Late in the afternoon, Doctor Kelly came in again to the cell.
"Come along," he said; "I have got lave for you to have supper with
me, and have given my pledge that you won't try to escape till it
is over, or make any onslaught on the garrison, but will behave
like a quiet and peaceable man."
"You are quite safe in giving the pledge, doctor," Charlie laughed.
"Come along then, me boy, for they were just dishing up when I came
to fetch you. It is cold enough outside, and there is no sinse in
putting cold victuals into one in such weather as this."
They were not long in reaching a snugly-furnished room, where a big
fire was burning. Another gentleman was standing, with his back to
it. He was a man of some seven or eight and twenty, with large
features, dark brown hair falling in natural curls over his ears,
and large and powerful in build.
"This is my friend, Charlie Carstairs," the doctor said.
"This, Carstairs, is Peter Michaeloff, a better doctor than most of
those who mangle the czar's soldiers."
"Things will better in time," the other said, "when your pupils
begin to take their places in the army."
"I hope so," the doctor said, shrugging his shoulders. "There is
one comfort, they can't be much worse."
At this moment a servant entered, bearing a bowl of soup and three
basins. They at once seated themselves at the table.
"So you managed to get yourself captured yesterday," Doctor
Michaeloff said to Charlie. "I have not had the pleasure of seeing
many of you gentlemen here."
"We don't come if we can help it," Charlie laughed. "But the
Cossacks were so pressing, that I could not resist. In fact, I did
not know anything about it, until I was well on the way."
"I hope they have made you comfortable," the other said, sharply.
"I can't say much for the food," Charlie said, "and still less for
the cell, which was bitterly cold. Still, as the doctor gave me two
rugs to wrap myself up in, I need not grumble."
"That is not right," the other said angrily. "I hear that the King
of Sweden treats our prisoners well.
"You should have remonstrated, Kelly."
The Irishman shrugged his shoulders.
"I ventured to hint to the general that I thought an officer had a
right to better treatment, even if he were a prisoner, but I was
told sharply to mind my own business, which was with the sick and
wounded. I said, as the prisoner was wounded, I thought it was a
matter that did come to some extent under my control."
"What did the pig say?"
"He grumbled something between his teeth, that I did not catch,
and, as I thought the prisoner would not be kept there long, and
was not unaccustomed to roughing it, it was not worthwhile pressing
the matter further."
"Have you heard that an officer has been here this afternoon, with
a flag of truce, to treat for your exchange?" Doctor Michaeloff
said, turning suddenly to Charlie.
"No, I have not heard anything about it," Charlie said.
"He offered a captain for you, which you may consider a high
honour."
"It is, no doubt," Charlie said, with a smile. "I suppose his
majesty thought, as it was in his special service I was caught, he
was bound to get me released, if he could."
"It was a hunting party, was it not?"
"Yes. There was only the king with four of his officers there, and
my company of foot, and fifty horse. I don't think I can call it an
escort, for we went principally as beaters."
"Rustoff missed a grand chance there, Kelly.
"What regiment do you belong to?"
And he again turned to Charlie.
"The Malmoe Regiment. The company is commanded by an English
gentleman, who is a neighbour and great friend of my father. His
son is an ensign, and my greatest friend. The men are all either
Scotch or English, but most of them Scotch."
"They are good soldiers, the Scotch; none better. There are a good
many in the Russian service, also in that of Austria and France.
They are always faithful, and to be relied upon, even when native
troops prove treacherous. And you like Charles of Sweden?"
"There is not a soldier in his army but likes him," Charlie said
enthusiastically. "He expects us to do much, but he does more
himself. All through the winter, he did everything in his power for
us, riding long distances from camp to camp, to visit the sick and
to keep up the spirits of the men. If we live roughly, so does he,
and, on the march, he will take his meals among the soldiers, and
wrap himself up in his cloak, and sleep on the bare ground, just as
they do. And as for his bravery, he exposes his life recklessly--too
recklessly, we all think--and it seemed a miracle that, always in the
front as he was, he should have got through Narva without a scratch."
"Yes, that was a bad bit of business, that Narva," the other said
thoughtfully. "Why do you think we were beaten in the horrible way
we were?--because the Russians are no cowards."
"No; they made a gallant stand when they recovered from their
surprise," Charlie agreed. "But in the first place, they were taken
by surprise."
"They ought not to have been," the doctor said angrily. "They had
news, two days before, brought by the cavalry, who ought to have
defended that pass, but didn't."
