THE ELIXIR.
On beholding the well-remembered roof and gables of the old mansion
peeping from out the grove of trees in which it was embosomed, Viviana's
heart died away within her. The thought that her father, who had so
recently quitted it in the full enjoyment of health, and of every
worldly blessing, should be so soon brought back a corpse, was almost
too agonizing for endurance. Reflecting, however, that this was no
season for the indulgence of grief, but that she was called upon to act
with firmness, she bore up resolutely against her emotion.
Arrived within a short distance of the Hall, Catesby caused the little
train to halt under the shelter of the trees, while he rode forward to
ascertain that they could safely approach it. As he drew near,
everything proclaimed that the hand of the spoiler had been there.
Crossing the drawbridge, he entered the court, which bore abundant marks
of the devastation recently committed. Various articles of furniture,
broken, burnt, or otherwise destroyed, were lying scattered about. The
glass in the windows was shivered; the doors forced from their hinges;
the stone-copings of the walls pushed off; the flower-beds trampled
upon; the moat itself was in some places choked up with rubbish, while
in others its surface was covered with floating pieces of timber.
Led by curiosity Catesby proceeded to the spot where the stables had
stood. Nothing but a heap of blackened ruins met his gaze. Scarcely
one stone was standing on another. The appearance of the place was so
desolate and disheartening, that he turned away instantly. Leaving his
horse in a shed, he entered the house. Here, again, he encountered fresh
ravages. The oak-panels and skirting-boards were torn from the walls;
the ceilings pulled down; and the floor lay inch-deep in broken plaster
and dust. On ascending to the upper rooms, he found the same disorder.
The banisters of the stairs were broken; the bedsteads destroyed; the
roof partially untiled. Every room was thickly strewn with leaves torn
from valuable books, with fragments of apparel, and other articles,
which the searchers not being able to carry off had wantonly destroyed.
Having contemplated this scene of havoc for some time, with feelings of
the bitterest indignation, Catesby descended to the lowest story; and,
after searching ineffectually for the domestics, was about to depart,
when, turning suddenly, he perceived a man watching him from an
adjoining room. Catesby instantly called to him; but, seeing that the
fellow disregarded his assurances, and was about to take to his heels,
he drew his sword, and threatened him with severe punishment if he
attempted to fly. Thus exhorted, the man--who was no other than the
younger Heydocke--advanced towards him; and throwing himself at his
feet, begged him in the most piteous terms to do him no injury.
"I have already told you I am a friend," replied Catesby, sheathing his
sword.
"Ah! Mr. Catesby, is it you I behold?" cried Martin Heydocke, whose
fears had hitherto prevented him from noticing the features of the
intruder. "What brings your worship to this ill-fated house?"
"First let me know if there is any enemy about?" replied Catesby.
"None that I am aware of," rejoined Martin. "Having ransacked the
premises, and done all the mischief they could, as you perceive, the
miscreants departed the day before yesterday, and I have seen nothing of
them since, though I have been constantly on the watch. The only alarm I
have had was that occasioned by your worship just now."
"Are you alone here?" demanded Catesby.
"No, your worship," answered Martin. "There are several of the servants
concealed in a secret passage under the house. But they are so terrified
by what has lately happened, that they never dare show themselves,
except during the night-time."
"I do not wonder at it," replied Catesby.
"And now may I inquire whether your worship brings any tidings of Sir
William Radcliffe and Mistress Viviana?" rejoined Martin. "I hope no ill
has befallen them. My father, old Jerome Heydocke, set out to Holywell
a few days ago, to apprise them of their danger, and I have not heard of
them since."
"Sir William Radcliffe is dead," replied Catesby. "The villains have
murdered him. Your father is a prisoner."
"Alas! alas!" cried the young man, bursting into tears; "these are
fearful times to live in. What will become of us all?"
"We must rise against the oppressor," replied Catesby, sternly. "Bite
the heel that tramples upon us."
"We must," rejoined Martin. "And if my poor arm could avail, it should
not be slow to strike."
"Manfully resolved!" cried Catesby, who never lost an opportunity of
gaining a proselyte. "I will point out to you a way by which you may
accomplish what you desire. But we will talk of this hereafter. Hoard up
your vengeance till the fitting moment for action arrives."
He then proceeded to explain to the young man, who was greatly surprised
by the intelligence, that Viviana was at hand, and that the body of Sir
William had been brought thither for interment in the family vault at
the Collegiate Church. Having ascertained that there was a chamber,
which, having suffered less than the others, might serve for Viviana's
accommodation, Catesby returned to the party.
