"NOW THIS GOOD BLADE SHALL BE MY BRIDE."
"The bosom in anguish will often be wrung
That trusts to the words of a fair lady's tongue;
But true are the tones of my own gallant steel--
They never betray, and they never conceal.
I'll trust thee, my loved sword, wherever we be,
For the clang of my sabre is music to me."
QUARTER-MASTER ANDERSON.
It was not until Sir Digby Auld had quite gone that Gerty came to her
senses, and realized the position she had placed herself in. The comical
side of the situation struck her at the same time, and for a few moments
right merrily did she join the laugh with her old friend, Mr. Richards.
But she grew suddenly serious next minute.
"What have I done?" she cried; "and how _can_ I tell father?"
"You droll, provoking little puss!" said Richards. "Come and sit on my
knee here, as you always have done since you were a weary wee
hop-of-my-thumb."
"And will you tell me a story?" Gerty was smiling once more. "Then it
will just seem like old, old times, you know."
"Yes, of course. Once upon a time, then--oh, ever so long ago, because
no such things as I am going to tell you about could happen in our
day--once upon a time there lived, in a lonely house by the side of a
deep, dark forest, a lonely man, to whom the fairies had once given a
magic feather, plucked from the wing of a fairy goose; and whenever he
touched paper with this quill, lo, the paper was turned into gold! So he
amassed great wealth; but no one loved him when he went abroad, because,
though he had gold, he had no titles and he was sharp of speech. Only he
had one beautiful daughter, more fair than a houri of paradise; and she
loved her father very much--more even than she loved the roses in June,
or the wild birds that sang in the forest, or the stars that shone so
brightly on still, clear nights in winter.
"And this daughter was beloved by a youth who was surpassingly fair and
brave and comely; but, ah me! he was poor, and so the father despised
him.
"But one day there came from out of the dark depths of the forest a
prince in a splendid chariot, with six milk-white steeds, and the sound
of many trumpets blowing. This prince was stiff and somewhat old, yet he
said to the father: 'Give unto me your daughter, that I may wed her, and
she shall be my queen; then shall you be loved and honoured too, for you
shall have titles as well as wealth.'
"But the daughter loathed the elderly suitor. Nevertheless, that she
might see her father happy and titled, she gave the prince her hand, and
her father dowered her munificently, and--"
"Go on, Mr. Richards."
"Well, of course they lived happy ever afterwards."
"No, no, no, Mr. Richards; that isn't quite the end."
"Well, if I must tell you, I must. For a time, then, there was no one
more loved and honoured than Sylvina (for that was her pretty name), and
her father, too, was invited to the court of the prince. But the fame of
Sylvina's beauty and charms spread far and near, and hundreds visited
the prince who had never before been seen at his castle. Especially did
there come gay young sparks, with downy moustachelets to twirl, and
swords that tinkled at their heels; and so attentive were these crowds
of gallants that Sylvina never had time even to think, else her
thoughts might have gone back to her true lover, whom she had forsaken
in his poverty and sorrow, and whose white, distracted face often even
yet haunted her dreams at night, just as she had seen it for a moment
that day as she walked to the altar with the prince.
"But to the prince the young sparks were beyond measure attentive. They
seemed delighted of an evening to see him snug in his high-backed chair
by the fire; and one would run and bring his slippers and warm them,
another pulled off his shoes, while a third brought his wine, and a
fourth his hubble-bubble. Then they sang lullabies to him and patted his
shoulder till he fell asleep; then--
"But the prince awoke at last in every sense of the word. 'No longer,'
he cried, 'will I keep an open house that young sparks may pay
attentions to my wife. I will issue no more invitations, give no more
parties; Sylvina's father must return to his lonely house by the forest.
I and my bride will live but for each other.'
"He spoke thus because the green demon Jealousy had aroused him.
"So the prince dismissed nearly all his servants; and in his house by
the forest Sylvina's father was more lonesome now than ever. Sylvina
had been a dutiful daughter, and she tried hard to be a dutiful wife;
but nothing that she did was properly construed by her old husband. If
she laughed and was gay, he called her giddy; if she seemed sad, he told
her she was pining for her 'pauper lover;' if she showed him marked
affection, he thought she was but cajoling to deceive him. Ah dear, ah
dear, how miserable she was! for her ways were not his ways, because his
age was not hers."
Richards paused again.
"And the poor lover whom Sylvina deserted?" said Gerty. "Tell me about
him. Did he pine and die?"
"Oh no. But here comes Flora. I'll finish the story another day, Gerty."
"Why, this _is_ a pleasure!" cried Flora. "Who could have thought of
finding you here? I say, Gerty, let us keep Mr. Richards to ourselves
alone for the rest of the evening. My work is all complete, and father
is busy in his room. Supper in the boudoir here!--Not a word, Mr.
Richards; you have no say in the matter at all." Then Flora rang the
bell.
And a long delightful three hours the girls and their friend spent too.
It is almost needless to say that the chief subject of conversation was
Jack, or that Sir Digby Auld was not spoken of or thought of even once.
"Heigh-ho!" said Richards, as he stood in his room that night,
"heigh-ho! and I have come down to break bad tidings to Flora and her
father. How ever can I do it! A lawyer ought to have no heart, but I
have one. Worse luck! worse luck!"
