When, pale and thoughtful, Lord Maudlaine strode across the lawn, his
mind was agitated strangely by the feelings that oppressed him. He felt
that matters had arrived at a pitch when, if he did not make some
vigorous effort, he would lose even the partisanship of Sir Murray
Gernon. The baronet's language, and his dislike for the Norton family,
were sufficient to insure his protection and favour, let what might
befall; and with something of his old gamblers feelings, when about to
make some grand _coup_, or when he was backing largely some horse in a
desperate venture, he pressed on.
But his heart told him that never had he attempted so great a stroke as
he meditated now.
He was in no wise surprised when, half an hour after, he met Isa
returning from a ride, ready to answer his bow with a slight inclination
of her head; but he was not weak enough to imagine that, when he turned
and saw her looking back, it was for any other reason than to see the
direction he would take.
Old experience told him what to do, if he wished to encounter Brace
Norton; and taking a short cut, he found, as he expected, that the young
man was sauntering along the lane in front; so that the Viscount had but
to leap a gate, and wait a few minutes for his rival to come, slowly and
thoughtfully, up to where he stood; when Brace gave quite a start, and
then stopped short.
Lord Maudlaine said nothing, but stood, for a moment, deadly pale, and
hesitating. On one side there were ruin, exile, and bodily safety; on
the other, wealth, position, and a beautiful wife. But there were also
risk and treachery. He paused for awhile, and then nerved himself for
the desperate plunge.
Laying his hand upon his cheek, still slightly discoloured, he then
touched his pockets in a meaning way; one well understood by Brace, who
followed him without a word, until they had crossed a couple of fields,
and leaping a ditch, entered a copse, where--an open glade, suitable to
their purpose, being reached--the Viscount stopped. Then, for the first
time, Brace spoke:
"I have followed you, my lord, lest you should think I fear you; but,
let me ask, have you well considered the step you are about to take? Of
course, those are pistols you have with you; but without seconds--
without a medical man present, people will be ungenerous enough to say
that the survivor is a murderer. I am willing to meet you, if such an
encounter must take place; but I must say it ought to be deferred."
"He _is_ afraid!" thought his lordship; and, speaking hoarsely, he said:
"I give you still the option of withdrawal on the terms I named."
Brace laughed scornfully.
"Then take your weapon," said the Viscount, whose pallor was now
fearful. "They are both loaded, and we can easily pace the ground."
Brace frowned as he advanced and took the pistol nearest to him,
glancing down at it for a moment to see that it was capped, then drawing
out the ramrod, he thrust it into the barrel to feel for the bullet.
"My lord," he said, "let me once more appeal to you--to your manly
feeling--to ask whether this is necessary. Surely you must be aware
that your pretensions are vain, and that even if you disable, or slay
me, your presence will be more than ever distasteful. I am cool now,
and, forgiving you the blow you struck me, I ask pardon for my
passionate haste. Let us put aside these deadly weapons, and in her
name let me ask you to be generous, to have pity on us both, for it lies
in your power!"
Brace ceased, for there was a sneer upon his rival's face that was
almost devilish. He had watched Brace's actions, and seen him probe the
pistol-barrel, when, apparently satisfied, the young man had let the
weapon fall to his side.
"Dog! coward! scoundrel!" exclaimed the Viscount, now half-beside
himself with a passion that seemed fiendish. "Once more I give you a
chance; give her up for ever, and write what I will dictate, or take
your place."
For answer, Brace Norton's lips moved as he slowly took his place
opposite to his adversary, when, with a malignant look of hatred, that
could hardly have been expected from a man of his character, Lord
Maudlaine smiled triumphantly, as he too examined the cap of his pistol,
and then drew the ramrod, to thrust it down the barrel. Then, as if
stricken by paralysis, the look of hate and triumph faded from his face,
to leave it of a sickly green hue, his jaw fell, his hand trembled
visibly, and his knees shook beneath him; for, in spite of his
management, Lord Maudlaine was at his opponent's mercy: he had carefully
charged one pistol only with ball, and, in his agitation, he had let
that weapon pass into his rival's hand, while his own contained but a
blank charge.
The Viscount's aspect was truly pitiable, and for a moment it was in his
heart to beg for mercy; but, as if mechanically, he faced his rival, and
with the dread upon him that his treachery would be discovered, he
prepared to fire.
Guilt requires no accusers: he could not think then to say that his
pistol was not fully charged--he could not see that he had a generous
enemy to deal with. He measured his adversary by himself; and, feeling
that his last hour had come, he prepared to fire.
"Will your lordship give the signal--the dropping of a handkerchief?"
said Brace. "We have no seconds to take the duty."
"No! You!" gasped the Viscount; and Brace gazed wonderingly at the
pitiable fear evinced by his opponent, who had nerved himself into
standing upright, and now retained his position in almost a cataleptic
state.
Brace drew forth a white handkerchief, and then with his pistol covered
his adversary--the man whom his heart told him a careful aim would
remove from his path for ever.