A more melancholy cavalcade has been seldom seen than now approached the
gates of Ordsall Hall. First rode Viviana, in an agony of tears, for her
grief had by this time become absolutely uncontrollable, with Catesby on
foot, leading her horse. Next came Garnet, greatly exhausted and
depressed; his eyes cast dejectedly on the ground. Then came the litter,
containing Guy Fawkes; and, lastly, the vehicle with the body of Sir
William Radcliffe. On arriving at the gate, Viviana was met by two
female servants, whom Martin Heydocke had summoned from their
hiding-places; and, as soon as she had dismounted, she was supported,
for she was scarcely able to walk unaided, to the chamber destined for
her reception. This done, Catesby proceeded, with some anxiety, to
superintend the removal of Fawkes, who was perfectly insensible. His
wound had bled considerably during the journey; but the effusion had
stopped when the faintness supervened. He was placed in one of the lower
rooms till a sleeping-chamber could be prepared for him. The last task
was to attend to the remains of the late unfortunate possessor of the
mansion. By Catesby's directions a large oak table, once occupying the
great hall, was removed to the Star Chamber, already described as the
principal room of the house; and, being securely propped up,--for, like
the rest of the furniture, it had been much damaged by the spoilers,
though, being of substantial material, it offered greater resistance to
their efforts,--the shell containing the body was placed upon it.
"Better he should lie thus," exclaimed Catesby, when the melancholy
office was completed, "than live to witness the wreck around him. Fatal
as are these occurrences," he added, pursuing the train of thought
suggested by the scene, "they are yet favourable to my purpose. The only
person who could have prevented my union with Viviana Radcliffe--her
father--lies there. Who would have thought when she rejected my proposal
a few days ago, in this very room, how fortune would conspire--and by
what dark and inscrutable means--to bring it about! Fallen as it is,
this house is not yet fallen so low, but I can reinstate it. Its young
mistress mine, her estates mine,--for she is now inheritress of all her
father's possessions,--the utmost reach of my ambition were gained, and
all but one object of my life--for which I have dared so much, and
struggled so long--achieved!"
"What are you thinking of, my son?" asked Garnet, who had watched the
changing expression of his sombre countenance,--"what are you thinking
of?" he said, tapping him on the shoulder.
"Of that which is never absent from my thoughts, father--the great
design," replied Catesby; "and of the means of its accomplishment, which
this sad scene suggests."
"I do not understand you, my son," rejoined the other.
"Does not Radcliffe's blood cry aloud for vengeance?" continued Catesby;
"and think you his child will be deaf to the cry? No, father, she will
no longer tamely submit to wrongs that would steel the gentlest bosom,
and make firm the feeblest arm, but will go hand and heart with us in
our project. Viviana must be mine," he added, altering his tone, "ours,
I should say,--for, if she is mine, all the vast possessions that have
accrued to her by her father's death shall be devoted to the furtherance
of the mighty enterprise."
"I cannot think she will refuse you now, my son," replied Garnet.
"She _shall not_ refuse me, father," rejoined Catesby. "The time is gone
by for idle wooing."
"I will be no party to forcible measures, my son," returned Garnet,
gravely. "As far as persuasion goes, I will lend you every assistance in
my power, but nothing further."
"Persuasion is all that will be required, I am assured, father,"
answered Catesby, hastily, perceiving he had committed himself too far.
"But let us now see what can be done for Guy Fawkes."
"Would there was any hope of his life!" exclaimed Garnet, sighing
deeply. "In losing him, we lose the bravest of our band."
"We do," returned Catesby. "And yet he has been subject to strange
fancies of late."
"He has been appalled, but never shaken," rejoined Garnet. "Of all our
number, you and he were the only two upon whom I could rely. When he is
gone, you will stand alone."
Catesby made no reply, but led the way to the chamber where the wounded
man lay. He had regained his consciousness, but was too feeble to speak.
After such restoratives as were at hand had been administered, Catesby
was about to order a room to be fitted up for him, when Viviana, whose
anxiety for the sufferer had overcome her affliction, made her
appearance. On learning Catesby's intentions, she insisted upon Fawkes
being removed to the room allotted to her, which had not been dismantled
like the rest. Seeing it was in vain to oppose her, Catesby assented,
and the sufferer was accordingly carried thither, and placed within the
bed--a large antique piece of furniture, hung with faded damask
curtains. The room was one of the oldest in the house, and at the
further end stood a small closet, approached by an arched doorway, and
fitted up with a hassock and crucifix, which, strange to say, had
escaped the ravages of the searchers.
