diff options
Diffstat (limited to '40508.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | 40508.txt | 9551 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 9551 deletions
diff --git a/40508.txt b/40508.txt deleted file mode 100644 index ea4455b..0000000 --- a/40508.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9551 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's True Stories of Girl Heroines, by Evelyn Everett-Green - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: True Stories of Girl Heroines - -Author: Evelyn Everett-Green - -Illustrator: E. F. Sherie - -Release Date: August 15, 2012 [EBook #40508] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TRUE STORIES OF GIRL HEROINES *** - - - - -Produced by sp1nd, Josephine Paolucci and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net. (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - -TRUE STORIES OF GIRL HEROINES - -[Illustration: The brave young wife rode forth at the head of her whole -garrison. - -_Page 109. Frontispiece._] - - - - -TRUE STORIES OF GIRL HEROINES - -BY - -E. EVERETT-GREEN - -AUTHOR OF "GOLDEN GWENDOLYN," "THE SILVER AXE," "OLIVIA'S EXPERIMENT," -ETC. - -WITH SIXTEEN ILLUSTRATIONS BY - -E. F. SHERIE - -[Illustration] - -NEW YORK -E. P. DUTTON & CO. - -LONDON -HUTCHINSON & CO. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - -INEZ ARROYA 1 - -CATHARINE THE ROSE 17 - -ELSJE VAN HOUWENING 35 - -GRIZEL COCHRANE 55 - -EVA VON GROSS 73 - -EMMA FITZ-OSBORN 93 - -ELIZABETH STUART 111 - -CHARLOTTE HONEYMAN 131 - -MARY BRIDGES 149 - -THERESA DUROC 167 - -JANE LANE 185 - -HELEN KOTTENNER 205 - -MAID LILLYARD 223 - -MARGARET WILSON 241 - -AGOSTINA OF ZARAGOZA 259 - -AGNES BEAUMONT 277 - -HANNAH HEWLING 297 - -MONA DRUMMOND 317 - -JESSY VARCOE 337 - -URSULA PENDRILL 355 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - -The brave young wife rode forth at the head of her whole -garrison _Frontispiece_ - -The first great stone leapt from her hand and went -bounding and crashing upon the head of the foremost -Moor _ To face p._ 8 - -The Commandant pulled her down beside him before it -was too late " " 30 - -"Is the chest to be examined before it goes on board?" " " 48 - -With a beating heart Grizel tore open this bundle and -looked at its contents " " 66 - -He stopped short on seeing the Countess " " 125 - -Suddenly, close above her, the steps came to a dead stop " " 145 - -Theresa forgot everything in the sight of the child's peril. " " 183 - -"Well, now, I did hear as young Charles Stuart himself -was taken," answered the smith " " 193 - -The men plunged down into the vault " " 218 - -She set herself in their ranks, and went charging down -the hill " " 237 - -A wounded man half rose from the ground at their feet " " 270 - -Bunyan looked down at her with rather a grim smile upon -his face " " 283 - -The Judge plucked his robe out of her detaining hand. " " 310 - -"Dare to come one step nearer, and I fire" " " 335 - -"The first man that touches him I'll kill!" cried Jessy " " 351 - - - - -True Stories of Girl Heroines - - - - -INEZ ARROYA - - -"Mistress! my mistress! the Moriscos are upon us!" - -Inez sprang to her feet, the rich southern blood receding for a moment -from her cheek, as those words fell upon her ears--words of such fearful -significance to the Christian inhabitants of the Moorish territory along -the Sierra Nevada. - -"Juana, what mean you? Speak, girl! What have you heard? What have you -seen?" - -Juana's face had been white when she came bursting in upon her young -mistress; she held her hand to her side; her breath came and went in -great gasps; yet already she was recovering the power of speech, and she -seized Inez by the arm. - -"Mistress, they are below already; they are robbing the house. Can you -not hear them? When they have taken the wine and the oil they will come -hither and murder us!" - -Inez held her breath to listen. Yes, there were sounds from -below--sounds of voices--loud, threatening voices, and the laughter of -men assured of victory. - -Juana, the maid, spoke in a fierce whisper. Fear was receding. The high -courage which comes to weak women in the hour of extremest need -possessed the hearts alike of mistress and maid. - -"The master went forth not an hour ago. Five minutes since little Aluch -ran up to tell me that, as the master was taking the air, there suddenly -appeared a band of rebel Moriscos from Orgiba, who set upon him, and -chased him, and would have killed him, but he took refuge in his -father's house; and he will hide him, and get him safe away. But all -Istan will join the rebels, and already they are crying that every -Christian shall be slain!" - -"Every Christian!" cried Inez, with a flash in her dark eyes. "And how -many Christians are there in Istan? Two weak women, Juana, you and I, -and my uncle, whom they have already set upon and chased to the -mountains. Pray Heaven and our Lady that he may reach them safely, and -send us help from Marbella, else there will be but short work with the -Christian population of Istan." - -There was scorn in the girl's voice, scorn in the flashing eyes. Istan -was a Moorish village, where one Christian priest had been placed to -work amongst the Moslems, and seek to convert them to the true faith. - -Success in this missionary work had been small; but the good man had -hitherto lived in peace with his alien flock. The wise and kindly -traditions of Ferdinand and Isabella, and Hermando de Talavera, had for -long kept under the natural hatred of Moor towards Christian in Southern -Spain. But a monarch had arisen who hated the word toleration. To keep -faith with the Moslem was to break it with the Almighty. The edict of -1567 was now a year or more old, and its pernicious effects were already -made abundantly evident in fierce Moorish risings here, there, and -everywhere. - -Inez had heard stories as to the fate of Christian prisoners who had -fallen into the hands of the Moors. Before she followed Juana she had -caught up a shining dagger which hung against the wall; and she thrust -it into her girdle as she ran down the broken steps of the tower. - -"At least, they shall not take us alive!" she breathed to herself; and -Juana seemed to hear, for she flashed back a glance at her young -mistress, and for a moment showed the gleam of a long stiletto which she -carried in the bosom of her tunic. - -The priest of Istan dwelt in a strange house. It was, properly speaking, -no house at all, but a Moorish fortalice, dismantled and ruinous, which -he had partially repaired soon after his arrival there, and which, since -the arrival of his orphan niece to live with him, he had desired to make -more habitable still. - -The place was, in fact, a sort of tower. The lowest floor was their -storehouse for supplies of wheat, oil, and so forth; and from this level -came up the sound of rough voices, as the Moors leisurely removed the -spoil before proceeding upwards. There was only one door from the -fortalice into the world without, and this it was impossible to reach, -for the Moors were swarming in the lowest part, effectually preventing -their egress. They knew perfectly that the two girls were as helplessly -caught as a rat in a trap; they did not even hasten the work in which -they were engaged. Inez, standing at the top of the long flight of stone -steps which led downwards to the basement, heard what they were saying -one to another, and into her olive cheek there crept a deep glow of red, -whilst her lips set themselves, her teeth clenched, and her black eyes -gleamed with a light like that of fire. - -"Our Lady and the blessed saints protect us!" whispered Juana, with a -furtive glance into the beautiful face of her young mistress; and Inez -looked back at her without a quiver as she replied: - -"The Christian's God helps those who help themselves, Juana. We are not -here to wring our hands and look for a miracle to save us. We fight for -our lives, and Christ and our Lady will help us. See, we are not quite -defenceless, Heaven be thanked for that! Collect those stones, quickly, -quietly. Keep out of sight. Do not let them observe us. Get together a -number, then you shall see!" - -It was as Inez had said. The repairs of the fortalice, which had been -already commenced, had put the means of defence into their hands. Large -quantities of great stones had been collected at first in the basement, -but only the previous week had been laboriously carried up the steep, -narrow stairs which led upwards to the dwelling rooms; and these large -stones the two brave girls were now quietly collecting in a great heap -at the top of the flight. - -They were in deep shadow, and below the brown-skinned men, in their -picturesque Arab dress, were far too busy examining their spoil, and -making away with it, to heed the slight sounds from above. They talked -together as they worked; they told of the attack they had made upon -Orgiba, and of that fearful massacre of Christian men, women, and -children at Uxixar. Inez held her breath to listen to the confirmation -of certain vague rumours which had reached them before this, but had -scarcely been believed. Peaceful Istan, with its terraced gardens -overhanging the lovely gorge of the Verde, had seemed so far removed -from the storm and strife; and its people were peaceable and kindly -disposed, even though they were Moriscos. But these men were rebels and -freebooters, with the fierce lust of blood upon them, their hands red -from the butchery of innocent, helpless women and children; men who -laughed aloud at tales of hideous deeds done in cold blood; men mad with -hatred to the conquering race, knowing themselves doomed to final -defeat, yet resolved to revenge themselves in every possible way upon -those of the hated faith ere their own turn came. - -Upon such a band of men did Inez look down, with the fire of courageous -despair in her eyes. What could they do? what hope was there for them? -two slight girls against a score of trained warriors. - -The Moriscos of Istan would probably not join in the attack upon them; -but they would not interfere with what their brethren of the faith might -do. Help from without there would be none, unless the priest himself -could find means of escape, and could get to Marbella and bring it. Inez -knew that he would strain every nerve in this effort. But what chance -had they of holding out for perhaps six hours or more? Could it be done? -Oh, could it be done? She looked at the heap of stones. She looked at -the flitting forms below in the gloom. And then she held her breath once -again, listening to stories of how in other places Christians had taken -refuge in towers and churches, whilst their Moorish foes piled faggots -soaked in pitch, and such-like inflammable material against and around -the walls, and reduced the building to one mass of flames. - -If they kept the men from laying immediate hands upon them, would that -fiery doom be theirs? - -"Better that than to fall into their hands," said Inez, between her shut -teeth; and Juana, looking at her mistress, with a world of faithful love -in her eyes, exclaimed softly: - -"Our Lady will surely send us help, mistress. You are too beautiful to -die such a death!" - -Inez put her hands upon the shoulders of the faithful girl, and said in -a low voice: - -"You would come with me from Granada, Juana, where you would have been -safe; and there were those who warned us that we might not long be safe -out here. But my duty seemed to my uncle; and you--you would not leave -me. And what if I have brought you hither to your death?" - -"We must all die once," answered Juana, her eyes full of love and -courage; "and I would sooner die with you, mistress, than live without -you. If I had stayed behind, and had heard this story of you, I should -have killed myself, or died for grief and shame that I was not with -you." - -Then Inez put her arms about the faithful girl's neck, and kissed her -thrice upon the lips. - -"We will do battle for our lives, Juana; and then, if needs be, we will -die together," she said. - -Suddenly there was a cry from below. Some one had looked up, and had -seen the two girlish figures clinging together. Perhaps the very action -had been misunderstood, and instantly there was a rush towards the -steep, broken, narrow steps of some dozen swarthy Moors. - -Instantly the girls were at their post at the head of the flight. Inez, -quiet and composed, gave the word. - -"Welcome to the Moriscos!" she cried, in a clear and ringing voice, as -the first great stone leapt from her hand and went bounding and crashing -upon the head of the foremost Moor. - -"Welcome to the Moriscos!" echoed Juana, dislodging another, which -sprang from stair to stair, and then, bounding sideways, went crashing -upon the bent back of a man in the basement beneath, who fell like a log -from the blow, his spine fractured. - -Crash, crash, crash! Down hurtled the huge stones, flinging the -unprepared Moriscos from the steep stairs, where they fell in a confused -mass, one upon the top of the other, pinned down by the great boulders -which came rolling down upon them from above, cursing, raging, crushed -and maimed, utterly taken aback by such a reception; and now only eager -and anxious to get out of a place that seemed to rain nether mill-stones -upon them. - -[Illustration: The first great stone leapt from her hand and went -bounding and crashing: upon the head of the foremost Moor. - -_Page 8._] - -Three of their number lay stretched dead upon the ground. A number more -were badly hurt; and all were flying from the stairs, which threatened -to become a veritable death-trap for all who tried to mount. - -There was a rush for the outer door. The wounded were dragged away -groaning by their comrades; those who were sound carried the dead. They -turned and shook threatening fists at the two girls standing behind -their heap of stones at the top of the stairs; they promised them that -they were coming back. They breathed out threats which might well make -the stoutest hearts quail. But Inez stood up tall and straight, with a -great stone poised in her hand; and the strength and accuracy with which -those formidable weapons had been launched against them before, caused -the men to jostle each other through the doorway in their haste to -escape from possible hurt from the same source. - -Scarcely had the last man disappeared before Juana was down the stairs -like a flash, had slammed-to the heavy oaken door, and had drawn the -great iron bolts and the heavy iron bar across it. - -"The master left it open when he went out this morning," she said to -Inez, "and I never thought to shut it. Why should I? That is how they -got in so easily; but they will not get in again so fast!" - -This was true enough; for the door had been made to withstand attack, -as, indeed, had the tower itself, and though it had fallen into a -ruinous state inside, it was built in a very solid fashion, the walls -being exceedingly thick, and light being admitted mainly by loopholes. -The top, also, was protected by a low battlement, from which a view of -the surrounding country could be obtained. This battlement had fallen a -good deal into disrepair, like the tower itself, and material for -repairing it had been brought in; so that not only had the girls the -remainder of the stones they had already used with such effect, but -there was a large quantity of such material that had been laboriously -carried up to the very top only three days earlier; and some of these -stones were very large and heavy, as they had been designed to form the -coping of the battlement. - -"See there!" cried Inez, as the two girls ran up the stairs to the top, -to watch the retreat of the temporarily baffled foe. "Juana, how long, -think you, would such artillery last us? We could slay a score of our -foes, as the woman in the tower slew Abimelech the king. Did not mine -uncle tell us that tale the other night? and how little we thought----" - -Juana's eyes were shining. The thrill of victory was upon her. The peril -was not over. Nay, they might have worse to encounter than they had -done already. But at least they had driven forth the foe from the -tower. Their citadel was their own. They had weapons of defence under -their hands. If help would only come at last, they could hold out for -awhile. - -"See, see!" cried Inez, as she leaned over the wall to watch the baffled -Moriscos wending their way downwards, sometimes turning to shake -threatening fists at the tower and its defenders. "There is little Aluch -hiding below in the orange grove, and making signals to us. Run, Juana, -to that loophole below, and he will tell you what he has come to say!" - -Juana disappeared down the stairs, and returned quickly with a face in -which anxiety and satisfaction were strangely blended. - -"The master has got safely off to the mountains. He will be at Marbella -very soon, and then they will start out to help us; but Aluch said he -heard the Moriscos vowing vengeance upon us as they went away. They will -quickly be back; and he thinks if they cannot batter in the door and -take us alive, that they will burn the tower down over our heads." - -"They will if they can," said Inez, looking out over the fair, wild -valley, with the expression of one who knows she may be looking almost -her last upon a familiar scene; "but we have a welcome ready for them!" - -They leaned over the battlements, those two brave-hearted girls, and -they watched the little village at their feet, almost wishing that the -Moriscos would show themselves; for suspense was harder to bear than -action. - -"Let us say our prayers," said Inez, suddenly kneeling in the hot -sunshine upon the hard stone floor; and Juana instantly knelt beside her -and took her rosary in her hands. - -When they rose from their knees a few minutes later, suspense was at an -end. The attack was approaching. - -"They have weapons now!" cried Juana. "Mistress, have a care. Those bows -and arrows are deadly weapons in the hands of a good marksman. And -look--they are bringing faggots; and that mule has a barrel of tar upon -his back! And see that great ram of wood! They will seek to batter down -the door with that. If they do----" - -Yes, if they did that, the girls' position would be desperate indeed. -Before, the men had only been armed with daggers and scimitars, which -were useless save at close quarters. Now they had the deadly bow and -arrow, and if they once obtained entrance, it would be useless for the -girls to repeat the defensive manoeuvre of the earlier hours. They -would be shot down instantly, and fall an easy prey. Inez realised that -in a moment, as she watched the approach of the Moors; and scarcely had -her head appeared above the battlement, before a shower of arrows fell -clattering about them. - -"This side!" she said to Juana, between shut teeth. "They will try the -door first; we will be ready for them!" - -The girls dared not show themselves openly; but the battlements were -built with a view to defence, and they were able to look cautiously over -without being seen. The Moors were approaching the door; they were -almost directly underneath. - -"Now!" cried Inez, setting her hand to a huge stone. Juana put all her -strength into the task, the great coping stone was hoisted between them, -and pushed bodily over. - -A fearful yell and a thundering crash told that it had done its work -well; a storm of furious execration went up, and in the midst of it down -came another stone which dashed out the brains of a fellow in the crowd -below. - -Juana peered over and then drew back, a fierce triumph on her girlish -face; for she had seen that there were two enemies the less. - -"We have plenty of stones, the saints be praised!" she exclaimed. "They -are closing in again, Mistress. Let us give them another!" - -The Moors were always careless of life in battle; and again and again -they advanced to fix their battering ram; whilst again and again the -huge stones came thundering down, and, besides these large ones, were -many smaller, which the girls aimed with such precision and coolness, -that not only could the assailants not fix their ram against the door to -batter it down, but the men approaching the walls with faggots and -combustibles were picked off one by one, and dropped wounded or crushed -beneath the hail of stones from above. - -Inez looked over once again, drawing herself up to her full height, and -straining her eyes towards Marbella in the hope of seeing the -long-looked-for relief. - -"Have a care, Mistress, have a care!" cried Juana anxiously, and sprang -forward; but she was just too late. The arrow had buried itself in the -shoulder of Inez; she gave a start and an exclamation of pain; but, -taking hold of it firmly, she instantly plucked it out. - -"Pray heaven it be not poisoned!" cried Juana, as she stanched the flow -of blood with quick, skilful fingers. And Inez smiled bravely through -her pain. - -"Hark! They are at the door again; we must show them that the garrison -is not disabled yet. That stone there, Juana; now both together! down it -goes! Hark! what a yell that was. I am revenged for my sore shoulder!" - -But the brave resistance of the girls seemed rather to stimulate than to -baffle the assailants. The air was rent with frightful threats and -curses; and Inez, looking rather white, though there was no fear in her -heart, said quietly: - -"There is no hope of mercy, Juana. If we are not relieved; if help comes -not, we must sell our lives as dearly as we can; and plunge our daggers -into our own hearts sooner than fall alive into their hands." - -"We will, Mistress," said Juana firmly. "But surely our Lady will send -us aid ere that!" - -"Look! look! look!" cried Inez suddenly. "The banner of the cross! Oh, -Juana, do my eyes deceive me? Is it a vision that I see?" - -And indeed for a moment both the girls thought that it must be; for the -light fell sparkling upon mailed headpieces and flashing swords; and a -banner with the cross flaunting in the golden light of the southern -afternoon was borne aloft, and waved as though in signal that help -indeed was at hand. - -"What can it be? Whence come they?" cried Inez, with breathless -agitation. "That is not the road from Marbella! Our Lady herself must -have sent them to our aid! Pray heaven it be not a vision!" - -"See, see!" cried Juana in ungovernable excitement, running to the -battlement and showing herself fearlessly. "The Moriscos--they run! They -fly Mistress, we are saved! We are saved! It is our brave Spanish -soldiers come to our rescue!" - -Inez looked over in turn, and though the mists seemed to rise before her -eyes in the revulsion of her feeling, she could see the flying figures -of the Moriscos dashing down helter-skelter into the deep ravine below, -to escape the Christian swords, and she saw the lifted headpiece of the -officer in charge of the band, as he looked up and marked the two girls -leaning over the low rampart. - -The next minute Juana had dashed down and opened the door, while little -Aluch, flushed with triumph, was telling Inez how this band had come in -pursuit of the rebels of Orgiba; how he had met them and told them of -the predicament of the Christian maidens, and had brought them by the -nearest route to the rescue. - -So Istan was saved--saved from Spanish vengeance through little Aluch's -act, as the Christian population of three souls was saved by the heroism -of the two brave girls. Inez rode into Marbella that evening beside the -officer of the band, to find her uncle there, beseeching help, which the -citizens could not believe was wanted in such a peaceful spot, till the -young officer rode into the great square, still holding Inez by the -hand, and told the tale of how she and Juana had held the tower against -the rebel Moriscos. - - - - -CATHARINE THE ROSE - - -He held her hands and looked steadfastly into her eyes. - -"You would not hold me back, Kate?" - -The eyes which looked bravely at him were full of tears; but the girl -shook the drops from her long lashes as she threw back her head, and -spoke with unfaltering lips. - -"I would hold no man back from his duty; least of all the man I love." - -In a moment his arm was about her. The troth plight, spoken amid the -clang of arms and the rattle of musketry, was but three days old; and -the strange sweetness of it had penetrated the life of the English -Captain in a fashion which he had no skill to analyse. But in these -stern days there was little scope for the sweetness of spoken love; and -even the minutes snatched from the pressing needs of garrison life were -few and far between. - -But Hart had volunteered the second time for a service of extra peril, -and he had come to speak a farewell to his love--a farewell which both -knew might be final. - -"I went and returned in safety last time, sweetheart," he said, "and -wherefore not again? I shall have your prayers to Heaven on my side this -time." - -"You had them before," said Kate, lifting her head from his shoulder and -looking straight into his eyes; and he kissed away the last of the -raindrops from her lashes. - -"Help we must have if Sluys is to be saved," he said. "I swim forth -to-night, under cover of the darkness, with letters for England's Queen. -The devil take that pestilent peace-party, who would beguile her into -dallying with Spain and her tyrant King and treacherous Princes!" broke -out the young Captain suddenly, in a gust of hot anger. "Can she not see -that her only safety lies in joining heart and soul with the Netherlands -in their struggle for life and liberty? Let Philip of Spain once get -these lands beneath his iron heel, and then England will have cause to -tremble for her very existence!" - -"But the Queen has sent us help already," said Kate; "surely she will do -more, when she knows our dire extremity!" - -"Eight hundred men," answered the young officer, with a tone of scorn, -"eight hundred English soldiers with eight hundred Dutch, to hold a -place like Sluys! How is it possible the thing should be done? It has -come to this, that if help comes not, Sluys must fall. Alexander Farnese -and his Spanish host will score another triumph for tyranny and the -Inquisition!" - -A shudder ran through the girlish frame at the sound of that word, more -hateful and terrible to the party of freedom than any other which could -be spoken. Then her eyes flashed with a spark as of fire, and, flinging -back her head, she cried: - -"And what would the men do if they came, Harold? What work would you set -them first to do?" - -"There is work and to spare, both in attack and defence," answered Hart, -with something of grimness in his tone. "We are in dire need of at least -four redoubts between the citadel and the ramparts. The burghers have -banded themselves together to build us one. We are sending every man -that can be spared from garrison duty and the actual fighting to throw -up the second; but how the others are to be constructed with our present -force it is impossible to see. Help we must have at all cost, and I -trust these dispatches which you have been so carefully sewing in my -clothing, will bring it to us, ere it be too late." - -He could not linger. The shadows of the coming evening were beginning to -fall, although the summer day lingered long. He put his hands upon the -shoulders of the girl, and looked into her face with a long wistful -gaze. His own face was very thin and brown, and though he was still -quite young, there were a few grey hairs to be seen about his temples. -Hard living, hard fighting, days and nights of anxious toil had left -their impress upon him, as upon many another compatriot at that season -of bitter struggle. And the bitterness was greater rather than less for -the knowledge that if England's Queen and her counsellors would but show -a little more firmness of purpose and readiness of dispatch, many of the -horrors of this protracted struggle might even now be saved to the -courageous and devoted Dutch. - -Even upon the fair young face of Catharine Rose, the perils in which she -had been reared had traced their lines. That look of firm determination, -of high-souled courage, of resolute devotion to duty, be the cost what -it might, could not have been so clearly written there had she not lived -her young life amidst scenes and tales of stress and storm. - -Men and women, youths and maidens, had to face from week to week, and -even from day to day, the possibility of having to yield up life and -liberty, home and friends, for their fidelity to their country and their -faith. Catharine's father had died a martyr at the stake. Her brother -had been slain in the memorable defence of Antwerp, two years since; and -the loss of her only son had broken the mother's heart, so that she -faded away and died a few months later. - -But these troubles and losses had broken neither the heart nor the -spirit of Catharine. She had the mixed blood in her veins of an English -father and a Dutch mother; the courage and devotion of two warlike -nations seemed to combine in her youthful frame. - -Her quarrel with Fate was that she had been born a woman, and not a man. -Her longing was to gird on sword and buckler, and go forth to fight the -hated Spaniard--the tool of the bloody tyrant whose very name was not -heard without curses both loud and deep. - -"Oh, if I were but a man!" had for long been the cry of her heart; and -if in the sweetness of feeling herself beloved by one of the heroes of -Sluys she no longer breathed this aspiration, it was not because her -heart was less filled with an ardent longing to do and to dare. - -"Farewell, sweetheart," spoke the Captain, looking deep into her eyes, -and knowing, as she too knew, that perhaps he was looking his last. But -the consciousness of ever-present peril was one of the elements of daily -life in the beleaguered city; and although this mission upon which Hart -set forth was one of more than ordinary peril, a soldier never went -forth upon his daily duty with any certainty of seeing home or friend -again. - -"Farewell; God be with you, and bring you safely back to us," she -answered steadfastly; and their lips met once before he dropped her -hands, and hurried away without trusting himself to look behind again. - -Catharine looked after him from the window as he walked rapidly away in -the gathering twilight. Her accustomed ears scarcely heeded the sullen -booming of the great guns, or the dropping shots of muskets from the -ramparts. The life of the town went on with a curious quietude in the -midst of warlike strife; notwithstanding the fact that it became daily -more and more evident that without substantial succour in men, and -munitions, and food, Sluys could not hold out against such overmastering -odds. - -Suddenly the girl turned from the window, and, with fleet steps, crossed -the room, descended a dim stairway, and entered the chamber beneath, -where, by the light of a solitary lamp, a girl, a few years her senior, -was setting out a frugal meal with the aid of a youthful servant-maid. - -"Has he gone, Kate?" she asked, as she saw that Catharine was alone; "I -had hoped he would have had something to eat ere he sallied forth into -the night. The rations of the soldiers are meagre enough now, and he has -a hard task before him. God in His mercy give him safe transit through -those sullen waters, and blind the eyes of sentries and soldiers!" - -"He could not stay," answered Kate, "and he said he had eaten well. -May," she broke out suddenly, clasping her hands together, the colour -coming and going in her cheeks, "May, I have a plan, and you must help -me. I have learned what the sons and daughters of the city can do for -Sluys. I am going to toil for her, and you will help me!" - -"What mean you, Kate? What have you heard? What can be done for the city -by weak women like ourselves?" - -"I am not a weak woman!" answered Kate, throwing back her head in her -favourite gesture, "I am a strong woman, and so are you, May, and so are -dozens, ay, and scores of the daughters and the wives of the burghers. -Listen, May. You know of the need for redoubts, and how your husband is -toiling almost day and night to construct one on yonder side of the -citadel. But they need more; Harold himself told me so. They need more -than soldiers or burghers can build. I am going to organise a band of -women and girls. You and I, May Hart, will be the leaders. I have not -watched the building of forts and defences for nothing all these weeks. -You and I with the women of the city, will build them a redoubt, and it -shall be the work of the girls of Sluys!" - -The young wife fired instantly at the suggestion. All over the city it -was known of the dire want of men to construct these defensive works. -Boys and men of the burgher class had gone forth willingly in defence -of their town, and were working night and day at the unaccustomed toil. - -But Sluys was to see another sight ere long: a great band of women, many -of them mere girls, and even little children, armed with the needful -tools led by Mary Hart and Catharine Rose, going forth morning by -morning from their homes, delving, building, toiling through the long -hot summer's day, in rivalry of the brothers and fathers on the -corresponding side of the citadel; the new redoubt rising bit by bit -before their strenuous efforts, the work as accurate and solid as that -of the men, though every detail was the work of women and girls. - -"Impossible!" had been the first cry of the burghers when they heard of -the proposed scheme. Proud though they were of the spirit that inspired -their women-kind, they shook their heads at the thought of their ever -being able to carry out such a plan. But Catharine was a power amongst -the girls of Sluys. She came of a race who had laid down their lives for -the country of their adoption. Her mother had been a townswoman; and the -girl had been born and bred amongst them. "Catharine the Rose" she had -been called in affectionate parlance, a play upon her patronymic, and a -compliment to her brilliant colouring which even the privations and -anxieties of the siege had not dimmed. - -Mary Hart was also a girl of Sluys, lately wedded to Roger Hart, the -elder brother of the gallant English Captain, who had been sent with the -small band of troops into the city a short time previously, and had -already so distinguished himself by personal courage, that any specially -perilous errand was readily entrusted to him. - -Roger was not a soldier by profession. The Harts' father had settled in -the Netherlands during a time of Tudor intolerance and persecution in -England, little foreseeing how soon the land of their adoption would -become the arena of a struggle to the death against a tyranny of which -England in her worst and darkest hour had never dreamed. He had, -however, thriven and prospered in the country he had chosen as his home, -and had not been driven away by the troubles which speedily befell it. -His sons, like Catharine Rose, combined in their veins the blood of -England's sons and that of the Netherlands; and it was with the Harts -that the girl had found a home, when her mother's death had left her -alone in the world. Perhaps it was not strange when Harold Hart came to -Sluys and spent his few spare hours at his brother's house, that he and -the girl he had played with in childhood should draw together as they -had done, animated by a common love, a common hatred, and a common -steadfast resolve to do and dare all in the cause which was nearest -their heart. - -But how would the amazons of Sluys face the fire from the guns of the -enemy when their earthworks grew to the height that would make them -increasingly a target for the Spanish guns? - -"Leave it to us now," said some of the burghers, who came as a -deputation to the spot where the women and girls were at work. "Commence -the fort if you will, brave maidens, but leave this part to men. It is -too stern work for delicate girls when the storm of lead whistles about -those who work." - -It was to Catharine the Rose they spoke, and she turned upon them with a -flash in her eyes, as she made answer: - -"Think you that we have not counted the cost? Think you that we are -afraid? Have we not seen? do we not know? Are we of different nature -from yourselves? I answer for the maidens of Sluys. That which we have -begun we will carry through. Have not you men your work cut out? Are you -not toiling--ay, and dying--daily for our defence and that of our homes? -Do you think we are afraid to toil, and, if need be, to die in the same -cause? It was like you to offer thus to relieve us in the time of -chiefest peril; but I give you the answer of the girls of Sluys--go to -Captain May for the answer of the wives!" - -Captain Catharine and Captain May were the titles by which the two -leaders were known to their own squads; but the men called them -"Catharine the Rose" and "May in the Heart"--a sort of graceful parody -upon their names. - -Mary Hart had the same answer to give on behalf of the wives of the -burghers. And, indeed, it was abundantly evident that the men had their -hands full with what they themselves had undertaken, and that unless the -brave work were carried out by those who had commenced it, it must -perforce be abandoned; whilst more and more needful for the safety of -the city did these redoubts become. - -The temper of the besiegers was known to be sorely tried, and scant was -the chance that even if they heeded the sex of the workers upon the -growing redoubt, they would on that account permit it to grow without -opposition. Again and again in the history of those bloody wars women -had fought side by side with men in the defence of their homes and -liberties, and the Spanish soldier had as ruthlessly cut down the one as -the other. - -"Girls, are you afraid?" asked Kate, as she led forth her band upon the -morrow. "You have heard the balls hissing overhead these many days; but -to-day, perchance, we shall feel the sting of the hot bullet, or the -splinter of some shell tearing its way into our flesh. Are you afraid to -face such experience?" - -"We are not afraid; where you lead us, we will go!" was the almost -universal rejoinder, spoken with a quiet gravity and resolve which -attested its sincerity. These girls were not undertaking the task in -ignorance of its perils. They had seen enough of wounds and death. They -knew what they were facing; but there were only a few waverers who, on -Kate's invitation, went back; and even they could not tear themselves -away from the scene of their labours; they came to look on beneath the -shelter of the rampart, to give help should help be needed; and before -long the stern excitement of the hour possessed them also, and scarce -one but was soon working with the rest, only shrinking and perhaps -uttering a little cry as some bullet might whizz close to her ear. - -Under fire!--a rain of bullets falling round!--a comrade beside you -sometimes falling silent and helpless, or with a cry and a struggle. It -is so easy to speak of such things, but how many of us realise what they -mean to those who have passed through such experience? - -Catharine in the foremost post of danger worked on directing and -encouraging. She had insisted that her squad of girls should take the -side most exposed to the enemy's fire, leaving the less perilous place -for the married women. There had been a generous rivalry for this -position of peril and honour; but Catharine's word and determination had -prevailed. - -"You who have husbands and perhaps children to think of, and to miss you -if you are taken, must give this post to us," she said; and she thought -of the man she loved, of whom no tidings had yet come; who had ventured -his life so many times; and in her heart she prayed that if he were -taken, she might join him on the other side of the narrow stream of -death, the stream which seemed so small and narrow when so many were -crossing it day by day. - -So the work progressed rapidly, though many a brave young life paid -forfeit, and the tears would well up sometimes in Kate's eyes, as she -saw a comrade carried off dead, or bent over a dying girl, to hear her -last brave message for home and friends; or, when in the silence of the -night, she thought upon these things, and cried in her heart, "How long, -O Lord, how long?" - -But there was never a quiver of fear in her face or in her heart as she -stood to her post day by day; and the walls grew, and the Commandant of -the garrison came and gave warm praise and thanks, and timely cautions -and instructions to the heroic girls who toiled through the hot summer -days without one selfish thought of fear. - -Once, as he stood beside the leader of these brave young amazons, a -shell came screaming through the air, and he shouted a word of command. - -"Down on your faces!" he cried, and himself set the example, to show -them what to do. The shell was from a new battery, and it had been -directed with a view to stopping the work on this very redoubt. The -girls dropped their tools and fell flat, but Catharine was a thought too -late. She had been so interested in the work of that battery that she -forgot for a moment the peril in which she stood. Luckily the Commandant -pulled her down beside him before it was too late; but a portion of the -explosive struck her, tearing a ghastly wound from wrist to elbow. The -stones and rubble seemed to fly up around them; a fragment dashed itself -against Catharine's head; a blood-red mist seemed to swirl before her -eyes, and blank darkness swallowed her up. - -When she opened her eyes next it was to find herself at home, lying upon -the wide couch beneath her favourite window which looked down the -street. The light showed that the evening was advancing; May was in the -room setting the table for supper, and--but was not that part and parcel -of the dream which still seemed to enwrap her faculties?--Harold, her -bronzed-faced soldier, was seated beside her, his eyes hungrily bent -upon her face. - -She smiled, half afraid to move lest the dream should vanish, and the -next moment he had her fingers close in his grasp. - -"Kate, my Kate!" he cried; and she smiled back, and sat up. - -[Illustration: The Commandant pulled her down beside him before it was -too late. - -_Page 30._] - -"Harold! you have done it again! and have come back safe." - -"Yes, I have come back, and to find--what? That my Kate has set an -example to the women of the Netherlands, that----" - -But she put her hand upon his mouth and stopped him. - -"It was not I more than others; and there are some who have laid down -their lives for the cause. You must not praise me; why should not women -do their duty to the cause of freedom as well as men? You do not praise -your men for standing to their guns." - -"But we will praise you!" cried Harold hotly. "Know you not that all the -city is ringing with the news that the women's redoubt is all but -finished, and that in spite of the deadly fire from the new battery? And -Kate, to-night the soldiers will get the guns mounted, and to-morrow -Fort Venus will give her answer back. Oh, my Kate, will you be able to -come and see?" - -"Fort Venus?" she queried, with a smile in her eyes. - -"That is what the Commandant has christened it, and the soldiers -received the name with ringing cheers. The names of Catharine the Rose -and May in the Heart are in all men's mouths. Surely, surely you must be -there to see!" - -And she was; for the wound, although severe, was not crippling, and the -dauntless spirit of the girl carried her through the triumph and -gladness of the next day, as it had carried her through the previous -perils and hardships. - -A spectator would have thought that Sluys was _en fete_ that day instead -of a sorely pressed beleaguered city, wanting food, help, everything. -Citizens and soldiers marched in squadrons to the new fort, which had -been the scene of arduous toil all the night, and from whose loopholes -the mouths of guns could now be seen protruding. - -And foremost in that procession, cheered to the echo by burghers and -soldiers alike marched the brave women and girls, who had done such work -for their country and their city, headed by Mary Hart and Kate Rose. - -Then, at a given signal, "Fort Venus" opened her mouth and roared forth -her message of defiance and resolve. - -"Hear the voice of the women of the Netherlands!" cried Arnold de -Groenevelt, the grave Commandant, as the guns belched forth fire and -smoke, and the welkin rang with the shouts of the citizens and soldiers. -And so true was the aim of the gunners, that the new battery was -speedily silenced; and cheer after cheer went up as the destruction -wrought became more and more visible; and the youths of the city bore -aloft upon their shoulders through the streets to their homes, -Catharine the Rose and May in the Heart, crying aloud as they took their -triumphal way: "Hear the voice of Fort Venus! Hear the voice of the -women of the Netherlands! Death to the tyrant! Life and immortality to -the liberties of the people, and freedom of faith. The voice of the -girls is the voice of the nation." - - - - -ELSJE VAN HOUWENING - - -For two years she had lived within the walls of a grim fortress; a -prison had been her home. Thirteen massive doors, secured by iron bolts -and bars and huge locks, stood between her and the outer world; and yet -this maiden of nineteen summers was no prisoner; she was here in this -gloomy place of her own freewill. - -And for what cause was she here? Was it to guard and tend one who was -very near and dear to her,--a father, a mother, a brother? No; it was -none of her own kindred who were thus shut up, but her master, Hugo de -Groot, or Grotius, as he is more generally known to history. - -With the causes for the unjust captivity of this great and learned man, -we need not deal here. They belong to the page of history, where they -can be read in full. Suffice it to say, that Grotius was condemned by -the States-General of the Netherlands to a life-long captivity in the -great fortress of Loevenstein, under the spiteful tyranny of its -governor, Lieutenant Deventer, who had an especial grudge against him, -and seemed resolved to make his captivity as bitter as it was possible -to do. - -The one grace allowed to the unhappy prisoner was that his wife and -family might share his captivity; might live within the fortress in the -quarters allotted to him, although not suffering all the rigours of -imprisonment. And with Madame de Groot and her family of children had -come Elsje van Houwening, their young maid-servant, who had stoutly -refused to leave them in their hour of trial and trouble, and had -already spent two years of her young life within the walls of the -prison. - -The tie that binds master and servant together was stronger in those -days than it is now. The race of devoted servants seems well-nigh -extinct in these degenerate days; our mothers and grandmothers had -experience of a fidelity which is seldom met with now. But even in their -times an instance of such courage and devotion must needs be rare. Yet -to Elsje it seemed perfectly natural to cleave to the family that had -befriended her in a lonely childhood, and she loved her master and -mistress and their children with a love which only grew stronger and -stronger during the long, monotonous days of this captivity. Small -wonder was it that Madame de Groot should sit for hours over their -scanty fire, her children asleep, her husband poring over the books -which came to him from time to time in a great chest from friends in -Gorcum, talking with Elsje as though to a friend, talking over the -difficulties of keeping house upon the pittance allowed them from the -Government after the sequestration of their family property; the -mournful future that seemed to stretch indefinitely before them, and now -and again of that ever recurrent dream of hapless prisoners--the chances -of escape! - -And yet what was the possibility of this? How could it be even dreamed -of that a closely guarded prisoner should pass through those thirteen -iron-bound doors which lay between him and liberty? And if the sad-eyed -wife or eager maid looked down from their windows, what did they see, -save the rushing, tumultuous flow of a deep turbid river? - -Nature and art had combined, as it seemed, to make this fortress -impregnable alike from without and within. It stood in the very narrow -and acute angle, where the strong and turbid Waal joins its rushing -waters with those of the Meuse; and on the land side immensely strong -walls with a double moat guarded it from attack, and held in helpless -captivity all those upon whom the great doors had closed. - -True Madame de Groot with her children, or Elsje with her market basket, -were permitted to sally forth at will by day, or, at least, under -modified restrictions; to cross by the boat to Gorcum, which lay exactly -opposite on the farther bank of the Waal. They made their purchases -here, and saw their friends from time to time; but how did this help -the prisoner? Madame de Groot was very stout and somewhat short, whilst -Grotius himself was tall and slight, possessed of singular personal -beauty, and an air and bearing that would be most difficult to disguise. -The idea of dressing him up in their clothes, and smuggling him out in -that fashion, had been talked of a hundred times, but only in a sort of -despair. Hugo himself had shaken his head over the plan. It was doomed -to ignominious failure, as he saw from the first. No one was permitted -to leave the prison save in broad daylight, and all had to pass -innumerable guards and sentries on the way. If the prisoner were to be -detected seeking to escape in such fashion, it would only lead to a more -rigorous and harsh captivity, and, probably, to his entire separation -from his family. - -The wife had sorrowfully agreed that it was too great a risk to run; -yet, nevertheless, she and Elsje were ceaselessly racking their brains -to think out some plan whereby the prisoner might escape the dreadful -doom of life-long captivity. - -It was evening. Madame de Groot was bending over the stove, cooking her -husband's frugal supper. Elsje went in search of the children, to put -such of them to bed as were not already there. - -Her favourite out of all the little ones was Cornelia, a lovely little -girl of nine years, wonderfully like her father, and perfectly devoted -to him. She and her brother Hugo were often to be found in the room in -which he studied and wrote from morning to night, only varying his -sedentary pursuits by the spinning of a huge top that had been made for -him by friends in Gorcum, that he might not suffer too greatly from lack -of accustomed exercise. - -Elsje stole softly into the room, so as not to disturb her master, and -glanced round the bare place again and again. Where could the children -be? She had looked everywhere else in their limited quarters; there was -no other room except this one that had not been searched through and -through. She would not disturb her master by a question, and continued -softly moving and looking about, till the sound of a suppressed child's -laugh, close beside her, made her almost jump; for there was nothing to -be seen, save--ah! yes; she saw it all now--there was the great empty -chest that had brought the last load of books from Gorcum. She raised -the lid, and a simultaneous shriek of laughter arose from two pairs of -rosy child-lips. There were little Cornelia and Hugo, curled up like -dormice in the chest, peeping at Elsje, with eyes brimming with -laughter. - -She carried them off, laughing herself, and asking them how they managed -to breathe with the heavy lid closed fast down. - -"Oh, there is a long crack just under the top of the lid, it doesn't -show from outside; but we could see light, and your shadow came right -over us, and then Hugo laughed, and you heard. We sat there a long time -this afternoon and told ghost stories. It was such fun!" - -Elsje put the children to bed, and went thither shortly herself, but all -the night long she was dreaming, dreaming, dreaming. She saw the chest -with the two children inside; and then she saw it again, and instead of -two small figures there was one large one--a tall man's figure crushed -together in the chest, and when he turned his face towards her it was -the face of her master! - -The girl was up and about with the dawn; and her mistress coming to help -her, she told her in whispers of the incident of the previous night and -of her dream, and the two women stood staring at each other, with white -faces and glowing eyes, as the idea slowly formulated itself and took -shape. - -"It might be done! It might be done!" whispered Madame de Groot at last; -"if he could get in, it might perchance be done. Oh! if heaven should -open us such a way as that!" - -That day passed like a dream to all. They waited till dark; till all the -children were sound asleep, and no one from without would trouble them -again, before they even dared to make the experiment. Grotius was a tall -man, as has been said, though he was slender in his proportions. At -another time he would have pronounced it impossible that he should so -fold himself up as to get inside that chest, and let the lid be fastened -down upon him. But when a man sees life-long captivity before him on the -one side, and the hope of escape and freedom on the other, he can -sometimes achieve the impossible. And, at last, after many efforts, the -thing was done; the lid was closed, and the man found that he could -breathe and endure the pressure even for a considerable period. - -Day by day, or, rather, night by night, he made these trials till his -limbs in some sort grew accustomed to the strange constriction, and he -was able to bear the cramped posture for a more prolonged time. Madame -de Groot, upon her next journey into Gorcum, spoke jestingly with a -friend as to how her husband would be received were he to turn-up some -day, and Madame Daatselaer answered, in the same jesting spirit, that he -would have a warm and hearty welcome; for the Daatselaers were old and -tried friends, though only of the rank of merchants. They owned a large -warehouse of great repute, and their dwelling-house was at the rear of -the shop, where ribbons and other merchandise were vended to all comers. - -It was through the immediate agency of these friends that the books lent -to Grotius by Professor Erpenius were consigned to him in his prison. -The Professor sent them to the Daatselaers, who dispatched the chest by -the boat which plied between Gorcum and the fortress opposite. It was -returned in the same manner to them when the books were done with, for -transmission back to the Professor. Therefore, if Grotius could conceal -himself in the chest for the journey over the water, he would be -consigned to the safe-keeping of friends, who might be trusted to do -everything in their power to facilitate his escape to Antwerp, and so to -France, where he would be safe from the malice of his enemies. - -Days flew by, and the plan seemed more and more feasible, albeit fraught -with no small danger of discovery. Madame de Groot's anxiety was almost -greater than that of her husband, and perhaps it was her visible -agitation, occasionally manifesting itself in spite of her great courage -and self-control, which led the prisoner to speak as follows to Elsje, -when he and she were alone one day, his wife having gone once more to -Gorcum, prepared to drop a faint hint to Madame Daatselaer, without, -however, really arousing her suspicions of what was in the wind; for all -knew how much the success of such a scheme depended upon the maintenance -of absolute secrecy. - -"My good girl, is it true what thy mistress says of thee, that this -whole plan is one of thine own making?" - -"Not of my making, master, but rather as a thing revealed to me in a -dream. I seemed to see the chest, and when it was opened there was my -master within. I told the dream to my mistress, and the rest seemed to -follow of itself." - -"And if the plan be carried out when next that chest is returned, who -will accompany it across the water?" - -Elsje paused in thought. Sometimes she had gone with it on former -occasions, sometimes her mistress. There had been no peril in the -transit then. It had mattered nothing who went; but now things would be -quite different. She looked her master questioningly in the face. He -returned her glance. - -"I have been thinking much on that point," he said; "it will be a -memorable journey for those concerned. There be moments when I misdoubt -me if my wife hath the needful firmness. It is not courage that she -lacks, nor firmness of purpose; but can she pass the many barriers, the -many posts of peril, the many prying eyes within and without, and so -command her face that her anxiety be not seen? The sorrows and anxieties -of these last years have told upon her. And if she betray too great -solicitude for this chest of books, why in a moment we may be undone!" - -Elsje stood looking very thoughtful. She saw at once the danger of -self-betrayal; the danger that would be far more quickly noted in the -prisoner's wife than in his servant. Her gaze was lifted to her -master's face. - -"Shall I be the one to go?" she asked. - -"Wouldst thou not be afraid, my child?" - -"What punishment could they give to me were the plot to be discovered?" -she asked. - -"Legally none," answered Grotius, whose training in the law gave him -full knowledge on all such subjects; "but, my girl, I myself am guilty -of no crime--yet see what has befallen me. I cannot tell what might be -thy fate were this thing discovered during the perilous transit." - -For a moment Elsje stood motionless, thinking deeply. Then she lifted -her head, and her eyes shone brightly. - -"No matter for that," she said, "whatever comes of it I will be the one -to go. If they must punish another innocent person, let the victim be me -rather than my dear mistress!" - -Grotius took her hand, and the tears stood in his eyes. Elsje rattled on -as though to hinder him from speaking the words that for the moment -stuck in his throat. - -"It will be better so every way," she said, "for see--the men must come -in hither to get the chest, and so it must seem that you, master, are -sick and in bed, else would they look to see you here at work. We must -draw the curtains close; but leave your clothes visible by the bedside, -and my mistress must seem to be attending upon you. So it will be best -every way for me to go with the box; and the soldiers all know me, and -we have our quips and jests together. I will talk to them all the while, -as my mistress could scarce do without rousing suspicion, so they will -not note if the weight of the chest be something greater than usual." - -"Thou art a brave girl; thou hast a great heart and a ready wit," said -the prisoner with emotion in his voice, "may God reward thee for thy -devotion to a family in distress; for we may never be able to do so." - -"I want no reward," answered Elsje stoutly, "save to know that I have -helped those I love, and who once befriended me." - -The next day was Sunday, and a wild March gale was raging round the -castle, lashing the waves of the river into foam. The rain dashed -against the windows as they sat with their books of devotion, as usual, -through the earlier hours of the day. Grotius had read and offered -prayer as was his wont, when suddenly little Cornelia turned her face -towards the barred window, and her eyes seemed full of a strange light. - -"To-morrow, Papa must be off to Gorcum, whatever the weather may be," -she said; and then, slipping off her chair, took the little ones away -with her for the usual midday repast. - -Husband and wife looked at each other aghast. The strangeness of the -coincidence seemed to them most remarkable. - -"Let us take it for a direction from heaven," said Grotius. "Out of the -mouth of babes and sucklings--the child knew nothing, yet something was -revealed to her spirit." - -Later in the day Elsje came breathless with the news that the Commandant -of the fortress was just leaving it for a few days' absence. He had -received his captaincy, and was to go to Heusden to receive his company. -All things seemed pointing in one direction; and early on Monday -morning, Madame de Groot asked leave of Madame Deventer to send back the -chest of books to Gorcum. - -"My husband is not well; he is wearing himself out with so much study. -If the books are sent away I can persuade him to remain in bed and take -some needful repose. I got him to pack them up last night; but if they -stay in his sight, he will assuredly remember something more he wants to -study, and nothing I can say will then persuade him to keep in bed." - -Madame Deventer was a kind-hearted woman, and sorry for the prisoner's -wife. She gave ready consent to the request, and said she would send -some soldiers shortly to take the chest away. - -The crucial moment had come. Grotius, dressed in the thinnest linen -under-garments--for there was not space for much clothing--took his -place in the chest. A book, padded with a cloth, served as a sort of -pillow, a few books and papers were placed in such interstices as were -left by the curves of his body; and his wife took a solemn farewell of -him before she shut down the lid and snapped the key in the lock, giving -it in deep silence to Elsje. - -Outside the storm still raged and howled, but the tumult of their souls -seemed greater; yet Elsje stood with a careless smile on her face as the -soldiers entered the room, and Madame de Groot bent over the fire, -stirring something in a saucepan, and telling her husband that she would -soon have his soup ready, and she hoped he would enjoy it more than his -breakfast. The curtains of the alcove bed were drawn, and the ordinary -clothes of the prisoner lay upon a chair near it. - -"My word, but it is a heavy boxful this time!" exclaimed the men, as -they laid hold of the chest. - -"To be sure," cried Elsje; "what would you have? They are Arminian -books, and those are mighty solid, I can tell you. You had best have a -care how you treat them when you get to the water. Arminian books have -sunk many a good bark ere now, before it has got into harbour!" - -The men laughed at the innuendo of the girl's words. It was in truth -their adherence to the Arminian side of the great Arminian and -Calvinist controversy which had shipwrecked the lives of Grotius and so -many others. Elsje chattered gaily to them as they dragged and lifted -the heavy chest down the stairs and through the thirteen ponderous -doors. She kept them laughing by her droll remarks, and the little -anecdotes she retailed for them whenever a halt was called. At last it -stood without the last of the doors, and the soldiers paused and wiped -their brows. - -"Is the chest to be examined before it goes on board?" - -Elsje's heart thumped against her ribs. This was the crucial moment. At -first when the box had gone in and out its contents had been carefully -examined; but as nothing save the books had ever been found there the -practice had been given up latterly. But there was never any actual -certainty. - -Elsje dangled the key from her girdle, and swung it carelessly round and -round. - -"It always used to be done," she said, "but methinks my lord Commandant -love not the smell of Arminian books; perchance it smacks too much of -brimstone to please him! For of late he has not troubled. But I care -not, only pray you make haste. I have marketing to do in Gorcum, and -what if all the best things are sold ere I get there, and my poor master -lying sick?" - -[Illustration: "Is the chest to be examined before it goes on board?" - -_Page 48._] - -"Ask the will of madame," said somebody; and the messenger went and -returned, whilst Elsje stood almost sick with apprehension, though she -never ceased laughing and talking the while. - -"Madame says it may pass," came the answer back, "since her lord -troubles not now, she will not delay the transit." - -"Perhaps she fears lest some little Arminian imp should spring out upon -her!" quoth Elsje merrily; and away they went with their load towards -the boat. - -It was indeed a rough passage that lay before them; and the girl's heart -was in her mouth many times ere she got her precious chest safe on -board, and securely lashed to keep it from slipping overboard. They -laughed at her solicitude; but she always had a ready retort; and a -young officer of the garrison, crossing at the same time, was so taken -by her rosy face and bright eyes that he sat himself down upon the chest -and drummed upon it with his feet, as he chatted with the little servant -girl. - -"Why do you wave your kerchief?" he asked, as the boat began her rough -voyage across the tumbling waters. - -"To tell yon children at that window that I am safe afloat. They feared -the boat might not go in such a storm. And, fair sir, be pleased to -leave kicking of that box, and come away to this better seat; for there -is some precious porcelain inside, and if it be broken, I shall get the -blame, for I packed it." - -But Elsje's signal was for the straining eyes of her mistress far more -than for those of the children. All was well thus far, and the worst of -the peril was over; but--but there was still the landing on the other -side. - -"Take my box first," she pleaded, as they approached the wharf. - -"That lumbersome thing?