THE SECRET OF THE BLACK BOX
I must confess to a somewhat strange feeling in my heart when I looked
into the woman's face. I felt sure that she was trying to understand the
manner of man I was, so that she might make up her mind how far I could
be of service to her. For, from the very first I could not think of her
as a former serving woman of my mother. Humble of birth she might be,
but I was very sure that her thoughts were other than those of a serving
woman, and that she had mixed herself up with affairs of importance. Her
great dark searching eyes, her strongly moulded face, her determined
mouth all assured me that here was a woman of far-reaching plans, and
one who would stop at nothing to carry those plans into effect.
"More mother than father," I heard her murmur again, and then she looked
from my father to me as though she were trying to discover the
difference between us.
"Well, Katharine," said my father, "you have discovered what you set
your heart upon, and which you spoke of when I saw you in St. Paul's
Church."
The woman laughed mockingly.
"In less than a month the king will be in England," she said, "and, oh!
what a king!" and then she fell to scanning our faces again.
"The people be already crying, 'God save the king!'" said my father.
"Already my old neighbours who fought for Charles I be looking forward to
the time when the Puritans will be despoiled like the Egyptians of old,
and when they will be rewarded for being faithful to the royalty."
"Rewarded!" said the woman scornfully. "Will the eldest son of Charles I
ever reward an honest man? I know him, Master Rashcliffe. He will be
the dupe of every knave, the puppet of every hussy in England. He will
make promises without end, but he will be too idle to perform them. No
honest man will be the better for his return, and no one will have
justice unless that justice is forced from him."
"But have you discovered aught?" asked my father. "You know what you
promised me. Moreover, when I last saw the dame with whom you had
lodgment at the back of Aldersgate Street, she said you had your hand
upon the proof."
"And I am not one who makes promises lightly," replied the woman,
"neither am I a woman who, having made up her mind, is easily turned
aside. Nevertheless, there remaineth much to be done, Master Rashcliffe.
The matter is not child's play, and he who meddles with matters which
affect the king is in danger of being accused of treason. For Charles
Stuart can act to purpose when it suits him. That is why I have not come
to you before."
Here again the woman ceased speaking and scanned me closely.
"This son of yours hath never fought in the wars?" she said
questioningly.
"Nay," replied my father. "During the first civil war he was too young
to bear arms. After that my heart was embittered. I would not have my
son uphold the claims of a man who was alike faithless to both enemies
and friends. Then, when Charles was beheaded, could I allow my son to
fight under Cromwell?"
"He was a brave, strong man," replied the woman.
"Ay, a brave strong man if you will. But not such a man as my son could
fight under. Besides, I would not have him mingle with such a crew as
this army fashioned under the New Model. Would I have my son become a
psalm-singing hypocrite? Would I have him taught to cry 'down with the
Prayer Book'? Would I have him made a sour-faced follower of old Nol,
learning to make pious speeches in order to gain promotion? No, I had
fought under the king's standard, and, although the king betrayed us
all, I would not have my son serve under my Lord Protector.
Nevertheless, Roland is no weakling, as you see, neither is he a fool.
Poor as I have been, I have seen to it that he hath learned something of
letters. He can write like a clerk, and can read not only in the English
tongue, but in Latin and in French."
"In French?" said the woman eagerly, I thought.
"Ay, in French. Besides without ever having served with the wars, he
knows everything of fighting that I could tell him, and as for
swordcraft, I doubt if there is a man in London town who could stand
against him."
Again the woman looked at me eagerly, and then she broke out like one in
anger.
"It is well, Master Rashcliffe, for, mark you, if what I have discovered
is true, he will need all his cleverness, all his learning, and all his
knowledge of swordcraft. We play for high stakes, Master
Rashcliffe--nothing less than the throne of England."
"Ay, I gathered as much," said my father thoughtfully.
"Look you here," went on the woman. "You desire to gain back your
estates; you desire, moreover, that your son Roland shall not be a
penniless, lackland squire like you. Why, I discovered as I came hither,
that for years this manor house hath been little better than a farm
kitchen, that such as Nicholas Beel, the blacksmith, who fought for
Cromwell, and 'praise be his name, Elijah of the Marsh,' and
'Grace-abounding Reuben,' who used to be one of your hinds, be now
fattening on your best farms."
