MY LADY OF CLEEVE
 
 ** 'I give the lives of these gentlemen to you. Your secret 
 
 is your own 
 
 [p. 180]
 
 MY LADY OF 
 CLEEVE 
 
 BY 
 PERCY J. HARTLEY 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS BY 
 HARRISON FISHER 
 
 AND 
 
 HERMAN PFEIFER 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 DODD, MEAD & COMPANY 
 1908
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1908 
 By DODD, MEAD & COMPANY 
 
 Published, January, 1908
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 OF How WE CAME TO CLEEVE 1 
 OF THE LIGHT THAT SHONE IN 
 THE FOG 17 
 
 OF THE KING'S ERRAND AND OF 
 
 MY LADY'S WELCOME 34 
 
 OF MY LADY'S MISSION TO EXETER 55 
 
 OF How THREE GENTLEMEN OF 
 DEVON DRANK THE KING'S 
 HEALTH 77 
 
 OF How I PLAYED KNIGHT 
 ERRANT AND OF MY LADY'S 
 GRATITUDE 97 
 
 OF CERTAIN PASSAGES IN THE 
 ROSE GARDEN 117 
 
 OF THE DUEL IN THE WOOD 136 
 
 OF How MY LADY PLAYED DE- 
 ULAH 156 
 
 OF How MY LADY PLAYED DE 
 LILAH (continued) 176 
 
 OF WHAT BEFELL ON THE TER 
 RACE 193 
 
 OF THE GENTLEMAN ABOARD THE 
 GOOD SHIP "PRIDE OF DEVON" 209
 
 yi CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER XIII OF THE LONELY HUT ON THE 
 
 SHORE 230 
 
 CHAPTER XIV OF THE HOMECOMING OF His 
 
 GRACE OF CLEEVE 248 
 
 CHAPTER XV OF THE COMING OF THE DUTCH 
 
 DRAGOONS 269 
 
 CHAPTER XVI OF How I REPAID THE DEBT I 
 
 OWED MY LADY 288
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 " *I give the lives of these gentlemen to you. 
 
 Your secret is your own' " (p. 180) Frontispiece 
 
 "Descending the steps, she stood facing me 
 
 not ten paces distant" facing 40 
 
 " 'You !' my lady gasped in a choking voice" " 90 
 
 "He leaned against its knotted trunk, while 
 the blood dripped steadily upon the 
 grass" " 146 
 
 "A very brief examination sufficed to assure 
 
 me that the fellow was but stunned" " 224 
 
 "On the threshold stood the Earl of Cleeve 
 
 himself" " 262
 
 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 OF HOW WE CAME TO CLEEVE 
 
 "YONDER is Cleeve !" said the sergeant. 
 
 I held up my hand and the troopers halted. The rain, 
 which had been falling steadily since noon, had now 
 ceased; and a watery gleam of sunshine bursting from 
 the sullen stormclouds overhead lighted up the crest of 
 the hill upon which we stood, and the well-wooded Cleeve 
 valley below us, than which there is none more beautiful 
 in all Devonshire. Behind us lay the barren surface of 
 the torrs mile upon mile of rock-strewn, wind-swept 
 summits thrusting their gaunt and rugged outlines 
 high into the air in spurs as varied as they were fantas 
 tical. But at our feet the ground fell sharply away, 
 covered with a wealth of golden gorse and bracken and 
 scattered clumps of timber that grew ever thicker toward 
 the bottom of the valley ; yielding nevertheless the 
 glimpse of a white road which wound its way serpentlike 
 down the centre. 
 
 Here and there also the glitter of water showed through 
 the trees, where some streamlet kissed by the sun's rays 
 shone with the radiance of burnished silver. From 
 thence the woods rose in one dense mass upon the opposite
 
 S MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 slope, until they broke at length upon the very edge of 
 the rocky cliffs that guard this portion of the coast, and 
 beyond these again were the dark green waters of the 
 Channel. 
 
 It was a scene that at any other time would have com 
 pelled my ardent admiration. The fertile valley nestling 
 at our feet, clothed with its rich carpet of oaks and 
 beeches, and rendered doubly welcome by contrast with 
 the bleak, treeless surface of the torrs through which 
 we had toiled since daybreak. But befouled with mud, 
 wet and weary, we were in no condition to mark its 
 beauties or to appreciate them. Moreover, though it was 
 yet early June, a cold wind was rising, rustling in the 
 tree-tops below us and bringing with it the odour of the 
 sea. 
 
 As we sat there upon the brow of the hill, the steam 
 from our jaded horses rising around us, we shivered in 
 our saddles. For the last two hours, save for a muttered 
 oath from one or other of the troopers when their weary 
 animals stumbled, we had ridden for the most part in 
 silence. Even Graham gayest and most debonnaire of 
 cornets had scarce opened his lips save to answer some 
 remark in monosyllables. And that fact alone was more 
 significant than words to prove to what a state of depres 
 sion the lonely torrs and the falling rain had reduced 
 us. He had fallen somewhat behind with De Brito, but 
 they spurred forward now upon seeing me halt. I had, 
 I confess, no great liking for Cornet Brito ; though to 
 give him his due, had he paid less attention to the wine 
 bottle he had the making of a good sword. But his was a
 
 OF HOW WE CAME TO CLEEVE 3 
 
 coarse, brutal nature sullen, revengeful, and without 
 restraint alien alike in every respect to my own. For 
 I hold that a man may be forced to live by the wits that 
 Nature has provided him with he may be forced to sell 
 his sword and service to the highest bidder but he need 
 not forget, thank God, that he was born a gentle 
 man. 
 
 As for Cornet Graham, he was a merry, careless-hearted 
 boy in appearance, with an eye for every comely maid, 
 and a mind, one would have thought, running only upon 
 the sit of his peruke or the latest fashion in sword knots. 
 Yet his slight figure and fair boyish face belied his na 
 ture, which was as keen and ruthless as any of the 
 troopers plodding at our heels. Even now I noted at 
 a glance that though he was as wet through as the rest 
 of us, no mud splash soiled his clothes. And his white 
 cravat limp though it was, was yet tied in a fashion that 
 would have done credit to the Mall or St. James's. In 
 deed, to him London was the world. 
 
 "A curse on these endless hills !" said De Brito sullenly, 
 as they drew rein at my side. "Why do we halt?" 
 
 For answer I pointed to where some three miles to our 
 right, on the opposite side of the valley, and perched 
 apparently upon the very edge of the cliff, the grey 
 stone chimneys of a house rose above the surrounding 
 trees. Beyond this the mighty head of Cleevesborough 
 reared itself into the sky. And at its foot, marked by 
 the smoke which hung, motionless, in the heavy air above 
 it, lay the little port of Cleeve, to which it gives its name. 
 
 "Yonder is our goal!" I said curtly.
 
 4 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 'Twas a sight to see the way in which his dark face 
 brightened at the prospect. 
 
 "Then push on, in the devil's name!" he cried queru 
 lously. "There is an inn at Cleeve ?" 
 
 "I do not know," I answered shortly, my mind running 
 at the time upon far other matters. 
 
 "Who talks of inns at such a moment? though an inn 
 there is, and a good one!" said Cornet Graham. "But 
 there is a woman yonder, to see whose face is worth 
 twenty such wettings." 
 
 "Perdition take the woman!" growled De Brito in 
 reply. "Give me a roaring fire and a cup of sack to 
 keep out this cursed wet ! Burn me ! Women are as 
 plentiful as blackberries ; aye, and as cheap for the 
 plucking." 
 
 "But not such as this one !" cried the younger man with 
 some heat. " 'Tis five years ago, I swear, since I saw 
 her first in London. But she was accounted then the 
 toast of the Court by those most competent to judge in 
 such matters ; aye, even by King Charles himself may 
 the devil rest his soul ! He deserved well of his 
 people, seeing that he did his best to be a father to 
 them." 
 
 "So that, but for the accident of his death, we might 
 have had a second Castlemaine," I put in sneeringly. 
 The mention of this woman, about whom the cornet had 
 raved unceasingly since he had learned our destination, 
 jarred upon my ears. He shook his head in dubious 
 fashion. 
 
 "You do not know her," he answered reflectively.
 
 OF HOW WE CAME TO CLEEVE 5 
 
 "Proud as Lucifer, she is no woman to play the wanton, 
 even to a king ! Cold as proud, she is " 
 
 "Pshaw, man! For shame! 'Tis my belief you think 
 more of this paragon of virtue's face than of the busi 
 ness that we have in hand." 
 
 "Why not ?" he cried quickly. "'Fore gad ! Spies and 
 Papists are common enough at present, but there 
 is only one Lady Lettice Ingram, and why, curse 
 it, Cassilis, she is one of the loveliest women in 
 England the favourite toast of every tavern in 
 town !" 
 
 "Such is fame!" I remarked caustically, and fell to 
 scanning the house again. And I confess that the longer 
 I gazed, the more difficult appeared my task. 
 
 For these were stirring times, and it behooved every 
 man to keep a still tongue and a ready blade. All Eng 
 land was divided into two factions. The one still cling 
 ing to the restoration of the Stuart in the person of 
 James II, the other content to follow the fortunes of 
 Dutch William. Moreover, in every shire throughout 
 the country were the spies and agents of the French 
 king, working in secret to foment a rising among the 
 Catholics. For Louis XIV. must have a finger in every 
 European pie. 
 
 It was to arrest one of these agents no less a person 
 than the Marquis de Launay that I had been sent 
 hastily from Exeter, information coming to the authori 
 ties that he was in hiding at Cleeve Manor, an old Tudor 
 mansion on the coast of Torbay belonging to the Ingram 
 family, who were staunch upholders of the old religion,
 
 6 
 
 and the head of whom it was whispered was already with 
 King James in Ireland, and high in his favour. 
 
 As I sat now, pondering upon the best way to carry out 
 my orders, I saw at a glance that, standing as it did 
 upon the edge of the cliff, to ride up to the front of the 
 manor would be to render it an easy task for our quarry 
 to escape by sea. Clearly, by some means we must gain 
 the beach, in order to cut off any such method of escape 
 from the rear. Accordingly, I told off the sergeant and 
 a dozen men for this duty, with whom I purposed going 
 myself, bidding the two cornets to lie hidden with the 
 remainder of the troop until dark, and to then follow the 
 road leading to the manor. Arrived there, Cornet 
 Graham was to surround the front of the house, but to 
 await an agreed signal between us ere he attempted to 
 force an entrance. Meanwhile, De Brito and twenty 
 troopers would ride on and overawe the village, a task 
 which I knew would be both welcome and congenial to his 
 temperament; nor was I wrong in so thinking. As I 
 made an end of my instructions, he drew his thick and 
 grizzled brows together in a sullen scowl that boded 
 mischief. 
 
 "You need fear no trouble from that quarter," he said 
 grimly. "I know my work too well." 
 
 "Aye, but none of your devil's tricks here !" I retorted 
 sharply. "We are not in Tangiers !" 
 
 For a moment his swarthy face wore an ugly look and 
 his fingers sought his hilt. But he thought better of it. 
 
 "Leave me to do my own business in my own way !" he 
 muttered sullenly. "Give me the village and tKe"
 
 OF HOW WE CAME TO CLEEVE 7 
 
 tavern and slit me if I interfere with you in the matter 
 of the dainty doves yonder!" And he nodded in the 
 direction of the house. 
 