--that can wait till the last," answered the -skipper, rather surlily; "'tis as heavy as if it held a man." - -"I have heard tell how a criminal was once carried from prison in a -box," remarked a soldier's wife laughingly, "and, methinks, if one has -so escaped another might. Let us peep inside, maiden!" - -Elsje laughed, bending to tie her shoe-string. - -"What, and let the Professor's books be all scattered this way and that, -and perhaps fall into the water! He would never send my master another -chest; and, methinks, without books he would die." - -"I'll get a gimlet and bore a hole in the Arminian!" laughed the -soldier, whose wife had first spoken. - -"Ay do!" cried Elsje; "get a gimlet long enough to reach the top of the -castle. I will stand by and watch you as you bore!" - -"Out of the way there!" cried the skipper and his son, as the boat swung -towards the wharf; and in a moment all was bustle and confusion. The -soldier helped his wife ashore, the young officer made a bow to Elsje -and sprung over the side; there was hurry and bustle, and a welcome -confusion; and the girl stood beside her precious chest, and at last, by -the promise of an exorbitant fee, got the skipper and his son to -transport the chest at once to the Daatselaers' house, on a barrow. - -She walked a little ahead in her excitement; but was recalled by a surly -question from the old man. - -"Do you hear that, girl--do you hear what my son says? You have got -something alive in that box!" - -"Ah, to be sure, to be sure," she cried, laughing, "it is the Arminian -books; they are often like that, because they say the devil helped to -write them. Why, when I was a little girl I knew an old woman who lived -all by herself in a wood; and she had a big book, and they said the -devil had given it to her; and if she wanted a ride, she just got -astride of it and it flew with her wherever she wanted to go! That's -what my mistress says about some of these big books. There's magic in -them, and she wants to be rid of them." - -The men looked awed; but superstition was rife in those days, and their -one aim now was to be rid of the uncanny load. It was wheeled, and then -lifted into the back room of the house, and Elsje paid and dismissed the -bearers with perfect calmness. - -The next minute she had glided into the shop where Madame Daatselaer was -serving customers, and whispered something in her ear. - -Leaving everything, but with a face as white as paper, the worthy woman -hastened after Elsje, who rapped on the lid, but got no reply; for a -moment her fortitude gave way, and she cried aloud in her anguish: - -"My master!--my poor master--he is dead--stifled!" - -"Ah!" cried Madame Daatselaer in bewildered dismay, "better a live -husband in a prison than a dead one at liberty; my poor friend, my poor -friend!" - -But a sharp rap on the trunk from the inside reassured them. - -"I am not dead," gasped Grotius, "but I was not sure of your voices. -Open and let me have some air!" - -Elsje unlocked the chest, whilst her friend locked the door of the room, -and Grotius raised himself slowly as from a coffin. - -"Praised be God for this deliverance!" he cried, as Elsje brought a -cloak in which to wrap him, for he was cramped and numbed by cold, and -the constraint of his posture. "God be praised for His mercy; and how -can I thank you enough, good friend, for receiving me thus into your -house!" - -"If only it bring not my husband to prison in your place," cried Madame -Daatselaer, whose face was deadly pale. - -"Nay, nay, sooner than that I will return to my prison in yon chest as I -came forth!" answered Grotius. - -But Madame Daatselaer rallied her courage and spoke quickly. - -"Nay, nay, that shall never be since thou art here. But thou art no -common person, and all the world talks of thee, and will soon be talking -of thy escape. But before that we will have you safe from pursuit. My -husband will see to that. And now I must hide you in the attics till -dark, when we can make farther plans." - -Elsje's work was done. Her master took her hands in his, and kissed her -on the brow. - -"Farewell, my brave maiden. May God reward you and keep you always safe -from harm. There will be many heartfelt prayers offered that no ill -shall befall you through your devotion to me and mine. And now go--tell -the story to my dear wife; and so soon as I be safe in France she and -the children shall join me, and in our home there will always be a place -for thee; if thou dost not find another and a better home for thyself." - -Elsje's tears fell as she said farewell to her master; but her heart was -full of joy as she returned to the castle with the story for her -mistress. And soon they knew that Grotius had effected his escape to -France, and that all peril was at an end. - -The Commandant, it is true, raged at the women when he found how his -prisoner had escaped him; but nothing was done to them, and they were -shortly released. - -They joined their lord and master in his new home, and from thence one -day, not so long after, Elsje van Houwening was married to a faithful -servant of the family, who had also shared their captivity in the -fortress of Loevenstein; and had been so well taught by his master the -rudiments of law and of Latin, that he rose in time to be a thriving -advocate. - -But of nothing was he ever so proud as of the bravery and address of his -wife in her girlhood, when she had been the instrument by which the -celebrated escape of Grotius had been effected from the grim fortress of -Loevenstein. - - - - -GRIZEL COCHRANE - - -Father and daughter stood facing each other in the gloomy prison of the -Tolbooth: the girl's face was tense with emotion, and the man's eyes -seemed to devour her with their gaze; for Sir John Cochrane believed -that he was looking his last upon his favourite child. - -He was not a man of great parts, nor one who can be regarded as in any -sort a hero. He was more rash than brave, and his ill-judged support of -the claims of the luckless Duke of Monmouth had brought him to his -present doleful position--that of a prisoner in the hands of a deeply -offended and implacable monarch, expecting each day to hear that his -death-warrant had arrived from London. - -Sir John had been one of the leaders of the insurrection in Scotland, -which had been even more of a fiasco than the one conducted by Lord Grey -in the West of England, where a temporary success at the outset had -cheered and encouraged the adherents of the champion of Protestantism. - -King James II., savage of temper and bitterly angry with all those -concerned in this rebellion, had sent the terrible Jeffreys to the -Western Assizes, which henceforth were to be known as the Bloody -Assizes; and here, in Edinburgh, lay another illustrious victim, -awaiting the king's warrant, which would doom him to the scaffold. - -Whatever might have been his faults and errors in his public life, Sir -John was a tender and loving husband and father. His wife, a delicate -invalid, shattered by grief and anxiety, was unable to leave her room; -but Grizel had come. Grizel had paid visits before this to her captive -father, and each one was more sorrowful than the last, since the end -must now be drawing very near. - -"Methinks, my child," said the father hoarsely, "that this will be our -last meeting on earth. They told me to-day that the death-warrant would, -in all likelihood, be here in three days' time from this." - -A quiver passed over Grizel's face; yet her voice was calm. - -"Can our grandfather do nothing?" she asked. - -Now Sir John's father was Lord Dundonald, a man of wealth and influence, -and the question was a natural one to put. - -"He is doing his utmost," answered Sir John, "I have had tidings of -that. He has got the King's Confessor on his side, and they hope to gain -the ear of His Majesty. But I fear me it will be all too late. If the -warrant could be delayed, pardon might perchance reach in time; but as -things now stand I fear to cherish hope. Let the will of God be done, my -child. We must believe that He knows best." - -A sudden light had flashed into Grizel's eyes, it illumined her whole -face. - -"Thou dost speak truth, my father," she said. "God, indeed, does know -best; and let His will be done. But is it His will that one should -perish whom even an earthly sovereign has pardoned, and who has never -offended against Him?" - -Sir John looked at her with a questioning gaze. - -"God's ways, my daughter, are not as our ways, and His thoughts are past -finding out. Let us brace our spirits for what may lie before us, and -resign ourselves to that which He shall send. Kiss me once again, and -bid me good-bye. It will not be for ever. This life is but a span, and -we shall meet on the shores of eternity." - -She flung her arms about his neck, and pressed her lips to his. - -"Farewell, sweet father, farewell," she cried, with a little catch in -her voice. "Farewell, but not good-bye. Something within me tells me -that we shall meet again--in this life." - -He looked into her strangely shining eyes, noted the resolute expression -of her beautiful mouth, and asked almost anxiously: - -"What dost thou mean, my child? What hast thou in that busy head of -thine? Thou must run no risk for me; for thou art the stay and prop at -home. Thou must be son, daughter, and husband--all to thy poor -mother--when I am taken." - -Steps were heard approaching. Grizel drew herself away, and looked once -more into her father's face: - -"Son and daughter--that will I be in all sooth, dear sir; but -husband!--nay that will not be needed, methinks----" - -"Grizel, what dost thou mean? What----" - -The key was turning in the lock. She put her hands upon her father's -shoulders and kissed him once again. - -"Fear nothing," she said, "I am a Cochrane." And with those words on her -lips she turned and left him, following her grim guide, the gaoler, till -she stood outside in the street once more. - -The same expression of high courage and resolve was on her face, as she -pursued her way through the darkening streets, followed by the -man-servant who had been awaiting her. But she did not go straight home. -She turned aside up a narrow thoroughfare, and entered a house in it, -with the familiarity of one who is known there intimately; and her -servant had to wait long before his youthful mistress reappeared. - -She went home, and went straight to her mother, who was weeping and -praying in her upper chamber; there, kneeling beside the bed, Grizel -told of the interview with her father, and then said in a low, earnest -tone: - -"Mother mine, give me thy blessing, for I must needs start forth this -very night to save my father." - -"Thou, child? What canst thou do?" - -"Mother, I have a plan. I will not tell it thee, for it were better none -should know. But pray for me whilst I am gone, that God will bless and -watch over me. Methinks it was He who put the thought into my heart, and -that He will speed me on my way and give me success in the carrying out -of it." - -"Thou wilt not run into danger, my child?" said the mother, who had come -to lean upon Grizel, since her husband's captivity, almost as she would -have done upon a son. - -"I will not seek danger; I will avoid it where possible. But thou -would'st not have me flinch, mother, when my father's life is at stake?" - -"And thou must go to-night? But not alone?" - -"I will take old Donald with me! And we must have the two best horses in -the stable. But fear not, mother mine! In three or four days I will be -back; and I trow that I shall have such news to tell, as will make thy -heart sing aloud for joy." - -That night, just before the gates of the city were shut, the guard saw -two men riding forth together, the elder of whom he recognised as the -old servant of the Cochranes. The younger of the pair, who looked like -a youth, had his hat drawn somewhat close over his face. Donald gave the -man a ready "Good-night," and paused a moment or two to gossip with him -over the latest news from England. - -"They say the next mail-bags will bring poor Sir John's death-warrant," -remarked the soldier; "they must be in sore grief yonder, doubtless." - -"How long does a letter take passing betwixt London and Edinburgh?" -asked Donald. - -"A matter of eight days each way," answered the man; and, after a few -more words, Donald rode on, and joined his companion speedily. - -"Eight days?" spoke a soft voice, not much like a youth's, as Donald -told the news; "then, should anything go wrong with the warrant, it -would be full sixteen days ere another could be got from London. Sure -that would give the time--the time so sorely needed. Sixteen days!" and -the words ended in a deep-drawn breath. - -The old servant looked with loving eyes at the youth--who, of course, -was none other than Grizel habited in the attire of a lad--a plain and -inconspicuous riding suit, which she had borrowed from the brother of a -dear friend, and which a little skill had altered to fit her slim figure -well. Her floating locks aroused no suspicion as to her sex, in days -when huge wigs adorned (or disfigured) the heads of men, and where -those who could not afford these costly luxuries, and yet desired to -keep in the fashion, let their own hair grow, and kept it curled and -powdered. There was nothing specially womanish in the aspect of Grizel's -abundant, curly hair flowing over her shoulders. She looked exactly like -a smooth-faced boy, and bore herself with a bold and boyish air so soon -as they were beyond the radius of the locality where her face -might be known. By the time that the pair rode into the city of -Berwick-upon-Tweed Grizel had come to feel so well at home in her part -that she feared neither to converse with those about her, nor to show -herself abroad in the unfamiliar habiliments of the other sex. - -"Donald," she said, that night before they sought their beds, "we are in -time. The mail has not yet passed through. To-morrow, bide thou here, -whilst I ride to Belford, where I hear the messenger with the mails -always pauses for a few hours' sleep. If he come hither with his -mail-bags undisturbed, use thou thy wits, and seek to accomplish that in -which I shall then have failed; but if he should bring news that he has -been robbed, then set spurs to thy horse, and meet me at the house that -I did point out to you as we rode into the town; and bring without fail -the bag containing mine own attire and saddle: for then I must no longer -travel as I do now." - -Donald was loth to let his young mistress ride forth unattended; but -Grizel would not have it otherwise. She believed that she would -accomplish the thing better alone; and by leaving Donald in the place -through which the messenger must pass, she felt that she gave herself -another chance, should her first scheme miscarry. - -The landlady of the little wayside inn at Belford smiled upon the -bright-faced youth who reined up at her door and asked for a meal for -himself and his horse. - -"Step softly, if you will, fair sir," she said, pausing as she opened -the door of the one room the inn boasted for the accommodation of -travellers, "for the bearer of His Majesty's mail-bags stops here each -time he passes, and has a spell of sleep ere he rides on to Berwick. He -is sleeping soundly now, and I would not willingly have him disturbed. -'Tis a weary ride from London." - -Grizel's heart beat thick and fast as she stepped softly within the -room, golden possibilities presenting themselves to her imagination of -getting at the bags and destroying certain of its contents, whilst the -messenger slept the sleep of exhausted nature close beside her. But alas -for her hopes! when she saw the sleeper, stretched snoring upon the -alcove bed let into the wall, she noted that he had placed his bags for -his pillow, and that each bag was securely sealed. This being so, she -could neither possess herself of them without too great risk, nor undo -and purloin papers without instant detection. - -Food was brought to her, and she forced herself to eat, for she knew -well that she might need all her strength and powers of endurance that -day. And whilst she dined, and the man slumbered, her quick wits were -working at full speed. - -Outside, the voices of the landlady and the ostler told her that she -would not be disturbed by a visitor just now. The pistols of the -messenger lay upon the table almost within reach of her hand. With a -quick, stealthy gesture she drew them towards her, and quickly removed -the charges; putting the weapons back accurately in their place when she -had done. - -Then, rising from the table, she went out, paid her reckoning, mounted -her horse, and rode leisurely away. - -"Your guest sleeps sound," had been her parting remark to the woman. - -"Ay, that he do, poor fellow, and I'm grateful that you've not wakened -him, sir; but I must go and do so soon, since he must be on the road -again in half an hour's time." - -"Then I shall not have long to wait to know my fate," said Grizel, -between her shut teeth, as she set her horse at a gentle trot. "If he -looks to his pistols when he gets up and loads again, the chances are -that I shall have an ounce or two of cold lead in my brain ere an hour -be past. If not, well then I may have my father's death-warrant safe in -mine own hands in that time! Is that hope not enough for me gladly to -take all the chance of what may else betide!" - -The light sprang into Grizel's eyes--the light of a deep devotion. She -looked round at the fair world of nature with the unconsciously wistful -gravity of one who knows he may be looking his last; of one who feels -possible death within measurable distance. Yet there was not a sign of -flinching in that fair face. The soldier spirit, and the spirit of -devoted love were burning upon the altar of her heart. There was no room -for thoughts of self there. - -The beat of horse-hoofs behind her told that the moment had come. The -man with the mail-bags strapped to his saddle was advancing rapidly -towards her. Grizel reined back her horse into the shadow of the trees, -and drew out a pistol from her belt. Her heart beat fast and furiously. - -Next moment the man had ridden up. - -"Stand and deliver!" shouted Grizel, in the most masculine voice she was -capable of assuming; then as the man reined up and regarded the slight, -boyish-looking youth with glances of inquiry and surprise, she added in -a quieter tone: "Sir, I desire to obtain possession of certain papers in -those bags of yours; wherefore deliver them up peaceably to me, and -your life will be safe. Otherwise----" and here Grizel rode full up to -the messenger with her pistol pointed at his head. - -In a moment the fellow had whipped out his own weapon; and was holding -it close against her cheek. - -"Lay so much as a finger on His Majesty's mails, and I blow out your -brains," he cried; "I am not one to shed blood needlessly, and thou art -a mere boy; but not a finger shalt thou lay upon my bags." - -"Nevertheless, it is those bags I mean to have," said Grizel, and put -out a hand to take them. - -Click! went the trigger, there was a flash in the pan--nothing more. -Grizel's heart leapt up within her. He was at her mercy now. She would -gain her end! With an exclamation of astonished dismay the man pulled -out the second pistol. Grizel watched him with a smile. The weapon -played him the same trick. He flung it from him with an oath, and threw -himself off his horse to grapple with his slim antagonist, -notwithstanding that the lad held a pistol in his hand. - -Now was quick-witted Grizel's opportunity. She seized the reins of the -horse, dashed spurs into her own, and set off at full gallop with the -mail-bags, ere the astonished man well knew what had happened. She had -travelled a quarter of a mile before she paused to look over her -shoulder, and saw the breathless messenger tearing along, panting and -blowing. Grizel calmly dismounted, and tied the horses to a tree hard -by. Then, pistol in hand, she advanced, and signalled the man to stop, -which he did. - -"Good friend," she said, "I do not desire to kill thee, so come no -nigher. Nor do I want any but a few of the papers in yon bags. -Wherefore, go back, I pray you, to the inn for one brief hour; and then, -when you return, you shall find your horse and your bags all safe in -this spot; and you may take the news to Berwick as fast as you will!" - -A strange bewilderment had taken possession of the man, or else there -was something very compelling in the presence and pistol of Grizel, for -he turned back slowly and walked away, whilst the girl went back to her -precious bags. - -These were soon opened and the mere private letters tossed aside. Here -was a likely looking bundle of great parchments with the seals upon -them, which told that they had come from high places. With a beating -heart Grizel tore open this bundle and looked at its contents. Her head -seemed to swim and her cheek grew white as her eyes read the fatal words -that doomed her father to death. There were other parchments, too, with -lighter sentences of fine or imprisonment for others--some of them -friends--who had taken part in the recent insurrection. All these she -took with her, carefully hiding them upon her person; tied up the bags, -replaced them upon the tethered horse, and, mounting her own, set spurs -to him, and never drew rein till she was safe within the walls of -Berwick, and within the friendly shelter of a kinsman's house. - -[Illustration: With a beating heart Grizel tore open this bundle and -looked at its contents. - -_Page 66._] - -Here, with bated breath, she told her tale, and showed the priceless -papers. Here Donald found her, bringing tidings that the whole town was -ringing with the news of how His Majesty's mails had been robbed by a -daring young highwayman. Here, by a blazing fire, Grizel destroyed, one -by one, the fatal documents that else would have desolated so many -homes; and whilst soldiers were going forth to scour the country round -for the youth who had done that daring deed, and who was regarded as a -member of some regular gang, Grizel, in her own attire, was quietly -riding away towards Edinburgh from her kinsman's house, with the old -serving-man in attendance at her side. - -It was dusk one evening when Grizel found her way to her mother's room, -and, kneeling down beside the bed, broke quite unexpectedly into -convulsive weeping. Nature was taking her revenge at last; but Lady -Cochrane sat up, and, folding her arms about her daughter, cried in a -strangled voice: - -"The will of God be done, my child. No one can achieve the impossible!" - -Grizel could not speak; she tried many times, but always broke down, -and suddenly there were sounds in the house of confusion and excitement, -the door was burst open, and two of the younger girls broke in. - -"Mother, mother, all Edinburgh is ringing with the news! A young highway -robber has stopped the messenger who was bringing our father's -death-warrant, and it has been stolen, and other expected papers too. -And there can be nothing done to him till the news has gone to London, -and the messenger has returned with a new warrant. And that will mean -time!--time!--time! And if our grandfather's letter be true: why time is -all we need!" - -The mother's face had turned from red to white, and from white to red. -Grizel's was hidden in the bed-clothes. Her sisters thought her overcome -by the news they had brought. - -"Ask me nothing, mother, yet," gasped Grizel, when they were alone -together, "I will tell all when my father is pardoned!" - -Great was the stir and excitement that prevailed when the story of the -robbery became known. Lady Cochrane herself was so far uplifted by hope -as to be able to leave her bed, and drive to the Tolbooth to visit her -husband; and thus it came about that she had the joy of being with him -when the Earl of Dundonald, who had travelled with the greatest possible -speed from London, in terror and almost despair of being in time, was -ushered into his son's prison, and fell upon his neck crying: - -"Ah, John, John, thou hast been a sad fool, my boy; but the King's -Majesty has been pleased to grant thee a pardon, thou art a free man -from this hour!" - -Then husband and wife fell into each other's arms and wept aloud, whilst -the old Earl, after storming up and down, and rating his son for his -folly, broke down and wept too; and who so proud and happy as Lady -Cochrane as she led her husband home at last, and set him in his own -accustomed chair before the fireside! - -That night Lord Dundonald had to tell all his tale of how the pardon had -been procured; bought practically for many thousand pounds, through the -influence of a priest. But little cared the family for aught save the -one great fact, they had their loved one home again. His life was safe. -He was theirs indeed! - -But Sir John missed Grizel from the group. She had slipped away whilst -her grandfather's tale was drawing to a close. Why did she not return? - -It was old Donald who entered the room after a while and said: "May it -please you, master, the young man who stopped the messenger, and robbed -the King's mails, craves leave of speech with you, if you will give him -a brief audience." - -Sir John uttered an eager exclamation of astonishment and pleasure. His -wife caught her breath, and her hands began to tremble. - -"Let him come in! Oh, bring him here!" was the general cry, and Lord -Dundonald added: "Doubtless he comes for his reward, and right willingly -will I give it him; for had it not been for that daring deed of his, my -labour and my gold would alike have been thrown away. I could never have -arrived in time. Thy head would have fallen, John, or ever I had reached -Edinburgh. It was with more of despair than of hope that I rode those -weary miles. Though something within me always bid me not give up." - -It was a large room in which they sat, and the farther end was in deep -shadow. All turned with breathless expectancy as Donald come in, -bringing with him a slenderly made youth, who wore his hat so deeply -drawn over his face that nothing of the features could be seen. Perhaps -it was from a lack of knowledge of good manners on his part that he did -not remove it upon entering; or perhaps he was too shy to lift his eyes, -and observe the presence of ladies. Shyness does occasionally go hand in -hand with considerable personal courage. - -"This is the youth who robbed the King's mails," said old Donald, in a -voice not quite his own. - -"My deliverer!" exclaimed Sir John, rising, "and so young and slight, -and of such tender years too! How can I ever thank you enough! Pray -you, dear sir, come somewhat forward, and let us see the face of one to -whom we all owe this great and unspeakable happiness." - -Slowly the stranger advanced, at first with drooping head; then suddenly -he flung away his downcast air, put up his hand, and snatched off his -hat! - -There was a cry from all present! The mother clasped her hands together -and whispered: - -"I knew it! I knew it!" - -The Earl stared as though he could not believe the sight of his eyes. -The sisters shrieked and broke into incoherent questioning; but Sir John -opened his arms uttering no word, and Grizel went straight into them, -and hid her face on his breast. - - - - -EVA VON GROSS - - -She lay face downwards upon her pallet bed, in the dim, narrow cell that -she had been striving to regard as a home of sanctity and peace. She had -torn from her head the stiff, white covering that it had worn for hard -upon a year now, and which now seemed ready to stifle her. The long -heavy robe of the nun which she wore fell about her in a mass of gloomy -drapery. Everything was gloomy here. The narrow walls seemed to hem her -in; the loophole window to admit an insufficiency both of air and light. -It was all like the narrow, narrow, pent-up life of the cloister to -which she had been doomed, and which had by this time become as a very -dungeon to her. - -"How can I bear it? How can I bear it?" she moaned; "I am so young, so -very young. I have not taken the full vows yet. Oh, why would they not -let me forth? Why may I not be free? I cannot bear the thought of the -long, long years that lie before me--fifty--sixty, perhaps; who can say? -The Reverend Mother is over seventy; and one sister lived to be nigh -upon ninety. Oh, how did she bear it? How did she bear it?" - -The young head sank down upon the hard pillow; a moaning came from the -lips that should have been smiling and happy with the dawn of tender -womanhood. But on that fair young face there was a look as of fixed -despair. - -Clasped in her hand was a letter, which seemed the immediate cause of -her grief, as in a sense it was; for it was the stern reply sent to her -by her parents in response to her passionate appeal to be taken away -from the convent, and permitted to live the life of happy girlhood in -her father's house, where, as she strove to point out, her place had -been set. - -"It is some subtle device of the enemy that is tempting thee away from -the higher life," her father had written; "thy choice was made. It would -be sacrilege that would imperil thy soul's salvation to seek to retrace -thy steps." - -"I did not choose! I did not choose!" cried Eva, as if in passionate -remonstrance with the unseen father; "I was weak from sickness; thou and -the priest did persuade me. It all sounded so peaceful, so beautiful, so -holy. But I have tried it; and it is not peace, it is not joy. The -Church is composed of all holy men and women, and we who are baptised -into it become its members, knit into its life. I ask no more. Are these -nuns better than other women? No--I say NO! I have watched. I have -listened. I have felt. It is not a holy life; it is no holier than what -we see led by the saints in the world outside cloister walls. There are -saintly nuns, I deny it not; as there are saintly wives and mothers, and -saintly maidens and virgins without the cloister wall. It is not the -dress, the vow, the life, that makes the saint. It is something far, far -higher. And the Spirit divides His gifts as He will. He is not bound by -gates and bars and high imprisoning walls!" - -Again the passionate sobs broke forth; and there was a sound as of anger -and fierce resolve in that weeping, rather than of mere helpless -despair. Eva suddenly sat up, a bright light shining in her eyes, her -mouth taking an expression of almost grim determination. - -"They cannot force me to ratify my vows at the close of my novitiate! -What would happen if I refused? What are the tales that are whispered -within these walls of nuns who have been found unfaithful--as they are -pleased to term it?" - -The girl was silent. There was a tense look upon her face. She was -pondering deeply. In her dark eyes there showed from time to time a -gleam as of fire. It was plain that within the spirit of this novice of -the convent there dwelt a daring and a courage that is not vouchsafed to -all. - -And whence had come to Eva and to some other of her sister nuns this -sudden disgust of convent life?--this sudden conviction that it was not -in accordance with the dictates of nature, nor with the scheme of -salvation as set down in Holy Writ? How came that convent-bred girl to -have glimmerings of a higher calling as a member of the Church, than as -just a so-called cloister bride, brought, as it was then believed, in -some way nearer perfection by having abandoned the place in the world in -which she had been set. - -That question is easily answered. Not very long before there had broken -from the bonds of monastic life a young monk, Martin Luther by name, who -had since then been taking the world by storm, preaching and teaching -doctrines of liberty and enlightenment which had made the ears of his -listeners tingle. This bold young teacher was related to some friends of -two sisters, nuns in the Convent at Nimptsch, where Eva was undergoing -her training, and in some way or other many of his writings had been -introduced and circulated within the convent walls, with the effect that -nine of its inmates, including the young Eva, had become so keenly -dissatisfied with the life of seclusion to which they were vowed, that -they were making every effort in their power to gain permission to -rejoin their own families, and to be taken home by their parents. - -But however much men's minds might be working with a sense of impending -change--a suspicion that the things in which they had hitherto put -their trust were about to fail them, and crumble into dust;--in spite of -all the upheaval that was beginning in the Church and in the world, -men's minds were not yet prepared for the revolt of nuns from their -cloistered homes. The breaking of the solemn vows they had taken still -seemed a thing impossible to condone or to permit. Not one of the -fathers appealed to had consented to the earnest petition addressed to -him. Not one had admitted the arguments by which the cloistered captives -had sought to win upon the hearts of those in authority over them. Eva's -heart had sunk within her these past days, as the stern replies came -back; but she had ever buoyed herself up with the hope that in her case -mercy would be shown. She was so young. Her full vows had not been -taken. She had pleaded so earnestly. It seemed impossible that her -father should not be moved to compassion. And yet his answer was now in -her hands, and it was a stern, uncompromising refusal to consider her -petition for a moment. - -"It was just a temptation of the devil," he concluded. - -A step was heard in the corridor without, and Eva quickly resumed her -discarded headgear. Order and discipline were strong elements in her -present life. What would the Reverend Mother or one of the senior -sisters think, if they found her in such dishevelment? But the door had -barely opened before she uttered a little cry of joyous relief. - -"Oh, Katharine! is it indeed thou?" - -It was one of the marks of those who longed to renounce the convent -rule, that they had discarded, amongst themselves, their convent names. -Katharine von Bora[A] was known as Sister Therese, as Eva was known as -Sister Angela to their sister--nuns; but with the longing after home -ties had come the longing after home titles. It gave Eva a thrill of joy -each time she heard her once familiar name pass the lips of those about -her. - -[Footnote A: Afterwards the wife of Martin Luther.] - -"My little one, I saw by thy face in the chapel just now, that thou art -in trouble. Is it that thou hast had thine answer too?" - -Eva held out the crumpled sheet, and the elder nun's eyes quickly ran -over the written words. She sighed as she read. - -"It is no more than I feared; although so much less than I hoped. The -walls and bars of the convent are strong indeed." - -"Katharine--ah, sweet Katharine!--do not tell me that thou hast yielded -up hope! I would dare so much! I would do so much! If a monk has -escaped--like that brave Martin Luther--and nought is done to him, why -may not we?" - -The elder woman looked searchingly into the eager, quivering face, and -caught the light of courage and purpose in the soft, dark eyes. Her own -kindled beneath the glance. - -"Little one, art thou brave enough, and discreet enough to be entrusted -with a secret?" asked Katharine, "or wouldst thou rather remain in -ignorance until the final moment? There is safety sometimes in -ignorance; and thou art little more than a child." - -The colour was coming and going in Eva's face; the look of purpose in -her eyes deepened each moment. - -"Tell me," she whispered, her eyes beginning to shine, "is it that there -is hope for us? Can it be that help can reach us, even within these -grim, strong walls?" - -Katharine glanced round her to be certain that the door of the cell was -fast shut. She even moved to it, and looked down the bare corridor, as -if to assure herself that there was no spy within hearing. Who could -tell, in such a community as that, whether it would not seem the bounden -duty of any passing nun to play the eavesdropper, should she harbour for -a moment a suspicion that all was not well with her fellow sisters? Who -could tell whether or not the Reverend Mother had got wind of the -discontent of some of her nuns? Probably she knew somewhat about it, -since the appeal of certain of their number to their friends had been -made. Might she not have set traps and devices in order to discover -whether or not the answers they had received would be sufficient to -quiet their discontent, and induce them to settle contentedly in their -cloistered home? Would she not be intensely alert to discover if any -other phase of revolt were passing in the minds of the imprisoned nuns? - -"Thou art brave enough to know the truth and not to betray it?" - -"I will die sooner!" cried Eva. "Ah, sweet Katharine, tell me! Is there -indeed some hope for us?" - -"I trust so. I believe so. We have done what we can. We have made appeal -to Martin Luther himself!" - -Eva's hands were clasped closely together. Her breath came and went in -an ecstasy of excitement and hopeful expectation. The elder woman spoke -on in a carefully lowered voice. - -"It hath been done through Margaret and Katharine von Zeschau. Thou -knowest that their relatives are friends of this Luther's, and that -although their parents are still beneath the thrall of the old beliefs, -others of their house are beginning to break through the toils. They -have the letter, and will place it safely in the hands for whom it is -meant. Word came through a safe channel to-day, that we might be assured -of this; Martin Luther will never turn a deaf ear to such an appeal. He -will rest not until he has answered us, and won for us our liberty!" - -A look of ecstasy transfigured Eva's face. She threw her arms about -Katharine's neck; her voice quivered as she cried: - -"Oh, Katharine!--to be free--to be free! To drink in the pure air of -heaven! To see one's life opening before one amid the sweet surroundings -of home! To have brothers, sisters, a father and mother once more! -But----" and here she paused, and a look of anxiety crossed her face. -"But what if our parents refuse to receive us when we are free?" - -Katharine's calm face expressed full comprehension. She drew Eva towards -her, and they sat close together on the narrow pallet bed. The elder nun -supported the quivering frame of her girl companion, as she sought to -make her understand the situation. - -"There are many things to think of, little one," she said; "and thou -must not embark upon such an enterprise not knowing all its risks. First -there is the peril to ourselves should this thing get wind before we are -safe without the walls." - -Eva shivered a little, and clung more closely to Katharine. - -"What would they do to us?" she asked in a whisper. - -"Nay, I know not. There are many frightful tales of the punishment -inflicted upon nuns who have been 'unfaithful to their vows,'" answered -Katharine steadily; "thou dost know the bricked-up niche in the crypt -beneath the chapel, where they say such an one was walled-up to perish -by hunger and thirst." - -"Katharine," said Eva suddenly, "is it right to be unfaithful to our -vows? We are not doing that which is abhorrent?" - -"I think not--and truly believe not," answered Katharine, her eyes -glowing and dilating; "and I have spent many a night in prayer and -fasting, asking to be led and guided. These vows were forced upon us ere -we understood their meaning. They wrapped up the real truth in such a -way that we were much deceived. There is a terrible side to convent life -which is never breathed beyond the walls. There is a wide-spreading -corruption going on that shows to me the system is not Heavenly. God -will understand that, in the spirit, our vows to be His for ever will be -kept, as far as poor frail flesh can keep them, albeit the letter be -broken. I fear not to cast myself upon His mercy in this thing. I know -that were I to remain here they could not be kept as truly as they shall -and can be without!" - -Eva felt a shiver run through Katharine's frame. She only partly -understood; but she knew enough to cause her to spring to her feet and -cry, although in the instinctively hushed tones that soon become natural -to the convent-bred girl: - -"Then take me, take me too! I will do anything, I will dare anything, to -escape from these terrible walls! I would even face that terrible fate; -for is it not a living death to be for ever here without the prospect of -release?" - -After that the days seemed to go by strangely in the convent. It was -Lent; the celebration of the Lord's Passion was drawing very near. The -nuns were engrossed in their appointed hours and religious exercises; -they grew thin and pale from vigil and fasting; but there was another -reason why some of them looked white and careworn. The looked-for answer -to their appeal had not reached them yet. Could it be that the thing was -too hard for this bold advocate of liberty to attempt? - -Good Friday had come. The long exhausting services had been gone through -with rigorous exactitude; and the Reverend Mother had now retired to her -own room, the nuns being bidden each to her cell, to spend the interval -in meditation. Eva felt a light touch upon her arm as she was leaving -the chapel. Katharine's voice in her ear spoke in the softest whisper: - -"Come to my room." - -A sudden hope flooded Eva's heart. She dared not lift up her eyes lest -they should betray her. She continued her soft walk with drooping head -and hushed footfall; but there was a clangour in her temples of the -young blood coursing there, and she was asking herself a thousand eager -questions as she slipped like a ghost past her own door, and to the -apartment of Katharine von Bora, where, to her amazement, there were -gathered together the whole party of those nuns who desired escape, a -look of strained expectancy upon all faces. - -When Eva entered, Katharine closed and locked the door, and flung the -key through the open window into the courtyard below. There was -something in her aspect so resolute and tense, that Eva's heart leapt up -within her, and she cried: - -"Katharine--tell me--ah, tell me!" - -"They have promised to come for us to-night," answered the other -Katharine. "We are to wait here for the signal. When it comes we are to -drop noiselessly into the court below, and they will have means to -convey us over the wall and away! It seemed a good day; all the world -resting and exhausted after the day's exercises. Suspicion dulled, we -trust. We may hear the signal at any moment now. Pray heaven it comes -speedily!" - -They were all trembling with excitement and a nervous terror that was -inevitable in their reduced condition. Katharine von Bora looked round -upon the ring of white faces, and said: - -"If we have been betrayed;--if the thing is known--and who can be -certain that it is not? Spies abound within cloister walls, as women -have found to their cost ere now;--if it be known we shall be captured, -and our punishment will not be light. If any is afraid, there is yet -time to turn back. Let none who is faint-hearted seek the perils of -flight!" - -Her eyes dwelt chiefly upon the tender flower-like face of Eva. Her love -for the youthful novice was deep and tender. She longed for her to -escape from the terrible bondage of the convent; but what if they should -be discovered and brought back? She could bear the thought for herself; -but for Eva---- - -But there was no fear in Eva's face as she read the thought in the eyes -of her friend. The pulsations of her heart seemed to become quiet and -regular; her gaze was steady and fearless. She was the youngest and -tenderest of all that band; but there was no tremor in her tones as she -said: - -"Heaven will help us, I am sure of it. Have we not been asking it? But -even if not, let me go with you. Far better is death itself, than a -living death within these pitiless walls." - -"The signal! the signal!" cried a strangled voice from the window; and -Magdalene von Staupitz, who had been leaning out with straining ears, -held up her hand to enforce instant silence. - -They all heard it then; the rumble of wheels, and the careless whistling -by the driver of a familiar tune, agreed upon as the signal of -approaching help. - -The room in which they were assembled was quite dark, save for the dying -twilight of the April evening. The bars of the casement had been -carefully filed through before, and could be removed noiselessly now -with a single wrench. The courtyard was not far below; and the sisters -helped each other to drop silently down into it, having selected this -particular window on the north side of the convent, as being most remote -from danger of observation. - -Eva was the last to descend; she was so light and bird-like in her -movements, that having helped to lower the others, she found no trouble -in hanging by her hands from the sill, and dropping lightly into the -arms of her sister nuns, as she fancied. To her astonishment, and for a -moment to her terror, she found herself confronted by a goodly youth of -fine proportions, but, of course, a perfect stranger to her, who set her -gently on her feet with the reassuring words: - -"Your pardon, sweet maid; but time presses, and your companions are -being hurried over the wall to the waggon. They tell me you are the -last. So let us lose not another moment." - -He took her hand and led her across the courtyard, the beating of her -heart sounding in her ears like the clangour of an alarm-bell in the -tower overhead. Suppose this was a trap? Were they walking blindfold to -their destruction? For a moment her feet faltered; but a strong hand -upheld her, and a voice spoke in her ear with masculine reassurance: - -"Fear not, sweet lady. Having so far succeeded, we will not give you up -without such a struggle as shall set all Germany in a blaze!" He looked -at the fair face beneath the nun's coif, and added with sudden fire and -chivalry: "I would lay down my life to save you from all hurt!" - -Eva felt herself quivering and tingling all over. The blood was racing -through her veins as it never seemed to do within those stagnating -cells. The next instant she found herself being helped up a ladder to -the top of the wall, and immediately a pair of strong arms lifted her, -and she was placed beneath the friendly covering of a waggon, where she -felt, rather than saw, that her friends were all packed together. - -"Ladies," spoke the voice of the elder man, "we must ask you, for awhile -at least, to consent to somewhat cramped quarters. There are a dozen big -barrels in the waggon. Each is roomy enough to hold a human being. The -only safe way in which we can convey you through the country we have to -traverse is by concealing you in these barrels. I trust you will not -find the captivity a very oppressive one." - -Instantly there was willing bustle and confusion, as the nuns joyfully -concealed themselves within the great casks, which were sufficiently -roomy to permit of their squatting down upon the thick layer of straw -considerately provided, whilst the air-holes previously bored gave them -ample breathing space when the tops were fastened down. - -Eva was helped into her cask by the youth who had caught her on her -descent from the window, and whom she heard the elder man address -sometimes as "Leonard." He picked up a rug from his own seat upon the -box, and tucked it about her to make her nest softer; and when she -looked up with a grateful smile, and asked: - -"Whither are we going, fair sir?" he answered eagerly: - -"We take you first to Dr. Martin Luther, who has arranged all this. But -afterwards you will be housed and sheltered by some of the good citizens -of Wittemberg, till it be seen whether or not your parents will receive -you back. But even if not, methinks there will be other happy homes -speedily open to you. My mother is even now hoping to house and shelter -some of you. Wilt thou be willing to trust thyself to my mother's gentle -care?" And as he spoke young Leonard leaned a little nearer, and just -touched Eva's hand with his. - -She felt a strange thrill run through her frame. She was half-terrified, -half-delighted. It was like a strange dream, this tent-like waggon, with -its heavy cover, and the gleam of the lantern that lighted up the rows -of casks with their living occupants, and shone upon the flushed and -eager face of the handsome youth, and the grave bearded countenance of -his father. It recalled to her a thousand blissful dreams of childhood, -when she had revelled in the romances and stories of knights errant and -bold heroes. As the light was shut out from her eyes, and she felt the -heavy waggon begin to move on, she realised that the first and worst of -the peril was past. They had escaped! They were outside the convent -walls! They had broken the chain which bound them! - -Peril might still menace them for awhile; but at least they had achieved -something. Eva had a feeling, which she was almost afraid to analyse too -closely, that "Leonard" would fight a very grim and determined battle -before he would let her be carried back to the gates of the cloister. - -Many were the halts and interruptions of the journey; and many times did -Eva's heart seem almost to stop beating, as a voice would ask close in -their ears, as it seemed: - -"What have you here in this waggon?" - -"Barrels of herrings," was the reply, made in a grumbling tone from the -driver; "barrels of herrings, and a very slack market for them since -Easter is so nigh. I should have had them before; but there was delay, -and now nobody wants our wares." - -Eva had fallen asleep, and her sleep was so sound that she was startled -at last on waking suddenly, to find the sunlight illuminating the bright -world. The head had been taken from her cask, and the tall, handsome -youth was looking eagerly down upon her, saying with a smile and a -blush: - -"Mistress Eva, you are safe now. Dr. Martin Luther wishes to welcome you -with the rest. And when you have refreshed yourself, and changed your -attire, my father and I are to have the honour of welcoming you and -Mistress Katharine von Bora under our humble roof, there to await the -result of such representations as will be made by you to your parents." - -Eva never forgot that memorable breakfast taken in presence of the great -man, whose name was becoming a household word throughout the length and -breadth of the land. - -She remembered less clearly the drive to Torgau with Councillor Koppe -and his son Leonard. It was like a dream to sit in a coach, attired in -the ordinary garb of a citizen maiden, and to be in conversation with a -handsome youth like Leonard, whose devotion never allowed her a moment's -anxiety or a single ungratified wish. - -But the motherly kindness of Frau Koppe was worth all the rest to Eva, -when that worthy matron opened her arms and folded her in a loving -embrace. And when it came out at last that her offended parents -declined to receive her home, Eva could meet the disappointment bravely; -for had she not found a second home and second mother in Torgau; and -what was to hinder her speedy marriage with Leonard, when both knew -their own hearts so well? - - - - -EMMA FITZ-OSBORN - - -"The King forbids the marriage!" - -Raoul de Gael sprang from his seat beside his betrothed, and stared with -incredulous astonishment into the face of the bearer of this piece of -strange tidings. - -The beautiful Emma lifted her head and gazed wonderingly into the dark, -stern face of her brother. - -"The King forbids the marriage!" repeated Roger Fitz-Osborn, a dark -flush gathering upon his cheek, as his anger slowly kindled and rose; -"he has sent a special courier across the sea with his Royal mandate, -but no word of reason to explain his tyranny. Are we to be the slaves -and chattels of the man we have made?" - -"The King forbids the marriage?" repeated Emma, in her clear, ringing -tones; "and by what right does the King forbid it? Does he not owe to -our father the crown that he wears so proudly upon his head? And are we -to become the slaves of the man in whose cause our father -spent his blood and money, and at last his life itself? Oh, -shame!--shame!