my position as the hero of the hour he his fingers the fire is only beginning he said when they warm up to their work they won t be so particular a voice was now heard us from the entrance from the window we could see the figure of a man in the moonlight he stood motionless his face uplifted to ours and a rag of something white on his extended arm and as we looked right down upon him though he was a good many yards distant on the links we could see the moonlight glitter on his eyes he opened his lips again and spoke for some minutes on end in a key so loud that he might have been heard in every corner of the and as far away as the borders of the wood it was the same voice that had already shouted through the shutters of the dining room this time it made a complete and clear statement if the traitor were given up all others should be spared if not no one should escape to tell the tale well what do you say to that asked turning to the bed up to that moment the banker had given no sign of life and i at least had supposed him to be still lying in a faint but he replied at once and in such tones as i have never heard elsewhere save from a patient and us not to desert him it was the most hideous and abject performance that my imagination can conceive enough cried and then he threw open the window leaned out into the night and in a tone of exultation and with a total forgetfulness of what was due to the presence of a lady poured out upon the a string of the most abominable the pa on the links both in english and italian and bade him be gone where he had come from i believe that nothing so delighted at that moment as the thought that we must all perish before the night was out meantime the italian put his flag of into his pocket and disappeared | 38 |
the chest and while we were thus for the moment from action lifting his arms above his head like one about to he ran straight forward out of the here am i he kill me and spare the others his sudden appearance i suppose our hidden enemies for and i had time to recover to seize between us one by each arm and to rush forth to his assistance ere anything further had taken place but scarce had we passed the threshold when there came near a dozen reports and flashes from every direction among the hollows of the links mr staggered uttered a weird and cry threw up his arms over his head and fell backward on the turf cried the invisible and just then a part of the roof of the fell in so rapid was the progress of the fire a loud vague and horrible noise accompanied the and a vast volume of flame went soaring up to heaven it must have been visible at that moment from twenty miles out at sea from the shore at and far inland from the peak of the most eastern summit of the hills although god knows what were his had a fine at the moment of his death chapter ix tells how carried out his threat i should have the greatest difficulty to tell you what followed next after this tragic circumstance it is all to me as i look back upon it mixed and ineffectual like the struggles of a in a nightmare i remember uttered a broken sigh and would have fallen forward to earth had not and i supported her insensible body i do not think we were attacked i do not remember even to have seen an and i believe we deserted mr without a glance i only remember running like a man in a panic now carrying altogether in my own arms now sharing her weight with now for the possession of that dear burden why we should have made for my camp in the den or how we reached it are points lost for ever to my recollection the first moment at which i became definitely sure had been suffered to fall against the outside of my little tent and i were tumbling together on the ground and he with contained ferocity was striking for my head with the butt of his revolver he had already twice wounded me on the and it is to the consequent loss of blood that i am tempted to attribute the sudden clearness of my mind i caught him by the wrist i remember saying you can kill me afterwards let us first attend to he was at that moment uppermost scarcely had the words passed my lips when he had leaped to his feet and ran towards the tent and the next moment ne w nights he was straining to his heart and covering hei unconscious hands and face with his caresses shame i cried shame to you and giddy though i still was i struck him repeatedly upon the head and shoulders he his grasp and faced me in the broken moonlight i had you under and let you go said he and now you strike me coward you are the coward i retorted did she wish your kisses while she was still sensible of what she wanted not she and now she may be dying and you waste this precious time and abuse her stand aside and let me help her he confronted me for a moment white and menacing then suddenly he stepped aside help her then said he i threw myself on my knees beside her and loosened as well as i was able her dress and but while i was thus engaged a grasp descended on my shoulder keep your hands off her said fiercely do you think i have no blood in my i cried if you will neither help her yourself nor let me do so do you know that i shall have to kill you that is better he cried let her die also where s the harm step aside from that girl and stand up to fight you will observe said i half rising that i have not kissed her yet i dare you to he cried i do not know what possessed me it was one of the things i am most ashamed of in my life though as my wife used to say i knew that my kisses would be always welcome were she dead or living down i fell again upon my knees parted the hair from her forehead and with the dearest respect laid my lips for a the on the links moment on that cold brow it was such a as a father might have given it was such a one as was not from a man soon to die to a woman already dead and now said i i am at your service mr north but i saw to my surprise that hfe had turned his back upon me do you hear i asked yes said he i do if you wish to fight i am ready if not go on and save all is one to me i did not wait to be twice but stooping again over continued my efforts to revive her she still lay white and lifeless i began to fear that her sweet spirit had indeed fled beyond recall and horror and a sense of utter desolation seized upon my heart i called her by name with the most i and beat her hands now i laid her head low now supported it against my knee but all seemed to be in vain and the still lay heavy on her eyes i said there is my hat for god s sake bring some water from the spring almost in a moment he was by my side with the water i have brought it in my | 38 |