 His tone was one of such studied insolence that at any 
 other time I should have called him to account. As it 
 was, I shrugged my shoulders contemptuously and 
 turned to Cornet Graham. On my life, he had pulled a 
 little comb from his pocket and with this he was en 
 deavouring to smooth his matted periwig. 
 
 "Remember," I said warningly, "M. de Launay is to 
 be taken alive." 
 
 "If he is there at all," he answered, "and this does not 
 prove a fool's errand!" 
 
 "It is like enough to be that," I said carelessly, "since 
 it is a king's. But be consoled. At least, you will see 
 this Venus !" 
 
 He cried out something at that, but I did not stay to 
 hear. I gathered up my reins and, with a wave of the 
 hand, rode after the troopers. 
 
 They had halted at the edge of the road awaiting my 
 orders, and I saw that the sergeant had made a careful 
 selection for the arduous work they had before them. 
 As they sat there in their saddles, their fierce, swarthy 
 faces bronzed to a coppery hue by the scorching suns of 
 Tangiers, their coats, once red worn and faded to a 
 mottled purple, they were as ill-favoured a set of rogues 
 as one could meet, not even excepting Kirk's Lambs. I 
 placed myself at their head, therefore, and leaving the 
 road behind us, we plunged at once into the woods. 
 So dense were these that ere we had proceeded more than
 
 8 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 a quarter of a mile I was compelled to dismount the men 
 and to send back our horses in charge of two of their 
 number. With the remaining troopers at my heels, I 
 essayed to make the ascent on foot. Nor was it an easy 
 task even then. From every branch the rain-drops 
 dripped upon us, so that, wet before, we were doubly so 
 ere we had advanced but a short distance. Tripping 
 over roots, torn by brambles, a dozen times we came down 
 upon our faces, rendering us in a truly pitiable condition 
 when at length we reached the summit. Nor did luck 
 befriend us even then. 
 
 In front of us and on either side the woods spread to 
 the edge of the cliff, the latter falling sheer away to 
 give us a sight of the white-capped rollers, over which 
 the gulls were wheeling, three hundred feet below, and 
 with no sign of a path by which we might gain the shore. 
 We separated now, making our way right and left as fast 
 as the thick growth and the slippery nature of the 
 ground would permit, while in my heart I cursed the 
 delay, for the light was fading fast. It was not long 
 before a shout from one of the troopers proclaimed that 
 he had stumbled upon that which we sought. I made 
 my way to his side as quickly as possible, and found him 
 standing on the brink of a little combe, a mere cleft in 
 the hillside, its sides thickly wooded, and with a swift 
 stream, swollen by the rains from the torrs above, flowing 
 in a succession of white-lipped falls down its centre. It 
 was not an inviting road to take, and I would willingly 
 have sought for a more open spot, but we had already 
 lost more time than we could well spare, and dusk had
 
 OF HOW WE CAME TO CLEEVE 9 
 
 fallen on the silent woods. Moreover, the heavy grey 
 clouds, drifting low from the direction of the sea, 
 momentarily grew darker and more threatening, giving 
 promise of further rain. I rallied the troopers, there 
 fore, at the head of the combe, and with the sergeant at 
 my heels, plunged into the glen. 
 
 At first the ground was fairly open, and we were enabled 
 to make good progress through the thickets of alders 
 and rushes that fringed the banks of the stream, but 
 ever as we advanced the green walls of the glen grew 
 steeper and narrower, until we were forced to take to 
 the stream itself, making -our way from stone to stone 
 that lay mossgrown and prostrate in its bed, or at times 
 wading ankle deep through some shallow pool. It was as 
 if we were cut off from the world. A damp, earthy smell, 
 begotten of the winter's leaves' decay, filled the air. 
 There was no sound save the song of the water swirling 
 at our feet as it brawled amongst the pebbles and chafed 
 in its narrow course, the occasional fall of a branch upon 
 the hillside above, and in the distance the ever- 
 increasing murmur of the sea. 
 
 For over half a mile we proceeded thus, so that it was 
 with no little satisfaction that at length we saw the 
 light, such as it was, gradually strengthening in front 
 of us. Now the trees grew thinner, admitting a breath 
 of sea air, which stole through their twisted trunks and 
 fanned our faces. As we continued to advance, the glen 
 as suddenly receded, and a moment or two later we came 
 out upon the beach. 
 
 We found ourselves in a little shingle-covered bay, the
 
 10 
 
 extremities of which were shut in by the rocks, giving us 
 no sight of what lay beyond. Above our heads on either 
 side towered a mighty wall of rock, its grey, rugged 
 surface broken here and there by patches of withered 
 grass. And here the sergeant, who was a few paces in 
 front of me, suddenly stopped. 
 
 He was a grizzled, battle-scarred veteran of the wars of 
 Flanders, with whom I had once made a campaign upon 
 the Rhine, and to whom for that reason I allowed some 
 freedom. His looks, ill-favoured enough at best, were 
 in no way improved by the scar of an old sword cut 
 gained in some wild foray against the Turk, which scar, 
 starting from his right eyebrow, stretched crosswise to 
 his chin ; twisting both nose and lips to their utter detri 
 ment and imparting a peculiarly forbidding and saturn 
 ine expression to his face. 
 
 "What is it?" I said sharply. "Why do you halt, man ? 
 The tide is out, and the light will serve." 
 
 "Aye," he answered slowly, "the tide is out, but " 
 
 "But what?" I cried impatiently. "Come, out with it 
 if you have anything to say !" 
 
 "Well, I like not that!" he rejoined with some hesita 
 tion, pointing out to sea. 
 
 Following the direction of his outstretched arm, 
 away over the surface of the water, some two 
 miles distant, but creeping each minute slowly and 
 insidiously nearer, stretched a white wall of vapour, 
 beneath which gleamed the foam-crested summits of the 
 waves. 
 
 "Well?" I said contemptuously. "What of it? Have
 
 OF HOW WE CAME TO CLEEVE 11 
 
 you never seen a sea fog before, or are you afraid?" I 
 continued with a sneer. 
 
 "Neither of man nor devil !" he retorted with some heat. 
 And to do him justice, I knew that he spoke truth. "But 
 this this is different. To be caught against that" he 
 nodded toward the cliff "and to be drowned like 
 rats !" 
 
 I saw that his words were not without effect. The 
 troopers, already wearied by the day's exertions, glanced 
 askance at one another and began to mutter. At all 
 hazards this must be stopped, and at once. I faced 
 round on them. 
 
 "Who talks of drowning?" I cried angrily. "Curse 
 you for a fool, man ! 'Tis but a mile to go at most. But 
 if you fear to venture, sergeant," I continued, "you can 
 return the way we came. And stay, I will send a couple 
 of men back with you to bear you company; you will 
 find it dark in the glen !" 
 
 He saluted at that, a flush of shame upon his face. 
 
 "Very well," he said slowly; "let it be forward then. 
 Only I have warned you." 
 
 "And you others !" I continued in a fierce tone, turning 
 upon them and letting my hand fall lightly upon the butt 
 of the pistol in my sash. "Have you anything to say, 
 or do you forget who I am, you knaves? I will find a 
 quicker death than yonder waves for the first man among 
 you who questions my orders !" 
 
 I looked them squarely in the face, and their muttering 
 died away. Steeped as they were in crime and license, 
 I was their master, and they knew it. For a moment or
 
 12 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 two longer I remained silent to give full effect to my 
 words, but not a man spoke. 
 
 "Forward then!" I said shortly; and we set off along 
 the beach. 
 
 Not that their fears were altogether without founda 
 tion. The intense loneliness of the spot, increased as it 
 was by the gathering dusk, was sufficient to daunt the 
 stoutest heart. The wind was rising, moaning in the 
 cavernous hollows and crevices of the cliff, from which 
 came ever and anon the weird cry of some sea fowl, cir 
 cling round its nest in the rocky wall above. And save 
 for this there was no other sound but the hoarse murmur 
 of the swift, incoming tide. 
 
 Rounding the rocks which screened the bay, we found 
 ourselves in a second one, a complete replica of the first. 
 And beyond us, headland upon headland, serrated against 
 the darkening sky, stretched faint and shadowy into 
 the far distance. 
 
 Our progress was slow, for the beach was composed of 
 small, slate-coloured pebbles, flattened and rounded by 
 the wash of endless surges, and into which our heavy 
 military boots sank deep at every step. Here and there 
 we were forced to skirt some mass of lichen-covered 
 rocks ; which, torn from the cliff side, lay scattered upon 
 the shore at its base, their sharp, needle-like summits 
 wreathed with tangled seaweed and their caves and hol 
 lows filled with the flotsam of the tides. 
 
 And now the fog rolled down upon us, at first in thin 
 wreaths of vapour that floated in ghost-like silence like 
 the first sentinels of an advancing army, but growing
 
 OF HOW WE CAME TO CLEEVE 13 
 
 ever thicker and thicker as they approached landwards, 
 until they wrapped us completely round in their damp 
 embrace, blotting out everything from our vision save 
 the wall of cliff upon our right, which loomed dark and 
 menacing through the mist. The wind rose as suddenly 
 to a gale, sending the fog wreaths eddying around us, 
 and bringing with it a cold rain that at every successive 
 gust beat in our faces, blinding and confusing us. A 
 hundred times I cursed my folly and recalled the 
 sergeant's warning. He was at my elbow now, at times 
 his figure appearing distorted and giant-like as the fog 
 thinned somewhat ; anon banishing altogether from my 
 vision, swallowed up by the mist. 
 
 How long we struggled on thus, buffeted by the wind 
 and rain, falling over the jutting rocks, I do not know; 
 but it was in a lull in the gale, when the wind died down 
 for a moment and the fog lifted, that I felt myself seized 
 by the arm and plucked violently backward. It was none 
 too soon. From out of the mist ahead appeared a green 
 wall of water capped with foam. Down it thundered, 
 breaking upon the pebbles at my feet, sending the salt 
 spume flying above my head and swirling round my knees 
 in a cataract of foam. 
 
 Even then, so sudden was the surprise, that the back 
 wash was like to have swept me from my feet; but the 
 sergeant's grip tightened upon my arm and dragged me 
 back to safety. And in a moment I realised what had 
 happened. We had reached the end of the bay, into 
 which the sea had already entered. I put my lips to 
 the sergeant's ear.
 
 14 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 "Back to the cliff," I shouted, "and climb, man! 
 Climb, or " 
 
 There was no need to finish the sentence. Not a man 
 there but knew our danger. We began to retrace our 
 steps. It had grown so dark now that it was only when 
 the curbain of fog parted to a more violent gust than 
 usual that I was enabled to distinguish the form of the 
 trooper upon my right. The rain which we had ex 
 perienced all day was as nothing to that which fell upon 
 us now. It descended in sheets, drenching us to the skin 
 and numbing us with its icy cold. For a while, indeed, 
 a species of coma seized me. I thought of the cornets 
 waiting in the roadway above, and wondered idly whether 
 they would succeed in achieving the arrest of the man 
 we had come so' far to seek, and whether, by chance, upon 
 the morrow they would find some relic of our party float 
 ing in the wash of the tide to tell the story of our fate, 
 for I did not deceive myself. To climb the cliff even in 
 the daylight would have been a hard enough feat ; to do 
 so at night, in the darkness and fog, was an impossibility. 
 And though I was willing enough for the troopers' sake 
 to make the attempt aye, and to encourage the effort 
 yet in my heart I knew that there could be but one 
 ending. 
 
