Her mother nodded. "Yes, that shall be the agreement."

The child clapped her hands. "That will be nice!" she said. "I am so

tired of my governess saying, 'You mustn't do that', and 'You ought to

do this'. It will be nice, mamma! When shall we begin--this day week?"

Her mother nodded.

"And will Captain Hallett always dine with us?"

"No, my dear; Captain Hallett has other things to do; but perhaps

sometimes, when he is in Madrid, he will come as a special treat for

you."

The child nodded contentedly. "I shall be very angry with him if he

does not come often," she said.

The meal lasted until they arrived at the next changing place. Here

Arthur got out, again, and was glad to regain his own horse. It was

just one o'clock when they rode into Madrid. There were lights in the

palace, and the gates were still open. They did not drive up to the

principal entrance. The regent decided that she would enter at a side

door, and try to make her way to her apartments unnoticed, as it was

possible that the news of their disappearance had been kept from most of

the servants of the palace.

"Come up with me, if you please, Captain Hallett," she said.

The door was unbolted, and after giving orders that the carriage should

be taken round to the stables, and that the soldiers should put up at an

inn for the night and come round for orders in the morning, she entered,

with Arthur carrying the child, sound asleep, in his arms. They climbed

some stairs to the first floor. Up to this time the queen had been in

ignorance as to her whereabouts, but she now knew where she was, and

made her way to her own chamber. Leaving Arthur outside, she went in

for a minute or two, laid the child on a bed, took off her wraps, and

then came out.

"Now we will go to the council-chamber," she said; "I expect we shall

find some of the ministers there in consultation."

She led the way along a gallery, and, opening a door, went in. Eight

men were sitting there, and they leapt to their feet with a cry of

astonishment as the regent entered, followed by a young gentleman who

was unknown to them.

"Why--your majesty!" her minister said.

"Yes; I understand that you are surprised to see me," she interrupted.

"Now, gentlemen," she went on, as she went to her seat at the head of

the table, "I will, in the first place, ask you what has happened here

since I have been away; after that I will tell you where I have been.

Has my absence been known?"

"To very few people, your majesty. Fortunately, I was here awaiting

your return. As the time passed and you did not arrive, I became

anxious. When you were two hours late, I sent for my colleagues and we

had a consultation, but we were unable to form any idea of what had

become of you. Your carriage had not returned. It was not possible that

any accident could have occurred, for if so, we should have heard of it.

At nine o'clock we became seriously alarmed, and all went out to

different parts of the city to make cautious enquiries as to where your

carriage had been last seen, and whether a report was current that an

accident had taken place. We met here again at eleven. None of us had

heard of any news. Your carriage had been seen in various parts of the

town early in the afternoon, but where it had been last noticed we could

not find out. We set the whole police to search quietly--no one was

told of your disappearance. A search was made for the carriage. In the

meantime it was given out that the queen was unwell, and that you were

remaining with her and nursing her. Your majesty's surgeon was called

in and sworn to secrecy, and he has twice a day come to the palace. We

have been, as your majesty may well imagine, at our wits' end to know

what to do. To announce that you had disappeared would cause a

disturbance in the city, and an enormous state of unrest throughout the

kingdom. We have met to-night to consider how long the secret could be

kept, and whether it would be expedient at once to offer a very large

reward for news concerning you."

"Happily, duke, I am in a position to settle the matter and to relieve

your disquietude."

She then related how she had been kidnapped, and how she was taken to

the house of the Count de Monterey and confined there. Many were the

exclamations of anger as she went on.

"It is monstrous! Incredible!" were among the exclamations when she

ceased.

"Then how, madam, did you obtain your freedom from the hands of these

malefactors? It would certainly seem that they had taken every

precaution to keep the place of your confinement secret."

"Precautions they did take that would have deceived most people," the

regent said, "but which, happily, failed to deceive this gentleman here.

Now, Captain Hallett, perhaps you will please tell these gentlemen how

it happened that you traced and rescued me. I request that you will

tell it in full detail."

Thus commanded, Arthur gave a full account of the way in which his

suspicions had been aroused, of his pursuit, the manner in which he had

discovered that his suspicions were correct, and the steps he had taken

to obtain the release of the prisoners.

"Well, sir," the premier said, when Arthur had brought the story to a

conclusion, "I have to congratulate you most heartily, in my own name

and on behalf of the other members of her majesty's government, upon the

manner in which you have rescued the queen and the queen regent from the

hands of their captors. You have shown an amount of acuteness, of

steadfastness of purpose, and of courage, in venturing into this den of

conspirators, that does you an extraordinary amount of credit. We can

hardly imagine what would have happened had the place of confinement of

the queen remained undiscovered. The whole kingdom would have been in

uproar; civil strife would have been more rampant than ever. We thank

you most heartily, in the name of Spain, for what you have done for her.

Have you the list, senor, of the men who have been arrested?"

"Yes, senor, this is it."

The premier ran his eye over it, and passed it on to his colleagues.

"It is difficult to believe," he said, "that some of the gentlemen here

mentioned could have been engaged in such a conspiracy; however, we

cannot at present decide upon so important a question."

"I may say, senor," Christina said, "that for my own part I should

vastly prefer that there should be neither scandal nor trial. I prefer

that they should be ordered to leave the kingdom at once, with the

understanding that if they return they will be arrested on the charge of

high treason. It would be most unfortunate if this matter should be

made public. The plot has failed; but the mere fact that it has been

tried might lead others to repeat the attempt. In the next place, most

of these men who have been engaged in the matter bear historic names,

and have wide connections. It would therefore be one of the gravest

scandals ever known in Spanish history were they to be tried and

punished on such a charge. This is my opinion on the subject. I submit

it to your judgment, and I think that when you come to take into

consideration the magnitude of the interests involved, you will agree

with me that it would be advisable to let the matter pass unnoticed.

"In time, when these troubles are all brought to an end, it will be

possible to extend to these conspirators the hand of mercy, and allow

them to return to such portion of their estates as may be deemed

fitting. And now, gentlemen, I will leave you. I have had four days of

great fatigue and anxiety. I should say that to-morrow a notification

should be issued to the effect that the queen has recovered from her

passing indisposition, and that in the course of the day we should show

ourselves in the streets as usual." So saying she rose; the members of

the council also stood up, and bowed deeply as she left the room

followed by Arthur.

*CHAPTER XV*

*A CHALLENGE*

On leaving the palace Arthur went to his room, where he found supper

awaiting him, Roper having confiscated to his use the contents of the

royal hamper.

"I thought you would want something before you went to bed, and I was

sure that I did. I have already eaten mine, but here is a fowl, sir,

and two bottles of wine."

"Well, I am not sorry to have them, though it is three o'clock in the

morning; however, we can sleep as late as we like."

At twelve o'clock, however, Arthur was awakened by Leon entering his

room.

"We have been quite uneasy about you, Arthur. Where have you been?

What have you been doing with yourself? I came round here four days ago;

the concierge said you were out. I called again in the evening, and

next morning I learned that, when you left, you had said nothing about

any intention of going away; that you had certainly taken no clothes

with you, but had gone out with Roper in attendance, just as if you were

going for an ordinary ride."

"That was just the intention with which I did go out, but circumstances

were too much for me. Now, what I am going to tell you is a complete

secret, and before I say anything about it you must give me your promise

that it shall not, on any account whatever, go beyond yourself and your

sisters."

Leon looked at Arthur in surprise, but, seeing that he was quite in

earnest, gave the required pledge.

"Well, you will be surprised to hear that in the four days I have been

away I have ridden over three hundred miles."

"Over three hundred miles!"

"Yes. That is not bad for what was really three and a half days' work,

for I arrived here at three o'clock this morning."

"You stupefy me," the young count said. "Why, no horse could have done

it."

"No, and no horse did it; I had relays about every fifteen miles."

"You travelled post? What did you carry? A despatch for Espartero, or

a cartel to Cabrera?"

"Prepare yourself for a surprise, Leon. I carried in my hand the safety

of the queen and the regent."

"The safety of the queen and regent! You are not joking, are you? How

could you have to ride three hundred miles on such an errand?"

"Well, briefly, Leon, the queen and the queen regent were carried away a

hundred and fifty miles, and I brought them back again."

Leon looked seriously at his friend.

"You are not quite well, are you?" he said; "you are a little upset, my

dear fellow, about something. You are talking nonsense, you know; the

queen has not been out of Madrid. She has been unwell, and her mother

has been nursing her."