--shame!" - -A thunder-cloud rested on the brow of the bridegroom-elect; that swarthy -Breton face was capable of expressing the extreme of haughty passion and -resentment. He paced the long apartment to and fro like a wild beast in -its cage. Then he went up to Emma and took her hand in his. - -"Dost thou fear the anger of this King, who, but a few short years ago, -was but the Duke of Normandy? whose title to the broad realm of England -would never have been won but for the aid of thy noble father, and of -men like ourselves, who have fought and conquered by his side? Dost thou -fear his Royal displeasure?" - -Emma threw back her head, and looked into her lover's eyes. The blood of -a soldier race ran in her veins. - -"I fear nothing," she answered, with simple sincerity. - -"Spoken like a Fitz-Osborn!" cried her brother, whose pride and -self-esteem had been stung to the quick by the haughty mandate from the -Conqueror, and who had himself favoured the marriage of his beautiful -sister to his brother-in-arms and chiefest friend, and had completed -every arrangement for the ceremony, which was to take place almost -immediately. - -Roger Fitz-Osborn was Earl of Hereford by right of sword, as Raoul de -Gael was Earl of Norfolk. Both had distinguished themselves by their -bravery in the war which had made William of Normandy King of England, -and had received these earldoms in recognition of their services. -William the Conqueror was at this time in his own native land, having -left the Primate Lanfranc in temporary charge of England. During this -breathing space the warriors had had time to think of other matters than -the excitement of arms. Raoul had paid a visit to Roger in his new and -stately castle, and the beauty and grace of Emma had so completely won -his heart that they had become affianced in a few weeks' time, and he -was already urging on an immediate marriage. - -Such a marriage was entirely to the mind of the brother, and as for -Emma, her heart had been won by the attractions and manly beauty of -Raoul, whose fierce temperament seemed to find its complement in her -lofty courage. - -Such a thing as any opposition upon the King's part never once entered -the minds of any of the parties concerned. Nor has it ever been made -clear why the Conqueror raised this objection, and by his haughty -mandate alienated the allegiance of some of his most faithful followers. - -Had there been time for the journey to and fro, perhaps the brother -might have crossed the sea and returned with the Royal assent, and the -subsequent tragedy might have been averted; as it was, the mandate only -reached them a few days before the wedding was to be celebrated. They -were already assembled at Norwich Castle, where (in spite of its being -the bridegroom's home) the ceremony was to take place, guests were even -now flocking in to witness the marriage and attend the subsequent feast. -To be forced to give out that the bridal could not take place owing to -the prohibition of the King was a thing abhorrent to the proud spirits -of Roger and Raoul, whilst the equally high spirit and courage of Emma -revolted against the imperious intermeddling of the King, who but a -short while since had been nothing but a noble himself, and whose recent -sudden rise in power was greatly owing to the support of the very -families whose happiness he now sought to mar. - -It wanted but a little to arouse in many hearts a sense of revolt and -anger against the absent William. No man can rise so suddenly to such -power without raising up a host of enemies amongst those who begin to -feel the iron hand of monarchy, where once was only the clasp of a -friend. The genius of the Conqueror had won him a kingdom, supported by -the loyal assistance of the Norman and Breton nobles; but he had not -always been careful to conciliate his friends, even though he had not -been backward in bestowing upon them broad lands and new titles. -Sometimes the very wealth and power thus placed within their reach -became, in some sort, a snare to them. Dreams of ambition are ever quick -to rise when angry men get together, and are heated with wine; and -during the days which intervened between the arrival of the King's -message and that fixed for the marriage ceremony, there were fierce and -eager discussions between hot-headed nobles, young and old; and a wave -of rebellious hatred seemed to be sweeping them along as they discussed -the tyranny of the newly made monarch, and spoke together in angry, -threatening tones, or in still more dangerous whispers of the -possibility of bringing about a better state of affairs in the country, -and one more distinctly advantageous to themselves. If William had so -easily conquered the kingdom and established his own power, perchance -that power might again be easily displaced. - -The spirit of anger and discontent is easily aroused, and Raoul and -Roger resolved to defy the King; yet, half afraid of the consequences of -their defiance, knowing well the implacable nature of the man with whom -they had to deal, they were eager to win to their way of thinking all -those nobles who were assembling to do honour to bride and bridegroom; -and certainly it seemed as though the spirit of disaffection were not -hard to wake. - -"If Waltheof would but join us we might rouse all England against the -Conqueror!" whispered Raoul into the ear of his betrothed upon the -night before their nuptials, as he spoke his fond farewell; and Emma's -eyes glowed, for she knew Earl Waltheof well as a great and warlike man, -whose popularity with his own countrymen would render him an invaluable -ally, supposing that this sudden wave of rebellious impulse were to -break forth into actual insurrection. Girl though she was, she had lived -in an atmosphere of strife, and the sound of battle or the clash of arms -had no terrors for her. Anger was in her heart against the King, and she -cared little if her brother and her future lord chose to take up arms -against him. Sooner than submit to his tyrannous decree, she would fight -with her own hands, and shed the last drop of her blood. For what was -life without Raoul? - -Very lovely was the face of the young bride beneath its drooping veil, -as, in the midst of a stately gathering, she plighted her troth to the -man of her choice. - -The deed was done. The King's mandate had been defied. A subject was in -open revolt. The realisation of this came home to all those present as -the fatal words were spoken. William was not a man either to forget or -to forgive. The gauntlet had been thrown down--what next? - -The wedding guests sat at the long tables in the great banqueting hall. -Bride and bridegroom, together with all the nobles and men of high -degree, sat at the table on the raised dais, the others of lesser -degree at the tables in the body of the hall. Normans and Bretons were -there, together with a sprinkling of English, Earl Waltheof, who had -married the Conqueror's niece, the afterwards infamous Judith, being one -of them. But his wife was not with him, else perchance even the boldest -had not dared to speak so openly. - -It was as if (after the wine cups had gone round many times, and men's -hearts were inflamed by good cheer and by the whispers that had been -circulating with the cups) some sudden impulse came upon them, for a -murmur arose, and the murmur waxed louder and more fierce, and suddenly -a cry seemed to shake the rafters of the hall: - -"Down with the Usurper! Who is he that he should reign over us? What is -he better than others? Down with him! Let us divide the realm, and -choose Kings of our own!" - -Then came isolated voices crying fierce questions: - -"Did he not poison Conon, our brave Count of Brittany?" - -"What has he done for us, who shed our blood for him?" - -"Has he fulfilled the promise he made?" - -"He gave us barren lands for our wounds, and what does he do when we -have made them of some value? Does he not take them from us by force, -to give them to some new favourite?" - -"Down with him!--Down with him!--Shall we call such a man our King?" - -The deed was done! The die was cast. The banner of revolt was raised. -The assembled company knew that already they had gone too far to draw -back. The King would hear of this thing, and would never forgive. Action -must now follow hard upon words. The Conqueror was absent; much might be -done ere the news of insurrection reached him. Not one of those precious -days must be lost. - -With the first light of the new day the bride stood watching the -departure of her brother and her lord. Roger was to travel night and day -with all speed to Hereford and beat up his followers and the hardy Welsh -on his borders, with whom he had maintained friendly relations. Raoul -was to collect forces nearer at hand in his own earldom; but he must -needs go in person, and to his girl-wife he left the care of the grim -castle which had been the scene of yesterday's wedding and feast, and -which was garrisoned with black-browed Bretons, devoted to the service -of their master, and ready to lay down their lives for his beautiful -bride. - -Did her heart fail her as she saw the departure of her husband, her -brother, and their noble guests, together with the armed followers which -they had brought? Did she feel fear in the knowledge that she and they -were now accounted rebels, and that any day might bring an armed force -before the walls of Norwich? - -No; there was no spark of fear in her heart, though there was for one -moment a glint of tears upon her long lashes as she saw her lord and -master ride away, and knew that peril threatened him and his comrades in -arms, so soon as it should become known that they were in revolt. - -She set herself, as a true soldier's daughter and bride, to see to the -defences of the castle. The Breton garrison were true as steel. They had -no love for Norman or English; but they loved their lord, and for his -sake, as well as her own, they loved his sweet young bride; the sight of -her courage and devotion kindled new ardour in their breasts day by day, -and they toiled with all the energy in their power to strengthen the -stone walls, to obtain supplies of food and such munitions of war as -were needed in those days, and to prepare themselves for whatever might -betide. - -Rumours were flying hither and thither, rumours of strife and of -disaster. It was said that Roger of Hereford was cut off from returning, -and was penned in behind the broad waters of the Severn; and again there -was a whisper nearer at home that Odo, the warlike Bishop of Bayeux, was -in the vicinity with a force of finely equipped men. On hearing this -Emma's cheek grew pale; not with fear for herself, but lest some hurt -should befall her lord, whom she had as yet scarcely learned to speak of -as "husband." - -The watchman upon the tower had blown a warning blast. Something was in -sight; the horn sounded forth again and yet again. - -There was hurrying within the walls of the castle, archers hastening to -their loopholes, and men at arms buckling on their helmets and -breastplates, and seizing their good broad-swords in readiness for the -word of command. - -Emma, breathless and dishevelled, raced to the tower herself, and, as -she looked, she beheld a scattered band of fugitives, flying, as it -were, towards the castle; and so forlorn and woe-begone was the aspect -they bore that her heart seemed to die within her. - -"Bretons, to the rescue of your brethren!" she suddenly cried aloud, and -the cry was taken up and passed from mouth to mouth. Wide swung the -great gates, down sank the drawbridge; the soldiers streamed forth to -meet the flying Bretons and Saxons, who came in crowds for the -protection of those strong walls, bringing with them the gloomy tale of -death and disaster. - -Late in the day, conducting a ghastly company of maimed and mutilated -men, who had been bold stalwart soldiers a few days before, rode Raoul -into the courtyard, the blackness of night upon his brow; and Emma -rushed forth to clasp her husband to her heart, scarce knowing yet what -was the meaning of the things she saw and heard. - -"It means ruin to our hopes of life and liberty, if we cannot yet change -defeat into victory," said the young Earl, as he let his bride divest -him of his heavy armour, whilst he told the tale of his overthrow at the -hands of Bishop Odo. - -"Many died of their wounds; but some few I rescued, and have brought -them hither to thee, my sweet bride. But for myself I may not linger. -Our only hope now lies in getting help from beyond the sea. I must take -ship with all speed to mine own domains in Brittany, and there, when -this tale is told, methinks they will rise to a man in the defence of -their brethren, in answer to my call, in the hope of vengeance and -plunder! I will return with an army at my back, and William, the -so-called Conqueror, shall yet learn to quake at the names of Raoul de -Gael and Roger Fitz-Osborn!" - -"And my brother?--what of him?" asked Emma, "will he go with thee? And -wilt thou take me too?" - -"Nay, my life, I must leave thee here to hold this fortress for me. -Roger is penned in the west; albeit he will break loose I doubt not ere -long, and march day and night to thine assistance. But our Breton -garrison must needs serve under one they can trust and love. Sweet, my -bride, hast thou the courage for the task? Though thou art so young in -years, thou hast the heart of a soldier. Wilt thou hold the castle here -against proud William's forces, till I or Roger come to thine aid?" - -She looked him full in the face. - -"Thou dost think that they will follow and lay siege?" - -"They are so close behind me, that with the first dawn of the morning I -must be gone, else I shall be too late to escape them!" answered Raoul; -and his eyes rested with anxious questioning upon Emma's face. "Our poor -Bretons are treated with savage ferocity by the English," he added. "If -I lead them forth hence, and they fall into the Bishop's hands--well, -thou hast seen with thine own eyes how their brethren have fared." - -The fire flamed in Emma's eyes; she threw back her head with her own -queenly gesture. - -"Go, then, my husband, and I will guard thy castle for thee. I will keep -safe those thou dost leave with me. Go! fly over the water, and return -with the friends of the cause. Thou shalt find thy castle here, -safeguarded as though thou thyself wert at the head of thy soldiers. The -pitiless Bishop shall not lay hands on one of our Breton boys!" - -So the brave young bride was left for the second time alone in the grim -castle, to hold it for her lord till he should arrive with succour. But -this time she was quickly ringed round with foemen, who, in the King's -name, bade her surrender; and when she fearlessly refused, they laid -close siege to the castle, vowing to serve every Breton they should -henceforward take as those hapless creatures had been served, some of -whom she was tending now with her own hands within the walls of the grim -old keep. - -Emma had grown up inured to perils, to hardships, to the sights and -sounds of warfare, and warfare is always cruel. But her soul revolted -against needless cruelties; and the sufferings of the poor maimed -followers of her husband, who had been rescued and brought back by him, -nerved her to every effort to keep from a like fate those who served her -faithfully here, and looked to her to save them from it. - -Parted from her husband upon their very wedding day, wife only in name -as yet, the brave daughter of William Fitz-Osborn played the hero's part -during those three long months of siege. Every day she made the circuit -of the fortifications, careless of the flights of arrows that often made -such exposure of her person a perilous matter; she spoke words of -encouragement to the archers and watchmen; she devised ingenious methods -of frustrating the various attempts made by the wily and determined foe -for cutting off supplies, and for forcing an entrance into the castle. - -When it was known that a woman was in command, many devices were -practised for intimidating her and her soldiers; but all in vain; and -free promises of pardon for herself if she would but betray her trust -were answered with indignation and scorn. - -The hard part of it to the brave young chatelaine was the uncertainty of -what was passing elsewhere. Penned within the four walls of her eastern -fortress, she knew nothing as to the fate of her brother in the west, -nor how the rebellion against the Conqueror was spreading in the ranks -of the disaffected Norman barons and the dispossessed Saxons. It had -seemed to her, upon their wedding feast, as though all the realm was -weary of the rule of "the Norman." Yet if that were so, if the revolt -were ready to break forth all over the kingdom, why did none come to her -aid? Surely her brother and others must know of the peril in which she -stood. Why did not some of them seek to raise the siege? Why did not -Raoul himself return with his Breton reinforcements? - -As the long summer days went by, one after another, and weeks dragged on -to months, brave Emma's cheek grew pale, and her eyes took a wistful -yearning gaze, as of one whose heart is sick with hope deferred. But her -vigilance was never for a moment relaxed. Her courage never faltered. -Day by day she was to be seen upon the ramparts, speaking brave words to -the weary soldiers, hurling lightning glances of defiance at the lines -of the besiegers, and gazing with eager, expectant eyes in the direction -of the sea, asking of the birds of the air whether they had seen the -white sails of the coming vessels that should bring relief to her. - -At last the voice of rumour reached even this beleaguered castle. First -it was an isolated whisper, then other whispers followed. Bit by bit the -story of woe was pieced together, and a fugitive from the west, who had -been sent with dispatches for the Lady Emma, contrived to gain entrance, -and to tell all the tale. - -It was said that the treacherous Judith, wife of Earl Waltheof, had -learned the secret from her husband and had instantly betrayed it. The -rebellion had been quelled almost ere it broke out. In the west the son -of Fitz-Osborn had been taken captive, and was awaiting his doom on the -return of the King. Others had been taken or slain; Norwich alone was -holding out. Raoul had sent word that to return from Brittany was now -impossible. It would be but to fall into the hands of an implacable foe. -His word to his bride was to secure such terms as she could for herself -and her garrison, and to make her way across the sea with all speed to -join her husband there. - -With whitening cheek and sinking heart Emma heard and read all this evil -news. Her brother a captive, her husband an exile, their friends -scattered and dispersed. Surrender inevitable! But what was she to -surrender? This very messenger brought horrid tales of mutilation and -cruelties of all sorts inflicted on hapless prisoners by their -bloodthirsty conquerors. Was she to give up to such a fate the brave men -who had learned to look to her and trust in her? For the castle she -cared little. Where her husband was, there was her home. But her -soldiers and servants, were they to be given up? Never! Never! Never! - -"I will go forth and die at their head, fighting to the last, sooner -than that!" she cried. - -The Bishop had many times sought to open negotiations with the brave -Emma, but hitherto fruitlessly. Now, with her own hand, she penned him a -missive, offering to surrender to him the castle and its munitions of -war, but only on the condition that every living creature within its -walls went forth unharmed, and that they should be permitted to take -ship unmolested for the shores of Brittany. - -"Else will I never give up whilst one stone remains upon another. You -shall see how long the daughter of William Fitz-Osborn can bid defiance -to the man whom her father made England's King." - -Was it chivalry, was it admiration for the spirit of the brave woman, -or was it the policy of a soldier wearied by a long three months' siege -of a fortress that seemed no nearer falling now than it had done upon -the first day? - -Whatever was the motive for the concession, the answer that came back -was courteously, even generously worded. The brave young wife rode forth -at the head of her whole garrison, and the Norman soldiers who had -fought against the rebels in other places raised a shout of admiration -as she appeared. She sat her horse like an Amazon, and returned the -salutation with a dignity worthy of her name and race. - -Saluting and being saluted by the Bishop, and lustily cheered by the -soldiers, she passed through the town on her way to the coast, where -vessels were awaiting her, while her men marched boldly behind her, -singing the songs of their native land to which they were about to -return, and chanting aloud the praise of the beautiful Emma to whose -courage and resolution they owed their lives. - -She and her band of devoted Bretons were thus permitted to march to the -coast with all the honours of war, and to take ship for her husband's -domains in Brittany without receiving insult or violence of any kind. - -How high her heart was beating as she sighted the shore, and knew that -her lord was awaiting her there, in that home which she had never yet -seen! True, she was sad for her brother, and for the cause which had -been lost in England; but after all, was not her husband safe, and -waiting for her to rejoin him? and might not the tide turn some day, and -they return to England in triumph, to help to overthrow the rule of -Norman William, against whom they had sought to incite this rebellion? - -These were fond hopes not destined to be realised. The courage and -state-craft of William the Conqueror carried him safely through all the -plots which assailed him during his stormy reign. Raoul de Gael knew -where he was safe, and abandoned his claims upon English soil. - -"I did well indeed to entrust my castle to the keeping of my bride!" -cried the proud husband, when he held her in his arms once more; and the -answer that went up from a thousand throats was a shout of admiration -and praise in honour of their lord's fair young wife, the brave Emma -Fitz-Osborn. - - - - -ELIZABETH STUART - - -A princess, yet a captive in the hands of her father's foes; those foes -who were already whispering their fell intention of putting him to -death! - -This was the situation of the youthful Elizabeth, the second daughter of -the ill-fated monarch, Charles I. Her mother and her eldest brother were -beyond the seas, having made good their escape from Cromwell and his -Roundheads; but she, with her two brothers, James, Duke of York, and -Henry, Duke of Gloucester, were captives in the power of the Parliament, -and though treated with courtesy and a certain kindliness, they were -permitted no liberty to come and go, or even to write to their friends. -Every action was carefully observed, and their persons were so closely -guarded that there was little hope of evading the many watchful eyes -that were ever bent upon them. - -"If I could but reach my brother and our mother!" was the exclamation -ever on the lips of James, when he and his sister were alone together. -It seemed to the high-spirited boy that once free from these encircling -walls and the vigilance of his warders, once across the sea to join the -others of his name and race, he must surely achieve some great thing for -the deliverance of his father; his restless mind was ever pondering this -theme. The thought of making good his escape was never absent from his -mind night nor day. - -Perhaps he plotted almost too much for his own success; for a day came -when he was summoned to an interview with certain of the Parliamentary -authorities, and he returned to his sister's apartments with flushed -face and flashing eyes. Elizabeth saw that he had been deeply angered by -what had passed, and she quickly got rid of her attendant, that she and -her brother might speak in peace together. This liberty was the only one -accorded to the Royal captives. Their rooms were guarded; they never -went abroad unwatched and unattended; but within the precincts of the -palace they had some privacy permitted to them, and they could speak -together without being overheard, though never without a fear of -possible eavesdroppers. - -"Sister, I have been grossly insulted!" cried James, with flashing eyes; -"they have intercepted my letter to our sister of Orange; they said they -had discovered treasonable matter in it." - -"Treasonable matter!" echoed Elizabeth, her breath coming and going. -"They dare to talk of treason!--They!" - -"Ay; that was the very word--treasonable matter! They saw, or thought -they saw it, in my desire to quit the country--to escape to Holland----" - -"But the letter was in cypher," interrupted Elizabeth. "How could they -read it when they had it?" - -A dark frown clouded the brow of James. - -"That I did not condescend to inquire; but I heard some talk between -those knaves themselves. I gathered that they had got the letter, and -had then sent for the Earl of Northumberland, and had shown him how we -had evaded his vigilance; had warned him, that if he could not find the -key of the cypher in which it had been written, he should be committed -to the Tower. Did I not tell you the other day that I was certain my -effects had been ransacked? I did not miss the cypher key. I know it so -well that I scarce ever have to look at it now. Doubtless they found and -took it away; but I did not observe it." - -"And they were angry with you, James?" - -"Angry? Ay, that they were. They dared to threaten me with the Tower, -too, if they found me plotting escape again!" - -Elizabeth clasped her hands closely together, her face worked with the -emotion she strove to master. She came and stood beside James, and laid -her soft cheek against his. - -"Jamie, Jamie," she cried piteously, "if they were to take you from me, -I think that I should die!" - -He put his arm about her, and they stood together, looking out of the -window, thinking and pondering deeply. - -"But, sister, you would have to learn to live without me if I were to -escape this thraldom, and win my liberty. Could you bear to let me go -for that?" - -A little tremor ran through the girl's slight frame. She was very frail -and delicate, this gentle, young Elizabeth; little fit to bear the -buffets of outrageous fortune, to stand alone in her strange captivity; -cut off from father, mother, friends, and kindred, and beset with so -many cruel anxieties and fears on behalf of those she loved best. Her -greatest solace in these sorrowful days was the companionship of her -brother James, who, being a year or more her senior, and endowed with -robust health, seemed like a tower of strength to the frail girl, hardly -more than a child in years, though misfortune had given a strange -maturity to her mind and disposition. It could not but be a dismal -thought to lose the constant companionship of this brother, to send him -forth into the perils of the great world without, where so many foes -awaited him. She might well have sought to keep him beside her, fearing -the perils of any project of escape; but despite her natural fears and -shrinkings, and the delicacy of her frame, the spirit of kings and -warriors was within her, and that spirit rose to meet the sacrifice -which might be required of her. - -"I would bear to let you go for that, Jamie," she answered. "But it -would break my heart were you taken from me to be immured within the -walls of the Tower." - -"It may come to that one of these days," said James, "if I be not able -to effect my escape. I cannot show the patience that you are able to -command; and I am not a child like Harry, there, of whose words and acts -no special note is taken. And did not our father bid me use every effort -to regain my liberty, and reach the side of our mother and brother? It -may be that already they are planning how to invade these shores, summon -all loyal hearts to join them, and set my father on the throne once -more! Oh! if such a thing were to happen, I must be there to help." - -His eyes kindled, his frame seemed to expand and grow tense; and an -answering thrill ran through that of the young Princess. - -"Ah, Jamie, Jamie, if only it might be!" she cried. - -"And why not, sister, why not? Other captives have escaped from far -stricter bondage than any we suffer from. What one has done another may -do. Why not?" - -"But they were men, and we are so young. We are scarce more than -children, albeit often I feel so old--so old!" - -"You are old enough to have the ready wit of a woman!" cried James; yet -even in his stress of feeling and excitement he kept his voice pitched -in a low key. "I have thought and thought and planned, but everything -falls to the ground; or we are betrayed into the hands of our enemies, -and threatened with stricter captivity than this. Elizabeth, put your -wits to work! Can you think of nothing? In bygone days it has been the -women sometimes who have done the thinking, whilst the men have done the -acting. Why should it not be so now?" - -The boy's dark, strenuous face looked earnestly into the fair spiritual -one of his sister, and into the cheeks of the young Elizabeth a faint -colour stole. - -"Oh, Jamie, I will try: I will try!" she answered. "But even could I -think of some stratagem or plan by which you could gain the freedom of -the world without, who is there outside that would dare to help you away -across the sea, whom we could dare to trust with such a secret?" - -"There is Colonel Bamfield," answered James promptly. "He is the man -whom I would trust for that." - -"Colonel Bamfield?" echoed Elizabeth doubtfully. "He who turned traitor -to our father's cause when all was lost? Would you trust such an one as -he?" - -"He is not a traitor at heart," whispered James eagerly. "He is the -staunchest friend we have. He has but feigned adherence to the -Parliamentary cause that he may the better serve us. I have had speech -with him, sometimes, for a few minutes. I trow he is to be trusted. And -as our enemies know that none is so bitter as a renegade, they think he -is our deadly foe. They do not suspect him as they would suspect others. -He plays his part right cunningly. He rails upon the King and his brood -most lustily; but all the while he is on the watch to serve us. I know, -could I once escape from these walls, that he would make all the rest -easy." - -There were footsteps without, and brother and sister started apart, as -the attendants entered the room on some pretext. They were well used to -this sort of thing. They were seldom left long alone together. The -little Duke of Gloucester, who had been playing quietly in a corner -whilst his brother and sister were talking, now came running up, and -begged for a game of hide and seek. - -This was one of the favourite sports of the Royal children; but to-night -Elizabeth excused herself on the plea of fatigue, and the two young -Dukes played alone, running hither and thither, and forgetting their -troubles for awhile, in the interest of the game. - -Elizabeth sat alone with her face hidden in her hands, thinking, -thinking, thinking, till it seemed as though her brain would scarcely -stand the strain of the mental conflict going on within her. She was -roused from her reverie at last by little Henry, who came and pulled -impatiently at her dress. - -"Come and help me to find Jamie," he begged. "He has hidden so well we -can none of us find him. You come and try!" - -Elizabeth rose quickly to her feet; she suddenly felt as though some -inspiration had darted into her heart. At the moment she did not pause -to examine it. She felt that when night came, and she was alone in the -darkness, she must take out this thing that had forced itself with -lightning rapidity into her being, and examine it at leisure. Might it -be that already the clue was in her hands? - -The Royal children were, at this time, under the care of Algernon Percy, -the Earl of Northumberland, and his Countess, and it was the desire of -both to make the captivity of the Princess and her brothers as little -irksome and trying as possible. At the same time, since they were held -responsible for their safe-keeping by the Parliament, they dared not but -use every precaution; and it was no easy matter for any of the children -to escape the vigilance of their guardians. - -A short time before this they had been at Sion House, and when there had -paid several visits to Hampton Court, to see their father who was in -confinement there. Once, not long since, they had spent two nights with -him in that Palace, to their great and mutual happiness. - -Now they had been removed to the Palace of St. James's, then on the -outskirts rather than actually in London itself, and surrounded by -pleasant gardens, in which the Royal children took exercise in fine -weather. They were very kindly treated by the Earl and Countess, and all -the servants of the household were instructed to show due and befitting -respect to the children of the King. So, in one sense of the word, their -life was not an unhappy one; but the shadow lying over their father's -fate, and the knowledge of their own inability to go to him or to go -anywhere, save at the will of their captors, made life somewhat bitter -to all, and roused a fierce sense of revolt in the heart of young James. - -It was during the children's sports that they were permitted most -liberty; and certainly James had found a clever place of concealment -this evening, for neither brother nor sister nor attendants could find -him; and it was only when Elizabeth called his name aloud from the -different corridors, and the great bell for supper clanged, that the boy -made his appearance, dusty and half covered with cobwebs, and laughingly -told Harry that he had found a fine hiding-place up near the roof, and -would show it him another day. - -The spring days were beginning to lengthen out now. A little while ago -it had been dark when they rose from supper, now it was growing lighter -every day. There was that promise of spring in the air that makes glad -the hearts of all young things. But it is hard to be a captive, penned -within walls and gates, when nature itself seems calling aloud upon men -to rejoice and to come forth into the gay free world without. - -"If it goes on much longer, Elizabeth, methinks I shall go mad!" spoke -James one day, when he and she were alone together. - -Then it was that, with bated breath and beating heart, Elizabeth -whispered into her brother's ear the thoughts and plans which had given -her so many sleepless nights of anxiety. - -"Jamie, have you ever noticed when we have passed Benyion's cottage, the -great key that hangs beside the door? That is the key of the outer -garden leading down to the river. I have seen him use it many times as -we have walked in the gardens." - -"Yes, I have seen him unlock that gate too. What of it?" - -"Jamie, if you had that key some evening at dusk, and if we had hidden -out yonder in our hollow tree some of my clothes, made to fit you, so -that none could suspect you were a boy, could you so arrange that -Colonel Bamfield should be awaiting you at the river side with a wherry -to take you to some vessel bound for Holland? I have still left a little -of the gold that our father entrusted to me. And I am told that -seafaring folk will brave much for gold. Colonel Bamfield could arrange -all that." - -"But how, how could I gain that key and use it at such an hour?" -questioned James, in an eager whisper. "How could such a thing be? Are -we not followed and watched everywhere?" - -"Yet have you not eluded all watchful eyes times without number in your -games with Harry? Have we not often searched the house for an hour, and -then have had to call you to come to us? If you can elude watchful eyes -in play, why not in earnest some day, whilst they think the play is -going on, and will make no marvel of missing you for an hour or more? -The days are getting long. Let us have our game after supper instead of -before. Let us so play night by night for a week or more, that they will -not dream we have any motive in the change. Let our friend the Colonel, -if he is to be trusted, make his plans. Then, upon a certain night, when -all is in readiness, and the boat is lying waiting for you, we will play -our hide-and-seek with a difference, and whilst brother and servants are -seeking for James within the house, and even the gardens--he will be far -down the river, making for the vessel that is to carry him hence." - -"But the key, Elizabeth, the key!" cried James, in great excitement; -"how can I gain possession of that?" - -"Listen, Jamie," answered Elizabeth, "I have thought of that. You must -begin to pretend to have exhausted the hiding-places of our portion of -the house, and you must ask to-day that the house steward will let you -conceal yourself in his pantry. Then the next day get leave of the cook -to hide somewhere in the kitchen. Another day be bolder still, and get -into the hay-loft, where the coachman will be proud and merry to hide -you. And then when the day comes that you ask the gardener for the key -of his cottage, to hide you there awhile, neither he nor any other who -hears will think it aught but a merry jest. Then as Harry will every day -be an hour and more in hunting you, that should be time enough for you -to change your attire and slip away through the gate; and if Colonel -Bamfield only do his part, you should be out of reach ere the pursuit -has fairly begun." - -James suddenly flung his arms about his sister's neck. - -"Oh! Elizabeth, Elizabeth! and you have thought of all that?" - -"I think of nothing else whilst we are playing hide-and-seek night by -night." - -"And suppose they find out that you were privy to the scheme all the -while, what will they do to you, Elizabeth!" - -She looked into his eyes, a brave smile on her pale face. - -"Think not of that, Jamie; in sooth I care little what they do to me. If -you only get safe away let them take me to the Tower, or whither they -will. Little Harry is too young to care greatly, so long as we are -together; and I do not think they will take him from me, even though -they do more straitly confine us." - -"But you--what would you do in that grim place?" asked James, with -something of a shudder. - -"I think all places are alike to me now," answered Elizabeth, with her -strangely spiritual smile, pathetic on the face of one so young; "God -will take care of us there as well as here. Do not fear for me, Jamie. -We must strive to do what our father wished. I shall be happy indeed in -knowing that you are safe and free. For my part, I am content in feeling -myself near to him, and in knowing that if he is a prisoner--so am I." - -Who would have thought, to watch the merry games of the Royal children -during the bright spring evenings that followed, what tumultuous -thoughts were surging within them, and what a daring plan had been -hatched in the brain of that delicate young girl, who so patiently -hunted the house, evening by evening, with her little brother, in -search of that clever hider, James. - -The servants were by this time devoted to the children, who treated them -with that invariable high-bred courtesy that never failed the hapless -Stuarts, whatever else they might lack or fail in. Coachman, steward, -cook, pantler--all were ready to assist the young Duke to some new -hiding-place, night by night. They enjoyed the game almost as much as -the children themselves. Indeed, they seemed to take a pride in -lengthening out the search, though in the end some whispered hint would -be given to the little brother if his energies showed signs of flagging, -and he would start forth hot upon the scent that would eventually lead -him to the hiding-place, if James did not spring out upon him first. - -The Earl and Countess were well used to the shouts and cries of little -Harry as he ran hither and thither through the house. The Earl generally -visited his young charges early in the evening, often just after supper, -and then he left them to their games till about nine o'clock, when he -attended first the younger Prince, and then the elder to their rooms, -and paid them the compliment of superintending in person their toilet -for the night. - -At last came the long-awaited Friday, the twenty-first day of April. The -twilight lingered long now, and the game of hide-and-seek was regularly -played after supper, lasting generally till the bedtime of the Duke of -Gloucester. - -[Illustration: He stopped short on seeing the Countess. - -_Page 125._] - -The Countess of Northumberland visited Elizabeth and her brothers this -evening, and sat awhile with the Princess after supper. Little Harry was -playing in a corner of the room; but the Countess looked rather -anxiously into Elizabeth's face, and remarked how white it was. - -"But I am not sick, I thank you, Madam," said the girl gently. "Belike -it is but the first of the springtide heat. I pray you not to send the -doctor. He does but give me physic which I know not how to swallow. I -shall be better anon--in a few days, I trust." - -At that moment James came running into the room, as though to speak to -his sister. He stopped short on seeing the Countess; but then, coming -forward, joined in the conversation, and chatted merrily enough. None -noted the quick glances that passed between brother and sister, nor the -strange wistfulness that brooded in Elizabeth's eyes. - -Suddenly James started up, as though just bethinking him. - -"Why, Harry, we must have our game; shall I hide again? Then give me -five minutes' grace, and come after me!" He looked at Elizabeth, and -said, "Wilt thou go with him? Or art thou tired to-night, sister?" - -"In sooth, I think she is aweary," said the Countess; and James put his -hands on Elizabeth's shoulders, boy fashion, and snatched a kiss from -her lips. - -"Then go to bed, sweetheart, and one of the servants shall attend -Harry," he said; "but he will not be content without his game of play." - -The boy was gone, and Elizabeth was thankful that little Harry now -claimed the attention of the Countess; for she felt as though every drop -of blood had ebbed from her face. What would be the next thing that she -heard of her brother? - -She could not be persuaded to remain in her room. She roamed all over -the house with Harry, whilst the Countess went back to her husband. -Harry's bedtime came at last; it was dark outside, save for the light of -the moon; the Earl came out, and asked where the boy was, and learned -that he was still seeking his brother. - -"Then I must needs help find him too," said the good-natured nobleman, -taking Harry's hand, and as the child seemed somewhat weary of the -search, he looked inquiringly at the servants. - -Then one came forward, and whispered that the Duke was hiding in the -gardener's cottage, of which he had begged the key; and thither they all -proceeded, Elizabeth commanding herself to laugh and chat with Harry, -and wonder where next Jamie would hide, and how many more strange -places were still left for him to find. - -Harry ran gaily into the cottage, when somebody had forced open the -locked door for him, at a sign from the Earl, whose face had suddenly -clouded over. But ransack as they might, not a trace of the fugitive -could be found. - -With a stifled exclamation of dismay the Earl dashed down to the -water-gate, which he found open. Then the truth flashed across him, and -he bit his lips in perplexed confusion. - -"Conduct the Princess and the Duke to the house," he said, "we must make -further inquiries into this matter!" - -Then Elizabeth knew at least that James had escaped from the Palace, -though she could not know for many days whether he would succeed in -making good his escape to Holland. - -She sought the privacy of her own rooms, and, falling upon her knees, -gave thanks to God for His great goodness in watching over them thus -far. - -Every day she expected to hear that some severe punishment was to be -inflicted upon her--perhaps even death itself, so little did she -understand the laws of the land--for the part she had taken in her -brother's escape. But strange to say her own complicity in the plot was -never suspected at that time. Her very calmness and courage, which -enabled her first to plan the clever scheme and then to go through her -own part so tranquilly, averted all suspicion from her. - -Even the Earl, when all the facts of the case were known, was exonerated -from blame. He had before told the Parliament that he declined absolute -responsibility with regard to the Royal children, unless he made actual -prisoners of them--a thing he was not prepared to do; and although there -was some angry discussion in the House, and several stringent measures -were recommended by certain extreme men, yet in the end humane counsels -prevailed, and the Princess Elizabeth, together with her little brother, -were permitted to remain beneath the kindly care of the Earl and -Countess of Northumberland. - -James escaped after a few perils, and got safe over to Holland; but the -hasty kiss he snatched from his brave young sister upon that April -evening was the last he ever gave or took from her. - -The girl Elizabeth never recovered the shock of her father's death two -years later, and though she lingered for more than a year, winning the -hearts of all about her by her sweetness of disposition and the -wonderful courage and fortitude she exhibited in the midst of so many -trials and sufferings, she passed peacefully away to a world where pain -and partings are no more, and where the sorrowful and weary are at -rest. - -Little Harry was with her to the last, receiving at her hands such few -poor possessions as remained to her. A while later, by an unwonted freak -of generosity on Cromwell's part, the boy was permitted to join his -mother in France. - - - - -CHARLOTTE HONEYMAN - - -"Pirates! Oh, Charlotte, how romantic! How do you know? Are you sure? -Oh, how I should love to see a real live pirate!" - -Charlotte smiled a little grimly. - -"I'm not quite so sure of that, Adela; I rather think if you were to -encounter him you would wish he were anything but a live pirate--you -would much prefer him dead!" - -"What a horrid idea, Charlotte!" and Adela shivered slightly. "But do go -on! Tell me some more! I thought there were no pirates left now. -Smugglers one knows abound; but pirates!" - -"I truly hope that there are not many such wretches in the world as the -man Gow seems by all accounts to be," said Charlotte, who, as the -daughter of the High-Sheriff of the island and county of Orkney spoke -with a certain amount of authority. "If half the tales they tell of him -are true, such a monster in human shape has seldom walked the earth. He -and his mate Williams have been a pair; but he found his subordinate one -too many for him, made him a prisoner, and handed him over to some -English man-of-war, under charge of various crimes, and the wretch has -probably been hanged ere this. But Gow yet goes scot-free!" - -"And is his vessel in one of our bays?" asked Adela, in a tremor of -excitement. - -"If the man's story be true, who came and asked speech of father last -night. He told a wonderful and a terrible tale. Father has gone off -to-day to make some particular inquiries into the business. He seems to -think very gravely of it." - -"And where is this terrible pirate vessel now?" - -"We do not know exactly. The seaman who came to seek for a magistrate -does not know the coast, and could not describe the place accurately. It -is not very near to our homes, thank heaven! We do not want pirates for -our neighbours!" - -"Oh, but pirates only rob at sea, not upon land," exclaimed Adela; "we -need not be afraid. I should love to see what a pirate ship looked like! -Does it carry a black flag? And do the men wear crimson sashes round -their waists, and black crape masks upon their faces?" - -Charlotte laughed a little. From her position as the daughter of the -Sheriff she knew a little more of the grim realities of crime than did -the younger and romantic Adela, whose pretty head was stuffed with a -good deal of nonsense. Sheriff Honeyman was very fond of his "little -child," as he still called Charlotte, notwithstanding the fact that she -had blossomed out into maidenhood of late years, and had left her -childhood behind. She was always ready for a clamber along the cliffs -with him, or a ride across the bare country on her sure-footed little -pony. He talked to her with unusual freedom for those days of his own -affairs, and was often amused by her shrewd comments and questions, as -well as by her little airs of worldly wisdom and fragments of meditative -speculation. - -He noted in her with approval, too, an intrepid spirit, and a readiness -of resource in moments of emergency, which she had inherited from him. -He was sometimes caught in storms when his daughter was with him, both -on land and on the sea, and he always admired her fearless spirit on -these occasions, as well as her presence of mind and quickness to think -and act. - -Charlotte had no sister, and her brothers were all away either at school -or college; but she was not lonely, for she had always plenty to occupy -and amuse her, and for companionship there was ever Adela to be depended -on; for Adela was an only child, and was devoted to Charlotte, who -seemed to her to be like brother and sister in one. - -Adela was the daughter of Mr. Fea, a wealthy gentleman (as wealth was -accounted in those days and in those parts) of the island. He owned -considerable tracts of land there, and he and Mr. Honeyman were -intimate friends as well as near neighbours. In his youth he had been a -poor man, but of late years things had greatly prospered with him, and -he was accounted only second to Mr. Honeyman in importance in that -district. As the two girls were walking up and down, and talking eagerly -together over this matter, Mr. Fea himself appeared coming towards them. - -Adela at once darted off, all eagerness to tell the news. - -"Oh, papa, papa, what do you think! Charlotte says that there is a -pirate vessel sheltering in one of the bays of our islands, and that we -may all be murdered in our beds any day!" - -Adela's face was quite glowing and beaming with excitement, and her -father could not forbear a laugh, in which Charlotte joined. - -"Well, my dear, that thought seems to give you wonderful pleasure! As -the old proverb says, 'there is no accounting for taste!'" Then, turning -to Charlotte, he asked: "But what is the sober sense of all this, my -dear? What news has come to your father about pirates?" - -"It is this, sir," answered Charlotte, turning to him quickly: "a poor -seaman came early this morning and asked speech of my father, and when -he was admitted he told a most terrible tale. Do you remember there -living once in these parts a man of the name of Gow, who afterwards took -to a seafaring life?" - -"Gow? To be sure I remember him," answered Mr. Fea at once. "He and I -were once at the same school--a hot-tempered, rather dangerous lad, of -whom nobody spoke well. We were none of us sorry when he shipped himself -off to sea. I have never heard of him since." - -"Well, the man who came to speak to papa told him that Gow had been mate -in a vessel called the _George Galley_, where he was a seaman. They had -a very good captain and officers; but Gow got up a mutiny on board, shot -the captain and some of the officers, got the well-disposed sailors shut -up helpless, took possession of the vessel, and changed its name to the -_Revenge_. Since then he has been scouring the seas, making the seamen -who did not join in the mutiny do the work of the vessel under threat of -cruel punishment or death, taking prizes, robbing and sinking small -vessels of many nations in the most reckless way, and now, by stress of -weather and through lack of water, they have put in here, where they -hope the news of their many misdeeds will not be known. They know -themselves to be in sore peril, for they have committed such -depredations on the high seas that their doings have become notorious, -and they are being watched for in many ports and on many oceans. But -here Gow thinks he may be safe for awhile, and, perhaps, even yet he -may elude justice, for he seems one of those men who carry charmed -lives." - -"Pooh-pooh, my dear; I don't believe in that sort of charmed life. Those -fellows always come to the gallows at last. But how did this man dare to -come with such a story? Gow will cut his throat if ever it comes to his -ears." - -"Yes; but he is not going back to the vessel. He escaped from her to -give notice to the authorities, and papa took him away with him, and has -promised him protection and help, though he will be wanted to give -evidence when Gow is brought to trial, as we hope to bring him. Papa has -gone off to take counsel with some others, and will not be back till -to-morrow; but the man said there was no fear that the _Revenge_ would -leave her moorings in that time. Gow was resolved to come ashore and -enjoy himself, and there were several more sailors who hoped to escape -from the ship, and to find their way to the mainland, there to give -notice of the pirate vessel." - -Mr. Fea was keenly interested in this story. He was a law-abiding -citizen, with a horror of bloodshed and violence, and he made up his -mind that he would do everything in his power to assist in the capture -of the pirate ship. It irked him to think that an Orkney man should have -sunk to the level of Gow, and the very fact of having known him in his -early days made him the more anxious to bring him to justice. It was a -horrible thing that such men were still ranging the seas, plundering and -murdering; and that honest seamen were forced to serve in such vessels -on pain of instant death! - -"I will see your father as soon as he returns," said Mr. Fea, "and we -will talk together as to the best method of making the capture. A pirate -sloop is not an easy prey to tackle; but we must see what can be done by -strategy or by force." - -Adela's eyes sparkled with excitement. - -"Oh, papa, will there be a battle? Shall we be able to see it? Will -there be danger and fighting, and all that sort of thing?" - -"I hope not, my dear; at least, not too much. There is always a little -risk in these affairs; but I hope most sincerely we may get off without -bloodshed. I should think that Gow was already sufficiently notorious, -without wishing to draw down upon himself the further ire of the -representatives of the law. Perhaps if he finds himself overmatched, he -may yield without much of a struggle." - -Mr. Fea was not in any way alarmed for his own or his neighbours' -houses, even though there was a pirate schooner lying hidden in one of -the many indentations of their coast. It seemed to him, from Charlotte's -story, that Gow had run in here in the hopes of lying safe and quiet for -a short spell, and that his aim and object would be to avoid stirring up -any sort of inquiry about himself and his vessel. He appeared to desire -to enjoy himself on shore for awhile, and he certainly would not be able -to do that if he incriminated himself by any acts of violence there. So -again telling Charlotte that he would be over the next day to see her -father, and would meantime think of some plan as to what might be done -to entrap the pirate and his crew, and gain possession of the vessel, he -took his daughter with him, as he turned to go to his house, and -Charlotte sped over the few dividing fields, and reached her own home -just as the dusk was beginning to fall. - -She and her mother took their supper comfortably together. Mrs. Honeyman -was an elderly lady, of considerable spirit and strength; but she was -very hard of hearing, though a little sensitive about this failing, so -that she was content often not to understand exactly what was passing, -rather than ask for an explanation. - -Charlotte did not mention the pirates to her; for she thought if she -shouted out the story, that some servant would be certain to hear, and -take alarm, and there might be a sort of panic in the house. The butler -knew, as Mr. Honeyman had given him a few extra instructions about -locking up the plate at night; but he did not wish his household -needlessly alarmed; the more so as he was not able to be himself at home -till the next day. - -After supper, it came into Charlotte's head that, in her father's study -there was generally on this day a considerable amount of gold, ready for -the payment of the weekly wage to labourers and people of the place on -the morrow. It occurred to her that she would do well to take her -father's cash-box up to her own room that night. Ordinarily, there was -so little fear of robbery here, that many people forgot to lock their -doors at night; but perhaps, with a crew from a pirate vessel lurking -somewhere near, it would be better to be on the safe side. - -So after supper she went away quietly, took the heavy cash-box out of -the drawer, and carried it up to her room. She had in her keeping, in an -old-fashioned bureau, a good many family heirlooms in the shape of -jewels, some of them of great value; and beside these there were some -precious family documents greatly prized by her parents. - -Charlotte could scarcely have told why it was that she took these out of -their hiding-place, folded them carefully up, and strapped them to the -cash-box, which she wrapped in a cloak and placed the bundle in her -wardrobe, where a dark driving-cloak and hood hung from a peg. She was -conscious of feeling a little restless and excited, though hardly -uneasy. - -"It is Adela's nonsense about being murdered in our beds, and all that," -she said to herself; "I will go down and get a book, and not trouble -myself about those stories any more." - -Everything was very quiet as Charlotte and her mother sat beside the -cheerful log fire with their books. The house was rather a rambling -building, having only one upper storey of rooms, and covering a good -deal of ground. The sounds from one part of the house did not easily -penetrate to another; and Charlotte had not heard anything to awaken any -uneasiness, when suddenly, hasty steps sounded outside the door, which -opened to admit of Peter, the butler, who had such a white, scared face, -that, instinctively, Charlotte jumped up and placed herself so that her -mother might not see the man's expression of terror. - -As a matter of fact, Mrs. Honeyman, being engrossed in her book, did not -heed her daughter's movement, and, of course, had not heard the approach -of the servant. - -"The pirates! the pirates!" cried Peter, in strangled tones. "My -mistress--my dear young mistress! Fly for your lives! They will murder -every one who tries to thwart them!" - -"How many are there?" asked Charlotte breathlessly. - -"Ten; nine are to go through the house and take everything. The tenth -guards the door. They say they will not hurt anybody who offers no -resistance; but they will shoot the first one of us who tries to save -his master's property!" - -Charlotte's eyes flashed. Her spirit was rising within her; but she was -no reckless fool to adventure herself and others in a futile struggle. - -"The men are armed, of course?" - -"To the teeth, with knives and pistols and cutlasses." - -"Then, Peter, we cannot tackle them ourselves. We must get your mistress -away at once. She must not even know what is happening in the house, -else I am not certain she would not face the whole pirate crew herself, -and defy and resist them. She must not run that risk. Be ready to follow -up what I shall say. I do not like to deceive; but we must stoop to -subterfuge for once." - -Then, turning back into the room, she shouted to her mother--but rather -slurring over her words, and making many breaks. - -"Mamma--mamma, you are wanted. Something terrible has happened. Mrs. -Fea--you must go there instantly. Please do not lose a moment. It may be -life or death. Peter will take you. Your cloak and over-shoes are yonder -in the lobby. That is the nearest way; and I will follow you quickly and -see what is the matter." - -Now Mrs. Honeyman was the most notable nurse in all the island, and in -all cases of sudden emergency she was always sent for, and delighted to -go and show her kindliness and skill. She was on her feet in a moment -now, and hurried with Charlotte into a little lobby on the other side -of the room, where her walking things for the garden always hung, and -where a side-door led straight out into the garden on that side of the -house nearest to the Feas'. Peter caught up a cap and gave his arm to -his mistress, but bent an imploring glance upon Charlotte. - -"Missy, Missy, you must come too. I cannot leave you." - -"I will be after you directly. I have but to run up these stairs here to -my own room for something. Don't lose a moment. I shall overtake you. -But I have something I must secure first. Lose not a moment in -acquainting Mr. Fea with what has happened." - -Mrs. Honeyman, was by this time unlocking the door, and Peter had no -choice but to follow his mistress. Charlotte, drawing a long breath of -relief in the consciousness that her mother was now safe, darted up the -little stairway to her own room, and already fancied that she heard -strange steps and voices in the house. - -Her heart beat to suffocation in the thought that at any moment the -other door might be dashed open, and some ruffian suddenly come in and -snatch away her precious treasure. What a mercy it was that she had -thought of secreting it like this! Here it was under her hand. She was -already wrapped in her cloak; her precious package was in her arms, she -was about to run down the little stairs again, when, to her horror, she -heard rough voices in the parlour below, and the sound of oaths as the -men called one to another in their hasty search. - -"'Tisn't here! There's nothing here worth laying hands on. They must -have hid it somewhere. Let's be off upstairs. Here's another staircase. -Let's see where that leads to!" - -Charlotte darted back into her room again, and drew the little bolt -across it. But that would only give her a moment's respite, she knew. -One or two heavy blows would bring the door crashing inwards; and what -then? She could not fly out by the other one, down the main staircase, -without encountering the man on guard at the hall-door. The sight of her -precious package would be certain to attract their instant attention, -and they had threatened with death all who strove to resist their -project of robbery. - -But if she were to give up the valuables? Then she might well escape. -They had no personal quarrel with her; and nobody had told her to -constitute herself the guard of the family property. For one brief -instant, Charlotte hesitated; then, with a snort of contempt at her own -cowardly thought, she dashed open the window, threw her precious package -down into the garden beneath, and herself vaulted lightly after it. - -She had performed this feat occasionally before, in the days of her -tom-boy pranks with her brothers, but she had not often practised such a -leap of late, and the darkness made it more difficult. She was conscious -of a sharp thrill of pain in her foot as she reached the ground, but, -striving not to think of this, she caught up her bundle and fled; a -light instantly flashing from the window of the room she had quitted, -showed her that she had only just made her spring in time. - -With a heart that thumped so loud in her ears as to deaden all other -sound, Charlotte sped onwards as fast as the injured foot would allow -over the rough ground that separated her home from that of her friends. -But, in a few moments, she was certain that she was pursued. She heard -angry, threatening voices in the garden behind her. Glancing back she -saw flashing lights, and through the still night air came the sound of -curses, which bespoke very real disappointment. Evidently, the men had -heard of the cash-box to be found in Mr. Honeyman's house, and were -enraged that it was not forthcoming. - -"Somebody has taken it and made off!" cried a stentorian voice. "After -him, men!