own he said you do not grudge me the privilege i was beginning to say as i her head and breast but he interrupted me savagely oh you hush up he said the best thing you can do is to say nothing i had certainly no desire to talk my mind being swallowed up in concern for my dear love and her condition so i continued in silence to do my best towards her recovery and when the hat was empty returned it to him with one word more he had perhaps gone several times upon this errand when her eyes ne w nights now said he since she is better you can spare me can you not i wish you a good night mr and with that he was gone among the thicket i made a fire for i had now no fear of the who had even spared all the little possessions left in my and broken as she was by the excitement and the hideous catastrophe of the evening i managed in one way or another by persuasion encouragement warmth and such simple as i could lay my hand on to bring her back to some composure of mind and strength of body day had already come when a sharp sounded from the thicket i started from the ground but the voice of was heard adding in the most tranquil tones come here and alone i want to show you something i consulted with my eyes and receiving her permission left her alone and out t f the den at some distance off i saw leaning against an elder and as soon as he perceived me he began walking i had almost overtaken him as he reached the outskirts of the wood look said he pausing a couple of steps more brought me out of the foliage the light of the morning lay cold and clear over that well known scene the was but a blackened wreck the roof had fallen in one of the had fallen out and far and near the face of the links was with little patches of burnt thick smoke still went straight upwards in the air of the morning and a great pile of ardent filled the bare walls of the house like coals in an open grate close by the a lay to and a well boat was pulling vigorously for the shore the red earl i cried the red earl twelve hours too late feel in your pocket frank are you armed asked the pa vi lion on the links i obeyed him and i think i must have become deadly pale my revolver had been taken from me you see i have you in my power he continued i you last night while you were nursing but this morning here take your pistol no thanks he cried holding up his hand i do not like them that is the only way you can annoy me now he began to walk forward across the links to meet the boat and i followed a step or two behind in front of the i paused to see where mr had fallen but there was no sign of him nor so much as a trace of blood said he continued to advance till we had come to the head of the beach no farther please said he would you like to take her to house thank you replied i i shall try to get her to the minister s at the of the boat here on the beach and a sailor jumped ashore with a line in his hand wait a minute lads cried and then lower and to my private ear you had better say nothing of all this to her he added on the contrary i broke out she shall know everything that i can tell you do not understand he returned with an air of great dignity it will be nothing to her she expects it of me good bye he added with a nod i offered him my hand excuse me said he it s small i know but i can t push things quite so far as that i don t wish any sentimental business to sit by your hearth a wanderer and all that quite the contrary i hope to god i shall never again clap eyes on either one of you well god bless you i said heartily oh yes he returned ne w nights he walked down the beach and the man who was ashore gave him an arm on board and then off and leaped into the bows himself took the the boat rose to the waves and the oars between the pins sounded crisp and measured in the air they were not yet half way to the red earl and i was still watching their progress when the sun rose out of the sea one word more and my story is done years after was killed fighting under the colors of for the of a lodging for the night a story of francis a lodging foe the night it was late in november the snow fell over paris with sometimes the wind made a sally and scattered it in flying sometimes there was a lull c id after descended out of the black night air silent interminable to poor people looking up under moist eyebrows it seemed a wonder where it all came from master francis had an alternative that afternoon at a tavern window was it only pagan upon or were the holy angels he was only a poor master of arts he went on and as the question some touched upon divinity he not venture to conclude a silly old priest from who was among the company treated the young rascal to a bottle of wine in honor of the jest and with which it was accompanied and swore on his own white beard | 38 |