The party next day at the Hall was a very gay affair, and never did
General Grant Mackenzie seem in better spirits, nor Gerty and Flora look
more bewitching or feel more happy. Mr. Keane, too, unbent himself, and
was far less crisp and frigid than any one had ever seen him. Keane did
not perhaps look a bit more happy than he felt, though he would not have
told his thoughts to any one, as he wandered to and fro in the grand old
beautifully-lighted rooms or out into the spacious gardens and
flower-laden conservatories. Everything had of late years conspired to
play into his hands. He had amassed money; he had spent but little.
Gerty was good, _so_ good, for she had promised to marry Sir
Digby--promised her father, that is; the other promise would come. Then
this splendid hall was _his_--Keane's--unless in a short time the
easy-minded, happy-go-lucky general managed to clear his feet. "Clear
his feet, indeed!" thought Keane; "how could he? No; the place would be
his. Then he could hold up his head in the county. And as for Sir Digby,
why, he could be easily managed after marriage. He was a trifle wild, he
had been told, but he believed he was wealthy, and he would--some
day--be a lord."
Every one loved the general and his beautiful but unassuming daughter.
There was no word of her being engaged to any one as yet, though such an
engagement might take place at any time. She was indeed a queenly girl.
Now suitors are usually a little afraid of queenly girls--not that there
are very many about, but though they may dispense their favours in kind
words and smiles, they do not flirt, and though warm-hearted deep down
in their soul-depths, there is no surface love to squander or to be
ruffled with every breath that blows. Such girls as Flora Grant
Mackenzie love but once, and that love is real and true. Flora's prince
would doubtless come. _She_ was in no hurry.
But the girl was very happy on this her brother's birthday, and after
all the guests had gone she spent the usual quiet half-hour with her
father in his room in loving chat and converse, just as she had done
every night since, long, long ago, her mother had died.
"Good-night, dear," he said as he kissed her. "Affairs are not quite so
flourishing with me as I would like; but we'll trust in Providence,
won't we? Things are sure to take a turn."
"Yes, dear father. Good-night: God bless you!"
* * * * *
Many of the wounded, both among our own people and the French prisoners
on board the _Ocean Pride_, died and were buried as the ship sailed on;
but the strength of Jack's Highland constitution asserted itself, and he
was at last pronounced by M'Hearty to be out of danger, very much to Tom
Fairlie's delight.
His wounds had been very grievous--a sabre-cut on the skull and a spent
bullet that had injured his left arm.
When the ship reached Portsmouth and the country rang with the news of
Sir Sidney's bright little action, when the papers gave a list of the
dead and wounded and extolled Jack's bravery, and when private
information from headquarters informed the general that his son would be
gazetted post-captain, then the old Highlander's cup of bliss seemed
full.
"Look at that," he cried, with the joy-tears in his eyes; "read that
letter, Flora dear. My boy, my brave boy! I shall go right away to
Portsmouth and meet him, and you shall come and nurse him. My brave,
good lad! What care we for money, Flo? The Mackenzies have their
swords!"
On the arrival of the _Ocean Pride_ in port, Jack had been sent to shore
quarters for a time, and Tom determined to share his rooms.
Jack was very cheerful, for he had almost forgotten his dream.
Now Mr. Keane had determined to play his cards as well as he knew how
to. The baronet had become indisposed, but the astute lawyer had invited
him down to his little place in the country, and he had taken Gerty home
too.
At the time of the _Pride's_ arrival in Portsmouth there was no
engagement between Gerty and Sir Digby. All that she had really promised
her father since Richards had told her that fairy story was that she
would try to learn to love Sir Digby all she could, and when a little
older would marry him; so Keane was content.
This, however, did not prevent him sending a confidential clerk down to
interview Jack. And the following is the bomb-shell Saunders the clerk,
obeying orders, fired:--
"Mr. Keane just sent me down to ask about you and convey all sorts of
kind messages. Especially did he bid me assure you that he had not
spoken to your father about the little account, and that he is in no
hurry for the money. Indeed, the approaching marriage of his daughter is
at present absorbing all his attention.
"Why, what is the matter, Captain Mackenzie?" continued the clerk,
noticing the staggering effect his words had on poor Jack.
"Nothing, nothing much. A little faint, that is all. Leave me now, Mr.
Saunders. Tell Mr. Fairlie I would speak with him."
Tom ran in. He found Jack lying helpless on the sofa, white and
trembling. But he soon recovered sufficiently to speak.
"My dream, my dream, Tom; it has all come true."
Tom Fairlie sat long beside his friend, giving him all the comfort he
could think of, and that really was not a great deal. Things might not
be quite as the clerk had represented them. Gerty _could_ not be so
cruel. From all he--Jack--had told him, he seemed to know her
thoroughly. Jack must see her and learn his fate from her own lips.
This and much more said Tom Fairlie.
[Illustration: "_This good blade shall be my bride._"
Page 58.]
But for a time never a word said Jack.
He rose from the couch at last, and going quietly to the corner, took up
his sword and drew it.
"Tom," he said boldly, "pardon me if I seem to act stagy, I am _not_
acting. We Mackenzies are a wild and headstrong lot, and too proud, I
own, by far. We cannot help our nature. But here in your presence I vow
that now this good blade shall be my bride; that I'll be true to her,
and she as true as steel to me."
"Bravo, Jack!" cried M'Hearty, bursting into the room; "I've heard it
all. And now, my lad, I bring you good tidings. I've run all the way
from the port-admiral's office to be the very first to shake hands with
Post-Captain Jack Mackenzie."