DE LA ZOUCH INDULGES IN A LITTLE VILLANY.
If I can do it
By aught that I can speak in his dispraise,
She shall not long continue love to him.
SHAKESPEARE.
The Courtly hall of Haddon was never quiet for long together, and very
soon both the death of the witch and the warning of the locksmith
were forgotten amid the preparations which were being made for a grand
ball. Sir Thomas Stanley, having wooed Margaret, had successfully
petitioned the sanction and blessing of Sir George and Lady Vernon,
and the event was to celebrate their betrothal.
The morning of the festive day had opened fair, and as the day sped
on, the guests rapidly assembled. De Lacey was there, delighting the
ladies, as usual, with his braggadocio. Manners and Crowleigh were
both there too, by special invitation, and, of course, cousin Benedict
à Woode, who made no scruple of inviting himself to Haddon Hall if by
any means his invitation had not come; and also, to Dorothy's great
disgust, Sir Henry de la Zouch was there.
The musicians struck up a lively tune, and very soon the steaming
boar's head was placed upon the table. Father Philip pronounced a very
long benediction, and the singing of an old Latin rhyme beginning--
"Caput apri defero,"
announced that the feast had commenced in earnest. The venison pasties
of Margaret's make disappeared with a truly marvellous rapidity, while
Dorothy's confections had a very short lease of life, and fared no
better, either because they were nice or that Dorothy was the maker of
them.
"Pass round the wine," hailed the baron, "and drink to the health of
the ladies of Haddon Hall."
"Hurrah!" vociferously replied the guests, "to the health of the
ladies of Haddon."
"But stay; what's the matter with Master Manners?" asked De la Zouch,
whose eagle eye had discovered that HIS tankard was not upraised with
the rest. "A discourteous guest, upon my troth."
"May I drink it in water?" asked Manners, as he felt the eyes of his
host fixed sternly upon him.
"Nay, you must have the wine, sir," replied Sir George, "but whether
it goes down your throat or your arm makes little matter," and as he
spoke he pointed to the iron ring fastened in the door post ready for
such contingencies.
"I suppose the arm must have it, then," he replied, "for I am sworn to
taste no wine until I have performed a solemn vow."
"Waste good wine!" exclaimed De Lacey, as he gazed in blank
astonishment at the speaker; "what a pity."
"Have you forsworn ale too?" asked Dorothy.
"No, only wine, sweet demoiselle," replied Manners, smiling as he
caught the drift of the question.
"Then fill his glass with ale," commanded Doll, "and drink the toast
without delay."
This happy suggestion was loudly applauded, and the healths were drunk
off amid acclamation, the only one who did not heartily join in it
being Sir Henry de la Zouch, who was annoyed to find that his
petty attempt to spite his rival had failed, and that, too, by the
intervention of Dorothy herself.
"Confound it all," he muttered, "he shall not escape me like this.
Eustace."
"Did you call?" asked the page, bending down.
"Yes," whispered De la Zouch. "Listen, you remember the Derby
packman?"
"Aye, too well, I do."
"Nonsense," he replied, softly; "Master Manners killed him."
"Oh!" gasped the astounded page.
"Remember," added his master, "it was Manners."
"Yes, Master John Manners," repeated Eustace.
"Hush, that is all. A little more of that delicious jelly of yours,
sweet Dorothy," he added in a louder tone as he turned round again to
the table.
Whilst the feast was progressing, De la Zouch was pondering the
fittest way of broaching the topic which lay so heavily upon his mind.
Sir Thomas Stanley had won the elder sister, he argued, why should he
not win the younger? He clearly saw that Dorothy was receding from his
grasp, and that the longer he delayed, the fainter grew his chance of
success. Lady Vernon daily grew less favourable too, he noticed, and
so without delay he resolved to ask Dorothy for her hand. The present
occasion was most propitious, and he determined to carry his plan into
operation at once.
When the meal was ended--and that was not very soon--the company broke
up into little parties and separated, to amuse themselves in whatever
fashion they liked best. Margaret, as the heroine of the day, was
surrounded by a number of knights and ladies, who contentedly watched
her as she played at chess with Benedict. Sir John de Lacey racked his
brains to the uttermost in order to sufficiently garnish the veracious
little scraps of his own autobiography, and succeeded both in making
the group around him open their eyes wide with surprise, and at the
same time in making his listeners roar with laughter.
A marvellous hero was Sir John. He had been the ruling spirit in more
than one Continental Court during his one brief sojourn in France. He
had slain dragons, in different parts of the globe, in numbers enough
to make St. George turn green with envy; and only his excessive
modesty has prevented his name from being handed down to posterity.
Manners, naturally enough, joined Dorothy's party, and went out upon
the lawn to take part in a game at bowls.
"Dear me, how careless I am to-day," she exclaimed; "there are six of
us, and I have only brought four balls; I must fetch some more," and
she started to go back.
"Let me go," said Manners.
"You," replied Doll, "you could never find them; I will go, and you
must entertain the ladies while I am away," and she tripped across the
green to the Hall.
"Ha, Doll, dearest," said a voice, as she turned the corner of the
terrace, "I have been searching for thee."
