IN THE ABBEY CHURCH.
It was as the clock at the cathedral boomed out eight on the next night
but one that the old abbey church of St Jacob, which by some is called
the Scots church, by reason that the Benedictines to whom it once
belonged were mostly of Scottish or Irish parentage, was dimly lit as to
a chapel on the left side of the choir.
Nigel groped his way up the nave towards it. Another shadow crept out of
the darkness of a side door on the northern side, and as it came into
the dim circle of light from the single swinging lamp depending from the
arch of the chapel, Nigel made out that it was a woman, and that woman
the Archduchess Stephanie.
They exchanged a whispered greeting and knelt down together upon the
cushion prepared for them upon the threshold of the chapel. Two men
entered by the door of the nave, cloaked, booted, and spurred, as was
Nigel, and strode with firm steps up towards the same chapel, and
halting sat down upon the nearest seat. They had doffed their hats as
they entered, hats with long plumes, and the cloaks did not altogether
conceal the steel gorgets which they wore, for the light, dim though it
was, caught them. Their stern war-worn faces looked steadily towards the
chapel.
From the small door beside the chapel came a priest and his acolyte, a
choir boy.
Rapidly the priest read through a short homily in an accent, though the
words were German, which betrayed an original acquaintance with the
country from which Nigel sprang.
Then he proceeded with more deliberation to recite the marriage service
and to ask the questions and to prompt the replies which are therein set
forth.
Low and prompt and firm came the answers from Nigel. Low and musical,
though not without some tremor in her utterance, came the responses from
the Archduchess Stephanie.
Then came the moment of intense solemnity when the priest placed the
ring upon her finger with the words, "Conjungo vos," and an
irrepressible sigh came from her, the sigh of relief after a suspense
not so long as profound. Still they knelt, and the priest began to
celebrate the sacrament of the Mass preparatory to giving the two souls
before him the blessing of Holy Church.
The two knelt oblivious to everything but the presence of one another,
and their ears strained not to lose any of the precious words which fell
from the priest's lips--words long familiar, sanctified in themselves,
sanctified further by long usage, thrice holy in being uttered on this
most solemn occasion in their lives.
But while they knelt a procession of shadows seemed to the two onlookers
to come into the church, stealthily and slowly, and the two looking
round as stealthily, saw that a portion of the nave, and of the side
aisles, was being filled. Very quietly one of the two men departed by
the door by which the Archduchess had come. He was there one instant,
the next he had melted into the shadow.
The mass went on. The acolyte did his office. The priest his. Not a
falter came into his voice. He seemed even more absorbed in his office
than his two kneeling listeners.
Scarcely had he pronounced his final benediction, to which the now
solitary onlooker added a deep-toned "Amen," than all four, Nigel and
his Archduchess just risen from their knees, the solitary onlooker, and
the priest, were startled by the sound of a trumpet, and in a trice the
church seemed to be filled with lighted torches.
The light fell upon a noble assemblage, which moved forward to the open
space before the choir.
In the forefront were the Elector Maximilian and the Archduke Ferdinand.
Behind them came the principal officers of their suite and of the
garrison.
Upon the faces of the Elector and of the Archduke sat stern
determination. Upon the others, more or less attuned to those of their
masters, sat a natural wonder, and on some something of dismay. They had
been bidden. They had come. They could only wonder what reason could
bring the Elector and his guest to the St Jacob's church at such a time.
Round about stood a guard of perhaps fifty men of the Elector's
bodyguard, bearing torches and arms.
As the facts gradually displaced the first natural burst of astonishment
in the mind of Nigel and the Archduchess, they drew involuntarily closer
together, and the priest preceding them with the paten still in his hand
they approached the Elector.
The priest said in a loud clear voice--
"Be it known to your Highnesses and all men and all women that the
Archduchess Stephanie has this day espoused Nigel Charteris of
Pencaitland and has become his wife. They are now man and wife according
to the ordinance and the blessing of Holy Church. Let no man seek to
separate them on pain of the loss of his eternal salvation. Amen."
"Good Father," said the Elector, "you have now done your office. We
also, as representing the Emperor, the faithful son of the Church, do
pronounce that, insomuch as the Archduchess has taken upon herself to
marry in direct disobedience to her father's wishes, she is hereby cast
out from his family, and from all the rights and privileges of her
birth, and henceforth will enjoy neither princely rank nor any fortune
except such as she may still hold according to the law as a private
person."
"And now," said the Archduke Ferdinand, "insomuch as General Nigel
Charteris, being a trusted officer of the Emperor, has endeavoured to
desert, carrying with him the daughter of the Emperor and our sister, in
which he has committed two heinous crimes against the Emperor's majesty,
he will be immediately arrested and tried by a court-martial for the
first crime, and by ourselves for the second. Of the issue there can be
no doubt."
"I deny, your Highness," said Nigel in a loud firm voice, "that I ever
had the intention of deserting the Emperor's service. Nor have your
Highnesses any evidence of such intention. My services are a complete
answer to the charge.
"As to marrying the Archduchess Stephanie, I am a Scottish gentleman
whose forebears are of as old and gentle a race as your own. I admit the
right of no man, be he called Elector or Emperor, to say me nay."
"Arrest him!" said the Archduke.
"You must reach him through my body!" said the Archduchess, throwing
herself in front of Nigel.
"You had best bid your lover good-bye, and waste no words!" said the
Elector grimly, and motioned the captain of the guard to come forward.
"Halt!" rang out a grim harsh voice, which resounded strangely through
the domes and hollows of the church.
And the solitary onlooker of the two, who had witnessed the marriage,
strode into the ring of light, fronting the Elector.