Placed within the couch, Guy Fawkes began to ramble as before about the
conspiracy; and fearing his ravings might awaken the suspicion of the
servants, Catesby would not suffer any of them to come near him, but
arranged with Garnet to keep watch over him by turns. By degrees, he
became more composed; and, after dozing a little, opened his eyes, and,
looking round, inquired anxiously for his sword. At first, Catesby, who
was alone with him at the time, hesitated in his answer, but seeing he
appeared greatly disturbed, he showed him that his hat, gauntlets, and
rapier were lying by the bedside.
"I am content," replied the wounded man, smiling faintly; "that sword
has never left my side, waking or sleeping, for twenty years. Let me
grasp it once more--perhaps for the last time."
Catesby handed him the weapon. He looked at it for a few moments, and
pressed the blade to his lips.
"Farewell, old friend!" he said, a tear gathering in his eye, "farewell!
Catesby," he added, as he resigned the weapon to him, "I have one
request to make. Let my sword be buried with me."
"It shall," replied Catesby, in a voice suffocated by emotion, for the
request touched him where his stern nature was most accessible: "I will
place it by you myself."
"Thanks!" exclaimed Fawkes. And soon after this, he again fell into a
slumber.
His sleep endured for some hours; but his breathing grew fainter and
fainter, so that at the last it was scarcely perceptible. A striking
change had likewise taken place in his countenance, and these signs
convinced Catesby he had not long to live. While he was watching him
with great anxiety, Viviana appeared at the door of the chamber, and
beckoned him out. Noiselessly obeying the summons, and following her
along the gallery, he entered a room where he found Garnet.
"I have called you to say that a remedy has been suggested to me by
Martin Heydocke," observed Viviana, "by which I trust Guy Fawkes may yet
be saved."
"How?" asked Catesby, eagerly.
"Doctor Dee, the warden of Manchester, of whom you must have heard," she
continued, "is said to possess an elixir of such virtue, that a few
drops of it will snatch him who drinks them from the very jaws of
death."
"I should not have suspected you of so much credulity, Viviana," replied
Catesby; "but grant that Doctor Dee possesses this marvellous
elixir--which for my own part I doubt--how are we to obtain it?"
"If you will repair to the college, and see him, I doubt not he will
give it you," rejoined Viviana.
Catesby smiled incredulously.
"I have a claim upon Doctor Dee," she persisted, "which I have never
enforced. I will now use it. Show him this token," she continued,
detaching a small ornament from her neck; "tell him you bring it from
me, and I am sure he will comply with your request."
"Your commands shall be obeyed, Viviana," replied Catesby; "but I
frankly confess I have no faith in the remedy."
"It is at least worth the trial, my son," observed Garnet. "Doctor Dee
is a wonderful person, and has made many discoveries in medicine, as in
other sciences, and this marvellous specific may, for aught we know,
turn out no imposture."
"If such is your opinion," replied Catesby, "I will set out at once. If
it is to be tried at all, it must be without delay. The poor sufferer is
sinking fast."
"Go then," cried Viviana, "and heaven speed your mission! If you could
prevail upon Doctor Dee to visit the wounded man in person, I should
prefer it. Besides, I have another request to make of him--but that will
do hereafter. Lose not a moment now."
"I will fly on the wings of the wind," replied Catesby. "Heaven grant
that when I return the object of our solicitude may not be past all
human aid!"
With this, he hurried to an out-building in which the horses were
placed, and choosing the strongest and fleetest from out their number,
mounted, and started at full gallop in the direction of Manchester; nor
did he relax his speed until he reached the gates of the ancient
College. Hanging the bridle of his smoking steed to a hook in the wall,
he crossed the large quadrangular court; and finding the principal
entrance open, passed the lofty room now used as the refectory, ascended
the flight of stone stairs that conducts the modern visitor to the
library, and was traversing the long galleries communicating with it,
and now crowded with the learning of ages, bequeathed by the benevolence
of his rival, Humphrey Chetham, when he encountered a grave but
crafty-looking personage, in a loose brown robe and Polish cap, who
angrily demanded his business.