that he had been just such another dog when he was age the air was raw and pointed but not far below and the were large damp and the whole city was up an army might have marched from end to end and not a given the alarm if there were any birds in heaven they saw the island like a large white patch and the bridges like slim white on the black ground of the river high up overhead the snow settled among the of the cathedral towers many a was drifted full many a statue wore a long white bonnet on its grotesque or head the had been transformed into great false noses drooping towards the point the were like ne w nights upright pillows swollen on one side in the intervals of the wind there was a dull sound of dripping about the of the church the of st john had taken its own share of the snow ah the graves were decently covered tall white stood around in grave array worthy were long ago in bed be like their there was no light in all the neighborhood but a little peep from a lamp that hung swinging in the church choir and tossed the shadows to and fro in time to its the clock was hard on ten when the went by with and a lantern beating their hands and they saw nothing suspicious about the of st john yet there was a small house backed up against the wall which was still awake and awake to evil purpose in that district there was not much to betray it from without only a stream of warm from the chimney top a patch where the snow melted on the roof and a few half at the door but within behind the windows master francis the poet and some of the crew with whom he were keeping the night alive and passing round the bottle a great pile of living embers diffused a strong and ruddy glow from the arched chimney before this the with his skirts picked up and his fat legs to the comfortable warmth his dilated shadow cut the room in half and the only escaped on either side of his broad person and in a little pool between his feet his face had the bruised appearance of the continual s it was covered with a of veins purple in ordinary circumstances but now pale violet for even with his back to the fire the cold pinched him on the other side his had half fallen back and made a strange on either side of his bull neck a lodging for the night so he grumbling and cut the room in half with the shadow of his frame on the right and were huddled together over a scrap of making a which he was to call the of roast fish and admiration at his shoulder the poet was a rag of a man dark little and lean with hollow cheeks and thin black locks he carried his four and twenty years with feverish animation had made folds about his eyes evil smiles had his mouth the wolf and pig struggled together in his face it was an eloquent sharp ugly earthly countenance his hands were small and with fingers knotted like a cord and they were continually flickering in front of him in violent and expressive as for a broad complacent admiring breathed from his nose and lips he had become a thief just as he might have become the most decent of by the imperious chance that rules the lives of human and human at the s other hand and played a game of chance about the first there clung some flavor of good birth and training as about a fallen angel something long and in the person something and in the face poor soul was in great feather he had done a good stroke of that afternoon in the st and all night he had been gaining from a flat smile illuminated his face his bald head shone in a of red curls his little stomach shook with silent as he swept in his gains or said nodded grimly some may prefer to dine in state wrote on bread and cheese on silver plate or or help me out ne w nights or on a golden dish the poet the wind was without it drove the snow before it and sometimes raised its voice in a victorious and made in the chimney the cold was growing as the night went on his lips the gust with something between a whistle and a groan it was an uncomfortable talent of the poets much detested by the can t you hear it rattle in the said they are all dancing the devil s on nothing up there you may dance my you ll be none the warmer what a gust down went somebody just now a the fewer on the tree say it ll be cold to night on the st road he asked winked both his big eyes and seemed to choke upon his adam s apple the great paris stood hard by the st road and the touched him on the raw as for he laughed over the he had never heard anything more light hearted and he held his sides and fetched him a on the nose which turned his mirth into an attack of oh stop that row said and think of to fish or said with all my heart is there any more in that bottle asked the open another said how do you ever hope to fill that big your body with little things like bottles and how do you expect to get to heaven how many angels do you fancy can be spared to carry up a single from or do you think yourself another and they ll send the coach for you replied the | 38 |
as he filled his glass hi a lodging for the night was in his nose again laugh at my jokes if you like he said it was very good objected made a face at him think of to fish he said what have you to do with latin you ll wish you knew none of it at the great the devil calls for the devil with the back and red hot finger nails talking of the devil he added in a whisper look at all three peered at the he did not seem to be enjoying his luck his mouth was a little to a side one nearly shut and the other much the black dog was on his back as people say in nursery and he breathed hard under the burden he looks as if he could knife him whispered with round eyes the shuddered and turned his face and spread his open hands to the red embers it was the cold that thus affected and not any excess of moral sensibility come now said about this how does it run so far and beating time with his hand he read it aloud to they were interrupted at the fourth rhyme by a brief and fatal movement among the the round was completed and was just opening his mouth to claim another victory when leaped up swift as an and him to the heart the blow took effect before he had time to utter a cry before he had time to move a tremor or two his frame his hands opened and shut his heels rattled on the floor then his head rolled backward over one shoulder with the eyes wide open and s spirit had returned to him who made it sprang to his feet but the business was so ne w nights f over in two the four living fellows looked at each other in rather a ghastly fashion the dead man contemplating a corner of the roof with a singular and my god said and he began to pray in latin broke out into hysterical laughter he came a step forward and