The sentinel who spoke the words with which the last chapter concluded
was placed in a little hollow way, or cut in the steep bank through
which the lane had to wind on in order to pass over the hill. He was
evidently a country boor of the Duke of Albemarle's militia,
unacquainted with military service, and as likely as not to put his
threat of shooting one of the coach-horses in execution. But before
Ralph could think of what was next to be done, or Lady Danvers could
say a word, a figure was seen to drop down from the bank behind the
poor soldier, seize him by the throat, and with very little ceremony
wrench his musket out of his hands, taking special care to allow him
no opportunity of discharging it in the struggle.
"A pretty fellow you are, to stop a lady's carriage on the king's
highway," cried a voice which Ralph recognized right well. "There! go
and tell the duke what you've been doing, and get well punished for
your pains. He never told you to stop Lady Danvers's carriage, I'm
sure."
Thus saying, Gaunt Stilling shook the powder out of the pan of the
man's musket, and, giving him a kick behind, sent him running up
toward the farmhouse I have mentioned.
"Quick, my lady," said the servant; "you had better drive back to
Danvers's New Church as fast as possible. You can not pass any other
way; I will overtake you soon; jog along, Master Coachman."
He sprang up the bank again as he spoke, and the carriage moved
forward.
It is probable that the Duke of Albemarle, who was of a more jovial
temper than his renowned father, only laughed at the sentry's mishap.
Certain it is, he gave no orders for pursuing the carriage of Lady
Danvers; and Ralph and his fair companion continued their journey
uninterrupted. That journey was slow in its progress, however, and it
was nearly two o'clock in the morning before the carriage entered the
park. The moon, which had risen clear, had become dim and cloudy--not
altogether obscured, indeed, but partially vailed in thin clouds, amid
which her rays formed a broad yellow halo, auguring ill of the coming
weather. The beautiful park itself, the dark trees, the solemn old
house standing on its eminence, all had a sad and gloomy aspect in
that sort of dreary twilight, and with a wearied frame, and a heart
not happy, the buoyant spirit of Hortensia fell. She sat silent and
thoughtful by Ralph's side, and more than once felt that she could
weep and find relief in tears if she were alone.
She restrained them, however, and strove to look cheerful when Ralph
at length aided her to alight at her own door.
"Ah, my lady," said Mr. Drayton, "I'm glad to see you back, for rumors
have come in of a battle near Axminster."
"In the midst of which we have been, Drayton," replied his lady.
"Oh, a mere skirmish, madam," said Gaunt Stilling, advancing from the
hall door; "but I have some news to give you and my master, for which
I will crave your attention as soon as may be."
"Come in here, come in here," said Hortensia, turning toward the
little room in which Ralph had made his principal abode during her
absence.
"If you are going to use the coach to-morrow, my lady," said the
coachman, coming up the steps, "I had better get the carpenter and the
blacksmith up at once, for two bullets have gone right into the hind
axle-tree."
"We can use some other lighter carriage," said Lady Danvers,
thoughtfully; "the vis-à-vis--"
"Lord bless you, my lady, it would be knocked all to pieces." said the
coachman; "and, besides, that can't be, for it is in Lunnun, and all
the other carriages, for that matter."
"Well, then, Harrison, get this mended as well as you can, without
sending up to the village. Now, Master Stilling;" and, accompanied by
Ralph, she bade the man who followed shut the door.
"I'm very sorry, sir," said Gaunt Stilling, addressing his master,
"that I could not get back in time to stop your going on; but I was
met and turned at every point, like a hare by the grayhounds, so that
I was three times as long as I need otherwise have been. However, it's
quite useless going to Seaton; for an embargo has been laid on all the
boats, and the Tory magistrates are strong in the village. I have
found out, however, from some of the old boatmen, that there is a much
better chance in the Bristol Channel. You mustn't go to Bristol
itself, for Lord Pembroke is there, and he has probably got his orders
with regard to you; but if you can cut across to any of the little
ports, or to Bridgewater, you are sure to find a ship, and seamen
ready enough. It will cost a good sum, though, they say."