"Still, it was a surprise when we attacked," Charlie said, "for
they could not suppose that the small body they saw were going to
assail them. Then, we had the cover of that snowstorm, and they did
not see us, until we reached the edge of the ditch. Of course, your
general ought to have made proper dispositions, and to have
collected the greater part of his troops at the spot facing us,
instead of having them strung out round that big semicircle, so
that, when we made an entry they were separated, and each half was
ignorant of what the other was doing. Still, even then they might
have concentrated between the trenches and the town. But no orders
had been given. The general was one of the first we captured. The
others waited for the orders that never came, until it was too
late. If the general who commanded on the left had massed his
troops, and marched against us as we were attacking the position
they held on their right, we should have been caught between two
fires."
"It was a badly managed business, altogether," Doctor Michaeloff
growled; "but we shall do better next time. We shall understand
Charles's tactics better. We reckoned on his troops, but we did not
reckon on him.
"Kelly tells me that you would not care to change service."
"My friends are in the Swedish army, and I am well satisfied with
the service. I daresay, if Russia had been nearer England than
Sweden is, and we had landed there first, we should have been as
glad to enter the service of the czar as we were to join that of
King Charles. Everyone says that the czar makes strangers welcome,
and that he is a liberal master to those who serve him well. As to
the quarrel between them, I am not old enough to be able to give my
opinion on it, though, as far as I am concerned, it seems to me
that it was not a fair thing for Russia to take advantage of
Sweden's being at war with Denmark and Augustus of Saxony, to fall
upon her without any cause of quarrel."
"Nations move less by morality than interest," Doctor Michaeloff
said calmly. "Russia wants a way to the sea--the Turks cut her off
to the south, and the Swedes from the Baltic. She is smothered
between them, and when she saw her chance, she took it. That is not
good morality. I admit that it is the excuse of the poor man who
robs the rich, but it is human nature, and nations act, in the long
run, a good deal like individuals."
"But you have not told me yet, doctor," Charlie said, turning the
conversation, "whether the proposal for an exchange was accepted."
"The general had no power to accept it, Carstairs. It had to be
referred to the czar himself."
"I wish his majesty could see me, then," Charlie laughed. "He would
see that I am but a lad, and that my release would not greatly
strengthen the Swedish army."
"But then the czar may be of opinion that none of his officers, who
allowed themselves to be captured by a handful of men at Narva,
would be of any use to him," Doctor Michaeloff laughed.
"That may, doubtless, be said of a good many among them," Charlie
said, "but, individually, none of the captains could be blamed for
the mess they made of it."
"Perhaps not, but if all the men had been panic stricken, there
were officers enough to have gathered together and cut their way
through the Swedes."
"No doubt there were; but you must remember, Doctor Michaeloff,
that an officer's place is with his company, and that it is his
duty to think of his men, before thinking of himself. Supposing all
the officers of the left wing, as you say, had gathered together
and cut their way out, the czar would have had a right to blame
them for the capture of the whole of the men. How could they tell
that, at daybreak, the general would not have given orders for the
left wing to attack the Swedes? They were strong enough still to
have eaten us up, had they made the effort, and had the czar been
there in person, I will warrant he would have tried it."
"That he would," Doctor Michaeloff said warmly. "You are right
there, young sir. The czar may not be a soldier, but at least he is
a man, which is more than can be said for the officer who ordered
sixty thousand men to lay down their arms to eight thousand."
"I am sure of that," Charlie said. "A man who would do as he has
done, leave his kingdom, and work like a common man in dockyards,
to learn how to build ships, and who rules his people as he does,
must be a great man. I don't suppose he would do for us in England,
because a king has no real power with us, and Peter would never put
up with being thwarted in all his plans by parliament, as William
is. But for a country like Russia, he is wonderful. Of course, our
company being composed of Scotchmen and Englishmen, we have no
prejudices against him. We think him wrong for entering upon this
war against Sweden, but we all consider him a wonderful fellow,
just the sort of fellow one would be proud to serve under, if we
did not serve under Charles of Sweden.
"Well, Doctor Kelly, when do you think the czar will be here?"
The doctor did not reply, but Michaeloff said quietly:
"He arrived this afternoon."
"He did!" Charlie exclaimed excitedly.
"Why did you not tell me before, Doctor Kelly? Has he been asked
about my exchange, and is the Swedish officer still here?"
"He is here, and you will be exchanged in the morning.