--scatter, and scour the place. He can't have got far! Blow out -his brains if he resists. That money I will have. I don't come all this -way on a fool's errand!" - -[Illustration: Suddenly, close above her, the steps came to a dead stop. - -_Page 145._] - -Charlotte heard, and instantly was aware of flying footsteps in many -directions, some coming her way. What could she do? Try as she would her -progress was not rapid. The distance to the Feas' house, so short on -ordinary days, now seemed endless. There were no trees to give cover. -That windswept island was bare of any save stunted bushes, and even of -these there were none to serve her purpose. If the moon should shine out -she would instantly be seen. She was not certain that some of those -fierce shouts did not mean that she had been seen already. - -Breathless and terrified, but still clutching her treasure tightly, -Charlotte made for a great hole in the bank that she had known from -childhood. Into this friendly, yawning chasm she crept, pushing her -bundle before her, and here she crouched in darkness, covered by the -folds of her sombre cloak, expecting almost moment by moment to feel a -rough hand pulling her forth, or the threat of a bullet through her -brain if she did not instantly give up her treasure. - -Footsteps came nearer and nearer. She shrank closer and closer into her -hole. She felt her flesh creep as the ground shook beneath the heavy -tread; it was all she could do to keep from uttering a cry. The horror -of that approaching discovery was so very real to her. - -Suddenly, close above her, the steps came to a dead stop. She had been -discovered! She knew she had! Her senses almost forsook her. It was a -moment that she never forgot. Then a voice spoke, a rough, raucous -voice: - -"You'd best come back. It's no good staying here. They're coming out -from that other house with lights and servants. They've got wind of -something up, and the sooner we get off with what we've found the -better." - -A sudden rebound of feeling made Charlotte almost cry aloud. And as she -strained her ears to hear, the heavy tread of feet shook the ground once -more, now in full retreat. A few minutes later, limping in her gait, her -face as white as death, her dress covered with sand, her hands still -grasping the bundle that held the treasure, Charlotte almost fell into -Mr. Fea's fatherly arms, and told him all her tale. - -"I don't know what Mr. Honeyman will say when he hears how near his -little girl went to losing her life for the sake of some valuables," he -said, as he led her into the house; "but one thing I know: he will be -mighty proud of having such a heroine for a daughter." - -"If he doesn't think I was only a little goose," panted Charlotte, -beginning to look like herself. "But, oh, I am glad those wretches have -not got the things! And are you sure they have hurt nobody?" - -That was the end of Charlotte's personal exploit with the pirates; but -there were many exciting days to follow, for in trying to get their -vessel away quickly, they put out on a stormy night, and were driven -ashore in the bay called Calf Sound, not far from the houses of Mr. -Honeyman and Mr. Fea. There, after much effort and some little -stratagem, the crew was finally captured, and Gow met his richly -deserved fate and perished on the gallows. - - - - -MARY BRIDGES - - -"Eleanor! Sister! There be days when I know not how to bear it. I feel -that I shall do something desperate." - -"Nay, hush, Mary! hush! why shouldst thou speak so wildly? We must be -patient! Things will not always be so black!" - -"Patience, patience! I am sick to death of the word! We have borne with -these odious men about the house, till sometimes I feel that I can bear -it no longer. And now that our father hath gone, and Robert with him, I -feel that the house is scarce a safe place for our mother or ourselves." - -"Come, come, Mary, thou dost go something too far!" - -"I trow not. Those bloody, hateful men of Kirke's, what do they care how -they frighten or annoy those who are forced for a time to shelter them? -The maid servants dare never be alone for an instant. They never know -but that one of those half-tipsy fellows will not come lurching in upon -them. And listen, 'twas only just now that I met one of them, smelling -so vilely of beer and spirits that it made me sick to go near him, -wandering up the stairs into our part of the house; and when I bid him -begone to his own quarters, what thinkest thou the wretch did?" - -"He did not hurt thee?" quoth Eleanor, with sudden solicitude. - -The eyes of the younger girl flashed fire. - -"Had he laid a finger upon me, methinks I would have slain him as he -stood!" she cried. - -"Oh, hush, Mary! hush! hush!" pleaded Eleanor. "It is not good in these -times to speak such rash words." - -"A pretty pass things have come to if sisters may not speak freely -together in their own home!" flashed out Mary, whose quick temper was -easily aroused, and whose pent up indignation of weeks was coming upon -her like a flood. "No, the creature did not dare lay hands upon me. I -gave him a look--that was enough; but he vowed with many a vile oath -that he would kiss me ere he did my bidding. If I had shown one mite of -fear, Eleanor, I verily believe that he would have been as good as his -word." - -The fair Eleanor shivered with a sense of keen disgust. She had not her -sister's courage and readiness and masterful looks and ways. Suppose she -had met one of these men upon the stairs, and he had spoken thus to -her, would she have been able to escape the hated salute? It turned her -sick to think of it--albeit in those days kisses were given and received -much more commonly than has since become the fashion between men and -women, youths and maidens. Mary read her sister's thoughts, and cried -out: - -"Yes, yes, that is how I feel! Suppose it had been thou! Suppose insult -were offered to thee,--or to our mother,--who is there to defend you? -Oh, why was I not born a boy that I could set these surly knaves in -their place? Robert should not have gone and left us, when our father -was called hence too. It is not right or fitting; and with all these -fearful things going on around us. It is enough to make one turn against -the King, when he makes use of such vile instruments!" - -"Oh, hush, Mary! hush! have a care! It is not safe to talk in that -reckless fashion. Who knows but that there may be some meddling spy -prowling about? And they say men and women are sent to prison and to -death for such small offences now." - -"Ah, yes, it is the cruelty, the horrid cruelty we see perpetrated on -every hand that makes me so desperate. Think of that man Kirke, feasting -and laughing on the balcony overlooking the place where his victims were -being hanged and dismembered! think of it, Eleanor! and calling for -music for them to 'dance to' when their poor bodies twitched and swayed -on the gibbets; eating and drinking and making merry when human lives -were passing from the world in all that agony and shame!" - -"Thou shouldst not listen to such stories, Mary, it does no good; and it -does but make life seem unbearable sometimes." - -"And then, after Sedgemoor!" cried Mary, without heeding; "I heard -another thing of him there. Did they tell it thee too, Eleanor? There -was a man about to die--without trial--without condemnation--just strung -up as so many were on the trees by the moor's edge, at the bidding of -that man of blood! He was one of many; and the bystanders said that he -was the fleetest runner of any on the country side, and could run with a -galloping horse. Colonel Kirke asked him if that were true; and he said -he had done it. Kirke asked if he would like to do it again to save his -life; and he caught eagerly at the proffered hope. He ran with the -horse, he kept up the whole course, he returned breathless, exhausted, -but full of hope of the promise of life, and what does that monster of -cruelty and injustice do?--just has him swung up with the rest, ere the -poor wretch can find breath to plead for the promised pardon! Oh, it -makes my blood boil--it makes my blood boil! I have been loyal to the -King's cause all this while; but how can we help loathing and despising -a monarch who will use such tools as that?" - -"Perhaps he does not know," faltered Eleanor. - -"Not know!" echoed Mary, in scorn. "It is because he knows all too well -their temper that he sends them here! Hast heard what men are whispering -now?--that soon there will be an assize in the west to try all those who -have been concerned in this rebellion; and they say that His Majesty -will choose for the judge the most cruel, the most notoriously evil, the -most passionate and ungoverned of all the judges on the bench, and that -his name is Jeffreys. And people say if once he come hither, no man in -Taunton, nor in the west country will ever forget his coming. We shall -have such a deluge of blood as has never run in England before." - -"Oh, Mary, what fearful tales thou dost get hold of!" - -"They are fearful; but they are true. That is what makes them so -terrible," answered Mary. "Oh, how I hate and detest cruelty and lust of -blood! Art thou not glad, Eleanor, that even Kirke himself could not -cozen or threaten any Taunton man into acting as executioner to those -poor wretches taken on the field of Sedgemoor? They had to send to -Exeter or elsewhere to get a man to do that bloody work. Fancy cutting -the poor wretches down ere they were quite dead, and cutting out their -hearts, and flinging them on the fire, whilst the Colonel made merry at -his window, and the music drowned the curses of the crowd and the cries -of the victims or their friends! Methinks we have gone back to the days -of the Druids and their human sacrifices. Oh, how can the King permit -it? It is enough to drive the whole nation to hate him!" - -"And yet we do not want a usurper to rule over us, even if the lawful -King be such an one as His Majesty is now. Thou art not foolish enough -to wish that the Duke of Monmouth had been victorious, Mary?" - -"N-no, I suppose not! I love not usurpers; and our father hath always -averred that it is an open question whether the Duke is the son of the -late King Charles. No man seems able to say for certain what is his -parentage, albeit he was treated like a son; and there be those who -swear that the King did marry his mother in secret, and that he is -rightful heir to the crown." - -"Mary, Mary, thou dost not believe all those foolish stories that thou -hast heard passing about? Men are always ready to believe that which -they desire to believe. But the Duke of Monmouth, if the late King's son -at all, has no claim upon the crown. Had it been otherwise he would have -been acknowledged as heir; for every man likes his son to reign in his -place. Our father thinks that the Duke is the son of one of the Sydneys; -he says he is so strangely like him; and the King never called him son, -though he was so fond of him, except when he presumed too far." - -"Oh, I know, I know," answered Mary restlessly, "I have heard it all -argued a thousand times over. No, I do not want the Duke of Monmouth or -any other pretender; but I long for a King who can show mercy and -kindness and generosity; not a man full of the most bitter and -vindictive spite, who chooses as his tools and instruments those to whom -cruelty is a delight!" - -It was no wonder that Mary Bridges' soul was stirred within her at this -time. She was the second daughter of Sir Ralph Bridges, of Bishop's -Hull, near Taunton, and when she was a young girl of some fourteen -summers, the whole district was stirred into violent excitement and -violent emotion by the sharp outbreak of rebellion under the Duke of -Monmouth. - -The unpopularity of James II. was on the increase in those places where -the Protestant faith had its strongholds. It was openly asserted that -the King was a professed Romanist now, and that, in time, the whole -constitution of the country would be undermined by him, and that -persecutions of a terrible kind would break out under his rule. - -The Duke of Monmouth came as the champion of the Protestant faith; and -hundreds who would not, in calmer moments, have admitted his claim, or -have thought it right for a moment to support one whose birth was so -very doubtful, were carried away by religious enthusiasm, and let -themselves be easily persuaded that this young man was the champion of -the faith; and that, be he who he might, he was a heaven-sent messenger -for the truth. - -Far-seeing men, however, and men who knew something of the true -character and the past history of the Duke, were not so easily carried -away by the enthusiasm of the moment. Even had his claim been sounder, -he was not the man to push the enterprise to a successful issue. His -first burst of success, which had raised the hopes of his followers, and -had occasioned a certain alarm and uneasiness in the minds of his -opposers, had quickly been followed by a succession of reverses, and on -the field of Sedgemoor the hopes of the Duke and his adherents met with -a final overthrow. - -Sir Ralph Bridges had been one of those who had watched the course of -the rebellion with keen interest, and had thrown his influence upon the -side of law and order. He had upheld the lawful King throughout, and had -done good service in keeping order in his own immediate neighbourhood. -But now that the revolt was at an end, and that the proportions to which -it had swelled had not been very great, it seemed to Sir Ralph and to -others as though clemency and consideration might be meted out to the -victims of the ill-timed movement; and he had been greatly scandalised -and shocked by the fury shown by Colonel Kirke and his men--his "Lambs" -as they had been named in fierce derision--for the heartless brutality -of their conduct. - -It was, in fact, this indignation on the part of Sir Ralph which had -caused him to leave his home somewhat suddenly, and before the -withdrawal of the King's soldiers, billeted upon his house, in order -that he might post to town with all possible speed, and join with other -influential persons interested in the matter in seeking to win over the -King, through his ministers and advisers, to a milder and less -vindictive policy in dealing with the many persons now under arrest for -having been concerned in the rebellion. He had gone with some -reluctance; but it was told him by Kirke himself that the soldiers would -very shortly be removed from his house, and he had taken his son with -him as a precautionary measure; for he was a hot-headed youth, rather of -Mary's disposition, and the father was afraid that the lad would get -into trouble if he were not there to look after him; his disgust against -the atrocities of "Kirke's Lambs" being almost as great as was Mary's. -It was from her brother she had learned most of the more ghastly tales -of which her mind was full. Eleanor and her mother shrank from hearing -such terrible things; but Mary seemed consumed by that fearful curiosity -that longs, and yet hates, to know. - -The very next day, to the immense relief of Lady Bridges, who, though -ever a dignified and self-contained woman, was one of a nervous -temperament, the order came from Colonel Kirke that the soldiers were to -depart from Bishop's Hull. Great was the satisfaction of the household -and its mistress; but equal was the disgust of the men. They had had a -fat time of plenty in this house where everything they demanded was -accorded by its mistress, who, since the departure of her lord, had -found it easier to give than withhold, although Mary's heart often -burned with anger at hearing the insolent demands of the brutal fellows, -who seemed to her to drink and carouse from morning till night. They had -been away during the time of the battle; but they were soon back again, -more swaggering, more insolent, more insupportable than ever; and, in -the absence of Sir Ralph, there seemed no end to their exactions. - -The order which came was that they were to depart upon the morrow; and -it was fervently hoped that they would take themselves off at break of -day; but this was an idea which never seemed to enter their heads. They -called for more wine and beer than ever; sat drinking and dicing in the -buttery hall, as though that was their only occupation in life; and when -asked when they were going to take themselves off, replied only with -curses and foul abuse. - -So insolent and intolerable did they become at last, that even Lady -Bridges' wrath was stirred within her. She and her daughters and -household had been dining as usual in the upper hall; and when the noise -from below at last became overpowering, she bid her house-steward go and -send the men away, saying that they should have nothing more from her -larder or brew-house, that their Colonel had recalled them, and they had -no longer any right to be there. - -Mary clasped her hands together in delight at hearing this message. The -tables in the hall were now cleared. The servants had dispersed save a -few who were setting the place in order, Lady Bridges and her daughters -were standing upon the dais where was the upper table, when suddenly -several drunken soldiers came lurching towards them in a state of such -anger and intoxication as made them fearful and repulsive objects. - -They were swearing and cursing after the foul fashion of the day; and -though sober enough to see the ladies and make straight towards them, -they were not sober enough to choose their words, and continued to pour -out vile and insulting threats and abuse. - -Lady Bridges, trembling in every limb, sank down in her chair, giving -hasty and terrified glances round her to see if help were near, and yet -mortally afraid of doing anything that could be construed by spiteful -misrepresentation into a charge of treason. The King's soldiers were the -King's servants. And who knew what power they might not have? - -Eleanor cowered behind her mother as the soldiers lurched up the hall, -making gross demands of their hostess, and speaking in violent and -insulting language to all three ladies. The frightened servants crowded -together in the background waited for their lady's orders ere -interfering; and she, fearing to speak the word, only sat there rigid -and trembling, whilst ever nearer and nearer came the threatening -soldiers with their evil faces and foul words. - -Mary's eyes were blazing. Her whole frame was shaken with a passion of -fury. If they dared to come up the steps and lay hands upon her -mother,--dared to touch one of them,--she drew in her breath, she -clenched her hands till the nails dug into the palms. Her eyes were upon -the foremost man. They had begun to sparkle strangely. Just as he -staggered up the first step she darted forward, stooped quickly, and -drew from its sheath the shining sword he carried. Then, backing a few -steps in front of her mother and sister, she cried in a voice shaken -with passion: - -"Dare to come one step nearer, dare to lay hands upon any of us, and -thou shalt see what a maid of Taunton will do!" - -What happened in those next few seconds it were hard to say. The girl -stood rigidly before her mother and sister with the keen blade in her -slim hands, pointing it immovable at the drunken soldier still advancing -in menacing fashion. He did not believe in the girl's threat, or in the -strength of those little white hands. He laughed to see her pointing the -sword at him, and words even grosser than anything that had passed -before were hurled at her as he came on with drunken violence and -brutality. Was it the impetus of that lurch forward, or did Mary herself -lunge her weapon at him? Those who looked on could never rightly -determine. Mary herself never could answer the question. But the sword -pointed straight at the man's heart was so firmly held by those girlish -hands, that, as he precipitated himself upon her to break down her -guard, the shining blade ran clean through his body, and he fell pierced -to the heart, a dead corpse at Mary's feet. - -Eleanor shrieked, and covered her face with her hands. Lady Bridges fell -back white, and gasping: - -"Mary! Mary! What hast thou done? Unhappy child! God be merciful to thee -and to us!" - -Mary stood very straight and upright. There was no colour in her face; -yet there was no faltering in her eyes. Soldiers and servants alike -stood still and motionless, too much startled and awed by what had -occurred to move or speak; all eyes being fixed upon the motionless -figure of Mary. - -"Take that thing away!" she said at last, pointing with a fierce -repulsion to the dead soldier at her feet. "Take him and begone every -one of you! Is it for girls to teach you the lesson how to be men and -not brutes?" - -In absolute silence, and with something like fear in their faces, the -other soldiers, thoroughly sobered, came and carried off the corpse of -their companion, and withdrew from the house. Only one significant word -was spoken by the chief of the band ere he finally withdrew. - -"Colonel Kirke will have to hear of this, mistress," he said, addressing -Mary with more of respect in his glance than there had ever been before. -She was standing in precisely the same spot and in the same attitude, -and she merely bent her head very slightly as she heard the words. - -"Tell him everything!" she exclaimed suddenly, as the man turned to go. -"Do you think I am afraid?" - -He gave her a look of admiration, bowed, and retired. It was then and -only then that her mother and sister broke into lamentation and tears; -and Lady Bridges, holding her to her breast, sobbed in the bitterness of -a mother's anguish. - -"Oh, Mary! Mary! What hast thou done? And what can they do to thee? Oh, -that man of iron! that cruel, cruel Kirke! And is it before him thou -must go?" - -Mary kissed her mother, and freed herself gently from her embrace; her -nerves were still strung tensely up. She felt no qualm of fear. - -"Mother," she said, "there was no one else to defend you and Eleanor. -None else would have dared to lift a hand against a soldier of the -King's. Was I to stand by and see and hear such things? God in heaven -alone knows whether it was my act or his that did him to death. But even -if I did strike him to the heart, is not he a man of blood? And is it -not written that they who take the sword shall perish by the sword?" - -"Oh, my child, my child," wept the mother, "God in His mercy grant that -such a fate be not thine own!" - -It was two days later when Mary Bridges stood pale and dauntless before -that terrible soldier, Colonel Kirke. Her offence was judged to be a -military one, and she was arraigned before him by court-martial. Lady -Bridges, her self-command and dignity recovered, stood close beside her -daughter; and behind them clustered a number of servants, all ready to -swear upon their Bible oath that Mistress Mary had never lunged at the -soldier by so much as a hair's breadth, but that the man had run upon -the weapon with which she was defending her mother and sister. - -But their testimony was not destined to be asked or given. Colonel Kirke -was a man of few words, and of rapid decision. It was seldom that any -case coming before him was granted any space for discussion and -hair-splitting. - -His own soldiers told the tale fairly enough, admitting the insult, the -drunken violence of their dead comrade, and the fact that they had no -real right to be in Lady Bridges' house or presence at all. They -described the death in detail; and Mary stood silent listening to all -that passed; but speaking never a word, nor giving one sign of wavering -or of fear. - -The Colonel's sombre glance rested again and again upon her face; and, -when the accusation was brought to an end, he asked her to state her -defence. - -"I did it," she answered, speaking fearlessly, "I am going to tell you -what your 'Lambs' are like, and you can kill me afterwards in any way -you choose. I am not afraid. Your men are cowards and drunkards. I grant -they can fight; but they are cowards in their cups. They insult women -and girls; they make themselves feared and hated and detested wherever -they go. Men speak of them with execration, and they will go down to -posterity hated and loathed. Mother, don't try and stop me! I will speak -now that I have the chance. Colonel Kirke, have you a mother? Were you -ever asked to stand by and hear her grossly threatened and insulted? If -you had been there, what would you have done? I am not a man, I am only -a weak girl, but I was not going to endure that. I would have killed -every man who had sought to attack her. Whether I killed him by an open -pass at him, or whether he ran upon his own sword, I do not know--I do -not care. I stood there to save my mother and my sister from outrage. -You can condemn me to death for it, if you will. I am not afraid!" - -There was deathly silence in the hall for a few seconds after those -words were spoken. Then Colonel Kirke's voice rang out firm and clear: - -"Bring me the sword with which this deed was done!" - -The sword was brought. The Colonel took it in his hands and looked upon -it. There was the stain of blood upon the shining blade. - -Lady Bridges gasped when she saw him turn towards Mary. Was he about to -slay her child before her very eyes? - -Straight and tall towered the terrible Colonel before Mary; he then did -a very strange thing--a thing so strange that those who witnessed it -drew their breath in silent amaze. He slightly bent the knee, and placed -the naked sword very gently in Mary's hands. - -"Mistress Mary Bridges," he said, in that voice which had caused so many -to tremble, and which had of late given so many fearful orders of -merciless savagery, "this sword is yours. Take it; and take with it the -full acquittal of this court. The act that you have performed is no -crime; it is an honour to the strong young hands that performed it, and -the noble young heart that nerved those hands to the deed. Take this -sword, and keep it; let it be in your family a treasured heirloom. Let -it be handed down to other Mary Bridges yet to come, and with it the -tale of how, in the past, a girl, a daughter, a tender maiden, was found -strong enough to rally to the defence of her mother, whilst craven -hirelings shrank and feared, and coward soldiers looked on and raised no -hand to check the violence of a comrade!" - -His fierce eyes swept round the hall, and many shrank before the glance; -then it softened once more, and he looked straight at Lady Bridges. - -"Madam, I bid you farewell. Take home your daughter, and be proud of -her. Guard her well; and when the time does come, find her a mate worthy -of herself. Mistress Mary Bridges, I kiss your hand. Fare you well, and -may you be known to posterity when this tale is told, as 'Mary Bridges -of the Sword.'" - - - - -THERESA DUROC - - -The city was ringed about with walls of fire. By night it presented a -terrible aspect to those who could gain a safe vantage ground out of -range of the batteries, and watch for awhile the fearful glare from -them, as the fiery missiles were sent hurtling forth, charged with their -errand of death and destruction. And even if the batteries were silent -there was generally some terrible glow of fire in the sky, for almost -every day a conflagration broke out in some portion of the city, and the -terrified inhabitants never knew from day to day whose turn might not -come next. - -Theresa lived with her widowed mother in one of those large houses -common in all great cities, where the poor were herded together at close -quarters, and in days like these had to suffer many privations, as well -as all the nameless terrors which beset men's hearts at such a time. -Some of their neighbours had fled before the encompassing army shut in -the city; but Theresa and her mother remained. For they knew not where -else to go. And if Pierre, away fighting for his country, should be -recalled by the exigencies of war, and the siege should suddenly be -raised by help from without, where would the poor boy find them, if not -in the old home? - -"The good God will care for us and protect us, if we trust ourselves to -Him," the Widow Duroc had said; and, whilst others collected their few -possessions and quitted the city, she and her daughter remained in the -almost deserted house. - -It was necessary for them to remain, if possible, as it was in the city -that Theresa's work lay. She went daily to one of the shops where fine -starching and ironing was done, and, with the money she earned in this -way, she had kept the little home comfortable for some time. Her mother -was a cripple, and could only do a little needlework when she was able -to procure it. Sometimes Theresa was enabled to bring her home some from -the shop, but for the rest they were dependent upon the earnings of the -girl. If they were to seek to fly the city they had nowhere to go, and -would lose their only means of support. It seemed better to remain and -risk the peril within the walls than fly they knew not where. - -And now they were fast shut in, and had grown so well used to the -booming of the guns or the sharp scream of the shell hurtling through -the air, that they spoke and moved in the midst of the tumult as quietly -as they had done before it began. Indeed, sometimes, when for a night, -or for part of a day, the batteries became suddenly silent, the -stillness would seem almost more awful than the roar that had gone -before. It would cause them to awake from sleep with a start, or to stop -suddenly in what they were saying or doing, and always the question -arose in the heart, or to the lips: - -"What is it that has happened? Has the city fallen?" - -The tall house in which they lived was far more silent and empty now -than it had been before the siege began. The authorities had encouraged -all those who were able, to depart before escape should be impossible. -They foresaw that food was likely to become scarce, and the fewer -useless mouths there were to fill the better for all. But those who had -sons, or husbands, or brothers in the army were suffered to remain, as -were all who could not leave without suffering heavily; and it was known -to Theresa, from what she heard spoken about her, that should famine -threaten, and the city be put upon rations, she and her mother would be -entitled to receive a share, as being among those whose bread-winner was -with the army. - -But at first there seemed little fear of this, and Theresa's work went -on as before. The tall house where they lived was not in range of any of -the batteries, and though their hearts were often torn by fear for -others, and by sorrow for their beautiful buildings being so sorely -shattered and ruined, they themselves did not suffer, and they grew -accustomed to the conditions which had seemed at first so strange and -terrible. - -But day after day passed by, and the days lengthened into weeks, and -still the hoped-for relief did not come; those within the beleaguered -city only heard whispers from the world without, and knew not what was -passing there. - -"If only our Pierre could get a letter to us!" the widow would say, -again and again; "then we should know how it was faring with him and -with the army." - -Theresa going daily to her work heard all the flying rumours which -reached the city; but she did not speak of them always to her mother, -for she knew not how much or how little to believe, and she feared -either to buoy her up by false hopes, or to crush her with needless -fears. - -Gay Paris is slow to believe in disaster, or to credit that the arms of -France can meet with any severe reverse. Each generation is as full of -hopeful confidence as the one that has gone before, as full of -enthusiasm and patriotic fervour, as little disposed to believe in -misfortune. - -"The victorious army will march to our relief!" was the cry that was -always finding expression. "A little more patience--only a little -more!--and these accursed foes will be flying before our brave -_garcons_ of soldiers like chaff before the wind." - -And nobody believed this more implicitly than Theresa for a long, long -time. The soldiers would come, and Pierre with them. They would see them -marching in, in all the bravery of their gay trappings. Oh, what a day -that would be! How the bells would ring, and the guns salute, and the -people go mad with joy! She lived through the experience a hundred times -a day as she stood at her ironing-table and worked at her piles of snowy -linen. But the sullen boom of the guns was still the accompaniment of -all her musings. And every week as it passed brought home to her heart -the conviction that things were not going well: that the lines of the -enemy were being drawn ever closer and closer: that there could not be -good news from the outer world, else surely it would be noised abroad -with acclamation. - -But soon a trouble was to fall upon her for which she was quite -unprepared. Fires had become sadly common in the city. A glare in the -sky was such an ordinary sight that it scarcely aroused any interest or -speculation, save in the immediate neighbourhood where it occurred. -Soldiers and citizens were always on the alert to put it out wherever a -conflagration occurred, and often the flames were speedily extinguished. -Nevertheless, the number of burnt and uninhabitable houses was becoming -daily larger, and persons were removing their goods and furniture from -those streets where the danger threatened into safer localities; so that -the house where the Durocs lived had already been invaded by various -newcomers, seeking an asylum from the storm of shot and shell. - -Theresa, however, knew little or nothing of their new neighbours. She -was busy with her work by day, and her mother did not get about easily -enough to learn much of those who had arrived in this sudden fashion. -They were of the class that, in the English phrase, preferred to "keep -themselves to themselves." - -One morning Theresa started forth to her work as usual, and, after -taking the accustomed turnings, found herself in the familiar street. -But once there she stopped short and rubbed her eyes. For what did she -see? The whole side of the street, where her workshop had stood, lay a -mass of smoking ruins; and the people from the opposite houses were -hurrying away, carrying their goods and chattels with them. - -The terrible news was passing from mouth to mouth. A new battery had -been opened. A new portion of the city was in peril. People small and -great were hastening away before another fusillade should shatter the -remaining part of the quarter. Theresa stood gazing in great dismay at -what she saw. Where was her occupation now? Where was her kindly -employer whom she had served so long? - -Even as she asked herself the question a woman from an adjacent house, -well known to Theresa, came hurrying out, the tears raining down her -face. - -"Alas! alas! little one, she is dead--God rest her soul!--buried beneath -the fall of the house in the dead of night! Ah, those accursed Germans! -What have they not to answer for? Our good neighbour Clisson!--so -kindly, so merry, so ready to lend a helping hand. And thou, my poor -child--what wilt thou do? Everything swept away in one night! And who -knows whose turn may come next?" - -Theresa was indeed dismayed for herself as well as for others. The -terrible fate of her kind mistress cut her to the heart; but when that -shock had passed by, there came the other thought suggested by the -kindly neighbour. What was to become of her and her mother, now their -only means of support was taken from her? - -"Thou wilt have to apply for rations as others do," said her friend, -with a look into the troubled face. "Courage, little one! These black -days cannot last for ever! We shall soon see those _canaille_ of -Prussians flying helter-skelter before our brave _garcons_. The good God -will hear our prayers and will send us succour. It will only be for a -time, and then our beautiful city will be gayer and more beautiful than -ever!" - -But Theresa had heard words like these too often to put the old faith -in them. Her heart was heavy as lead within her. She was revolving many -plans by which she might still earn something and support her mother. -But the price of food was rising so fearfully that already she scarcely -knew how to keep the wolf from the door; she knew, too, that her mother -desired, if possible, not to be forced to send for the doled-out rations -from the great Government building; and no one could more desire to be -spared the task of fetching it daily than Theresa herself. - -She had heard what that meant from others. The long, long, weary wait in -the daily increasing crowd; the hustling and the jostling before one -could get a place in the _queue_; the bitter cold often to be faced when -the wind blew down upon the crowd; the peril, sometimes, of having the -hardly earned food snatched away in some back street by a hungry -ragamuffin before ever it had reached its destination. - -All this Theresa knew that she would have to face if they lost all other -means of support. And, moreover, for her was another great danger: to -reach the quarter of the city where the food was doled out, she would be -forced to cross a wide boulevard that was swept from end to end by the -guns of a battery, and each time that she went she would have to take -her life in her hands, as it were. - -"But mother must never know that," she said to herself, as she thought -of these things. "She is fearful enough as it is of having me go about -the streets. She must never know that, else she would not enjoy a -moment's peace. Perhaps the good God will save me from it. Perhaps I -shall get work elsewhere. And if I must go--for mother's sake--I must -pray to Him to keep me safe, as so many are kept who have to go day by -day." - -Theresa's search after regular employment was not successful. There was -so little doing in the city now, and, with food at famine prices, all -were saving their money, as far as possible, for the bare necessaries of -life. For a few weeks the girl was able to earn just sufficient to -enable them to keep body and soul together, by jobbing about here and -there, turning her hand to any sort of work so long as she might earn a -trifle by it. - -But the day came at last when she could no longer find any one to employ -her. Every one told the same tale--it took all they knew to keep the -wolf from the door. Money was scarce; food was scarcer. Larger crowds -were daily going to the places where the rations were doled out. Theresa -made up her mind as she lay in bed one night, that she must go there, -too, on the morrow. - -For several days this conviction had been growing upon her; and her -nights had been restless and broken, partly through anxiety and trouble -of mind, partly because she was really in need of more food, having -pinched herself to supply her mother, professing that she got enough to -eat at the houses where she worked--a profession that was by no means -the literal truth. - -"Yes, I will go to-morrow," said Theresa to herself. "It is foolish to -be afraid. Others do it, and so must I; and mother must never, never -know how I dread the thought. I will ask the good God to make me brave." - -And having thus made up her mind, Theresa turned over and slept more -soundly and peacefully than she had done for many nights before, rising -with a cheerful courage on the morrow. - -"Alas, my child!--but if it must be, it must. I would that I could go, -for thou art over-young to bear so much fatigue." - -"Nay, mother; it is right for the young to spare the old, and the strong -the weak. I shall be long gone, I fear. There are so many now to serve; -but be not afraid; it will be no more than a day's work, and I will -bring thee the food in the evening." - -So, with a smile on her face and a brave and cheerful aspect, she took -her basket and set off, first to get her order and then the much-needed -food. - -There was a deal of jostling and pushing and hustling before Theresa -could present her claim; but when she showed how her brother was -fighting in the army, and her father was dead, it was instantly allowed. - -"How many are you?" asked the official, in his quick, peremptory tones, -for everything was hurried through as quickly as possible. Without a -thought, Theresa answered: - -"Three." - -A ticket was thrust into her hands, and she was passed out to make way -for others, and only when she was in the street once more, hastening -along towards the other great building, did she realise that she should -have said, "Two"; for, though they always thought and spoke of Pierre as -one of them, he was not entitled to the rations within the city. - -The girl paused and hesitated; but she saw that it would be impossible -to go back. She looked down at the paper in her hand, and a rather -longing gleam came into her eyes. - -"I am so hungry; I could well eat two portions," she said; but almost at -once she shook her head with resolute gesture, and spoke out half aloud: -"But no--that would be wrong; that would be like stealing. I know what -we will do. We will set aside Pierre's portion each day, and we will -give it to some poor hungry creature who may not be able to get to the -depot. There must surely be many such in the city. I will find out one -such, and she or he shall be fed every day, for the order cannot be -changed now. I think that is what the good God would like me to do. -Perhaps it was His will that I made that mistake, His eye looks down and -sees all." - -Full of this thought, Theresa hastened on through the streets and -quickly reached that dangerous spot which she had so feared to pass. But -to-day the great guns were silent; there was no peril to be feared; and, -with a happy smile upon her face, she ran across, thinking within her -heart that it seemed almost as though an angel were watching over her -and making her task easy. - -Another piece of good fortune befell her, in that a second place had -been recently opened for the distribution of rations, in order to meet -the increasing demand. Theresa heard of this from a woman hurrying away -with her basket, and, instead of pushing into the larger crowd, she -joined the smaller one, and being served far more quickly than she had -thought possible, hurried home with a very light heart. - -"It was not half so bad as I thought and feared," cried Theresa, putting -down her basket, and sinking into a chair. "Oh, yes, to be sure, I am -tired; but then what of that? We have food to eat, and a certainty of -more when that is done. And now, my mother, I must tell thee of my plan. -I think thou wilt be pleased that I should carry it out. The good God -has taken such care for us, that I think He would have us take thought -for others." - -So Theresa, rising and opening her basket, carefully divided the food -into three portions, and, notwithstanding the fact that she could well -have consumed the double portion, after her long fasting and wearying -day, she set it smilingly aside, and told her mother how it was -"Pierre's dole," and must not be eaten by them, but given to some one in -greater need. - -There is sometimes more heroism in an act of such self-sacrifice than in -one of those deeds at which all the world exclaims; but Theresa had no -thought of being brave as she laid her plan before her mother, nor did -the widow praise her daughter. She took the girl's view that the ration -was not theirs, and must be passed on to somebody else. - -"And, indeed, my child, we shall not have far to go, for, in truth, I -have begun to fear that those two old ladies up above us in the attic -must be well-nigh starving by this." - -"What old ladies?" asked Theresa eagerly, as she set to work with -keen-set appetite upon her own portion. - -"Ah, thou hast not seen them, like enough. I hear that the mistress is -called Madame de Berquin, and that she is of very good family; but she -has been ruined by this cruel siege, her house shattered, supplies cut -off, and she knows not where to turn. She and her old servant sought -refuge here a few weeks back, and I think they had money then, for the -servant went forth daily and came back with a basket. I would see her -pass and give her a good day, and she stopped once or twice just to take -breath and speak a few words, which is how I came to know that little -about them; but I have not seen her these last days, and I cannot well -get up the stairs. So thou shalt go, and take with thee some of this hot -coffee and the food. It may be they are in sore need. My heart has been -sad for them before, but what could I do?" - -Theresa almost forgot her own hunger in her eagerness to pay this visit; -and, taking in the can some of the fragrant coffee, steaming hot, she -put the rest of the food in the basket and ran lightly upstairs with her -load. - -At the door she knocked; the old servant opened it a little way and -looked suspiciously forth. All at once it seemed to Theresa that it -might not be quite easy to get old Madame de Berquin to accept the food -of which she stood in such sore need. - -"What do you want?" asked old Jeanne suspiciously. - -"I have brought Madame de Berquin's rations," answered Theresa, with a -sudden inspiration. "You know the city is on rations now, and, as we -live in the same house, I thought I might fetch Madame's with ours. It -is not very much, I fear, but----" - -The old woman opened the door wider and beckoned Theresa in. Something -in the white, drawn face of the servant went to the girl's heart! her -aspect, and that of the attic itself, bespoke the direst poverty. Madame -de Berquin lay upon the bed; she looked almost like a corpse to the -girl; her eyes dilated with fear. - -"She is not dead, but she would soon have died," said the old woman. "I -was praying it might be soon for both of us. She will not let me fetch -the rations; she will not have her name set down for a dole. How did you -get it from her?" and despite the almost wolfish hunger in her eyes, old -Jeanne seemed disposed to push the food away. - -"I did not give your name; I did not know it," answered Theresa simply. -"I just got some with ours. They are in a great hurry at the office. -They do not ask many questions." - -"Then may the saints and the good God reward you!" cried the old woman, -with a sob in her voice; "for verily I thought to see my dear mistress -perish of want before my eyes!" - -Now, however, with Theresa's assistance, she raised the prostrate -figure, and Madame de Berquin revived as the hot, fragrant coffee passed -her lips. They gave her morsels of bread soaked in it. They fed her -gradually, as an infant is fed, until the light began to come back into -her eyes and the grey pallor of her cheeks to change to something more -lifelike. - -"I shall come again to-morrow and bring some more," whispered Theresa, -as she slipped away at last; and the look which the old woman gave her -was reward enough. - -But all days were not such good ones for Theresa as this one had been. -Sometimes she was in terrible fear as she went her way, for the bullets -seemed to be whizzing in the air about her, and the sounds of fearful -explosions all round made her doubt whether she should escape with her -life. And the long, long waiting in the biting cold, and the perils she -encountered from daring little gamins or ill-conditioned men, made her -daily journey a growing terror to her. But the thought of the crippled -mother and those two patient old women upstairs, all dependent upon her -for the food which kept life in them, nerved her to conquer her fears -and to persevere, in spite of all the dangers she had to face. - -Then came the day when her bravery met with an unexpected reward. She -was waiting to cross that terrible boulevard. She had been waiting long, -and still she dared not face the peril. She heard the bullets biting the -stones, and a shell had exploded in the centre of the road just as she -came up. She began to fear that she was losing her nerve, that she was -growing less brave rather than more, when suddenly she was held riveted -to the spot by the sight of a boy, about seven or eight years old, -dressed as a gentleman's child, who came running along gaily, rather as -though he had escaped from restraint, and dashed into the middle of the -broad roadway. Then suddenly he threw up his hands, gave a quick cry, -and fell forward. - -[Illustration: Theresa forgot everything in the sight of the child's -peril. - -_Page_ 183.] - -Theresa forgot everything in the sight of the child's peril. Dashing -forward, she caught him up in her arms, dropping basket and can and -everything, and staggered across the road with him, just as a pale-faced -gentleman, in semi-military dress, came rushing up in a terrible state -of anxiety and excitement. - -"Etienne, Etienne, what hast thou done?" - -The little boy had given forth one lusty yell at the sight of blood on -his tunic, but a hasty survey satisfied the father that it was a scratch -rather than a wound the child had received, and the colour began to come -back to his face. - -"My brave girl," he said, turning to Theresa, "how can I thank you for -this great service? Do you know that scarcely had you snatched up the -boy and got him away than the ground where he was lying was torn up by -some fragments of a shell? Had he lain there a few seconds longer he -must have perished!" - -"Ah, how glad I am I was there just then," said Theresa simply. - -"Were you not frightened, my child? Did you not know the peril of -passing that street?" - -"Oh, yes; I know. I am rather frightened, but I have to go by every day -to get food. I must be going now, or I shall lose my turn." - -"Nay, nay; come back with me, and my wife shall fill the basket to-day," -answered the gentleman, with a kindly authority that the girl could not -resist; and, as she walked beside him, Etienne, proud of his adventure -and his little hurt, hanging to his father's hand, Theresa found herself -closely questioned as to herself and her circumstances, and heard a -wondering exclamation pass the gentleman's lips as she spoke the name of -Madame de Berquin. - -That day saw the end of Theresa's troubles about food; for, from -thenceforward till the close of the siege, General Varade, whose little -son she had saved, made the care of her and her mother and of Madame de -Berquin his especial task. He knew something of the history and family -of the latter, came to see her, and would have moved her into better -quarters had she wished it; but she had grown so fond of Theresa and her -mother that until better days should come she preferred to remain where -she was. - -"It is to thy bravery, my child, that we owe all this," she once -remarked; and Theresa, looking quite astonished, answered: - -"Oh, Madame, I was never brave. I was always scolding myself for being -such a coward!" - -But others when they heard these words smiled. - - - - -JANE LANE - - -Those were anxious days for the adherents of the Stuarts. The late King -had perished upon the scaffold, and his family were in exile in foreign -lands. The iron rule of Cromwell had England in its grip. But anxious -eyes were fixed upon that gallant attempt of the King's son--King -Charles II., as the loyalists already called him--to win back for -himself the kingdom his father had lost, and overset the military -thraldom beneath which the people now groaned. - -It was a time of intense suspense and heartbreaking anxiety. It seemed -impossible that the young King, crowned in Scotland, and on his way to -the south, could overthrow those redoubtable troops commanded by their -redoubtable General, the great Oliver Cromwell himself. And yet hope -which springs eternal in the human breast filled the hearts of the -cavaliers with bright anticipations of coming triumph; anticipations -that were changed to dire fears and forebodings when the news of the -result of the Battle of Worcester became known. - -At Bentley Hall, in Staffordshire, the loyal family of the Lanes were -following the fortunes of their Prince with the keenest solicitude; and -yet, as family life goes on its way in spite of wars and rumours of -wars, so it befell that Jane, the beautiful unwedded daughter of the -house, was making preparation for a journey to Abbotsleigh, the home of -her married sister, where she had been rather urgently summoned, as Mrs. -Norton was ill, and desired much the companionship of her favourite -sister. - -As Abbotsleigh was in Gloucestershire, and as the journey would involve -the passage through the Parliamentary lines and through the disturbed -portion of the country, a pass had been obtained for Jane and her party -from the Parliamentary General. - -Colonel Lane had gone himself to see to this matter, and Jane was -awaiting his return in some anxiety. He had not been with the King's -forces on the field of Worcester, though he was very loyal in his -disposition towards him, and was privately working in the royalists' -cause. But it was possible, as his sister knew, that he might be -suspected, and have some difficulty in gaining what he was seeking to -obtain; and she awaited his return with great impatience and some -nervous trepidation. - -The sound of horses' feet in the courtyard below brought a flood of -colour to her cheek. She ran to a window, and sought to peer out into -the autumnal evening's gloom, but though she could see little, she heard -the tones of her brother's voice, and at once she rushed to the room of -her mother to announce to her the welcome tidings that the traveller had -returned. - -Soon word reached the ladies upstairs that the Colonel had not come -alone. Lord Wilmot had accompanied him, and would remain a few hours, -till his horse was rested, and the ladies made preparation for meeting -him at supper in an hour's time. Lord Wilmot was only slightly known to -them; but they received him courteously, and learned from him a good -many details of the disastrous fight at Worcester, and the hopelessness -of any farther resistance to the Parliamentary leaders. - -"But His Majesty is safe, I trust?" questioned the old lady anxiously. -Lord Wilmot made guarded reply: - -"His Majesty is with friends, who are forwarding him to the coast where -he must take ship for France once more." - -"Pray heaven he fall not into the hands of his foes!" cried Mrs. Lane -earnestly; and the two men breathed a fervent "Amen." - -Jane heard that her pass had been obtained, and that was a relief to -her, since she greatly desired to be with her sister. But she observed -that her brother and their guest were somewhat absorbed and anxious in -manner, and she was not surprised, when they rose from table, that her -brother made her a sign that he had somewhat to say to her. - -Their father was at this time not very well, and Mrs. Lane excused -herself to her guest, saying that she must go to her husband. They did -not seek to detain her; but the Colonel beckoned to Jane to follow them -into a small parlour, where they would be safe from prying eyes or -listening ears; and after he had kicked the logs into a cheery blaze, he -suddenly faced round upon her, and said: - -"Sister, we are about to trust you with a weighty secret. It concerns -the King!" - -"The King! Where is he?" - -"He has been flying in disguise, this way and that, from the ardent -pursuit of the Parliamentary soldiers. He has had many narrow escapes. A -worthy miller and his sons have done good service by sheltering him; -before that he was at White Ladies. To-night he is at Mosley with our -good friend Mr. Whitegrave. To-morrow night he must come to Bentley!" - -"To Bentley!--here?" cried Jane, clasping her hands. - -"Ay, here to Bentley; and none must know it but you, fair sister, and I; -and if you ask wherefore comes he here?