The day which we have just seen terminate at Kensington we must now
conduct to a close in another quarter, where events very nearly as
much affecting the peace and safety of this realm, and far more
affecting the peace of various personages mentioned in this history
than the events which took place at the palace, were going on at the
same time. It was a bright, clear, frosty day, with everything
sparkling in the sunshine, the last dry leaves of the preceding year
still lingering in many places on the branches of the trees, and
clothing the form of nature in the russet livery of decay.
Wilton Brown was up long before daylight, and ready to set out by the
first streak of dawn in the east. Not having seen the Duke on the
preceding night--as that nobleman, worn with anxiety and grief, had
fallen ill and retired to seek repose--he sat down and wrote him a
note, while waiting for the Messenger, informing him that he had
obtained information concerning Lady Laura's situation, and doubted
not to be enabled to set her free in the course of the following day.
The Messenger was somewhat later up than himself, and Wilton sent
twice to hasten his movements. When he did appear, he had to be
informed of the young gentleman's purposes, and of the information he
had obtained the night before; and this information Wilton could of
course communicate only in part. When told in this mysterious manner,
however, and warned that there might be some danger in the enterprise
which they were about to undertake, he seemed to hesitate, as if he
did not at all approve of the affair. As soon as Wilton remarked
this, he said, in a stern tone, "Now, Mr. Arden, are you or are you
not willing to go through this business with me? If you are not, let
me know at once, that I may send for another messenger who has more
determination and spirit."
"That you wont easily find," replied the Messenger, a good deal hurt.
"It was not at any danger that I hesitated at all, for I never have
in my life, and I wont begin now, when I dare say there is not half
so much danger as in things that I do every day.--Did not I apprehend
Tom Lambton, who fired two pistols at my head? No, no, it is not
danger; but what I thought was, that the Earl very likely might not
like any of these bargains about not taking up the folks that we find
there, and all that. However, as he told me to obey your orders in
everything, I suppose that must be sufficient."
"It must, indeed," answered Wilton; "for I have no time to stop for
explanations or anything else; and if you hesitate, I must instantly
send for another messenger."
"Oh, I shall not hesitate, sir," replied the Messenger; "but you must
take all the burden of the business on yourself. I shall do exactly
as you order me, neither more nor less; so that if there comes blame
anywhere, it must rest at your door."
"Come, come, Arden," said Wilton, seeing that he was likely to have a
lukewarm companion where a very ardent and energetic one was much
wanted, "you must exert yourself now as usual, and I am sure you will
do so. Let us get to our horses as fast as possible."
Wilton tried to soothe the Messenger out of his ill-humour as they
rode along, but he did not succeed in any great degree. The man
remained sullen; being one of those who like, when clothed with a
little brief authority, to rule all around them rather than be
directed by any. So long as he had conducted the search himself, it
had been pleasant enough to him to have one of the minister's
secretaries with him, following his suggestions, listening to his
advice, and showing deference to his experience; but when the young
gentleman took the business into his own hands, conducted the whole
proceedings, and did not make him acquainted even with all the
particulars, his vanity was mortified, and he resolved to assist as
little as possible, though he could not refuse to act according to
the directions which he received. This determination was so evident,
that, before they had reached Gravesend, Wilton felt cause to regret
that he had not put his threat in execution, and sent for another
messenger. His companion's horse must needs be spared, though he was
strong, quick, and needed nothing but the spur; he must be fed here,
he must be watered there; and the young gentleman began to fear that
delays which were evidently made on purpose, might cause them to be
late ere they arrived at the place of their destination. He had
remarked, however, that the Messenger was somewhat proud of the beast
that carried him, and he thought it in no degree wrong to make use of
a stratagem in order to hurry his follower's pace.
After looking at the horse for some time with a marking and critical
eye, he said, "That is a fine, powerful horse of yours, Mr. Arden. It
is a pity he's so heavy in the shoulder."