 It seemed hard, I remember thinking dully, that a man 
 who had passed unscathed through the perils of many 
 battlefields hard for a man who had made a campaign 
 with Montecuccoli, and whose arms had held the great 
 Turenne as he fell from his horse, struck down by a 
 cannon-ball upon the banks of the Rhine to be drowned
 
 OF HOW WE CAME TO CLEEVE 15 
 
 at the last In a little bay upon the lonely Devon coast. 
 I was aroused from these reflections by the sound of an 
 oath and a heavy fall, as the trooper upon my left 
 stumbled over a black mass which loomed up suddenly 
 in his path. He was on his feet again ere I could reach 
 his side, and gave vent to such a ringing shout that it 
 pierced above the gale and brought us all around him. 
 That which he had fallen over, very providentially as 
 it proved for us, was a boat anchored to the beach by a 
 short length of rope fastened to a stone. With renewed 
 hope we scattered again in search of the path which the 
 inmates of the manor must have been in the habit of 
 using when passing to and fro to this small craft. At 
 length an idea struck me, and raising my hand to pass 
 it carefully over the rocky wall above one at a little above 
 the level of my shoulder, I came upon a ledge. By 
 climbing upon the sergeant's bent back, I was enabled 
 to draw myself up to it at the cost of a few bruises, and 
 to clamber upon its flat surface. 
 
 It was, as near as I could judge, some ten feet square, 
 and in the far corner my hands came in contact with a 
 flight of steps leading upwards, roughly hewn in the 
 cliff side. Five minutes later the whole party of us stood 
 upon a little platform, side by side. And then, drawing 
 a long breath, I essayed to make the ascent. 
 
 There were eighteen steps in all, giving place to a path, 
 a mere narrow ledge on the surface of the cliff, at no 
 place more than four feet wide, and with a sheer drop 
 upon the one side to the beach below. Along this we 
 crept, at every fresh gust of wind flattening ourselves
 
 16 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 against the rocky wall upon the right and clinging to its 
 jagged fissures. It was a weird experience, I vow, to be 
 suspended thus 'twixt sea and sky; no sound save the 
 whistling of the wind in the crannies of the cliff, the roar 
 of the pitiless surges below us, or the harsh scream of a 
 gull from the mist out at sea. Yet I have travelled 
 this same path since by daylight, and I have often 
 thought that the thickness of the fog upon that night 
 was most fortunate for us, sparing us, as it did, the full 
 knowledge of the yawning which lay at our side, the 
 sight of which might well have turned the strongest head 
 giddy. Even as it was, at a place where the ledge took a 
 sharp turning, a sudden blast struck me with such 
 violence that, taken off my guard, for a moment I was 
 in danger of being torn from my foothold, and only by 
 driving my nails into a crack of the rock until the fingers 
 themselves were left all raw and bleeding was I enabled 
 to withstand its boisterous pressure. 
 
 The breeze passed. And taking courage of my expe 
 rience, I made haste to round the dangerous corner, 
 shouting back a word of warning to the file of men 
 creeping at my heels. Even as we ascended the noise of 
 the waves grew fainter, until, after travelling some 
 twenty minutes thus, a new sound was added to the pat 
 ter of the rain upon the side of the cliff namely, the 
 howl of the wind in the treetops above us. 
 
 A last effort as the way grew steeper yet, and I gained 
 the summit, to fling myself panting and exhausted upon 
 the turf in the thick darkness beyond.
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 OP THE LIGHT THAT SHONE IN THE FOG 
 
 IT must have been for the space of full five minutes 
 that I lay thus, with quivering nerves and labouring 
 breath, upon the sodden ground, with the raindrops 
 beating down upon me, ere I roused myself sufficiently 
 to get to my feet and call to the sergeant. His voice 
 answered me from out of the night, somewhere at my 
 side. I bade him ascertain that none of the party had 
 got separated in the darkness. Accordingly, he called 
 the troopers one by one, and at each name an invisible 
 speaker answered: "Here!" 
 
 "They are all present !" said the sergeant gruffly, who, 
 though distant from me but some three feet or so, showed 
 only as a darker patch upon the murk beyond. It was 
 the very gloom of Egypt that encompassed us. There 
 fore, I gave instructions that each trooper should lay 
 hold of the belt of the man in front of him, and setting 
 our faces away from the direction of the sea, we moved 
 slowly through the inky blackness that surrounded us. 
 That there were trees around us I had ample proof, not 
 only by the sound of the wind whistling in their branches 
 overhead, but also by the fact that ere we had advanced a 
 dozen yards I tripped over a projecting root, my head 
 coming into such violent contact with an unseen tree, 
 that I was glad to lean for a moment or two, sick and
 
 18 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 dizzy, against its knotted trunk. Thereafter I was 
 more careful, feeling my way from tree to tree, and 
 probing the darkness in front with my sheathed sword. 
 
 We had been moving a long time thus, or so it seemed, 
 when the trees on either side abruptly ceased, and turn 
 it which way I would, my sword encountered only empty 
 air. Across this open space we slowly moved till at the 
 thirty-seventh step as I counted my sword struck with 
 a sharp tinkle against what I took for the moment to be a 
 stone wall. It was not until I had passed my hand over 
 its flat surface and down its base that I discovered the 
 nature of the object upon which we had stumbled. It 
 was the sun-dial, such as I had often seen in France, and 
 I knew by its shape that I was not mistaken. From this 
 I argued we were somewhere within the gardens belong 
 ing to the house, and here the man who was behind me 
 (it was the sergeant) loosened his hold, and I felt him 
 groping upon the ground at my feet. Presently he rose, 
 as I could tell by the sound of his voice. 
 
 "There is a path here," he said ; "I can feel its border. 
 Aye, and a broad one." 
 
 "In that case," I answered, "lead on ! The house cannot 
 be far away." 
 
 I resigned my place to him, therefore, at the head, and 
 with frequent stoppages we made our way slowly along 
 the path. A dozen times at least we strayed from the 
 track, and it was only with the greatest patience that we 
 were enabled to retrace our steps. We must have 
 travelled thus for some five or six hundred yards, when 
 we almost ran into a stone wall, that lay on the right-
 
 LIGHT THAT SHONE IN THE FOG 19 
 
 hand side of the path, and saw before us a dark mass 
 looming through the mist. We felt our way by the side 
 of this wall until, upon turning sharply round the 
 corner, the sergeant's hand was laid upon my arm, and 
 we came to a sudden halt. For there, not twenty feet 
 distant, from an open doorway, a bright light was 
 streaming out into the fog. 
 
 For the moment we were sheltered somewhat from the 
 wind by the building itself, and I thought that in be 
 tween the gusts I could distinguish the sound of voices. 
 Though this was the very thing we had expected to 
 encounter, yet so long had our eyes been accustomed to 
 the darkness, that it came even now as somewhat of a sur 
 prise to us and we stood staring stupidly before us. 
 Moreover, the light from whatever source it came did 
 not burn steadily, but every now and then it was 
 partially obscured, as if some one or something came be 
 tween it and the doorway, to burst forth a moment later 
 with renewed brilliance, flinging its yellow aureole of 
 light upon the fog, and serving but to increase the im 
 penetrable shadow that lay beyond. I came to myself 
 with a start and slowly unsheathed my sword; and I 
 heard a faint tinkle of steel go rippling into the darkness 
 behind me as the troopers did the same. Then, with the 
 sergeant at my side, I stole quietly forward, and halting 
 at the edge of the circle of light, ourselves unseen in the 
 shadow, we peered into the room. 
 
 At first I could see nothing, but as my eyes grew 
 accustomed to the brightness within, I was enabled to 
 make out the interior. It was a stable, and by the light
 
 20 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 of a couple of lanterns hung upon the wall an old man 
 was whisping the mud stains from a magnificent chest 
 nut mare, pausing every now and again to rub her sleek, 
 glossy sides. A younger man muffled in a cloak was 
 standing with his back to us, a lantern at his feet. 
 
 My eyes were rivetted upon the mare, for I have ever 
 been a lover of horses, and indeed to a man who has 
 spent the better part of twenty years in the saddle and 
 who has owed his life again and again to the speed of the 
 animal beneath him, the love of them becomes as it were 
 a second nature. I saw that this was an animal rarely 
 met with in a thousand and that it carried a lady's saddle 
 and bore the signs of recent hard riding. 
 
 I started when the sergeant touched my arm and 
 pointed to the younger man's belt. Following the direc 
 tion of his outstretched hand, I saw that this man's cloak 
 had fallen open and that he carried a bunch of keys a'; his 
 side. By this I judged him, and rightly so, as it proved, 
 to be the steward. This was a stroke of unexpected good 
 fortune, for the means of gaining access to the house 
 now lay to our hands. 
 
 It was this latter who was speaking, every word coming 
 plainly to our ears through the open door. 
 
 "Hast nearly finished?" he said impatiently. 
 
 "Finished?" said the other, in a high-pitched, queru 
 lous voice, and I saw he raised his head and disclosed a 
 yellow face seamed with a hundred wrinkles, that he was 
 much older than I had first thought, and with the un 
 mistakable look of a man who has spent his life amongst 
 horses. "How should I be finished and look at Carola !
 
 LIGHT THAT SHONE IN THE FOG 21 
 
 Been down on her knees, she has! But what does my 
 lady care? She can stop in the light and warmth yon 
 der. 'Tis old Reuben must clean her horse. Let old 
 Reuben go out in the wet and fog. Nobody minds 
 what happens to him!" He broke off in a fit of 
 coughing. 
 
 "How now, old grumbler !" said the other sharply. 
 "That is a lie, and you know it! Aye, and if my lady 
 heard you she would make you smart for those words!" 
 
 The old man looked up with a grin that disclosed the 
 few yellow stumps remaining in his head. "She would 
 that, lad !" he chuckled. The steward nodded gravely. 
 
 "You will find that my lady does not forget a service," 
 he said slowly. 
 
 "God bless her !" said the old man softly, stooping once 
 more to his work. 
 
 "Amen to that," the steward answered. 
 
 So that for the first time my curiosity was aroused as 
 to what manner of woman this could be of whom they 
 spoke in such terms. 
 
 "Aye, it will be a bad day for us all if she should marry 
 this Frenchman," he continued, shaking his head. 
 
 "The devil take all Frenchmen!" the old man burst 
 out in his thin, quavering voice, and with true insular 
 prejudice. "She will wed a man a man, I tell thee not 
 a tricked-out, scented popinjay. Frenchman indeed," 
 he continued with fine contempt. "Mark my words, lad ! 
 Eight and sixty year I've lived here, boy and man, and 
 I've never seen a Frenchman yet that was a man! It's 
 not in 'em, lad! It's not born in 'em!"
 
 22 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 "I misdoubt you have seen one at all before, old 
 Reuben!" answered the other, but the old man only 
 continued to nod and mutter to himself. "But every 
 one to their taste," the steward added. "My lady will 
 make a good match, and a good wife." 
 
 "Aye," the man Reuben answered, "when she is tamed, 
 lad; when she is tamed and Lord help the tamer!" he 
 added with a chuckle that trailed off into a fit of cough 
 ing. The steward waited until he had recovered his 
 breath, then : 
 
 "There be some at the house yonder who think 'tis Mis 
 tress Grace he would be wedding," he said slowly, but the 
 old man only shook his head. 
 