"Ay, it is so," cried my father angrily. "The very kitchen wenches of
twenty years ago laugh at me, and call me 'Landless Rashcliffe'."
"And Charles Stuart will never give you back these lands unless he is
made," said the woman.
"Ay, ay," said my father, "I know enough of him for that; but to your
tale, Katharine Harcomb. Tell me what you know."
"I know that James, the new king's brother, is full of hope that Charles
will kill himself by revelry in a year," replied the woman. "I know that
he is next heir to the throne. I know that he is intriguing to get back
the Catholic religion to the country, and I know that neither Charles
nor James loves either you or yours."
"And yet I fought for their father," said my father.
"Ay, and like the honest man thou art, declared that thou couldst never
fight for him again after the contents of his papers which were found on
Naseby field were made known," retorted the woman. "I know this, too,
that if Charles had gained the victory over Cromwell, thou wouldst have
been beheaded for what thou didst say at that time. Mark you, a Stuart
never forgets, and never forgives, for all the fair promises that they
make. Therefore if ever thou dost get back thine own, and if ever thy
son is to be more than a mere yeoman ploughing his own fields--ay, and
poor fields at that, for the best have all been taken away--he must be
able to force the new king's hand."
"Ay, I know all this," replied my father impatiently, "but let us hear
what you have discovered, Katharine; let us know the truth concerning
the strange things I have heard."
"It is no use telling of what I know, unless this son of thine be bold
enough to make use of it," replied the woman. "I am a girl no longer,
Master Rashcliffe; I am not so simple as I was in those days when I was
waiting maid to Mistress Rashcliffe. Enough to say that I have found out
sufficient to make Charles Stuart, who is even now preparing to come
back to England as king, eager not only to restore thy lands, but to
give a place of honour to Master Roland here. Ay, but that is not all.
The thing which I know to exist must be in our hands, ay, and in our
hands in such a way that we shall be able to make our own bargain with
the new king."
"But what is it?"
"It is this. James, Duke of York, is not the next heir to the throne."
"Well, and what of that?"
"This," replied the woman. "You have heard of the Welsh girl, Lucy
Walters?"
"Ay, I have hear of her."
"And you have heard of her son, a lad who goes by the name of James
Croft?"
"Yes," said my father, "I have heard of him; but it doth not matter."
"Ay, but it doth matter."
"Why?"
"Because he, although Charles Stuart will doubtless deny it, is the next
heir to the throne of England."
My father started back in amazement.
"He is Charles' son," continued the woman.
"Ay, but----"
"Charles married Lucy Walters--married her in Holland."
"But the proof, the proof!" cried my father.
"It is this proof of which I come to speak," said Katharine Harcomb.
"But answer me this: suppose the proof could be obtained, suppose the
box containing the contract of marriage between Charles Stuart and Lucy
Walters could be obtained--what then?"
For a time my father was silent. Evidently he regarded the woman's
declaration of great import, and I saw that he carefully considered her
words.
"Charles would not desire it to be known," he said at length.
"Nay, that he would not," said the woman with a laugh; "but there is
more than that, Master Rashcliffe."
"Ay, there is," said my father thoughtfully. "He who could be fortunate
enough to possess that marriage contract would be able to make his terms
not only with the king, but the king's brother."
"Ah, you begin to see."
"The man who possessed such a secret could stir up civil war in
England," said my father; "such a war that might well make men forget
the war between Charles I and Cromwell."
"Ay," said the woman; "but what is more to our purpose, Master
Rashcliffe, he could make the king restore the Rashcliffe lands, and
gain for his son a place in England worthy his name."
"And do others know of this secret, Katharine?" asked my father.
"Yes," replied the woman; "it hath been guessed at by many, but I alone
know where the box containing the marriage contract is hidden. It hath
cost me much trouble to find out, but at last I have done it."
I looked at the woman as she said this, and I thought there was a
furtive look in her eyes.
"And how did you find it out?" asked my father presently.
"Of that more anon," replied Katharine Harcomb. "Enough to say now that
this is the secret I promised to tell you, a secret which should give
you the power to make your own terms with the king. All now depends on
young Roland here."