"I have other things to see about now, and must say goodnight; and
if you should ever fall into the hands of our people again, and
Doctor Kelly does not happen to be near, ask for Peter Michaeloff,
and he will do all he can for you."
"Then I am really to be exchanged tomorrow, doctor?" Charlie said,
as Doctor Michaeloff left the room.
"It seems like it."
"But did not you know?"
"No, I had heard nothing for certain. I knew the czar had come, but
I had not heard of his decision. I congratulate you."
"It is a piece of luck," Charlie said. "I thought it might be
months before there was an exchange. It is very good of the king to
send over so quickly."
"Yes; and of the czar to let you go."
"Well, I don't see much in that, doctor, considering that he gets a
captain in exchange for me; still, of course, he might have
refused. It would not have been civil, but he might have done it."
"What did you think of my friend, Charlie?"
"I like him. He has a pleasant face, though I should think he has
got a temper of his own. He has a splendid figure, and looks more
like a fighting man than a doctor. I will write down his name, so
as not to forget it, as he says he might be able to help me if I am
ever taken prisoner again, and you did not happen to be with the
army. It is always nice having a friend. Look at the difference it
has made to me, finding a countryman here."
"Yes, you may find it useful, Carstairs; and he has a good deal of
influence. Still, I think it probable that if you ever should get
into a scrape again, you will be able to get tidings of me, for I
am likely to be with the advanced division of our army, wherever it
is, as I am in charge of its hospitals.
"You had better turn in now, for I suppose you will be starting
early, and I have two or three patients I must visit again before I
go to bed. This is your room, next to mine. I managed, after all,
to get it changed."
"That is very good of you, doctor, but it really would not have
mattered a bit for one night. It does look snug and warm, with that
great fire."
"Yes, the stoves are the one thing I don't like in Russia. I like
to see a blazing fire, and the first thing I do, when I get into
fresh quarters, is to have the stove opened so that I can see one.
This is a second room of mine. There were three together, you see,
and as my rank is that of a colonel, I was able to get them, and it
is handy, if a friend comes to see me, to have a room for him."
An hour later, just as Charlie was dozing off to sleep, the doctor
put his head in to the door.
"You are to start at daybreak, Carstairs. My servant will call you
an hour before that. I shall be up. I must put a fresh bandage on
your head before you start."
"Thank you very much, doctor. I am sorry to get you up so early."
"That is nothing. I am accustomed to work at all hours. Good
night."
At eight o'clock, having had a bowl of broth, Charlie descended to
the courtyard in charge of an officer and two soldiers, the doctor
accompanying him. Here he found a Swedish officer belonging to the
king's personal staff. The Russian handed the lad formally over to
his charge, saying:
"By the orders of the czar, I now exchange Ensign Carstairs for
Captain Potoff, whom you, on your part, engage to send off at
once."
"I do," the Swede said; "that is, I engage that he shall be sent
off, as soon as he can be fetched from Revel, where he is now
interned, and shall be safely delivered under an escort; and that
if, either by death, illness, or escape, I should not be able to
hand him over, I will return another officer of the same rank."
"I have the czar's commands," the Russian went on, "to express his
regret that, owing to a mistake on the part of the officer
commanding here, Ensign Carstairs has not received such worthy
treatment as the czar would have desired for him, but he has given
stringent orders that, in future, any Swedish officers who may be
taken prisoners shall receive every comfort and hospitality that
can be shown them."
"Goodbye, Doctor Kelly," Charlie said, as he mounted his horse,
which had been saddled in readiness for him. "I am greatly obliged
to you for your very great kindness to me, and hope that I may some
day have an opportunity of repaying it."
"I hope not, Carstairs. I trust that we may meet again, but hope
that I sha'n't be in the position of a prisoner. However, strange
things have happened already in this war, and there is no saying
how fortune may go. Goodbye, and a pleasant journey."
A Russian officer took his place by the side of the Swede, and an
escort of twenty troopers rode behind them, as they trotted out
through the gate of the convent.
"It was very kind of the king to send for me," Charlie said to the
Swede, "and I am really sorry that you should have had so long a
ride on my account, Captain Pradovich."
"As to that, it is a trifle," the officer said. "If I had not been
riding here, I should be riding with the king elsewhere, so that I
am none the worse. But, in truth, I am glad I came, for yesterday
evening I saw the czar himself. I conversed with him for some time.
He expressed himself very courteously with respect to the king, and
to our army, against whom he seems to bear no sort of malice for
the defeat we inflicted on him at Narva. He spoke of it himself,
and said, 'you will see that, some day, we shall turn the tables
upon you.'