Apologizing for the intrusion, Catesby was about to explain, when a
small oak door near them was partly opened, and an authoritative voice,
from within, exclaimed, "Do not hinder him, Kelley. I know his business,
and will see him."
The seer made no further remark, but pointing to the door, Catesby at
once comprehended that it was Dee's voice he had heard; and, though
somewhat startled by the intimation that he was expected, entered the
room. He found the Doctor surrounded by his magical apparatus, and
slowly returning to the chair he had just quitted.
Without looking behind him to see whom he addressed, Dee continued, "I
have just consulted my show-stone, and know why you are come hither. You
bring a token from Viviana Radcliffe."
"I do," replied Catesby, in increased astonishment. "It is here."
"It is needless to produce it," replied Dee, still keeping his back
towards him. "I have seen it already. Kelley," he continued, "I am about
to set out for Ordsall Hall immediately. You must accompany me."
"Amazement!" cried Catesby. "Is the purpose of my visit then really
known to your reverence?"
"You shall hear," rejoined Dee, facing him. "You have a friend who is at
the point of death, and having heard that I possess an elixir of
wonderful efficacy, are come in quest of it."
"True," replied Catesby, utterly confounded.
"The name of that friend," pursued Dee, regarding him fixedly, "is Guy
Fawkes,--your own, Robert Catesby."
"I need no more to convince me, reverend sir," rejoined Catesby,
trembling, in spite of himself, "that all I have heard of your wonderful
powers falls far short of the truth."
"You are but just in time," replied Dee, bowing gravely, in
acknowledgment of the compliment. "Another hour, and it would have been
too late."
"Then you think he will live!" cried Catesby, eagerly.
"I am sure of it," replied Dee, "provided----"
"Provided what?" interrupted Catesby. "Is there aught I can do to ensure
his recovery?"
"No," replied Dee, sternly. "I am debating within myself whether it is
worth while reviving him for a more dreadful fate."
"What mean you, reverend sir?" asked Catesby, a shade passing over his
countenance.
"You understand my meaning, and therefore need no explanation," replied
Dee. "Return to Ordsall Hall, and tell Miss Radcliffe I will be there in
an hour. Bid her have no further fear. If the wounded man breathes when
I arrive, I will undertake to cure him. Add further, that I know the
other request she desires to make of me, and that it is granted before
it is asked. Farewell, sir, for a short time."
On reaching the court, Catesby expanded his chest, shook his limbs, and
exclaimed, "At length, I breathe freely. The atmosphere of that infernal
chamber smelt so horribly of sulphur that it almost stifled me. Well, if
Doctor Dee has not dealings with the devil, man never had! However, if
he cures Guy Fawkes, I care not whence the medicine comes from."
As he descended Smithy Bank, and was about to cross the old bridge over
the Irwell, he perceived a man riding before him, who seemed anxious to
avoid him. Struck by this person's manner, he urged his horse into a
quicker pace, and being better mounted of the two, soon overtook him,
when to his surprise he found it was Martin Heydocke.
"What are you doing here, sirrah?" he demanded.
"I have been sent by Mistress Viviana with a message to Mr. Humphrey
Chetham," replied the young man, in great confusion.
"Indeed!" exclaimed Catesby, angrily. "And how dared you convey a
message to him, without consulting me on the subject?"
"I was not aware you were my master," replied Martin, sulkily. "If I owe
obedience to any one, it is to Mr. Chetham, whose servant I am. But if
Mistress Viviana gives me a message to deliver, I will execute her
commands, whoever may be pleased or displeased."
"I did but jest, thou saucy knave," returned Catesby, who did not desire
to offend him. "Here is a piece of money for thee. Now, if it be no
secret, what was Miss Radcliffe's message to thy master?"
"I know not what her letter contained," replied Martin; "but his answer
was, that he would come to the hall at midnight."
"It is well I ascertained this," thought Catesby, and he added aloud, "I
understood your master had been arrested and imprisoned."
"So he was," replied Martin; "but he had interest enough with the
Commissioners to procure his liberation."
"Enough," replied Catesby; and striking spurs into his charger, he
dashed off.
A quarter of an hour's hard riding brought him to the hall, and, on
arriving there, he proceeded at once to the wounded man's chamber, where
he found Viviana and Garnet.
"Have you succeeded in your errand?" cried the former, eagerly. "Will
Doctor Dee come, or has he sent the elixir?"
"He will bring it himself," replied Catesby.