"So you were led to believe, but the facts are as I have stated. The

queen and her mother were seized when driving through the streets of

Madrid four days ago. They were placed in a carriage with closed

blinds, and were carried to a place some twenty-five miles beyond the

Ebro and some thirty miles from Tudela. I followed them with Roper. I

had the luck to obtain an interview with her majesty, rode to Tudela,

and brought back a squadron of horse, surrounded the house where they

were imprisoned, captured all the conspirators, and brought the queen

and her mother back to Madrid at one o'clock this morning."

"You seem to be talking sensibly," Leon said, "but I really cannot take

in what you say. It's a hundred and thirty miles good to the Ebro, and

you say it was twenty-five miles farther; then you rode from there to

Tudela and back, a distance of sixty miles, so that you have, in fact,

covered some four hundred miles. Where have you slept?"

"I think I slept a little on horseback on the way to Tudela and back,

and I have slept since three o'clock this morning, as I was some time at

the palace. I have no doubt that in addition I dozed occasionally for

some minutes in succession in the saddle during the return journey, and

I had a sleep of eight hours in the daytime the day before yesterday;

and if you had not come in I dare say I should have had as many more

before I woke to-day."

Leon looked so serious that Arthur burst into a hearty laugh.

"That is good," he said, "and will wake me up. Now, Leon, if you will

wait for five minutes I will get up and dress. Did you see Roper when

you came in?"

"Yes; he opened the door to me as usual."

"Well, if you will tell him that I shall be out in ten minutes, and want

some coffee and something to eat, he will make it for me; but mind,

don't ask him any questions. I am not going to have the story spoilt by

anyone else telling you about it; not that I think you would get

anything out of him, for he is absolutely trustworthy, and I told him

last night that no whisper must pass his lips of what has taken place."

In ten minutes Arthur went into the sitting-room, and as he entered,

Leon said: "If you are going to eat your breakfast before you tell me

anything, I will go away. I cannot repress my curiosity, and I will

take a ride or do something to keep my brain steady until you are ready

to unburden yourself."

"I will begin at once, and tell you while I am eating.

"Now," he began, as he sat down and poured out some coffee, "the thing

in a nut-shell is precisely what I told you. And now as to

particulars:--I was riding with Roper, and had gone about seven miles

out. As we returned I met a party of gentlemen on horseback. At some

little distance behind them was a carriage with the blinds down. Again,

at a distance behind the carriage was another party of gentlemen.

Altogether there were twelve men. It struck me as rather curious;

still, they might have been going down to spend the day at some chateau,

and carrying provisions or something of that sort in the carriage. I

should not have thought much more about the matter, if it had not been

for one thing: as the carriage passed me, it struck me that I knew one

of the horses by a rather curious white mark on its forehead.

"As I rode on, it suddenly occurred to me where I had seen a horse

similarly marked: it was in the carriage in which the queen was driving

when I saw her in the street, just as we were starting. Naturally this

led me to review the position. Who was in the carriage? Why were the

blinds down? How was it that six men were riding in front of it and

other six behind it? It struck me that possibly they were carrying off

the queen, and I resolved to follow and see where they went. They rode

much farther than I expected, changing horses at quiet places every

twelve miles or so, and going very fast, till, as I told you, they

crossed the Ebro between Saragossa and Tudela, and went some twenty-five

miles farther to a mansion, which I had no difficulty in learning

belonged to Count Juan de Monterey.

"Having found that out, we stopped at an inn in a village two miles from

it, and had that sleep I mentioned, as it was ten o'clock in the day,

and I could do nothing till dark. Then I went to the mansion and found,

by looking through the curtains, that the party were at dinner. I found

also that the windows of another room on the ground floor had closed

shutters. The two rooms lay on opposite sides of the grand entrance.

The door was open. I peeped in, and could see no one about; so I took

heart, walked boldly in, and turned along the corridor to the room with

the closed shutters.

"Two men were standing on guard at the door, but of course they took me

for one of their master's guests, and I walked coolly past them, and

found in the room the queen and her mother. I got the regent to sign an

order that I had written out, for the officer commanding at Tudela to

place himself under my orders. Then I rode over there and fetched a

squadron of cavalry, which arrived at daybreak. We surrounded the

house, took the twelve men there prisoners, started an hour later with

the queens, and arrived here at one o'clock this morning."

Leon gazed at him in open-eyed astonishment.

"You are certainly a most surprising fellow, a most astonishing fellow!

I don't know what to say to you. Here, single-handed, you have thwarted

a plot that might have brought ruin to the country; you have saved a

couple of queens; you have captured, too, the leaders of the plot; you

have ridden, what with your journey to Tudela and back, four hundred

miles at least, in the course of three days and a half; and here you

are, telling me all this as if it had been a natural and everyday

occurrence."

"It certainly was not an everyday occurrence, Leon, but it was an affair

that might have happened to anyone who kept his eyes open and possessed

a certain amount of endurance."

"So this is the real history of the young queen's indisposition?"

"Yes. I think the ministers acted very wisely in keeping the thing a

secret."

"It is the first wise thing they have done," Leon said. "I don't see

that they are a bit better than the last ministry. However, never mind

that now. And about yourself? you must be fearfully stiff."

"I am very stiff, but that will wear off by to-morrow."

"And did your man perform this marvellous journey in spite of his broken

leg?"

"He rode there with me, and when I went to fetch the troops, but he came

back on the box of the queen's carriage. His leg hurt him a good deal

last night, but I hope no real harm is done, though no doubt he will

have to keep quiet for a few days."

"Well, they ought to make a duke and grandee of Spain of you for it."

"I sincerely hope they won't think of anything of the sort," Arthur

laughed. "Fancy my going back to England with such a title as the Duc

de Miraflores! The thing would be absolutely ludicrous!"

"Well, they will have to do something big anyhow," Leon said. "Now,

tell me the story more fully. You have got nothing to do, and may as

well gratify my curiosity."

"There is really very little to tell, but I will give it to you;" and he

then told the story in detail.

"Well, it is really remarkable that you should have been able to keep

them under your observation during all that long journey without letting

them know that they were followed."

"You see, they could have had no idea that there was anyone after them;

if they had, they would no doubt have left a couple of their number to

follow at a distance of two or three miles. They no doubt felt quite

sure that the absence of the queen was entirely unsuspected, that no

search could be made for her for at least six hours, and that assuredly

no parties would be sent off in any case to scour the country till next

day, by which time they would have crossed the Ebro. If, instead of

taking the horses from the queen's carriage, they had waited five

minutes till their own were yoked, their plot would have been

successful. Their plan was uncommonly well laid, and they could hardly

have conceived it possible that one of the queen's horses would be

recognized in a private carriage; nor would it have been had I not

happened to observe that peculiar mark that very morning."

"Well," Leon said, "I will be off now to tell my sisters."

"I shall not stir out to-day, Leon. I really feel that I should enjoy a

day's rest, and it is possible that I may be sent for to the palace."

"That is almost certain; the ministers must have many things to question

you about, as the queen last night can only have given them a general

account of the affair."

Indeed, a court messenger rode up an hour later and requested Arthur's

attendance at the palace. He dressed himself fully and went there. On

his arrival he was conducted to the council-chamber.

"The queens have not yet risen, Captain Hallett. I should be glad if

you would give us much fuller details than the regent was able to give

us last night; perhaps, too, in addition to what you yourself know of

it, you may have heard from Queen Christina the particulars of her

capture."

Arthur gave the particulars at full length, both of the queen's capture

and of his own proceedings.

"Thank you, Captain Hallett!" the premier said. "It is the most

audacious attempt against the person of a Queen of Spain that I have

ever heard of; and the manner in which you thwarted it is no less

remarkable. We have already despatched a courier with orders to Colonel

Queredo, ordering him to bring the prisoners to Madrid under the escort

of the troop of cavalry, and to accomplish this with all possible speed,

placing them in three carriages and keeping the most careful guard over

them, confining them by day in some suitable apartment where they can

communicate with no one, and travelling after dark only. They will be

tried privately. I may tell you that although their lives are

unquestionably forfeited, we do not intend to carry out the extreme

penalty, as this could not be done without the whole affair becoming

known--a matter that we are most anxious to avoid. In the first place,

the men are all members of good families, and could not be so disposed

of without the whole matter being known; and the attempt so nearly

succeeded that it might be again tried. Their estates will, of course,

be forfeited, and they will be taken to the frontier and forbidden ever

to cross it again, under penalty of incurring the death-sentence that

will be passed upon them. And now, sir, may we ask you what shape you

would like our gratitude to take, for this great service you have

rendered?"