"On me!" I cried, speaking for the first time, although, as may be
imagined, I listened eagerly to every word which had been spoken.
"Ay, on you," replied the woman, "for that marriage contract is in
hiding. It is hidden in a black box,[1] and may be obtained only with
difficulty. The question is, Master Roland, will you undertake the work
of bringing it hither?"
[Footnote 1: As all students of history know, the story of the black box
containing the marriage contract between Charles II and Lucy Walters
obtained great credence after the Restoration, indeed, it is probable
that belief in its validity had much to do with the Monmouth rebellion
at a later date.--J. H.]
"How old is the king's son?" I cried, for her story had excited my
imagination and appealed to that love for adventure which for a long
time had been struggling for expression.
"How old?" repeated the woman; "he is a lad of about eleven years. At
present he is with the dowager queen."
"And do you mean that he is the next heir to the English throne?" I
cried.
"Ay, that he is," replied the woman; "and the man who can find the
marriage contract can go far to be one of the masters of England."
"And if it be not brought to light?" I cried, "then if Charles has no
other son, the Duke of York will become king."
"That is not the thing of import," replied the woman; "the thing that is
of weight is this: the man who hath the secret can make the king obey
him."
But this was not the thought which fired my imagination. A great
overmastering desire came into my heart to place my hand upon this
marriage contract that I might be the means of doing justice to the
king's disowned son, and even as she spoke I found myself making plans
for going out into the world to unearth this secret. For it must be
remembered that I was but a lad of twenty-three, and that up to now, in
spite of my many day dreams, I had been kept mewed up in the old manor
with my father, knowing but little of what was going on in the great
world.
Still, I was not so young but that I saw many difficulties in the way. I
reflected that we had only the word of this Katharine Harcomb, who had
lived at Rashcliffe Manor many years before, and who, according to
belief, had been dead for some time. Where had she been all these years?
what were her motives in seeking out this mystery? and more than all,
why had she chosen my father and myself as the men to whom she could
disclose this momentous secret? Not that these matters troubled me much.
I was too much excited by the story of the mystery to weigh well those
things which, had I been ten years older, I should have considered
carefully. Still, they came into my mind, and I was on the point of
putting them to her, when she rose from her chair and placed her hand on
my shoulder. I remember even then thinking how tall she was, for as I
stood by the fireplace, and she came up to me, her face was level with
mine, and I am not a short man.
"Roland Rashcliffe," she said, "will you undertake this thing?"
I looked at my father, who appeared to be pondering deeply.
"Where is it?" I asked.
"Where is what?"
"This black box."
"Before I make known where it is I must have your promise. Nay, Master
Roland, look not darkly at me, for this is no light matter. I dare not
make known the hiding place until I am assured that you will undertake
to go wherever it is, and then alone, and in secret, bring it hither."
The words pleased me, although they raised more questions in my mind. I
liked the words "alone and in secret," even although I little understood
what they portended.
"How came you to know these things?" I asked.
"I saw the woman called Lucy Walters when she was in England," replied
Katharine Harcomb; "I saw her as she was taken to the Tower."
"You saw Lucy Walters!" I cried.
"Ay, I saw her. No wonder Charles Stuart loved her, for a more beautiful
woman I never set my eyes on. Ay, poor thing, she was neither wise nor
prudent, as she found out afterwards to her cost, but she was the
fairest maid to look upon that ever I clapped my eyes on. It is true her
first beauty had left her, and at that time she was in sore trouble, for
she was on her way to the Tower with soldiers on either side of her;
nevertheless, every man fell in love with her as she went. The
verse-makers have called her the 'nut-brown maid,' and well they might,
for her hair was the colour of ripe chestnuts when they are picked from
the trees in early October. It shone like the dowager queen's diamonds,
and hung around her head in great curling locks. Her eyes were brown
too, and sparkled like stars; even then roses were upon her cheeks, and
she walked like a queen."
"But she was liberated from the Tower," said my father, "and went back
to France."
"But not before I saw her, Master Rashcliffe," replied Katharine
Harcomb, "and not before she told me that she was Charles Stuart's
wedded wife."
"She told you that?"
