THE DEPARTURE OF THE BANNERWORTHS FROM THE HALL.—THE NEW ABODE.—JACK
PRINGLE, PILOT.
During that very evening, on which the house of Sir Francis Varney was
fired by the mob, another scene, and one of different character, was
enacted at Bannerworth Hall, where the owners of that ancient place
were departing from it.
It was towards the latter part of the day, that Flora Bannerworth,
Mrs. Bannerworth, and Henry Bannerworth, were preparing themselves to
depart from the house of their ancestors. The intended proprietor was,
as we have already been made acquainted with, the old admiral, who had
taken the place somewhat mysteriously, considering the way in which he
usually did business.
The admiral was walking up and down the lawn before the house, and
looking up at the windows every now and then; and turning to Jack
Pringle, he said,—
“Jack, you dog.”
“Ay—ay, sir.”
“Mind you convoy these women into the right port; do you hear? and no
mistaking the bearings; do you hear?”
“Ay, ay, sir.”
“These crafts want care; and you are pilot, commander, and all; so mind
and keep your weather eye open.”
“Ay, ay, sir. I knows the craft well enough, and I knows the roads,
too; there’ll be no end of foundering against the breakers to find
where they lie.”
“No, no, Jack; you needn’t do that; but mind your bearings. Jack, mind
your bearings.”
“Never fear; I know ’em, well enough; my eyes ain’t laid up in ordinary
yet.”
“Eh? What do you mean by that, you dog, eh?”
“Nothing; only I can see without helps to read, or glasses either; so I
know one place from another.”
There was now some one moving within; and the admiral, followed by Jack
Pringle, entered the Hall. Henry Bannerworth was there. They were all
ready to go when the coach came for them, which the admiral had ordered
for them.
“Jack, you lubber; where are you?”
“Ay, ay, sir, here am I.”
“Go, and station yourself up in some place where you can keep a good
look-out for the coach, and come and report when you see it.”
“Ay—ay, sir,” said Jack, and away he went from the room, and stationed
himself up in one of the trees, that commanded a good view of the main
road for some distance.
“Admiral Bell,” said Henry, “here we are, trusting implicitly to you;
and in doing so, I am sure I am doing right.”
“You will see that,” said the admiral. “All’s fair and honest as yet;
and what is to come, will speak for itself.”
“I hope you won’t suffer from any of these nocturnal visits,” said
Henry.
“I don’t much care about them; but old Admiral Bell don’t strike his
colours to an enemy, however ugly he may look. No, no; it must be a
better craft than his own that’ll take him; and one who won’t run away,
but that will grapple yard-arm and yard-arm, you know.”
“Why, admiral, you must have seen many dangers in your time, and be
used to all kinds of disturbances and conflicts. You have had a life of
experience.”
“Yes; and experience has come pretty thick sometimes, I can tell you,
when it comes in the shape of Frenchmen’s broadsides.”
“I dare say, then, it must be rather awkward.”
“Death by the law,” said the admiral, “to stop one of them with your
head, I assure you. I dare not make the attempt myself, though I have
often seen it done.”
“I dare say; but here are Flora and my mother.”
As he spoke, Flora and her mother entered the apartment.
“Well, admiral, we are all ready; and, though I may feel somewhat sorry
at leaving the old Hall, yet it arises from attachment to the place,
and not any disinclination to be beyond the reach of these dreadful
alarms.”
“And I, too, shall be by no means sorry,” said Flora; “I am sure it is
some gratification to know we leave a friend here, rather than some
others, who would have had the place, if they could have got it, by any
means.”
“Ah, that’s true enough, Miss Flora,” said the admiral; “but we’ll
run the enemy down yet, depend upon it. But once away, you will be
free from these terrors; and now, as you have promised, do not let
yourselves be seen any where at all.”
“You have our promises, admiral; and they shall be religiously kept, I
can assure you.”
“Boat, ahoy—ahoy!” shouted Jack.
“What boat?” said the admiral, surprised; and then he muttered,
“Confound you for a lubber! Didn’t I tell you to mind your bearings,
you dog-fish you?”
“Ay, ay, sir—and so I did.”
“You did.”
“Yes, here they are. Squint over the larboard bulk-heads, as they call
walls, and then atween the two trees on the starboard side of the
course, then straight ahead for a few hundred fathoms, when you come to
a funnel as is smoking like the crater of Mount Vesuvius, and then in a
line with that on the top of the hill, comes our boat.”
“Well,” said the admiral, “that’ll do. Now go open the gates, and keep
a bright look out, and if you see anybody near your watch, why douse
their glim.”
“Ay—ay, sir,” said Jack, and he disappeared.
“Rather a lucid description,” said Henry, as he thought of Jack’s
report to the admiral.