"I have no desire for a reward in any shape, sir," Arthur replied. "I

am an English gentleman with an estate in my own country, and am well

pleased that I have been able to render a service to the Queen of Spain

and her mother. That is ample reward for my efforts, and I can assure

you that I shall be best pleased if nothing else is done in the matter.

I feel personally thankful to you that you have decided not to execute

the men concerned in the matter; it would be a pain for me to know that

the lives of twelve men, who were doubtless actuated by what they

believed, however mistakenly, to be the good of their country, should be

forfeited through me. May I enquire if you have arrested the coachman

and footmen? I do not ask that mercy should be extended to them. They

were, of course, bribed heavily, and I do not think any punishment too

severe for men who could so betray their mistress."

"The police are in search of them, Captain Hallett. We can hardly

expect to find them for some time, for they would naturally leave within

an hour after the perpetration of their crime, and as they have four

days' start they will by this time be far away. No efforts, however,

will be spared in tracing them. As to what you have said, we shall, of

course, inform the regent of your declaration, which doubtless does you

the highest credit, but which, as you must see, can hardly be

entertained by us, as it would be impossible for the queen to remain

under so deep an obligation to a gentleman, however honourable and

disinterested."

"Well, sir, I can only say that I spoke in earnest. I shall always be

pleased to look back at having been able to render a service to the

Queen of Spain, who had already honoured me by creating me a Knight of

the Isabella of the first class and a Companion of the Order of San

Fernando the Catholic."

He was again sent for to the palace by the queen that afternoon.

"I have been for a drive with my daughter," she said, "and have been

acclaimed by the populace, who were evidently pleased that Isabella has

recovered from her indisposition; and things will now, I hope, go on as

before. I feel that at present I have not thanked you as you deserve

for what you did for us. Believe me, that I am not ungrateful. My

little daughter is not old enough to understand the service you have

rendered us, but in her name I thank you most deeply, and shall ever

retain a deep feeling of obligation towards you."

"The service was one that any gentleman might have performed. The sight

of that carriage with the blinds down, and the knowledge that one of the

horses that was drawing it belonged to your majesty, might well have

excited the suspicion in anyone that something was wrong. That idea

once entertained, he would have taken steps to get to the bottom of the

mystery."

The regent smiled. "I can assure you, Captain Hallett, that few of my

countrymen would have troubled their heads about such a matter one way

or another, or have put themselves out of the way to investigate it.

The premier tells me that he has informed you of the course they intend

to take as to these traitors. Has it your approval?"

"Entirely so. I am very little qualified to judge such matters, but it

certainly seems to me in the highest degree desirable that this attempt

on your person should not be generally known. People may guess as they

choose when they hear that these men have been banished for life, but

they may merely suppose that they have been concerned in some plot or

other. Anything would be better than to let it be known that you had

been actually carried off."

That evening Arthur paid a visit to Leon's, and was received with

enthusiasm by the three girls. "Leon has been telling us all about your

doings, Senor Arthur," Inez exclaimed. "So you have saved the two

queens and brought them safely back from Madrid? It was splendid! You

can't tell how proud we feel of you, as we flatter ourselves that we are

your greatest friends here."

"That you certainly are, Donna Inez. I have no very intimate friends

here except yourselves."

"As for Mercedes, she regularly cried," the girl went on.

"You should not tell such things, Inez," Mercedes said, colouring hotly.

"I know that it was silly of me, but it did seem so brave and so

wonderful."

"There was no bravery in it. The only time when there was ever real

danger was when I entered the house and discovered the queens;

otherwise, the question was only one of sitting so many hours in the

saddle."

"I won't have you belittle yourself," Mercedes said, with an attempt at

playfulness. "It was just the same thing when you rescued me: you tried

to make out that anyone could have done it. It was altogether a

splendid deed."

In a short time guests began to arrive, for it was the evening on which

they entertained. Arthur could not help being amused at the talk, which

turned partly on the young queen's illness, her rapid recovery, and what

would have happened had her illness been a serious one.

A week later Arthur appeared at the trial of the traitors, and gave

evidence as to their proceedings. Christina's account of her capture

was read aloud. The prisoners attempted no defence, as the complicity

of the whole of them in the affair was too evident to dispute. They

were all sentenced to death, with the confiscation of their estates.

The death-sentence, however, was commuted by the queen regent into

banishment for life, and they were taken to the frontier and there

released.

On the day after the trial the estates of Count de Monteroy were

bestowed upon Arthur by decree signed by the queen regent and the queen.

He went at once to the palace to receive the document, and implored the

regent to take back the gift. "I have no intention, your majesty, of

remaining in Spain after the conclusion of the war, and the gift would

be a burden to me. I could not look after the estates, nor see to the

welfare of my tenants. I hope that in time, when all these matters are

settled, your majesty will be able to recall these unhappy men and

replace them on their estates. Doubtless an amnesty will be granted at

the end of the war, and I trust that your majesty will be able to

include even these malefactors, who will, we may be sure, be moved by

your clemency to become faithful servants of yours."

"But a queen cannot be ungrateful, cavalero."

"Your majesty, it is sufficient for me to know that I have your

gratitude, and I shall always be proud to know that I have been able to

do you and your daughter service, therefore I implore you to take back

this gift."

"I cannot refuse any petition from you," the regent said, and, taking

the deed of gift in her hands, she tore it in two; "but in some way, at

least, we must manifest our gratitude."

Three days later Arthur received a business notification from a banker

in the city stating that the sum of a hundred thousand crowns had been

paid by royal order to his account, and five thousand crowns to that of

the soldier, John Roper. He felt that he could not refuse this gift, and

called at the palace and sincerely thanked the two queens for it.

"We feel, and shall always feel, that we are under the deepest

obligation to you, senor; and we have been permitted to show you but a

very small portion of it."

Roper was in the highest degree delighted. He had now thrown away his

stick, and was able to walk fairly well.

"Well, Captain Hallett," he said, "I never thought, when I sailed on

that expedition from Liverpool, that I should come home at the end of a

few years with fifteen hundred pounds in my pocket; nor, when we sat

down to dinner on board that hulk, that through you I was to have such

good fortune."

"You must not put it in that way, Roper. It has come to you through the

friendship that led you to give up your stripes in order to follow me,

and for the service you did in both the affairs in which we were engaged

together."

"It is mighty little I did beyond following your orders. Now, sir, I

don't care how soon we go back to England."

"Nor do I, Roper; but we must see this business out. From what I hear,

Maroto, Don Carlos' commander-in-chief in the north, who appears to be

an unmixed scoundrel, is negotiating with Espartero for surrender. He

has already seized and murdered six of the Carlists' best generals, who

would, he knew, be opposed to his projects. If the negotiations do not

fall through, there is an end to the Carlist cause in the north, and

Espartero will be able to move with his whole force into Aragon, in

which case he will speedily bring the contest to an end."

A week later Arthur was at a reception at Leon's, when he observed a man

scowling at him, and, asking his name from a friend, learned that he was

Count Silvio de Mora. He thought no more of the matter at the time, but

on the following morning a card, with the name of Don Pedro de Verderas,

was brought in to him. He at once ordered Roper to show him up. A

young man entered and bowed courteously, but waved his hand aside when

Arthur offered him a chair.

"I have come to you, senor, on the part of my friend Count Silvio de

Mora, who conceives himself to be seriously aggrieved by you."

"Indeed, sir! in what way? I have never exchanged a word with him that

I am aware of, though I certainly observed that he was looking

unpleasantly at me last night."

"The count's grievance is a very clear and distinct one, senor. He was,

as you are doubtless aware, betrothed to Donna Mercedes de Balen. That

young lady, as a consequence, he tells me, of her being captured by the

Carlists, wrote by the hand of her brother to say that the shock had

been so great that she was determined never to marry, but to spend her

life in good works. The count, my friend, assented, though deeply

troubled by the decision. The count now finds that by common report

Donna Mercedes--"

"Stay, sir," Arthur said sternly, "don't let the name of Donna Mercedes

de Balen be brought into this matter. The Count Silvio de Mora

conceives that he has a quarrel with me and demands satisfaction. That

is quite enough as between two gentlemen. I shall be perfectly prepared

to give him that satisfaction. A friend of mine will wait upon you to

arrange the preliminaries."