"That matters not." said Lady Danvers. "But are you sure that he can
pass?"
"There is nothing sure in this world, dear lady," said Ralph, "unless
it be woman's kindness; but in such matters we must take our chance,
do the best we can, and leave the rest to the will of Heaven."
"If I could have a fresh horse to-morrow, my lady," said Gaunt
Stilling, "I will undertake to make sure of a path. My own beast will
rest in the mean time, and my master and I can set out at night--only
it would be a great deal better for you to stay here, if I may be so
bold, for we shall get on twice as last on horseback, and not draw so
many eyes."
"But it may be dangerous for him to remain here," said Hortensia; and,
looking round to Ralph, she asked, in a low voice, "May I tell him
what we have heard?"
"Oh yes, we can confide in him entirely," replied Ralph; adding, "The
truth is, Stilling, we have information that this house is to be
occupied by the king's troops, with a special injunction to apprehend
me if I am found within its walls. Orders have been already sent to
Lord Feversham to that effect."
"Lord Feversham is a gentleman, if not a soldier," answered Gaunt
Stilling, with a laugh, "and he will do every thing ceremoniously. It
would be no hard matter to bamboozle him. I would undertake to pass my
master upon him for a cardinal in disguise--but I thought, sir, you
had two whole days to come and go upon?"
"What! then you have heard from our friend in Lincolnshire too?" said
Ralph.
"Yes, sir," replied the man, "and you may depend upon what he says.
Lord Feversham is near three days' march upon the right--at least he
was this morning; and if you can but keep yourself still and quiet in
the house, there is no fear till I come back. He has no horse to
spare; and he could not move infantry down in time, let them go as
fast as they will. My plan was to let them get in advance of us, and
then pass in their rear; but if they are to occupy this house, that
will not do, and we must get in the rear of Monmouth instead. He is
certain to move forward from Axminster, I suppose, after his
successful skirmish, which he fought cleverly enough, if he had but
known how to draw good use out of it afterward. I shall hear what he
is doing, however, to-morrow, and if he marches toward Bath, as I
think likely, we can easily cut across behind him, and get to the
coast before a battle is fought."
"Do you think, then, he will fight a general battle?" asked Ralph.
"Oh, beyond doubt," answered Gaunt Stilling; "his men are bad enough,
it is true, and badly armed too; but then it does not require old
Greeks to beat a coxcomb like Feversham. They tell me, however, that
Churchill is there, and Oglethorpe, and the Tangier regiment, and
Dumbarton's; and it would require men who had smelt powder to fight
those fellows."
There was a knock at the door at this moment, which interrupted the
conversation for a time; the worthy steward, partly moved, perhaps, by
curiosity, partly by anxiety for his lady's health, having come to
inquire whether she would not take some refreshment after her
fatiguing journey.
Brief consultation between Ralph and Hortensia during supper confirmed
the resolution, already half taken, to follow the counsels of Gaunt
Stilling, and Lady Danvers even submitted to the necessity of letting
her young guest seek safety alone, without offering a word of
objection to that which she believed would prove most favorable to his
purpose.
A horse was accordingly ordered for Stilling, to be ready early on the
following morning, and Ralph and Hortensia parted to seek repose.
The following day broke dull and heavily. Drops of rain fell from time
to time; the sky was covered with a mantle of gray cloud. The whole
aspect of Nature was well in harmony with the feelings of two dear
friends about to part in peril and anxiety--to part, with a dark,
uncertain future before them--without any knowledge to guide hope as
to the when, and the where, and the how they were ever to meet again.
How often is it, even when hands are clasped, and eyes are bright with
expectation, and lips murmur hopefully, "We shall soon meet again,"
that grim Fate stands sternly by, and puts in the dark word of
contradiction, "Never!" But there are sadder partings--partings where
the word of Fate is heard like thunder--and partings where, though the
word be not actually spoken, yet the frown upon the forehead of
Destiny fills the heart with dread, and wild, unhopeful doubt.