--I answer you that it is that he -may travel as your groom and servant when you ride forth to -Abbotsleigh. To Bristol, by hook or by crook, he must be smuggled; and -how to pass him through the Parliamentary lines is, indeed, a hard nut -to crack. But see this pass--it makes provision for Mistress Jane Lane, -her servants and friends, the latter being named as you see: our cousin -Robert Lascelles, and Mr. Petre with his wife. But as for servants, -there is no special mention as to them. Sister, you must ride pillion -behind your King, and treat him as your servant!" - -Jane's colour came and went, as well it might. She lacked not courage -nor discretion; yet the magnitude of this great responsibility, so -suddenly and strangely thrust upon her, seemed for a moment too great to -contemplate. - -"Alas, brother!" she cried, "and if by some folly I should betray my -King to his foes!" - -"Nay, think not of such a thing," said Lord Wilmot, speaking for the -first time, "yet think of yourself, fair maiden. Should the thing become -known, it may go something hard with you at the hands of the Governor of -this unhappy realm." - -The colour had come back to Jane's fair face. She looked fearlessly into -the eyes of the speaker. "That is nought," she said quietly. "Could any -ask a better fate than to lay down life in such a cause? If I may save -the King, what matters all the rest?" - -"That is the answer I looked to have from Jane," spoke the brother; and -so the matter was settled. - -It was agreed by all that the secret should be kept from the household. -The sick father and old mother should not be burdened with the -responsibility of the knowledge. Colonel Lane and Lord Wilmot were to -ride to Mosley that same night when the late moon had risen, and upon -the following evening they would return to Bentley, bringing in their -train the new groom, William Jackson, who would be told off the -following day to accompany his sister on her ride to Abbotsleigh. - -It may be guessed with what feelings Jane watched for the return of the -party upon the next evening, and how keenly she scrutinised the face and -figure of the new servant riding behind her brother. He had a swarthy -skin and very dark eyes, and a rough head of short hair that gave him -something the look of either a Roundhead or a country bumpkin, and in -his actions he seemed to be ungainly and loutish. Jane's eyes glistened -as she realised that here was a Prince--a King as in her heart she -called him--masquerading under the guise of a clown, and her heart beat -high as she realised that she was to have the honour of assisting in the -next stages of his difficult and perilous escape to the coast. - -She had no speech with him that night; she heard her brother hand him -over to the head servants with an injunction that he should be well -cared for, as he was to ride with Mistress Jane upon the morrow. It was -only on that morrow, when she descended to the courtyard dressed for the -saddle, that she was brought face to face with her strange attendant. -Her colour came and went with excitement as their eyes met, and for one -instant she saw an answering gleam in his before they dropped, and he -stood in decorous immobility at the horse's head. - -It was a strong animal, as was needed to carry double, though Jane's -light weight was no great burden. The mother herself descended to see -her daughter depart, and to give her many last charges concerning her -sick sister. - -She gave a glance at the new serving man, in his sober suit of grey, and -when Colonel Lane made him a sign to assist his mistress to mount, there -was something so odd in his manner, an awkwardness partly assumed, -partly the result of the strangeness of the office, that caused the old -lady to laugh merrily, and say to her son in no very modulated tones: - -"Faith, but my daughter has a goodly horseman to ride before her! Where -didst pick up the rogue, my son?" - -Jane was covered with confusion at hearing such words spoken; but in the -bustle of the departure of the cavalcade, this was not observed, and -when they were safely out at the gate, Charles spoke in a low and -mirthful tone: - -"Be not displeased, fair Mistress; such words as those are sweet to the -ears of a fugitive. It is when men bow before me, and seek in secret to -kiss my hand, that my heart sinks within me. For, however loyal and true -they be, I would sooner they held me for the rogue I personate, than for -their hunted King." - -The party proceeded gaily on its way for a while. Lord Wilmot rode -beside them and in advance, his hawk on his wrist, his dogs by his side, -looking like a sportsman enjoying his favourite recreation. Mr. -Lascelles generally rode with him, and Mr. Petre and his wife kept close -together with their own servants. Jane and the King, being well mounted, -sometimes drew ahead, though they were careful not to be far from their -party, till at last the horse they were riding began to drag a little. -He got behind the rest of the company, and at last seemed inclined to -limp. - -"Methinks he has lost a shoe," quoth Jane; and Charles, springing to the -ground, found that this was indeed the case. By this time the rest of -the party was considerably in advance; and Jane lighted off the horse -and looked anxiously about her. - -"We are not far from the village of Bromsgrove," she said, "and there is -a farrier there who will shoe the nag. But I would one of the servants -were here to take him." - -"Here is the servant!" answered Charles, smiling, as he laid his hand -on the bridle, "if you will show the way, sweet Mistress, we will soon -have the horse at the forge door." - -[Illustration: "Well, now, I did hear as young Charles Stuart himself -was taken," answered the smith. - -_Page 193._] - -There was nothing else for it, though Jane shook with apprehension as -they entered the village, and their presence before the forge attracted -the usual small crowd of idlers. - -But if the lady were anxious, Charles seemed sufficiently at his ease, -as he held up the horse's foot for the smith to examine. - -"What's the news?" asked the King of the man, as the task of shoeing was -nearly accomplished. - -"Why, I don't know as there has been any since the beating of those -rascally Scots at Worcester," answered the other. - -"Have they taken any of the English rogues that joined with the Scots?" -asked Charles, with his habitual _sang froid_. - -"Well, now, I did hear as young Charles Stuart himself was taken," -answered the smith; "anyhow, they're so sharp on the look-out for him, -that they're main sure he can never leave the country without falling -into their hands." - -"If they get that rogue into their hands," quoth Charles, "I reckon -they'd best hang him forthwith; for he's been the cause of all the -trouble, bringing the Scots into the country to fight, just as things -were getting settled and comfortable again." - -"Faith, and thou art right; and an honest knave to boot!" said the -smith, as he finished his task. And Charles, after paying for the shoe, -led the horse to the tree where his mistress stood waiting, smiling in -her face as he observed the sudden pallor that had overspread it. - -"Oh, my dear lord!" whispered Jane softly, as he swung her more deftly -this time to her seat; but Charles only laughed as he mounted in front. - -"Nay, Mistress, but if I get not my little jest out of all my troubles, -I should belike go mad. Let us laugh and be merry while we may. Who -knows what the morrow may bring forth?" - -A little farther along the road they found the rest of the party -awaiting them in some anxiety. Lord Wilmot had gone on in advance, not -being one of those for whom Jane's pass was made out; but the others -were waiting for them to come up, and were in much anxiety lest they had -been detained by some evil hap. - -They had now to ford the River Avon not far from Stratford, and proposed -to stop for the night at the house of Mr. Tombs at Longmaston; but as -they approached the ford they saw a most unwelcome sight. A troop of -Parliamentary horse-soldiers had made a sort of bivouac on the river's -bank, and were lying about by the ford, whilst their horses grazed and -drank. - -"We can never pass them!" cried Mr. Petre in great alarm; and forthwith -turned round with his wife and servants, and sought to persuade the -others to follow him, and find another route; but Charles whispered a -word in Jane's ear, making no effort to follow the faint-hearted Petre; -and Mr. Lascelles remained beside them. - -"To fly is the greatest folly," spoke the King. "See, the fellows are -eyeing us already. Let us wave farewells to our good Petre, as if he -were riding a part of the way, and had turned back at the ford. But let -us press on. You have your pass, Mistress Jane. If we want the whole -troop after us all hue and cry--why then let us follow friend Petre!" - -There was sound sense in Charles's words. As soon as the other members -of the party showed that they were proceeding on their way, the soldiers -ceased their significant handling of the horses' bridles and saddles, -and only watched the oncoming riders with ordinary attention. Jane's -heart was in her mouth as one of the men, whom she took to be an -officer, rode up and examined the pass she held out towards him. But he -looked only at her and the paper; he spared no glance for the stolid -serving man in front, and the party was permitted to ride on unmolested -and unquestioned. - -Jane drew a long breath of relief as she dismounted in the courtyard -after this first day's ride. There was still another night to be passed -before they reached Abbotsleigh; and she did not yet know exactly -whether she might have to accompany the party even farther, in her -capacity of mistress to the serving man. But at least a halt of a few -days was to be made at her sister's house; and she felt as though her -responsibilities would then come in part to an end. - -Charles seemed in a merry mood when they rode forth upon the morrow. Of -course she never saw him when once they had called a halt for the night. -He went to the servants' quarters, she to be entertained by the ladies -of the house, her friends; and since the fewer who knew the secret the -better it would be, she could not breathe a word of the matter lying so -heavy on her heart. - -But the King beguiled the way by low-toned tales for her amusement, -though they seemed rather terrible to her too. - -"I was bidden last night to wind up the jack," said Charles, with a -twinkle in his eye; "and never a notion had I how the thing was done! We -princes are taught a vast number of useless accomplishments; but how -often have I wished these last weeks that I had been taught to cook -viands or mend my clothes! I made such a bungle of it that the virago -came at me with a rolling-pin in her hands. Odds fish! but what a rating -I got! 'What countryman art thou, stupid-head, that thou canst not wind -up a jack?' she cried; and I had to answer: 'I am a poor tenant's son -of Colonel Lane of Staffordshire; and we seldom have roast meat; and -when we do we don't make use of a jack. We put it in the oven.' Was that -well answered, Mistress Jane?" - -"Ah, my liege, I cannot bear that you should be thus served and rated! -We should all be seeking your comfort on bended knee." - -"Well, well, sweet Mistress, the day may come when the King will have -his own again; but, meantime, let us enjoy a laugh over the fortunes of -fallen royalty. Perhaps it comes not amiss for a prince to learn -sometimes that, after all, he is but common clay!" - -That night there was no friendly house to shelter Jane and her party, so -they put up at the Crown Inn at Cirencester; and as there was always -peril in such places of recognition, Charles affected to have an ague -upon him, and retired promptly to bed. - -Luckily no one in the inn or the town suspected or recognised the person -of the King, and the next day's ride was without adventure. Just as it -was growing dusk the party rode into the hospitable courtyard at -Abbotsleigh, and Jane found herself being helped from her lofty pillion -by her kindly host and relative. - -"I would ask your good offices, dear sir," she said, "on behalf of this -honest fellow, a servant of my brother's, who is suffering somewhat from -the ague, that he may be better lodged and served than his comrades. My -brother has a great affection for him, and gave him especially to me for -this journey. I pray you see that he be well tended." - -"It shall be done, fair sister," answered Mr. Norton at once; and -summoning Pope, the butler, he put Charles--or William Jackson, as he -was called--into his charge, telling him he was one of Colonel Lane's -tenants and favourite servants, and must be treated with kindness, as he -was suffering from ague. - -Jane's time was naturally taken up with interviews with her sister, who -had just given birth to a little child, who had not lived above an hour -or two, so that the young mother was in sore trouble, and greatly -pleased to have her sister's sympathy and companionship. This personal -sorrow kept her thoughts busy with her own affairs, and she scarce spoke -more than a few words about Jane's journey, whilst the grave face and -rather preoccupied manner of her sister seemed explained by other -causes. - -It was not till the evening of the next day that Jane came upon the -King, wandering in the shrubberies of the great garden. There was nobody -near, and the place was so secluded that Jane did not hesitate to pause -and speak with him. After all, even if anybody did see them, there was -nothing very wonderful in her having a few words with one of her own -servants. - -"I trust, sire, that here, at least, you are subject to no ill words or -hardships?" - -"Nay, fair Mistress, I am but too well lodged and served. For that -honest butler, Pope, who, it seems, was servant once to one of the -gentlemen of my household, Jermyn by name, has recognised me, and will -not be denied but to kiss my hand in private, and himself to wait upon -me in my room. I tell him that a serving man has no need to be served, -but he cannot see the sense of that. I truly think he is staunch to the -core, else I would be uneasy; for there is a great price upon this head. -Yet others have withstood the temptation to betray the secret, and -methinks he will too." - -"Oh, I would not fear for Pope," answered Jane eagerly, "he is a good -and faithful servant. I am sorry--and yet I am glad that he should know; -for now you will be served with the best that this house has to offer!" - -"But we must have a care," laughed Charles, "there was a fellow sat -beside me in the buttery this morning, who was giving such an excellent -account of the recent battle that I took him for one of Cromwell's -soldiers. But when I asked him he said no, he was in the King's -regiment; and I thought at first he spoke of Colonel King, but he meant -me all the while! So then I asked him what kind of man the King was? -Whereat he replied, with a quick look into my face, that he wasn't -anything like me, for all my swarthy skin; that he was half-a-head -taller for one thing, and forthwith gave so accurate a description of -my dress, and horse, and weapons, that I got frightened at the fellow's -keen eyes, and got me away as soon as I could." - -It was nervous work hearing tales like this, albeit Charles would laugh -and make light of them. Too obvious a disguise would have provoked more -suspicion than the one he was adopting, with soldiers and spies -everywhere on the look-out for the fugitive Prince, whom so many already -declared to be the King, and upon whose head so great a reward was -placed. - -"I marvel that each one who knows the secret doth not betray it, and -make himself rich for life," quoth the young man many times, as he -recounted his hairbreadth escapes. "What have we done that person after -person, man and woman and gentle maiden"--and he bent his head before -Jane with courtly grace--"should risk so much and lose so much in our -poor service?" - -"You are our King, sire," answered Jane simply; and that seemed to be -answer enough. - -Two days later Lord Wilmot came to her and asked speech. He had been -hovering about them all the while, and lurking in the neighbourhood of -Abbotsleigh watching and planning. Now he came to Jane, and spoke -freely. - -"Mistress," he said, "we still want your help for two more stages of -the journey. Your pass will take us safely as far as Trent House in -Gloucestershire, where dwells Colonel Wyndham, whom I have seen; and who -will not only adventure life and estate in the King's service, but will -gladly lose them both to save him from peril. Once at his house, where -there are some excellent hiding-places, we shall be near enough the -coast to make, I trust, some speedy arrangement for the transit abroad. -But there are soldiers quartered in these parts, and we shall want your -aid for the next stages. Will you give it to us, and be ready to start -upon the morrow early?" - -"Willingly, most willingly," answered Jane; "but bethink you, my lord, -what can I say to the people here? My sister is very ill. She was taken -last night with a fever, and now lies in a sorrowful state, and -constantly desires my presence. There are her husband and several -relatives to think of. What will they say if I incontinently depart? -Will not such conduct excite the very suspicion we most desire to -avoid?" - -Lord Wilmot at once recognised the difficulty of her position, but his -quick wit suggested the remedy. - -"Mistress Jane," he said, "supposing that at supper-time a note should -be brought to you purporting to come from your mother, saying that your -father is taken worse, and that she earnestly desires your return, -would that enable you to leave this house upon the morrow without -comment?" - -Jane nodded her head. It was a time when men were put to all sorts of -strange expedients and stratagems. She had grown up in the thick of -them; and knew how gladly all her family would join in the plot that had -the King's welfare for its aim and object, though it was thought best to -keep the matter as far as possible secret. - -Her sister was not in peril of her life, and had other relatives with -her. A summons from the aged father would weigh above all else; and when -the soft-footed Pope brought her the letter as she sat at supper, and -she read its contents half aloud, her flitting colour and fluttering -breath seemed to bespeak just that amount of natural emotion a daughter -was likely to feel. - -"Bid William Jackson be ready to attend me on the morrow at daybreak," -she said to Pope; and no one sought to stay or hinder. - -So the brave young girl rode forth again with Charles in front as her -servant. With calm courage she passed her little party through the lines -of the Parliamentary soldiers whenever it was necessary; with ready and -dexterous wit, she answered all questions put to her; and on the evening -of the second day from leaving Abbotsleigh, she had the joy of seeing -Charles taken into the house of Colonel Wyndham, where it was thought -he would lie safely hid till a vessel could be chartered to take him -over to France. - -"Sweet Mistress, how can I thank you for this good service?" asked -Charles, as she saw him on the following morning for a few brief -moments, ere she started forth for home once more--her task so bravely -accomplished. - -"My reward is with me now, knowing your Majesty in present safety," she -answered; "the rest I shall receive when I hear of your safe arrival in -France." - -"Nevertheless, sweet Mistress Jane," he said, speaking very earnestly, -"if the happy day should come when I return as King to this realm, where -I have so many brave and loyal friends, I will not forget those who have -aided me in this time of storm and stress and threatened peril! -Farewell; but something tells me that we shall meet again." - -They did meet again. For the following year Jane was taken by her -brother to Paris, and quite unexpectedly encountered Charles in some -public place. He saw her instantly, and advancing, hat in hand, towards -her, exclaimed: - -"Welcome, my life!" - -And since Charles II. has often been charged with ingratitude towards -his friends, let it be said of him here that he showed a different -spirit towards the Lanes upon his restoration to power. He settled upon -Jane one thousand pounds for life, and half that amount upon her -brother the Colonel; also to the girl he gave a beautiful gold watch, -and a portrait of himself set round with pearls, which for generations -(until, in fact, they were mysteriously stolen and never heard of again) -were handed down as a precious family heirloom. - - - - -HELEN KOTTENNER - - -"To be a Queen, and a young Queen, and a widowed Queen in these stormy -times, and in these stormy lands! Ah, Helen, Helen, that is indeed no -light thing!" - -"Indeed, madam, I know that it is not. I pray Heaven night and day for -your Majesty, that strength and help may be given you!" - -"Thanks, thanks, my faithful Helen. Sometimes I feel I have no one about -me I can fully trust but thee. And oh, I have a load of care upon my -head! I need a faithful and devoted servant, and where can I turn to -find such an one?" - -"Must that servant be a man, madam?" asked Helen. The sorrowful Queen -turned her gaze upon the speaker, as though she understood the drift of -the question. - -"Ah, Helen, if we women were not such poor weak things!" she sighed, -bowed down by the weight of her troubles. But, after all, woman as she -was, the blood of kings ran in the veins of Elizabeth of Hungary, and -after a long lingering sigh she lifted her head, and the light came into -her eyes. - -"Women are not always weak," spoke Helen, with a cautious glance in the -direction of the Queen's maidens at their tapestry work away at the -other end of the great hall. But they were laughing and chattering -amongst themselves, as girls will do, whatever be the century or the -surroundings; and then the eyes of the Queen and her lady met, and -Elizabeth paused and hesitated. - -Helen Kottenner was the eldest and most trusted of her attendants, and -was devoted to her and to the little four-year-old daughter, the -Princess Elizabeth, called after her mother. Although little more than a -girl in years, Helen's life had been full of strange experiences and -many sorrows; so that she seemed to the young Queen to be a tower of -strength to her in her hour of perplexity and distress. - -It was only a short while ago that her husband, King Albert, had died; -and although the crown had been bestowed upon him in right of his Queen -Elizabeth, yet so soon as she was left a widow, with only a little -daughter, the haughty Magyars, or nobles of Hungary, repudiated the idea -of being ruled over by a woman, and were casting about already to find -some husband for her, whom they could make up their minds to recognise -as King, in place of him who was dead. - -"Helen," said the Queen, "thou dost know what the nobles are talking of. -Hast thou heard more than they tell me?" - -"I have heard, madam, that a powerful party is in favour of sending an -embassy to King Wladislas of Poland, offering him the crown, together -with the hand of their widowed Queen!" - -The young widow started to her feet in uncontrollable emotion, and then -as quickly sank back again. - -"I have heard it too; but without my consent, without a word to me! They -talk, and talk, and plot, and seek to settle questions, to dispose of -the crown and a Queen's hand; and never so much as a word to her! 'Tis -infamous!--'tis infamous!" - -"That would doubtless come later, madam," said Helen gently; "at present -they are scarce united among themselves." - -"Then long may they remain so disunited!" cried the Queen, with energy. -"It is time that I want, Helen,--time!--time! When the child that the -good God is sending me is born, all may be different. I have prayed our -Blessed Lady--ah, how I have prayed!--that she will send me a little son -to reign in his father's stead. Verily I believe that she will hear my -prayer. And shall my boy's birthright be given away before that happy -day comes? Oh, the shame and injustice of it! I will not bear such a -thing to be done. But how can it be stopped? Would it be enough were I -to refuse, strenuously refuse, to have aught to say to such a marriage?" - -Helen shook her head somewhat doubtfully. - -"Madam, I fear, I greatly fear that it might not suffice. The wedding -might, indeed, be postponed till your Majesty's pleasure. But if the -Magyars once make up their mind, they will bring Wladislas hither and -crown him King with St. Stephen's crown; and once so crowned nothing can -change his right to rule, unless he grossly violate his coronation -oath." - -"I know it! I know it!" cried the young Queen, in keen distress; "if -once that sacred circlet be placed upon his head, nothing can avail to -change the thing that has been done!" - -Queen and lady looked full into each other's eyes. They both knew that -these words were the truth. In all the kingdom there was nothing so -sacred as that sacred crown. Once let it press the brows of any crowned -Prince, and his right was unchangeable and inalienable. - -"You see, madam," continued Helen gently, "that the rule of an infant -would be well-nigh as irksome to the proud Magyars as that of a woman. -It may perchance be this very thing that is causing them to hasten to -some decision. An infant Prince might be a hindrance. A party might -gather--probably would gather--in his favour; and the land would be -distracted by faction, and, it may be, become imperilled from outside -adversaries such as Poland, Bohemia, or even the wily and cruel Turk. -Doubtless those who urge that the King of Poland be crowned King of this -realm too, think they are doing a service to their country, and perhaps -saving her from a bloody war." - -"But are the rights of my child thus to be given away, ere we can claim -them for him?" cried the Queen indignantly. "Oh, Helen, Helen, dost thou -think this thing will be?" - -"Indeed, madam, I fear it. All are not yet agreed; but every day there -come over fresh adherents to the cause. I trow before long they will -dispatch an embassy. But they will send first to know your Majesty's -pleasure!" - -"My pleasure!" repeated the young Queen bitterly. "How much do they -think or care for that?" - -"Indeed, madam, they are a wild and turbulent crew; and in very truth an -infant King might have a task he would be little able to perform----" - -"Helen, Helen, thou art not counselling me to let this thing be without -protest?" - -"Nay, madam, I would not dare to give such counsel. But I would remind -you how the thing will look in the eyes of the fierce and restless -Magyars." - -The Queen sighed; her heart was full of bitterness and apprehension. A -weaker woman might have given way to what appeared the inevitable; but -Elizabeth was not a weak woman, and a mother will be brave for the -rights of her children, where she might be willing to cede her own. - -It was only a few days before the dreaded news was formally made known -to her. Her nobles requested that she would give her hand in marriage to -the King of Poland, and thus unite the two territories, and give them a -King whom they would be ready to serve. - -The young Queen's answer was slightly evasive. She promised to consider -the matter carefully; but since she had been so recently made a widow, -she begged that they would not press another husband upon her too -speedily. - -With this reply they had to be content; but it did not stop them from -carrying on the negotiations with the neighbouring Prince on their own -account. They began to arrange at once for an embassy; and the Queen -heard words dropped from time to time that told her how much the matter -was looked upon as an accomplished fact. - -"Helen," she cried, in deep excitement, when she had one day dismissed -her other ladies and was alone with her faithful friend, "Helen, you -know what they are already talking of now?" - -Helen shook her head in sorrowful acquiescence. - -"Alas! madam, they are talking already of bringing him here, and of -crowning him with St. Stephen's crown, and then of awaiting your -pleasure to wed him----" - -"Ay, ay, the cowards! They think to force the thing on me! They think -that then I must needs do their pleasure! That, being Queen in my own -right, as truly I am, I must needs wed with him they will crown as King -to save my Royal station! Ah, how down-trodden and helpless are we poor -women! Who will come to our aid? They talk of the days of chivalry! But -where is true chivalry to be found?" - -She paced up and down the room in her excitement; and then, suddenly -stopping before Helen, she said in low, deliberate, but very cautious -tones: - -"Helen, thou hast said that they will crown him with St. Stephen's -crown. But supposing that that crown could not be found--what then?" - -Helen started and looked hastily round her. Her eyes dilated like those -of the Queen, into which she was looking. The two young women stood -opposite to one another, breathing hard, and gazing, as if fascinated, -into each other's faces. - -"How if the crown could not be found, Helen?" repeated the Queen, with -bated breath. - -"Oh, madam, how could such a thing be?" - -Deep silence reigned in the room. The Queen gradually recovered her -self-possession, and taking Helen's arm, walked back to the seat she had -quitted; she was trembling a little, but it was not with fear. - -"Helen, I have thought and thought of this thing till it has become -strangely clear in my mind. If we could gain possession of this crown, -and hold it in trust, till we can have it placed upon the head of the -son whom our Blessed Lady will send me--oh, then, good Helen, all might -yet be well." - -"But, madam, how can the crown be got at? Do not the nobles guard it as -the apple of the eye? Would it not be certain death if any were found -seeking to gain possession of it, even in the Queen's name?" - -"Alas, Helen, it would! Whosoever seeks to do this thing takes his life -in his hand in so doing. And yet--and yet--God has watched over more -perilous undertakings even than this, and has brought them to a happy -end." - -Helen looked into the Queen's eyes, and asked: "Madam, is it a task that -a woman may perform? Can Helen Kottenner accomplish this thing for her -Queen?" - -The tears rushed to Elizabeth's eyes, as she cried: - -"Oh, Helen, Helen, I verily believe that thou couldst do this -thing--with one faithful knight to help thee, if only thou didst dare to -adventure the peril thereof!" - -Then the Queen rapidly unfolded her plan. The sacred crown was in the -vaults of the castle of Vissegrad, where the nobles had jealously -conveyed both it and the Queen upon her husband's death. The crown, with -other Royal treasures, was locked in a great iron-bound chest in a -vault beneath the castle, closely guarded by one or another of the -leading nobles of the kingdom. To attempt to reach the vault now, when -the castle was full of people, all more or less engaged in guarding the -Queen's person, was a manifest impossibility, although there was an -entrance to the vault from these very chambers, given over to her and -her maidens. But the nobles wished the Queen to change her place of -abode, and to remove her court to Presburg; and the thought had come to -her that if the crown and other Royal jewels were left behind, as seemed -probable, since no talk of moving them had reached her ears, then she -might make excuse to send back Helen, as though for something left -behind, to the comparatively deserted castle, and trust to her woman's -wit and skill and address to find a way of entering the vault, and -possessing herself of the coveted treasure. - -For the Queen was possessed of a signet precisely like to the one with -which the chest was sealed; and she had keys which, it was believed, -might open some of the locks; and, if not, they could make provision -against such difficulties as that. If once Helen could gain possession -of the sacred crown, and carry it away from the power of the nobles, no -King could be set upon the throne of Hungary, and they would be forced -to await the Queen's pleasure. But it was a task before which even the -bravest heart might quail. Those were days when human life was held of -little count, and the fierce custodians of castle or vault would make -short work of any intruder found engaged in such a task as the one -proposed to Helen. - -"They will kill you if they catch you, Helen," said the Queen, with a -little catch in her voice; but Helen's mind was now made up. The bold -blood of a soldier race ran in her veins. She was not to be turned from -her purpose by the promptings of fear. - -It was absolutely necessary, however, that Helen should have at least -one assistant of the other sex, as the task of filing through locks and -bars would be more than her strength was equal to. The Queen had sought -to win one brave young noble to her service; but the first hint she -dropped of the mission desired from him had so alarmed him that he had -departed forthwith from the castle, leaving the Queen somewhat disturbed -in mind, though she felt confident the young knight would not betray -her. - -Now, there was in the castle a young noble of Polish descent, who went -by the name of Pan Vilga. He had always shown a great admiration for the -beautiful Helen; and she believed that in him she would find one ready -to do her behests, and to adventure even life itself where her safety -was involved. - -Cautiously she broke the matter to him, and was rewarded in the -confidence she had felt. As soon as he understood the perilous nature of -the task to which she had pledged herself, he took her hand, and -carrying it to his lips vowed to her that he would do everything in his -power to assist her in her dangerous mission; and told her that, -although he was a subject of King Wladislas, yet he regarded it as -nothing short of an outrage upon the Queen that her hand and her crown -should be thus bestowed without her consent. If they could in any way -hinder this conspiracy he would be ready to adventure life itself in the -good cause. - -"And more than this, sweet lady. I have in my service a foster-brother, -of my own Christian name of Konrad, a fellow who will follow me -anywhere--and will do my bidding, asking no question, and be as silent -as the grave both then and afterwards. Indeed, he has so strange an -impediment in his speech that I think only I can understand his -mutterings. He is, moreover, a fellow of great size and strength, and -was brought up to the trade of a smith, till he followed my fortunes as -servant. Wherefore, the three of us may well contrive the thing -together; and the Queen may trust us to the death!" - -All was now arranged for the journey. The Queen with Helen and the bulk -of the nobles, and the greater part of her ladies, removed themselves to -the castle of Komorn, the little Princess accompanying them. But some -few of the maids of honour were left behind to finish certain -arrangements; and Helen was to return for them in the course of a few -days, and bring them with her to the Queen. - -When Helen returned to the lonely and now half-deserted castle, she -travelled by sledge, for the snows still lay deep on the roads, and the -Danube was frozen over. Her companions on the journey were an old woman -and the two faithful Konrads, who had been told off to escort the -remaining Queen's maidens to Komorn. - -Meantime, the castle had been well-nigh deserted; and though it, -together with the precious chest in the vault, were in charge of a -sturdy seneschal, yet it so befell that on the day of their arrival this -worthy had fallen ill, and, instead of occupying his usual -sleeping-chamber that guarded the entrance to the vault, he had been -taken by his servants to a more commodious chamber some distance away. - -"Sure our Blessed Lady is watching over us!" breathed Helen, when this -thing was known; for the great fear had been that when the conspirators -entered the vault through the door from the Queen's apartments, the -noise they must of necessity make would penetrate to the chamber of the -seneschal, and bring him and his soldiers raging into the vault; and -then, as they knew well, there would be no escape. Instant death might -as likely as not be their fate. - -The maidens who occupied the now desolate Royal apartments were -overjoyed to see Helen, and to learn that they were to start forth upon -the morrow. Helen arranged that she and the old woman should occupy the -Queen's room that night, whilst the other maidens took the one -adjoining. It seemed long to her impatience ere they had got their -packings done; and their chatter sounded meaningless as it fell upon her -strained and anxious ears. Pan Vilga came in and out to help and hasten -matters, exchanging gay salutations with the merry girls, but striving -always to hasten proceedings, and warning them to retire early, as they -must be off betimes. Ever and anon he would give Helen a quick look of -sympathy, and once he contrived to whisper as he passed: - -"Have a care that we have candles enough and to spare!" - -At last the girls had made their preparations and were ready to retire. -The old woman had brought many tapers, as Helen had spoken of keeping a -vigil in the adjoining chapel, and praying for the Queen's health and -safety. This accounted to the old crone for the fact that her lady did -not undress; but she had no mind to share the vigil, and was quickly -snoring loudly in her bed in the corner. - -With a beating heart Helen peered through the darkness into the chapel -where Pan Vilga and his servant were awaiting her signal; and together -they crept to the door of the vault, which the seneschal had carefully -sealed up. But Helen was possessed of the Queen's signet, and they could -remake or renew the seals in such a fashion as to defy detection; and -soon the men plunged down into the vault, whilst Helen was left to keep -guard above, and, if possible, give warning of any approach from -without. - -It was an eerie task that had been assigned to her. From the vault -beneath she soon began to hear the sounds of file and hammer; and her -heart beat fast and furiously as she listened, so that the echoes of the -whole castle seemed to wake at last into awful life. In terror she -raised herself up from her crouching position, and stepped within the -gloomy chapel. What was that noise at the outer door? She thought she -heard the tread of mailed feet and the sound of approaching voices. -Flinging herself upon her knees before the shrine, Helen besought the -protection of all the saints of the calendar; every moment she looked to -see the door flung open to admit a band of soldiers, and was rehearsing -by what strategic device she could keep them from penetrating farther. -But the moments went by and they did not come; and at last she gathered -courage to go forward and open the door herself, and peer forth into the -darkness beyond. - -[Illustration: The men plunged down into the vault. - -_Page 218._] - -All was silent as the grave; and Helen clasped her hands in an ecstasy -of relief. - -"It was a spirit!" she said, as she turned back; "surely it is true what -we have read of the care they take of those who seek their aid. There be -more that are with us than they that be against us. Now I will fear no -more!" - -And yet Helen had scarce gone back to her prayers, and to vow herself to -a pious pilgrimage should this thing come to a safe issue, ere her -nerves were all set tingling again by some sound from the room of the -Queen's maidens, to the door of which she instantly rushed. - -It was only a girl crying out in her sleep; but as Helen crossed to her -side to soothe her, and caution her against waking the others, it seemed -to her that the room was ringing with the sound of the muffled blows -that were being struck in the vault below. So soon as she was assured -that all were slumbering again, she could contain her anxiety no longer, -but stole down into the vault herself, to find out what was passing -there. - -The great chest was open; but the little chest inside containing the -sacred crown still defied their efforts to open it. They dared not carry -it away as it stood; it was too heavy and cumbersome, and would -certainly be recognised. - -"We must burn the fastening away from the chest," said Konrad; "shut -all the doors fast, Lady Helen, for it will smell. But 'tis the only -thing to be done. And when we have the holy crown, where can we hide -it?" - -"I have thought of that," answered Helen, "I have a place for it when we -have it." - -Quickly ascending the steps once more, she shut all the doors behind -her, and again made the round of all the apartments, to make sure that -all was still and silent. Then, being satisfied on this score, she -possessed herself of a very large crimson cushion from the chapel, -carefully unripped a seam, and took out a considerable quantity of the -stuffing which she burnt upon her fire in the stove. This, to be sure, -made an unpleasant smell, but Helen was glad of it, for should any of -the girls awake or the guards of the castle come to inquire what was -being burnt she could point to the wool and hair in the stove, and tell -some story of how she was burning up some old oddments of the Queen's. -Then with her velvet cushion in her arms she stole down to the vault -once more. - -There lay the sacred crown that Helen had seen once upon the brow of the -late King Albert! Pan Vilga and his servant were carefully removing all -trace of their work, replacing filed chains and bars and broken padlocks -by new ones brought for the purpose, and renewing all the seals with the -Queen's own signet. - -As for Helen, she rushed at the crown and fairly clasped it in her arms, -crying out in her heart: "Ah, my Mistress, my dear, dear Mistress--you -are safe for a time from the menaced peril!" Then, whilst the men -completed their task, and set the vault in order, completely -obliterating the traces of their work, Helen carefully placed the crown -within the ample cushion, arranging the stuffing so as to keep it from -injury, and finally sewing up the ripped seam. - -What a journey that was upon the next day; when Helen with her precious -cushion in the sledge behind her travelled back to her Royal Mistress at -the castle of Komorn! A thousand times her heart was in her mouth; for -every time the cushion was touched or moved she could scarce refrain -from crying out; once crown and lady, knight and all were in deadly -danger of perishing in the deep and treacherous Danube, which they had -to cross upon the ice. For the spring was at hand, and the frost was -yielding; and the ice cracked so ominously beneath their horses' feet, -that the terrified driver lashed them into a gallop, and they saw a -chasm yawning behind them as they fled. - -But there was commotion and joy in the castle of Kormorn when Helen -entered, carrying with her a big cushion that she declined to entrust to -any servant. For a little son had been born that very day to the Queen; -and she had said that when the Lady Helen returned she was to come -instantly to see her. - -Cushion in hand, brave Helen entered the Royal presence, and, going up -to the bedside, saw the Queen with the tiny babe beside her. The light -sprang into her eyes at the sight. - -"I have brought my little King his crown," she said; and, sinking on her -knees beside the bed, she told the whole tale to the Queen. - - * * * * * - -When a few weeks later the little King Wladislas was solemnly anointed -and crowned by the Archbishop of Gran, it was Helen who held the babe in -her arms, whilst the sacred crown of St. Stephen was placed upon his -brow. - - - - -MAID LILLYARD - - -"What!" she cried, the indignant blood leaping to her cheek, "hast thou -taken the Red Cross? Why, shame upon thee! Shame upon thee! Thou art not -worthy the name thou dost bear!" - -The young fellow stood before her twisting his bonnet between his hands -in somewhat shamefaced fashion. From the likeness between them it was -plain that they were brother and sister: but there was a courage and -loftiness of purpose in the aspect of the girl which bespoke a higher -nature than that of the stalwart lad, who looked half-afraid to face -her. - -"Others have done it before. They are all doing it," he argued. "They -say 'tis the only way of safety now that the English King is so mighty -in wrath, and will win by force what he cannot get by friendship. They -say he will come himself, and carry away our young Queen to England, to -wed her to his son; and that all who seek to withstand him will be -slain." - -Lillyard's lip curled; her eyes shot forth fire. - -"England's Kings have tried ere this to conquer Bonny Scotland. Let -them come again, and see the welcome they will get!" - -"It is all very fine for thee to talk!" grumbled the lad; "thou art a -woman. Thou dost sit at home at ease. It is us men who have to go forth -and take all the hard blows. Thou knowest the fate that has befallen -hundreds of us Border men at the hands of the English. Why should we -suffer it? What care I who gets the best of this quarrel? We are -well-nigh as much English as Scotch. What matters it on which side we -fight? Thou needst not glower like that at me. Others say the same. It -is better to take the Red Cross and serve with Sir Ralph Evers or Sir -Brian Latoun, than to be slaughtered like sheep by their trained bands." - -The girl was looking away from him over the smiling landscape. The -expression of her face was one her brother could scarcely read aright. -He cowered a little before it; and yet her voice was quiet enough when -she spoke; quiet and almost dreamy. - -"It is better to die a soldier's death on the field of battle, than to -turn a traitor to one's home and country, and sell one's sword to an -alien King!" - -"Oh, ay, you talk--you talk!" answered Gregory in a tone of offence; -"women can always talk. But if it came to fighting, then they would sing -to a very different tune!" - -The girl's eyes flashed; she turned their light full upon her brother, -who moved uneasily beneath the gaze. - -"Then let the men don women's attire and take the distaff and spindle in -their hands!" she cried; "and let us women go forth and fight the foe! I -trow we should make the better soldiers, if thou art a specimen of the -lads of the Border!" - -"Go to, for a sharp-tongued shrew!" cried Gregory angrily; "I am none -worse than others. Duncan has taken the Red Cross too. Small peace would -there have been at home had I refused it. And have a care how thou dost -talk to him, Lillyard. He will have thee to the cucking-stool for a -scold, an' thou treat him to such words as thou hast treated me!" - -Lillyard's hands dropped to her sides, and her eyes dilated. She had not -perhaps a very exalted opinion of her half-brother, Duncan; but at least -she gave him credit for personal courage. - -"Duncan has taken the Red Cross!" she repeated at last. "Art sure of -that, Gregory?" - -"I saw it pinned upon his arm myself," answered the big lad; "'twas he -who called me up and bid me do the same. He told me how the English were -mustering, and that there would be another great raid; and that he had -no mind to have his house burned about his ears, and all his crops -carried off, with the cattle and horses, and nothing left us save bare -life, even if we escape with that. And I don't see but what he's in the -right," added the youth defiantly, "for all thy black looks, Maid -Lillyard." - -"Duncan taken the Red Cross," breathed the girl softly, as she stood -looking out straight before her with that inscrutable look of hers. -"Then this place is no longer a home for me." - -"What meanest thou?" cried Gregory angrily. "Thou dost talk like a silly -wench, not like our wise Lillyard. What other home couldst thou find? -And, as I tell thee, we shall be safe here now; for the English are not -to harry the homestead of any of those who have taken the Red Cross." - -She did not seem to hear him. She had turned back into the house and was -putting together a few of her private belongings. Her brother watched -her uneasily, shifting from foot to foot. - -"Lillyard, be not so rash. Duncan will never forgive. He will never take -thee back if thou dost go now." - -"I shall not ask him," responded Lillyard quietly; and then, looking -fixedly at Gregory, she said half sadly: "I would that thou wouldst come -with me, and tear that badge from off thine arm. Better a thousand times -death than dishonour--if that be the choice." - -"Women cannot judge of these things," answered Gregory, with masculine -arrogance of sex. Lillyard gave a little smile, and urged him no more. - -The sun was setting over Ancram Moor as the girl stepped forth with her -modest possessions in a bundle. She had no wish to encounter the -half-brother, with whom she and Gregory had made a home ever since their -father's death. He had been a more autocratic ruler at home than ever -the father was. Lillyard did not greatly love him; but she had never -before doubted his personal courage or his loyalty to Scotland's cause. - -Those were evil days for the dwellers upon the Border; and it cannot be -wondered at, if many in that region sought to trim their sails to the -favouring breeze of the moment. There had been sufficient admixture of -the two races here to lessen somewhat the passionate loyalty to country -that ruled in more distant parts. When the Scotch ravaged the English -borders, the inhabitants sometimes preferred to make terms with them -than to fight, and to bribe them to retire; and when the English forces -invaded Scotland, burning, plundering, and butchering through the -devastated land, it was scarcely to be wondered at that some willingly -temporised. If it were true that the little Queen was to marry the King -of England's son, and unite the two countries in one, what need to -cherish such strong hatred and angry feeling? - -But the war was felt to be unjust and unprovoked, and much irritation -was aroused. Henry VIII. of England had shown his intolerant and -impatient temper in a fashion which brought about the defeat of his -cherished plan. He angered the Scots by his demand to have the little -Queen in his own keeping; and, by his persistence and autocratic -conduct, he drove the adverse party into the arms of France, and caused -a rupture in those very negotiations by which he had set such store. - -Even then had he shown moderation and patience, he might still have won -a diplomatic victory, when the proposed scheme had so much to recommend -it; but the haughty monarch had never learned the meaning of that word, -and in his ripening years was losing the self-control which in his -younger days he had sometimes exercised over himself. Upon hearing the -news of the negotiations with France, he had declared instant war, and -had sent two bold knights to start a Border raid, whilst his ships -should convey an army to their aid by way of the Frith of Forth. - -All the Border country was in a tumult of alarm. Help was promised them -from the Scottish army; but meantime this terrible raid had been made, -in which above a thousand men had been either slain or made prisoners, -nearly two hundred houses and towers destroyed, and such quantities of -sheep and cattle slaughtered or driven away as to render the area of -country completely desolate. - -It was therefore perhaps no great wonder that those of the Border folk -who did not feel very keenly with regard to this war, should gladly -avail themselves of the offer made by the English commanders, and -promise to befriend them and to fight on their side if their persons and -goods might be saved from hurt. Those who made this concession were -decorated with a Red Cross, which they undertook to wear in battle, to -distinguish them, and which they were glad enough to have on at other -times, as it was impossible to know at what moment a band of raiders -might not appear, and how soon it might not be needful to display the -badge of friendship. - -But to the high spirit of Lillyard this kind of compromise was odious. -As is sometimes the case in families, she seemed to have inherited -everything that was distinctively and vehemently Scotch. The admixture -of English blood seemed not to have touched her. To think of making such -a compromise with the English was to her mind an act of black treachery. - -Perhaps her feelings on this point had been unconsciously strengthened -by her attachment to a young Highlander, whose mother had somewhat -recently come to live in this Border country, where a little property -had unexpectedly come to her. - -Young Gordon was a Scotchman to the very marrow of his bones, and his -mother was full of the legends and traditions of the Highland home they -had quitted, to which Lillyard would sit and listen by the hour -together. And so close a bond of sympathy had sprung up between the two, -that when Gordon spoke openly of his love, and begged Lillyard to look -upon herself as his promised bride, his mother was almost as eager as -the son for her consent. - -It was natural that Lillyard, in her trouble and dismay, should bend her -steps towards that humble homestead, where the widow, Madge Gordon, had -been settled by her son, ere he went forth to join one of those bands of -soldiers that fought sometimes here, sometimes there, as occasion -demanded, and helped to keep in seething life and activity those terrors -and those enthusiasms of patriotism which were the life and soul of the -struggle. - -The old woman looked up with a smile as Lillyard entered her cottage; -but she spoke no word, for something in the girl's face restrained her. - -"Duncan and Gregory have ta'en the Red Cross," said Lillyard, in a low, -hard tone. - -"The deil fly away with all cowards who would sell their country to the -usurper!" breathed the fierce old woman. - -"So I have come to thee, mother," added Lillyard simply. - -Madge rose and folded her in her arms. - -"Thou hast come to thine own home, lassie," she said. "Alan will be braw -and glad when he comes and finds thee here." - -A quick flush mantled Lillyard's cheek. Her troth plight to Alan Gordon -was a very recent thing. She could not think of it without a thrill. -Would he come to the Border country in aid of the struggling Scotch, -writhing beneath the savage raids of the English? Surely the leaders of -the many bands of soldiers, regular and irregular, would fly to the aid -of their brethren when they heard what things were being done! Ah, yes, -she would see her Alan before long! And he would not chide her for -seeking a home with his mother! - -"I could not stay," said Lillyard, as the two women sat at their frugal -supper together; "it was like a knife in my heart to see that traitor -badge. I could not stay with those who had taken it. And to be told that -were I a man I should do the same!--that it was easy for women who sat -safe at home to talk of courage and devotion!