"Nothing can be more satisfactory," the Spaniard said. He and Arthur

exchanged deep bows, and he went out.

Arthur sat down to think deeply. He was now twenty, with an experience

that made him feel years older. Donna Mercedes was a year younger, and

gradually for a long time past he had been aware of the fact that it was

more than the friendship brought about by their close intimacy that he

felt towards her. She was in all respects a charming girl. She was

bright, pleasant, and natural, one of the acknowledged beauties of

Madrid. He had often told himself that it would be wrong of him to

presume, on the friendship of Count Leon, to raise his eyes to his

sister, who was co-heiress with her sisters to large estates which had

been the property of her mother. The queen's remark about her blushes

when she mentioned him had often recurred to him, and had suggested to

him that possibly it was not mere gratitude she felt for him. The

queen's gift had placed him in a better position than before, so that it

would not be necessary to ask her to wait five years before he would be

able to support her in the style of life to which she had been

accustomed. He had been intimate with the family in a manner altogether

contrary to Spanish customs, and it might well be that she had come to

care for him.

"Well, I will speak to her brother about it after this affair is over,"

he concluded; "and now I will send word to Don Lopez Parona. I have

seen a good deal of him, and no doubt he will act for me."

He sent Roper off with a note, and an hour later the young man came in.

"Don Lopez," he said, "Count Silvio de Mora has forced a quarrel upon

me, and it is necessary that I should fight him. I have sent for you to

ask if you will be my second in the affair.

"With pleasure, Captain Hallett. What arrangements do you wish made?"

"Well, I have been thinking it over. I don't pretend to be a really

good shot with the pistol, though I have practised a bit. Do you know

whether the count is a good swordsman?"

"He has the reputation of being an excellent one."

"Well, I took lessons with the sword four years ago when I was at

Vittoria, but I have never used a straight sword since. I don't suppose

he is a better shot with the pistol than I am. I wish you to say that I

have not touched a sword for years, but that if he will give me a

fortnight to practise I will choose that weapon; if he objects to that,

I will take pistols. I fenced for nearly six months at Vittoria and

worked very hard, and my master said that I was really a good swordsman,

and had learned as much as a Spaniard would in two years. I think with

hard work that I can get it back again in a fortnight."

Three hours later Don Lopez returned. "I have arranged it as you

desired. It seems the count knows nothing of pistols, and he is quite

willing to give you a fortnight to prepare for the encounter."

"Very well, then. I will go this evening to a fencing school, and will

put in six hours' work a day, divided into three lessons of two hours

each."

"But that would be prodigious, senor!"

"If you feel my muscles you will, I think, admit that they can stand

pretty hard work."

Arthur went to the man who was considered to be the first teacher of

fencing in Madrid, and arranged to go to him three times a day--at eight

in the morning, at two in the afternoon, and at seven in the evening.

The master at first said that it would be impossible for him to practise

for so long a time.

"Well, at any rate, professor, I will try. It is quite possible that

for the first three or four days I shall have to rest a bit sometimes,

but I think at the end of the fortnight I shall be able to work the six

hours a day without difficulty."

Arthur took off his coat and waistcoat, and turned up his shirt-sleeves.

"By San Martin, you have a wonderful arm!" the professor said.

"We play hard at school in England. All our games demand strength and

activity, and it is not wonderful that our muscles are vastly harder and

stronger than those of your gentlemen, who would consider it _infra

dig._, when boys, to engage in any sport that would make them warm."

The professor felt the muscles of his right arm. "Well, senor, if you

fence, as your muscles would seem to show, you need only a little

teaching to be one of the best swordsmen in Spain. Then, too, your

height and age give you great advantage. Well, senor, take the foil and

let me see what you know."

"Very good," he said, after a bout of two or three minutes. "You have

been well taught. I can see that you are out of practice, and your

returns are not as quick as might be. However, if you work as you say,

that will soon be put right."

After the lesson, Arthur found his wrist recovering its suppleness, but

he was glad to stop before the second bout was finished.

"You will do, senor," the professor said, when he acknowledged that he

had had enough. "I suppose you are working in this way for a purpose,

and I can tell you that I should be sorry to be your opponent."

Arthur's wrist and arm were stiff the next morning, and he was not sorry

to follow his teacher's advice and content himself with an hour and a

half at each lesson.

The first week Leon in vain endeavoured to find out from him where he

had spent his time. "I used almost always to find you in," he said,

"but now, whether it is the morning or the afternoon, I find you away.

Of an evening you have often dropped in, but later than usual."

"I am rather busy just now, Leon, and of course go in every morning from

ten to one to Colonel Wylde's office, and generally for an hour in the

afternoon; but things are so quiet, both up in the north and the east,

that he does not consider it necessary for me to start again at

present."

"Well, the girls are always saying, 'What has come over Captain Hallett

the last few days?'"

"Tell them, please, that nothing has come over me, but that I have some

work that keeps me particularly busy. In another ten days I shall have

brought it to a conclusion."

Arthur had no doubt that his antagonist had not altogether thrown away

his time, and that he too had been practising; but he thought that in

all probability this was confined to a little dilettante work lasting

perhaps for an hour a day.

At the end of the fortnight the professor announced that never in his

experience had he seen so strong an arm and so supple a wrist, and that

he believed Arthur could easily hold his own against even the strongest

antagonist.

"I myself am considered a good blade," he said, "but during the past two

or three days I have with difficulty held my own with you, and indeed

you have hit me oftener than I have hit you; so now you have done with

me."

"Yes, professor; and I am greatly indebted to you for the time you have

spent upon me, and the trouble you have taken."

The professor shrugged his shoulders. "You have paid me well for it,

senor; but it has been a real pleasure to me. A teacher is always

interested in his pupil, and when he is fortunate enough to have a pupil

like you, he does not care what trouble he bestows upon him. Your

fencing has been a revelation to me of what your countrymen can do. I

speak not of the skill, but of the power to sustain fatigue. When I

compare, senor, your earnestness, strength of muscle, and quickness of

wrist with the work of the young nobles and cavaliers who come to me and

flatter themselves that they are learning to fence, I can well

understand why you Englishmen are such great soldiers, and why you

spread yourselves over the world and conquer it. Three centuries ago

the men of my race were great soldiers. They were strong and hardy, and

they conquered well-nigh all Europe, till, unfortunately for themselves,

they fell across you, and from that time their downfall began. You

fought against us in Holland, you fought with the Huguenot King of

Navarre at Ivry, you fought with us on the seas, destroyed our Armada,

captured Cadiz, and demolished our mercantile marine, and, as it would

seem, broke the spirit of our people; for from that time we have

steadily gone down. It makes one sad to think of it."

*CHAPTER XVI*

*ENGAGED*

On the morning of the fifteenth day after Arthur had received Count

Silvio's challenge, the two seconds met and arranged for the duel to

take place at a distance of a mile from the town. It was to be at seven

in the morning, so that there would be no fear of interruption. Each of

the gentlemen was provided with a piece of string, the length of the

sword of his principal. These were found to be as nearly as possible

the same length. It was agreed that the count should bring a surgeon

with him, and that no other, save the seconds, should be present at the

encounter. Don Lopez went round to Arthur's chambers half an hour

before the time to start. Arthur had, the night before, told Roper of

what was going to happen, and given him instructions as to the disposal

of his horses. "Take anything you like yourself, Roper. What money I

have will be in that desk; you may take that to pay for your journey

home. You will want it, as we both sent to England the sums we had in

the bank."

"I have no fear, captain, that I shall have to take any such step. I

feel sure that no Spaniard is a match for you."

"You can't know that, and certainly I have no reason to believe so. If

it came to downright hard hitting I fancy I could hold my own against

most Spaniards, but in fencing it is a different thing; it is not a

question of strength only by a long way."

"Some of the Spaniards are good hardy men, captain, no doubt; but very

few of these will be found among the gentry, who pass the day in

sleeping, dawdling about, and smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee.

Well, I suppose, sir, there is no harm in my going out and taking up a

place where I can see what goes on?"

"None at all, Roper; I have no doubt that the count will have a number

of his friends to look on. I am sure he expects to run me through

without trouble, and he will like to show off his prowess before his

friends."