 "It's not my lady," he answered doggedly. "I'll take 
 my oath of that ! No, nor Mistress Grace either." 
 
 "Then why is he here?" cried the steward eagerly. 
 "Tell me that !" The other raised his head with a cun 
 ning look on his wrinkled face. 
 
 "I have heard it said that James Stuart is in Ireland," 
 he said slowly. 
 
 "Bah !" the man in the cloak answered. "Every one 
 knows that!" 
 
 "Hark to that now!" the old man replied, apostro 
 phising the mare, that by way of answer whinnied softly 
 and laid her head upon his shoulder. "Every one knows 
 
 that ! Every one knows " He broke off with a half 
 
 inaudible chuckle. 
 
 "Well, 'tis true, is it not, old dotard?" said the other 
 sharply. 
 
 "How should I know?" answered the old man queru-
 
 LIGHT THAT SHONE IN THE FOG 23 
 
 lously. "Reuben the dotard! Reuben the fool!" and 
 again he laughed mirthlessly. 
 
 "Mark you," said the steward quickly, "I love not 
 Dutch William. I am for the Stuarts, I! But this I 
 say, that James is no fighter, and if he should give 
 battle to William pho!" And he snapped his fingers 
 expressively. 
 
 "Aye, if he should!" the other replied significantly. 
 "But " and he sank his voice slightly "what if he 
 were to slip away and leave this Dutch hog in Ireland! 
 What if he were to land here?" 
 
 "Here?" the steward cried in a startled tone. 
 
 "Here !" the old man went on triumphantly, "and the 
 Earl with him ! Why, at the master's call we'd have the 
 whole countryside in arms !" 
 
 "Aye, but what has the Frenchman to do with it?" the 
 other cried in a tone of bewilderment. 
 
 "Nay, how should I know!" he replied, grinning. 
 "Reuben the dotard! Only, did ever a Stuart have 
 money !" he added softly, with a glance of contempt at 
 the man before him. 
 
 A light seemed to break upon the steward. "Ha, I 
 see !" he cried excitedly. "Then you think " 
 
 "I think that the mare is listening," said the old man 
 with a sour smile, and he stooped to continue his task. 
 Nor for all the steward's entreaties would he again 
 open his mouth. He gave up the attempt at length. 
 
 "Well," he said reluctantly, "I may not bide here 
 longer. Do you make haste, and we will talk of this 
 again." He stooped and raised the lantern from the
 
 24 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 floor, and with this swaying in his hand he came toward 
 the open doorway to walk into our arms. 
 
 When the sergeant had clapped a pistol to his head 
 there was no more surprised a man in all England. He 
 could not be expected to know the fact that the wet had 
 long since rendered the weapon useless. As for the old 
 man, he stood rigid, as if petrified, with open mouth and 
 staring eyes, and I saw that we had nothing to fear from 
 him. I turned therefore to the younger man, who stood 
 in the sergeant's grip, the very picture of astonishment. 
 Behind us the troopers crowded into the room. 
 
 "Now, my friend," I said quietly, picking up the lan 
 tern from the ground it had fallen from his hand "I 
 desire a word with you !" 
 
 "Who are you, and what do you want?" he stammered, 
 when at last he found his tongue. That soldiers should 
 rise up out of the night in the very centre of his master's 
 lands was a thing apparently beyond his power to grasp. 
 He was a man of about forty, as near as I could judge, 
 and he bore the look of one to whom good living came 
 habitual. I did not anticipate having much trouble 
 with him, but in this I proved to be mistaken. 
 
 "As to who I am," I answered sharply, "I am a king's 
 officer ; let that be sufficient for you ! And for the rest, I 
 have need of your assistance, and also some information. 
 You are, I take it, steward to the Earl of Ingram, who, 
 I understand, is at present with the man James Stuart in 
 Ireland, and high in his favour ?" 
 
 He looked at me, scowling, but he did not speak. 
 
 "Answer, will you !" cried the sergeant, thrust-
 
 LIGHT THAT SHONE IN THE FOG 25 
 
 ing his scarred visage within a foot of the other's 
 head. 
 
 "Yes," he replied sullenly, shrinking from the ser 
 geant's fierce face. 
 
 "Good," I answered. "I see that we shall get on, my 
 friend. You were speaking a while ago of a Frenchman. 
 Nay, do not give yourself the trouble of denying it. He 
 is still here?" 
 
 "And if so, what then?" he said suspiciously, heedless 
 of the sergeant's threatening look. 
 
 "Only that I desire speech of this same gentleman," I 
 answered, "and I have ridden far to get it. In the first 
 place, how many servants are there in the house yonder?" 
 
 He hesitated for a moment, then : 
 
 "There are but a dozen," he replied. 
 
 "Are you sure there are no more?" I said sharply. 
 "The truth, man !" 
 
 "I have told you," he answered sulkily; "and the half 
 of these are women." 
 
 "Very good," I answered; "that is sufficient. You will 
 now lead us to the house, and for I see that you have the 
 keys you will show us how best to gain an entrance." 
 
 "I'll not do it," he burst out on a sudden, to my aston 
 ishment, for I had not given the man credit for so much 
 courage. "I tell you I will take no part in it! I will 
 do nothing that shall injure my ladies !" 
 
 "You are a fool!" I said tartly, for I was fast losing 
 patience. Time was passing, and I was anxious to get 
 the business over in order to dry my wet clothes, which 
 clung to me with a chilly persistency. Moreover, I
 
 26 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 thought it more than probable that Cornet Graham would 
 have already arrived ere this at the house, and, believing 
 that some accident had surely befallen us, would proceed 
 to execute his commission in his own way. In that case 
 I had missed what credit there might be attached to the 
 actual capture. "I have told you that it is with this 
 gentleman I wish to speak. I have nothing to do with 
 aught else." 
 
 "Yet I will not do it," he said doggedly. "You may 
 find the key for yourself." 
 
 "Perhaps the flame of yon candle across his wrists 
 would make him alter his mind," growled the sergeant. 
 
 I saw the man turn white at the words, but he uttered 
 no sound. "Hark you, fellow !" I said harshly. "I have 
 no time to waste in trifling. I will give you till I count 
 ten to say if you will do as I desire, and I should recom 
 mend you to reconsider your decision, otherwise " 
 
 I caught the sergeant's eye. He grinned and com 
 menced to unwind his sash. In the dead silence that fol 
 lowed, a silence broken only by the whistling of the wind 
 without, that set the lanterns flickering and the shadows 
 dancing on the walls, I began slowly to count. The 
 troopers stood around, leaning on their swords, in keen 
 expectation of that which was to come. 
 
 It was a strange scene upon which the lantern light fell. 
 The mare regarding the intruders with a mild surprise, 
 the prisoner in the centre, silent and sullen, and lastly, 
 the ring of ruthless faces, upon which were stamped all 
 the baser passions of cruelty and lust. 
 
 "Eight, nine" I made a longer pause "ten !"
 
 LIGHT THAT SHONE IN THE FOG 27 
 
 The man before me had neither moved nor spoken as 
 yet, but now he broke out again: 
 
 "I will not do it ! You may flog me first ! I will say no 
 more !" 
 
 The sergeant's eye had been busy searching the room. 
 
 "We shall not flog you," he said grimly. "Make your 
 mind easy as to that. But," he continued, "there is a 
 hook above, I see, and a strong one. Here, one of you, 
 bring me that rope yonder. I will teach him how we 
 unloose tongues in Tangiers !" 
 
 The words seemed to arouse the steward to a sense of his 
 danger, for he made an unexpected dash for the door. 
 But the troopers were too quick for him. There was a 
 short struggle, a volley of curses as the man was borne 
 down and his arms pinioned behind his back. A trooper 
 climbed upon the stall and flung the rope over the hook 
 in the ceiling. A couple more dragged their prisoner 
 across, and making a running noose, slipped it over his 
 head, and three pairs of willing hands seized the other 
 end of the rope, and the thing was done with a celerity of 
 dispatch that bespoke long practice. They but awaited 
 my signal. I was loth to give this, for I would have 
 spared the man if I could, but I saw no other way to make 
 him speak. I was about to give it, therefore, when there 
 came an unexpected interruption. Up till now the old 
 man I have before mentioned had stood a still and silent 
 spectator of the scene being enacted, but seeing his com 
 panion standing with the rope round his neck, and read 
 ing for the first time the doom in store for him, he sud 
 denly moved forward, striving to push his way to his 
 side.
 
 28 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 "You devils!" he cried shrilly, "let the man go! Let 
 him go, I say !" 
 
 "To your kennel, old Beelzebub!" cried a trooper 
 roughly with a blow on the mouth that sent him reeling 
 backwards, to fall beneath the horse's feet, where he lay 
 whimpering senilely among the straw. 
 
 I turned again to the prisoner. 
 
 "Once more," I said shortly, "will you lead and gain 
 us an entrance to the house yes or no?" 
 
 His white lips quivered for answer, but no sound 
 escaped them. He seemed like one dazed. 
 
 The sergeant looked inquiringly across at me. I nodded 
 grimly and stepped through the open door. I was de 
 sirous of ascertaining if the fog had lifted, and there 
 are some things it is better not to see. It was intensely 
 dark outside the circle of light thrown by the lanterns, 
 yet after standing for a short time probing the blackness 
 with my eyes I thought that the mist had certainly grown 
 somewhat thinner, for I could dimly make out the form of 
 the bushes opposite me and the pathway at my feet run 
 ning into the gloom. I made my way a short distance 
 along this, keeping in touch with the wall upon my right. 
 The rain was still falling heavily, and the wind moaned 
 in the treetops above with a sound like the wailing of lost 
 souls in pain. From the room behind me came one cry 
 that pierced the fog and reached my ears above the gale, 
 and then silence. 
 
 The sergeant was a persuasive man. It was in less 
 than five minutes that, looking back, I saw his figure 
 appear in the doorway. Shading his eyes with his hand,
 
 LIGHT THAT SHONE IN THE FOG 29 
 
 he stood peering out into the darkness. I slowly retraced 
 my steps. 
 
 It was not until I was at his side that he saw me. He 
 gave a start at my sudden appearance ; and held out his 
 hand. "Here is the key," he said with a grin ; "and he 
 has changed his mind." I took the key and followed him 
 into the room. 
 
 The steward lay upon the ground with blackened face 
 and distorted features. They had taken the rope from 
 round his neck and it now hung dangling from the hook 
 above. He had the appearance of a man in the last 
 extremity. 
 
 "You have gone too far," I said, frowning. "The man 
 is dying!" 
 
 "Not he," the sergeant answered. "We did but give 
 him an extra dance on air in case the way should slip his 
 memory." 
 
 He stooped as he spoke, and lifting the man's body, 
 propped him with his back against the stall ; and pick 
 ing up the bucket that lay beside the mare, he flung the 
 contents upon his head. It had the desired effect. In 
 less than five minutes the shadow faded from his face, 
 his breathing grew more regular. Presently they raised 
 him to his feet and supported by a trooper on either 
 side he stood breathing heavily. 
 
 "Will you guide us now ?" said the sergeant fiercely, "or 
 must we string you up again?" 
 
 The man before us gave a slight gesture of assent. He 
 was too far gone to speak. 
 