Such was the parting for which Hortensia prepared herself; but,
happily for her, there was much to be done to fill up the intervening
hours. The best horse of her stable had to be selected for Ralph's use
to supply the place of that which he had lost; and then she had to
persuade, to insist, to argue with him on the matter of receiving from
her the means of hiring a vessel, at whatever cost, to carry him to
the Dutch coast.
It is very strange; three days before, he would have had no hesitation
whatsoever in profiting by her kindness at once; but now, he strove to
avoid--to evade it. He assured her he had enough--that he had all he
wanted, even while he was calculating in his own mind what amount he
could obtain for the various trinkets he possessed. I will not try to
look into his motives, for he would not look into them himself,
although he carried his refusal almost to a point of coldness. It was
only in the end, when Hortensia, with a faltering voice, said, "For
Margaret's sake, Ralph," that he yielded even in part, and accepted
assistance which she thought infinitely small.
She made up her mind, however, as to the means of foiling his false
delicacy, as she called it; and she proceeded to execute her plan as
soon as she was left alone. It is true that she would fain have had
him stay with her the whole day. Each minute seemed valuable; they
were the last drops in the flask. But he had to write a letter to his
father; and though it was not long, the time that it occupied was the
dullest of the day to Hortensia. To occupy a part of it, however, she
sent for her steward as soon as she was alone.
"I know not, Master Drayton," she said, "what rents you have got in,
but there are circumstances existing which will speedily require more
money than I have brought with me. I dare say you recollect quite well
my mother's friend, Mistress Woodhall, for you must have been with my
father before her death."
"Oh, quite well, my lady," replied Mr. Drayton, "and a beautiful
creature she was."
"Now this young gentleman that is here is her son," continued
Hortensia, "and I feel toward him and would act toward him as a
sister, if he would but let me. From circumstances not necessary to
mention more than I have done before, it is needful that he should go
to Holland as fast as possible. Now you can easily judge that to hire
a vessel for that voyage will in these present times cost very dear.
He thinks he has got quite enough. I know that he has not; but he will
accept no more; therefore I must contrive to place the necessary funds
in the hands of his servant Stilling, if you think the man is to be
trusted."
"Oh, perfectly, my lady, perfectly," replied Mr. Drayton. "How much
does your ladyship think will be required?"
"Not less than five hundred pounds," replied Lady Danvers.
"I have not so much in the house," said Mr. Drayton, somewhat
surprised, "but I will easily procure it in the course of the day, and
will get all that I can in gold, as most convenient to carry; but the
tenants often pay their rents in great heaps of silver, which takes
hours to count. When will it be needed, my lady?"
"Before nightfall, at all events," replied Lady Danvers. "When you
have got it, Mr. Drayton, give it into the hands of the good man
Stilling, for his master's use. You had better, perhaps, take a
receipt for it, and tell him to employ it at once in case of any
difficulty being made about the hire of a vessel. You are sure you can
trust him?"
"Oh, quite sure," replied Mr. Drayton; "ha is very moody and somewhat
passionate, but as honest a man as ever lived."
When this conversation was over, Hortensia passed the next half hour
as best she might, sadly and thoughtfully enough, walking up and down
the terrace before the house in despite of the drops of rain which
fell from time to time. At length she was joined by Ralph, and strove
steadily to appear cheerful, if not happy. They conversed of many
things--some bright--some dark--some pertinent to the occasion and the
circumstances--some wandering far away into realms where thought but
too often did not keep pace with words.
Thus passed away hour after hour; and though, to vary the time,
Hortensia and Ralph sat down to the usual meals, but little food was
taken, and thought and conversation went on as before.
At length, about an hour before sunset, as they were sitting in a
large, beautifully-furnished corner room, which commanded two views of
the park, they heard the sound of a horse's feet coming at speed, and
Ralph went to the window, saying, "Here is Stilling, returned, I
suppose--No! it is a stranger, in a military dress."
