The storm of the preceding night had ceased, and left the earth all
glittering with golden drops, when the sun rose up and poured the full
tide of his glorious light upon that world where, during his absence,
so many dark and fearful scenes had been enacted. About nine o'clock,
and along a tortuous and unscientific road, which seemed to have been
cut solely with a view of mingling the bright sunshine and the cool
green shades amidst the pleasant woods through which it wandered, rode
along Alice Herbert and her father. Their thoughts were full of matter
of deep moment: cares, fears, anxieties, were busy in their bosoms; but
yet it were false to say that the sweet scenes through which their way
was laid, the cheerful aspect of the summer world, the voice of the
blackbird and the lark, the soft calm air of the bright morning, did
not soften and soothe all their feelings. It is not alone that in the
breast of almost every one there goes on a sort of silent superstition,
drawing auguries almost unknown to ourselves from every varying feature
of the scenes through which we are led, finding the frowning look of
boding fate upon the sky, when the dark clouds roll over it, or the
bright smile of hope when it spreads out clear and bright above us; but
it is that there are mysterious links of harmony between all our
feelings and the universal creations of our God; and that the fine
electric chain along which so many strange and thrilling vibrations
run, is carried from the heart of man to the uttermost verge of heaven.
The brightness of the morning sunk into Alice's soul, and soothed the
painful memories within her; the easy motion, too, of her light jennet,
as he cantered untiringly forward through the fresh early air, had
something in it inspiring and gladsome. He went along with her as if
there were no such things as obstacles or barriers in all life's road,
as if all things were smooth and easy as his own soft pace. Sir Walter,
too, felt the same; he was peculiarly susceptible to the impressions of
external nature, and readily yielded his whole heart to the bright
influence of everything fine and beautiful throughout the range of
creation. Though in early life he had mingled in many scenes of active
strife and endeavour, his heart was all unused and fresh, and retained
all the capabilities of enjoyment which bless our early years. He too,
therefore, felt his heart lighter, and the fountain of hope welling up
anew within him from the gladsome aspect of the morning; and as he rode
on with his daughter, followed by two or three servants on horseback,
he conversed cheerfully and happily over coming events, and spoke of
Langford being immediately set free, of his own affairs restored to
order and abundance, and of the happiness of all parties being secured,
as if he had held in his hands the keys of fate, and could open the
storehouse of fortune, to bring forth what pleasure he pleased for
after years.
He spoke, too, without any animosity, of the Earl of Danemore and of
his proceedings towards him; and Alice, on her part, was enchanted to
hear him do so; for she had feared, from the tone of her father's
feelings on the day before, that, either in regard to his own affairs
or to those of Henry Langford, some sharp collision would take place
between him and the Earl on the first occasion of their meeting. It was
partly on that account, when Sir Walter had announced his intention of
going over in person to the Castle, both to discharge the debt to Lord
Danemore, to lay before him the evidence which he had procured
concerning Langford, and to request him to set the latter at liberty,
that she had besought him, in terms which her father could not resist,
to take her with him.
"The proceeding will seem strange," she said; "but I do not think Lord
Danemore is a man who will think it so. He has shown me much kindness,
and I should wish to see him, and condole with him under his present
grief, both because I do sincerely feel for him, and because I wish him
to know that any grief or disappointment I may have occasioned his poor
son was not mingled with any unkindness of feeling on my part, any
lightness of conduct, or any wish to inflict a wound. He has no one
near him to console him or to comfort him; we are the only people he
has at all associated with, and I used to think that he was fond of my
society, and would hear things from me which he would listen to from no
one else."
His daughter's arguments were almost always good to the mind of Sir
Walter Herbert; and even if he did understand that she was afraid he
might become somewhat over-vehement with the proud and passionate man
he was about to see, his was one of those kindly natures free from that
irritable vanity which is jealous of all interference; and he suffered
his daughter to have her way, because he knew that her motive was good,
and felt that he as well as another might fall into error.
Thus they rode on: and, as they went, Sir Walter himself found a
thousand excuses for the conduct of the Earl; showed Alice how, in that
nobleman's seeming want of liberality towards himself, fatherly pride,
wounded by the rejection of his son, might have the greatest share; and
how, in the detention of Langford, the magistrates who had arrested him
were most to blame; while it was natural that a father's heart, torn
and wrung as his must be, should make him regard mere suspicion as
direct proof, and suffer his eager desire for vengeance to blind his
eyes to the real object.
Judging from such expressions, Alice now felt little doubt that her
father's first interview with the Earl would pass over tranquilly; and
having no longer the strong motive which had, at first, induced her to
cast off a certain feeling of timid shyness which she experienced in
regard to seeing Lord Danemore for the first time after all that had
taken place between herself and his son, she proposed to remain for a
time with Mistress Bertha, the housekeeper, and not to see the Earl
till after the business on which Sir Walter went was concluded.