They drove in a carriage to the place fixed upon for the encounter. As

Arthur had expected, a score or two of gentlemen had collected near. He

spoke to his second, who went up to that of his antagonist and said: "My

principal understood that this matter was to be kept private, and that

none but ourselves should be informed of it."

This was repeated to the count, who shrugged his shoulders and said: "I

mentioned it to a few friends, and no doubt they told others, but it

makes no difference whatever."

[Illustration: "LITTLE BY LITTLE ARTHUR'S ADVANCE ACCELERATED"]

Arthur pressed his lips tightly together when the answer was repeated to

him. "You want your performances to be seen, eh?" he muttered.

"Perhaps you will be sorry you have got so many witnesses before you

have done."

The preliminaries were speedily settled, and the two antagonists removed

their coats and waistcoats, and faced each other. The count began with a

few preliminary flourishes, intended to show off his swordsmanship, and

how lightly he thought of the encounter. He was fully half a head

shorter than his antagonist, and the latter's much longer reach would

have given him a decided advantage had they been equal in other

respects. Arthur stood firmly on guard, contenting himself with putting

aside almost contemptuously the other's play. He waited till the count

steadied down and began in earnest. Then, to the astonishment of his

antagonist, he took the offensive. In vain the latter tried to get

within his point; in vain he exerted himself to the utmost, springing in

and out; with scarce a movement of his wrist Arthur's point played in a

little menacing circle. There were no fierce lunges to be turned aside,

no openings left to be taken advantage of. Steadily Arthur advanced, and

foot by foot his antagonist had to give way.

In vain the count exerted himself to his utmost. The perspiration

streamed from his face, and his expression changed from that of

half-contemptuous superiority to rage and uneasiness. Again and again

the count felt that his adversary was but playing with him, and that he

avoided taking advantage of openings that had been left him. His

opponent's face was grave and earnest, but without any other emotion.

Little by little Arthur's advance was accelerated. In vain the Spaniard

attempted to stand his ground against the menacing point. In spite of

his greatest efforts he had to give way, and was driven backwards across

the green sward on which the encounter was taking place, till he was

close to its boundary. Then there was a sudden wrench, and his sword

was sent flying through the air.

Arthur lowered his point, and said in a quiet, deliberate voice that

could be heard by all the astonished spectators: "You seem to be a

little out of breath, senor; perhaps you would like to wait for three or

four minutes before we begin again?"

The count, white with rage and shame, walked and picked up his sword.

"Now, senor," Arthur went on, after a pause of two or three minutes, "we

will recommence the affair. Hitherto I have but played with you, now I

warn you that I shall run you through the shoulder when I get you to the

other side of the field."

Again the singular scene began. In vain the count endeavoured to circle

round his foe; in vain he tried to arrest his own steady retreat. Move

as he would to change his position, Arthur with his long stride and

quick spring always kept in front of him. In a quarter of an hour he

was driven back across the field; then for the first time Arthur lunged.

His antagonist's sword dropped useless by his side as he ran him through

the upper part of the arm and shoulder.

"This may perhaps serve as a lesson to you, count, not to pick quarrels

gratuitously with strangers of whose force you are unacquainted. Your

life has been in my hands a hundred times had I chosen to avail myself

of the openings, but I did not wish seriously to injure you. You have

brought a number of gentlemen here to-day to witness your triumph: I

trust that they have been amused."

So saying, he turned and walked back to the spot where he had left his

clothes, put them on, and entered the carriage with his second,

beckoning to Roper, who was standing a short distance away, to get up on

the box.

"Truly you have astounded me!" Don Lopez said. "I thought that with

your height and length of arm you would give him some trouble, but such

an exhibition as this was never seen!" and he burst into a fit of

laughter. "The count won't be able to show his face in Madrid again for

I know not how long. The wound to his body is nothing, but that to his

pride is terrible. He will never hear the end of it. To think that he

was driven right across a field as if he had been a pig under a

peasant's goad, without a possibility of stopping; that he should have

been disarmed and played with, is too funny. Of course, the thing will

get about all over Madrid. You will have to be careful, though, Don

Arthur, how you go out after dark, or you may find yourself with a

dagger between your shoulders. It would scarcely be in human nature for

a man to put up with being made a public laughing-stock without trying

to get his revenge, and certainly Don Silvio is not, from what I know of

him, likely to be an exception to the rule."

"Yes; no doubt I shall have to be careful. I suppose one can buy such a

thing as a shirt of link armour in Madrid?"

"Oh, yes! there are plenty of them to be picked up in the shops where

they keep old weapons and curiosities; a good one costs money though."

"Money is nothing," Arthur said. "If one gets such a thing one wants to

have as good a one, and at the same time as light a one, as money can

buy. Would you mind getting one for me, Lopez? I would rather not be

seen buying such a thing myself."

"With pleasure. I will make a tour of all the shops where they are

likely to keep such things, and pick out the best that I can find for

you, and it is hard if I don't manage to get you one by this evening;

although I think you are safe for a few days, for were you found stabbed

now, everyone would put it down to Don Silvio at once. I should say

that he would hardly attempt such a thing in Madrid. You are likely to

be in much greater danger when you go off to join the army again."

"Yes, I think that would be the case; but still, I would rather not risk

his beginning at once."

"Quite right! I certainly should not if I were in your place."

On reaching his apartments Arthur sat down to breakfast with his friend.

Not until the latter had left did Roper make any allusion to the scene

he had witnessed.

"Now, Captain Hallett," he said, on returning to the room after letting

the visitor out, "what did I tell you it would be? I stayed at a

distance and roared with laughter. It was the funniest thing I ever

saw--to see him dancing with rage, and you pushing him steadily

backwards with scarcely a movement of your sword. It was worse than a

fight I once saw in the streets of Liverpool. One of those bullying

fellows who stand at the corners of streets and insult passers-by pushed

against a quiet-looking chap that was passing him. Well, sir, this

happened to be a noted prize-fighter, and the way he gave that fellow

pepper was worth walking a good many miles to see. There is no fear of

your having to fight another duel while you are out here."

"I think not, Roper; but at the same time I shall have to be careful.

When a Spaniard cannot get revenge any other way, sometimes he hires an

assassin to put a dagger between his enemy's shoulders."

"Well, sir, I must take to going out with you, and we must not be out

after dark."

"I am going to have even a better guard than you would be. I have asked

Don Lopez to get me a shirt of mail. People used to wear them a good

deal in olden times, and I feel that I shall be all the safer for using

one for a bit."

"That will be a good plan, sir; still, at the same time, it might be

advisable for me to keep near you. I may as well be doing that as

anything else, and if there is to be any sticking with knives I should

like to have a hand in it."

"Very well, Roper; at any rate, you can walk with me when I am going

anywhere. Of course, I cannot tell always at what hour I may be

returning, and I should not like to keep you waiting about for hours."

"Oh, you could tell me the hour before which you would not be leaving,

captain, then I would be at hand at that time. I may as well smoke my

pipe there as anywhere else. The chances are that I should always find

someone to talk to."

Three hours later Leon came in.

"What is this you have been doing?" he said excitedly. "I have been to

the club, and nothing else is being talked about but a duel between you

and Count Silvio de Mora. They say it was the strangest fight ever

seen--that you drove him across the meadow, then disarmed him, and told

him to get his breath; then drove him back again; and finally, after

sparing him fifty times, you ran him through the shoulder."

"These are about the facts of the case," Arthur replied quietly. "I

should have been very glad if nothing had been said about the affair,

and I arranged that no one but our seconds and the surgeon should be

present. Instead of that, the count chose to tell some thirty or forty

of his friends; no doubt he thought to make an example of me. The

consequence is, as you say, that the affair has got all over the town,

to my great annoyance."

"But what was the quarrel about?"

"It was about a private matter, and I would rather that you did not ask

me to tell you more; enough that he forced it upon me."

"But, my dear Arthur, it seems to me that this must affect me. Why

should the count have fixed a quarrel upon you? If he had forced one

upon me, on account of Mercedes throwing him over a year ago, I should

not have been surprised; though I don't know why he should have done so,

as he appeared to have taken his dismissal in very good part. Why

should he quarrel with you?"

"Because it was his fancy, I suppose, Leon."

"Tut, tut!" the other said warmly. "It seems to me that this is a

matter that concerns my family, and I must really ask you, my dear

Arthur, to tell me frankly how it occurred."