Viviana uttered an exclamation of joy, and the sound appeared to reach
the ears of the sufferer, for he stirred, and groaned faintly.
"Doctor Dee desired me to tell you," continued Catesby, drawing Viviana
aside, and speaking in a low tone, "that your other request was
granted."
Viviana looked surprised, and as if she did not clearly understand him.
"Might he not refer to Humphrey Chetham?" remarked Catesby, somewhat
maliciously.
"Ah! you have learnt from Martin Heydocke that I have written to him,"
returned Viviana, blushing deeply. "What I was about to ask of Doctor
Dee had no reference to Humphrey Chetham. It was to request permission
to privately inter my father's remains in our family vault in the
Collegiate Church. But how did he know I had any request to make?"
"That passes my comprehension," replied Catesby, "unless he obtained his
information from his familiar spirits."
Shortly after this, Dr. Dee and Kelley arrived at the hall. Catesby met
them at the gate, and conducted them to the wounded man's chamber.
Coldly saluting Garnet, whom he eyed with suspicion, and bowing
respectfully to Viviana, the Doctor slowly advanced to the bedside. He
gazed for a short time at the wounded man, and folded his arms
thoughtfully upon his breast. The eyes of the sufferer were closed, and
his lips slightly apart, but no breath seemed to issue from them. His
bronzed complexion had assumed the ghastly hue of death, and his
strongly-marked features had become fixed and rigid. His black hair,
stiffened and caked with blood, escaped from the bandages around his
head, and hung in elf locks on the pillow. It was a piteous spectacle;
and Doctor Dee appeared much moved by it.
"The worst is over," he muttered: "why recall the spirit to its wretched
tenement?"
"If you can save him, reverend sir, do not hesitate," implored Viviana.
"I am come hither for that purpose," replied Dee; "but I must have no
other witness to the experiment except yourself, and my attendant
Kelley."
"I do not desire to be present, reverend sir," replied Viviana; "but I
will retire into that closet, and pray that your remedy may prevail."
"My prayers for the same end shall be offered in the adjoining room,"
observed Garnet; and taking Catesby's arm, who seemed spell-bound by
curiosity, he dragged him away.
The door closed, and Viviana withdrew into the closet, where she knelt
down before the crucifix. Doctor Dee seated himself on the bedside; and
taking a gourd-shaped bottle, filled with a clear sparkling liquid, from
beneath his robe, he raised it to his eyes with his left hand, while he
placed his right on the wrist of the wounded man. In this attitude he
continued for a few seconds, while Kelley, with his arms folded,
likewise kept his gaze fixed on the phial. At the expiration of that
time, Dee, who had apparently counted the pulsations of the sufferer,
took out the glass stopper from the bottle, the contents of which
diffused a pungent odour around; and wetting a small piece of linen with
it, applied it to his temples. He then desired Kelley to raise his head,
and poured a few drops down his throat. This done, he waited a few
minutes, and repeated the application.
"Look!" he cried to Kelley. "The elixir already begins to operate. His
chest heaves. His limbs shiver. That flush upon the cheek, and that
dampness upon the brow, denote that the animal heat is restored. A third
draught will accomplish the cure."
"I can already feel his heart palpitate," observed Kelley, placing his
hand on the patient's breast.
"Heaven be praised!" ejaculated Viviana, who had suspended her devotions
to listen.
"Hold him tightly," cried Dee to his assistant, "while I administer the
last draught. He may injure himself by his struggles."
Kelley obeyed, and twined his arms tightly round the wounded man. And
fortunate it was that the precaution was taken, for the elixir was no
sooner poured down his throat than his chest began to labour violently,
his eyes opened, and, raising himself bolt-upright, he struggled
violently to break from the hold imposed upon him. This he would have
effected, if Dee had not likewise lent his aid to prevent him.
"This is, indeed, a wonderful sight!" cried Viviana, who had quitted the
closet, and now gazed on, in awe and astonishment. "I can never be
sufficiently thankful to you, reverend sir."
"Give thanks to Him to whom alone they are due," replied Dee. "Summon
your friends. They may now resume their posts. My task is accomplished."
Catesby and Garnet being called into the room, could scarcely credit
their senses when they beheld Guy Fawkes, who by this time had ceased
struggling, reclining on Kelley's shoulder, and, except a certain
wildness in the eye and cadaverousness of hue, looking as he was wont to
do.
[Illustration: _Doctor Dee resuscitating Guy Fawkes_]