"Heavy in the shoulder, Mr. Brown!" said Arden--"I don't think he
can be called that, sir, any how; for a really strong, serviceable
horse, he's as free in the shoulder as any horse in England."
"I did not exactly mean," replied Wilton, "to say that he was heavy;
I only meant that he could not be a speedy horse with that shoulder."
"I don't know that, sir; I can't say that," replied the Messenger,
evidently much piqued: "you reckon your horse a swift horse, I should
think, Mr. Brown, and yet I'll bet you money, that at any pace you
like, for a couple of miles, mine wont be a yard behind."
"Oh, trotting will do, trotting will do," replied Wilton--"there's
no such made horse as mine in England. Let him once get to his full
pace, and he will out-trot any horse I ever saw."
"Well, sir," replied his companion, "let us put to our spurs and
see."
"With all my heart," answered Wilton, and away they accordingly went,
trotting as hard as they could go for the next four or five miles.
Nevertheless, although the scheme was so far successful, Wilton and
the Messenger did not reach the village of High Halstow above an hour
before sunset. The horses were by this time tired, and the riders
somewhat hungry. Provisions were procured in haste to satisfy the
appetite of the travellers, and the horses, too, were fed. It was
some time, however, before the tired animals would take their food,
and Wilton and his companion at length determined to proceed on foot.
Before they did so, as both were perfectly ignorant of the way,
application was made to the host for directions, and the reply, "Why,
there are three roads you can take!" somewhat puzzled the inquirers,
especially when it was followed by a demand of where they were going
exactly.
"When I know that," said the landlord, "I shall be able to tell you
which is the best road."
"Why, I asked the way to Cowley Castle," said Wilton, both
embarrassed and annoyed; for the Messenger stood coolly by, without
any attempt to aid him, and, in truth, enjoying a little difficulty.
"But you are not going to Cowley Castle at this time of night," said
the man: "why, the only house there is the great house, and that is
empty."
"My good friend," said Wilton, "I suppose the next question you will
ask me is, what is my business there? I ask you the way to Cowley
Castle, and pray, if you can, give me a straightforward answer."
"I beg your pardon, sir," replied the man, with a determined air--"I
have given you a straightforward answer. There are three roads, all
of them very good ones, and there is, besides, a footpath."
As he spoke, he stared into Wilton's face with a look half dogged,
half jocular; but in the end, he added,--
"Come, come, sir--you might as well tell me the matter at once. If
you are going to Master Plessis's--the mountseer, as we call him
here--I'll put you upon your road in a minute: I mean the gentleman
that, folks think, has some dealings with France."
It struck Wilton, instantly, that this gentleman, who was supposed to
have dealings with France, must have something to do with the
detention of Laura, and he therefore replied, "Perhaps it may be as
you suppose, my good friend. At all events, put me upon the principal
horse-road towards Cowley Castle."
"Well, sir, well," replied the host, "you have nothing to do but to
turn to the right when you go out of the door, and then you will find
a road to the left; then take the first road to the right, which will
lead you straight down to Cowley Church. Now, if you're going to
Master Plessis's, you had better not go farther than that."
"That way will not be difficult to find," replied Wilton; and
followed by the Messenger, he quitted the little inn, or rather
public-house, for it was no better, and traced accurately the road the
landlord had pointed out.
"He had better go no farther than Cowley Church, indeed," said a man
who was sitting in the bar, as soon as he was gone; "for if he be
going to Master Plessis's, he'll be half a mile beyond the turning by
that time."
"Jenkin, Jenkin!" cried the landlord, not minding what his guest
said, but addressing a boy who was cleaning some pewter stoups in a
kitchen at the end of the passage--"come here, my man. Run down by
the lanes as fast as you can go, and tell Master Plessis that there
are two gentlemen coming to his house, whose looks I don't like at
all. One is a state messenger, if I'm not much mistaken. I've seen
his face before, I'm sure enough, and I think it was when Evans the
coiner was taken up at Stroud. You can get there half an hour before
them, if you run away straight by the lanes."
