THE EYE OF THE DRAGON
One morning, a week or more after my visit to my uncle's house, with
Frances, she came to my closet in the Wardrobe greatly excited, and told
me that a sheriff had come to take her to one of the London courts of
law.
"Here is the paper he gave me," she said, handing me a document which
proved to be a subpoena. "I have committed no crime, and I can't imagine
what it all means."
After examining the subpoena, I explained: "You are wanted merely as a
witness before a jury of inquiry engaged in investigating a crime of some
sort. It may be Hamilton's fight at the Old Swan, or it may be the Roger
Wentworth affair. Perhaps some one is trying to fix that awful crime on
Hamilton. But I tell you, Frances, he is innocent."
I had not, at that time, explained to her that Hamilton and Churchill
were two hundred yards behind Crofts and his friends when the robbery was
committed, having felt that it was just as well not to make Hamilton's
innocence too clear.
We of the court considered ourselves exempt from processes of this sort
while in the palace. Therefore I carried the paper to the king, whom I
found at cards in his closet.
"What is it, Clyde?" asked his Majesty.
For answer, I handed him the subpoena, and when he had glanced over it,
he returned it to me, saying:--
"Please tell the sheriff for me that Mistress Jennings will appear before
the court of inquiry this afternoon at two o'clock."
"It is a disagreeable business for a lady, your Majesty," I remarked,
bowing. "But if it is your desire--"
"Yes, yes, Clyde! Come with me," he interrupted, leading me out of
the room to a corridor. "You see it is this way. We of the palace have
so frequently set the law at defiance of late that the citizens are
beginning to grumble. In this instance I should like to make a great
show of compliance. We'll make it easy for your cousin by going with her.
And Clyde, if you will say to the duchess for me that I should deem it a
favor if she and one or more of her ladies will accompany us, I doubt not
she will be glad to go."
"But, your Majesty, what has my cousin done that she should be dragged
before the courts of law?" I asked, pretending ignorance of the real
nature of the summons and hoping to ascertain whether the king knew
anything about the present occasion.
I gained the information I wanted when he replied instantly: "Oh, she is
not to be tried. She has done nothing. She is called only to be
questioned concerning a crime now under investigation." Then hedging
quickly, "That is, I suppose such is the purpose of the subpoena."
The king's manner and his evident knowledge of what was going on
convinced me that Hamilton was the subject of inquiry, and I greatly
feared an effort was being made to charge him with Roger Wentworth's
death or to arraign him because of his threats against the king's life.
I was about to leave the king when he stopped me, saying "Please go to my
Lady Castlemain's lodging over Holbein's Gate and ask her to go with us
down to London. And Clyde, have my barge at the Bowling Green stairs at
one o'clock so that we may take our leisure going down the river and
still reach the law courts on time. Our punctuality will flatter the city
folk."
At one o'clock, according to instructions, I went to the royal barge
waiting at Bowling Green stairs, where presently came the king, the
duchess with one of her ladies, Frances, my Lord Clarendon, and my Lady
Castlemain, the last named bearing in her arms a young baby. In a barge
which was to follow us were several gentlemen of the court and a
halfscore of the king's guardsmen. Evidently the occasion was to be in
the nature of a frolic; poor Frances to furnish the entertainment.
On thinking it all over, I was convinced that the investigation, whatever
it should turn out to be, had been instigated by the king.
When we entered the barge, Frances clung to my hand and sat down beside
me, but the king, who was sitting with the duchess on one hand and
Castlemain on the other, beckoned Frances to sit beside him. She went to
him reluctantly, and he moved toward the duchess, making room for Frances
between himself and Castlemain. But that fair lady objected and moved up
to the king, indicating by a nod that Frances might sit on the spot her
Ladyship had vacated.
But the king said, "You are to sit by me, Mistress Jennings."
"She'll do nothing of the sort," exclaimed Castlemain, with an oath.
"She'll sit on the other side of me or in the bottom of the barge, or in
the river, I care not which."
"You shall make room, or I'll have you put out of the barge," said the
king, displaying a flash of temper.
Immediately a torrent of profanity and piercing screams came from her
Ladyship.
"Let any man lay hands on me," she cried, turning to the king, "and this
brat of yours goes into the water!"
"Sit down, in God's name, sit down and have your way," said the king,
waving his hand to the man on the wharf to throw the warps aboard.
The duchess laughed and offered to give her place to Frances, but of
course my cousin refused and came back to me.
* * * * *
When we reached the courtroom, we found it filled with men, women, and
children, most of them belonging to the lower walks of life and all of
them eager to see the king, whom they seemed to know was coming.
As we entered, the High Sheriff, in his gown, rose and cried: "Oyez!
Oyez! His Majesty is now in presence!" Whereupon the audience rose and
remained standing till the king left.
We had entered by the public door, the king doubtless wishing to display
himself as fully as possible to the people. As we passed down the aisle
to the bar, I caught the eyes of a man garbed as a Quaker. He wore a thin
gray beard, and his white hair hung almost to his shoulders. His bearing
and expression were truly sanctimonious, and had the gleam in his eyes
been in keeping, I should not have taken a second glance at him. But it
was not, so as I came close to him I noticed him carefully and saw that
he was observing me. At once I thought of Hamilton, and although I was
not at all sure of my ground, I dropped my hat near him, as an excuse for
stopping, and, while bending toward him, whispered:--
"Dark spectacles shade the eyes."