Arthur sat silent for a minute.

"Well, Leon, I may as well ask you a question now which I should have

asked you shortly. I have long loved your sister Mercedes. I have

refrained from speaking, for three reasons. In the first place, because

I am very young. You have chosen to laugh at me when I said so, but in

point of fact I am only twenty."

"Only twenty!" Leon said incredulously; "I have always taken you to be

as old as myself."

"And I have told you that I was not so. I repeat, I am not yet twenty,

and am therefore only a year older than your sister. The second reason

I have regarded as more serious: I am an Englishman, and should

necessarily take her home if she married me. In the third place, I was

not in a position pecuniarily to ask her to be my wife until I was

five-and-twenty and came into my estate. The last of these reasons has

ceased to exist by my having received from the queens a present of one

hundred thousand crowns for the service I rendered them. I had begged

them very strongly not to offer me any reward for that service, but

Christina said that it was impossible for them to remain under so great

an obligation to me. In spite of that I should have still refused, or,

if I found that I could not do so, have handed over the money for the

benefit of the poor; but the thought that it would at least remove one

of the obstacles that stood in the way of my asking you for your

sister's hand, decided me in accepting it, as it would enable me to keep

her in a position similar to that which she has held at home, until I

come into my estate. That estate was worth at my father's death about

one thousand English pounds a year. Then there is, of course, a good

house and grounds, and the accumulation of the income during the past

ten years will have amounted to a sum which would enable me to double

the size of the estate. Therefore, I have only the first two

difficulties. It is for you to decide whether these are insuperable.

So, Leon, I ask you now for the hand of your sister, and I can promise

that, if you grant it and she consents, I will do all in my power to

make her happy."

Leon rose and grasped Arthur by the hand. "Nothing can give me greater

pleasure, my clear fellow, than to grant the request you have made. I

shall, of course, be sorry to lose her, but England is not so far from

Spain, and I doubt not that you will bring her over to see us sometimes.

I and my sisters may even visit you occasionally in England. There is

no one to whom I would so gladly see her united, for you have fairly won

her. You saved her from death, and I have ever since hoped that some

day you would claim her. As to her feelings I can, of course, say

nothing, but I am not altogether blind, and it has long been evident to

me that she thinks of no one but you. As to money, it is a secondary

matter, though I do not say that it is not an advantage that you should

have an income of your own, and not owe everything to her. She has,

however, a not inadequate portion, as my mother was an only daughter and

a wealthy heiress, and her fortune will be divided between my three

sisters: her share would amount roughly to some seven or eight thousand

crowns a year. There is but one drawback to the match, and that is the

difference of religion. You know how bigoted we Spaniards are; we do

not allow any Protestant place of worship to exist, save only the

private chapel of your ambassador; and the priesthood will move heaven

and earth to prevent this marriage taking place. Indeed, it seems to me

that the only plan will be for me to take her to England, and for her to

be married there. However, the obstacle is not a serious one in my eyes.

That you are a Protestant is amply sufficient to show that there are as

good men of one religion as of another. Well, will you come with me at

once?"

"I will come this evening, Leon. I would rather it had not been settled

to-day, when I have just been engaged in shedding blood. However, that

was not my fault. Will you be alone this evening?"

"Yes, so far as I know."

"Then I will come in after dinner. I am more nervous about this than I

was before meeting Count Silvio. You see, you have so long made up your

mind that I was a man, while I have been thinking, and still feel, that

I am only a boy."

"Nonsense, Arthur! you stand over six feet. You have the strength of

two ordinary Spaniards. You have accomplished marvels and won the

gratitude of queens. It is perfectly ridiculous for you to talk in that

way. Well, then, I shall expect you this evening. Mercedes and the

girls have gone out this morning, and no doubt she will, in the course

of her visits, have heard of your prowess to-day, which will be a good

introduction, although I do not think she will be surprised in any way,

as her confidence in your abilities to do anything you undertake is

absolute."

Don Lopez came in late that afternoon. "I have seen quite a perfect

coat of mail," he said. "It was made for a bishop of Toledo who had

many enemies, and is a hundred and fifty years old. It is very light,

and can withstand any dagger thrust. It is dear: the man wants five

hundred crowns for it, and declares that he will not take a penny less."

"Thank you, Lopez! that will suit me admirably. I will give you an

order for that sum. Will you ask him to send it round to me in the

morning?"

Arthur was very nervous when he started that evening for Count Leon's.

He still felt in many respects a boy, and in spite of Leon's report, he

felt it hardly possible that Donna Mercedes could have come to love him.

He dressed himself in his evening suit with unusual care, but did not

start till the last moment. He was shown up into the drawing-room as

usual. Mercedes and her two sisters were in the room.

"I have to quarrel with you," the former said laughingly. "I hear that

you have been cruelly ill-treating a gentleman in whom I had once great

interest;--not only ill-treating him, but turning him into a

laughing-stock. Now, senor, I demand that you tell us what it was

about, and why you have thus assailed a gentleman to whom, as you know,

I was once much attached."

"Were you much attached to him, Donna Mercedes?"

"Well," she said, pouting, "you know I was all but affianced to him."

"By your own wishes, senora?"

"Well, never mind about my own wishes," she said; "it is quite

sufficient that I was almost affianced to him. Now I demand from you

again a true and complete history how this came about."

"Well," he said, "you can hardly expect, senora, that I should go into

particulars of this kind before your sisters--young ladies, who cannot

but be horrified by deeds of violence."

Mercedes laughed. "Well, you will tell me some day, won't you, what it

was all about, and why you so ill-treated him? I hear that he will not

be able to show his face for some time in Madrid."

"I will tell you all that is good for you to learn," he said in a tone

of banter. "I know that you must be grieving terribly over it."

"Of course I am, dreadfully!" the girl said. "When I heard how you had

been treating him, I almost made up my mind not to speak to you again.

Ah! here is Leon, and looking as serious as a judge."

Leon came up to Mercedes, and to her surprise took her by the hand.

"Little sister," he said, "I have a very serious duty to perform. I

have had another request for your hand."

The girl turned pale. "You know," she said, "that I do not intend to

marry, Leon; I have told you so over and over again."

"That may be so, sister; but I believe that ladies change their minds in

these matters not infrequently. The gentleman who is your suitor is not

unknown to you. He is of good blood and honourable position. You will,

perhaps, anticipate his name. It is the Cavalero Captain Arthur

Hallett, a Knight of Isabella of the first class, and a Companion of the

order of Fernando the Catholic."

The girl's face, which had been set with a mutinous expression, changed

suddenly, a deep wave of colour rushed over her face, and her head

drooped.

"He has my willing consent to the alliance, Mercedes; indeed, I know of

no one in the world to whom I could so willingly commit you and your

happiness."

"I know, senora," Arthur said, "that I am very unworthy of so great a

gift, but at least I can promise to do my best to make you happy."

The girl lifted her head suddenly. "Do not say that you are unworthy,"

she said. "It is I who should say that. Have you not saved me from

death? Have you not saved Spain from being ruined? It is I who feel,

above all things, honoured by your love."

Then Leon said, with a slight smile: "I don't think that there is any

occasion for me to lay my orders upon you on the subject. Take her,

Arthur. I can trust her happiness in your hands with a certainty that

my confidence will not be abused;" and he gave her hand to Arthur, who

bent down and kissed her.

The two younger girls clapped their hands loudly. "Oh, Arthur!" Inez

exclaimed, "I shall never call you Don Arthur again. We are pleased!

We always knew that Mercedes was fond of you--anyone could have seen

that with half an eye, but we did not know what you felt towards her.

We are pleased, I cannot tell you how much! I believe we are more

pleased than she is."

"Now, you madcap!" her brother said; "suppose you two come in with me to

the next room, and let us leave these two young people alone."

"And did you really doubt that I loved you?" Mercedes said a short time

afterwards. "I have been so afraid of showing it too much; but after

being carried in your arms all that journey, I knew that I could never

marry anyone else. If you had not asked for me before you went away, I

should have assuredly gone into a convent."

Half an hour later the others returned to the room, and they held a long

conversation together. It was finally agreed, in view of the opposition

that would be raised by the Spanish clergy on the ground of the

difference of religion, that the engagement should be kept quiet for a

time, and that things should go on as they were.