"At the word _three_," said Brace, calmly; and then, after a pause,
"One--two--three!"
One pistol only exploded, there was a faint puff of smoke, and Lord
Maudlaine fell back in the woodland path; while with scorn, contempt,
almost pity for the coward before him struggling for the mastery, Brace
Norton, with his undischarged pistol in his hand, slowly walked up to
where, pale, and with his face bathed in perspiration, Lord Maudlaine,
who had fallen, half fainting with fear, gazed up at him with the most
horrified aspect conceivable.
"Would you murder me?" he gasped at last, as Brace, pistol in hand,
stood over him.
"Murder you!" said Brace scornfully. "No, my lord. You may rise. You
challenged me to meet you, and I have received your fire. Your lordship
is now probably content. I might try to make terms now, but I should be
sorry to take so pitiful an advantage. There is your pistol, my lord.
I wish you good day."
Lord Maudlaine had risen as Brace addressed him, and mad with shame and
confusion, he stood listening to his rival's words; but when Brace
handed him the undischarged pistol by the butt, the old fiendish rage
took possession of his soul, lending fire to his eye, and nerve to his
arm. He took the weapon and held it to his side; but as Brace turned
and walked down the path, he dashed after him.
"Stop!" he cried, hoarsely; "not yet--you have not yet escaped!" when,
as Brace turned, startled at the change that had come upon his rival,
the young man's heart quailed for a few moments, for he was standing
within six paces of the Viscount, who was taking deadly aim at his
breast.
Another second, and the aim might have proved mortal; but, as the pistol
exploded, a heavy body seemed to dart from the bushes beside the
Viscount, who was thrust aside, and the bullet grazed the bark of a huge
beech-tree a dozen yards in advance.
"Weel done, Peter, my lad!" cried a voice--"that was weel jumpit. Why,
ye murderin' loon, to shute at an unairmed man like that; and is it the
like of thee as is to have the Castle? Gude-sake, Maister Norton, dinna
ye hold me. I could shock all the braith out of his coward's bodie, I
could. Oh! ye may weel go," he cried, loudly, as the Viscount hurried
away. "We saw it all, Mr Brace, Peter here and me; but not soon enow
to stop the first shot. We saw him go doon, and for a wee my hairt was
in my mooth, for I thocht ye'd kilt him. But that was a bonny leap of
the lad's here, and disarrangit his aim, or, sir, I believe he'd have
hit ye. But Sir Mooray shall know what a viper he's got under his roof
before he's an hour older."
"No, not a word--not a single hint of this must be given to him!"
exclaimed Brace, firmly. "I will not win my way forward by such means.
Mr McCray, I ask it as a favour: let this be all buried."
"And it was verra like that ye were to being buried yersel'," grumbled
the old Scot; but after a good deal of arguing, Brace carried the day by
the use of Isa's name, and for her sake it was settled that the
proceedings should be kept as their own secret, unless Lord Maudlaine
should think proper to give a garbled account, in which case, in his own
defence, Brace might find it necessary to speak, when McCray promised
that he would "bear witness to the truth."
"I'll answer for the laddie here, sir," said McCray; "and noo we must
goo, for it winna do for us to be seen speaking to ye. Ye're a proper
lad, but I'm Sir Mooray's sairvant, and we mustn't foregather at all. I
think I see how matters air; but I'm going to talk it ower with the
gudewife, and then I shall have the scales cleart frae my een. Gude
day, sir. Noo, Peter. Ah! laddie, ye shouldna ha' ta'en that
sovereign; but there, I dinna ken but what ye're right. Ye savit the
laddie's life; and I think that its warth mair than a gowd sovereign to
him."
The next minute Brace Norton, now almost giddy with excitement, strode
away. He had had a most narrow escape of his life, but he told himself
that he could afford to be generous, for had not Isa that morning owned
how painful it was to pass a day without seeing him? He was more and
more, too, in her confidence, and she had told him of her fathers morose
looks, and of how she found that he knew of their interviews, although
he had not spoken a word, but, as was his wont at times, shut himself up
from all intercourse, leaving her entirely to the persecution of her
detested suitor.
"I cannot help leaving the house all I can," she had said, naively. "If
he would only go, see my dislike, or be generous, I would not care; but
I believe he proposed to my father when we first encountered him in
Italy, and my father acceded to his propositions."
Then they had talked about the future, and forgetting what he had since
gone through, Brace recalled all: how he had whispered comfort to her,
and told her to hope. Of how he fully expected that the day would come
when the old enmity of her father would be swept away, and that in spite
of all the black clouds around them now, the sun would shine forth at
last.
"This old mysterious story must have a solution," he had said; "but
there, I will not revert to it!" Then they parted, and thinking upon it
all more deeply than ever, Brace's musings were interrupted as we have
seen by the coming of the man upon whom his thoughts had turned.
Book 2, Chapter XVII.