If the man was not Hamilton, my remark would mean nothing; if he was, it
would give him a valuable hint.
When the king and the duchess were seated, the judge spoke from the
bench, calling the attention of the good people of London to the fact
that his gracious Majesty had given to the court information which, it
was hoped, would lead to the arrest of the man who had committed the
heinous crime of robbing and killing Roger Wentworth on the king's
highway. The judge said that his gracious Majesty, loving justice as
perhaps no other king of England had ever loved it, had come in person
to offer as a witness one of the fairest ladies of the court, by whose
testimony it was expected the guilty man might be brought to justice.
During this speech, which was much longer than I have given it, I noticed
that the king was restless, and I suspected that, in his heart, his
Majesty was cursing the judge for a fool.
When the judge sat down, the Grand Jury was summoned, and in a few
minutes the wheels of justice were ready to turn. In proceedings of this
nature, there is no prisoner at bar; therefore no one is in court save
the crown by its counsel, the purpose being only to obtain information
upon which a true bill or indictment may be found against some one
suspected of the crime under investigation.
After all was ready, the sheriff escorted Frances to the witness stand,
and the judge asked her to place her hand on the Bible. She did so and
made oath that she would true answers make to all questions that should
be put to her touching her knowledge of the robbery and murder of one
Roger Wentworth.
When she had made oath, the king's counsel said: "You may state to the
court whether you were acquainted with one Roger Wentworth, a tanner of
Sundridge, during his life." To which question Frances answered that she
had known Roger since her childhood.
The king's counsel then put several preliminary questions which led up to
the time of Roger's murder, after which he asked:--
"You may state to the court whether you saw the faces of any of the
highwaymen."
"I did," answered Frances.
"Are you acquainted with one George Hamilton?" asked the lawyer.
"Yes," answered Frances. And my heart almost leaped out of my mouth in
fear that her next word would mean death to an innocent man.
"You may state whether George Hamilton was one of the highwaymen who
attacked and killed Roger Wentworth."
Frances paused for perhaps ten seconds, but the time seemed an hour to
me, and I remember wondering how the Quaker felt.
"No," she answered, in a voice clear as a bell and without a flutter of
hesitancy.
It could easily be seen that her answer surprised the court and the
king's counsel, and as the king glanced up to Crofts, who was standing by
his side, I noticed a queer expression which seemed to say that the
evidence was not what they had expected.
The king's counsel held a brief whispered consultation with the judge,
who spoke privately to the king, and suddenly Frances was told that the
proceedings were over. Evidently the king had refused to have her
questioned further, fearing, no doubt, that she might testify to having
recognized the real culprits.
After the court had risen, we were perhaps ten minutes making our way
from the courtroom, and when we came to the coaches which were to take
us to our barge, I saw the Quaker standing near by. He wore colored
spectacles. He was Hamilton. As I passed the Quaker, I said to Frances
loud enough for him to hear:--
"I shall go to see Betty each Sabbath evening hereafter."
Frances looked up in surprise at my apparently senseless remark, but I
did not explain its significance, and she remained in ignorance of the
fact that Hamilton had just heard her make what she supposed to be a
false oath for his sake. Soon after we reached the palace, my cousin
and I walked out to the park, and after a long meditative silence, she
asked:--
"Was I guilty of a great sin in making a false oath on the book?"
"No," I answered. "Because you swore to the truth, not only in the
spirit, but in the letter. Hamilton was not one of the highwaymen who
attacked and killed Roger Wentworth."
"Ah, but I saw him and recognized him," she answered.
"Why, then, did you make oath that you did not?" I asked.
"I have been asking myself the same question over and over," she
returned. Then after a long pause. "I deliberately swore falsely. I did
recognize him by the light of the lanthorn. I wish I had never seen him,
but having known him as I did at one time, I almost wish that I could
have remained in ignorance of his guilt. Would that the lanthorn had been
dark so that I could not have seen him."
"I do not deny that you saw him, Frances, but I do deny that you saw him
attack Roger Wentworth. Hamilton was two hundred yards down the road when
Roger was killed. If not, he has lied to me, and, with all his faults,
I have always found him truthful."
After a moment she answered musingly: "I believe you are right. Noah had
whipped up the horses, and we must have covered at least a hundred yards
or more before I saw Master Hamilton's face. I fear I have committed
a great sin against him, and this day came near committing a greater. I
was on the point of answering 'yes' to the lawyer's question, when some
motive prompted me to say 'no,' and to make false oath. I wish I were
dead. I have wronged him cruelly, and you are to blame."
The last sentence was purely feminine logic, which is always interesting
but usually inaccurate.
She began to weep, and I took her hand to soothe her, as I asked gently:
"Tell me, Frances. Tell me all your trouble. Speak it out. Let me be your
other self. Perhaps I can help you."
After a long pause she began her pathetic story: "I cannot blind myself
to the truth. It is because I cannot stop thinking of him. The creatures
that infest this court are but foils to show me that he is a man, even
though he be a bad one, while they are mere imitations. I have often
heard you say bitingly that women do not hate wickedness in men as they
should--"
"I fear it is true," I interrupted dolefully.