"Perhaps it may be better, my love," replied Sir Walter; "although I
never liked that woman, who is as stern and harsh a being, I think, as
ever was created. Yet she was always fond of you, Alice: and in regard
to my conversation with the Earl, put your mind at rest; I feel too
much sorrow for him, at the present moment, to let any degree of anger
rest in my bosom, or to suffer anything that he can say, knowing as I
do the violence of his nature, to make me forget for one moment that he
is a father, mourning for the unexpected loss of his only son."
Their plans being thus arranged, Sir Walter announced to the porter of
Danemore Castle that his daughter would remain with Mistress Bertha,
while he craved audience with the Earl, on important business.
There was something in the demeanour of Sir Walter Herbert which even
the insolent servants of Lord Danemore could not resist; there was the
mingling of courtesy and dignity, the conscious right to command, but
that right waved for kindness' sake, which is sure to win respect even
from those the most unwilling to pay it. The worthy Knight and his
daughter, then, were shown, with some degree of ceremony, into one of
the large, cold, stately saloons of the Castle, while the servant
proceeded to announce their coming to his master. He returned in a few
minutes, saying, that the Earl would join Sir Walter there ere long,
and that, in the meantime, he would conduct the young lady to Mistress
Bertha's room.
She had not been long gone when Sir Walter was joined by the Earl, who
was followed into the room by the lawyer, hanging his head and bending
his back, like a sulky dog trudging at its master's heels. Lord
Danemore received Sir Walter with stately coldness, begged him to be
seated, and, as if totally unconscious of anything that had passed
before, requested to know what was the cause of his being honoured with
Sir Walter Herbert's presence.
"I should not have intruded upon you, my lord, especially at such a
moment," said Sir Walter, "but that I am desirous both of offering you
any assistance and co-operation in my power in the very painful
inquiries which must fall to your lot to make; of laying before you a
considerable mass of information which I have already obtained, and at
the same time of discharging an obligation which I only deeply regret
that it has not been in my power to liquidate long ago."
"Thanking you for your offers of assistance, sir," said the Earl, "we
will, if you please, turn to the latter point you have mentioned,
first. Although I ordered my views upon the subject to be notified to
you before the loss I have sustained, yet I shall not suffer that loss
to interfere with the progress of a business which it must be as
agreeable to Sir Walter Herbert as to myself to bring to a conclusion."
The Earl spoke in a cold and cutting tone, which brought the warm blood
into Sir Walter's cheek. He replied, calmly, however, saying, "Of
course, my lord, it is as agreeable to me as to you to conclude a
business of this nature, which has produced, I am sorry to say,
feelings between us which I hoped would never have existed."
"It seems to me, sir," said the Earl, "that we are entering upon
irrelevant matter. I can accuse myself of having done nothing that I
was not justified in doing; nor do I perceive that any persons have a
right to accuse me of being wanting in feelings of friendship, when
they were themselves the first to reject advances by which, considering
all things, I believe they might think themselves both honoured and
favoured."
"We might view that fact in a different light, my lord," replied Sir
Walter, who was becoming somewhat irritated; "however, not to touch any
further upon subjects of an unpleasant nature, I am here to tender you
payment of the bond which you hold of mine, although, as you are well
aware, my lord, the debt was in reality none of mine, but incurred
through the villany of another."
"With that, sir, I have nothing to do," said the Earl; "but what are
these papers that you offer me?"
"They are, my lord," replied Sir Walter, "as you may see, bills of
exchange from houses of undoubted respectability in the capital; of
course it is hardly possible to carry in safety such a sum in gold.
Should your lordship, however, as by your countenance I am led to
suppose, object to receive the amount in this manner, I will, of
course, cause the bills to be immediately turned into money."
"I am far from objecting to receive the amount in this manner," replied
the Earl; "indeed, it might be, in many respects, more convenient; but
there is something peculiar here; more than one of these bills is
endorsed with the name of Henry Langford."
"Such is the case, my lord." replied Sir Walter. "Of that gentleman I
shall have to speak to you in a few moments; but it was your lordship's
wish that we should adhere in the first instance to this business, and,
such being the case, we will conclude it, if you please. Are you
willing to receive those bills in payment? or shall I cause them to be
turned into money, as may be done immediately?"
A dark and fiend-like smile of satisfaction had been gradually coming
over the countenance of the Earl; and there was a struggle in his mind
between the natural quickness and impatience of his disposition, and
the desire which he felt to protract the actual execution of his
purpose, in order to enjoy every step he took therein. Impatience,
however, at length predominated; and he replied, taking the whole
packet of bills of exchange from the table--
"There will be no occasion, I am afraid, to cause these bills to be
turned into money, for some time at least; although, Sir Walter
Herbert, I cannot receive them as payment of your debt. They are, as I
am informed--and the name upon the back of some of them bears out that
information--they are the property of a person now under charge of
felony; and I therefore find myself called upon, in my capacity of
magistrate, to take possession of them, till the accusation against him
is proved or disproved."