The man pushed his horse up the terrace, and rang the great bell
without dismounting; and Hortensia, opening the door of the room,
which was near the head of the stairs, listened eagerly.
Slowly the old porter swung back the heavy house door, and a voice
from without said, "Here is a letter addressed to the Right Honorable
Lady Hortensia, Baroness Danvers--come, take it, for I must be on to
Dorchester."
"Who is it from?" asked the old porter, not hurrying his steps in the
least.
"From the Earl of Feversham," replied the soldier; "I have had hard
work to find this out-of-the-way place."
"Won't you dismount and take a glass of ale?" inquired the porter; but
the man replied, "No, no, I must not stay;" and, turning his horse, he
trotted quickly away.
"These are tidings, Ralph," said Hortensia; "let us go and see what
they are;" and, descending to the floor below, she met the old man
with the letter in his hand. She refrained from opening it till she
and Ralph were again alone, but then perused the few lines it
contained eagerly. They were written in French, the earl's native
language, and contained the usual amount of unmeaning compliment and
prettiness. Stripped of all verbiage, however, the purport of the
letter was to inform Lady Danvers, as in gallantry and duty bound,
that the position of Lord Feversham's forces and his line of march
compelled him, most unwillingly, to occupy her house and park as a
military post of much importance. "I have given the strictest orders,"
continued the earl, "that your beautiful ladyship be not put to the
slightest uneasiness or inconvenience; but as the receiving of a large
body of infantry without notice might embarrass you, I have thought
fit, in due devotion to your beautiful eyes, to overlook a little the
strict line of military duty, in order to give you intimation a whole
day beforehand, that the gallant Colonel Kirke, with the Tangier
regiment, will crave your hospitality to-morrow at some period between
the hours of four and seven, post meridian. We trust very soon to come
at the end of these rebellions, and, in the mean time, I commend
myself, my lady, to your good graces and favorable consideration.
FEVERSHAM."
The eyes of Ralph and Hortensia instantly turned to the date of the
letter, and, with a feeling of relief, they perceived that it had been
written on the morning of the same day, so that four-and-twenty hours
were clear before them.
"Do you know any thing of this Colonel Kirke?" asked Ralph.
"Nothing whatever," replied Hortensia; "but I know the Tangier
regiment does not bear the best name in the world."
"Of its qualities," said Ralph, with a smile, "we can get full, though
perhaps not unprejudiced information from Stilling when he returns,
for he once served in this very corps. He can not be long now, I
suppose."
Nor was he; for he must have passed Lord Feversham's messenger very
nearly at the gates of the park, and the letter had not been read ten
minutes when he entered the room.
"Well, Stilling, what news?" said his master; "I was beginning to be
somewhat anxious for your return."
"Plenty of time, sir--plenty of time," said Gaunt Stilling, "and my
news is good. A schooner or a brig can certainly be hired in the
Channel, and at no very hard rate. The way, too, is open, for Monmouth
is moving to the eastward, as I expected. The people behind him are
all in his favor, and the magistrates are powerless. No warrants
run there. Still, as parties of troops are scouring about here and
there--no one knows where--it will be better to take the low horse
road, which leaves Taunton and all those towns on one side. I was only
afraid that some of the king's officers might have occupied the little
hamlet at St. Mary's, in order to command that road, and that Monmouth
might have left it behind unnoticed, thinking he could force it at any
time. I find, however, that a part of Oglethorpe's corps, which was
quartered there, retreated this morning for fear they should be cut
off, so that the way is clear and easy to Bridgewater, where we shall
be sure to hear of ships."
"We shall have ample time, too," replied Ralph, "for Colonel Kirke
will certainly not be here before four o'clock to-morrow afternoon."
"Colonel Kirke! Colonel Kirke!" exclaimed Gaunt Stilling, with an air
of consternation; "is he coming here?"
"So we are informed by Lord Feversham," said Hortensia. "Do you know
any thing of that gentleman?"