"It cannot be many months before this war is over," Leon said, "and you

will be returning to England. You will necessarily be away a great

deal, and it will avoid much trouble and argument if you assent to the

matter being kept quiet."

Both Mercedes and Arthur agreed that it would be better so, as they felt

sure that there would be a vehement opposition on the part of the clergy

if a member of a noble family contracted a marriage with a heretic.

To Arthur's surprise, when he called next morning, Mercedes, who

received him alone, said with a flush, "Good-morning, Arthur!" in

English. He looked at her with surprise.

"Do you mean to say that you understand English, Mercedes?"

"I have been learning it for the past year," she said in imperfect

English, but with a pretty accent. "I loved you, Arthur, after you had

saved me, and so I loved everything English; and as I had plenty of time

upon my hands I have spent two hours a day ever since in learning it. I

had no difficulty in finding a mistress, for several English families

settled in the town after the last war."

"And you thought, perhaps, that it would come in useful, Mercedes?"

"I did not quite like to think that," she said, glancing at him; "but it

seemed to me that perhaps, as I loved you so much, you might some day

come to love me. I never quite thought so, you know, but I could not

help sometimes hoping it. Anyhow, sir, it is quite enough for you that,

whatever was the reason, I have learned English; and now, when we are

together alone you must always talk it with me. I want to get to speak

quite perfectly before I go to England and meet your friends."

"You really talk it very fairly now," he said, "and you must not be in

the least afraid that anyone will find fault with you."

"I suppose you have heard," Leon said a few days later, "that Don Silvio

is still in Madrid. They say he will see no one."

"I shall feel rather glad when he is gone, Leon. He is evidently a

revengeful fellow; that is quite clear by the way in which he fixed a

quarrel upon me. He won't do anything himself, but I think he is quite

capable of hiring a ruffian to put me out of the way. I know that

plenty of unprincipled characters are to be found in the city who would

willingly do the job for a few dollars."

"I have no doubt about that, and I was intending to speak seriously to

you on the subject. Things are still very quiet, but I dare say Colonel

Wylde would send you to one or other of the armies if you were to ask

him."

"I am not at all disposed to go until I am obliged to; I am enjoying

myself a great deal too much for that. But I have taken precautions.

Roper comes with me every evening to your house, and meets me at the

door when I go away; and, moreover, I have bought a shirt of mail. It

is a splendid example of the best sort of work of that kind. I have put

it on the table and tried to drive a knife through it, but, striking

with all my force, I simply broke the weapon and did not injure the

chain. I put it on now whenever I go out after dark."

"I am very glad to hear it. No amount of strength or bravery can save a

man from the hands of an assassin, and a good mail shirt is worth a

score of guards, for a man who bides his time will always find a chance

sooner or later."

"That is how I look at it, and I can assure you that I am far too happy

at the present time to be willing to throw away the smallest chance."

Three days later Don Lopez called at Arthur's rooms.

"I have heard this morning that Don Silvio has gone out of town. Now

you will have to look to yourself. So long as he was here I considered

that you were safe, for if anything happened to you suspicion would at

once fall upon him. Now that he is away, people might suspect as much as

they liked, but it would be extremely difficult to bring the matter home

to him."

"But I should hardly think he will do anything more in the matter,"

Arthur said.

"I think quite the contrary," Lopez replied. "If you had simply met him

and wounded him, the thing might have passed off quietly. That would

have shown that you were the better swordsman, and there would have been

an end of it. But you have made him the laughing-stock of the town. It

will be a joke against him all his life that he was driven about like a

sheep by a man whom he boasted he was going to kill like a dog, and he

will never get over it. No one could stand such disgrace with

equanimity, but of course it is infinitely worse for a man as proud and

as touchy about his family as he is."

"I will look out, but I don't think any precautions will be of much

value. If a man wants to stab you, he is sure to find an opportunity

sooner or later. However, I have my coat of mail, and I rely more upon

that than on any vigilance on my part or on Roper's."

Two days later, when Arthur was returning home from Leon's, two men

sprang out from a dark entry and struck at his back. Sharp exclamations

broke from them as, instead of their knives burying themselves to the

hilt, they struck on a hard substance. Arthur was nearly knocked down

by the force of the blows, but, springing round, he seized both men by

the throat before they could recover from their surprise. Roper, who

was walking some ten paces in the rear, rushed up.

"All right, Roper, I have got them!" Arthur cried, and, squeezing their

throats, he dashed their heads together with all his strength two or

three times, with the result that as he released his hold they fell to

the ground insensible.

"I think we will walk on, Roper. I must have pretty nearly broken their

skulls, to say nothing of half-choking them. If we were to give them

into custody it would be an endless affair, and I might be kept here for

months. They will certainly not repeat the experiment, and whatever

attempt Don Silvio may make next, it will not be in the same direction."

The next morning he told Leon of what had happened.

"I don't know whether you did right to let them go, Arthur. There is

nothing to prevent this fellow from trying again in some other way."

"Nor would there have been if I had given them into custody. You may be

sure that his bribes would be large enough to secure their silence as to

who had employed them, and they would simply have declared that they

only attacked me to obtain possession of any valuables I might have

about me. Don Silvio is rich, and it is a hundred to one that, before

the trial came on, the men would have escaped. A hundred pounds would

bribe any jailer in Spain. If by accident this failed, he would bribe

the judges, so that nothing would ever come out against the villain who

set the men on me, and I might be kept dancing attendance on the courts

for months."

"That is true enough, Arthur. Still, the matter would be kept hanging

over his head, and until it was settled he would be hardly likely to

make another attempt upon you. However, we need not discuss it now that

you have let the fellows go scot-free."

"I have not let them go scot-free, I can assure you. In the first place

I nearly strangled them, and in the second I am by no means sure that I

did not fracture their skulls."

"That sort of man has got a very hard skull," Leon answered. "Probably

you would have fractured mine if you had dashed it against somebody

else's with those muscular arms of yours, but I have doubts whether the

head of a professional bravo would not stand even such a blow as that--I

won't say with impunity, but at least without any very serious damage."

"Don't say anything to Mercedes about it, it would only fidget her. And

I can assure you it does not disquiet me. The mail shirt has

indisputably proved that it is knife-proof, and when Don Silvio receives

the reports from these two gentlemen he will see that all attempts to

dispose of me in that way will be in vain. I give him credit for

ingenuity, and it is quite possible he will hit upon some other idea.

However, I trust that I shall be able to meet it, whatever it is; and

indeed I shall be somewhat interested to see what his next plan may be."

"What do you say, Arthur, to my mentioning this affair at the club, and

saying loudly that I have no doubt whatever it is the outcome of your

duel with him?"

"My dear Leon, that would simply entail his challenging you, and the man

really doesn't fence badly. It was only my superior length of arm and

sheer strength that overbore him."

"I could refuse to fight him," Leon said.

"No, I don't think you could, and certainly I should not like you to do

so. You and I may feel perfectly convinced that this attack upon me

last night was his work, but we have no absolute proof of it. The fact

that I beat him in a duel simply shows that I am a much better swordsman

than he is, and is no reflection upon his character. So you see, if you

were to bring this accusation against him, without having a shadow of

real proof, I doubt if you could refuse to meet him. You see, the man

has a large circle of friends and relatives, and possesses much

influence. You were willing to accept him as a brother-in-law, and

although just at present the town has a laugh against him, that would

not prevent his friends from rallying round him were you to bring such a

terrible accusation against him as that of his setting assassins on me."

"No, I suppose not," Leon said regretfully. "You know, Arthur, I feel

more grateful to you than ever, for it is evident now that you not only

saved Mercedes from death, but from marriage with a man of whose real

character I was altogether ignorant. How grieved I should have been had

she been tied to such a man, who would assuredly have shown himself in

his true colours sooner or later!"

"Yes, she has certainly had a narrow escape, Leon, though I cannot help

thinking that in any case you would have learned more of him before the

marriage came off."

Leon shook his head.

"I don't see how I could. He bore a very respectable character, and

indeed was thought highly of. That he should have picked a quarrel with

you is not altogether unnatural in the circumstances, and really this

attempt upon your life is the only thing I have against him. It is a

thousand pities now that, instead of treating him as you did, you did

not run him through and have done with him."