Dorothy turned round and met the gaze of Sir Henry de la Zouch.
"For me!" she exclaimed, without pausing.
"Nay, prithee, now don't hurry so," he replied, catching hold of her
arm, "I would ask thee a weighty question."
"But I am in a great hurry," she replied.
"Then I shall not keep thee long, but thou canst stay a little while,
surely?"
"Indeed, I cannot, Sir Henry," she replied. "There are some visitors
awaiting my return."
"John Manners for one," sneered the knight.
Dorothy blushed deeply, and bit her lip to repress the sharp retort
which came readily to her tongue. Sir Henry saw that he had committed
an error, and he endeavoured to recover his position.
"Sir Thomas has wooed thy sister Margaret," he exclaimed, "and I have
long been wooing thee, and now the time has come when I am to offer
you my hand."
Dorothy struggled to get away, but her suitor held her fast.
"Nay, cruel one," he continued, "I must have an answer. I shall be
an earl in good time, perchance, and if you will but say 'aye' to my
proposal you may be a countess--think of it, Dorothy, a countess--and
the hostess of Ashby Castle."
He let go his hold of her, and dropping down upon his knee, he
raised his clasped hand in the most approved fashion of the time, and
continued his suit.
"Dorothy," he went on, "will you--?"
"Never," she replied, cutting him short in the middle of his speech,
and, finding herself at liberty, she rushed precipitately into the
Hall.
De la Zouch gazed after her in mute astonishment, and, staggered as he
was, he remained in the same position until he was startled by a voice
behind him.
"At prayers, sir knight?" asked the baron. "Father Phillip's grace at
the table was long enough to serve me through the day."
"No, Sir George," replied the crestfallen lover, "I have been pleading
my suit with Dorothy."
"And what said she?"
"She is bashful."
"What! My Doll bashful? That were hardly polite to thee, methinks."
"Perchance I should have more success with thee?" pleaded Sir Henry,
as pathetically as he could.
"Let us withdraw into the bower, then," replied Sir George, "we can
talk it over there, and we shall not be disturbed. Ha! here comes Lady
Vernon, she will know what to do."
Lady Vernon came up at the bidding of her lord. The lover would fain
have seen Sir George alone, but there was no help for it, and he had
to brave the circumstances with the best grace possible.
"Maude, we must take your counsel," began the baron. "Sir Henry de la
Zouch would take advantage of to-day's festivity to ask for the hand
of Doll. What think you; can we spare her too, as well as Margaret? We
should lose them both together then. What dost thou advise?"
"That depends upon many things," replied the stately dame, as she
seated herself. "Dorothy would be a splendid match for anybody. What
has Sir Henry to say?"
"I hope to be an earl soon," he replied, "and she would be a countess
as you will. My father is infirm, he cannot live much longer, and
I expect news of his death from Florence every day. And as for the
estates, though they may not be equal to those of Haddon, yet they are
by no means insignificant."
Dame Vernon knew all this, and the knowledge of it had influenced her
before; but lately she had heard ill tidings of Sir Henry, and she
was by no means so enthusiastic on his behalf. And, besides, a fresh
competitor had entered the lists.
"Humph," growled the old knight, "we don't want to sell the girl."
"Be quiet, Sir George," interrupted his worthy spouse. "The thing must
be done properly. Does Ashby Castle fall to your share, sir knight?"
she asked.
"Certainly. To whom else should it go?"
"Have you spoken to Doll about it?" continued the dame.
"She is too dutiful a daughter to commit herself without the consent
of her parents," answered De la Zouch. "But I doubt not, that when
once again you have spoken to her, I shall speedily be rewarded with
success."
"Ay," exclaimed Sir George, "Doll was ever a dutiful child."
"She would bow to our will, anyway," replied Lady Vernon, "but I think
she has another suitor. We must think the matter well over ere we
settle anything."
"Another suitor," laughed the baron; "why there are scores of them."
"Ah, you see, Sir Henry, the baron has not the quick, discerning eye
of a mother--or a love either," she added shyly. "Bless his innocence,
he knows naught of it yet. Sir George, I trust Master Manners is a
trusty young man?"
"John Manners is goodly enough, forsooth, for aught I trow," returned
the King of the Peak, reflectively. "Aye, and a likely enough young
man, too!"
"But Manners cannot seek the hand of so guileless a maiden as sweet
Dorothy," interrupted the dismayed lover. "His hands are stained with
blood."
"A soldier should do his duty," quickly returned Sir George."
"But he is a murderer!"
"That is a bold statement, De la Zouch, to make against a guest of
mine," exclaimed the baron quickly, "and I fear an thou persist in it
that it will prove awkward for thee if thou canst not prove it, and
worse still for him if it be true."
"Are you certain of it?" asked Lady Maude.
"I have a witness," was the calm reply.
"Then by my halidame," quoth the irate knight, "as I'm a justice
o' the peace, he shall be faced with the offence. When was it
perpetrated?"
"At the hawking party."
"What, here at Haddon?"
"You don't mean the pedlar, surely?" inquired Lady Vernon.
"Aye, but I do; he was murdered in the wood."