"God's life! my lady, quite enough," replied Gaunt Stilling; "pray
forgive me, but who is coming with him?"
"The Tangier regiment, which he commands, I believe," answered Lady
Danvers. "You know something of them, Mr. Woodhall tells me."
"I know this, my lady," replied Gaunt Stilling, "that if they come
here, and Kirke at their head, this house is no place for you, or any
lady or poor girl either. It is impossible, sir," he continued,
turning to Ralph, "that Lady Danvers can remain here, if Kirke and
these Tangier men are coming. I served with them for three years in
Africa; and if I had been inclined to disbelieve in the existence of a
devil, I should have had no doubt afterward, for I had more than four
hundred real ones all round me, and the arch fiend at their head. I
beg your pardon, my lady, for speaking so plainly, especially as not
long ago I was all for having you stay here, and letting Mr. Woodhall
and myself find our way alone. But now I see it can not be done. You
must not remain an hour, nay, not ten minutes in the same house with
Kirke and the Tangier men. There is no knowing what they have done,
and what they will dare to do--Oh, if I could but tell you all I know!
You must either come with us, or let us see you to some place of
safety."
Lady Danvers smiled somewhat sadly. "I fear I must not come with you,"
she said, "if you mean to Holland; but I have friends both in the
neighborhood of Wells and Bristol who will gladly give me refuge."
"Then, madam, if you will take my advice," replied Gaunt Stilling,
"you will take care of your plate, and all the pretty little
knickknacks that I see lying about all over the house, or you will
find clear boards when you come back again."
"I will order all the rooms to be locked up," said Hortensia, "except
those where the men must sleep."
"The Tangier regiment don't mind locks, my lady," said Gaunt Stilling,
gravely. "There is always an excuse for breaking a lock, especially
when there are Nonjurors and Dissenters about. Doors would open very
fast, and with two or three hundred witnesses you would have two or
three hundred accomplices. Ask Tom if his brother's a thief! No, no,
my lady, take my advice; put every thing of value into small drawers
which would not hold an infant, or they'll break in to see if there's
a Dissenting minister. Consign all your plate to the plate-chests;
and, when you come back, you may think yourself very lucky if you do
not find the eyes of your grandfather bored with a pike, or the
portrait of your mother shot through with a musket, just to see if
there be not a concealed door behind the canvas. Feed them well, or
they will feed themselves better; and disperse all the women of the
household over the parish--that is to say, under eighty. The men must
take care of themselves, and a hard time enough they will have of
it--some heads broken, if not driven in, before you come back, I will
warrant."
"You lay me out work for a long time, Master Stilling," answered
Hortensia; "what is to be done, Ralph?"
"Take his advice, dear lady," replied Ralph Woodhall. "Let me aid you
in your arrangements, at once and immediately. Then lie down and take
a short repose, and let us set off before daylight to-morrow. We will
see you safe to Wells, and I shall depart with a lighter heart."
Gaunt Stilling did not appear to be quite satisfied, but he made no
observation; and various servants being called, Lady Danvers explained
to Mr. Drayton that she was under the necessity of quitting her own
dwelling, as she had received information from Lord Feversham that
Danvers's New Church was about to be occupied as a military post by
Colonel Kirke and the Tangier regiment.
"Odd bless my life! my dear lady, that's bad news indeed," cried the
old man, rubbing his hands in an agony of perplexity; "why, it is the
worst regiment in the whole service--nothing like it in all the
civilized world--a mere band of licensed robbers and plunderers,
especially their colonel--gracious! what shall we do with all the
things that are about?"
"We must lock them up safely," said Lady Danvers; "and that was one
reason of my sending for you, Mr. Drayton. We must all set to work as
hard as possible; the carriage and horses must be round at the door
before three. But I will not take more men with me than is needful. My
maid Alice must go. The rest of the women you had better disperse
among the farmhouses and in the neighboring villages till the storm
has blown by; and you must take the best care of these men who are
coming that you can."