 "And play us no tricks," the sergeant growled. "I
 
 30 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 have made better men speak than you, though they were 
 heathen aye, and be silent too!" And he passed his 
 hand across his throat with a gesture there was no mis 
 taking. 
 
 I waited a few minutes longer for the knave to recover 
 himself and while they bound the old man to the head 
 of the stall, where he stood mumbling incoherent curses ; 
 and then, thrusting the lantern into the steward's shaking 
 hand, guarded by the troopers on either side, we set out 
 on our way. I had thought that the house lay close at 
 hand, but this was not the case. Now that we were in 
 the open air, the cold wind and the rain beating upon his 
 bare head had a reviving effect upon the steward, and 
 he led us unfalteringly through the darkness. He 
 turned sharply to the right ; and by the flickering light 
 cast by the lantern, I could see that we were upon a 
 broad gravel walk and that the trees on either side had 
 given place to well-kept lawns and beds of flowers, over 
 which the wind swept boisterously. 
 
 Suddenly the lantern swung to the left ; and a moment 
 or two later the sergeant rapped out an oath. 
 
 "What is the matter ?" I said sharply. 
 
 "We have left the path !" he cried. 
 
 I snatched the lantern from the steward's hand and saw 
 that the sergeant had spoken the truth. There was turf 
 beneath our feet. A sudden suspicion of our guide 
 crossed my brain. What if he should lead us once more 
 to the brink of the cliff, and, true in his loyalty to the 
 house he served, should cause us to perish, though the act 
 should involve his own destruction. Such things had
 
 LIGHT THAT SHONE IN THE FOG 31 
 
 been done, I knew, and he had proved himself 
 to be a stubborn man. I threw the light upon his 
 face. 
 
 "What is this?" I said harshly. "Are you playing us 
 false, man?" 
 
 "No," he answered sullenly. "There should be a foun 
 tain here." 
 
 I bade the troopers keep behind me, and throwing the 
 light upon ~he ground, moved slowly forwards, half ex 
 pecting at each step to see some horrible abyss yawning 
 at my feet. But nothing appeared until some fifty feet 
 further I came once more to a gravel path, in the centre 
 of which a white marble fountain loomed ghost-like 
 through the fog. At a short distance from this stood 
 a stone seat, its surface strewn with the petals of with 
 ered roses. I thrust the light back into the steward's 
 hand, and he struck off into a broader walk than any we 
 had as yet traversed and which ascended, by means of 
 three or four stone steps, in a succession of terraces, 
 until, when we had travelled fully a quarter of a mile 
 from where we started, we came at last to a little stone 
 bridge spanning a narrow moat. I held the lantern over 
 this and the light shone upon the dark surface below, 
 covered, for the most part, with a thick growth of water- 
 weed. The bridge gave entrance to a broader terrace 
 beyond, across which loomed the dark outline of the 
 house. I bade them now put out the lantern; and we 
 crossed the terrace and stood beneath the walls of the 
 building. To left and right of where we were standing 
 the house stretched into the fog, dark and silent. There
 
 32 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 was something almost sinister in its gloomy aspect, 
 matching well with the black night without. 
 
 Stay; a little to our right I thought that I could see 
 a shaft of light, and it was towards this that the steward 
 directed his steps. It came from a heavily curtained 
 window and lay a mere slit upon the gravel surface of 
 the terrace. At the top the curtains had fallen somewhat 
 apart, disclosing nothing to our view, however, beyond 
 a glimpse of the brightly illumined ceiling of the room. 
 I halted and put my lips to the steward's ear. "What 
 room is that?" I said softly. 
 
 "It is the dining hall," he whispered in reply. "The 
 man you seek is there." 
 
 I noticed that the window was such as I had seen in 
 France. It reached to the ground and opened upon the 
 terrace. I left two troopers therefore to guard it, im 
 pressing them with the necessity of using the utmost vigi 
 lance. They took up their station one on either side, 
 and we continued our way until the steward stopped at 
 length before an arched doorway in the wall. I halted 
 then, and waiting till a lull in the gale, raised my voice 
 and gave the signal I had agreed upon with Cornet Gra 
 ham. The melancholy cry went pealing into the night, 
 and we stood in the darkness, straining our ears for a 
 reply. But no answering cry came back to them, no 
 sound from the silent house, save the patter of the rain 
 upon the ivy-covered wall and the sobbing of the wind 
 in its eaves and gables. 
 
 I waited no longer, therefore, but inserted the key in 
 the lock before me. It was a massive door, nail-studded,
 
 LIGHT THAT SHONE IN THE FOG 33 
 
 and it opened with a sullen creak as we quickly entered, 
 carrying with us a breath of the fog and a shower of 
 raindrops. We closed it quietly behind us, and so thick 
 was its massive timber that the noise of the wind without 
 came to our ears but faintly as from a distance. We 
 stood in a narrow passage, giving place to a square, 
 dimly lit hall, from which five or six doors opened. So 
 far we had seen no one, but from a corridor on the right 
 came the sound of voices with now and again a snatch of 
 song. 
 
 I looked inquiringly at the steward. 
 
 "The servants' quarters," he whispered in return. 
 
 I signed to two or three of the men to take their stand 
 at the head of this passage, and, with the others at my 
 heels, crossed the hall to a door upon the left, from be 
 neath which the light was shining. Then, sword in hand, 
 I softly opened the door and we entered the room.
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 OF THE KING'S ERRAND AND MY LADY*S WELCOME 
 
 THE interior was brilliantly lighted by a number of wax 
 candles set in sconces against the walls, their light 
 reflected by a cunning arrangement of broad mirrors 
 that hung upon the deep oak panelled surface behind 
 them. Between these the light fell upon many a por 
 trait of past earls of Cleeve, interspersed with arms of 
 various countries and the trophies of the chase. Upon 
 our right, three broad stairs, flanked on either side by a 
 richly carved balustrade, led up to a little landing, on 
 which, directly facing the steps, were a pair of folding 
 doors. From this landing the stairway divided, ascend 
 ing left and right to a gallery overhead, that ran along 
 the whole length of that side of the hall. On our left 
 were three or four heavily curtained windows. For the 
 rest, the squares of bright-hued carpet lying on the 
 polished oaken floor, the richness of the furniture and 
 hangings, all bespoke the wealth of the owners, as the 
 cut-glass bowls filled with the summer's flowers, the open 
 spinet upon which some leaves of music were scattered, 
 denoted unmistakably the presence of women and 
 women of refinement and taste. 
 
 All this I took in, as it were, at a glance ere fixing 
 my eyes upon the two persons who occupied the 
 room.
 
 OF THE KING'S ERRAND 35 
 
 At the farther end, before a wide, stone chimney, in 
 which a bright fire of logs was burning, a lady was 
 seated in a high-backed chair, over which a tall man 
 was leaning, conversing with her in low tones. 
 
 Their backs were towards us, and they did not move 
 when I opened the door. Doubtless they thought it 
 was some servant who entered. They were speedily un 
 deceived. 
 
 "M. de Launay," I cried clearly, "I arrest you in the 
 name of his Majesty, William III. !" 
 
 Had a cannon-ball fallen suddenly into the room, it 
 could not have occasioned a greater surprise. 
 
 The lady started to her feet with a low cry of fear, and 
 so stood, gazing at us with startled eyes. As for the 
 gentleman, he turned to face us, his sword half drawn 
 from its sheath. But a second glance must have con 
 vinced him of the futility of resistance, for he let his 
 hand fall to his side again. He was a handsome man 
 in the prime of life, and was dressed in the latest fashion 
 of the French Court. His suit of white flowered satin 
 and gold-embroidered vest became him wonderfully; his 
 peruke was of the largest, his cravat and the ruffles at 
 his wrist of the finest lace ; and there was an air of grace 
 ful elegance about him which birth and breeding alone 
 give. He bore the look of one who had spent his life in 
 the society of great men. 
 
 For a few seconds there was silence in the room, 
 broken only by the howl of the wind without and the 
 lashing of the rain against the window. 
 
 "Who are you ?" he demanded, when at length he found
 
 36 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 his voice. He spoke English well enough, though with 
 a somewhat foreign accent. 
 
 "Permit me to explain," I answered, turning to the 
 lady, though still keeping a watchful eye upon the man 
 before me. I now had leisure to observe her more closely. 
 She was young, not more than twenty years of age, 
 as I judged, and her gown of pink brocade served to 
 display the slimness of her figure. A fair face, sur 
 rounded by its mass of flaxen curls, but one scarcely de 
 serving the high praises that Cornet Graham had sung 
 in my ears upon the road. As the thought of them re 
 curred to me, I could barely repress a smile. I had seen 
 many women more beautiful. "Do I address the Lady 
 Lettice Ingram?" I said, doffing my hat. 
 
 "She is my sister," she replied slowly. Her eyes were 
 still dark with fear. In a moment I was minded of the 
 steward's words. I told myself that this was the Mis 
 tress Grace that he had mentioned. 
 
 "Madam," I made haste to answer, "I beg that you will 
 not be alarmed at this intrusion, which the exigencies of 
 my errand alone warranted. My business is with this 
 gentleman," I continued, indicating the Frenchman, 
 who stood, one white hand laid upon the hilt of his 
 rapier. "M. de Launay, I am charged with your arrest 
 by order of Sir Richard Danvers, governor of the west 
 during his Majesty's absence in Ireland." 
 
 "Pest !" he said coolly. "But if I am not the person 
 you mention. What if you have made a mistake, 
 monsieur?" 
 
 "No mistake, M. le Marquis," I answered firmly, "as
 
 OF THE KING'S ERRAND 37 
 
 I am about to prove to you. Be good enough to carry 
 your memory back some three years, and I think 
 that you cannot have forgotten one Armand de 
 Brissac and a certain duel in the Crown Tavern at 
 Barcelona !" 
 
 For a moment he stared at me, a look of profound 
 astonishment on his face. 
 
 "De Brissac ? The Maitre D'Armes ?" he cried quickly. 
 
 "On that occasion," I continued, "you staked somewhat 
 heavily upon the issue and lost." 
 
 "To poor D'Epernay, who fell at Walcourt. Certainly 
 I remember the circumstances. But you how is it that 
 you ? I do not understand." He looked at me more in 
 tently. "Pardieu!" he burst out, "I know you now ! He 
 was the finest swordsman in the French army, and you 
 killed him in less than five minutes !" 
 
 I bowed low. 
 
 "That being the case, monsieur," I answered, "I think 
 you will admit that I have made no mistake as to your 
 identity." 
 
 "Readily," he replied lightly. "And your name, mon 
 sieur ? It has escaped my memory." 
 
 "Adrian Cassilis," I answered, "at your service! Cap 
 tain in his Majesty's Tangier Horse!" 
 
 "A famous regiment," he said. "I congratulate you ! 
 I have had the pleasure of fighting against them both in 
 France and Flanders." 
 
 Again I bowed. 
 
 "Admitting then, M. Cassilis," he continued, "that I 
 am the man you mention, may I be permitted to ask what
 
 38 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 is your purpose concerning me, and where you would 
 take me?" 
 
 "To Exeter," I answered, "in the first place." 
 
 "And afterwards?" he said quickly. 
 
 "Doubtless my Lord Danvers will himself inform you," 
 I replied. 
 
 "You are discreet, monsieur !" he said, frowning. "At 
 least you will not refuse to inform me with what offence 
 I am charged?" 
 