"I am Sir John Hepburn of the Scots Brigade, serving Gustavus of
Sweden!"
The Elector scanned his lineaments. The Archduke had never seen this
renowned leader in the field as the Elector had, and was inclined to
doubt.
"You are a bold knight to place yourself in the hands of your enemies
like this!" said the Elector. "The age of chivalry is past, if it ever
was! What have you to say?"
"But this, your Highness! I crave nothing. The lands of Charteris and
the lands of Hepburn in broad Scotland march together. We fight on
different sides, but we do not forget for all that and all that, that we
are brother Scots the world o'er. I came here to witness the wedding of
Nigel Charteris to Stephanie of Habsburg. I have seen it and shall
return to Gustavus."
"We shall not hinder you, Sir John Hepburn," said the Elector. "The men
of your nation have strange customs, and it may be this is one of them
to penetrate into the enemy's camp to carry out a domestic rite. You are
free to go as you have come!"
"Free to go!" The voice rang out like a gusty clarion. "Look around you!
It is for us to do as we will. You are all prisoners, every one of you."
Involuntarily Elector, Archduke, officers, gentlemen, and ladies turned
their heads apprehensively.
Out of the semi-darkness beyond the ring of the torches gleamed
rough-bearded faces and the glint of a hundred claymores. Nay there were
two hundred, three hundred. The effect of the darkness was doubtless to
add a mystery to what they saw.
An officer sprang towards the door to raise the alarm. It was useless.
The hilt of a sword knocked him senseless upon the stones.
"Do you see my warrant? Aye! I know well you do. What I undertake I
carry out. Here and now deliver Nigel Charteris his safe-conduct to join
Wallenstein, and I wager he will yet do the Emperor more service than he
has yet done, though I would fain he was upon our side instead of
against us. Come, your Highness! To the sacristy and sign the priest's
book and a safe-conduct. Swallow your arrests and your court-martial! As
for the Archduchess, she will after her man or she is no true woman."
The Elector and the Archduke exchanged looks. Their guard was hopelessly
outnumbered, and it was clear that Sir John Hepburn held them in the
hollow of his hand.
"If the Scots are like you, Sir John Hepburn!" said the Archduchess,
holding out her hand, which the Scots leader bowed over and kissed in
courtly fashion, "I am glad to marry a Scot. Next to my husband shall I
rank you as the first of my friends."
"Aye, madame, and yonder Sir Archibald Ruthven as the second, for he it
was who brought up our little army. Now let us sign!"
He motioned to the Elector and the Archduke.
The priest led the way to the sacristy, and there, willy-nilly,
Maximilian of Bavaria and the Archduke Ferdinand wrote their names as
present at the marriage of Nigel Charteris and the Archduchess Stephanie
of Habsburg, and then, to Sir John's dictation, inscribed on parchment a
full safe-conduct which, if words could do it, granted safety to the
newly-wedded pair from all reprisals or attacks from Imperial troops or
officers, so long as Nigel Charteris remained in the Emperor's service,
and permitted his safe departure from Germany whensoever that service
should end.
Then at the doors of the church, when they were at length thrown open,
were found a coach and four horses, and an escort of horse, at the head
of which was the doughty Sergeant Blick, waiting to conduct their
beloved colonel upon the first stage of his journey.
With hearty hand-clasping and good wishes the colonel and his bride
mounted the coach and set out.
Then Sir John Hepburn courteously saluted the Elector and the Archduke,
and putting himself at the head of his men marched them to the western
gate at Ratisbon, lit by the torches of their foes, and set out upon his
ride back to Ingolstadt. Thus ended a hitherto unrecorded episode in the
Thirty Years' War, and a most momentous chapter in the history of Nigel
Charteris of Pencaitland and his rebel Habsburger.
THE END.
PRINTED BY WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS.
Blackwoods' Shilling Editions of Popular Novels.
Bound in Cloth. With Coloured Illustration on Wrapper.
_=By NEIL MUNRO.=_
THE DAFT DAYS.
FANCY FARM.
_=By IAN HAY.=_
"PIP": #A Romance of Youth#.
THE RIGHT STUFF.
A MAN'S MAN.
A SAFETY MATCH.
_=By MAUD DIVER.=_
CAPTAIN DESMOND, V.C.
THE GREAT AMULET.
CANDLES IN THE WIND.
_=By F. MARION CRAWFORD.=_
SARACINESCA.
_=By BETH ELLIS.=_
THE MOON OF BATH.
_=By KATHERINE CECIL THURSTON.=_
JOHN CHILCOTE, M.P.
_=By J. STORER CLOUSTON.=_
THE LUNATIC AT LARGE.
_=By SYDNEY C. GRIER.=_
THE POWER OF THE KEYS.
THE ADVANCED-GUARD.
_=By W. J. ECCOTT.=_
THE RED NEIGHBOUR.
_=By OLE LUK-OIE.=_
THE GREEN CURVE.
_=By HUGH FOULIS.=_
PARA HANDY.
_=By WYMOND CAREY.=_
"No. 101."
WILLIAM BLACKWOOD & SONS, #Edinburgh and London#.
Transcriber's Note:
Text in italics is marked with _underscore_, bold
text with the =equals sign= and small capitals with the #number sign#.
A number of printing errors have been corrected without comment (e.g.
missing quotation mark, missing letter).
There are some inconsistencies in how the author spelled German
cities/regions in the original publication. Notations in English, German
with umlauts and German without umlauts are found. The following changes
have been made: Wurzburg changed to Würzburg, Siebenburgen to
Siebenbürgen, Nuremburg to Nuremberg, Furstenberg and Furstenburg to
Fürstenberg.
On pg. 3 portable was changed to potable.
Archaic spelling retained.