--that were women called -upon to face the foe like men, in battle array, they would be glad to -save their skins by any chance that offered!" And Lillyard threw back -her head and drew a deep breath of anger and scorn, whilst the eyes of -the old woman flashed in the firelight. - -"Said he so--the coward callant! Much does he know of the lot of the -woman, left alone and unprotected in her cabin, whilst lawless hordes of -brutal soldiers harry the land, and slay and outrage! Do we not say, -'Would Heaven I had been born a man, that I might go forth to the -battle? Better a thousand times to die sword in hand upon the -battle-field, than to be butchered in cold blood like the dumb brute -beasts!'" - -"Ah, yes, ah, yes!" cried Lillyard, "that is what my heart is always -saying! Would that I might go and strike one blow for my country, though -I laid down my life in the doing of it!" - -"Other maids have felt like that, and have done the deed!" cried the old -woman, firing up, as she was wont to do when that subject came to the -front. And almost without prompting on the girl's part, she plunged into -the legends and stories of which she had an endless supply on hand, -telling how women and maidens, and even tender children, had done deeds -of heroism and devotion, had fought beside their fathers, their -brothers, their husbands, and had shamed into courage those who were -growing faint-hearted. - -Lillyard's eyes glowed brighter and ever more bright as she listened. -She sprang to her feet at last, and paced the darkening cabin to and fro -with hurried steps. - -"What one has done, another may do. Oh, mother, mother, why may not I -fight even as those of whom thou hast sung to-night?" - -"Daughter, what wouldst thou?" asked Madge, with glistening eyes. She -was excited, and uplifted by the cadence of her own words. - -"Let me go forth and fight. They say that a battle must soon be fought, -and that Ancram Moor is like enough to be the place where the hostile -forces will meet. Alan will be there! I feel in all my being that he is -coming--that he is near! He will fight, and why not I beside him? Let me -but don the kilt and trappings of that young Norman whom thou didst -lose, and I will show to those who scoff at woman's courage, what one -girl can achieve! Let Gregory and Duncan fight against their brethren if -they will; I will strike my blow for the honour of our name! Their -treachery and cowardice shall be atoned by the valour of the sister. -Maid Lillyard will uphold the honour of her father's name, which they -have forgotten and smirched!" - -The old woman kindled into enthusiasm as the words were spoken. She had -been born and bred amid the clash of arms, the struggles of petty -chieftains one with another, the perils of war from brother or from -foeman. The blood of a wild race was in her veins, and neither time nor -age had cooled it. She understood the mood which had come upon Lillyard, -as few of her own kin or neighbours would have understood it. She rose -to her feet, laid her hands upon the girl's shoulders, and, after gazing -steadfastly into her eyes for several long seconds, led her into the -inner room, and opened a great chest. - -Next day Alan came; he rode in the three hundred horse under dauntless -young Norman Leslie. Gallant and brave, did this band appear in the eyes -of all beholders; and cheering was the news they brought, that Lord -Buccleuch was on his way with all speed to join them; that other -reinforcements had started from various points, and would all converge -here; and that the astute Earl of Angus was narrowly watching the -English, and was advising the Scotch leaders as to their best course of -action in repelling this threatened attack; whilst that he himself would -be with them before the day of battle. - -It was splendid news for the loyal Borderers, and some who had taken the -Red Cross in their hour of fear, were ready to tear it off now that they -believed help was at hand. But others, like Duncan and Gregory, were too -cautious to be easily persuaded. They feared to lose their comfortable -homestead, and to suffer at the hands of the English. Moreover, it was -known that the renegades who had taken the Cross and then flung it away, -were the especial mark of English vengeance and cruelty. - -Great was the joy of Alan Gordon to find Lillyard beneath his mother's -roof; and eager was the interest with which he heard her tale. No love -had ever been lost between him and the brothers of the maid he loved; -and little recked he that, since they knew whither she had betaken -herself, they had cast her off utterly. - -"'Tis all in a piece with their coward treachery!" he cried. "But what -matter, since thou art mine? and when the battle has been fought and -won, we two will wed, sweet Lillyard, and thou shalt never lack a home." - -She looked up into her lover's eyes, and smiled; but there was something -in that smile which he did not fully understand. - -Busy and stirring were the days that followed, and full of seething -hopes and fears. The forces on both sides were mustering apace, and it -was known that the threatened battle could not be long delayed. Both -sides were eagerly anxious to come to blows. - -The day arrived. No cloud dimmed the brightness of the sky. The two -armies were drawn up in battle array; and Alan had but a moment in which -to dash in and kiss his mother and his betrothed. - -"A glorious victory will be ours!" he cried, "something in my heart -tells me so! Thou wilt see somewhat of the fight, even from here, -mother. Lillyard, beloved, one more kiss. We shall meet again with -hearts full of gladness!" - -She smiled a strange smile as she kissed him farewell, and watched the -tall figure swinging away over the broken ground. The air seemed full of -the blare of trumpets, the stamping of horses, the clangour of steel -trappings. The girl's eyes kindled. She drew her breath in sharp, -excited gasps. - -"Now, mother," she said, wheeling round to where the old woman stood, -her gaze resting so earnestly upon her that it might almost have -scorched her by its fiery intensity. - -"Thou hast no fear, daughter?" - -"I know not the meaning of the word!" cried Lillyard. "My heart is -yonder. Where my heart is, there would my arm be!" - -"Then come, child, come. Thou art of the right stuff; and I will never -hold thee back. Go, and may the God of battles be with thee, and give -thee part in the glory of victory!" - -A short time later there emerged from that cottage a goodly youth in the -Gordon kilt, and with all the weapons that a Highland lad carries with -him into the battle. The bonnet was set upon a mass of tawny floating -curls, and the great grey eyes were full of fire and light. - -[Illustration: She set herself in their ranks, and went charging down -the hill. - -_Page 237._] - -Lillyard's great beauty was well known throughout the district. "Fair -Maid Lillyard" had been the sobriquet ever since she had been a child. -There was something almost dazzling in her aspect to-day, as she stood -for a moment in the glory of the golden sunshine, and gazed across -towards where the sounds of clashing swords and the booming of guns told -her that the battle was raging; and then, with her light broadsword in -her hand, she made a forward dash, and was soon in full sight of the -fiercely fought fight. - -The apparition of this fair girl, who was instantly recognised for her -beauty and peculiarly lofty bearing, dressed as a soldier, and with a -sword in her hand, evoked a yell of enthusiasm and joy from the whole of -the Scotch ranks. It seemed to the men almost as though some angelic -being had come down to their aid. - -"Maid Lillyard! Maid Lillyard!" was the shout that went up; and when she -set herself in their ranks, and went charging down the hill to meet the -advance of the enemy, the fury of that charge was something so -tremendous, that the ranks of the English were split into a score of -scattered bodies, each flying back to the main body for safety, whilst -the victorious Scotch pursued them with shouts almost to their own camp. - -Who can remember or describe the fierce joy, the fearful peril, the wild -exaltation of hand-to-hand fighting? Lillyard was in the thick of the -most furious onslaughts, on whatever part of the field they took place. -Attached to no company, under no authority, she seemed like a spirit of -the battle, free, and with a charmed life, as she hurried hither and -thither. All men saw her. A hundred voices testified to the prodigies -of valour she performed; but it was only after she had seen the dead -body of Alan Gordon lifted from beneath a pile of English corpses--men -that he had slain--that that Berserker fury fell upon Lillyard, which -has given her name to posterity, and caused the very name of the battle -of Ancram Moor to be more generally known as the battle of Lillyard's -Edge. - -Was it her hand which slew the English leader, Evers, who perished on -that field? Many declared it was so; but whether or no this was the -case, there is no manner of doubt that Lillyard's strong right arm and -dauntless heart carried her through the fierce fight, and that she -inflicted her full share of death and wounds upon her country's foes. - -As the tide of battle set in favour of the Scotch arms, numbers of those -who had borne the Red Cross, and had fought in the English ranks, tore -off their badges and went boldly over to the other side, seeing now -greater safety there than in the ranks of the alien conqueror. - -Of these time-servers were Duncan and Gregory. The latter had little of -the soldier-nature in him, and had kept, as far as possible, out of the -thick of the fight; but when he saw the Scotch arms victorious all over -the field, he eagerly snatched off his badge, and made a dash for his -countrymen. He was hotly pursued by half a dozen enraged English -soldiers, but being fleet of foot, he might have escaped them had he not -caught his foot in what was nothing more nor less than a heap of slain -and wounded, and come heavily to the ground, yelling aloud in his -terror. - -Suddenly he was aware of a great tumult close about him. He raised his -head and looked up. What strange vision was it that his eyes rested -upon? - -A young lad, as it seemed to him for a moment, had raised himself -partially from the heap of dead and dying on which he lay. He seemed to -be too terribly wounded to stand; and yet, with his swinging sword, he -was keeping at bay the English soldiers who were in pursuit of Gregory; -and there was something so strange and unearthly in his aspect that the -men cried one to another: - -"It is no human thing! It is some demon of the battle! I have heard that -a spirit is abroad in the Scotch camp to-day. Let us leave it and be -gone!" - -They turned and fled, and the strange fighter, parting the mass of hair, -partly clotted with blood, that hid its face, looked full into Gregory's -eyes, whilst he shrank away, crying out in fear: - -"It is Lillyard!--it is Lillyard!--or her wraith!" - -She bent her clear, strange gaze upon him steadfastly. - -"Not her wraith--yet, Gregory. Lillyard herself." The voice, though -quite steady, was very weak. "It is not always the woman who fears the -stress of the battle. Where wert thou when the fight was raging so -fiercely?" - -She looked him over from head to foot, and half-unconsciously glanced -downwards at herself. The contrast was so marked that a glow of shame -flamed in Gregory's face. He cried eagerly: - -"I have pulled off my Red Cross, Lillyard. I will fight now beside thee. -Thou shalt show me how to be brave!" - -She gave him a long glance; a faint smile flickered over her face; then -her eyes grew dim, and a ghastly pallor overspread her face. - -"I shall fight no more," she said, in labouring gasps. "Lay me beside -Alan. The battle-field was our marriage feast. Let our bridal bed be the -quiet graveyard." - -With that she fell prone upon the heap of corpses where he had found -her, whence she had risen, though so mortally wounded, to beat off the -pursuing foes who else would have slain her brother. - -She and Alan Gordon were laid side by side, and every honour of war was -paid to them. - - - - -MARGARET WILSON - - -It was ill work living in "the killing time"--as it was significantly -called--for those whose consciences would not let them conform to the -laws laid down by Charles II. and his advisers for the regulation of -public worship in Scotland. - -Religious toleration was no longer to be permitted. The Episcopal form -of worship was to be made compulsory, and that amongst persons who hated -and abhorred it, looked upon it as something emanating more or less -directly from the Evil One, and who clung all the more closely to their -own barer forms of worship and narrow purity of doctrine for the very -opposition they had to encounter. - -The Solemn League and Covenant had been formed for the protection of the -Presbyterian form of worship, and Covenanters was the name given to -those who continued to meet in the forbidden assemblies; and these were -often held in the open air, in some wild and lonely spot, the men -carrying weapons which were piled conveniently for instant use should an -alarm be issued by the scouts set to watch, the women seated nearest to -the preacher, and their horses picketed only a short distance off, so -that flight should be quick and easy if there were danger of -interruption from soldiers in the King's pay. - -In those days it was no uncommon thing for houses and families to be -strangely and pitifully split up and divided into hostile camps; but -perhaps there were few instances so strange as that presented by the -Wilson family, of Wigton. - -Wilson was a prosperous farmer, a Presbyterian by tradition, though no -theologian; but when the edicts went forth against the existing forms of -worship, and attendance at the parish church was enjoined, both he and -his wife made no trouble about conforming to the new regulations, though -whether this conformity came from liberality of mind or from fear of -consequences cannot now be determined. - -But, to their great astonishment and dismay, their two little girls, -Margaret and Agnes, at that time quite children, could not be induced to -accompany their parents to the church. What they had heard against -Episcopal forms in old days seemed to have sunk so deeply into their -hearts and consciences that there was no way of eradicating it; and -great fear fell upon the parents, for the thing became known somewhat -far and wide, and began to excite comment and question. - -"Where are the bairns?" asked the farmer, coming in one day, with a look -of anxiety upon his face. - -"Nay, I know not," answered his wife. "They did their tasks, and then -they both slipped away. I have not seen them this two hours. Like enough -they have gone across to see Margaret M'Lauchlan. They are for ever -running in and out of her house, say and do what I will!" - -"A pestilent woman! Covenanter to the backbone! She will bring herself -and our bairns to ruin if something be not done! Why do you not keep -them at home with you?" - -"Why, husband, how can I be in three or four places at once? I give them -their tasks, but they do them with a will, and are gone ere I have time -to turn round." - -"Ay, and are off to some Conventicle, I'll be bound. That woman -M'Lauchlan is in the thick of all the Covenanters' secrets; and it's -from her the bairns learn all those notions that will be their ruin one -of these days. The Bible bids children obey their parents, but not a -word will they hear from us! Or, rather, they listen, but will not -heed." - -"Alack!--and so said I to them but the other day! and Margaret turned -upon me and answered: ''Ay, mither, children are bidden to obey their -parents in the Lord; but the Lord bids us not to sully our conscience by -doing what is wrong, or bowing the knee to Baal.' They get taught by -those who are good folks enough, but terrible stubborn, and wae's me, -but I can say nought, and so they get the last word every time;" and the -mother shook her head, for in her secret heart she was in far more -sympathy with her bairns than was the father, who was seriously -disturbed and anxious. - -"They shall either learn to obey, or they must be sent away out of reach -of that pestilent woman!" he cried, storming up and down. "If they stay -here they will bring themselves to prison and death, and us into, I know -not what trouble! I'll be bound they are off to some preaching now! I -hear there is to be one somewhere hard by. But this shall be the last. -If they will not promise to attend church with us they must be sent -elsewhere. All the town begins to talk of it. Soon it will come to the -magistrate's ears, and then----" - -The mother clasped her hands, and the tears started to her eyes. - -"They are but bairns; they are not near sixteen yet--not even Margaret. -What could they do to them?" - -"They will make them feel the hand of the law; ay, and us too, as thou -wilt plainly see! They talk about sixteen; but have not babes and -sucklings been slaughtered ere this by the ruthless soldiers?" - -The mother wept, and the father stormed; but the hours passed on, and -the girls did not return. It was almost dark ere they entered the house; -and upon the fair face of the elder was a strange wrapt expression, -that her mother had noted there many times of late, and which always -filled her with a sense of awe. - -She stood quietly beneath the storm of her father's anger; her deep blue -eyes seeming to see away beyond him. Agnes, a slighter dark-eyed child, -shrank away towards her mother, who could not repulse her; but Margaret -was calm and serene. - -"Dear father, thou dost not understand," she said very softly at last, -when the storm had well-nigh spent itself; "perchance some day thine -eyes will be opened to see even as we do. But----" - -The sentence was not destined to be finished; a breathless messenger -burst into the house, white-faced and wild-eyed. It was a tall lad, well -known to the Wilsons, and his name was Archie Scott. - -"The magistrate is coming--fly!--fly!" he cried. "He is coming to seize -Margaret and Agnes. It has been told him how that they never come to -church; and to-day one brought word that they and others have been seen -at a forbidden gathering. The soldiers and officers are already started -forth to make a raid on all suspected houses. The girls must fly!--must -fly at once! I have come to take them to a place where others are hiding -for the moment. They have been preparing for this. They will not be -taken altogether unawares. But there is not a moment to lose!" - -The mother had clasped Agnes in her arms, and her tears were streaming -down. The farmer was storming up and down in a tempest of fear and -anger--anger at the girls, at the law, at the barbarity of punishing -mere children--at everything and everybody. Margaret alone was calm; her -countenance had not changed. - -"Let them come," she answered quietly, "men can only hurt our bodies. -None can touch our true selves. Why should we be afraid? Why should we -fly?" - -But the mother rose and thrust the trembling Agnes into her sister's -arms. - -"Save her! save her!" she sobbed. "It is thine example that hath led her -to this. To thee do I look to save her from the peril which now besets -her. If thou hast no thought or care for thine own life, save that of -thy sister!" - -Margaret looked down at the little white tearful, and yet courageous, -face of her sister and companion, and the dreamy look passed from her -eyes, whilst her mouth grew resolute. - -"Yes, yes," she cried, in a low voice, "they shall not touch Agnes! She -shall be saved. Lead on Archie, lead on! We will follow you to the -hiding place of which you spoke." - -The youth was only too ready to obey; his own agitation was great. -Although not himself of the same way of thinking as the Covenanters, he -had the greatest reverence for their firmness and strong faith, and for -Margaret he entertained feelings which, as yet, were scarcely understood -by him, only it somehow seemed as though were he to lose her, life would -be changed for him. - -Margaret was but fourteen years of age at this time, and Archie was not -twenty; but the girl had that within her and in her aspect, which made -it impossible to regard her as a child. When stories were told of the -virgin saints and martyrs of old, it was always Margaret's calm, sweet, -young face that rose up before the eyes of the lad, and her resolution -and courage in face of a threatened and fearful danger intensified this -impression. - -As he hurried the girls along towards the place which he knew would be a -safe shelter for them and for others, and enable them to join with a -party of fugitives whose arrangements were all made, he strove to change -the purpose of Margaret, and to seek to win her promise to conform to -the laws of the land. - -But she shook her head, and the glow in her eyes made them shine like -stars in the dusk. - -"Nay, Archie, thou must not seek to turn me from the straight and narrow -way, even though it be a thorny one to tread! I ask not of thee to -follow it. If thou canst serve God and the King too, with a free heart -and conscience, then thank God for it, and dwell in peace and safety! -For myself I cannot. The Spirit hath shown me a more excellent way, and -I needs must follow at all cost. What are the trials and troubles and -sufferings of this present life when an eternity of glory lies beyond? -'To him that overcometh will I give----'" - -She did not finish the sentence; her mind seemed to travel too swiftly -for words. Archie looked at her; and Agnes raised her white, -tear-stained face, and both felt that they were looking upon the face of -an angel. - - * * * * * - -The King was dead! The news had reached the north; and for a brief -moment the hand of the law was stayed. Persecution of Covenanters was -temporarily abandoned till the mind of the new monarch should be known. -There were those who shrewdly suspected that where Charles had chastised -with whips, James would chastise with scorpions; but for the moment the -country breathed again, and many hunted exiles and wanderers crept back -to their former homes, to visit their friends and see how they fared, -even if they did not mean to remain long. - -Archie Scott was returning home from his work one evening, when he met -an acquaintance of his, a man for whom he entertained a feeling of deep -dislike and distrust, one Patrick Stuart, who seemed always remarkably -well informed as to what was in the wind, and to trim his sails -accordingly. - -"Have ye seen them?" he asked of Archie, with a look of mystery on his -sly face. - -"Seen whom, man?" asked the other impatiently. - -"Why, those two girls of the Wilsons, who went into hiding four years -back--just escaping by the skin of their teeth! I saw the pair of them -not an hour since, down there with old Margaret M'Lauchlan! I peeped in -at the window, and saw them plain. A rare, fine girl Margaret has grown -too--such hair--such eyes! But she needn't think that her beauty will -save her, once the bloodhounds get on her track!" and an evil light -sprang into the man's shifty eyes, whilst Archie felt his fingers -tingling to be at his throat! - -Patrick passed on, and the other looked after him; his heart was beating -high with excitement and a strange foreboding. He almost followed the -retreating figure, yet he knew not what to say. He had a premonition -that Patrick meant ill in some way, but he had nothing on which to base -his suspicions. And his heart felt suddenly hungry for Margaret. He -turned his back on the vanishing figure, and strode rapidly away towards -the lonely little house on the outskirts of the town where the old woman -lived. - -The girl met him with the same calm sweetness of aspect. She had a -sister-like greeting for him; but he could scarcely stammer out the -words of welcome and greeting that he had been rehearsing so eloquently -all the while. There was something in her beauty, her purity of -expression, her deep dreamy eyes and steadfast glance that stirred his -heart to its depths, and yet left him tongue-tied before her. - -She asked him if he thought their parents would receive them, and could -do so without peril to themselves. Archie replied that when their flight -four years ago had been discovered, the officers had forbidden the -parents upon pain of death ever to shelter or hold any communication -with their children again, and had, moreover, warned them that they must -instantly lodge information with the authorities, should they ever -discover their whereabouts. - -"Poor mother!" said Margaret gently, when she heard these words. "How -she must have suffered! Now I understand why we never had news from her! -She was afraid of learning where we might be. Yet I would fain look upon -her face again!" - -"Have a care, Margaret--have a care!" cried Archie entreatingly, "the -laws are yet unrepealed. There is nothing changed, and this breathing -space may not last long." - -"I will not run into needless peril," answered Margaret; "yet why should -I so greatly fear? Is not God strong enough to protect His own, if it be -His will?--but if He desire to prove our love by something endured for -Him, shall we shrink back in the hour of temptation?" - -When Archie came again the next evening, Margaret was not in the -cottage, and Agnes's face wore a frightened look. - -"Archie, I am glad thou hast come! I have been so unhappy. Patrick -Stuart has been here. Tell me, is he one that we may safely trust? He -spoke like one full of sympathy with us and our sufferings and -wanderings; but at the last he pledged Margaret, and bid her drink to -the new King's health. When she would not, there crept an evil and -crafty look into his eyes. I have been so frightened since!" - -Archie was frightened too, and asked where Margaret was. - -"She has slipped out to take one look at mother and the old home, and, -perchance, to get speech of mother too. Old Margaret was to go and -whisper something to her, and perhaps--perhaps; but they would not let -me go; and something seems to tell me that danger is near. Oh, I wish -Margaret had not gone away! I am never frightened when I am with her; -but alone I am." - -Archie was frightened himself. He felt perfectly certain that Patrick -had set a trap for the girls, and that already he might be on his way to -warn the authorities. - -"Agnes," he said, "I would you had never come back. I would that you -would fly the place again. Ye are too well known here. Anywhere else -would be safer. I will remain with you till Margaret gets back; I will -tell her my fears. Then I would beg her to lose no time, but to fly this -very night to some place of greater safety." - -But, alas!--already it was too late. Soon their straining ears caught -the sound of measured tramping. Agnes gave a faint cry, Archie sprang to -the door, and an oath leapt to his lips. - -"They have got Margaret, and the old woman too! God in heaven have -mercy!--they are coming hither for thee, Agnes. Fly!--fly by yonder door -into the coppice behind! I will detain them by any story I can invent. -Fly ere it be too late!" - -But the news of her sister's capture seemed suddenly to brace the nerves -of the younger girl. She darted out of the open door and flung herself -upon Margaret's neck--Margaret, who was being led along by the officers, -her hands bound behind her, though upon her beautiful face there was an -expression of almost ecstatic exaltation of spirit. - -"Here is the third of them!" cried the men, as Agnes appeared; and, -ignoring Archie's indignant reproaches of cowardice and cruelty, they -bound her hands, and set her beside her sister, and drove them on -towards the Gaol of Wigton, as men drive cattle into market. - -"Margaret! Margaret!" cried Archie, in an agony; but she turned and gave -him one of her deep spiritual glances. - -"Pray for us, Archie, that our faith fail not; and remember that we are -bidden not to fear those who can hurt the body alone, but only him who -can destroy the soul. Fare you well!" - -When next Archie saw again the fair face of Margaret Wilson, it was -when, after a very harsh and cruel captivity, that had left traces upon -her body, though none upon her courageous spirit, she was brought, -together with Agnes and the old woman, M'Lauchlan, before the -magistrates to answer to the charges laid against her and them. - -They had refused attendance at church, it was alleged, had attended -forbidden meetings, had been amongst the rebels at the battle of -Bothwell Bridge; and the old woman had harboured fugitive Covenanters. - -A faint smile played over Margaret's face as she heard some of the -indictment. She had been twelve years old and Agnes eight at the time of -the battle. They had been staying with relatives in the vicinity at that -date; but to be accounted as rebels! - -For the rest she had nothing to say. She received instruction from those -who preached the pure word of God, and had followed the example of the -Lord, who, when threatened in one place, had quitted it for another, and -had addressed His followers in the open air or in secret assemblies, as -His followers of all centuries had been forced at times to do. - -But there was no mercy in the faces of the men who sat in judgment, and -in whose hands were such terrible powers. The three women were -pronounced guilty, and were sentenced to death. And this was the doom -allotted to them: "To be tied to stakes fixed within the floodmark in -the water of Blednoch, near Wigton, where the sea flows at high water, -there to be drowned." - -Margaret heard these words with a strange smile upon her lips, and a -great light came into her eyes. She stood for a moment as one who has a -vision of some unspeakable glory, vouchsafed to no eyes but her own. In -the dead hush of the court all glances were bent upon her, and suddenly -a storm of sobbing arose from the women present. - -Margaret started from her dream, and looked round at the faces, some of -which had been familiar to her from childhood. Her lips moved, as though -she would have spoken; but she was hurried away to the rigors of prison; -whilst the whole town was thrown into a ferment of indignation and -distress, though none dared to raise a protest. - -No fear was in Margaret's heart as those bright days of May sped by; and -she upheld the courage of her sister by her own tenderness and strength. -But the poor old woman, alone and broken in spirit, was induced to -promise that if her life were spared, she would abjure the principles of -the Covenant and attend the parish church in future. - -When Margaret was told this, and that, if she would join in a similar -promise, her submission together with the strenuous efforts being made -by her father and friends, might avail to save her life, her face took a -grave and almost stern expression. - -"Get thee behind me, Satan!" she exclaimed; and, clasping Agnes to her -breast, she cried: "My sister and I will lay down our lives for the -truth; but we will never, never consent to live by and for a lie!" - -"Then your blood be upon your own heads!" cried the angry officer, as he -banged the door behind him. - -The morning of the appointed day arrived. The sisters were calm and -strong in their resolution. Suddenly the door of their prison opened. -Was it the men come to lead them to the stakes in the stream? Agnes gave -a little cry of joy and amaze as she saw the white, worn face of her -father. - -"My child! my child!" he cried, clasping her in his arms. His emotion -was so great that for a moment he could not speak. It was Archie Scott, -with a face as white as death, who came and stood before Margaret. - -"Agnes is saved," he said hoarsely; "she is not yet sixteen. She is to -be released and set in her father's charge. And the Privy Council in -Edinburgh, on receiving old Margaret's submission and the memorial sent -by Wigton, promised a postponement of the sentence till the King's mind -could be known. But the magistrates will not listen. They will hear -nothing; they will go on their own way. Thou art to die to-day, -Margaret; and I know not how to bear it!" - -She laid her hand upon his arm. Her face was full of joy. - -"Nay, if Agnes be spared, my prayers have indeed found their answer. For -myself--Archie, Archie, do not look so--I have long thought that to -depart and be with Christ is far better; where the wicked cease from -troubling, and the weary are at rest." - -There was joy and peace in the girl's face as she was led forth from her -prison, and old Margaret, too, repenting her former weakness, held her -head high, and spoke with courage and resolution to her friends who had -assembled to see the mournful procession pass by. All Wigton had come -forth to see the martyrs go to their death; and Archie Scott walked near -to Margaret, and kept his eyes fixed upon her face, as though to seek to -learn something of her spirit. - -"Thou wilt be a brother to my sweet Agnes and comfort her," said -Margaret to him once. "I trow she will be loyal and true to her faith, -even though she may be forced to some outward compliance. The Lord will -not judge her harshly!" - -It seems sad that such noble and courageous souls as those that -animated the martyrs of the Covenant should regard it as a possible -offence against God to attend a service to His honour and glory, and by -consecrated servants set aside for His service. Perhaps as Margaret -Wilson stood in the midst of the waters, bound to her stake, watching -the rise of the flood which must soon overwhelm her--perhaps something -of the wider and grander aspects of the One Church--Holy and -Catholic--with the Lord for her Head was vouchsafed in vision to her -spirit. For, suddenly, as she saw the last struggles of the aged woman -who was tied on somewhat lower ground, and knew that a few minutes more -would see the end of her own young life, she first broke into words of -psalm and holy writ, and then suddenly exclaimed: - -"The King! the King! the poor misguided King! May God bless and pardon -him and open his eyes!" - -"She recants! she recants!" cried a multitude of voices from the -bank--the voices of those who believed that in this prayer for the -monarch Margaret was making a recantation of faith. - -"Bring her out! bring her out!" shouted the crowd, in frenzy; and the -magistrates, not daring to withstand this public clamour, gave orders -for Margaret to be loosed and carried ashore. - -"Will you retract your errors, foolish girl, and renounce the Covenant?" -they asked when, astonished, but calm and steadfast as ever, she was -brought to them. - -"I will not!" she answered, with quiet steadfastness. "As I have lived -so let me die! I have nothing to recant. I am Christ's--let me go to -Him." - -"Throw her into the water, for a pestilent Covenanter" cried the -magistrates; and in another moment the deep swirling waters closed over -the slight heroic frame of Margaret Wilson. Another Christian martyr had -gone fearlessly to her death. - - - - -AGOSTINA OF ZARAGOZA - - -The beautiful young Countess Burita was the first to set the example of -heroism and humanity. - -Cowering behind their insufficient walls, and hearing the terrible roar -and crash of artillery about them, seeing the French take up a firm -position on the Torrero, from whence they could shell the devoted city -of Zaragoza at their ease, what wonder that the Spaniards--the women and -children at any rate--shrank in terror from the thought of a protracted -siege, and cried aloud that nothing could save them? - -But the old fighting spirit of the past was arousing and awakening in -the souls of the men. The tyrannical temper of Napoleon, and his -aggressive disposition of the Spanish crown to his own brother, had -inflamed the ire of the Spaniards from the nobles to the peasants; and, -though a long period of misgovernment had weakened the country, -destroyed the vigour of the nation, and rendered the soldiers of little -use in the open field, yet it had not killed the old stubborn fighting -spirit within them, and when their passions were aroused, the flames had -still the power to spring forth from the ashes of the past, and there -were moments when all the old chivalry of former ages seemed to awake -within them. - -It was this spirit that animated the defenders of Zaragoza when Aragon -revolted against the rule of the French, and they resolved at least to -hold the ancient capital against the foe. - -Hopeless the task seemed; for the defences were of the most meagre -description; the only strong part of the wall being the ancient Roman -portion, the high brick houses within having no shelter or means of -defence from the shells and bombs that came screaming and rattling over -them. - -But there were heroic spirits within those frail walls, and one of the -first to show an example of high-hearted bravery was the beautiful young -Countess. Whilst her husband gave what aid he could to the military -defenders of the city, she organised her band of women and girls for the -work which was only a little less urgent. - -She ordered them to get together from the houses those awnings which -defended the rooms from the fierce heat of the sun, and under her -skilful direction these were sewn into huge bags that were filled with -sand and earth and used with great advantage to stay the effects of shot -and shell continually bursting over them. - -The houses actually built upon the walls were pulled down, and all the -beams were employed in strengthening the defences in other parts, -barricading exposed windows, and making covered ways along the streets -where the townsfolk could walk in comparative safety, despite the rain -of bullets dropping round them. - -But these things were not done without terrible scenes in the streets, -brave men falling at their posts, horrible explosions tearing up the -ground and scattering destruction all around. - -Small wonder was it, if at first the hearts of the women had failed -them, and they had been ready to give way to a sense of despair. But -quickly they rallied their courage, and the spirit of their ancestors -entered into them. Although there were so few soldiers in the town--only -between two and three hundred in the garrison--yet the townsmen offered -their services and banded themselves together for the defence of their -ancient city, and after the first panic had subsided, the women were -eager to render every assistance that lay in their power, some even -offering to serve in the ranks like men, if they could be taken on in -that capacity. - -There was, however, one way in which they could serve the men almost as -well as by fighting beside them, and that was in bringing them food and -water when they were mounted on the walls at their perilous posts. - -This was rather a fearful task. The shells rushed screaming through the -air from the height above, where the enemy's batteries were placed, and -none knew where the deadly missile might explode. Bullets rained about -the gallant defenders at their guns. It was like walking into the very -mouth of hell, as many a woman shudderingly observed; and yet there were -always volunteers for this perilous task. The noble Countess was the -leader in every difficult enterprise, and she organised a devoted band -who should carry on the work with order and system, avoiding needless -exposure, but gallantly prosecuting the necessary and most perilous -office. - -Amongst the most ardent and devoted of this band of women and girls the -Countess noted one very beautiful, strongly built, dark-eyed maiden, who -seemed endowed with strength and courage beyond that of her compatriots. - -Wherever the fire was fiercest and hottest, wherever the strife was -direst and most deadly, there this girl was sure to be seen, waiting -with her water-cans to make a dash towards the thirsty, smoke-begrimed -soldiers, when a moment's respite allowed them to step back for the -sorely needed drink. For the fierce heat of June was in the air, and the -sunshine lay blinding upon the hot walls and ramparts, save where it was -blotted out by the smoke wreaths from cannon and musket. - -But there was one particular corner upon the old wall where the fight -was often fiercely raging, and where this girl seemed oftenest to -linger, and the Countess, observing her with more and more attention as -the dire siege went forward, took the opportunity one day, when there -was a little lull in the firing, to speak to her and ask her of herself. - -"I am called Agostina," answered the girl, "and it is my father who -serves yonder gun. He has the post of the greatest danger. I dare not -tear myself away. Every day I fear to see him fall. Many have fallen at -his side, but the blessed Mother of God and the holy saints have watched -over him, and he has not as yet received so much as a scratch. Alas! if -he should be taken, what will become of the little ones at home?" And -over the girl's handsome, resolute face there swept an expression of -pain and anguish that was sorrowful to see. - -The Countess walked beside her to the spot where her father stood beside -his gun, taking this moment of lull to clean it well, for often it -became so hot that he was afraid it would burst. His dark, smoke-grimed -face, handsome like Agostina's in spite of its black veil, brightened at -her approach, and on seeing the lovely, high-born lady, he doffed his -cap with the instinctive grace and courtesy that the humble Spaniard has -never lost. - -Agostina handed him the water-can, from which he took a deep, refreshing -draught, sighing with satisfaction as he handed it back to the girl. The -lady regarded the pair, and thought they looked more like husband and -wife than father and daughter. He seemed not old enough for her father, -though there was such a bond of affection and familiarity between them. - -"Take it yonder to Ruy Gomez," said the man, pointing towards a -fellow-gunner a little distance off. "He is parched with thirst, and has -one of the hottest places on the wall." - -Agostina moved forward towards the man--she knew the names of all the -gunners in this corner of the fortifications--and the Countess remained -and entered into conversation with the father. - -"You have a good daughter, my brave fellow. I have watched her these -many days amongst the rest. She seems to know not fear--not for herself; -though she spoke but now as though she lived in daily and hourly fear -for her father's life!" - -"Ah, poor child, poor child! It would be a sad thing for her were I to -be taken. You see there are the little ones at home; she is like a -mother to them, and to her it would be like being left a widow were I to -fall." - -"You have other children too, then? Yet Agostina is always alone in her -tasks." - -"Ah, yes; the others are too little, too tender. You see it was so: I -married almost as a boy, I was little more when Agostina was born, and -my wife died in giving her life. She grew up my comrade and plaything. -I soon ceased to regret she was not a boy. She was as brave, as hardy, -as skilful at games and exercises, as free from fear, as bold to brave -toil and fatigue. Ah, I should weary you, Senora, were I to try and tell -you of Agostina's childhood and youth! We have been more like brother -and sister, comrades, lovers, than father and daughter; and yet, with -all that, no daughter was ever more dutiful and loving and obedient than -my Agostina!" - -The man's face had kindled into a great enthusiasm as he talked of his -beautiful daughter; that she was the very apple of his eye none could -doubt who heard him speak. The lady almost marvelled that he had taken -to himself another wife, but in his own simple fashion he explained the -matter. - -"It was the year when that great sickness came. I was smitten down with -it, and Agostina nursed me back to health. Indeed, I was never very ill; -my life was not in danger, but she almost broke her heart in fear lest -she might lose me; and when I was well she was taken, and lay for long -at the very gates of death. And I, what could I do? A man is a helpless -creature in such times; and many of the neighbours fled from us. But -there was one who came to us in our troubles, a gentle creature who had -lost father and mother in the sickness. She had always loved Agostina, -and Agostina had loved her. She came and watched beside her day and -night. She brought her back to health and strength. She was quite alone -in the world; she had no one to look to; and so I married her, and -Agostina was like a sister and a daughter in one." - -"And is she living yet within the city?" - -"Alas, no! She was taken to her rest last year; and at home are the -three little ones, to whom Agostina is more mother than sister. A -neighbour takes care of them now, for Agostina must do her duty with the -brave daughters of the city. You, gentle lady, have taught them this. I -thank the saints and our Blessed Lady that my Agostina has been one to -answer to the call of duty. She has a heart of gold." - -"I have seen it," answered the Countess; "a heart of gold and arms of -steel. I have watched her often with wonder and envy. She has the -strength of a strong man in that light frame of hers!" - -"Has she not!" answered the proud father, his eyes shining; "and not -only has she strength, but she has skill and dauntless courage. She can -fire this gun as well as I can myself. She has stood at my side many -times helping me to load and fire it. When I have been blinded by smoke -and lack of sleep, she has crept up to me and whispered in the confusion -and din, 'Let me take a turn for you, father, I can do it as well as -you. Sit down a moment and breathe. I will serve the gun.' Ay, and she -has done it, too--my brave little Agostina." - -The man's pride in his daughter was almost as touching as her devotion -to him. After that day the Countess watched Agostina with affectionate -interest; and, indeed, others began to note her too; for in the many -fearful casualties that befell the besieged, the explosion of the powder -magazine, the firing of the convent, which had been turned into a -hospital for sick and wounded, Agostina was ever foremost in the work of -rescue, animating by her courage and example even the most -faint-hearted, and performing miraculous feats of strength and courage -and devotion. - -In a city and at a time when all were heroines, Agostina began to be -pointed out as the heroine of the siege; but she neither knew nor -heeded. All she thought of was the safety of her father and the saving -of her city. A passionate patriotism burned within her; she could face -any personal peril if only the holy saints would grant them victory over -their foes! - -The gate near which her father served his gun was called the Portillo; -and fearful was the fighting that raged round that spot one -never-to-be-forgotten day of this memorable siege. The whole place -seemed to shake and rock with the explosions of shells from the Torrero; -fires were bursting out in many parts of the city. The sand-bags heaped -up in defence of wall and building were igniting and dropping away. And -around this special corner the fire was so fierce and furious that it -seemed as though every living creature must be swept away, leaving the -French a clear passage into the devoted town. - -Indeed, so terrible was the bombardment here that the devoted band of -women, ready with water-cans and fresh sand-bags to rush forward to aid -their fathers and brothers, were for once driven back, and forced away -by the smoke and heat and thick rain of bullets. Agostina stood her -ground alone, peering into the smoke with anguished eyes; standing amid -the leaden hail as though she bore a charmed life; wringing her hands -together sometimes, when a cry or a groan seemed to bespeak the fact -that another bullet had done its fatal work. - -At last she could stand it no longer. With a cry like that of a wild -creature in fury and distress, she leaped through the smoke and reek to -the very wall itself; and what did her eyes see then? What sight was it -that caused every drop of blood to ebb from her face, whilst the fire -seemed to flash from her eyes and reflect back the sullen glow from the -Torrero? - -Every man amongst the besieged had fallen! Heaps of dead and dying lay -at her feet. Her father--where was he? A cry of anguish broke from her -as she stopped to look. From amid the heap at her feet a head was -raised--a head and a hand--a hand holding a match. - -"Agostina--fire--the gun." - -It was his last word ere his head fell back in death. But the girl had -heard, and every nerve in her body tingled in response to that dying -appeal. - -Through the lessening smoke wreaths she saw an appalling sight--she saw -the rapid approach of the French towards the now undefended gate. It -rested with Agostina alone whether or not they should win an entrance -into the city. - -With steady hand she adjusted the great gun that she had fired so often -before. With perfect coolness and dexterity she applied her match. There -was a crash, a roar, followed by the shrieks of wounded men, the oaths -of their comrades. The French had believed the guns silenced; they had -believed themselves secure of victory; and now their ranks were torn and -mown by a well-aimed twenty-six-pounder. The officer in charge called a -halt. The city was not as defenceless as they had thought. - -Within the walls there was the sound of hurrying feet, as the Commander, -with some troops, came hastening to the rescue. It had been told him -how fearful was the peril here. Word had been brought that all the guns -were silent now, and he knew but too well what that meant. Hastening to -the spot in anxious fear, he had heard the booming roar of a city gun, -had heard the cry of the advancing French; and now he pressed forward to -the spot to find a girl seated upon the gun, which was still smoking, -waving her arms above her head, and crying: - -"Death or victory! Death or victory! Father, I accept your dying charge. -I leave not your gun again till Zaragoza be saved! I claim it as my -due!" - -The next moment Agostina had sprung to her feet, for she was no longer -alone with the dying and the dead. The Commander himself, Don Jose -Palafox, a nobleman, who in this emergency had come forward and placed -himself at the head of the troops of the garrison in the besieged city, -was standing beside her, regarding her steadfastly; and, though -perfectly fearless in the moment of danger, Agostina felt abashed before -his fixed gaze, and dropped her eyes. - -"Maiden," he asked gently, "whose hand was it fired that last shot, -after the guns had long been silent?" - -A wounded man half rose from the ground at their feet, and he pointed -his finger at Agostina. - -[Illustration: A wounded man half rose from the ground at their feet. - -_Page 270._] - -"It was she who did it, Senor; she is the daughter of one of those who -lie dead beneath your feet. He had fallen. We had all fallen. Help did -not come, but the foe was coming. We could hear the tramp of their -approaching feet. Then Agostina was in our midst. Her father's last -charge was given, 'fire the gun.' She obeyed. She checked the oncoming -tide. She routed the advancing foe. Agostina did that." - -But Agostina had not stayed to hear her praises sung; she was on her -knees beside a mangled form. The tears were raining from her eyes. She -was no longer the heroine of the gun. She was a daughter weeping for the -loss of a loved and loving father. - -"They loved each other so well--so well," murmured the wounded man, as -his head sank back. "Poor Agostina!" - -Don Jose would have said more to Agostina, but his kind heart told him -that the moment was not yet come; and he merely ordered his men to lift -up the body of the dead gunner, and to give it decent burial in any spot -that Agostina should direct. It was some salve to her great grief that -her father should lie in consecrated ground. So many heaps of slain had -to be buried where they fell. The besieged had not time or strength to -carry them away. - -The following day Don Jose, making his rounds and instituting a more -detailed survey of the wall which had been indeed terribly shaken and -shattered by the firing of yesterday, was surprised to find Agostina -hard at work cleaning the gun which had been her father's up till now, -and to which, as yet, no fresh gunner had been appointed, for, indeed, -the Commander was getting very short of men with skill enough to take -charge of the guns. He stood for a few seconds watching her attentively; -and when after loading the piece with the precision and skill which -showed a thorough understanding of the task in hand, she raised her sad -eyes, she coloured very slightly, and saluted exactly as a soldier would -have done at sight of his commanding officer. - -Don Jose returned the salute, and came up to the girl's side. - -"I have been hearing of you, my brave child," he said. "What can I do -for you in return for what you did yesterday for this city?" - -"Senor," she replied, "I have but one boon to crave. Give me my father's -place here at this gun. Let me serve it as he served it, so long as the -siege lasts. He has taught me how. You shall not find me remiss. I think -I am not unskilful. Yesterday, in the presence of the dead, I vowed a -vow--I vowed not to leave my post here till the French should retreat -from Zaragoza. Let me but keep that vow. Give me here the right to hold -my father's place, the right to draw his pay, and that portion of food -for the helpless babes at home that every soldier's family may claim. I -ask nothing else!" She spoke very simply; there was no thought in her -heart of playing the hero's part. She asked bread for the children, and -the right to earn it for them. If deep down in her heart the fire of -patriotism was burning fiercely, she never thought of posing as a -heroine sacrificing herself for her country. No, hers was a simple -nature. She loved her father with passionate devotion. She longed to -accomplish the work which had been his. She yearned after the little -helpless children, and felt she must earn for them the necessities of -life. Provisions were beginning to run short. Rations were provided for -the soldiers and their families; but the citizens were face to face with -a scarcity that might become actual famine ere long. The little ones -must not starve; such had been Agostina's leading thought. She would win -for them their daily bread. She had been a mother to them for long; now -she would be a father too. - -Don Jose's face was gravely tender as he replied: - -"My child, your petition is granted. No more noble or courageous -custodian of that gun could I find within these walls. I appoint you its -gunner, with double pay. When peace has been restored, and I can tell to -the world the story of the Maid of Zaragoza, it will go hard if the -nation do not provide a pension too for so brave a daughter of her -soil!" - -Agostina's cheek glowed; she bent her knee for a moment, and ere Don -Jose quite knew what she was about to do, she had pressed her lips upon -his hand. - -"Our Blessed Lady guard and keep you, Senor," she said. "You have -granted me my heart's desire!" - -It was a strange heart's desire, in truth! To stand upon that battered -wall in the teeth of the enemy's guns; to be a target for the shot and -shell of those terrible batteries; to serve that smoking gun, and send -its fierce answers forth into the hostile camp of the invaders. Others -fell about and around Agostina, but no shot touched her. They came to -say that she bore a charmed life; and it, at least, was plain that the -thought of fear could never find a lodging place within her breast. - -Then came a desperate day when it seemed indeed as though all were lost. -A new battery was being built over against a convent, whose walls were -weak already, and almost ready to fall. Strengthen them as they might, -the garrison was helpless to effect any real improvement in their -condition. They fell almost at the first shock when the new battery -opened fire, and the French, rushing in through the breaches made, took -possession of one quarter of the city, and sent a haughty summons to Don -Jose to surrender. - -The situation was tragic enough. They were now between two fires, and -only a wide space like a boulevard separated the hostile camps. Don Jose -had long been expecting succour from his brother, Don Francisco, who had -sent word that he was marching to his relief with three thousand men and -stores of food and ammunition. But there was no sign of his near -approach as yet; and the city was in pitiful plight. - -"Surrender! By capitulation alone can Zaragoza be saved." - -Such was the haughty message from the French General Lefebre, brought to -Don Jose and his exhausted men after the fall of the quarter of the city -called St. Engracia. - -The Commander looked around upon the ring of gaunt men about him, and -over at the shattered buildings of the town. What answer was it his duty -to return? Was he justified in sacrificing all these brave lives? What -did the people of Zaragoza think of it themselves? They had at least a -right to be asked. It was they upon whom the brunt of these fearful days -fell. - -"What answer shall we return to General Lefebre?" he asked, looking from -one to the other; and the men themselves seemed scarce to know what -answer to make. - -Then a voice from the crowd shouted out the words: - -"Let us ask the Maid of Zaragoza!" - -Don Jose's face lighted at the suggestion. He turned in the direction of -the speaker, and cried aloud: - -"Go--ask the Maid of the Gun what answer we shall send back. By her word -we will abide!" - -A strange thrill of enthusiasm ran through the whole city as the -messenger sped forth to the farther wall to ask of Agostina what the -Commander should answer. Strange as was the choice of such an umpire, -there was something fitting and dramatic about it that fired the -Spaniards, and wrought a strange kind of exultation among them. - -Soon a gathering murmur in the distance, which increased to a perfect -roar as the crowd surged onwards, showed that the answer was being -brought back, and that it had stirred to the depths the impulsive and -excitable populace. - -"War to the knife! War to the knife!" The words detached themselves at -last from the general clangour, and the soldiers, flashing out their -swords, took up the answer of the Maid of Zaragoza, and the welkin rang -with the shout--"War to the knife!" - -A few days after those four words had been sent by Don Jose to General -Lefebre, the longed-for help came; and the eyes of Agostina shone and -glowed as she watched from her gun upon the wall the French soldiers in -full retreat blocking the road to Pamplona. The siege of Zaragoza was at -an end; and the Commander came himself and fastened a medal of honour -upon the heroine's breast. - - - - -AGNES BEAUMONT - - -"Thou shalt never listen to the rogue again!" - -"But, father----" - -"Silence, girl! Have I not said it? Thou shalt never go to hear him -preach again! He is a pestilent knave. He will bring all who hear him to -trouble. Dost hear me, girl? Thou shalt not go!" - -"Nay, but, sweet father!" - -"Silence!" thundered the angry man. "I have spoken; let that be enough. -Thou shalt have no more of this preaching dinned into thine ears, and -neither will I. Thou shalt never hear Mr. Bunyan again. He has done harm -enough already." - -Agnes was absolutely aghast at this sudden outbreak, for which she was -totally unprepared. She and her father had for some while been attending -with great interest and profit the teachings and preachings of the -notable Puritan, John Bunyan, whose wonderful personal experiences -brought home to his hearers a sense of reality which was often lacking -in other teachers. - -Farmer Beaumont had, however, of late been strangely silent and morose, -so that his daughter had been rather afraid to speak to him. She had -noted that he had not mentioned the approaching preaching, which she was -most anxious to attend; but she had no idea that any great change had -come over him till he suddenly burst forth in this manner, as they were -sitting together at supper, after his return from the neighbouring town, -where he had spent the previous night. - -Of course, Agnes was well aware that by many people this John Bunyan was -regarded as a dangerous man, and that these inveighed against him as a -preacher and teacher of strange new doctrines. Sometimes, she knew, it -was dangerous to attend these meetings. She had heard it whispered -before now that persons were often brought up before the authorities and -fined or otherwise punished for offences of this sort, but it never -occurred to her that her sturdy father would be frightened. She had no -fear for herself. She believed she heard Heaven-sent gospel from this -preacher, and she longed to hear him again. - -It was plain to her that somebody had got hold of her father during his -absence from home, and had worked upon the fears that were beginning to -agitate him before. She knew that there was a lawyer there--a man she -especially disliked and distrusted. Once he had been suitor for her -hand; for Farmer Beaumont was reputed to be a warm man, and Agnes was -likely to come into the bulk of his property and savings at his death. -But the girl had repelled his advances with energy; having an intense -dislike to the sly, fox-faced man of the quill, and he now repaid her -dislike in kind, and she believed that on more than one occasion he had -sought to poison her father's mind against her. - -She suspected that this was the case now. It was plain that the old man -was in a very angry mood. - -After sitting awhile in glowering silence, he broke out again even more -fiercely than before. - -"I'll have a promise from thee, girl; thou shalt promise me here and now -that thou wilt never go and hear one of his preachings more. Say the -words and have done with it." - -"Oh, father, do not ask me to make such a promise as that!" - -"Ay, but I will. I'll have no disobedient daughter in my house. I've had -a talk to Farry about it. Thou first will not have him for a husband at -my bidding; now thou art taking up with this pestilent preacher -Bunyan----" - -"But, father, thou didst take me thyself to hear him, and said he was a -godly man. It is Farry's evil tongue that hath wrought this change in -thee. Prithee, pardon my boldness, but I dare not promise what is -against my conscience!" - -"It is against thy conscience to obey thy father, girl?" raved the angry -farmer. "A pretty conscience in all sooth. I'll have that promise from -thee to-night, or else I'll drive thee from my doors, and disown thee -for my daughter!" - -Agnes was in great distress, for she loved her father, and had always -been an obedient daughter; but the stern tenets of the Puritan divines -had penetrated deeply into her soul; and she was sorely afraid that by -obeying her father she would be trifling with her soul's salvation. Most -sincerely did she desire to do right; but it was so hard for her to know -what was most right. - -At last after much deliberation and some silent prayer Agnes brought -herself to say, whilst her father had spent much of his energy in -railing and threats: - -"Dear father, I will promise you this, that so long as you live I will -not go to one of these preachings without your consent; and I beg of you -not to ask me more than that." - -On hearing these words spoken whilst the tears ran down her cheeks, the -father's rage suddenly abated. He kissed Agnes and told her that she was -a good girl after all; and the storm in the house died down to a calm. - -But poor Agnes was very unhappy. It seemed to her as though in obeying -her father she had in some sort violated her conscience and betrayed her -Lord. When she consulted her married sister and brother-in-law on the -subject (all ardent admirers of Mr. Bunyan), she found that they also -took this view of the matter, and her trouble became very great. - -It was now her chief aim and object to gain her father's consent to her -attending the approaching meeting, where John Bunyan was to preach and -afterwards to administer the Sacrament. It seemed to her equally -impossible to remain away or to break her word to her father; and her -only hope of real peace of mind lay in winning his consent to her going -there. - -During the last two days he had been much kinder to her; but still she -was in great fear lest he was in the same mind with regard to Bunyan and -the preaching. She got her sister to come over to the farm the evening -before, and by talking and a certain amount of coaxing and argument, -they at last won the old man's permission that Agnes should accompany -her relatives to the meeting at Gamlinhay, they promising to get her -taken and returned, as the farmer had no mind to assist her by sparing -one of his own horses to carry her, and the distance was too far for her -to walk. - -It was a great joy to Agnes to win this permission; and she was more -sure than ever that it was Lawyer Farry's jeering words and overbearing -arguments that had caused her father so to turn against her and the -preacher; for since he had been at home with her again, he had become -quiet and reasonable. - -But she thought it would be wise to be off and away early upon the -morrow, lest he should in any wise change his mind; and so she rose with -the sun, set about her morning tasks with great energy, and had taken -her own breakfast and left everything in readiness for her father before -she slipped into her riding dress, and made her way across the fields to -her brother-in-law's house, without having caught a glimpse of the -farmer. Indeed, she had left the house before he was astir. - -Her sister received her kindly, and told her that they had arranged for -her to ride behind Mr. Wilson, the minister of Hitchin, who would call -on his way at the house. But time went on, and there was no sign of him, -and poor Agnes's face grew pale with anxiety. Her brother had only one -horse and would take his wife behind him. Agnes could not burden them; -no horse could carry three riders. Strong as she was, she could not walk -the whole distance in the time, since they had waited now so long. It -seemed for a moment as though after all she must be left behind, when -suddenly her sister, who had been gazing down the road, cried out -eagerly: - -"He is coming!