"I suppose it is," she continued. "And one might go further and say that
no woman ever loved a man only because he was good. Too often goodness is
but the lack of courage to do wrong or the absence of temptation. If a
man has no qualities save goodness to recommend him, I fear he might go
his whole life through not knowing a woman's real love. We are apt to
turn from the nauseating innocuousness of the truly good and to thank God
for a modicum of interesting sin."
"I'm sorry to hear this philosophy from you, cousin, for it smacks of
bitterness, and I regret to learn that you have not thrown off your love
for Hamilton, though I have long suspected the truth."
"Yes, yes, Ned, the truth, the truth! I, too, am sorry. But it can't
be helped, and I want to tell you all about it," she said, clasping my
arm. "I--I am almost mad about him! The king and the courtiers are
harmless. It may be that my love exalts Master Hamilton and debases
others by comparison, but it is as I say with me, and I fear it will ever
be. He may be bad, but he is strong, brave, and honest. He is a man--all
man--and I tell you, Baron Ned, a woman doesn't look much further when
she goes to give her love."
My eyes were opening rapidly to qualities in my cousin that I had never
suspected, so after a moment I asked in alarm:--
"But surely you would not marry Hamilton?"
"No, I cannot marry him because of father," she answered, shaking her
head dolefully. "I must marry a rich man. More than a month ago the Duke
of Tyrconnel asked me to be his wife, as you know. He seems to know that
he must buy me if he would have me, so he tells me that he has forty
thousand pounds a year, and offers to settle ten thousand a year on me if
I will marry him. I asked for a fortnight in which to consider his offer,
and when the time was up I begged for another, which he granted, kindly
saying that he did not want me to answer till I was sure of myself, even
though the delay cost him a year's happiness. The time is almost up, and
I must ask another extension; but I shall eventually take him, and then
God pity me, for I know I shall die."
"No, no, Frances," I returned, trying to conceal my delight. "You will be
happy with Dick Talbot if you will thrust the other man out of your
heart."
"Thrust the other man out of my heart!" she exclaimed. "It was never done
by a woman. She may be cured, I suppose, by time and conditions, but she
can't cure herself. A woman's heart is like a telescope. It magnifies the
man of her choice, but reverses and becomes a diminishing glass for all
others. But I shall accept Tyrconnel just as soon as I grow used to the
thought of living with him. Soon you will have accomplished your purpose
in bringing me to court."
"My purpose?" I asked in surprise. "Was it not also your purpose?"
"I suppose it was, but I hate myself for having conceived it. I'm
learning to hate every one, the king more than any man, unless I except
that little wretch, Jermyn, the court lady-killer. What a despicable
thing your lady-killer is! Doubtless God created him to show by
comparison the great worth of worms, snakes, and other reptiles."
"What has Little Jermyn been doing?" I asked, amused at her
vindictiveness.
"He has crushed so many hearts that he deems himself irresistible, and
of late has been annoying me. If by any chance he finds me alone, he
importunes me to make a tryst with him and save him from death because of
a broken heart. I usually answer by walking away from him and try to show
him that he is beneath even my contempt, but his vanity is so great that
he imagines my manner to be the outgrowth of pique or a desire to lead
him on. Therefore when others are present, he gazes on me with down-bent
head and eyes upturned from beneath his bulging forehead, as though he
would put a spell upon me."
"Well, let him gaze. It can't harm you," I suggested.
"No, but it makes me ill," she answered. "Three nights ago I was standing
with the king and several ladies and gentlemen, waiting for the country
dance to begin, for which the king was to call the changes. This Little
Jermyn came up to the group, and, without speaking a word to any one,
fixed his upturned eyes on me."
"That was a sin," I said, laughing, but she ignored my interruption.
"For a time I paid no heed, but soon his gaze so nauseated me that I
could not restrain my anger, and said, loud enough for him and the others
to hear, 'What ails the little man, that he should stand there staring at
me like a sick calf trying to cast a spell upon the moon?' The king
laughed and Jermyn bowed, as he replied, 'The moon pretends to disdain
veal, doubtless in the hope of having royal beef.' The king laughed and
told Jermyn to gaze elsewhere, if the moon refused to be spellbound, and
the little creature left us to carry out the king's suggestion. But I
shall marry Tyrconnel and make an end of it all just as soon as
possible.'"
We returned to the palace, and I did not see my cousin during the next
week. Meantime the king was growing more importunate, and one day affairs
reached a terrifying climax when he intimated to Frances that if she
would promise to become his wife, he would try to divorce the queen. It
has been said, doubtless with truth, that the same offer was made to
Mistress Stuart, now the Duchess of Richmond.
When Frances refused his Majesty's offer, which, probably, was made only
for the purpose of inducing her to trust him, he asked with ill-concealed
anger:--
"Do you refuse my offer because you are still thinking of Hamilton?"
"I would refuse it, your Majesty, were there no other man in the world,"
answered Frances, bowing and asking leave to withdraw.
When Frances told me of this extraordinary offer, I was convinced that
the king had no intention of fulfilling it, but it served to open my eyes
to the extent of his passion, and to assure me that he would use any
means in his power, however desperate, to gain his end. Frances was in
danger.