Sir Walter, for a moment, sat before him thunderstruck, without making
any reply, while the Earl continued to fix upon him the full gaze of
his stern dark eyes, enjoying the surprise and pain he had occasioned.
The instant after, however, Sir Walter recovered himself, and replying
to the look of the Earl with one as stern and resolute, he said, "I
conclude that your lordship is jesting, though the moment for so doing
is strangely chosen; but I cannot believe that the Earl of Danemore
wishes to prove himself a villain more detestable than the needy
sharper who fleeces a confiding dupe. Concluding that there was
something in noble blood which implied honour and integrity; trusting
that a long line of generous ancestors afforded some tie to honesty and
upright conduct, if nothing more--believing the person who calls
himself the Earl of Danemore not to be the bastard of a noble house,
but one who had some cause to hold its honour high--thus thinking and
believing, I placed in his hands those papers, which he is bound either
to receive as payment of his debt, or to restore to me in the same
manner as he received them."
The Earl was too well satisfied to yield to anger; and he replied, with
the same cold and bitter calmness which he had displayed throughout,
"You are right, sir, in all your conclusions, except the last. Noble
birth should be coupled with integrity: high ancestors are a tie to
honour; the Earl of Danemore has every reason to believe himself the
legitimate son of his father; but, nevertheless, he may take a
different view of his duty from Sir Walter Herbert, in a matter where
Sir Walter Herbert is an interested party--too much so, indeed, to
judge with his usual clearness. These papers, which it is now my
purpose to seal up and deliver into the hands of my worthy friend here
present, Master Kinsight, are evidently the property of this same Henry
Langford, who stands accused of the murder of my son."
"My lord, my lord," interrupted Sir Walter, "if you have taken any
pains to investigate this matter, you must be well aware that the case
made out against that upright and honourable man, Captain Langford, is
not even a case of suspicion, far less one which justifies his
detention for a moment. It is not even proved that your son is dead;
and I pray to God that it may not be so."
"Prove that, sir, prove that," exclaimed the Earl, "and none will be
more glad than I shall be; but even then, I very much fear these papers
would remain to be dealt with according to law, as there can be no
doubt whatever that this same Henry Langford, if not a principal, is an
accessary to all those acts of pillage and robbery which have lately
disgraced this neighbourhood. You are not aware, Sir Walter, of all the
facts; you are not aware of all that has been discovered this very
morning, Master Kinsight here having, with all his own shrewdness,
obtained proof, almost incontestable, that this same Henry Langford is
one of a band of plunderers who have established themselves in this
county, and whose acts speak for themselves."
Again Sir Walter Herbert was struck dumb. "My lord," he said, at
length, after a considerable pause, "I am a magistrate of the county,
and, consequently, may be permitted to demand the nature of the
evidence against Captain Langford, especially as I have both taken a
very active part in putting down the system of violence and outrage
which has, as you observed, disgraced this neighbourhood, and have
investigated the matter thoroughly since the attack upon my daughter,
of which you most probably have heard, and from which she was delivered
by the courage of Captain Langford alone. I, therefore, must beg to see
the evidence against him, as I have with me the depositions of various
witnesses which clear him of all suspicion in regard to the
disappearance of your son."
"I do not feel myself called upon," replied the Earl, "nor, indeed, do
I think it would be right and just, to make any one acquainted with the
discoveries we have already made, before the whole train of evidence is
mature. There are two learned, wise, and most respectable magistrates,
Sir Thomas Waller and Sir Matthew Scrope, who are even now engaged in
collecting information on the subject, and it would be not only an
insult to them, but an effectual means of frustrating the ends of
justice, were any other person permitted to interfere, especially when
that person is avowedly a supporter of the culprit."
"All this is very specious, my lord," replied Sir Walter; "but it may
be doubted--and I am one of those who do doubt--whether personal
motives on your lordship's part may not mingle with the view you take
of the case, and whether your known power and influence in this
neighbourhood may not have more to do with the decision of the
magistrates you mention than the considerations of right and justice."
"Your language, Sir Walter Herbert, is growing insulting," replied the
Earl, "and, indeed, so has been your whole conduct. I have passed it
over as yet, out of consideration for the foolish fondness which my
poor son entertained towards a member of your family. It must go no
further, however, or you shall find that I am not to be insulted with
impunity. The imputations, too, which you cast upon two respectable men
are altogether unworthy; and I beg to say that I shall hear no more
upon this or any other subject from you. My lawyer shall have my
directions to deal with you, in regard to your debt to me, with
moderate determination; and any evidence that you may have collected in
reference to the prisoner had better be communicated to the two
magistrates who have the case before them. I must beg now to be excused
any further conversation on the subject."