“Oh, it’s a seaman’s report. I know what he means; it’s quicker and
plainer than the land lingo, to my ears, and Jack can’t talk any other,
you see.”
By this time the coach came into the yard, and the whole party
descended into the court-yard, where they came to take leave of the old
place.
“Farewell, admiral.”
“Good bye,” said the admiral. “I hope the place you are going to will
be such as please you—I hope it will.”
“I am sure we shall endeavour to be pleased with it, and I am pretty
sure we shall.”
“Good bye.”
“Farewell, Admiral Bell,” said Henry.
“You remember your promises?”
“I do. Good bye, Mr. Chillingworth.”
“Good bye,” said Mr. Chillingworth, who came up to bid them farewell;
“a pleasant journey, and may you all be the happier for it.”
“You do not come with us?”
“No; I have some business of importance to attend to, else I should
have the greatest pleasure in doing so. But good bye; we shall not be
long apart, I dare say.”
“I hope not,” said Henry.
The door of the carriage was shut by the admiral, who looked round,
saying,—
“Jack—Jack Pringle, where are you, you dog?”
“Here am I,” said Jack.
“Where have you been to?”
“Only been for pigtail,” said Jack. “I forgot it, and couldn’t set sail
without it.”
“You dog you; didn’t I tell you to mind your bearings?”
“So I will,” said Jack, “fore and aft—fore and aft, admiral.”
“You had better,” said the admiral, who, however, relaxed into a broad
grin, which he concealed from Jack Pringle.
Jack mounted the coach-box, and away it went, just as it was getting
dark. The old admiral had locked up all the rooms in the presence
of Henry Bannerworth; and when the coach had gone out of sight, Mr.
Chillingworth came back to the Hall, where he joined the admiral.
“Well,” he said, “they are gone, Admiral Bell, and we are alone; we
have a clear stage and no favour.”
“The two things of all others I most desire. Now, they will be
strangers where they are going to, and that will be something gained.
I will endeavour to do some thing if I get yard-arm and yard-arm with
these pirates. I’ll make ’em feel the weight of true metal; I’ll board
’em—d——e, I’ll do everything.”
“Everything that can be done.”
“Ay—ay.”
• • • • •
The coach in which the family of the Bannerworths were carried away
continued its course without any let or hindrance, and they met no one
on their road during the whole drive. The fact was, nearly everybody
was at the conflagration at Sir Francis Varney’s house.
Flora knew not which way they were going, and, after a time, all trace
of the road was lost. Darkness set in, and they all sat in silence in
the coach.
At length, after some time had been spent thus, Flora Bannerworth
turned to Jack Pringle, and said,—
“Are we near, or have we much further to go?”
“Not very much, ma’am,” said Jack. “All’s right, however—ship in the
direct course, and no breakers ahead—no lookout necessary; however
there’s a land-lubber aloft to keep a look out.”
As this was not very intelligible, and Jack seemed to have his own
reasons for silence, they asked him no further questions; but in about
three-quarters of an hour, during which time the coach had been driving
through the trees, they came to a standstill by a sudden pull of the
check-string from Jack, who said,—
“Hilloa!—take in sails, and drop anchor.”
“Is this the place?”
“Yes, here we are,” said Jack; “we’re in port now, at all events;” and
he began to sing,—
“The trials and the dangers of the voyage is past,”
when the coach door opened, and they all got out and looked about them
where they were.
“Up the garden if you please, ma’am—as quick as you can; the night air
is very cold.”
Flora and her mother and brother took the hint, which was meant by Jack
to mean that they were not to be seen outside. They at once entered
a pretty garden, and then they came to a very neat and picturesque
cottage. They had no time to look up at it, as the door was immediately
opened by an elderly female, who was intended to wait upon them.
Soon after, Jack Pringle and the coachman entered the passage with the
small amount of luggage which they had brought with them. This was
deposited in the passage, and then Jack went out again, and, after a
few minutes, there was the sound of wheels, which intimated that the
coach had driven off.
Jack, however, returned in a few minutes afterwards, having secured
the wicket-gate at the end of the garden, and then entered the house,
shutting the door carefully after him.
Flora and her mother looked over the apartments in which they were
shown with some surprise. It was, in everything, such as they could
wish; indeed, though it could not be termed handsomely or extravagantly
furnished, or that the things were new, yet, there was all that
convenience and comfort could require, and some little of the luxuries.
“Well,” said Flora, “this is very thoughtful of the admiral. The place
will really be charming, and the garden, too, delightful.”
“Mustn’t be made use of just now,” said Jack, “if you please, ma’am;
them’s the orders at present.”
“Very well,” said Flora, smiling. “I suppose, Mr. Pringle, we must obey
them.”
“Jack Pringle, if you please,” said Jack. “My commands only temporary.
I ain’t got a commission.”