The boy lost not a moment, very sure that any one who brought
Monsieur Plessis intelligence of importance would get something at
least for his pains.
In the meantime, Wilton and his companion walked on. The sky was
clear above, but it had already become very dark, and a doubt
occurred, both at the first and second turning, as to whether they
were right. Wilton and the Messenger had furnished themselves with
pistols, besides their swords; and the young gentleman paused for a
moment to ascertain that the priming had not fallen out; but nothing
would induce the Messenger to do so likewise; for his sullen mood had
seized upon him again more strongly than ever, and he merely replied
that his pistols would do very well, and that it would be lucky if
Mr. Brown were as sure of his way as he was of his pistols.
"I should like you to give me my orders, Mr. Brown," he added, in the
same dogged tone, "for I am always glad to know beforehand what it is
I am to do, that I may be ready to do it."
"I shall of course give orders," replied Wilton, somewhat sharply,
"when they are required, Mr. Arden. At the present moment, however, I
have only to tell you that I expect every minute to meet a person who
will lead us to the house where Lady Laura is detained. At that
house, we shall have to encounter, I understand, a number of persons
whose interest and design is to carry her off, probably to the coast
of France. I intend to demand her in a peaceable and tranquil manner,
and in case they refuse to give her up, must act according to
circumstances. I expect your support on all the legal points of the
case, such as the due notice of our authority, et cetera; and, in case
it should become necessary or prudent either to menace or to use
force, I will tell you at the time."
The Messenger made no reply, but sunk again into sullen silence; and
Wilton clearly saw that little help, and indeed little advantage, was
to be derived from the presence of his self-sufficient attendant,
except in as much as the appearance of such a person in his company
was likely to produce a moral effect upon those to whom he might be
opposed. Messengers of state were in those days very awful people,
and employed in general in the arrest of such criminals as were very
unlikely to escape the axe if taken. Yet it seldom if ever happened
that any resistance was offered to them; and we are told that at the
appearance of a single individual of this redoubted species, it often
happened three or four traitors, murderers, spies, or pirates, whose
fate if taken was perfectly certain, would seem to give up all hope,
and surrendering without resistance, would suffer themselves to be
led quietly to the shambles.
Thus if Arden did but his mere duty, Wilton knew that the effect of
his presence would be great; but as he walked on, he began to
entertain new apprehensions. For nearly two miles, no one appeared to
guide them to the place of their destination; at length a church,
with some cottages gathered round it, announced that they had reached
the little hamlet of Cowley, where, as several roads and paths
branched off in different directions, he found it advisable to follow
the counsel of the landlord, and not go any farther.
He consequently turned back again; but a thin white fog was now
beginning to come on--a visitation to which that part of the country
near the junction of the Thames and the Medway is very often subject.
The cloud rolled forward, and Wilton and the Messenger advanced
directly into it; so that at length the hedge could only be
distinguished on one side of the road, and beyond it, on either side,
nothing could be seen farther than the distance of five or six yards.
The Messenger lingered somewhat behind, muttering, "This is
pleasant;" but ere long, as they were approaching the top of a narrow
lane which Wilton had before remarked, as they passed, he thought he
heard people speaking at a distance, and stopped to listen. The tones
were those of a male and a female voice conversing evidently with
eagerness, though with slow and measured words and long pauses.
Wilton thought that the sound of one voice was familiar to him,
though the speaker was at such a distance that he could not catch any
of the words.
Not doubting at all, however, that one of the interlocutors was the
person who was to guide him on his way, Wilton paused, determined to
wait till they came up.
A loud "So be it then!" was at length uttered; and the next moment
steps were heard advancing rapidly towards him, and the figure of a
man made its appearance through the mist, first like one of the
fabled shades upon the dim shores of the gloomy river, but growing
into solidity as it came near.