I also knew that if the king held Hamilton responsible for Frances's
obduracy, means would be found of putting him out of the way, if his
Majesty could but get hands on him. With this belief strong upon me, I
was not surprised when Frances came to me in great tribulation, within
a day or two, and said:--
"Cousin Ned, it is reported that Master Hamilton is still in London
and that he has avowed his intention to kill the king. The surgeon who
dressed his wounds is said to be responsible for the accusation. If he
is found, he certainly will die, for the proof will be at hand, false or
true. The king told me as much, and offered to pardon Master Hamilton if
I would ask it in the proper spirit. But I refused, saying that I did not
care a farthing what he did respecting Hamilton. You must find him, Baron
Ned! Find him at once and give him warning!"
"I feel sure that Betty knows where he is," I answered. "I'll go to her
to-morrow."
"Yes, she may know, and I would save him if I could," answered Frances,
trying hard to hold back the tears. "I wronged him cruelly, and now I
fear it is too late to make amends. I can only moan and weep, and long
to ask him to forgive me and to tell him that I am not the creature he
thinks I am. I would speak plainly to him for once of what I am and of
what I feel for him, and then I am ready to part from him forever and to
marry Tyrconnel or any one else who will give me wealth."
The following day Frances asked and received permission from the duchess
to spend the day with Sir Richard. I offered to accompany her, but she
refused so emphatically that I suspected there was a purpose in her mind
over and above a mere visit to her father's house.
I remember well the day. It was near the hour of ten when I saw her
leave the palace by the garden door. She wore a long dark cloak, a small
bonnet, and a full vizard which covered her entire face. I had never
known her to wear so large a vizard, as she detested even small ones, and
wore them only out of respect for the prevailing fashion. She hastened
toward the King Street Gate, and I, following at a short distance, saw
her take boat at the Charing Cross stairs.
After thinking over the situation, I determined to go to my uncle's
house. As I had suspected, Frances was not there. After greeting Sir
Richard and Sarah, I asked them, as though speaking by the way, when they
had seen Frances.
"She hasn't been home for a week or more," answered Sir Richard.
"I wish she would make haste in choosing a husband, or in wheedling
one to choose her," remarked Sarah. "I'll beat her in the race if she
doesn't. If I should, I might furnish a new saw to the world: 'The suitor
is not always to the beautiful, nor the husband to the soft of tongue.' I
have a gallant."
"So I have suspected of late," I answered.
"Yes, you're right--John Churchill," answered Sarah.
"He is a fine man," I returned.
"Yes," replied Sarah, apparently very serious, though there was a twinkle
in her eye. "But I'm not sure of him yet." Then with a sigh: "I would
that I were. If he knows what is for his own good, he'll speak soon, as
I intend to make a duke of him before he dies, and the sooner we get at
it the better. A sensible conscience, prepense to its own interest, a
good courtier, and a shrewd wife have made many a duke of far poorer
material than my John."
I laughed, and Sir Richard smiled, but we each seemed to feel that
Sarah's words were prophetic, and the future bore us out, as all the
world knows.
After waiting in my uncle's parlor an hour or more, hoping that Frances
would arrive, I took my leave and walked down to the Old Swan, where I
found her. What happened there I learned afterward from her and from
others--that is, what I did not see for myself.
After leaving Whitehall, Frances had made her way directly to the Old
Swan, where she soon found Betty. At first the girl did not seem inclined
to be at all cordial, but when Frances told her that she was in trouble
and wanted help, Betty's kind heart responded at once. "Trouble" was the
password to Betty's good graces.
"Let us go to a room where we may be by ourselves," suggested Frances. "I
want to talk to you freely where we shall not be overheard."
Betty led the way to her own little parlor on the second floor and placed
a chair for her guest near a window opening on the court. Frances sat
down and asked Betty, who evidently intended to remain standing, to bring
a chair and sit beside her.
"I would not think of sitting in your Grace's presence," answered Betty,
courtesying respectfully.
"Sit down, Betty, please, and let us be friends," said Frances,
coaxingly. "I am not a duchess. I am only a girl like yourself. My name
is Mistress Jennings--Frances. Nelly Gwynn was jesting when she spoke of
me as a duchess, and only wanted to tease you when she objected to the
table linen. She is good and kind--no one can be more so."
"Yes," returned Betty. "She came back and said that the linen was
beautiful and offered me money for myself, but I refused. You see I
am not--well, I am not a servant. But afterward she gave me a hundred
jacobusses for the poor, and I thanked her. I am very sorry that I was
angry the day of the fight, but you know the great persons who come here
from Whitehall are very irritating, and treat us all with contempt."
"I am not a great lady, Betty, though I live at court. I am poor and very
far from happy. I am not so good as you, Betty, I'm sure, though I do the
best I can not to be bad."
"Oh, you are too beautiful not to be good," returned Betty, warming up to
my cousin.
"Whether I am beautiful or not I care little, for I am in great trouble
and have come to you for help," said Frances. "My cousin, Baron Clyde,
who is as dear to me as a brother, is full of your praises, and only the
other day said that there was no woman or girl in England purer or better
than you, and that he knew none in the world whom he deemed more
beautiful."
The red came to Betty's cheeks, and she answered, smiling and dimpling:
"Ah, did he say that of me? I deem him my very good friend indeed. Is he
really your cousin?"