 "All in good time, M. le Marquis," I answered, shrug 
 ging my shoulders. "Be patient, I beg of you. You 
 have been a soldier yourself. My duty is but to secure 
 your person." 
 
 "But, you have some idea !" he cried impatiently. "Is 
 it not so? Be frank, man!" 
 
 "Possibly," I answered curtly. "With ihe Stuart in 
 Ireland and a French army at Dunkirl;, it needs no 
 long head to discover a reason for depriving so dis 
 tinguished a soldier as M. de Launay of his present 
 liberty." 
 
 "Truly I should be flattered at my celebrity," he an 
 swered lightly. "But if the liberty of every one of my 
 countrymen at present in England is for the same reason 
 to be so curtailed, you will require to enlarge your 
 prisons, monsieur!" 
 
 I was about to reply to this, when 
 
 "What is the meaning of this outrage?" 
 
 The words fell clearly and suddenly upon my ears. 
 
 I turned in the direction from which the voice pro 
 ceeded, and I saw that the folding doors beneath the
 
 OF THE KING'S ERRAND 39 
 
 gallery were wide open, and that a woman stood at the 
 head of the stair. 
 
 She stood at the head of the stairway, in the full light 
 of the candles, and as my eyes rested upon her face, 
 the dangers and hardships of our journey, nay, the very 
 errand upon which we had come, and the presence of the 
 man at my side, all faded away, and I saw nothing but 
 the face of the woman before me, while in my ears rang 
 the words of the cornet : "She is accounted by some to be 
 the loveliest woman in England." And I knew that they 
 had not lied. 
 
 She was clad in a grey velvet riding dress, that revealed 
 every curve of her faultless figure, silhouetted as she was 
 against the semi-darkness of the corridor behind. Upon 
 the clustering golden hair that framed her face was set 
 the daintiest of three-cornered riding hats. But how to 
 describe her beauty I know not. Words are but poor 
 things at best, and how can I, a plain soldier, depict with 
 justice that upon which the painters and poets of Eu 
 rope have lavished the finest efforts of their genius ! This 
 only will I say: That in the proud poise of the lovely 
 head, upon the haughty, glowing face, with its rich 
 colouring heightened by her recent ride, was stamped the 
 pride of birth and conscious beauty. 
 
 Oh, she was beautiful ! A woman for the sake of whom 
 a man might give his life and count it less than naught. 
 'A woman to gain whose love a man might sell his soul! 
 
 "I am waiting, sir!" she cried impatiently, as speech 
 less I stood before her, dazzled by her beauty. Her 
 voice was rich, if a trifle imperious ; her every movement
 
 40 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 instinct with a womanly grace. Descending the steps, 
 she stood facing me not ten paces distant. And I saw her 
 eyes eyes of a dusky, violet hue flash ominously as 
 she took in the details of the scene. Doubtless, splashed 
 with mud as we were from head to heel, our clothes sod 
 den with the wet, our faces streaked with scratches 
 where the brambles had torn us we must have appeared 
 like denizens of the Pit itself. 
 
 Her words recalled me to myself with a start. 
 
 "Madam," I stammered and my voice sounded hoarse 
 even to my own ears "I crave your pardon for so in 
 truding, but That window is guarded, M. de Launay !" 
 I broke off sharply. 
 
 He gave in at that. 
 
 "Pest!" he said with a shrug. "You think of every 
 thing, monsieur ! I call you to witness, however, that I 
 had given you no parole. Have you come out against 
 me with an army?" 
 
 "I am too old a campaigner, monsieur," I replied 
 curtly, "to leave aught to chance." 
 
 "Address yourself to me, sir!" my lady cried im 
 periously, "and in as few words as possible." 
 
 I turned to where she stood, one gauntletted hand 
 daintily upholding her trailing skirt. In the other she 
 carried a short riding whip. 
 
 "To be brief then, madam," I answered, "I am charged 
 with an order for the arrest of M. de Launay." 
 
 "M. de Launay is my guest," she replied haughtily, 
 "and were he King Louis himself I would not give him 
 up!"
 
 "Descending the steps, she stood facing me not ten paces 
 
 distant"
 
 OF THE KING'S ERRAND 41 
 
 Doubtless the smallness of our numbers encouraged her 
 in the thought that her servants might offer us effectual 
 resistance. If so, she was speedily undeceived. Even as 
 she spoke there came the sound of many footsteps in the 
 hall without, accompanied by the clank of steel, and 
 Cornet Graham and his troop entered the room. 
 
 "It appears to me, madam," I said calmly, "that you 
 have no option in the matter." 
 
 She looked at me for a moment as if she could not 
 believe her ears as if I were less than the dirt beneath 
 her feet. So long had she been accustomed to have her 
 slightest wish obeyed, that now to have her will disputed 
 was an experience as novel as it was humiliating. 
 
 "You would use force, sir?" she cried incredulously. 
 
 "As to that, madam," I replied, "my answer is written 
 behind me !" and I glanced significantly at the troopers. 
 
 "It is plainly written," she replied quickly, with a 
 woman's ready wit. "Times are indeed changed," she 
 continued bitterly, "when we of the house of Ingram 
 must submit to the bidding of the first beggar who carries 
 a sword at his side ! But it seems that we must obey the 
 ruling powers, with whom even our own servants are in 
 league !" 
 
 At this I could readily believe there was no enviable time 
 ahead of the steward and he must have thought so, too, 
 for with a sudden effort he shook off the slackened grasp 
 of the troopers on either side and stepped quickly for 
 ward. 
 
 "My lady," he cried, "what could I do? They would 
 have hanged me!" and he pointed to his neck, round
 
 42 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 which was a purple ring where the cord had cut into the 
 flesh, plain to be seen by the dullest eyes, and the mean 
 ing of which could not be mistaken. 
 
 For a moment my lady gazed ; then she drew herself to 
 her full height and faced us, one hand pressed against 
 her bosom, as if to restrain the passion that caused her 
 figure to tremble and flashed from the depths of her 
 wondrous eyes. 
 
 "And was this, sir," she cried, "this in your orders 
 that you should not only break into my house, but 
 should also vent your savage cruelty upon my inoffensive 
 servants ?" 
 
 Again I stood speechless before her, for anger served 
 only to increase her loveliness. 
 
 "Inoffensive? A damned rebel!" growled the sergeant. 
 
 I silenced him with a look and turned once more to the 
 woman before me. 
 
 "Pooh! madam," I said coolly, for her words nettled 
 me, "the man is not seriously hurt, and my duty must be 
 my excuse." 
 
 "Your duty !" she cried with intense scorn. "You had 
 not dared this outrage had my brother, the earl, been 
 present !" 
 
 "But he is not, madam," I answered with a faint sneer. 
 "I believe I am correct in saying that he is not even in 
 England!" 
 
 "He is where every true and loyal gentleman should 
 be," she cried boldly "in Ireland, fighting for his 
 rightful sovereign, King James !" 
 
 I heard a low gasp escape the troopers behind me.
 
 OF THE KING'S ERRAND 43 
 
 It might have been astonishment or of admiration at her 
 boldness. 
 
 "You are frank, madam," I replied, "and permit me to 
 say it somewhat indiscreet. But again I beg you to be 
 lieve that the duty which thus forces me into your pres 
 ence was as unsought by me as it is distasteful." 
 
 "I do not believe you," she said proudly. "And you 
 may spare me your apologies, sir! There is never 
 wanting an instrument base enough to execute any deed 
 of injustice!" 
 
 Her words stung me. 
 
 "Very well, madam," I replied ; "then there is nothing 
 further to be said. M. de Launay," I continued, "I must 
 trouble you for your sword. I regret that my leniency 
 will not so far permit me to allow you to retain it, but 
 give me your parole that you will attempt no escape 
 upon the road and you shall ride with all freedom. 
 Also," I added, "I should recommend you to bring your 
 cloak, monsieur. The weather is inclement." 
 
 "But pardon, M. Cassilis," he broke out, as a sudden 
 gust of wind shook the casements and sent the raindrops 
 rattling on the glass, "you do not mean to ride to Exeter 
 on such a night as this !" 
 
 "By no means," I answered. "But there is a good inn 
 here, I am told. We shall be there to-night, monsieur, 
 and start at daybreak." 
 
 "In that case," my lady cried, "he shall stay here to 
 night." 
 
 "That is as I choose, madam," I answered coldly, "and 
 I do not choose."
 
 44 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 I could see that to be checked, thwarted, made to feel 
 of no account, here in the place where by virtue of her 
 birth and beauty she had held undisputed sway, was 
 galling to her pride beyond endurance. I could see it, 
 I say, and I rejoiced in the knowledge. 
 
 "Your parole, monsieur !" I said once more, turning to 
 the marquis. 
 
 "Since I have no choice in the matter," he answered 
 testily, "you have it. On the honour of a De Launay !" 
 he added proudly. 
 
 I bowed. 
 
 "That is sufficient, monsieur," I replied. "But pardon 
 me," I continued lightly ; "you say that you have no 
 choice in the matter. On the contrary, there is another 
 alternative. I am offering you the treatment of a gentle 
 man ; if you prefer it, however, you may go bound to a 
 horse like any common felon." 
 
 He looked at me very sourly, but he did not speak. In 
 stead, he unbuckled his sword and threw it with an ill 
 grace upon the floor, and at a sign from me, a trooper 
 stepped forward and picked it up. I glanced at my 
 lady with, I doubt not, some of the triumph I felt show 
 ing in my eyes. I was so completely the master of the 
 situation. 
 
 "Believe me, monsieur," I said, "I take but the pre 
 caution that my warrant enjoins. You may read it for 
 yourself if you so desire." 
 
 "It is of no consequence," he answered with a wave 
 of the hand. 
 
 "But it is of consequence to me, monsieur!" my lady
 
 OF THE KING'S ERRAND 45 
 
 cried wrathfully. "I am the mistress of this house and 
 the guardian of all pertaining to its honour. Show me 
 this warrant, if indeed you have one !" she added, turn 
 ing suddenly upon me. 
 
 I sheathed my sword, and with flushed face and trem 
 bling fingers I drew the paper from my breast and held 
 it out to her. But she stepped backwards with such a 
 look of proud disdain upon her lovely face that my 
 hand dropped involuntarily to my side. For a moment 
 she stood thus, searching my eyes and enjoying, per 
 haps, my confusion, for I saw that she would not take it 
 from my hand; then she motioned to the steward who 
 stood near. 
 
 "Give it to me!" she said proudly. 
 
 He took the paper from my hand and she opened it 
 and glanced quickly at its contents. 
 
 On a sudden she broke into a bitter laugh. 
 
 " 'By my authority,' " she said, reading. She looked 
 up, her eyes aflame. "We are indeed fallen low when we 
 must obey the authority of such men as my Lord 
 Danvers! of Sir Richard Danvers, drunkard and 
 libertine ! That is how I treat his authority !" She tore 
 the paper across and across and flung the pieces at her , 
 feet. "And now begone, sir!" she continued, pointing 
 imperiously to the door. "Begone! you and your red- 
 coated rabble !" 
 
 For a moment I was too astounded to speak, but I 
 heard a low murmur from the men behind me, and the 
 sound recalled me to myself. 
 
 "Certainly I will be going, madam," I replied. "I
 
 46 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 could no longer stay in a house where so little respect 
 is paid to the king's authority. And I am not at all 
 sure," I continued slowly, "that I should be exceeding 
 my duty if I were to arrest you also !" 
 