--He is coming!--Surely, husband, that is Mr. Wilson on -his nag?" - -For a few minutes all thought this; but Agnes suddenly gave a little -cry, and exclaimed: - -[Illustration: Bunyan looked down at her with rather a grim smile upon -his face. - -_Page 283._] - -"It is not Mr. Wilson--it is Mr. John Bunyan himself!" - -"Then he shall carry you, Agnes!" cried her sister, "and you will have -the pleasure of his godly conversation on the road." - -The heart of Agnes was full of joy at the bare thought of such an -honour; but when her brother ran out to the gate to make the request, -they heard Mr. Bunyan's voice say quite roughly: - -"No; I will not take her." - -Sudden tears rushed to the eyes of Agnes; she hid behind her sister that -he might not see her weep, and again she heard the tones of his -voice--the voice she had come to love so well. - -"If I do, her father will be grievously angry. I have heard how he has -changed towards me. I will not set a man at variance with his children. -Children are an heritage from the Lord." - -At that Agnes ran forward, and told him what had happened, and how her -father had consented that she should go to the preaching. Bunyan looked -down at her with rather a grim smile upon his face. - -"Ay, child; but did he say you might ride pillion behind the preacher?" - -Agnes made no reply; but her sister pleaded for her, and in the end -Bunyan consented to carry her, though he told her plainly: - -"If I were you, maiden, I would go home to my old father, and seek to -soften his heart by childlike obedience and submission, rather than urge -him vehemently to gain mine own way." - -They had not proceeded far on the road before they met a man on -horseback riding in an opposite direction. To her dismay and annoyance -Agnes saw that it was Lawyer Farry, and she felt certain he was on his -way to her father's house. She knew well how he would stir up the old -man against the preacher, and it could not be but that her father would -be very angry to hear that she had been seen riding behind Mr. Bunyan to -the preaching. Probably he would think this thing had been arranged -beforehand, and no doubt Farry would do his best to encourage that idea. - -Bunyan, however, not knowing the lawyer, paid no heed to the stranger, -though he continued to give Agnes much good advice as to her relations -with her father, advice that the girl promised faithfully to follow. - -"For, indeed, I have always loved him dutifully; and till lately he has -been a tender father to me. But he has been embittered against those -things which I hold so needful for my soul's salvation, and I am torn in -twain betwixt my duty to him and to God." - -"Ay, ay, my child, thy path may be sometimes a difficult one; but -remember that faith in Christ is enough for salvation, and thou wilt -never imperil thy soul by abstaining from hearing some godly preaching, -albeit such preaching may strengthen and sustain thee. God gave thee thy -father and bade thee reverence and obey him. There is no doubt about -that duty, so look to it in the future." - -This gentle counsel set Agnes thinking deeply; and since it came from -Mr. Bunyan himself, she could not but believe it good. Greatly as she -delighted in the preaching and meeting which she had made so great a -point of attending, she was possessed by a longing to be at home again, -to ask her father's pardon if she had thought too little of his wishes, -and to show him in the future a greater patience and affection than had -been possible of late. - -At the close of the meeting she was in some perplexity how to get home, -since Mr. Bunyan was not going back that way; but at last she found a -young woman who gave her a mount behind her on her horse, and in this -way she reached her father's house, although it was now late, and her -sister counselled her to come home with her for the night. - -But Agnes thought her duty was to go home, as perhaps her father would -be waiting for her. When she saw the house all dark and closed, her -heart sank somewhat; but she would not be daunted. Going up she knocked -at the door and then called aloud under the window of her father's -room, asking him to throw her down the key, which he always took up to -bed with him. - -Suddenly a fierce voice came thundering from the lattice: - -"Thou shalt never enter my house again. Thou art no daughter of mine. -Where thou hast been all day thou mayest go at night." - -"But, father, father, you did give me leave to go," she pleaded. - -"Did I give thee leave to ride behind Mr. Bunyan? Go to him, thou -disobedient girl; thou art no child of mine." - -And so saying he banged to the lattice very fiercely, and Agnes was left -standing without in the cold and damp. - -For a moment she thought she would go to her sister's house, but then -the memory of Bunyan's words came over her, and she resolved not to be -driven away by her father's harshness, but to pass her night in the barn -praying for him, and to seek on the morrow to soften him by her prayers -and to tell him of the advice Mr. Bunyan had given her. She longed to be -reconciled to him, and lead him back to the old paths by her filial -gentleness. And as she made her way to the barn, she said in her heart: - -"That is the work of wicked Farry. He has been with father again, -poisoning his mind; but I will pray for him, and perchance on the -morrow he will hear me, and let me come to him once more." - -But upon the morrow the old man seemed more implacable than ever. He was -rather startled at finding his daughter in the barn in her riding-dress; -but he would not hear a word from her. He poured out his fury upon her -in such ungoverned language that it was all the poor girl could do to -keep from turning and fleeing from him. Yet, mindful of her resolve to -bear all meekly, she continued to follow him about and plead to be taken -in; till at last the old man in a fit of ungovernable fury ran at her -with the pitch-fork that he had in his hand, and Agnes barely escaped -receiving a serious injury. - -"I will go to Prudence's house for a while, father," she said gently -after this. "I trust by the morrow you will have forgiven me if I did -wrong in riding with Mr. Bunyan. Indeed, he was loth to take me; but I -was so anxious to go. Perhaps I was somewhat wrong to urge it so -vehemently; but one day you will forgive, and let me be your daughter -again." - -Yet in spite of all the persuasions of the married daughter and -son-in-law, and the dutiful gentleness of Agnes, it was not till the -third day that the old man's fit of passionate fury spent itself, and he -rather sullenly consented that Agnes should come home once more. - -When first she began her accustomed duties about the house, he was very -morose, and would scarcely speak to her; but gradually her gentleness -and sweetness seemed to soften him, and upon the day following he -appeared to have forgotten his ill-will, and they spent the evening -peacefully together in cheerful conversation. - -But the old man complained of being cold, which, indeed, was scarcely to -be wondered at since the wind had changed and brought with it a fall of -snow. Agnes gave him his supper somewhat earlier than usual, and he went -to bed, she following his example only a little later. - -Towards midnight she was awakened by the sound of dismal groaning from -her father's room, and rushing to him discovered that he was in sore -pain, and could scarcely draw his breath. - -"I have been struck to the heart!" he gasped, "I am about to die. God be -merciful to me, a sinner, and forgive me the sins I have committed -towards you, my daughter!" - -Agnes, in great alarm, flew about, kindling the fire, and making -something hot for her father to drink, hoping thus to soothe his pain -and restore him; but there was a grey, ashen look upon his face which -frightened her terribly; and she was all alone with him in the house. - -The terrible spasm lasted about half an hour, and then the old man fell -back in a dying state. Agnes, so soon as she saw herself quite helpless -to assist him, rushed forth to her sister's house, and make known her -terrible plight. They all followed her back in great dismay; but only to -witness the last struggle as the old man passed into eternity. - -Agnes was crushed to the earth by this blow; but she was not suffered to -mourn her dead in peace. The next day her brother-in-law came to her -with a very disturbed face, and said that Lawyer Farry desired speech of -her, and when Agnes would have refused to see him, she was told that it -would not be wise to do so, as the matter on which he had come was of -grave moment. - -When she saw the lawyer's evil, shifty face, and the gleam of triumphant -malevolence in his eyes she felt her heart sink for a moment; but then -rallying her courage she met his gaze fearlessly, and asked him what his -business was with her. - -"I have come to offer you the only hope of escaping the punishment of -your crime. There is one and only one way by which you can save yourself -from the awful doom that awaits you." - -"You are speaking in riddles to me, sir," said Agnes; "I pray you say -plainly what you have come to say, and leave me." - -His eyes looked more malevolent still as he came a step nearer. - -"Girl," he said, in very low and terrible tones, "do you know that the -doom of the parricide is death at the stake?" - -Agnes recoiled in horror from the word parricide. The colour forsook her -cheeks; she trembled as she stood. What awful thought had come into that -man's evil mind? - -"Yes, guilty woman, you may well tremble and quail, now that your guilty -purpose is known. But listen yet. I am the only person who can bear -testimony against you, and I will save you on one condition: Be my wife, -and I will say nothing. The world will never know that Agnes Beaumont is -a murderess--a parricide!" - -Suddenly the girl's righteous wrath blazed up. She saw the man's motive -in making this foul charge, this fearful threat. He knew that her father -had left her a rich woman, that all he died possessed of was to be hers. -To get her and her fortune into his power he was ready to perjure -himself in the most frightful way; she saw the fell purpose in his eyes; -but her spirit did not desert her. She stood for a moment in silent -prayer, and then said: - -"I will never marry you. God knows that I am innocent of the awful sin -you lay at my door. I will trust to Him to save me from the malice of my -persecutors." - -It was in vain that the man by every argument and threat in his power -sought to shake the steady courage of the girl, and to bend her to his -will. In vain he painted for her the horrors of the fiery death of the -parricide; in vain he sought to show her how impossible it would be to -prove her innocence. She stood looking fearlessly into his evil face, -and when he would have put out a hand to draw her nearer, she slipped -out of his reach, and with a quiet and lofty mien walked to the door, -turning round at the last to say: - -"May God forgive you for the cruel deed you are about to do. Into His -hands I entrust my cause." - -Later in the day her sister came to her in deep agitation. - -"Agnes, Agnes, why wouldest thou not submit to his will? He is such a -crafty, cruel man. He will obtain thine undoing! Oh, sister, sister, -dost know what he is about to swear before the coroner to-morrow?" - -"That I poisoned my father--he has said as much," answered Agnes -quietly; "but he can prove nothing that he says." - -"Nay, but it is more than that. He has got such a story. He says that -Mr. Bunyan did give thee the poison, and that he saw you twain riding -together, and heard you speaking together of our father as he passed. He -says that when he got here poor father told him that he was sure you -meant him ill, and that you would find a way of getting rid of him, -since you only promised obedience to his wishes so long as he lived. Oh, -the story he has made of it! And then he points out how loth father was -to take you back, and that he turned you away and said you were no -daughter of his, and might go back to those you had come from. He -learned so many things from us, ere ever we knew the hideous thing in -his mind. Now he says his case is complete and that only by marrying him -can you escape that awful death. Oh, Agnes, Agnes, wilt thou not do his -bidding to save thyself from that fate?" - -"Take a false vow of love and obedience to a man like that? Oh, sister, -how could I? And what would life be with him afterwards?" - -"But they say it will be death at the stake!" wept Prudence. - -"And has not the Lord promised 'When thou passest through the fire I -will be with thee'?" asked Agnes calmly. "I dare not be false to Him; -and I know He will not be false to me. Be not afraid; this trial may be -sent for some good purpose. But it cuts me to the heart that he should -bring in Mr. Bunyan's name. That is a needless piece of wickedness and -falsehood." - -"It is all false together; but he vows that Mr. Bunyan wished to get -possession of father's money by wedding with you, and that therefore he -gave you the poison and bid you use it upon the first opportunity." - -To the two inexperienced women, clinging together in their hour of -affliction, it seemed to them as though the doom of Agnes had already -well nigh gone forth. They knew how clever and unscrupulous Lawyer Farry -was, and how successful he generally proved in carrying through the -schemes to which he gave his mind. Already the neighbourhood was ringing -with the story that Agnes had poisoned her father, and although many -refused to believe in so monstrous a charge, yet it was very well known -how violent the old man's rage had been against his daughter, and that -he had died also immediately after Agnes had been taken back to his -house. This was not evidence, but it raised doubts and suspicions in -many minds. - -The coroner and the jury had assembled, having first viewed the corpse, -and Mr. Hatfield, the surgeon, testified emphatically that he regarded -death as due to natural causes. The old man had long been suffering from -some cardiac derangement, and the excitement into which he had recently -thrown himself would be quite enough to account for the fatal seizure. -Agnes Beaumont, he added, had given him free leave to make a post-mortem -examination, but in his opinion the thing was not necessary. - -Farry was then bidden to state what he knew and what grounds he had for -asserting that his friend had been poisoned. At first he was very bold -and confident in his manner, but he soon found that it was a very -different matter intimidating young and ignorant women and dealing with -a shrewd man of business. Under cross-examination his tale became -confused, contradictory, absurd; his malice flashed out so unmistakably -as to put all the jury on their guard, and when Agnes's sister stepped -forward and asked to be permitted to say that Mr. Farry had promised to -be silent if Agnes would consent to be his wife, a deep murmur of -indignation ran through the room, and the man knew himself defeated and -disgraced. - -When Agnes was called, and came forward with her simple and unvarnished -tale, it only needed a look into her calm, sweet face to know that she -spoke the truth. She freely told of the difference she had had with her -father, and how Mr. Bunyan had warned her not to urge her own desire too -much, but to be dutiful and obedient. And her sister corroborating this -statement, and adding all she had seen of Agnes's gentle submissiveness -on her return, and another person giving testimony that John Bunyan had -a wife living, and that the idea of his wanting Agnes's hand was -nonsense, the whole of Farry's ingenious and malicious tale fell to the -ground, and he stood like one who would never lift up his head again. - -"But if there be any doubt," said Agnes, looking at the coroner, "Mr. -Hatfield is here; he will make the needful examination." - -"That is a question for the jury to decide," answered the coroner, with -a smile. "Let them retire, and give us their verdict." - -A few minutes was all these honest men required before announcing that -death was due to natural causes; and then the coroner turned upon Farry -and with a most scathing reproof dismissed him, warning him that he had -brought himself perilously near a charge of perjury, had Agnes been a -vindictive foe. - -Then when the man had slunk out like a beaten hound, he took Agnes's -hands in his, and said: - -"You have been a courageous girl, my dear, in withstanding the artifices -of that wicked man. Hardly another maid so young and unprotected but -would have been intimidated into accepting his condition. What made you -so brave to withstand him?" - -"I do not think I was brave," answered Agnes; "but I knew I should be -helped." - -The old man smiled and patted her head. - -"Perhaps that is the best kind of courage after all." - - - - -HANNAH HEWLING - - -The mother was stricken down with the load of her grief; it seemed to -her more than she could bear. Her two sons--her only sons--young men of -such promise, such beauty, such piety--lying in that foul prison of -Newgate, of which many horrid tales were told; lying there waiting a -trial, which all believed could only end in one way. It was well known -how fierce was the wrath of the King against all who had taken any share -in the late rebellion, and neither the youth of the offenders nor their -virtuous lives would be likely to have any effect upon the sentence -which they had brought upon themselves by their recent ill-advised act. -The mother buried her face in her hands and groaned aloud. - -Those were sad and anxious days in many homes, particularly in the West -of England, where the Duke of Monmouth's rebellion had broken out, and -had been quickly quenched in fire and bloodshed. - -To Mrs. Hewling it seemed a terrible visitation of Providence that her -two promising sons had been in any way mixed up in it. - -"If I had only kept them with me here in England, they would have been -safe!" she moaned. - -It was not very long since Mrs. Hewling had been left a widow, in -affluent circumstances indeed, but with a large family to bring up. She -had two most promising sons, Benjamin and William, the first twenty-one -and the second close upon nineteen years of age, and Benjamin's -twin-sister Hannah was a beautiful girl of much promise, who, at this -crisis of her mother's life, was acting as her chief support and helper. -There were several little sisters, scarcely more than children; but the -intermediate sons had died in infancy, and the chords of the mother's -heart seemed to twine themselves about Benjamin and William in a fashion -which made their present perilous situation a thing that could hardly be -borne by her. - -And the bitterest thought of all was that had she only kept the boys -with her in London after their father's death, instead of letting them -go to Holland, to see something of the world and complete their -education, all this misery might have been spared. - -Adverse as the citizens of London were to many of the methods and -opinions of the King, still there was no desire at present to get rid of -him by any violent revolution, or to place the crown upon another head. -A few years later, and the whole nation rose in a bloodless revolt -against the man who had broken his pledges and his coronation vow, and -would have plunged England into a fierce struggle against the trammels -of Popery. But at that time things were not ripe for such a drastic -measure, nor was the Duke of Monmouth such a sovereign as the nation -could accept. But here and there where the Protestant spirit burnt more -fiercely than elsewhere, or over in Holland, where the claim of the Duke -had been more freely allowed, and where he was eagerly recruiting forces -to take with him to England, his cause seemed a righteous cause, and -inspired enthusiasm and devotion. Mrs. Hewling could not altogether -wonder that her two sons, reared in all the most ardent Puritan and -Protestant tenets of the day, should have been fired with a desire to -join the expedition, and to strive to strike a blow for their faith upon -England's shores. - -And now, that ill-starred revolt having come to its tragic end, her boys -were amongst those who, having first sought flight, had since then -surrendered themselves to justice. It had been told her by friends that -they were lying in Newgate prison, and would almost immediately be sent -back whence they had come, to stand their trial at the Western Assizes, -over which the fierce and notoriously cruel Judge Jeffreys was to -preside. - -So paralysed by horror was the poor mother, whose health had long been -very frail, that she had been unable herself to leave the house and seek -permission to visit her sons. And Hannah had persuaded her not to -attempt a task so much beyond her powers. - -"I will go first, mother," she said. "I will go with my good -grandfather, who will gain me admission, and we will take money with us. -Money will do much within Newgate, they say, to ameliorate the condition -of the prisoners. Another day thou shalt go; but let me be the first." - -So Hannah had gone under the safe-keeping of her grandfather, Mr. -Kiffin, a citizen well known and greatly respected in the town, and the -mother was awaiting their return in a fever of anxiety. - -She was turning over in her bewildered brain a thousand schemes for the -preservation of her boys. But the more she pondered, the more helpless -did she become. True, she had many friends, and several possessed of -wealth and influence in the city; but these were for the most part, from -their strong Protestant and dissenting or Puritan leanings, so obnoxious -to the Court party that intervention by them would do rather harm than -good. - -Her own father, Mr. Kiffin, was one of these He would have no fear in -presenting a petition; yet if such a movement on his part were -fore-ordained to failure, it would be better it should not be made. -Others more likely to obtain a hearing would probably be afraid to -intermeddle in such a matter. Those were the days in which it was none -too safe to show sympathy towards the King's enemies, or towards those -who had distinguished themselves by opposition to the Established -Church. The penalty for showing kindness to dissenters was often -extraordinarily severe; and what would it be to take a friendly interest -in youths who had been concerned in treasonable rebellion? - -With despair in her heart the mother sat waiting, pondering and weeping; -longing unspeakably for the husband who was no more, and feeling the -desolation of her widowhood as she had never felt it before. - -Then the door opened quietly, and a tall figure glided in wrapped from -head to foot in a long, dark cloak. - -"Hannah!" cried the mother, "have you seen them?--have you seen my boys? -Oh, give me news of them! My heart is hungry!" - -The girl threw back the hood which was drawn over her head, and her face -showed pale in the twilight. It was a very beautiful face, lighted by -the enthusiasm of a great love--a love that conquers fear, and sinks all -thought of self in devotion to the object at heart. It was such a face -as we see sometimes on painted window, or in chiselled marble--a face -full of lofty self-abnegation and simple heroism. The eyes shone like -stars, and the mother, looking at her daughter, held out her arms, and -cried: - -"Ah, Hannah, Hannah, if any can save them it will be thou." - -Hannah knelt at her mother's feet and spoke quietly and rapidly. - -"I have seen them, mother. They were together, with many others. But my -grandfather had them taken out and brought into a separate room, where -we could talk. It was a dreadful place, that first,"--she shivered -slightly as she spoke,--"but they will not go back to it. Grandfather is -staying, and he will arrange all that. I saw them. Oh, mother, you need -not fear for them! They have no fear for themselves. They are ready for -the worst that may befall. Their only fear is lest they were wrong in -taking up arms. When they did it, it seemed a right and holy thing. They -have heard other things since coming to England, and are the less -confident of that. But they have no other fear. If they have done amiss -they are willing to die. They both say that. It is not death that can -affright them. They have made their peace with God." - -The mother's tears ran over, although there was something of joy in -hearing such an assurance. - -"But we must save them, daughter!--we must save them!" - -"We will try," answered Hannah steadily, yet without the brightness of -hope in her eyes. "We will leave no stone unturned. We will accomplish -what can be accomplished. But----" - -The last word was little more than a sigh. It was not meant to reach her -mother's ears, yet it did: and Mrs. Hewling exclaimed: - -"But what, daughter, but what? What hast thou heard more?" - -"I have heard nought that we have not been told before; only, mother -mine, when the grim walls of a prison are about one, and grim gaolers -are talking with that cool certainty of things they have grown familiar -with, the horrible reality seems to come over one like a flood; and the -awful doom comes ever nearer and nearer. The boys have heard much--the -implacable temper of the King; his bloodthirsty mood; his choice of the -Judge who is to arraign them. In Newgate it is whispered that there will -be such a slaughter in the West as has not been heard of in this land. I -felt myself shaking all over at the things I heard there. Oh, I fear for -my brothers, I fear, I fear!" - -The mother clasped her in her arms, and they mingled their tears -together. Hannah told in broken words of all that she had gleaned from -her brothers, of what they had dared and done, how they looked, how -they had stood the journey and the prison; and how they were soon to be -sent down to the West Country, to be tried at those places where they -had been seen in arms against the King. - -"That is the worst of it!" cried the mother. "Had it been here in London -town our friends and the influence of our party might have had weight. -But over yonder--so far away! Ah, if I could but go there with them!" - -"Mother, I will go!" said Hannah, speaking firmly and resolutely. "I -have thought of it all the way home. I have plans of all sorts in my -head. Grandfather will soon be here, and then he will tell you more, and -we will talk it over together. But I must be there. I must go with them. -I must--I must!" - -"But, my child, my child, how can I spare thee? They say that the King -is so incensed that even to show pity for the condemned--for the -prisoners--is accounted as a crime. Suppose that hurt were to befall -thee?" - -"Mother," she answered gently, "God can protect me, and I think He will. -But be that as it may, I cannot let my brothers go to what may be their -death alone. I must be there to visit them in their prison, to lighten -the rigours of captivity, to provide them with whatever may be permitted -in the way of defence; to cheer and strengthen them (if so it must be) -upon the very scaffold itself. Benjamin is as my second self. I could -not be other than at his side. Oh, my brother--my brother!" - -A rush of tears choked her voice; she sobbed upon her mother's breast; -but the outbreak relieved the overcharged heart, and when her -grandfather appeared she was the same calm, resolute maiden she had -shown herself in the public streets, and in the dim retreats of the -dreadful gaol. - -Mr. Kiffin had made arrangements for the better lodging and treatment of -his grandsons during their brief detention in Newgate; but he had heard -that almost immediately they were to be sent west to be ready to stand -their trial with others at the coming Assizes; and at the very name of -these the mother's cheek paled. - -"Yes, it is a terrible thought--the power that will be placed in the -hands of one man--and he one noted for ferocity of temper and gross -injustice to those who are brought before him. It is known too that the -King has selected him for these very qualities to fill the dreadful -office which will be his. Yet for our poor lads there may be this one -chance: his cruelty is only rivalled by his greed of money; and we may -appeal to his cupidity where we should appeal in vain to his clemency." - -"Must we then offer him a bribe?" asked Mrs. Hewling, with a faint -distaste in her tone, as though even with her sons' lives at stake, the -thought of buying justice or mercy with gold had in it something -repulsive to her better nature. Hannah's beautiful eyes were likewise -turned upon her grandfather questioningly. It was an age when all sorts -of things were bought and sold for hard cash, that never should have -been so trafficked for; but in the stern Puritan tenets in which this -family had been reared any sort of illicit bartering was strongly -condemned. - -"I did not mean exactly that; but yet we may perhaps move him through -his love of money. You have both heard me speak of my old friend and -fellow-citizen, with whom in past days I lived a long while, working -with him as a brother might," and he named a name that was familiar to -both mother and daughter. - -"Well, strange as it may seem, the young barrister, now made a judge, -this violent, bloodthirsty Jeffreys, is my old friend's kinsman, and, in -fact, his next-of-kin. I had forgotten the fact, if indeed I ever knew -it, till I had a letter from him a few days since reminding me of it, -and asking if there was anything that he could do to aid us in our -trouble. I have seen him, and he has promised to use every means in his -power to gain the leniency of the Judge for our two dear lads. It is -unluckily true that they have taken up arms against the King. It cannot -but be proved against them, nor will they seek to deny it. By the law of -the land they have merited death, and may even be condemned to suffer -the full penalty. But as my friend informs me, out of the hundreds who -will undergo sentence, not a few will escape the dread final penalty. -Even the King in all his ferocity will not dare to slay by thousands, -though he may by hundreds. Many will be condemned to death, who will -afterwards be respited and undergo lighter sentences, or be let off with -a heavy fine. In this matter the voice of the Judge will have weight; -and my friend will use every argument to induce him to commute the death -penalty (if passed upon Benjamin or William) into one that a heavy fine -will cover." - -Mother and daughter seemed to breathe more freely; and Hannah unfolded -her plan of going herself to Lyme Regis and Taunton, the places to which -her brothers were to be taken--she knew not exactly whither they were to -be sent--that she might minister to them in every possible way, cheer -and strengthen them in their hour of trial, and be there to forward any -suit that might be made on their behalf. - -"There will be peril in such a mission, granddaughter," said the old -man. "Many a gentle-hearted woman has suffered grievously for doing less -than thou dost propose to do." - -"I shall suffer more by staying away," said Hannah simply. "I must go. -Something within me bids me. I cannot hold back. Thou wilt be here to -care for mother and the little ones. I must be with my brothers." - -They did not try to hold her back. Her heart was set upon the sorrowful -journey, and the mother, in her yearning over her boys, was ready to -speed her upon her way. She had money, as much as she could use for -every possible purpose, and letters to friends of their friends in the -West Country, who would show her kindness and help her in her difficult -task. Mr. Kiffin would have accompanied her, but that his daughter -seemed to require him more, and he was something too infirm easily to -endure the long, rough journey. But he sent two of his experienced -servants with Hannah; and the journey was made easy to her in every -possible way, albeit in her present mood she would almost have welcomed -hardship and privation. What might not her brothers be suffering of -both? - -She found that they had been conveyed to Taunton, and lodged in the -castle there. The building was densely crowded at this time; for the -dread Judge was on his way, and the friends of the prisoners were in a -terrible state of agitation and fear. Stories were flying from mouth to -mouth of what the inhuman Judge had done and said at Winchester, and -how he had condemned the aged and virtuous Lady Lisle to be burnt to -death for no greater sin than that of harbouring some unhappy wretch, -who had fallen beneath the King's ban. What hope was there for any here? - -But through the influence of those who cared for her, Hannah obtained -the grace of an interview with her brothers on the eve of their trial, -and found them calm and resigned. It was keen joy to them to embrace -their sister again, to give their last messages (as they thought they -might be) to all the loved ones at home, and to know how much they were -thought of and prayed for by many far and near. But they had no hope of -mercy. They had heard of the implacable nature of the Judge, and were -aware that their very wealth and importance, in one sense of the word, -would be against them. Obscure persons might be respited, and those -perhaps of noble blood; but not those whose fame came from their -resolute adherence to precepts civil and religious that were abhorred of -King James and his Court. - -It was a fearful moment for Hannah when she was passed into that close -and crowded Court upon the momentous day, and saw the red and bloated -face of the Judge and his bloodshot eyes glaring at the prisoners, as a -wolf glares at the victims he is about to spring upon and devour. What -need to talk of that trial?--it was the veriest travesty of justice ever -known. The prisoners were bidden if they desired mercy to plead guilty, -and as soon as they had done so were sentenced to a traitor's doom in -one solid mass. Respite would come later for some, that was partly -understood; but whenever some special plea was put forward for an -individual who had friend or counsel to speak for him, the fury of the -Judge rose to a fearful pitch, and he roared down the voice of the -defender, rolling his eyes and swearing with such hideous vehemence that -soon none dared lift up a voice in his presence, and Hannah was -supported half fainting from the Court, where she had heard both her -brothers condemned to death. - -But even then her courage did not desert her, and terrible as was the -aspect of the Judge, and awful as were the things spoken of him, she -resolved to place herself in his way as he came forth, and plead for the -lives of her brothers, as the one last faint hope still remaining to -her. - -Alas! she might as well have sought mercy from the flinty rock, or the -sea breaking in merciless fury. The bloated, evil face was turned upon -her in savage fury. The Judge plucked his robe out of her detaining -hand, and flung himself into his coach crying out: - -[Illustration: The Judge plucked his robe out of her detaining hand. - -_Page 310._] - -"Madam, your brothers are a pair of pestilent rogues, who come from a -pestilent nest of dissenters. I would I had the power to send you to the -gallows with them! That is the only place for a cursed brood like -yours!" - -And as Hannah, fired by wrath and by her sisterly despair, would not -even then be silenced, but continued her petition with her hands upon -the window frame of his coach, he leaned out upon the other side and -roared to his charioteer to cut at that pestilent woman with his whip; -and the lash drew blood from Hannah's white fingers as she sank half -fainting into the arms of her friends. - -And yet that very evening, to her immense astonishment, she received a -courteous summons to the presence of the Judge, and on presenting -herself at his lodging in the castle, with the friend in whose care she -was at that time living, she found Jeffreys in an extraordinarily -different mood. He had, in fact, just made the discovery that the woman -he had treated so brutally was one of the family specially recommended -to him by his relative, who had said that the ultimate benefits he might -expect from him would largely depend on what efforts he made to save the -two Hewling brothers. If the Judge had not been so drunk overnight when -this missive reached him, he might possibly have acted differently in -Court that day; but now he assured Hannah that he would do all in his -power to obtain a respite of the capital sentence for her brothers, -though he implied that this might be an affair of money, and practically -demanded three hundred pounds for his services, which Hannah in her -bewilderment and by the advice of her friend was ready to pay. - -But the days dragged on and no message came from the King. The gentle -William, who had been sentenced to die at Lyme Regis almost immediately -after his trial, met his doom upon the scaffold with unflinching -fortitude, and all the grace his sister could obtain was that she might -take possession of the unmutilated body, which was interred in -consecrated ground, two hundred brave young maidens of the place -incurring the possible displeasure of the King by walking in white robes -at his funeral, and singing hymns over his grave. - -But Hannah had no time for vain lamentations. The fire of despair was in -her heart. Benjamin yet lived. He was not to die till the last day of -the month. There was yet time to plead for him. She knew not whether -Judge Jeffreys had been true to his promise or no; but at least she, his -sister, would strain every nerve, would know no rest day or night till -she had obtained his pardon, even though she should have to seek it from -the King himself. - -In vain her friends warned her of the uselessness and peril of her task; -go she would, and as fast as horse could speed her. And with the last -touching letter from her brother William in her pocket, and the scene -of his death photographed upon her memory, she posted to London, to -achieve what all men told her was impossible. - -She scarcely paused to mingle her tears with her mother's. A fever was -in her heart. Her grandfather had influence enough to obtain for her -admission to the palace, and there she was met and kindly spoken to by a -gentleman, whose name she knew not at the time, but who was no other -than Lord Churchill, afterwards the great Duke of Marlborough. - -Churchill regarded her with a look of exceeding compassion; Hannah -presented indeed a touching picture in her girl's grief and sisterly -devotion; and her unusual beauty had not been dimmed by all the troubles -through which she had passed. Something of her story was known even at -Whitehall, and known also was the character of the merciless man before -whom her brothers had been tried, and the merciless monarch who had sent -him forth to this work. - -"Madam," said Lord Churchill, as the summons came for Hannah to be -received by the King, and as he spoke he laid his hand upon the marble -of the carved mantelpiece upon which he leaned, "my wishes for success -go with you, and my most hearty sorrow for your distress; yet I dare not -speak any word of hope to buoy up your sinking spirits; for this marble -is not harder nor more susceptible of compassion than is the heart of -the King." - -Poor Hannah was destined to find it so. She was received with cold -looks; her petition, so carefully worded and drawn up, was scarcely -looked at before the King flung it down, and threw a curt heartless -refusal at her. - -She was hurried away by the attendants, who, though commiserating her -grief and innocence, felt that she only ran a needless risk of drawing -down the royal wrath upon herself. - -"You are a brave lady," said Lord Churchill, himself bowing her out of -the King's suite of apartments. "My heartiest sympathy goes with you. A -man with so brave a sister will surely go bravely to his death. And -there will come a time when that is all that the best of us can ask to -do." - -Churchill spoke the truth; the brave brother of a brave sister met his -death with unshrinking fortitude, cheered to the last by the presence of -Hannah, and by her sisterly love and care. - -No thought of personal fatigue or personal peril sufficed to prevent her -returning instantly to Taunton, and the last days of Benjamin's short -life were rendered almost happy to him by his reunion with his twin -sister, and by their constant intercourse. - -Money could purchase this boon, though it could not purchase the -prisoner's life. - -He suffered upon the scaffold with so many others as little guilty as he -of doing wrong, albeit something rash and ill-advised, and when Hannah -had obtained with trouble and much cost the right to take his body and -bury it, as in the case of William, she had only to return home to tell -her mother the terrible and mournful tale. - -"But thy courage sweetened death for them both, my child," said the -mother. "In days to come that will be a thought that will bring to thee -the comfort thou canst not feel yet." - -"I never felt brave," Hannah would answer simply, when her friends -praised her. "I only did what I had to do. I could not help myself." - - - - -MONA DRUMMOND - - -"You are a villain!" spoke the hot-tempered Irish maiden, with a glow in -her eyes before which the evil-looking man before her quailed, although -the scowl upon his face was an ugly thing to see. "You are a thief and a -villain, and I will see the Governor myself and tell him what you have -been doing. Oh, it is infamous!--infamous! My poor father!" - -The girl put her hands before her eyes for a moment to hide the tears -that rose to them. Mona had the tall, graceful figure, regular noble -features, and great grey eyes of the typical Irish maiden. She was -standing beneath the walls, and within the precincts of, Lifford gaol. -Before her was a man of evil aspect, who wore the dress of a gaoler, and -who swung a great bundle of keys in his hand. He had come forward -confidently enough to meet the girl, smiling and almost cringing; but -when she suddenly blazed forth at him in this impetuous fashion, he -shrank and cowered before her as though he knew himself guilty of some -dire offence. - -"You have been taking our money all these years--money so hardly -earned--so sorely spared; you have sworn that you spent it in providing -better food and lodging for my dear father; and all the while you -lied!--you lied! Black-hearted villain that you are! He has never been -the better for it by one loaf of bread--by one flask of wine. You have -stolen every coin. You have defrauded him and lied to us!" - -The girl was shaken by the storm of her anger. The man stood before her -tongue-tied and cowed. - -He was not ashamed of his villainy; he was too hardened a wretch for -that; but he was afraid lest the thing should become known to the -Governor, who was a just and humane man, and who from time to time had -been known to admit the prisoner's daughter to his presence at her -earnest request. - -"I am going to see the Governor about it," concluded the girl, with a -scathing look. "He is a just man and merciful. He will at least know -what to advise us for the future." - -Fury and terror filled the man's face; he recoiled a little, and -fingered his heavy keys as though he meditated a savage assault upon the -girl, standing before him in this great solitary courtyard. What if he -silenced her voice for ever? Who would be the wiser? He shot a quick -glance round him, as if to assure himself that there were no eyes upon -him, and Mona at the same moment gave a half-scared, half-defiant gaze -around herself. Some instinct warned her of his fell purpose, and she -knew she was no match for him; but to quail or cower would but bring -down the meditated blow upon her head. She stood with her clear gaze -full upon his eyes, holding them, as men in the wilderness can sometimes -hold a wild beast in thrall by the fixed stare of unwavering will. - -She was not many paces from the little door by which she had entered. If -she could gain that, she might be able to turn and fly. She made one -backward step towards it; but even as she moved, she felt rather than -saw that he was in the act of springing; and at that she darted -backwards, tore open the door, and was through it before he could reach -her. But she could not close it behind her to draw the bolt. He was too -quick for that. She almost felt his hands at her throat, when suddenly -she heard him utter a yell of terror; and turning saw him struggling in -the grip of a tall and powerful young man, who must have been coming -towards the door close under the wall, for she had not seen him as she -darted out, and yet he had been there to catch her pursuer as he -followed. - -The terror of the man surprised Mona, as did also the fact that he made -no resistance when once he saw into whose hands he had fallen. His arms -dropped to his sides, and his jaw fell; he stood staring at the young -athlete who had him in his grip as though bereft of sense. - -"My father shall hear of this, sirrah!" spoke the youth with a final -shake, as he let the wretch go; then he turned to Mona, and doffed his -hat with a courtly air. - -"He has not hurt you, fair maid, I trust!" - -"Oh no, dear sir, I am not hurt. I thank you from my heart for this -timely aid." - -"And what do you in this gloomy place, if I may ask the question? What -errand has brought so fair a flower within the portals of a prison?" - -At that question Mona's eyes filled with sudden tears, and she turned -away her head to hide them. - -"Alas, dear sir! mine is a sorrowful errand, and I have not been able to -accomplish it; for we have been basely tricked and cozened these many -years by yonder miscreant, who is slinking now away like a whipped -hound. I would fain see the good Governor, and tell my tale of woe to -him. He was kind before, it may be he will find a way to help me now." - -"I am his son," answered the young man eagerly. "I will take you to him -speedily; and as we go you shall tell me your sad tale. Believe me, I -will befriend you if I can. Have you some relative immured within the -walls of this grim place?" - -"Alas, sir, my father!" she answered with brimming eyes; "and he has -been here so many long, weary years. I was but little more than a child -when they took him away and brought him hither, and now I am within a -year of twenty summers. My poor father!--my poor innocent father!" - -"Of what crime does he stand accused?" asked the young man, with ready -interest. - -"Of no crime save that of holding the Presbyterian faith," she answered; -"that is all the wrong he has done--believing it and teaching it; for he -is a minister of the Word, and our church at Raphoe was his charge, and -we were happy and he was beloved of all. But you must know how when the -King was restored to his kingdom over the water after the death of the -iron Cromwell, he or his ministers issued edicts in this land, as well -as in England and Scotland, for the re-establishment of the Prelacy; and -those who desire to worship after their own fashion, and not according -to episcopal forms, are sorely beset and persecuted." - -"I know, I know," answered her companion quickly and with sympathy. "And -so your father was one of those who suffered for his faith?" - -"Yes, there were four of them," answered Mona, her tongue unloosed by -the friendliness of this stranger, "and Bishop Leslie had them all cast -into prison at the same time. They lie in this grim jail; and God alone -knows when they will be suffered to come forth. But we heard that the -prisoners here were harshly treated, and had scarcely the necessaries -of life supplied them. It was after hearing this that I went one day and -craved speech of the Governor. I did first beg him to let me see my dear -father; but that he might not permit. He said, however, that I might -speak with the jailer who had charge of him, and obtain through him such -things as we could make shift to purchase for him to lessen his -privations and sufferings. The man promised faithfully, and every penny -we can spare has been scraped and hoarded and given over to him; and we -believed that father had such comforts as they could get for him; we -believed that till a few days ago; and then--and then----" The girl's -voice grew husky, the bright tears rolled down her cheeks. Her companion -took the words out of her mouth. - -"You heard in some roundabout fashion that your money had gone into the -pockets of that wretch, and that your father had in no wise profited -thereby." - -"Yes, yes; that was it. One of our friends has obtained his liberty; -they say there is hope that others will follow. We saw him. He came to -us. He has now and then had a brief moment of speech with my dear -father. Nothing has ever reached him from without. He has suffered all -the rigours of his harsh captivity." - -"And you did have the bravery to go to yon miscreant who has had the -charge of your father, here in this prison, and who has appropriated -the money, and tell him of his ill-deeds; and this it was that wakened -his evil passions and ferocity? This it was that made him chase you -forth, and seek to do you hurt!" - -"I told him I would tell the Governor," panted Mona, with hot, indignant -eyes; "and then I saw that he would fly at me; and so I sought to reach -the door ere he had time. But he would have done me a mischief had it -not been for your good help." - -"Then come now to my father and tell him all the tale," cried the young -man, whose name was Derrick Adair, "and we will see if some way cannot -be found for mending matters for your good father. At least that rogue -of a jailer shall receive his due reward--or punishment!" - -Colonel Adair, the Governor, who had been kind to Mona before, listened -very readily now to her tale, and was exceedingly displeased at what he -heard as to the action of the warder. Of course he knew well the abuses -that prevailed in all prisons at this epoch, and long afterwards; but -though enable to institute any drastic measures of reform, he was able -to punish individual transgressors when peculation had been proved -against them; and he told Mona that he would see in future that her alms -were rightly bestowed for the relief of the prisoner, adding that he -hoped soon to see him set at liberty. - -"I am perplexed to know why the Bishop speaks of releasing the other -three ministers he sent hither--indeed, one was set free a short while -since, as you know. But there is no mention of that grace being extended -to your father; and yet his case was in no way different from that of -others. Can you explain wherefore he is differently treated?" - -A hot flush dyed Mona's cheek, and then the flash of anger awoke in her -eyes. She spoke almost as if to herself. - -"Oh, infamous, infamous! The coward! Did he indeed speak truth when he -threatened? I did not believe he had such power." - -"Of what do you speak, my child?" asked the Governor kindly. "Trust me -and tell me all. You shall not regret your confidence." - -"Oh, sir," cried Mona, struggling against her excitement and anger, "it -is the doing of that wicked son of the Bishop. He professes to love me. -He waylays me sometimes in my walks, and talks as he has no right to do. -He is a great man's son. I am a poor minister's daughter. He declares he -wishes to wed me; but I will not listen. He is a bad man. I fear him and -I hate him. And it was but a little while back that he threatened me. He -said that till I would give him the promise he asks, my father should -never be released! I did not think as he spoke that he had power to -contrive such a cruel thing. But here are others going forth, and my -poor father kept still in ward. Oh, why are such cruel things suffered -to be?" - -"And what answer did you make him, my child?" asked the Colonel. - -"The same that I have ever done, sir; that I have no love for him! Nay, -I hate him and I fear him. I will never trust him; I will never be his -wife. He knows his father would oppose such a marriage; it is always of -elopement that he talks! But I will not hear! He is wicked, cruel! But -my poor father; must he suffer too?" - -"Nay; that he shall not. I myself will obtain justice!" cried Derrick, -with sudden energy; and as Mona lifted her beautiful face, and gazed at -him through her tears, he went on gently: - -"It may indeed be that I can help thee, sweet maid; for when my visit -here is ended, I return to Dublin, where I am finishing my course of -study at Trinity College, and also acting in the capacity of private -tutor to a great nobleman's son. This nobleman has much influence with -the Government, and through interesting my pupil in your father's story, -I doubt not I can bring this tale to the ears of those in power, and so -effect his release. Therefore, weep no more, fair Mistress Mona; wait in -patience for a few more weeks, and trust me not to forget your case, and -to do all that one man may to right a wrong." - -So Mona went home lightened of a sore burden; her heart full of -thanksgiving. And when next the Bishop's son waylaid her, and promised -to obtain her father's freedom if she would but consent to the proposed -elopement with him, she answered him with steady scorn, looking so -beautiful in her simple maidenly dignity and indignation, that the -baffled man stood watching her with a look of mingled longing and anger. - -"You obtain his liberty! It is you who are the present cause of his -continued bondage! Why is he not released with the others? Oh, lie not -to me! I know; I know. Wicked men do these things daily, and God does -not smite at once; but the day will come, the day of vengeance, when the -wicked will be overthrown, and the righteous will shine forth like stars -in the firmament of heaven!" - -He continued to gaze at her with an expression that would have terrified -many girls; but Mona was not afraid. She felt that she had another -champion now; and she feared no longer the machinations of this bad man. - -She had seen Derrick Adair several times during the interval that had -elapsed between her visit to the prison and the present interview with -the Bishop's son. He had come to see her mother, and assure her that the -prisoner had been taken to a more comfortable lodging, and had received -better food and bedding than had been his heretofore. All the money -sent by the careful family was now suffered to reach the prisoner -himself, and his condition was greatly ameliorated thereby. - -The dishonest jailer had been sent away, Derrick told them on his second -visit; and he added he would like to make a clean sweep of many others; -but even his father had not power for that. - -Mona's heart was now relieved of the heaviest part of its burden. She -was no longer afraid of the Bishop or his son; she was no longer torn in -twain by the feeling that she might be standing between her father and -his liberty, and that perhaps filial duty demanded the sacrifice from -her of wedding a man she feared and hated. But she so distrusted the -Bishop's son that she could never think of his proposal without a -shudder; and now what joy it was to feel that their cause had been taken -up by a stalwart champion, and that justice might be looked for without -such a terrible sacrifice on her part! - -Mona was a fearless girl, who had always led a free and hardy life. She -had a very kind heart, and a skilful pair of hands, and wherever there -was sickness in any of the cabins or cottages around, it was the custom -to send for her, and she never failed to answer the summons. Often she -was thus away from her home for a whole day, or for a night or two, and -no anxiety would be aroused by her non-return from a sick-bed. When -possible, she would send a message to this effect if she were detained; -but no real trouble would be caused by her absence at night, should she -have gone forth in response to a summons, and not returned. - -One afternoon she received a message to ask her to come to a sick woman -at some distance; and as she kissed her mother she told her not to be -anxious if she did not come home till morning, as if she were detained -late, it would be better to stay the night. - -When, however, she arrived at the house, to her great surprise it was -all shut up and empty. Could it be possible that the woman had died -suddenly? she asked herself, and shook the door of the cabin. It yielded -to her hand, and she went in; but there was no sick person on the bed; -the place was neatly swept up and set in order, just as though the -inmate had gone away for a visit. - -A sudden odd sense of uneasiness came over Mona--a feeling of having -been tricked. But who could have plotted to deceive her? The little boy -who brought the message certainly delivered it in all good faith, and -she had never questioned him as to who had bidden him bring it. But now -there was but one thing to do; to get home as fast as possible, before -it grew quite dark. - -She turned to leave the cottage, when a shadow fell upon her from the -open doorway, and with a shudder of horror she saw standing there the -broad, squat figure of the wicked jailer, whose dismissal from the -prison had been brought about through her instrumentality. - -He gazed at her whitening face with an evil leer, and then made a -wild-beast spring at her. - -"My turn now, you hussy! My turn now! So you thought to ruin an honest -man, and set at defiance a powerful one! But we will tame you between -us, you little tiger cat! We will have our revenge!" - -Even as he spoke the man with practised hands secured the girls slim -wrists and clasped a pair of manacles upon them. He then bound them -behind her back, and, after thrusting a gag into her mouth, he led her -out of the house to a short distance, where in a ruined shed a horse was -tied up. Lifting her upon its broad back, and springing up behind her -himself, he set the creature at a steady gallop, and Mona felt herself -being carried farther and farther away from home and friends, in the -cruel grip of this evil man, who was plainly acting as the tool of the -Bishops son. - -It was a terrible thought, but Mona knew her only chance lay in keeping -her courage and self-control. Whether anything could save her from her -fate she did not know. But she closed her eyes in prayer, and entrusted -her case to the God of all the earth, and having partially quieted -herself by this, she opened her eyes and scanned the country through -which they were passing with the keenest and most eager glances. - -There was little to encourage her; all was bare and bleak and deserted. -The man was evidently taking an unfrequented route. He desired no doubt -to avoid encounters upon the road, although in the darkness no one was -likely to note that he carried a prisoner before him, and Mona could -give no sign and speak no word. - -The light faded, the moon rose, and still they travelled on and on. Mona -began to lose knowledge of the country through which she was passing. -She fancied that they were on the main road for Dublin; but she could -not be absolutely sure. It was like enough that she would be taken to a -great city, where all trace of her would easily be lost. Sometimes as -the long strange hours wore by, her heart almost fainted within her; but -then again she told herself that to lose courage and hope would be to -lose all. If she could but put her captor off his guard, perhaps things -might yet go well. Some chance of escape might offer itself. - -They could not travel all night without a halt. Man and beast must be -fed. But as Mona saw in the distance a few twinkling lights, she -pretended to be more heavily asleep than before (and for some time she -had feigned drowsiness and broken slumber), and let herself rest heavily -against the rider behind, who evidently had no great relish for the -burden he did not dare to drop. - -At last they reached the inn, and the man wrapped the girl up from head -to foot in his great riding-cloak, taking care that her face should not -be seen. Mona heard him mutter to himself: - -"She is in a swoon; so much the better for me. I can take my ease after -this weary ride; and if she comes to herself, she can neither speak nor -use her hands. She must needs lie as I have placed her. I will just tie -her feet to make all safe." - -Then, lifting her in his arms, he cried to the host: - -"I have got a sick daughter here I am taking to be cared for by my good -mother. I will not bring her inside lest the distemper be catching. I -will lay her comfortably on the straw in this barn, and let her rest -there for an hour. She is in a sleep all the while. She will want -nothing till I come out again." - -So Mona was laid down on the straw in the empty barn, and the hint the -man had dropped was quite enough to keep all other persons away from -her. Under pretext of wrapping her up warmly her captor tied her feet -together securely, and there she lay gagged and bound and helpless in -the silence and the darkness. Yet she was hardly alone before she had -struggled up into a sitting posture, and had flung off the heavy folds -of the cloak. - -Then very cautiously and carefully, and with some pain, she made the -experiment she had been longing to do all the while--to try and twist -her slim hand out of the manacle that encircled her wrist. - -Mona, though a tall girl, was possessed of very delicate feet and hands, -and her bones were small and flexible. - -Had less been at stake she would have given up the task in despair; for -the pain was severe, and she was altogether uncertain of success in the -end, and feared that her hand was becoming swollen in the effort. But in -spite of the pain, she persevered, and at last she drew forth her right -hand free, and would have cried aloud but for the gag in her mouth. - -To release the other hand when its fellow was free was an easier matter, -and then she quickly unfastened the gag and drew a breath of deep relief -as she flung it from her. It was hard still to be delayed by the knots -that bound her feet; but they gave way at last to her strenuous efforts, -and Mona stood up free and fetterless in the darkness of the barn. - -"Thank God--thank God!" she cried in her heart; yet she knew her perils -were not over yet. She must creep away from the inn and hide herself; -but her persecutor would soon discover her flight and would pursue her. -She dared not take the horse, as she feared to be seen if she approached -the stable. All she ventured to do was to slip out of the barn through a -broken portion of the wall, and looking well about her, and taking her -direction from the friendly moon, she sped like a shadow along the road -she had recently so painfully traversed. - -She did not dare to leave it unless forced to do so. The treacherous -bog-land lay about her, and she knew nothing of the safe tracks across, -that were familiar in her own locality. The moon that gave her light -would serve also to illumine her own figure for her pursuer when he -should discover her escape. Swiftly as the girl raced onwards in the -moonlight, she felt ever as though that strong horse and his wicked -rider must soon be at her heels. - -"Then will I plunge into the bog and hide me or perish there!" cried -Mona, clenching her teeth; "but never, never, never shall he lay his -hands upon me again. I fear not death--at least but little. I fear only -to fall into the hands of wicked men!" - -Suddenly upon the far horizon of her vision there loomed up a little -black speck, and Mona's heart gave a throb of joy. It was surely some -traveller approaching from the opposite direction! Upon his mercy she -would cast herself, whoever he might be! No son of Erin would refuse to -champion her in such an hour as this, and no traveller along these -lonely roads ever went unarmed. - -Yet even as her quick eyes beheld this traveller approaching in the one -direction, her quick ears caught the sound of horse's hoofs galloping -furiously behind her from the other. - -Gathering all her energies together for a last effort, the girl sped -forward like an arrow from a bow, her light figure clearly standing out -in the bright moonlight. It seemed to her as though the traveller saw -something of the pursuit; for instantly his horse sprang forward at a -grand gallop. The fugitive fled onwards gasping, exhausted; and then in -a moment she found herself upheld by a strong arm; she leaned almost -helplessly against her preserver, and a familiar, agitated voice -exclaimed in her ear: - -"Mona!