"Yes, he is more a brother than a cousin," returned Frances.
Immediately Betty softened and, drawing a chair close to Frances's side,
sat down. After a long pause, she murmured: "Then if I may, I, too, would
be your friend."
"I knew you would," answered Frances. "Now give me your hand, so that we
may feel as well as see and hear each other. Ah, Betty, how soft and warm
your hand is. I don't wonder that my cousin praises you. You have won me
already, and I hope we may always be good friends."
"I shall be glad," murmured Betty, pressing Frances's hand, assuringly.
"You say you are in trouble. In what way may I help you?"
Frances began, "You know Master Hamilton--Master George Hamilton?"
"Yes," answered Betty.
"And you would be glad to help me save him from great peril?" asked
Frances.
"Yes, Mistress Jennings. He, too, is my friend and a good man."
"Yes, yes, tell me, Betty. Good, say you? I had not supposed him good,
but--"
"If you supposed otherwise, you were wrong," returned Betty,
straightening up in her chair, ready to do battle for her friend.
"Yes, yes, tell me, please, Betty, why you deem him good," pleaded
Frances, eager to be convinced. "What has he done or left undone?"
"He has left undone all which he should not have done in so far as I
know," said Betty, "and has done a great deal of good. Recently when a
plague was raging along the wall from Aldgate to Bishopgate, where a
great many poor people live, you know, Master Hamilton went down among
them at peril of his life."
"Yes, yes," interrupted Frances, eagerly.
"He nursed them and carried food and water to them. You know one stricken
with the plague is ready to die of thirst. He took care of the children,
helped to bury the dead, which, you know, in case of very poor people, is
done after night, consoled the bereaved, and--oh, Mistress Jennings, it
was an awful sight!" said Betty, tears coming to her eyes.
"And Master Hamilton helped them?" asked Frances, hoping to keep the
glorious narrative going.
"Yes, he did the work of half a score of men," said Betty. "In the
disguise of a Quaker, he solicited money with which to buy medicine and
to employ physicians, and did everything in his power to comfort the poor
sufferers. Doctor Lilly, the astrologer, helped us. People say he is a
cheat, but I wish we had more of his kind among us."
"And you helped him?" asked Frances.
"Yes, a little," said Betty, modestly. "But my father helped him a great
deal with money and food."
"Master Hamilton is in danger of his life," said Frances, "and I would
save him. Will you help me to find him?"
After a long pause, Betty asked: "But how shall I know that you mean fair
by him? I'll see him if I can, and when you return, I'll tell you where
to find him if he consents."
"So you do know where he is?" asked Frances, eagerly.
Betty did not reply, so Frances continued: "I do mean him fair, Betty. I
am risking everything--my good name, perhaps even life itself, in seeking
him. I expected to have to prove my good intent, so I brought with me
this letter which no one save myself has ever seen, nor any one other
than you shall ever see. Read it, Betty. It is one Master Hamilton sent
to me from France."
Betty hesitated, but as Frances insisted, she read the letter and
returned it, saying:--
"You are his sweetheart?"
"Yes, yes, Betty, in all that is best and most terrible in the meaning of
the word."
Betty sat thinking for a moment, then went to the window, saying, "If you
will look out the window across the courtyard, you will see a flight of
stone steps leading to the cellar."
"Yes, yes, I see," returned Frances.
"If you go down the steps, you will find a door to which I shall give you
the key. Enter and you will be in an empty room, the walls of which are
hung with worn tapestries taken from the inn. On one side of the room you
will see a tapestried panel bearing the image of St. George and the
dragon. Behind the panel is a concealed door, seemingly a part of the
wall, but if you will allow the tapestry to hang and will press the eye
of the dragon, the door will open and you may find--your St. George."
Frances caught Betty in her arms, crying, "Let me go to him at once, at
once!"
Betty and Frances went downstairs, and after waiting a minute or two,
Betty said, "Now there is no one in the courtyard, and you may cross
unseen."
Frances hastened across the courtyard and down the cellar steps. On
reaching the outer door of which Betty had spoken, she halted in fear.
But she dared not retreat, so inserting the key, she entered.
In the dim light of the room the images of faded knights, angels, saints,
and dragons seemed to stand like a small army of ghosts ready to deny her
passage. But soon she discovered the figure of St. George, pressed the
eye of the dragon, lifted the tapestry, and entered the room of a
printing shop.
While Frances had been standing in hesitation before the figure of the
saint, she had heard with some alarm a rumbling noise in the room she was
about to enter. The rumbling is destined, in my opinion, to go down the
line of the ages, an instrument of untold good to mankind, for it was the
rumbling of a printing-press.
Standing at the press, lifting and lowering it by means of a foot
lever, and feeding it with broad strips of paper, stood a man in his
shirt-sleeves. At an inclined desk, a type-case, stood another man
setting type, close beside the press. He, also, was in his shirt-sleeves
and was much older and stouter than the man at the press.
The rumbling had drowned the slight noise occasioned by the opening of
the door, so that Frances stood waiting a full minute before she was
observed. The stout man at the type-case was the first to see her, and
when he turned, she asked, trembling:--
"I am seeking Master Hamilton. Shall I find him here?"