 "Arrest me?" 
 
 The words sprang from her lips in a tone of blank 
 amazement, then she drew her queenly figure erect and 
 gazed at me with such a tempest of wrath and scorn 
 in her eyes as no words of mine can picture, and I saw 
 her breast heave with the passion she strove in vain to 
 control. I could well believe that never previously in all 
 her lif e had she been so addressed. 
 
 "Certainly!" I answered harshly. "You seem to 
 forget, madam," I continued, pointing to the fragments 
 of paper that lay between us, "that you have committed 
 nothing short of treason in so destroying the king's 
 warrant. But I have no time to waste further words 
 upon you !" I added rudely ; for I saw how I could hurt 
 her pride. 
 
 "The king's authority 1" she cried passionately. "The 
 authority that sends such men as you to insult women ! 
 I would to God my servants had been present, for they 
 should have flogged you, sir flogged you from the 
 village, and the ragged hirelings with you !" 
 
 I stood hand on hip not three paces from her, and I 
 fixed my eyes insolently upon her lovely face. 
 
 "I do not doubt their willingness under your tuition, 
 madam," I answered coolly, "but only their ability to 
 do so ; for," I continued slowly, as a coarse laugh broke 
 from the men behind me, "if they are no better when it
 
 OF THE KING'S ERRAND 47 
 
 comes to blows than King James, whom they serve, of 
 whose courage we have lately had an example beneath the 
 walls of Derry, there would be more about them of 
 flight than fight !" 
 
 For a moment she gazed at me with panting breath 
 and quivering nostrils ; then moved by my words beyond 
 restraint : 
 
 "You liar !" she cried, and throwing into the words all 
 her concentrated anger, before I could guess her purpose 
 she raised the riding whip in her hand and struck me 
 heavily across the face. 
 
 To this day I take it to my credit that no oath escaped 
 my lips. A thin trickle of blood ran down my cheek. 
 But ere she could repeat the blow I caught her wrist 
 and so stood facing her while one might count a score. 
 
 What she read in my own eyes I know not, but in the 
 depths of hers I read impotent passion, scorn, and hate, 
 but not a trace of fear. 
 
 I loosened her wrist even in my pain its soft touch 
 thrilled me and I stepped backwards, wiping the warm 
 blood from my face. 
 
 "Madam," I said very quietly, "one day I will repay 
 you for that blow with tenfold interest !" 
 
 "Threats !" she answered scornfully, "and to a woman I" 
 
 I turned away. 
 
 "Monsieur," I said to the marquis, who had stood a 
 silent spectator of the scene, and still speaking in the 
 same level tones, "if you are ready to accompany us, 
 we will set out." 
 
 "I am at your service," he answered, taking a cloak
 
 48 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 from a chair in one corner of the room and wrapping 
 himself in its folds. Then he advanced to the ladies 
 to make his adieux. 
 
 "Farewell, madam," he said, bowing with courtly 
 grace to my lady, and raising her hand to his lips. 
 
 "M. de Launay," she replied, "I can find no words to 
 apologise for the insult offered you in this house." 
 
 "Madame," the marquis answered gallantly, "I beg 
 that you will banish the episode from your memory." 
 
 "That is impossible," she said quickly. "That guest 
 of ours should be so served, and to be powerless to prevent 
 it! But say, rather, au revoir, monsieur," she con 
 tinued, with kindling eyes, "for I, too, shall ride to 
 Exeter to-morrow, and will myself interview Sir Richard 
 Danvers on your behalf ! We shall see whether the name 
 of Ingram does not still possess weight sufficient to annul 
 this outrage and to punish the perpetrators !" And she 
 shot a scornful glance in my direction. 
 
 "Very good, madam," I answered, "only in that case 
 I shall ride with you. I have no desire," I continued 
 with a sneer, "that my Lord Danvers should hear any 
 thing but the truth." 
 
 "Then I pray you keep behind me, sir!" she replied 
 haughtily. "I would not have you taken for lackey of 
 mine !" 
 
 I made no reply to this. What reply could I make? 
 Instead, I gave a sharp order and the troopers fell into 
 place, the marquis in their midst. They filed through 
 the open doorway with the clank of steel, and the tramp 
 of their footsteps died away down the hall. I waited
 
 OF THE KING'S ERRAND 49 
 
 until the last one had left the room and then prepared to 
 follow. 
 
 Once as I crossed the threshold I looked back, and the 
 light fell upon the tall figure of my lady, her sister at 
 her side, then the door closed upon the room and its in 
 mates, and passing quickly through the hall, in which a 
 little crowd of scared servants had gathered, I went 
 out into the night. Outside, at the foot of the steps lead 
 ing to the main entrance, I found the troopers waiting, 
 the light from the open doorway shining upon their 
 horses, my own amongst the number. 
 
 I bade one of the men give up his mount to the mar 
 quis, and collecting the men I had stationed upon the 
 terrace, I climbed into the saddle, and so for the first 
 time I left Cleeve. 
 
 The fog had collected somewhat, though it was still 
 very dark, and the brightly lighted room from which 
 we had come rendered the blackness that surrounded us 
 more opaque. 
 
 For myself I was content to resign the lead to Cornet 
 Graham and to follow behind the others with only my 
 thoughts for company. And if ever there was all hell in 
 a man's heart, it was in mine that night. 
 
 For now that I was alone, now that I had no longer to 
 keep up appearances, I gave way to the passion I had 
 so far restrained. That I I of all men, should be 
 struck by a woman! And in public! As the thought 
 of the men in front who had been witnesses of my dis 
 grace recurred to me, I ground my teeth with anger 
 and cursed this woman who had brought me to shame.
 
 50 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 But bitterly, bitterly should she repent the blow ! Oh, 
 to hurt her! to humble her pride! to see her at my 
 feet begging for mercy and to refuse it ! I gloated 
 over the thought, and I swore in my heart that I would 
 not spare her in the hour of my triumph one throb of 
 the pain I was now enduring. She should drink the cup 
 of my revenge to the bitterest dregs ; and so taken up 
 was I with these thoughts that it was not until I saw 
 the lights in the windows of the houses on either 
 side of me that I realised that we had reached the 
 village. 
 
 I spurred forward then and overtook the troop in front. 
 From the length of the street and the size of the houses 
 I saw that the place was larger than I had been given 
 to understand. Here and there, at the trampling of our 
 horses' feet, windows were opened, and dark figures ap 
 peared in the doorways, or ran out, heedless of the fall 
 ing rain, into the street. But the sight of the troopers' 
 swarthy faces and of the hated uniform they wore drove 
 them swiftly indoors again. For though it was June 
 of the year 1690, and Dutch William had now been two 
 years upon the throne, yet so great was the terror which 
 the "Tangier devils" had inspired throughout the West, 
 both in friend and foe alike, at the time of Monmouth's 
 ill-fated rebellion, that Catholics though the villagers 
 were, they knew by past experience thai these very troop 
 ers who had fought for James at Sedgemoor and else 
 where were now equally ready to plunder them as Papists 
 and Jacobites in the name of William ; and behind their 
 barred doors there was many a one, I wot, that night
 
 OF THE KING'S ERRAND 61 
 
 who trembled for the loss of such goods as he possessed 
 and for the safety of his women folk. 
 
 At the end of the street the cornet turned sharply to 
 the right and entered a square courtyard, at the oppo 
 site side of which stood an old-fashioned inn. 
 
 A blaze of light came from its windows, through one 
 of which could be distinguished the dark figures of the 
 troopers of De Brito's party. We drew rein before the 
 door, and almost ere we could dismount the landlord 
 stood upon the steps. 
 
 "Welcome, gentlemen," he said, bowing. "What is 
 your pleasure?" 
 
 He was a round-faced, portly man, with an air some 
 what above that of the keeper of a country inn. There 
 was a nameless something about him that told me he 
 had at one time been a soldier. 
 
 "You can find room for us to-night, I suppose?" I 
 answered. 
 
 "Well," he replied slowly, "my rooms are small, but 
 if a couple of lofts " 
 
 "That will do for us," the sergeant said gruffly. "Better 
 a board than six feet of earth on such a night." 
 
 "Aye, and good liquor in plenty to soften it," cried 
 a trooper, and the men laughed. 
 
 "You shall find no complaint with that, I promise you," 
 said the landlord. "There are wines to suit all tastes, 
 and as for my cider, 'tis second to none in all Devon 
 shire." 
 
 "To the devil with your cider !" said a trooper roughly. 
 "Give us brandy, hot, and of the best, if you would
 
 52 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 keep this hen coop from being burned round your 
 ears !" 
 
 "And a pretty wench to serve it !" cried another. 
 
 "As you please, gentlemen ! As you please !" the land 
 lord hastened to say. "None should know better than 
 I how to treat you. I have cognac here the best out 
 of France. But come inside, gentlemen, and my men 
 shall look to your horses." He turned and led the way 
 indoors. 
 
 In a square, stone-paved room on the right of the pas 
 sage we found De Brito's troopers, a plentiful supply 
 of ale upon the low tables before them, who greeted their 
 comrades with boisterous shouts of welcome. 
 
 "Would it not be advisable, monsieur, to seek another 
 apartment?" said M. de Launay. "Your men are gal 
 lant fellows, but save on the field of battle, I prefer 
 them at a distance." 
 
 "By all means," I answered. "You have another 
 room?" I said, turning to the landlord. 
 
 "This way," he replied, leading me, closely followed 
 by Cornet Graham and the marquis, down a narrow, low- 
 ceilinged passage. 
 
 "You have seen service yourself?" I said sharply. 
 
 "Aye, years ago," he replied briefly. "I fought for 
 the Swede." 
 
 He stopped before a door upon the left, and with 
 many apologies for his lack of space, ushered us into 
 what proved to be the kitchen of the inn. It was a large 
 room well stocked with articles pertaining to its char 
 acter. Here a row of brightly polished pans, there a
 
 OF THE KING'S ERRAND 5S 
 
 score of reeves of onions, while from a hook in one corner 
 hung a well-cured ham. 
 
 Before a great fire of logs De Brito was sitting, a 
 leather flask and tankard upon a table at his side, to the 
 former of which I saw he had been paying liberal atten 
 tion. He looked up as we entered. 
 
 "So you've come at last," he said thickly. "Landlord, 
 bring glasses for these gentlemen, and more brandy. 
 What the devil!" he broke off suddenly, catching sight 
 of my face. "Did the dove turn out to be a hawk, after 
 all ? Well, she has not marred your beauty !" and he 
 laughed insolently. 
 
 But I could brook no more. 
 
 All the passion that was smouldering in my heart flashed 
 into sudden flame. 
 
 "Curse you !" I cried, and I caught the tankard from 
 the table and flung the contents in his face ; then, draw 
 ing my sword, I placed myself on guard. 
 
 He dashed the liquor from his eyes (it had been half 
 full of the raw spirit) and sprang to his feet with a 
 furious oath. 
 
 But he had reckoned without his cost. Even as he 
 snatched his blade from the table where he had laid it 
 the fumes of the brandy that he had been drinking 
 heavily mounted to his brain. He staggered forward, 
 his knees gave way under him, and he fell to the floor, 
 where he lay, unable to rise. 
 