"I don't know that it has made much difference, Leon. He has, as you

say, powerful friends and connections, and whereas, if he had fallen in

a duel with yourself or any other noble of his own rank, they would have

thought no more of the matter, they would certainly have attempted to

avenge his death if I, a foreigner and a heretic, had killed him. The

Church counts for a great deal, and I believe he is a very rigid

Catholic; therefore the chances are that there would have been a

terrible row over it, and I might have had to leave the kingdom, which,

in the present circumstances, would be particularly disagreeable to me."

"Well, perhaps you are right," Leon said. "The really unfortunate part

of the affair is that he should have taken it into his head to resent

the fact that Mercedes did not keep to her resolution of remaining

single and perhaps going into a convent."

"But you did not guarantee that she would, Leon?"

"No; but you know, in that letter that you wrote and I signed, we

certainly gave him to understand that she broke on the engagement on

those terms."

"Yes, that was so. But I imagine that a young lady has the right to

change her mind without being called to account for it."

"Yes, that is all very well, but, you see, the gentleman has also some

sort of right to resent it. Well, it is useless to say any more about

it. You have let the fellows go, and whether for good or evil the

matter is concluded as far as they are concerned."

*CHAPTER XVII*

*KIDNAPPED*

A priest was sitting at a table in a second-class cafe when a gentleman

entered and came up to the table.

"Good-morning, count!" the priest said. "I received your note asking me

to meet you at this place, and here I am."

"Thanks, father!" the other said, as he took a seat beside him and

ordered coffee. He waited till it was brought, and then went on: "I

wanted to see you about a rather delicate matter that concerns you, and,

I may say, the Church."

The priest looked surprised.

"You are, I know," the count went on, "the spiritual adviser of Count

Leon de Balen and his family."

"I can hardly say of the count," the priest said with a smile, "for,

like too many young noblemen of his age, he does not trouble me with his

confessions; but of the ladies, yes."

"May I ask if Donna Mercedes comes very often to confession?"

"Well, my son, unless you ask for some very particular reason, that is a

question I should not care to answer."

There was a ring of dissatisfaction in the priest's answer that the

count was not slow to notice.

"I have a reason for asking," he said. "You know, father, that I was at

one time, I will not say actually betrothed, but very nearly so, to

Donna Mercedes. She broke off the affair under the plea that she had

made up her mind to remain single and to devote herself to good works."

"So she told me," the priest said, "and I highly approved of her

determination."

"May I ask, father, if she has repeated that statement to you of late?"

"She has not come to me frequently of late," the priest said in a tone

that showed it was a sore point with him.

"I thought so," the count went on. "Well, father, you can hardly help

noticing that for some time past a young English adventurer has been

frequently at the house."

The priest nodded.

"He is a friend of her brother's. It is a matter that I have regretted,

as I have considered that so close an intimacy with a heretic is not

seemly; but this cannot affect Donna Mercedes."

"I should say, father, that it does, very seriously. I have information

of what takes place in the house, and I can assure you that if not

already engaged, it is certain that Donna Mercedes will be betrothed to

this adventurer before long."

The priest uttered an angry exclamation.

"It would be a grave scandal, a terrible scandal," he said, "for the

daughter of a noble house to be betrothed to a heretic!"

"And a serious loss to the Church too," the count said smoothly. "If

this marriage could be prevented, doubtless she would revert to her

previous intention of entering a convent; and I need hardly say that she

is an heiress, and that her revenues would be better employed in the

Church than by this young heretic."

The priest nodded. The fact was too evident to need argument.

"I have done my best to prevent it," the count went on, "by challenging

this young upstart to a duel; but, as you may perhaps have heard, he

proved himself the better swordsman. I have, therefore, resolved to lay

the matter frankly before you, in order that you may, if you choose, put

a stop to what, as you say, would be a grievous scandal."

"I do not see how I could do so," the priest said gloomily. "It would be

useless for me to speak to her brother, who is most to blame, for he

should not have permitted so close an intimacy to arise. Nor do I think

that I should succeed with Donna Mercedes herself. She is, I regret to

say, of a somewhat headstrong disposition. I have more than once spoken

to her about this strange intimacy between her brother and a gentleman

who is at once a foreigner and a heretic, but she has always replied

that it was a matter on which I should speak to her brother and not to

her, as it was he who had brought him to the house. And once when I

tried to press the matter she said, in a tone that was not altogether

seemly, that he had saved her life, as of course I had heard--though,

for my part, I doubt whether Cabrera would have carried his threat into

execution--and that she certainly would not take any step to induce her

brother to close his doors to his visits."

"No, father, I did not think for a moment that any persuasions would

turn this unhappy girl from the course on which she seems to be bent."

"What, then, do you propose? I am willing to take any steps that would

put a stop to this deplorable state of things."

"Well, father, you know that, although some laxity has been shown of

late years, the laws against infidelity to the Church are still in

force."

"That is so," he said. "But this young man is, it appears, an agent of

his government; and though we could assuredly use these laws against a

native, we could scarcely put them in force against a commissioner of a

friendly country."

"That I foresaw," the count said; "but what cannot be done openly can be

done privately. There can be little doubt that if this young adventurer

were shut up in a cell in a monastery for a few years, Donna Mercedes,

when all trace of him was lost, would revert to her original intention

and enter a convent, in which case her property would go to the Church."

The priest was silent for some time.

"It is a daring plan," he said, "one of which I certainly could not

approve did I see any other way of saving this unfortunate girl from

eternal perdition, which would doubtless befall her. Were she to marry

this English stranger, no doubt she would in time adopt his religion. I

must think it over. It would be a grave step to take, and if it were to

be discovered it might cause a serious scandal; at the same time

something might be risked for the sake of this young lady's eternal

welfare."

"I do not think that the risk would be worth taking into consideration,"

the count said. "There must be plenty of cells in your monasteries

where he could be confined without the smallest fear of discovery. He

would, of course, be well treated; and after Donna Mercedes had taken

the veil he might even be released on taking an oath never to divulge

where he had been, or to make any complaint as to his treatment. He

would, doubtless, be glad enough to regain his liberty on those terms.

"When he disappeared, suspicion would naturally fall upon me, for it is

well known that I have great cause of complaint against him. People

would say that I had had him quietly removed--a grievous suspicion to

have to bear; but I would do so cheerfully in order to save Donna

Mercedes from this young adventurer, whom her brother has so foolishly

and incautiously allowed to lead her away. I have no doubt that I shall

be watched for a long time; but assuredly no suspicion whatever could

fall upon the Church of having come to the lady's rescue."

"Certainly her marriage to this heretic would be a terrible scandal,"

the priest said, "and one to be avoided by every possible means. Well,

my son, I will think it over, and will lay the matter before higher

authorities. Will you meet me here again in a few days' time, when I

shall probably be able to give you an answer?"

"Good, father! I feel at any rate that I have only done my duty in

endeavouring to save this young lady, whom I sincerely esteem and

respect, although there are no longer any relations between us. It

appeared to me that it was a matter in which the Church should

interfere; and having now laid it before you, I feel that my conscience

is relieved, and that I have no further interest in the matter."

"I see, my son, that your opinion is an entirely disinterested one, and

that you are acting simply in the interest of this young lady and of the

Holy Church."

The count and the priest met again two days later.

"My son, the matter has been decided upon. I have laid it before my

bishop, and he agrees with me that it is incumbent on the Church to take

every means to prevent this young lady from going to eternal perdition.

The monastery in which this young man shall be confined has been settled

upon. Perhaps you can tell us the best way in which he can be secured,

for he is assuredly a man of exceptional strength and not likely to

suffer himself to be carried away without a severe struggle."

"That is so, father. The matter is not without difficulty," the count

said. "After nightfall he never goes out without being attended by a

pestilent knave, his servant, and the two could not be overcome without

a veritable battle. He must, therefore, be taken in the daytime. If

you like, father, I will undertake that part of the business, although

it is not to be done without some difficulty and danger. He must be

enticed by a fictitious message to some quiet house. Here six men will

be waiting for him, and as soon as he enters they will fling themselves

upon him and overpower him. They will then bind him, and leave him;

then, when it is dark, either a carriage, or a stretcher carried by four

lay brothers of the monastery, can come for him and carry him off, it

makes but little difference to me whither, and I would rather not know,

so that I may be able to swear that I have not seen him since the day we

met, and that I am wholly ignorant of his whereabouts. If you will be

here every day at this hour, I will come and tell you when the bird is

caged."

"So be it, my son, and indeed we shall all feel grateful to you for the

service you will have rendered the Church."