The man at the press then turned quickly to Frances. His face was
smooth shaven, but was almost covered with printers' ink, giving him the
appearance of a blackamoor. The stout man at the type-case, failing to
respond, and the other being apparently too surprised to speak, Frances
went to the blackamoor and, standing beside the press, was about to
repeat her inquiry.
The type-case, press, and a small table, on which lay a bundle of white
paper, all stood huddled together in the centre of the room, occupying a
space of perhaps eight feet square.
Before Frances had gained courage to speak, a small bell rang.
Immediately the stout man sprang from the type-case, ran in great haste
to a chest near the wall, opened the lid and drew forth a long red cloak
and a fez-shaped cap of the same color, each embroidered with signs of
the zodiac in tarnished gold. He hurriedly put on the gown and cap, and
again diving into the chest, drew forth a long black coat, a broad Quaker
hat, a false beard, and a white wig. These he tossed to the blackamoor,
then ran across the room, opened a concealed panel in the wall, drew down
a lever, closed the panel, sprang to a large desk near by, sat down and
began to write diligently.
These strange, rapid actions on the part of the stout man were so
surprising and alarming to Frances that for the moment she did not
notice that the section of the floor on which she, the blackamoor, and
all the printing apparatus were standing was sinking. Almost before she
was aware of the startling movement of the floor, which, after it had
begun to move, seemed to fall rather than sink, it stopped suddenly,
perhaps eight feet below. The floor above closed silently over her head,
and she found herself alone with the inky man in almost total darkness.
She was too badly frightened to scream, or even to speak, and stood in
silence, awaiting with benumbed senses whatever calamity might befall
her.
After a minute or two the blackamoor spoke in whispers: "Mistress
Jennings need have no fear. The officers of her friend, the king, have
just come to the Old Swan seeking me. The bell you heard was the alarm,
sounded by Betty Pickering. Unless she is able to keep them away from
here, you may perhaps hear the sheriffs presently in the room above with
Doctor Lilly, the man you saw at the type-case. If they come, I trust you
will remain silent, unless you are here for the purpose of betraying me."
Frances recognized Hamilton's voice, and, notwithstanding his cruel
suspicion, her fear gave place to joy, for she knew that she could soon
drive all doubt from his heart. His words did not even hurt her, for she
bore in mind the great injustice she had done him, and remembered the
good reason he had to believe that she was not his friend. She tried to
speak calmly and within the bounds of propriety, but the cold words she
would have spoken refused to leave her lips, and after a futile effort to
restrain herself, that which was in her heart came forth, because she
could not keep it back.
"Ah, Master Hamilton, you do not understand. I came to tell you that I am
not what you deem me; that if you had good reason to believe me pure when
we met at Sundridge, you have the same reason now. I want to tell you
that when I refused to recognize you on that awful day in the Old Swan,
when you fought so bravely in my behalf, I thought you were guilty of
Roger Wentworth's death."
"No, no, I am not that bad," interrupted Hamilton.
"At Sundridge you made me believe that you loved me," continued Frances,
unmindful of the interruption. "And now since you would not come to me,
nor send me word in all this long weary time, I could not restrain
myself, but, all unmaidenly, have come to you because I can in no way put
my love from my heart, pray and try as I will."
She reached forth her hand in the dark and touched him. She had not
underestimated her strength when she believed that by a word she could
drive doubt from his heart and bring him to her feet, for in a breath she
who had scorned the love of a king, and had laughed at the greatest
nobles in England, was in the arms of a man on whose life the king had
set a price. Her head fell back into the bend of his elbow, her willing
lips gave him their sweetness, her arm was clasped about his neck, and
she had forgotten all save love and the man she loved.
George said nothing, so after a little time, Frances continued: "Tell me
that you know I am not the creature evil-minded persons pretend to
believe I am. I might have been a duchess, with grand estates, by gift
from the king, but I am not, nor ever shall be. I loathe him, and so
great is my sense of contamination that when he touches my hand in
dancing, I almost feel that it is a thing of evil."
"And you, whom I hear the king would marry, who, I am told, might pick
and choose a husband from among the richest and noblest of the land, for
whom it is said the Duke of Tyrconnel is longing, come here to this hole
and throw yourself away on me, an outcast; one who makes his daily bread
by labor at a printing-press, one on whose life the king has set a price?
You come here to give yourself to me!" cried George, almost stunned by
surprise and joy.
He held her close to him and kissed her lips, not to his content, for
that would have been impossible, but till he checked himself to hear her
answer. But she did not speak, and after a little time he led her,
groping his way in the dark, to a box standing against the wall, where
they sat down. She clasped his hand, but did not answer his question.
Supposing that her silence was without cause, and wishing an answer in
words, George continued:--
"It is difficult to believe that you, who went to court to make your
fortune, should refuse it when it is in your grasp and should give
yourself to me."
"No, no," she answered, withdrawing her hand from his clasp and covering
her face. "I do not, I may not give myself to you. But I do give you
love, such as I believe no woman ever before gave to a man. I am going to
marry the Duke of Tyrconnel. But when I learned how grievously I had
wronged you, I would not give him my promise of marriage until I had seen
you and had told you of my love, and had taken one moment of happiness
before the door is closed between us forever."