--Mona!--Sweetheart, what ails thee?" - -"The jailer--the Bishop's son--they tricked me--they caught me!" panted -the girl; "he carried me off; but I have escaped. He is coming after me -now. Ah, do not let him have me! Kill me first; but never let me fall -alive into his hands!" - -"You give yourself to me, sweet Mona? Then I will hold thee against all -the world!" - -Derrick held her with his left arm, and levelled his pistol with his -right. - -[Illustration: "Dare to come one step nearer, and I fire." - -_Page 335._] - -"Dare to come one step nearer, and I fire. You know, fellow, whether or -not I shall miss my mark!" - -The two men stood looking at each other in deep silence for a few -seconds, deadly rage and baffled hate on one face, on the other stern -wrath and dauntless determination. At last the hireling with an oath -turned his horse, and galloped back the way he had come. Revenge was -sweet, and so was gold; but he cared not to purchase either at the price -of life or limb. - -"Thou art safe, sweetheart!" said Derrick, bending his head and touching -her cheek with his lips. "Heaven be thanked that I was so hindered in my -start for Dublin this day, that I had perforce to wait for moon-rise to -sally forth. And now I will take thee home, dear love; and we will tell -thy tale to my father, who will see thee safe guarded in the future." - -Derrick Adair quickly procured the release of Mona's father, and married -the daughter in the following year. Later on, after the rather tragic -death of Bishop Leslie (caused doubtless by the conduct of his son, who -was forced to fly the country after some notorious ill deed), the vacant -office was bestowed upon Derrick, now a rising light in the Church, and -he became Bishop of Raphoe, and his wife ruled in the old castle which -was the home of its prelates. - -Once a wretched-looking beggarman crawled to the gate as she was -passing forth, and fell exhausted at her feet, asking alms. - -She gazed at his face awhile, and he into hers; they knew each other, -and the wretched man cowered against the stones, while the lady hastened -indoors, to set servants or dogs upon him as the wretched man believed; -for he was none other than the ex-jailer who had sought to do her so -much ill. But quickly she returned with food and wine, and a handful of -silver. She set the basket before him, and poured the money into his -hands--stretched forth in supplication; and she gently made answer to -his faltering words of prayer: - -"Have no fear, my poor fellow. May God forgive you as I do. Eat and -drink, and refresh yourself ere you go upon your way." - -"And you will not punish me? You will not take your revenge!" - -She looked gravely and sorrowfully at him as she answered: - -"I think that God has punished you; that is His office, not ours; and -for the rest--that is my revenge." - - - - -JESSY VARCOE - - -"There goes the witch's darter! Yonder goes the witch's maid! Heave a -stone at the likes of her, lads! 'Tidden fitty as such spawn should -live!" - -Poor Jessy had grown up with taunts like these in her ears, till she had -come to be too well used to them to pay much heed. Sometimes a stone -would strike her; but she could throw as well as any lad along the -coast, and she had proved as much upon the persons of her persecutors -many a time and oft. On the whole the children and the lads and girls of -Morwinstow had come to think it best to leave Jessy alone, especially -since it had been whispered that she was learning the black art from her -old grandmother, the Black Witch of the neighbourhood, and could -overlook an enemy, or curse him and his goods and smite his crops with -blasting and mildew. - -So Jessy's life was perforce a lonely one. No kith or kin had she ever -known save her old grandmother who lived in the hut upon the rolling -downs land, not far from the margin of the cliffs. The old woman went -out by night to gather herbs and simples, and these she brewed over the -fire by day, muttering her strange incantations the while. - -Although she was known as a Black Witch in her own neighbourhood, there -were many persons who bought her wares, and found them excellent for -sprains, rheumatics, and the like. But nobody visited in a friendly way -at the lonely hut save certain wild and fierce-looking men, who always -came at night, and were generally laden with packs of merchandise, which -they hid away in some secret hiding-place beneath the floor of the -cottage. - -This much Jessy knew from peeping through the crevices in the floor of -the upper room where she slept. She was never permitted to be present -when these men came. She was sent to bed up the rickety ladder; and the -ladder was invariably removed, so that she could not get down if she -would, the bolt in the trapdoor by which she reached her attic being -always drawn by the grandmother. - -As the child grew to girlhood, she began to understand very well the -nature of these visits from seafaring men. They brought smuggled goods -to be concealed beneath the witch's hut, well knowing that nobody would -willingly run the risk of being cursed or overlooked by the old woman. -Moreover, Jessy had reason to believe that the cottage masked an -entrance into a very large cave, which was probably a valuable -hiding-place; for she always noted the extreme civility with which the -rough men treated her grandmother, and how anxious they seemed to please -her in the bargains that they made. - -Nor was Jessy in any way disturbed by the knowledge of what was going -on. Smuggling was a regular trade all along the coast, and she regarded -it as a matter of course. - -As the old grandmother grew more and more infirm, Jessy was of necessity -taken more into her confidence, and soon found that her suspicions were -quite correct. The old woman received the contraband goods from the -smugglers, and hid them in the recesses of the great cave--the secrets -of which were known only to herself; and though very occasionally the -revenue officers came to the cottage and insisted upon examining the -place most carefully, they never discovered the secret hiding-place. For -the small cave was only the ante-chamber to a very much larger one -behind, and the entrance to the latter was so cleverly masked that it -was long before even Jessy could learn the trick of the sliding shale of -rock, though she had been shown it many times by her grandmother. - -Exciting scenes were often witnessed along the coast in those days; and -bloody scenes were enacted between the smugglers and the "gaugers" or -revenue officers, in which lives were often lost. One gauger, more -resolute than some of his predecessors, after having killed many -desperate smugglers himself, was dragged bodily into a boat that he was -pursuing, whilst his head was chopped off on the gunwale and flung into -the sea. - -The _Black Prince_ was a trim little vessel that did a great deal of -illicit traffic all along the coast at that time, and was well known to -every man, woman, and child in Morwinstow. Whorwell was the name of her -captain. A daring fellow he was, and one of the most popular smugglers -in those parts, free with his money, free with his contraband spirits, -making friends with villagers, parson, and sexton alike, and even -bribing old Tom Hockday, this latter functionary, to let him deposit his -kegs and bales in the church till he could find a convenient opportunity -of getting them away to old mother Varcoe's, or some other convenient -hiding-place. The farmers would lend him their stout little horses to -lade up with his goods from over the water; and the horses would be so -shaved and soaped that they were slippery as eels, and being accustomed -to follow some well-trained animals, would gallop away to the -hiding-place, safe from any hostile clutches! - -In scenes such as these Jessy had been reared, and although she herself -was something of an outcast in the scattered community where she dwelt, -her sympathies, such as they were, were for a time all with the -smugglers, whom she regarded as friends; till something came to change -the face of affairs for her. - -It seemed to begin from one Sunday morning, when Jessy, for a wonder, -went to the church, in spite of her natural timidity at facing the jeers -of the boys and girls, and the suspicious looks of their parents. She -often hung about the little windswept church whilst Sunday service was -going on, feeling in her heart a vague yearning after intercourse with -her own kind, and a longing for some knowledge of the mysteries of -religion; but she seldom ventured inside the porch, and might not have -done so to-day had it not been that there was a little lad, with curly -hair and blue eyes, whose face she did not know, whom she encountered -when not far from the building, and who began to talk with her in an -unsuspicious and friendly fashion that went straight to her heart. - -Before they had got to the church she had gathered that the boy was the -son of one of the revenue officers lately come into the neighbourhood, -and that he often went out in the cutters that pursued the smuggling -boats, or hunted the coast for them. The fearless little fellow had had -some adventures already, which he retailed to Jessy with great gusto; -and remarked that he did not think the people of Morwinstow liked him or -his father. - -To this Jessy answered that they did not like her either, and this -seemed a bond drawing the pair together; so that when they reached the -church they passed in together, and sat side by side in a shadowy corner -behind a big pillar. - -But the service had not proceeded very far before there was a whisper -and then a buzz at the porch door, and one by one folks slipped from -their seats and stole out, till at last only Jessy, and Tim (as the boy -told her he was called), and the parson, and clerk were left; and the -parson shut up his book and whipped off his surplice, saying: - -"Sure there is something amiss; and I must needs go and see!" - -The churchyard overlooked the sea, and there sure enough was the _Black -Prince_ close under the land, and a revenue cutter in full chase, and so -near that all held their breath to watch; and Tim seized hold of Jessy's -hands, and cried: - -"They'll get her!--they'll get her! Oh, why was not I there with them -to-day?" - -"Hush!" cried Jessy in sudden fear, "don't let the lads hear you talk -so. They'd wring your neck, some of them, as soon as look at you! But -look!--look! Whorwell is making for the Gull Rock! They'll never dare -follow him there! There's not a man 'ud venture near that, save Whorwell -himself; and they say the devil has given him a special chart, so as he -can find his way through the rocks and shoals. There!--see, the cutter -is sheering off. She daren't follow into that surf. The _Black Prince_ -will get off this time!" And Jessy's eyes lighted, for her sympathies -were with the smugglers; and the congregation assembled on the cliff -above gave vent to a lusty cheer. - -"And now, my friends," said the parson mildly, "let us return and -proceed with divine service." - -He drove the flock back into the building, got into his surplice again, -and went on exactly as though there had been no interruption: "Here -beginneth the second lesson." - -But though the hardy seaman Whorwell escaped the revenue cutter and got -safe away, he did not live long after that, but was washed overboard on -a dark night in a heavy storm; and his nephew and mate, one John Moffat, -became commander in his stead. - -Now Moffat was as daring a smuggler as Whorwell had been; but a man of a -very different temper, fierce, morose, cruel, and of an implacable -savageness towards any who had offended him. He had vowed vengeance -against all King's officers with whom he should come into conflict. He -had tasted once of prison discipline, and had had a narrow shave of the -gallows. Since then his violent temper had become increasingly savage; -and Rogers, the new officer, the father of Tim, found that he had a foe -to deal with as daring as, and even more unscrupulous than, Whorwell had -been. - -Moreover, Jessy herself found cause to rue the day when Moffat had been -left in command of the _Black Prince_. Her grandmother was now so -infirm, that Jessy was obliged to receive the smugglers on their visits, -and to show them to the hiding-places where the contraband goods were -hidden. Before long Moffat began to make love to her in his fierce -masterful way; whilst Jessy, who feared the fellow and dreaded his -visits, shrank from him more and more each time she saw him. - -She had grown to be a very beautiful girl, in a strange, wild fashion. -Her hair was a tawny, golden colour, and it grew very abundantly, waving -down below her waist when the wind caught it and loosened it from the -heavy coils in which it was twisted up. Her eyes seemed to match it in -colour, as did the thick brows and heavy lashes which veiled the fierce -light that sometimes leapt into her glance when she was aroused to anger -or hate. - -The village folk, who liked either dark hair or flaxen locks, had no -admiration for Jessy's tawny tresses. But little Tim Rogers told her -that she was beautiful, and looked like a queen. The girl and little boy -had become fast friends, drawn together by their own isolation and by -kindred tastes. - -Tim loved the sea and the rocks and the deep clefts and chasms of the -coast; and Jessy knew every crevice and cranny as well as the sea-gulls -themselves. They spent hours together, unseen by others, exploring -strange spots, telling tales and legends, and growing in friendship -every day. - -As Jessy heard her boy-friend's stories of the hardships of the lives of -the King's excise officers, and had the other side of the question -unfolded to her--the need for taxes to be levied, to keep up England's -power and greatness, to preserve her coasts from foreign invaders, to -enable her to be a power amongst other nations with greater -territories--she began to understand that the smugglers were really -defrauding the King of his rightful dues; and whatever might be said in -favour of the landing of an occasional keg of spirits or bale of silk -without paying duty, the regular nefarious traffic of such a vessel as -the _Black Prince_ could not be regarded as anything but a wrong done -against the King and the nation. - -It was the easier for Jessy to assimilate this new teaching because of -her hatred towards Moffat, which was growing with every visit he paid. -Her grandmother was now almost in her dotage, and was no real protection -to the girl; and she sometimes almost feared that Moffat would carry her -off to his vessel by force, so wild were his outbreaks of so-called -love-making, and his gusts of rage when she repelled him, and would have -none of his courtship. - -Jessy's one weapon of defence was in the superstition of the man and his -subordinates. They believed that the girl had inherited, or had acquired -from her grandmother, some occult powers, and that she had the power to -do them some injury by her fiery glance, or by word or spell. This -knowledge had come accidentally to Jessy, from something she had -overheard the men saying one to the other; but she had found that it was -true, and that they really had some superstitious fear of her when she -flung herself away from Moffat, and stood regarding them with her fiery -glances of fear and desperation. Afterwards Jessy made some study of her -part, and got her grandmother to teach her some spells and some curses; -and although still in no small fear of Moffat's evident intention of -making her his wife, she felt not quite so unprotected as before. - -Soon, however, she was to find, as other women have found before her, -that the surest way to turn a man's love to hate is to flout him, and -refuse his courtship. When Jessy, driven one day to bay, flatly refused -to marry Moffat, and added that she hated him worse than she hated any -one but the devil himself, and didn't see as there was much to choose -between them!--then the man's passion flamed forth, and the girl might -have been killed, had not the old woman, suddenly aroused and alarmed, -begun to curse so lustily that the seamen were filled with terror, and -dragged their leader off with them, he shouting out all sorts of threats -against Jessy, and vowing to be revenged upon her before he had done. - -It seemed as though disappointed love had filled the man's heart with -passions fiercer than their wont. It was but a few days later that Tim -told the girl how his father had heard that the _Black Prince_ was -coming in soon with a contraband cargo, and that he was going to keep a -very sharp look out for her. - -"I wish your father would kill Moffat, and have done with him," cried -Jessy, with sudden vehemence. - -"Why, then, Jessy, you must be on our side?" cried Tim joyfully. "I -never quite liked to ask you before; because, of course, all the folk -you know are with the smugglers----" - -"But they don't care for me, and I don't care for them--not a snap!" -cried Jessy; "and as for Moffat, I'll never be quite happy so long as -he's above ground. But my granny she cursed him properly the other day. -Maybe that'll bring him bad luck and you good!" - -"Then is it true as your grandmother is a witch, Jessy?" - -"I dunno; that's what folk say. She don't do nobody no harm as I can -see; nor good neither, save with her herb potions, and them I make as -well as she. But she's got a few queer books, and things she calls -charms. She tells me about them sometimes, and she teaches me spells and -curses and things; but I'd be half afraid to use them. Suppose they came -true; how would one feel?" - -"If it were a curse against Moffat and his crew, and it came true, I -don't think I should feel very bad," answered Tim. "They're a wild, bad -lot, my father and his men say. The sooner they are got rid of, the -better for some of us!" - -"Yes, indeed!" answered Jessy with a sigh; "but they are bad ones to -tackle, and no mistake." - -It was a few days after this, and Jessy was alone in the cave just as -the sunset light was beginning to turn the water red. A load lay upon -her heart; she knew not why. She felt as though something terrible were -going to happen, but she could not guess what it could be. - -Suddenly from over the water there came the sounds of voices,--angry, -passionate, triumphant voices,--voices that she knew. - -She ran out of her shelter; and then what did she see? The well-known -sails and masts of the _Black Prince_ almost close in shore, not being -pursued by, but in hot pursuit of the revenue cutter, that had been -watching for her, and had suddenly darted out to seize the prey. - -Now it was a most unusual thing in those days for a smuggling vessel to -turn aggressor. They were always built for speed, with a view of -getting clear away from the King's boats and officers. The _Black -Prince_ had always escaped by speed or seamanship hitherto; but to-day -it seemed as though the fierce demon of hatred that possessed Moffat had -dominated every other feeling. - -It was he, not the revenue cutter, that was in pursuit; and even as -Jessy gained the cave's mouth she saw the terrible work of butchery -begin. - -Moffat was the first to spring into the cutter and slash with furious -rage at the man Rogers, whose head was laid open by a ghastly blow. -Other daring smugglers had followed, and the water was dyed red with -something beside the sunset glow. - -To her horror Jessy saw that Tim was in the boat. - -"Swim for your life!" she cried; "you can do nothing there. Jessy is -here. Jessy will help you!" - -The boy heard; the men did not. They were otherwise engrossed. The boy, -powerless to help either father or friends, obeyed the call that had -reached him, and as he dropped silently over the gunwale of the boat and -struck out, Jessy plunged into the sea from her rock, and swam bravely -out to meet him, uncertain whether or no he might have received some -wound. - -And it was well she did; for, though unwounded, the boy had had a severe -blow upon the arm, and was only able to swim a short distance without -feeling the numbness and powerlessness come again upon him. But Jessy -was beside him; she could swim like a fish, and even weighted by her -clothes, could give her shoulder to Tim, to support his useless arm, -whilst she made her way with swift, strong strokes towards one of the -darkest and narrowest crevices between the frowning cliffs, where she -thought she and he might be safe from pursuit. - -No direct rays of light came into this narrow cave, and there was a -ledge of rock upon which she hoisted Tim, and where she scambled herself -when he was safe, both gasping and exhausted; but, as they hoped, safe. - -"Jessy, you have saved me! How brave you are!" cried Tim. But Jessy -suddenly laid a hand upon his mouth. - -"Hist! be quiet!" she whispered; "they are coming after us! I hear their -voices--and the plash of oars!" - -It was too true. Moffat's wicked eyes had seen the golden head of Jessy; -and he had missed the boy from the bottom of the boat, where he had been -knocked over. - -"They are in here!" cried a cruel voice; "I saw them go myself. We have -them here like rats in a trap." - -"Tim, have you a knife?" asked Jessy between shut teeth. - -[Illustration: "The first man that touches him I'll kill!" cried Jessy. - -_Page 351._] - -The boy was trembling; but he did not give way. He pulled a little dirk -from his belt. - -"Yes; but I must defend you, Jessy; not you me. You have risked your -life already. You must not do more. It is me they want--not you." - -But the injured arm had no power to strike a blow. Jessy tenderly took -the dirk from between the numbed fingers. - -"Say your prayers, Tim, if you can remember any," said Jessy, between -long breaths, "for we shan't easily get out of this alive." - -"There they are--see them? The witch-wench and the boy? Ah, ha, my fine -maid, you'll sing a more civil tune to-day I warrant. Give us over the -boy, and maybe we'll let you off easy!" - -"The first man that touches him I'll kill!" cried Jessy. - -"Curse her for a witch," cried one of the men, recoiling before the -fierce aspect of the girl; but Moffat was filled with the lust of blood -and of fury, and with a yell of menace, he pushed up the boat against -the narrow shelf on which the pair were cowering. - -"Hand over the boy." - -A yell of pain interrupted him. Jessy, seeing better than she could be -seen, had seized the moment and driven her dagger clean through the arm -of the man who was seeking to clutch at the shelf. - -Just for a few minutes the girl held her ground against the six furious -men below, who, losing all sense of humanity at last, lifted their -cutlasses and struck her blow upon blow; some of which missed their aim, -for Jessy was nimble as a wild cat, but some of which fell upon her -flesh, and at last brought her blinded with blood to her knees. - -A stifled gasp close at hand told her of another deed of cruel -cowardice. She turned to see Moffat wiping his cutlass, and little Tim -lying stark and dead at her very feet. - -At that sight a strange phrensy fell upon Jessy. Forgetting her wounds -and her weakness, inspired as it seemed by some spirit other than her -own, she rose to her feet, her eyes blazing in her head, and, with a -loud and sonorous voice, she spoke the words of a terrible curse. She -cursed the vessel whose crew had done this deed of infamy and shame; she -cursed the men who had been the instruments of a bad man's rage; above -all, she cursed the master himself, turning her gaze upon Moffat with -such fearful effect, that he slipped back into the boat, and his men -pulled away in the direst terror they had ever experienced. - -Next morning Jessy Varcoe was found by some fishermen, seated on a ledge -of rock just above high watermark, with the corpse of little Tim, whose -life she had sought to save at risk of her own, folded in her arms. - -She begged them not to wake him; she called him her baby, her darling. -When they laid him to rest in the churchyard, she would spend long days -sitting beside the mound, gazing over the sea for the sails of the -_Black Prince_. - -But from that day forward the _Black Prince_ was never seen or heard of -again. Perhaps the crew, fearing to return to a place where they had -done such evil work, changed its name and rig, and took up life -elsewhere. Perhaps she foundered in a gale, or fell a prey to some -enemy's ship. But no news of her ever reached Morwinstow again. - -Somehow the story of Jessy's curse got abroad, and her reputation as a -witch was made for ever; but she hardly knew it herself. From that day -she never fully regained her faculties; and at last poor Jessy's life -was ended through a fall down the cliffs from the heights above, near to -the grave of the little boy, and from whence she had kept a ceaseless -watch for the return of the _Black Prince_; terrified alike at the -thought of its return with the dreaded Moffat, or of its destruction in -response to her curse. - -The children will look fearfully down this chasm, and whisper that Jessy -leapt down it to expiate the curse; but whether or not this was so, will -hardly now be known, for her mind was never the same from the dreadful -day when she risked her life to save that of the boy, and saw him slain -at her feet. - - - - -URSULA PENDRILL - - -The Captain's face was so grave, that instinctively the passengers -exchanged anxious glances. He had given out that he had something to say -to them, and they had assembled in the large saloon in full force. - -When he came amongst them the look on his face was different from -anything they had seen before. The cheery expression was replaced by one -of clouded anxiety; and the infection of it spread quickly amongst the -group in the saloon. - -It was not a very large number of passengers that this steamer carried. -This was before the day of pleasure trips to and from India. Those who -went to that land or returned from it, only did so when necessity -compelled them. The voyage was not the speedy matter it has now become, -and there were far more hindrances and hardships than since the days of -the Suez Canal. Still there was a fair gathering to hear what the -Captain wanted of them, and it was plain that the matter in his mind was -a grave one. - -"Oh, Captain, is there danger?" asked a lady, cowering upon one of the -fixed seats, and holding a little boy clasped in her arms. - -The keen blue eyes of the Captain turned upon her for a moment, and -glanced away to the circle of strained eyes fixed upon him; he seemed to -understand what it was that all these people were thinking, and hastened -to reassure them. - -"Danger? Nonsense! What put that into your head? The ship is right -enough--nothing wrong there. It is quite a different matter from -anything you are thinking of." - -There was a distinct look of relief in the faces turned towards him, and -yet the expression of care upon the Captain's did not sensibly lighten. - -"I have in the first place one unwelcome piece of information to give -you," he said, "although I do not think that any of you need apprehend -personal danger or inconvenience. Perhaps some of you remember the -delicate-looking lady who was brought on board by her husband at Bombay, -and whom you have none of you seen since?" - -"Young Mrs. Varden?" queried a passenger who had just known the name of -the lady before starting. "I asked the stewardess about her once, and -heard that she was prostrated by sea-sickness. Some people never get -over it all the voyage." - -"Exactly; and that is what, until a couple of days back, we believed -about her. She was always ill and ailing, quite unfit to sit up or leave -her berth; but though the doctor saw her every day, he suspected nothing -till a couple of days back,--when the stewardess, who was taking care of -her, and luckily looked after nobody else, the ship not being very full, -was taken with a sudden attack like convulsions, and died within two -hours. That aroused his suspicions. He made a careful examination of -Mrs. Varden's condition, and his suspicions were strongly aroused. On -the following morning there would have been no room for doubt in any -case. The small-pox erruption was out all over her. To-day she is almost -black with it." - -There was a shudder of horror through the assembled passengers. The -thought that the ship was infected by that terrible disease was fearful -indeed. The Captain spoke on doing his best to reassure them. - -"Fortunately the lady has been kept very carefully isolated. She was so -delicate when her husband brought her on board, that everything was done -to ensure perfect quiet for her. She has occupied one of a little nest -of cabins, all the rest of which were empty. The husband bespoke the -sole attendance of one of the two stewardesses, and as my ship's doctor -is a cautious man, and was rather anxious about Mrs. Varden's condition, -he has used every precaution himself; though he suspected as little as -the patient or her husband, that she carried in her the seeds of so -dire a disease. I can assure you with good conscience that I do not -believe any of you have run any greater risk of contracting the disease, -than you might do by walking the street of any Oriental city." - -Passengers on shipboard come to trust their captains in a way which is -creditable to that calling. Captain Donaldson's words carried weight, -and a sigh as of relief passed through the group gathered to hear him. -But one gentleman put the question that was rising in each mind. - -"And what is to be done now?" - -The grave, anxious look returned to the Captain's face. His eyes -instinctively scanned those turned towards him. - -"There is only one thing I can possibly do, compatible with my duty to -my ship and its company and passengers," he said; "Mrs. Varden must be -put ashore at dawn to-morrow morning." - -"Where?--How? Is it possible to do it?" - -Quite a little hubbub of questions arose; and the Captain made shift to -answer them all. - -"It will have to be done," he said; "I know the place where it must be -done. We shall touch in, and send a boat ashore. I have had to leave a -sick sailor there before this. There is an old leper-house standing near -to the margin of the sea. For a long time now it has been used in the -fashion in which I purpose to use it. Fever-stricken sailors are left -behind, and there are certain conditions they have to observe before -they can be picked up again if they recover. But when a sailor is so -left, some messmate remains with him to care for him, and submits to the -loneliness and danger and discomfort, out of compassion for a comrade's -need. The thing is not so difficult when it is one of one's own men who -is the victim of disease." - -He paused, and glances were exchanged by the bystanders; and one tall, -rather rough-looking Irishman, who had come from Australia, and whose -loud voice and hearty ways had made him something of a power on board, -exclaimed eagerly: - -"But look here, Captain, there is somebody there to look after the sick -surely! You don't mean they are just dumped down in an empty -leper-house, and left to live or die as they can? There is somebody -there to look after them, and give them food and medicine and all that? -Why, one wouldn't treat a dog so--to throw him ashore and leave him to -his fate!" - -"It is like this," answered the Captain gravely: "There is no trouble -about food and water and a supply of such simple drugs as may be ordered -beforehand. I can make certain arrangements as to that; and the food and -fresh water and so forth will all be duly left each day at the -leper-house by an Arab, who will be told off for the service. But as for -getting help in nursing, that is simply impossible. I know what I am -saying. Money would not purchase it; and it would be such service, even -if attainable, as I think an English lady would sooner die than receive. -No; this brings me to the question which I have to put to her -fellow-passengers. Is there any lady on board willing to face the awful -peril of taking the malignant disease, the awful loneliness of the -leper-house upon the sandy shore, with only Arabs near, the awful doom -of dying alone there, or of seeing her companion and patient die, and of -being in that case quite alone during the necessary period of quarantine -which must elapse before she can be taken off in another ship? Whatever -man can do for making these conditions bearable, I will do. But none -know better than I do the terrible nature of such a task as the one I -ask from one of you. Nay, I do not dare to ask it! I feel that it is -more than flesh and blood can stand; but yet the thought of putting -ashore, alone and unconscious, that poor young wife, just to die, -without the presence of a human creature near her--that seems an equal -impossibility. Ladies, I do not ask an answer yet. I would not take an -offer were it given. It must not be an act of impulsive generosity, -should one of your number be able to face the terrible thought of such a -sacrifice. It must only be undertaken after much careful and deliberate -thought." - -The Captain with that turned on his heel and went his way, leaving the -passengers gazing mutely one at the other with pale faces and anxious -eye. Just before he reached the companion, he turned round to say: - -"Before putting the case to you, ladies, I have individually interviewed -every woman in the steerage company, to see if it would be possible to -procure the services of one of them as nurse. But all of them have -husbands and children. I have failed entirely there, and I may not spare -my one stewardess, even would she go, which I greatly doubt, knowing the -fate of her companion only a few hours ago." - -Amongst the passengers who had listened to this pitiful and terrible -tale was one young girl, travelling from India quite alone. Her name was -Ursula Pendrill. She had stood rather apart during the Captain's speech, -and now, slipping away from the excited hubbub of talk that arose on all -sides, she fled to her cabin almost as though some grisly phantom were -at her heels, and, sinking down upon her knees on the floor, buried her -head in her hands and rocked herself to and fro in a sort of agony. - -"Must I do it? Must I do it? O my God help me to see my way!" were the -words that fell brokenly from her lips. "How can I? How can any one? But -oh that poor, poor creature--that awful death for her; for death it must -be without any to care for her! O God help me!--help me! There is -nobody else--only me--to do it. All the rest have children, friends, -husbands, brothers. I am quite alone. O God help me! Help me!" - -The broken words were merged in sobs, as the tears gushed forth, -bringing a measure of ease to the overcharged heart. Ursula sat crouched -up on the floor of her little cabin, with her face buried in her hands, -and her loosened hair falling around her, but the sense of storm and -strife was merging in one of a strange and settled peace. Down in the -depths of her spiritual being it seemed to her as though a hand had been -laid upon her, and as though a voice had spoken in her ear: - -"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, -ye have done it unto Me." - -Ursula Pendrill was a girl of good family who had been left a year or -two ago an orphan, and with very narrow means. She was, however, a girl -of high spirit and brave heart, and instead of asking a home with any of -her kinsfolk, she preferred to supplement her small resources by working -in various ways herself. - -The field of woman's work in those days was much narrower than it has -since become; but Ursula knew a lady who had been a nurse under Miss -Nightingale in the Crimean War, and had since then given much of her -time to the service of the sick. She was then in charge of a hospital, -and welcomed Ursula on a long visit, where she learned considerable -skill in nursing, and made herself acquainted with the right treatment -of most ailments. - -After that she had often nursed private patients in their own houses, -and had travelled a good deal with invalids going to Madeira and other -places in search of health. So that she was no timid, helpless girl, but -a rather experienced and resourceful woman, who would not easily be -frightened or nonplussed in ordinary cases of sickness, or in the -ordinary circumstances of travel. But there was nothing ordinary in the -charge which she felt had been laid upon her to-day! - -Yet no one expected this thing of her. Probably she would be the last -person the Captain would think of for such a service. Ursula was young, -and she looked younger than her years. She had not talked about herself -to her fellow-passengers. She had not told how she had been taken to -India by a delicate lady to look after her and her fragile children. She -had not supposed that anybody would be interested in her private -affairs. She was surmised to be one of those growing-up girls sent home -from the perils of the hot season to their friends in England. Nobody -would expect a young thing like herself to volunteer for such a deadly -and terrible service. - -But the more Ursula thought of it, the more resolved she was to make -this sacrifice. It seemed to her that she had received a message from on -high; that she had been shown it was for her to take up the cross and -carry it, and that if she did so in fearless faith and obedience, she -would receive help and blessing and strength for the task. - -At dusk she left her cabin and went on deck, and asked where she could -find the Captain. The officer she addressed looked at her keenly for a -moment, and then pointed to where the Captain was standing alone, save -for the presence of the big Irish-Australian with whom he was often in -company. - -Ursula slowly approached, and the two men stopped talking and looked at -her. The Captain stepped forward. - -"Did you wish to speak to me, Miss Pendrill?" - -"Just for a minute, please," answered Ursula, with a beating heart, but -with outward self-possession. "I came to say that I will go ashore -to-morrow with Mrs. Varden, and take care of her." - -"You, child?" ejaculated the Captain incredulously. - -"I am not a child," answered Ursula steadily, "I am older than I look, -and I know a great deal about nursing. Once I lived in a hospital for a -year. I have often taken care of sick people since. I understand about -fevers, though I was only once with a small-pox case, and that only for -a little while, as she was taken away when the symptoms declared -themselves. But I have been vaccinated quite recently. I have never -taken anything from a patient yet. I am not afraid. I will go with poor -Mrs. Varden--if there is nobody more suitable and more efficient." - -The Captain paced once or twice up and down the space between the rails, -and came back to where Ursula was standing. - -"There is nobody else at all. I have had the husbands one after the -other--or the relations and friends. Nobody can bear to face the awful -task--or be spared to do it----" - -"Yes, I understand. Other people have ties--so many to cling to them--to -miss them, so many depending on them. If it were so with me perhaps I -could not offer. But it is not. I have no very near relations. I have no -parents or brothers and sisters. If anything happened there would be a -few to be sorry; but nobody would feel life to be shadowed. I am the -sort of person who can do this thing." - -"You are the sort of person from whom the world's saints and heroines -are made!" cried Captain Donaldson, with a most unwonted outbreak of -emotion. "My dear young lady, I do not know how to accept the sacrifice, -nor yet how to decline it. God will bless and reward you, I truly -believe; for He only can reward such a deed as the one you are about to -do." - -"I do not want any reward," answered Ursula simply; "I only want to do -what is right. Suppose it were somebody very dear to me, it would be no -sacrifice; and Mrs. Varden is very near and dear to somebody--to her -poor young husband. I saw him as he went off the vessel." - -"Poor fellow--yes. I fear----" but the Captain pulled up short, and kept -the fear to himself. Ursula moved away towards her own cabin. - -"I have a few preparations to make; but I shall be ready to-morrow when -you send for me. I think I shall not come up any more till then." - -She disappeared in the gathering gloom, and the Captain stood looking -after her, till a hand was laid upon his arm, and the deep voice of his -Australian passenger said in his ear: - -"Is that girl going ashore with Mrs. Varden?" - -"Yes; she has volunteered, she has all the qualifications for the task; -but I don't know now how to let her,--that lonely leper-house,--that -awful fear before her eyes. Mrs. Varden will not live the week out. But -I dare not keep her on board. My duty to my passengers and to the -company prevents it. But those two frail young creatures--set down -alone----" - -"Look here, Captain, you may make your mind easy there. They won't be -alone. I shall get off there too. I shall see them through!" - -"You, Mr. Kelly? Why, man, what do you mean? There is no accommodation -in the Arab settlement--nothing but the squalid place, and the -leper-house beyond. You cannot be in there----" - -"No; I shall pitch my tent just beyond, but within sight and sound. -Jehoshaphat, man! Do you think I have never roughed it in a tent before -this? Do you think I can't speak the primitive language, common to all -races, enough to get those dirty Arabs to do all I want of them? Do you -think British gold will ever fail to work the will of its master in any -quarter of the globe? You go and make all your palaver with the heathen -Chinee, or blackguard Arab, or whatever he may be. I'll pitch my tent, -and I'll be there as long as any British woman is, and I'll see the -thing through. As a nurse I'm no good, even if a rough fellow could -volunteer for the task where a lady is in the case. But I'll be hanged, -Captain, if Brian Kelly will stand by and see that brave young girl and -that poor dying wife left alone in a place like that without a -countryman near them. I've nobody specially waiting me in the old -country. They've done without me all these years; they can do without me -a few weeks longer. I'll see this bit of business through. If those poor -creatures die there, I'll stop and give them such Christian burial as is -possible; if they live through it, I'll be there to bring them home--one -or both. Confound it all, Captain, d'ye think I'd ever know another -night's sleep in my bed if I looked on at a bit of heroic devotion like -that--and walked on with me hands in me pockets!" - -The Captain put out his horny hand and wrung that of his Irish -passenger. He had liked Kelly from the first; now he felt a new and -warmer feeling towards him. - -"Heaven bless you!" he said rather hoarsely; "you've rolled a ton's -burden from my heart to-day." - -Before sunrise next morning, but while the sky was beginning to lighten -in that wonderful way one sees in desert countries, a tap came at -Ursula's cabin door. She was quite ready: dressed in her cool, linen -garb, with her white apron concealed by the folds of the long cloak. The -things she wanted to take with her were ready in a modest valise. The -rest were to go on to England under the care of the Captain. - -Her face was quite calm and serene as she came up on deck; a few -gentlemen passengers were about to see her off and wish her well. The -Captain made his way towards her and took her hand. - -"Mrs. Varden has been carried to the boat already. We are ready for you. -Mr. Brian Kelly is going ashore too. He is, in fact, there already with -my steward, bargaining about a tent in which he means to live for a time -within hail of the leper-house. So you will have a friend at hand in -case of need. He, like you, is one of the lonely ones of the earth, who -can do these things. I am very thankful not to leave you quite alone -with your patient! There yonder you see your future home--or prison. You -will be quite safe there,--you would have been safe even without -Kelly,--but I am thankful he remains too. I shall leave word at the -nearest station what has happened. You will have friends looking after -you, in a sense, whom you will never see. But Mr. Kelly will be at your -beck and call. Now we must be going." - -It was all like a dream to Ursula: the confused sound of voices, the -earnest pressure of farewell hand-clasps, the words of praise and -blessing lavished upon her; then the sight of the swathed white figure -in the bottom of the boat that looked almost like a corpse in its -graveclothes, the vivid golden glow over sea and land, the stretches of -yellow sand, the white domes of the Arab settlement, and the square -stone walls of the place to which she was bound. - -She only seemed to awaken to the realities of life when the Captain held -her hands in a last farewell, and just stooped and touched her forehead -with his lips. - -"I have a little girl at home--about your age!" he said huskily, as if -in explanation. "Pray God she may be as brave a girl as you--though may -she never be so sorely tried!" - -Then he was gone,--they were all gone,--and Ursula was left alone in -this strange, silent place, with that sad sight before her eyes--poor -Mrs. Varden, stricken down with that most terrible malady, and in its -most malignant and deadly form. - -The patient was quite unconscious, and lay upon the narrow bed which -Ursula found already neatly made up, muttering in the delirium that knew -no lucid intervals. She was not violent--had never been violent, the -doctor told her--and there was little enough to be done for her. But the -thirst was constant, and Ursula seldom left her side for long. Although -there was something so terrible in the poor young wife's disfigured -face, yet it seemed to Ursula that she was the one link between her and -the unknown. She did not shrink from her. She was as tender as though it -had been her mother or sister. She shrank from no task that would bring -relief or ease. She knew what to do and she did it unflinchingly. - -And then as the day went by and the shadows of evening began to steal -over her, she went to the door, to look at the sea and the sands, and -see whether it was a dream what the Captain had said of that big Mr. -Kelly staying behind too. - -No, it was no dream: there was the stalwart figure pacing to and fro; -there was the tent, picturesque and cheerful, with its fire close beside -it, and a couple of turbaned Arabs cooking something over the red glow. - -"Miss Pendrill, I have been hoping you would come out for a mouthful of -fresh air. And how goes your patient?" - -"Very, very ill; but always in a stupor. I can leave her for a few -minutes sometimes----" - -"Ah, good; then we will have supper together out here on the sand; it -will eat better to you than in there, and----" - -"Oh, but, Mr. Kelly, I am infectious----" - -"Stuff and nonsense!--as though I cared for that! We are in the same -boat as to that, for I helped to carry her ashore. But we needn't be -more doleful than circumstances make us. I am peckish, if you are not. -Do let us have supper here together!" - -That was the first of many such meals, taken just in those moments when -Ursula could leave her patient, and run out into the fresh air. It -seemed as though those Arabs must be cooking all day long, for there was -always some appetising dish ready; and oh, the blessed relief of those -odd minutes spent with one who could give word for word, and whose eyes -shone with friendly sympathy and kindly concern! Ursula said in her -heart every day as it went by, that but for this she must have died or -gone mad. - -The Captain had been right in his prognostication. Mrs. Varden sank -gradually, and by the end of the week passed away in her sleep; and it -was Ursula and Mr. Kelly who bore her to her narrow grave upon those -spreading sands; and it was he who filled up the grave that he had dug, -and, bringing out a well-worn Prayer-book from his pocket, read over -that lonely resting-place those words of hope and promise that have been -the consolation of Christian mourners for all time. - -Ursula did not take the fell disease. She was unnerved and unstrung for -a time; but the quiet days went by one by one, and the consciousness of -that watchful presence without kept her from any of those fears and -tremors which must otherwise have made this period of waiting an agony -to her. - -They met every day. They took their meals together, and walked up and -down beside the margin of the sea in company. They had to wait till the -time of quarantine had gone by; but at last there came the blessed day -when a steamer stopped and dropped its boat to fetch them; and the two -exiles from humanity looked one at the other, and then at the great -vessel awaiting them, and they knew that their time of trial was over. - -The passengers on that vessel were disposed to make much of them, and -laud the girl's heroism to the skies; but she shrank from praise, and -kept herself quietly aloof from the little world of the ship, till at -last the day came when they steamed slowly into the beautiful harbour -at Southampton, and dropped anchor there. - -Ursula's few possessions were quickly gathered together; she stepped -alone into the bustle of the great world, where welcomes were being -bandied about on every side, and every passenger seemed to have some -loving friend or relative to greet him. - -Not quite every one. A tall figure pushed its way towards Ursula. A -strong hand possessed itself of her bag. - -"I'll put you into your train," said Mr. Kelly; and she gave a little -sigh of relief. - -He stood at the window holding her little fingers in his big hand. He -looked straight into her eyes. - -"I'm glad you've got some people to go to--even if they are only -cousins. I hope they'll appreciate what they have got. I'm off to -Ireland. I must see the Ould Counthry first of all. But I shall be back -in England before very long. When I come back, may I come and see you?" - -She looked him full in the eyes. Her colour rose. - -"I have never tried to thank you all this time----" she began. - -His big voice cut her short. - -"The train is just off. I want my answer. May I come and see you -by-and-by?" - -There was a dew on her eyelashes, and her lips quivered; but the smile -won the day as it beamed out over her face. The soft voice was quite -steady, except for a little glad catch in it, as she answered: - -"Yes." - - -THE END. - - -_Printed by Hazell, Watson, & Viney, Ld., London and Aylesbury._ - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of True Stories of Girl Heroines, by -Evelyn Everett-Green - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TRUE STORIES OF GIRL HEROINES *** - -***** This file should be named 40508.txt or 40508.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/0/5/0/40508/ - -Produced by sp1nd, Josephine Paolucci and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net. (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at -http://gutenberg.org/license). - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need, are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org. - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at -http://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at -809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email -business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact -information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official -page at http://pglaf.org - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit http://pglaf.org - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - http://www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. |