"Tut," angrily exclaimed Sir George, "'tis all a tale, and I for one
don't believe a word of it. The witch killed him, and was punished for
it too."
"But I saw it," stubbornly returned Sir Henry, "and I have a witness;
one who saw it done."
"We tried Dame Durden by the ordeal, an she was found guilty and
hanged," persisted the baron. "And, beshrew me, that's enough for any
man"; and the Lord of Haddon reverently crossed himself to show that
the trial had had the approval of his conscience.
"But," urged De le Zouch, "I tell you I saw it done myself, and I am
ready to prove it any way you choose."
"Come now, Sir George," interrupted Lady Vernon, "the trial may for
once have led us astray, as it did in the case of Thomas Bayford
sixteen years ago. Doubtless Mary Durden got no more than she
deserved, and mayhap she was punished for deeds we wot not of.
Perchance Master Manners would not deny the charge if he were here,
and faith! I remember me now that Margaret did say he was left behind
with Dorothy, and then Doll left him and galloped on."
"Yes, that was it," Sir Henry said, "and Eustace, who was left behind,
saw them quarrelling and fetched me back to stay the strife."
"Well, prithee now, go on," exclaimed the knight. "You saw him killed,
and said naught?"
"No."
"And let me hang another for it. Truly, 'tis a right noble way to
treat a host."
"Nay, you are too hard upon me. I thought he was but thrashing
the knave, and as that was no affair of mine I left him to it, but
afterwards his body was found in exactly the same spot. I was away
when the ordeal was performed, else I had told thee what I had seen.
Eustace will bear me out in all I have told you; question him for
yourselves. But now, if you still think well enough of Master Manners
to mate him with the peerless Dorothy, I am sorry alike for her and
your vows of knighthood."
"Come that is right enough," exclaimed the dame, "and Master Manners
has not denied the accusation yet."
"Then he shall soon have the opportunity," said the baron, "for hither
he comes; he could not have come at a readier moment."
John Manners had waited a long time for Dorothy's return, and now,
half fearing that some accident had befallen her, he had willingly
acceded to the request of the ladies and had set forth to find her.
Hearing voices in the house, he approached it to pursue his inquiries,
when the watchful eye of Sir George Vernon immediately espied him.
"Pardon my intrusion," exclaimed Manners, "but I am in search
of Mistress Dorothy. She left us to fetch some balls and has not
returned."
"Hie, man," interrupted Sir George, "we have a serious charge
preferred against thee; thou art just come right to answer it."
"Have I been stealing some fair maiden's heart?" he laughingly
inquired.
"Nay, listen! 'tis a charge of murder; but I tell thee frankly, I
don't believe a word of it."
"A charge of murder," echoed Manners blankly, "a charge of murder, and
against me! This is past endurance, 'tis monstrous! Whom have I slain,
I pray thee tell me?"
"The Derby packman," promptly returned De la Zouch, "and thou knowest
I saw thee do it."
"You lie. I never saw the man until he was dead. Thou shalt prove thy
words, Sir Henry de la Zouch," returned the esquire, "or I shall have
thee branded as a knave. There is some cause for this, Sir George,"
he added, turning to the baron, "of which I am in ignorance. I am the
victim of some plot."
"Like enough, like enough," returned the baron, sympathetically. "Then
you deny the charge? I knew De la Zouch was wrong. The ordeal--"
"But I saw him myself, and so did Eustace," stuck out the disappointed
lover; "and Margaret remembers that Master Manners was left behind."
"And for the matter of that, so were you," said Sir George sharply.
"And Eustace is but a page who must, perforce, obey his master's will
in everything," continued Manners. "Crowleigh was with me all the day,
save when I went back to Mistress Dorothy. How tallies that with your
account, eh?"
"That was precisely the time it occurred, and bears me out in all that
I have said," glibly responded the scion of the house of Zouch. "It
all but proves his guilt, Sir George."
"Nay, not so much as that," quoth Lady Maude; "but since it cannot be
agreed upon, I should advise you to let the matter drop."
"Stop," exclaimed Manners. "If De la Zouch has a spark of honour left
within him he will step out and measure swords with me, for by my
troth I swear he will have to render me the satisfaction my honour
demands."
This was by no means to the taste of the knight of Ashby. He had not
calculated for such a course as this; but, fortunately for him, Lady
Vernon spoke, and unwittingly released him from his difficulty.
"Nay, not before me," she said, "and on so festal a day as this."
"As you will it," said De la Zouch, assuming an air of injured
dignity.
"They must settle it in true old knightly fashion at the tourney,"
exclaimed Sir George decisively.
"Since you command it I suppose I must obey," replied Sir Henry; "but
I had rather not have stained my weapons with the blood of so foul a
caitiff."
"You will be good enough to leave me to decide that matter," said the
baron testily.
"Then, by St. George, I shall be ready," replied Manners. "I am as
well born as he, and can give him a lesson or two in good breeding,
besides showing him a trick or two with the sword that I learned in
the Netherlands. In the meantime I disdain him as a dog;" and boiling
over with rage the maligned esquire left the little group and stalked
across the terrace to rejoin the ladies on the green.