This answer came to Hamilton as a chilling surprise, but a moment's
consideration brought him to see that the girl was right, save, perhaps,
in telling her love to a man she could not marry. His knowledge of
womankind did not help him to know that her hopelessness had been a
stimulant, both to her love and to its prodigal expression. It did not
occur to him that what she had done and said might be the outpouring of
her despair, and that even a faint hope of ever possessing him as her
husband might have operated as a restraint for modesty's sake. Therefore,
with unconscious perversity, Hamilton resented what Frances had done in
giving him her unmeasured love when she knew that she could not give
herself, and he spoke from the midst of his pain:--
"I know that I am not worthy to be your husband. Even had you not taken
so great pains to tell me, but had been willing to wreck your life by
marrying me, I should not have accepted the sacrifice. From the first, my
love for you has been the one unselfish impulse of my life, and since I
have almost lost hope of ever being worthy of you, I should not have
permitted you to share my wretched life, even had you been willing. But
for you to come to me and to give me your love, only to snatch it back
again before I have had time to refuse the sacrifice, is cruel."
"I do not snatch my love back again," she answered pleadingly. "I could
not if I would. I have given it to you for life, and it is beyond recall.
It is yours forever and forever--all of which my poor aching heart is
capable. Would you rather it had lain in my breast unspoken, through all
the long years I have to live? You say your love is unselfish--"
"If there's anything unselfish in me," interrupted Hamilton.
"Yes, I believe it is unselfish to the extent that a man's love may be,"
returned Frances, defending herself. "But if it is, surely you would not
deny me the joy of telling you of mine, when it is all the happiness I
shall ever know my whole life through. You say, with truth, I believe,
that you would not permit me to share your fate if I would, because you
fear to make me unhappy. Yet you complain and say that I am cruel because
I take now what joy I can at so shameful a sacrifice of womanly pride and
modesty. You say that I am cruel because I cannot give you all--myself. I
would share your fortunes unhesitatingly were it not that I dare not give
one thought to my own happiness."
She paused for a moment to gather self-control, and when she was more
calm, proceeded with her defence: "I belong to my father and to my house,
and God has appointed me to lift them from their fallen estate. I cannot
give you myself, but I do give you my love for the sheer ecstasy of
giving, and beg you to accept it as all that I have to offer and to give
me the sweet privilege of keeping yours, which. I know is mine, that it
may warm my heart in the weary years to come. I wonder if you, being a
man, can understand it all. I hardly understand it myself, but this I
know: I have done what I have done because I could not help it, and you
say that I am cruel because you feel a part of the pain I suffer."
"No, no, I was wrong," said Hamilton, dropping to his knees before her
and seizing her hand. "Forgive me and believe that my love is unselfish
and that it will be yours so long as I live. All that is not evil in me,
I owe to you, and I am striving to make myself more worthy of your love,
even though I must surrender you to another."
"Betty told me of your good deeds when a plague was raging in Bishopgate
ward," said Frances, "and Baron Ned has told me that you have changed
your ways since leaving court."
"I have changed since I learned to know you," he interrupted, "and now,
with my first effort to be a man, misfortunes come trooping at my heels
so fast that I know not what to do nor where to turn."
"That was one reason why I came to see you," she said. "The king seeks
your life because it is said that you threatened his. But you seem to
know your danger, and I suppose you have been warned."
"Yes, Grammont warned me. He is a very adroit person and is my friend.
He stands guard for me at court, partly because he is my friend, but
chiefly, I imagine, because it is the command of his king, Louis of
France. I do not want to bring Baron Ned into trouble. He is known to be
my friend, and the king might have him watched, so I am using Grammont
as my spy at Whitehall."
"Ah, the Frenchman?" returned Frances. "It was he who dubbed me the
'Duchess of Hearts.' He smiles graciously when we meet, but with all we
hear about the wickedness of the French, Grammont has shown me greater
respect than I have had from any one of the so-called gallants about the
court."
"The day may come when I can repay his kindness," said Hamilton.
"But you must leave England at once," continued Frances. "The king's only
show of energy comes in a case such as this. His real reason for seeking
your life is that he believes you stand between him and me. You must
leave England without delay."
"I mean to do so, now that I have seen you," he returned. "The desire to
see you and a spirit of reckless bravado has kept me here much longer
than prudence would dictate."
At that moment voices were heard in the room above. George pressed
Frances's hand to enjoin silence, fearing that the sheriffs were at hand.
But presently a clanking noise was heard, and George, listening
attentively, whispered:--
"There is no further danger. Lilly is opening the lever panel, and soon
the floor will rise."
In a moment the doctor's voice came down through the wall, asking, "Are
you ready?"
"Yes," answered Hamilton. And then he led Frances back to the
printing-press. Instantly the floor above their heads began to roll
back, and from the depths rose Frances and Hamilton, to find Betty and
me awaiting them. As they came up through the floor, Betty began to
laugh, and soon I joined her, for on Frances's eyes, lips, and cheeks
were black inky patches, indicating plainly the exact spots where the
battle had raged. Through the ink spots on her cheeks ran furrows
ploughed by tears, but, withal, my cousin's beautiful face was never more
beautiful.
"They have been a-kissing," whispered Betty, seriously, leaning towards
me and speaking behind her hand.