"Then I am to understand, my lord," said Sir Walter, "that you
positively and distinctly refuse to return to me the bills of exchange
which I have, with foolish confidence, placed in your hands."
The Earl bowed his head in token of assent, and Sir Walter proceeded,
"You will permit me, if you please," he said, "to call in one of my own
servants to witness my demand, and your refusal."
"That is unnecessary, sir," replied the Earl; "I will give you an
acknowledgment under my own hand, that I have taken possession of
certain bills of exchange belonging to Henry Langford, accused of
felony. Draw it up, sir," he continued, turning to the lawyer.
The lawyer did as he was directed, employing all the most cautious
expressions, and the Earl, after having read the paper over, signed it,
and delivered it to Sir Walter Herbert.
"Your lordship's conduct is certainly most extraordinary," replied Sir
Walter; "but this business shall soon be cleared up, for I have
determined that I will not rest one moment till the best legal
assistance has been procured for the noble gentleman you seem disposed
to persecute, and who has been deprived of his liberty upon the
accusation of having murdered a person who is by no means proved to be
really dead."
He was turning to quit the apartment, and the Earl was in the act of
directing his lawyer in a low voice to have him arrested at once for
the debt, when two or three hard blows upon the door, as if struck with
a heavy stick, called the attention of the whole party, and caused the
good Knight to stop, expecting to see the door open, and some one
enter. The door, indeed, did open, but it was only pushed forward a
small space, just giving room sufficient to admit the head of the
half-witted man John Graves.
As soon as he beheld him, Sir Walter exclaimed, "Here is one who
probably can tell us more of the matter than any one else; for, if I am
rightly informed, it was upon his testimony, received second-hand, that
these magistrates acted."
"That I can, indeed." said the half-witted man, still standing in the
doorway; "I can tell you more about it than any one else, for I saw him
buried last night with my own eyes under the beech trees."
"Who? who?" demanded several voices at once; while the Earl, with the
feelings of a father breaking forth, and overpowering all others,
strode forward and gazed in the man's face.
"Why, the boy," replied the other; "the boy Harold; and I came to tell
you where he lies."
The Earl covered his eyes with his hands, and for a few minutes an
awful silence spread through the room. Sir Walter Herbert could not
have found in his heart to break in upon the first moment of parental
grief for any consideration; and he suffered the bitter agony to have
its way without attempting by one word of consolation to soothe that
deep wound which he himself believed to be incurable, and only likely
to be aggravated by any earthly appliance. The lawyer, though feeling
very differently, was yet afraid to speak; and Silly John, as he was
called, stood gazing upon them, infected by the feelings expressed in
the countenance of the Earl and Sir Walter, when he announced the sad
confirmation of their worst fears.
It was the Earl himself who first broke silence. "Sir," he said,
turning abruptly to Sir Walter, "I desire to be alone. This is no time
for any other business than that either of mourning for my son, or
punishing his murderers; with regard to other matters, you shall hear
from me hereafter. Your fair scornful daughter, I understand,
accompanied you hither, and now waits for you. Pray tell her that,
though bound by courtesy to receive the visits of a lady at all
seasons, yet at present the heart of the father is not very well
attuned to hear consolatory speeches on the death of his only son, from
the lips of one who first encouraged and then rejected that son's
addresses, and who, it would appear, by such conduct brought about his
death."
"My lord," replied Sir Walter, mildly, "so deeply am I sorry for you,
that I will concede to your sorrow even the privilege of being unjust,
and will not defend my child, though she be altogether innocent of that
with which you charge her. She is now in Mistress Bertha's room,
waiting my coming; and, taking leave of you with deep sympathy for your
loss, I will seek her there and return with her to my own dwelling."
"Seek where you may find, Sir Walter," said Silly John, turning with a
lacklustre smile upon the Knight; "seek where you may find: for you
will not find Mistress Alice nor Mistress Bertha either where you think
they are; for I saw them stepping quietly up stairs towards the old
north tower; and the lady and her lover are by this time looking into
each other's eyes."
"This is somewhat too much!" exclaimed the Earl, with an angry frown;
"I did not know that the young lady was so great a proficient in
policy: but by your leave, Sir Walter, I must interrupt their
conference;" and striding towards the door with flashing eyes, he threw
it, open and advanced towards the great staircase.
Sir Walter followed quickly, and at the foot of the stairs touched the
Earl's arm slightly, with a meaning look, saying at the same time, "I
trust, my lord, that in your present excited state you will not forget
who Alice Herbert is, and that her father is present."
The Earl turned, and gazed at him from head to foot. "I shall not
forget myself, sir," he replied; "the Earl of Danemore is not
accustomed to injure or insult a woman!" and thus saying, he strode up
the stairs with the same quick pace.