"The king will be pleased when I return with you, for we all feared
that you might be very badly hurt. All that we knew was that some
of your men had seen you cut down. After the battle was over, a
search was made for your body. When it could not be found,
questions were asked of some of our own men, and some wounded
Russians, who were lying near the spot where you had been seen to
fall.
"Our men had seen nothing, for, as the Russians closed in behind
your company as it advanced, they had shut their eyes and lay as if
dead, fearing that they might be run through, as they lay, by the
Cossack lances. The Russians, however, told us that they had seen
two of the Cossacks dismount, by the orders of one of their
officers, lift you on to a horse, and ride off with you. There was
therefore a certainty that you were still living, for the Russians
would assuredly not have troubled to carry off a dead body. His
majesty interested himself very much in the matter, and yesterday
morning sent me off to inquire if you were alive, and if so, to
propose an exchange.
"I was much pleased, when I reached Plescow yesterday, to learn
that your wound is not a serious one. I saw the doctor, who, I
found, was a countryman of yours, and he assured me that it was
nothing, and made some joke that I did not understand about the
thickness of North Country skulls.
"The czar arrived in the afternoon, but I did not see him until
late in the evening, when I was sent for. I found him with the
general in command, and several other officers, among whom was your
friend the doctor. The czar was, at first, in a furious passion. He
abused the general right and left, and I almost thought, at one
time, that he would have struck him. He told him that he had
disgraced the Russian name, by not treating you with proper
hospitality, and especially by placing you in a miserable cell
without a fire.
"'What will the King of Sweden think?' he said. 'He treats his
prisoners with kindness and courtesy, and after Narva gave them a
banquet, at which he himself was present. The Duke of Croy writes
to me, to say he is treated as an honoured guest rather than as a
prisoner, and here you disgrace us by shutting your prisoner in a
cheerless cell, although he is wounded, and giving him food such as
you might give to a common soldier. The Swedes will think that we
are barbarians. You are released from your command, and will at
once proceed to Moscow and report yourself there, when a post will
be assigned to you where you will have no opportunity of showing
yourself ignorant of the laws of courtesy.
"'Doctor,' he went on, 'you will remember that all prisoners,
officers and men, will be henceforth under the charge of the
medical department, and that you have full authority to make such
arrangements as you may think necessary for their comfort and
honourable treatment. I will not have Russia made a byword among
civilized peoples.'
"Then he dismissed the rest of them, and afterwards sat down and
chatted with me, just as if we had been of the same rank, puffing a
pipe furiously, and drinking amazing quantities of wine. Indeed, my
head feels the effects of it this morning, although I was quite
unable to drink cup for cup with him, for, had I done so, I should
have been under the table long before he rose from it, seemingly
quite unmoved by the quantity he had drank. I have no doubt he
summoned me especially to hear his rebuke to the general, so that I
could take word to the king how earnest he was, in his regrets for
your treatment."
"There was nothing much to complain of," Charlie said; "and,
indeed, the cell was a palace after the miserable huts in which we
have passed the winter. I am glad, however, the czar gave the
general a wigging, for he spoke brutally to me on my arrival. You
may be sure, now, that any prisoners that may be taken will be well
treated; for Doctor Kelly, who has been extremely kind to me, will
certainly take good care of them. As to my wound, it is of little
consequence. It fell on my steel cap, and I think I was stunned by
its force, rather than rendered insensible by the cut itself."
After three hours' riding they came to a village. As soon as they
were seen approaching, there was a stir there. A man riding ahead
waved the white flag that he carried, and, when they entered the
village, they found a party of fifty Swedish cavalry in the saddle.
The Russian escort, as soon as the Swedish officer and Charlie had
joined their friends, turned and rode off. A meal was in readiness,
and when Charlie, who was still feeling somewhat weak from the
effects of his wound, had partaken of it, the party proceeded on
their way, and rode into Marienburg before nightfall.
Two or three miles outside the town, they met Harry Jervoise. Two
soldiers had been sent on at full speed, directly Charlie reached
the village, to report that he had arrived there and was not
seriously wounded, and, knowing about the time they would arrive,
Harry had ridden out to meet his friend.
"You are looking white," he said, after the first hearty greeting.
"I am feeling desperately tired, Harry. The wound is of no
consequence, but I lost a good deal of blood, and it is as much as
I can do to keep my saddle, though we have been coming on quietly
on purpose. However, I shall soon be all right again, and I need
hardly say that I am heartily glad to be back."