a ridiculous bow at and laughed still louder then he sat down suddenly all of a heap upon a stool and continued laughing bitterly as though he would shake himself to pieces recovered his composure first let s see what he has about him he remarked and he picked the dead man s pockets with a hand and divided the money into four equal portions on the table there s for you he said the received his share with a deep sigh and a single stealthy glance at the dead who was beginning to sink into himself and sideways off the chair we re all in for it cried his mirth it s a hanging job for every man jack of us that s here not to speak of those who aren t he made a shocking gesture in the air with his raised right hand and put out his tongue and threw his head on one side so as to the appearance of one who has been hanged then he his share of the spoil and executed a with his feet as if to restore the circulation was the last to help himself lie made a dash at the money and retired to the other end of the apartment stuck upright in the chair and drew out the dagger which was followed by a jet of blood you fellows had better be moving he said as he wiped the blade on his victim s think we had returned with a a lodging for the night damn his fat head he broke out it sticks in my throat hke what right has a man to have red hair when he is dead v and he fell all of a heap again upon the stool and fairly covered his face with his hands and laughed aloud even feebly in cry baby said the i always said he was a woman added with a sneer sit up can t you he went on giving another shake to the murdered body tread out that fire nick but nick was better employed he was quietly taking s purse as the poet sat limp and trembling on the stool where he had been making a not three minutes before and demanded a share of the which the silently promised as he passed the little bag into the bosom of his gown in many ways an nature a man for practical existence no sooner had the been accomplished than shook himself jumped to his feet and began helping to scatter and the embers meanwhile opened the door and cautiously peered into the street the coast was clear there was no in sight still it was judged wiser to slip out and as was himself in a hurry to escape from the neighborhood of the dead and the rest were in a still greater hurry to get rid of him before he should discover the loss of his money he was the first by general consent to issue forth into the street the wind had and swept all the clouds from heaven only a few as thin as moonlight rapidly across the stars it was bitter cold and by a common effect things seemed almost more definite than in the daylight the sleeping city was absolutely still a company of white a field full of little below the new nights ling stars cursed his fortune would it were still now wherever he went he left an trail behind him on the glittering streets wherever he went he was still to the house by the of st john wherever he went he must with his own feet the rope that bound him to the crime and would bind him to the gallows the of the dead man came back to him with a new significance he snapped his fingers | 38 |
as if to pluck up his own spirits and choosing a street at random stepped boldly d in the snow two things him as he went the aspect of the gallows at in this bright windy phase of the night s existence for one and for another the look of the dead man with his bald head and of red curls both struck cold upon his heart and he kept his pace as if he could escape from unpleasant thoughts by mere of foot sometimes he looked back over his shoulder with a sudden nervous jerk but he was the only moving thing in the white streets except when the wind round a comer and threw up the snow which was beginning to in of glittering dust suddenly he saw a long way before him a black and a couple of the was in motion and the swung as though carried by men walking it was a and though it was merely crossing his line of march he judged it wiser to get out of as speedily as he could he was not in the humor to be and he was conscious of making a very conspicuous mark upon the snow just on his left hand there stood a great hotel with some and a large porch before the door it was half he remembered and had long stood empty and so he made three steps of it and jumped into the shelter of the porch it was pretty dark inside after the glimmer of the snowy streets and he was groping forward with hands when he stumbled over some substance which offered an a lodging for the night ble mixture of hard and soft firm and loose his heart gave a leap and he steps back and stared dreadfully at the then he gave a little laugh of relief it was only a woman and she dead he knelt beside her to make sure upon this latter point she was cold and rigid like a stick a little ragged finery fluttered in the wind about her hair and her cheeks had been heavily that same afternoon her pockets were quite empty but in her underneath the found two of the small that went by the name of it was little enough but it was always something and the poet was moved with a deep sense of pathos that she should have died before she had spent her money that seemed to him a dark and pitiable mystery and he looked from the in his hand to the dead woman and back again to the shaking his head over the riddle of man s life henry v of england dying at just after he had conquered france and this poor cut off by a cold in a great man s doorway before she had time to spend her couple of it seemed a cruel way to carry on the world two would have taken such a little while to and yet it would have been one more good taste in the mouth one more of the lips before the devil got the soul and the body was left to birds and he would like to use all his before the light was blown out and the lantern broken while these thoughts were passing through his mind he was feeling half mechanically for his purse suddenly his heart stopped beating a feeling of cold scales passed up the back of his legs and a cold