"Ay, she told me that."
"But did she tell you where the marriage contract was?" asked my father.
"Of that I shall say nothing until I know whether Master Roland here
will undertake the work I have spoken of," and again the woman's dark
bright eyes scanned my face, as though she saw there an index to the
thoughts which possessed my mind.
"Roland," said my father, "I would e'en talk with Katharine Harcomb
alone. Do you leave the room, and return in an hour's time."
I did not much like this, for, as may be imagined, I was much
interested, and wanted to hear more of what the woman had to tell; but I
obeyed my father quickly as every dutiful son should, and went out of
the house into the park lands.
The sun had now gone down, but it was not dark neither did I think it
would be throughout the whole night. For not only was there a moon, but
the sky was clear. Indeed, the time was the middle of May, when the air
was clear and the countryside was beauteous beyond words. It is true the
roses had not yet appeared, but the trees were wellnigh in full leaf,
for the season was early. Even the oaks and the ashes were covered with
spring leaves, which I saw shining in the light of the moon. No stars
appeared that night, the moon was so bright, and no sound did I hear
save the babbling of the trout stream that ran through the park, and now
and then the twitter of a bird which settled itself to rest.
I walked along the grass-grown drive which led to the gates, wondering
about what the woman Katharine Harcomb had said, and thinking if ever
the time would come when carriages would be drawn up to the house as
they were in the days before the Long Parliament, and when my old home
would be full of gaiety.
"This is a strange happening," I said to myself. "Ever since Richard
Cromwell died my father hath spoken of possible change to our fortunes
if Charles should come back, not because the king would do aught for us
of his own free will, but because we should gain the power to compel
him."
And then as I thought of these things, in spite of the way the woman had
inspired my fancy by the story of the king's marriage, the whole thing
became like old wives' fables, and I was glad that I had not been led to
make any promises.
I had barely got in sight of the gate where I had seen old Adam in the
earlier part of the day, when I heard the sound of footsteps. They were
not the footsteps of a man: of that I was certain. They were neither
firm enough nor heavy enough. Moreover, they were uncertain, and, as I
thought, feeble. I stopped and looked along the road, and saw the form
of a woman coming towards me.
Bright although the moonlight was, I could not at first make out her
age or her station, but as she drew nearer I thought that she was old
and poor.
"Whither go you, dame?" I asked as she came up.
"And what is that to you, young master?"
By this time I was able to see that she was bent, and that her clothes
were those of one of low degree. I knew by the way she spoke that she
was toothless, for her words were not clearly spoken.
"It may be much to me, dame," I replied, "but whether it be or no, I
would warn you against going to the house yonder, for the dogs be let
loose of a night, and they would make short work of you."
She mumbled some words which I could not understand; then looking up at
me, she said, "And who may you be, young master?"
"I am Master Rashcliffe's son," I replied.
At this she gave a start, and scanned me more eagerly than before.
"Ay, ay, I should a' known," I heard her mumble, "I should a' known, for
did not Katharine tell me?"
At this I was all ears again, and all eyes too for that matter, for
evidently she knew something of the woman who was even then at the house
talking with my father.
"Dogs or no dogs, I must e'en go," she said presently.
"Why? is your business of import?" I asked.
"Ay, or I would not have come all the way from St. Paul's Cross to
Epping. For that matter I should never have got here did not a man
coming hither give me a lift on his cart. But, young master, tell me.
Hath a woman come to your father's house this day?"
"What kind of a woman?" I asked.
"A woman who hath forty-five years, but carries them lightly," she
replied; "a woman who hath not the attire of a woman of quality, and yet
speaketh as if she were; a woman who years ago lived at Rashcliffe
Manor."
"And if such a woman hath been there?" I said.
"Then must I go thither."
"But if she hath been there, and is gone?"
"Then lack-a-day, I know not; ay, but even then I must know what she
hath told Master Rashcliffe."
"Come with me," I said; "I will take you to the house."
"But is she there?" she asked eagerly.
"Ay, she is there," I replied.
"Then let us go quickly," and although she still stooped low, she walked
by my side at a good speed.
A little later I led her into my father's hall, wondering at the meaning
of what was happening, but little dreaming of what lay before me.