"We have all been in a great way about you, Charlie, for we made
sure that you were very badly wounded. I can tell you, it was a
relief when the men rode in three hours ago, with the news that you
had arrived, and were not badly hurt. The men seemed as pleased as
we were, and there was a loud burst of cheering when we told them
the news. Cunningham and Forbes would have ridden out with me; but
Cunningham is on duty, and Forbes thought that we should like to
have a chat together."
On his arrival, Charlie was heartily welcomed by Captain Jervoise
and the men of the company, who cheered lustily as he rode up.
"You are to go and see the king at once," Captain Jervoise said as
he dismounted. "I believe he wants to hear, especially, how you
were treated. Make the best of it you can, lad. There is no
occasion for the feeling of Charles against the Russians being
embittered."
"I understand," Charlie said. "I will make things as smooth as I
can."
He walked quickly to the little house where the king had taken up
his quarters. There was no sentry at the door, or other sign that
the house contained an occupant of special rank. He knocked at the
door, and hearing a shout of "Enter," opened it and went in.
"Ah, my young ensign; is it you?" the king said, rising from a low
settle on which he was sitting by the fire, talking with Colonel
Schlippenbach.
"Hurt somewhat, I see, but not badly, I hope. I was sure that you
would not have been taken prisoner, unless you had been injured."
"I was cut down by a blow that clove my helmet, your majesty, and
stunned me for some time; but, beyond making a somewhat long gash
on my skull, it did me no great harm."
"That speaks well for the thickness of your skull, lad, and I am
heartily glad it is no worse. Now, tell me, how did they treat
you?"
"It was a somewhat rough cell into which I was thrown, sir, but I
was most kindly tended by an Irish doctor high in the czar's
service, and, when the czar himself arrived, and learned that I had
not been lodged as well as he thought necessary, I hear he was so
angered that he disgraced the general, deprived him of his command,
and sent him to take charge of some fortress in the interior of
Russia; and I was, by his orders, allowed to occupy the doctor's
quarters, and a bedroom was assigned to me next to his. I heard
that the czar spoke in terms of the warmest appreciation of your
treatment of your prisoners, and said that any of your officers who
fell into his hands should be treated with equal courtesy."
Charles looked gratified.
"I am glad to hear it," he said. "In the field, if necessary, blood
must flow like water, but there is no reason why we should not
behave towards each other with courtesy, when the fighting is over.
You know nothing of the force there, at present?"
"No, sir, I heard nothing. I did not exchange a word with anyone,
save the doctor and another medical man; and as the former treated
me as a friend, rather than as an enemy, I did not deem it right to
question him, and, had I done so, I am sure that he would have
given me no answer."
"Well, you can return to your quarters, sir. Your company did me
good service in that fight, and Colonel Schlippenbach did not speak
in any way too warmly in their favour. I would that I had more of
these brave Englishmen and Scotchmen in my service."
Charlie's head, however, was not as hard as he had believed it to
be; and the long ride brought on inflammation of the wound, so
that, on the following morning, he was in a high state of fever. It
was a fortnight before he was convalescent, and the surgeon then
recommended that he should have rest and quiet for a time, as he
was sorely pulled down, and unfit to bear the hardships of a
campaign; and it was settled that he should go down with the next
convoy to Revel, and thence take ship for Sweden.
He was so weak, that although very sorry to leave the army just as
spring was commencing, he himself felt that he should be unable to
support the fatigues of the campaign, until he had had entire rest
and change. A few hours after the decision of the surgeon had been
given, Major Jamieson and Captain Jervoise entered the room where
he was sitting, propped up by pillows.
"I have a bit of news that will please you, Charlie. The king sent
for the major this morning, and told him that he intended to
increase our company to a regiment, if he could do so. He had heard
that a considerable number of Scotchmen and Englishmen had come
over, and were desirous of enlisting, but, from their ignorance of
the language, their services had been declined. He said that he was
so pleased, not only with the conduct of the company in that fight,
but with its discipline, physique, and power of endurance, that he
had decided to convert it into a regiment. He said he was sorry to
lose its services for a time; but, as we lost twenty men in the
fight, and have some fifteen still too disabled to take their
places in the ranks, this was of the less importance.