blow seemed to fall upon his he stood for a moment then he felt again with one feverish movement and then his loss burst upon him and he was covered at once with perspiration to money is so living and actual it is such a thin veil between them and their pleasures there is only one ne w nights limit to their fortune that of time and a with only a few crowns is the emperor of rome until they are spent for such a person to lose his money is to suffer the most shocking reverse and fall from heaven to hell from all to nothing in a breath and all the more if he has put his head in the for it if he may be hanged to morrow for tliat same purse so dearly earned so foolishly departed stood and cursed he threw the two into the street he shook his fist at heaven he stamped and was not to find himself the poor corpse then he began rapidly to his steps towards the house beside the he had forgotten all fear of the which was long gone by at any rate and had no idea but that of his lost purse it was in vain that he looked right and left upon the snow nothing was to be seen he had not dropped it in the streets had it fallen in the house he would have liked dearly to go in and see but the idea of the him and he saw besides as he drew near that their efforts to put out the fire had been unsuccessful on the contrary if had broken into a blaze and a light played in the of door and window and revived his terror for the authorities and paris he returned to the hotel with the porch and about upon the snow for the money he had thrown away in his childish but he could only find one white the other had probably struck sideways and sunk deeply in with a single white in his pocket all his projects for a rousing night in some wild tavern vanished utterly away and it was not only pleasure that fled laughing from his grasp positive discomfort positive pain attacked him as he stood before the porch his perspiration had dried upon him and although the wind had now fallen a binding frost was setting in stronger with every hour and he felt and sick | 38 |
at heart what was to be done late as was the hour improbable as was success he a lodging for the night c would try the house of his adopted father the of st he ran there all the way and knocked timidly there was no answer he knocked again and again taking heart with every stroke and at last steps were heard approaching from within a barred fell open in the iron studded door and a of yellow light hold up your face to the said the from within it s only me oh it s only you is it returned the and he cursed him with foul oaths for disturbing him at such an hour and bade him be off to hell where he came from my hands are blue to the wrist pleaded my feet are dead and full of my nose with the sharp air the cold lies at my heart i may be dead before morning only this once father and before god i will never ask again you should have come earlier said the coolly young men require a now and then he shut the and retired deliberately into the interior of the house was beside himself he beat upon the door with his hands and feet and shouted hoarsely after the old fox he cried if i had my hand under your twist i would send you flying headlong into the pit a door shut in the interior faintly audible to the poet down long passages he passed his hand over his mouth with an oath and then the humor of the situation struck him and he laughed and looked lightly up to heaven where the stars seemed to be over his discomfiture what was to be done it looked very like a night in the frosty streets the idea of the dead woman into his imagination and gave him a hearty new nights fright what had happened to her in the early night might very well happen to him before morning and he so young and with such immense possibilities of amusement before him he felt quite pathetic over the notion of his own fate as if it had been some one else s and made a little imaginative of the scene in the morning when they should find his body he passed all his chances under review turning the white between his thumb and forefinger unfortunately he was on bad terms with some old friends who would once have taken pity on him in such a plight he had them in verses he had beaten and cheated them and yet now when he was in so close a pinch he thought there was at least one who might perhaps it was a chance it was worth trying at least and he would go and see on the way two little accidents happened to him which colored his in a very different manner for first he fell in with the track of a and walked in it for some hundred yards although it lay out of his direction and this spirited him up at least he had confused his trail for he was still possessed with the idea of people him all about paris over the snow and him next morning before he was awake the other matter affected him quite differently he passed a street corner where not so long before a woman and her child had been devoured by wolves this was just the kind of weather he reflected when wolves might take it into their heads to enter paris again and a lone man in these deserted streets would run the chance of something worse than a mere scare he stopped and looked upon the place with an unpleasant interest it was a centre where several lanes each other and he looked down them all one after another and held his breath to listen lest he should detect ome galloping black things on the snow or hear the sound of howling be him and the river he remembered his a lodging for the night telling him the story and pointing out the spot while he was yet a child his mother i if he only knew where she lived he might make sure at least of shelter he determined he would inquire upon the morrow nay he would go and see her too poor old girl so thinking he arrived sit his destination his last hope for the night the house was quite dark like its neighbors and yet after a few he heard a movement overhead a door opening and a cautious voice asking who was there the poet named himself in a loud whisper and waited not it the