"No, no, Betty," I answered, trying to keep a straight face. But she
nodded insistently, evidently much surprised and perhaps a little
shocked.
By the time Betty and I had concluded this interchange of ideas, Hamilton
and Frances were by my side.
"Why are you here?" asked Hamilton, turning to me and then to Betty.
"I had to bring him," answered Betty. "You told me to tell no one, but I
had to tell Mistress Jennings because she cried, and I had to bring Baron
Ned because he stormed and said that he knew Mistress Jennings had come
to see you."
I supplemented Betty's answer by saying: "I was sure Frances had come to
the Old Swan to see you, so I followed, arriving just in time to see her
cross the courtyard. I sought Betty and asked her to tell me where you
were and where my cousin had gone. Just then three sheriffs arrived,
searching for you, and I had to wait until Betty got rid of them. Now,
here I am, waiting to take my cousin home."
"But what if your cousin will not go home until she is ready, and does
not desire your escort?" asked Frances.
"In that case, I should advise her to make ready at once," I replied.
"And if she does not want your advice?" returned Frances.
"In that case, I should limit my advice to a mere recommendation that she
wash the ink stains from her lips, eyes, and cheeks. Master Hamilton has
pretty well covered the ground with overgrown beauty patches."
Betty laughed softly, and fat old Lilly chuckled as he resumed his place
at his desk.
There being no mirror in the room, Frances put her hand to her face and
found traces of printers' ink on her fingers, whereupon she blushed and
laughed and was so beautiful that we all laughed from the sheer delight
of looking at her.
"Again Baron Ned is right, Frances," said Hamilton, offering to lead her
toward the St. George door. "You must not remain. We may be surprised by
the sheriffs at any moment, in which case you would suffer in reputation
and I might not be able to escape."
We passed into the tapestried room, and after Hamilton had closed the
St. George door, we paused for a moment before leaving. Presently I
started to go, but Frances held back. I had reached the outer door and
was waiting, somewhat impatiently, when Betty came up to me, opened the
door, drew me outside, closed the door, and whispered:--
"Don't you understand? They would be alone a moment."
"Do you think so, Betty?" I asked, laughing at her earnestness.
"I know it," she returned emphatically.
When George and Frances were alone, she said: "I shall never again give
you cause to say that I am cruel, for I shall never again see you." She
tried to keep back the tears, but failed, and after a moment, continued,
unheeding them, "If you could but know the joy this meeting has given me
and the grief of parting, you would understand my sorrow for having
wronged you, and would know the deep pain of farewell."
"I have not spoken of my love for you," said George, "because it is so
plain that words are not needed to express it, and because you have known
it far better than I could tell it ever since the sweet days on the
Bourne Path. To speak it would seem to mar it by half expression. But
it will be yours always, and I shall take it to my grave. It has been
my redemption, and, as long as I live, no other woman shall enter my
heart."
He fell to his knee, catching her hands and kissing them passionately,
but she raised him, saying:--
"If it is your will, I shall refuse the Duke of Tyrconnel, regardless of
my duty to my father and my house, and shall wait for you, happy even in
the waiting, or share your fortune, be it good or ill, from this hour.
Which shall it be?"
"Soon I shall be an exile, or climbing the steps of a scaffold on Tyburn
Hill. This must be our farewell. Do not remain a moment longer. May God
help me and bring happiness to you!" said Hamilton, answering her
question all too plainly.
She drew his face down to hers and kissed his lips, till from very fear
of himself he thrust her from him and led her weeping to the outer door.
When Frances came out to Betty and me, she was holding her handkerchief
to her eyes and her vizard was hanging by its chain.
Sympathetic Betty lifted the vizard, saying: "Cover your face till we go
to my room. Poor mistress! It must be all awry with your love, and I have
heard that there is no pain like it."
We climbed the steps, and, as we were going across the yard, Betty twined
her arm about Frances's waist. Wishing to comfort her by changing the
subject, she said:--
"I have neither powder nor rouge in my room, but I have black patches,
though I have never dared to use one, fearing to be accused of aping the
great ladies."
"Betty, there are no great ladies so good and beautiful as you," said
Frances, trying to check her weeping. "If I were a man, you should not go
long without a chance for a husband."
"Oh, I've had chances in plenty," answered Betty, proudly. "But father
says I'm too hard to suit and will die a maid. He says I want a
gentleman, and--" (Here she sighed and glanced involuntarily toward me.)
"He is right. I will have none other."
"Seek lower and fare better," said Frances.
"I don't know how it will all turn out," replied Betty with a sigh.
The topic seemed to be alive with sighs. "A woman may not choose, and
I suppose I shall one day take the man my father chooses, having no part
in the affair myself, though it is the most important one in my life."
"Nonsense, Betty," returned Frances. "You are like the rest of us, and
when the right one comes, you will seek him if need be--in a cellar. Take
my advice, Betty, when the right one comes, help him, and thank me ever
after."
When we entered the house, Frances went with Betty to her room, leaving
me in the tap-room, waiting to take my foolish cousin home.
To say that I was troubled would feebly express my state of mind. All my
dreams of fortune for Frances and glory for her family had vanished. I
did not know at that time that she and Hamilton had agreed never to meet
again, though had I known, I should have put little faith in the compact.