"So we are all going to march down to Revel with you. Major
Jamieson is appointed colonel, and I am promoted to be major. The
king himself directed that Cunningham and Forbes shall have
commissions as captains, and you and Harry as lieutenants. The
colonel has authority given him to nominate Scotch and English
gentlemen of good name to make up the quota of officers, while most
of our own men will be appointed non-commissioned officers, to
drill the new recruits. The king has been good enough, at Colonel
Jamieson's request, to say that, as soon as the regiment is raised
and organized, it shall be sent up to the front."
"That is good news, indeed," Charlie said, with more animation than
he had evinced since his illness. "I have been so accustomed to be
attended to, in every way, that I was quite looking forward with
dread to the journey among strangers. Still, if you are all going,
it will be a different thing altogether. I don't think you will be
long in raising the regiment. We only were a week in getting the
company together, and, if they have been refusing to accept the
services of our people, there must be numbers of them at
Gottenburg."
Early on the following morning, Charlie and the men unable to march
were placed in waggons, and the company started on its march to
Revel. It was a heavy journey, for the frost had broken up, and the
roads were in a terrible state from the heavy traffic passing.
There was no delay when they reached the port, as they at once
marched on board a ship, which was the next day to start for
Sweden. Orders from the king had already been received that the
company was to be conveyed direct to Gottenburg, and they entered
the port on the fifth day after sailing.
The change, the sea air, and the prospect of seeing his father
again greatly benefited Charlie, and, while the company was marched
to a large building assigned to their use, he was able to make his
way on foot to his father's, assisted by his soldier servant, Jock
Armstrong.
"Why, Charlie," Sir Marmaduke Carstairs exclaimed as he entered,
"who would have thought of seeing you? You are looking ill, lad;
ill and weak. What has happened to you?"
Charlie briefly related the events that had brought about his
return to Gottenburg, of which Sir Marmaduke was entirely ignorant.
Postal communications were rare and uncertain, and Captain Jervoise
had not taken advantage of the one opportunity that offered, after
Charlie had been wounded, thinking it better to delay till the lad
could write and give a good account of himself.
"So Jervoise, and his son, and that good fellow Jamieson are all
back again? That is good news, Charlie; and you have been promoted?
That is capital too, after only a year in the service. And you have
been wounded, and a prisoner among the Russians? You have had
adventures, indeed! I was terribly uneasy when the first news of
that wonderful victory at Narva came, for we generally have to wait
for the arrival of the despatches giving the lists of the killed
and wounded. I saw that the regiment had not been in the thick of
it, as the lists contained none of your names. I would have given a
limb to have taken part in that wonderful battle. When you get as
old as I am, my boy, you will feel a pride in telling how you
fought at Narva, and helped to destroy an entire Russian army with
the odds ten to one against you.
"Of course, you will stay here with me. I suppose you have leave at
present?"
"Yes, father, Colonel Jamieson told me that my first duty was to
get strong and well again, and that I was to think of no other
until I had performed that. And how have you been getting on,
father?"
"Very well, lad. I don't pretend that it is not a great change from
Lynnwood, but I get along very well, and thank heaven, daily, that
for so many years I had set aside a portion of my rents, little
thinking that the time would come when they would prove my means of
existence. My friends here have invested the money for me, and it
bears good interest, which is punctually paid. With the English and
Scotch exiles, I have as much society as I care for, and as I find
I am able to keep a horse--for living here is not more than half
the cost that it would be in England--I am well enough contented
with my lot.
"There is but one thing that pricks me. That villain John Dormay
has, as he schemed for, obtained possession of my estates, and has
been knighted for his distinguished services to the king. I heard
of this some time since, by a letter from one of our Jacobite
friends to whom I wrote, asking for news. He says that the new
knight has no great cause for enjoyment in his dignity and
possessions, because, not only do the Jacobite gentry turn their
backs upon him, when they meet him in the town, but the better
class of Whigs hold altogether aloof from him, regarding his
elevation, at the expense of his wife's kinsman, to be disgraceful,
although of course they have no idea of the evil plot by which he
brought about my ruin. There is great pity expressed for his wife,
who has not once stirred beyond the grounds at Lynnwood since he
took her there, and who is, they say, a shadow of her former self.
Ciceley, he hears, is well. That cub of a son is in London, and
there are reports that he is very wild, and puts his father to much
cost. As to the man himself, they say he is surrounded by the
lowest knaves, and it is rumoured that he has taken to drink for
want of better company. It is some comfort to me to think that,
although the villain has my estates, he is getting no enjoyment out
of them.
"However, I hope some day to have a reckoning with him. The Stuarts
must come to their own, sooner or later. Until then I am content to
rest quietly here in Sweden."