result nor had he to wait long a window was suddenly opened and a of down upon the had not been unprepared for something of the sort and had put himself as much in shelter as the nature of the porch admitted but for all that he was below the waist his began to almost at once death from cold and exposure stared him in the face he remembered he was of tendency and began but the gravity of the danger his nerves he stopped a few hundred yards from the door where he had been so rudely used and reflected with his finger to his nose he could only see one way of getting a lodging and that was to take it he had noticed a house not far away which looked as if it might be easily broken into and thither he himself promptly entertaining himself on the way with the idea of a room still hot with a table still loaded with the remains of supper where he might pass the rest of the black hours and whence he should issue on the morrow with an of valuable plate he even considered on what and what he should prefer and as he was | 38 |
calling the roll of his favorite roast fish presented itself to his mind with an odd mixture of amusement and horror i shall never finish that he thought to himself and then with another shudder at the new nights oh damn his fat head he repeated fervently and upon the snow the house in question looked dark at first sight but as made a preliminary in search of the point of attack a little twinkle of light caught his eye from behind a window the devil he thought people awake some student or some saint confound the crew can t they get drunk and lie in bed like their neighbors what s the good of and poor devils of jumping at a rope s end in bell towers what s the use of day if people sit up all night the to them he grinned as he saw where his logic was leading him every man to his business after all added he and if they re awake by the lord i may come by a supper honestly for once and cheat the devil he went boldly to the door and knocked with an assured hand on both previous occasions he had knocked timidly and with some dread of notice but now when he had just discarded the thought of a entry knocking at a door seemed a mighty simple and innocent proceeding the sound of his blows echoed through the house with thin as though it were quite empty but these had scarcely died away before a measured tread drew near a couple of were withdrawn and one wing was opened as though no or fear of were known to those within a tall figure of a man muscular and spare but a little bent confronted the head was massive in bulk but finely the nose blunt at the bottom but upward to where it joined a pair of strong and honest eyebrows the mouth and eyes surrounded with delicate and the whole face based upon a thick white beard boldly and trimmed seen as it was by the light of a flickering hand lamp it looked perhaps nobler than it had a right a for the night to do but it was a fine face honorable rather than intelligent strong simple and righteous you knock late sir said the old man in courteous tones and brought up many words of apology at a crisis of this sort the beggar was uppermost in him and the man of genius hid his head with confusion you are cold repeated the old man and hungry well step in and he ordered him into the house with a noble enough gesture some great thought as his host setting down the lamp on the pavement of the entry shot the once more into their places you will pardon me if i go in front he said when this was done and he preceded the poet upstairs into a large apartment warmed with a pan of and lit by a great lamp hanging from the roof it was very bare of furniture only some gold plate on a some and a stand of between the windows some smart hung upon the walls representing the of our lord in one piece and in another a scene of and by a running stream over the chimney was a shield of arms will you seat said the old man and forgive me if i leave you am alone in my house to ht and if you are to eat i must for you myself no sooner was his host gone than leaped from the chair on which he had just seated himself and b examining the room with the and passion of a cat he weighed the gold in his hand opened all the and the arms upon the shield and the stuff with which the seats were lined he raised the window curtains and saw that the windows were set with rich stained glass in figures so far as he could see of martial import then he stood in the middle of the room drew a long breath o ne w nights and retaining it with puffed cheeks looked round and round him turning on his heels as if to impress every feature of the apartment on his memory seven pieces of plate he said if there had been ten i would have risked it a fine house and a fine old master so help me all the saints and just then hearing the old man s tread returning along the corridor he stole back to his chair and began humbly his wet legs before the pan his had a plate of meat in one hand and a of wine in the other he sat down the plate upon the table to draw in his chair and going to the brought back two which he filled i drink your better fortune he said gravely touching s cup with his own to our better acquaintance said the poet growing bold a mere man of the people would have been awed by the courtesy of the old but was hardened in that matter he had made mirth for great lords before now and found them as black as himself and so he devoted himself to the with a while the old man leaning backward watched him with steady curious eyes you have blood on your shoulder my man he said must have laid his wet right hand upon him as he left the house he cursed in his heart it was none of my shedding he stammered i had not supposed so returned his host a well something of that sort admitted with a perhaps a fellow murdered oh no not murdered said the poet more and more confused it was all fair play murdered by a lodging for the night accident i had no hand in it god strike me dead he added fervently one rogue | 38 |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.