 I sheathed my sword, and turning on my heel, left the 
 room. In the passage I encountered the landlord return 
 ing, a tray of glasses in his hand. He readily agreed
 
 54 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 to my request to be shown some chamber where I could 
 sleep, and lighting a candle, he led me up a narrow flight 
 of stairs and stopped before a door upon the landing. 
 
 "It is small," he said doubtfully, entering the room, 
 "and there is but room for one." 
 
 "So much the better," I answered, for I wished to 
 be alone with my thoughts. I took the candle from his 
 hand, therefore, and with a few directions as to the dis 
 posal of M. de Launay and upon other matters, I bade 
 him "good-night." 
 
 I stood for a moment at the open door. From the 
 troopers below came a confused babel of oaths and 
 laughter, mingled with the clatter of cups. Then, clos 
 ing the door and shooting the bolt behind me, I pulled 
 off my coat and heavy riding boots and threw myself, 
 dressed as I was, upon the couch. And there for hours 
 I lay, planning my great revenge, whilst ever before my 
 eyes was my lady's proud face as I had last seen it, alight 
 with scorn. It was far into the night and the noises 
 from the rooms below had long since died away when I 
 finally dropped into the sleep of utter exhaustion.
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 or MY LADY'S MISSION TO EXETEB 
 
 THE first streaks of dawn were lightening the cham 
 ber when I awoke to a consciousness of my surroundings. 
 I sprang from my couch with faculties alert, for I am, 
 as a rule, but a light sleeper. It is a legacy that, with 
 others, has been bequeathed to me by many a campaign 
 in foreign lands, when often a man's life might hang 
 upon the sharpness of his wits and his power of decision 
 at a moment's notice under any circumstances. 
 
 I crossed the room to the window and looked out 
 through its tiny latticed panes. 
 
 Mist, mist everywhere, and so thick that I could 
 barely distinguish the courtyard of the inn below. 
 
 Ere donning my coat and boots I made shift to cleanse 
 them in so far as possible from the mud stains of the 
 previous day and to make such poor means of a toilet 
 as the room afforded. It was in doing this that I acci 
 dentally caught sight of myself in a little square of 
 cracked glass that hung upon the wall beside the window. 
 
 Across my brow ran a purple weal, terminating in a 
 great bruise of black and yellow, where my lady's whip 
 had fallen, and at sight of the discoloured flesh my 
 rage against her broke out anew. . 
 
 I buckled on my sword with a grim smile. She had yet 
 to learn whether she could beat me like a hound with
 
 56 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 impunity. Downstairs in the hall I found the landlord 
 already up, who greeted me with a cheery "good- 
 morning." 
 
 I questioned him closely as to the road, and found, as 
 I expected, that the one running down the valley was the 
 direct road to Exeter, which lay to the north, some thirty 
 miles distant. 
 
 On my inquiring further for Cornet Graham, he led me 
 once more to the kitchen. Upon one side of the open fire 
 place I found the cornet asleep in an old-fashioned, 
 leather-covered chair. On a table near, a pack of greasy 
 cards and a couple of empty wine flasks betokened the 
 means that he and the marquis had taken to while away 
 some portion of the night, and testified to the good 
 fellowship existing between them. It was not without 
 difficulty that I awoke the cornet sufficiently to under 
 stand my orders. For the fatigues of the previous day, 
 combined with the effects of the potations he had freely 
 imbibed, still lay heavily upon his brain. 
 
 He sat up at last, his eyes dull and heavy with sleep. I 
 explained briefly to him my intentions, and bade him fol 
 low with as little loss of time as possible, and I then drew 
 a chair to the table and sat down to a light meal that 
 the landlord speedily laid out for me. 
 
 My hunger satisfied, I rose from my seat and bade 
 him show me where my horse was stalled. 
 
 He hesitated for a moment. 
 
 "But my bill !" he said slowly. 
 
 "As to that," I answered, "we ride upon the king's 
 service, so you would do well to present it to my Lord
 
 OF MY LADY'S MISSION 57 
 
 Danvers, at Exeter. You do not think that I shall pay 
 it, man!" I cried sharply, as he still hesitated. And I 
 smiled to myself at the thought of the few broad pieces 
 remaining in my pocket. 
 
 "For that matter," I continued significantly, "be con 
 tent that you possess a whole skin to-day. It is more 
 than others of your trade have lived to boast of. And 
 now, my horse !" 
 
 He muttered something under his breath, and turning 
 on his heel, led the way down the passage. As we passed 
 the main room of the inn I glanced through the open 
 door. 
 
 The tables were overturned and I saw the bodies of 
 three, at least, of the troopers still lying upon the floor, 
 amid a litter of broken glass, in a drunken slumber. The 
 room and passage reeked vilely with tobacco, so that it 
 was a relief to step out into the courtyard and breathe 
 the cool morning air. 
 
 The landlord crossed the yard, and at his call a sleepy 
 hostler came yawning from one of the stables. It was 
 but the work of a minute to slip the saddle upon the back 
 of my horse, and then I mounted, and with a final wave 
 of the hand rode out of the inn. 
 
 Once the village was behind me, I broke into a canter, 
 and the cool morning breeze, redolent of the sea, sang 
 past my ears. The birds were waking in the hedgerows, 
 filling the summer morning with their harmony ; a little 
 stream by the wayside rippled merrily amongst the 
 pebbles, and every leaf and flower, sparkling with the 
 night's rain, reared their heads joyously to greet the first
 
 58 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 rays of the sun as they struggled through the mist, which 
 had so far dispelled that I could plainly distinguish ob 
 jects fifty feet distant. 
 
 There was a peacefulness brooding upon the country, 
 a restful repose in the quiet air, to which, fresh from the 
 narrow streets and reeking kennels of London, I had long 
 been a stranger. I became absorbed in the contempla 
 tion of the unwonted sights around me, until a sudden 
 throb of pain across my brow recalled me to myself and 
 I fell to taking council of the anger in my heart. 
 
 I had ridden thus for some half mile, the roadway 
 slightly ascending, before I came on my right to the 
 gates leading to Cleeve Manor. They were wide open 
 and were supported on either side by massive pillars, 
 surmounted by a pair of couchant lions carved in stone, 
 and beneath these the arms of the Ingram family. 
 
 Within the gates a broad avenue, flanked on either side 
 by majestic oaks and beeches, stretched away into the 
 mist. 
 
 I drew rein at the entrance, and there I was fain to wait, 
 for I did not consider it likely that my lady had yet set 
 out, and I had determined that I would not again 
 approach the house in my present state, to become a mark 
 for the prying eyes of every serving wench. 
 
 It may have been the half of an hour that I waited thus, 
 when the sound of hoofs ringing on the gravel surface of 
 the avenue broke on my ear, and a minute later the horses 
 and their riders came into sight. There were four in 
 all of the latter. 
 
 In front, mounted upon the chestnut mare I had last
 
 OF MY LADY'S MISSION 59 
 
 seen in the stable, rode my lady. She was dressed in the 
 same grey-velvet costume she had worn the night previous 
 and her face was partially concealed by a riding mask 
 of black silk. At her side rode the steward, a loose 
 scarf around his neck. But my eyes were fixed upon the 
 third member of the party, and there remained. He 
 was, I think, the biggest man that I have ever seen. 
 Mounted though he was, the massiveness of his head and 
 build and the breadth of his shoulders all bespoke a man 
 far above the ordinary proportions. Seen through the 
 veil of mist, horse and man appeared gigantic. As for 
 the other member of the party riding by his side, he was 
 little more than a youth, and might have been a groom or 
 under stable hand. 
 
 I reined my horse to one side of the gateway, at the 
 same time pressing my hat upon my brow, for I was not 
 desirous that my lady should see her handiwork. Yet even 
 then, so great is the force of habit, that when she had 
 arrived opposite me my hand went instinctively to the 
 brim, but recollecting myself in time, I bowed low in my 
 saddle instead. 
 
 But she did not look at me. 
 
 With head erect, she passed me by, her servants at her 
 heels, and set off down the road at a brisk canter. 
 
 I fell into place about a dozen yards behind, and I now 
 had leisure to scan them more closely. 
 
 I saw that the three men were fully armed, not only with 
 a brace of pistols in their holsters, but also that each 
 one carried a serviceable looking rapier at his side. 
 
 I noticed, too, that my lady sat her steed with the
 
 60 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 grace and ease of a born horsewoman. From time to time 
 she conversed shortly with the steward at her side, but 
 she never turned her head, and I suppose that she had 
 given her orders to the men behind her, for the whole 
 party rode without taking any notice as to whether I 
 followed or not. We had ridden thus for a distance of 
 some five miles, when my lady turned sharply to the left 
 along a narrow track running between the torrs. For a 
 moment I drew rein at the entrance, and I confess I hesi 
 tated. The way was but wide enough to admit of riding 
 in single file, and I would have wished to have had 
 Cornet Graham and the troopers at my heels. But in a 
 moment I pulled myself together. After all, what had I 
 to fear, or what benefit would it be to M. de Launay 
 should they see fit to attack me ? Tush ! that I, the best 
 sword in the low countries, should be afraid of three 
 assailants, even though one proved to be a giant. 
 
 I loosened my sword in its sheath, saw that my pistols 
 were to my hand, and spurred after the party in front. 
 They should not find me unprepared if it came to blows. 
 
 On either side of the track rose the bare hillside, shut 
 ting out the view of what lay beyond. A more desolate 
 path, extending as it did for more than a mile, could 
 hardly be imagined. But my lady held on her way with 
 out faltering, and presently the track came out upon the 
 road again, and I saw that we had but taken a short cut, 
 and so saved ourselves several miles. 
 
 Of the rest of our journey to Exeter one incident only 
 stands out in my memory. It was at noon, and the mist 
 had long since vanished from the face of the country,
 
 OF MY LADY'S MISSION 61 
 
 giving place to a sky of cloudless blue and the shimmer 
 ing heat of the midday sun. We had reached a little 
 village, the name of which I have long since forgotten, 
 and halted at the quaint, old-fashioned inn, above the 
 doorway of which ran an inscription informing the world 
 that it was built by one Robert Havell in the year 1542, 
 "Who mayde a journie to London." Doubtless no mean 
 undertaking in those days. 
 
 And here my lady dismounted and entered the one 
 parlour the inn could boast of. But as for me, I was 
 content to seat myself upon a bench against the wall 
 without, where I could keep an eye upon her servants, 
 for I thought it not unlikely that they might tamper 
 with my horse, to which a youth was now attending. If 
 they had any such intention in their minds, however, my 
 resolute attitude and the sight of the pistols I had placed 
 ostentatiously at my side must have deterred them from 
 making the attempt, for they seated themselves at some 
 little distance and fell to upon the food which the land 
 lord presently placed before us, occasionally varying this 
 performance by staring at me, the steward with menac 
 ing hate, and the big man with a lowering gaze that 
 showed me how willingly they would have attempted to 
 have rid themselves of me but for my lady's presence. 
 
 It was to the latter of the two men that the landlord 
 paid most attention, waiting upon him with a deference 
 that his station seemed scarcely to warrant. Accord 
 ingly, when I had finished, I rose from my seat, and 
 beckoning the landlord on one side, demanded who the 
 man was.
 
 62 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 He looked at me in undisguised astonishment. 
 
 "What ?" he cried. "You do not know him ? I thought 
 that every one knew Sampson Dare !" 
 
 I knew the man then. It was a name to conjure with 
 throughout all Devon. For this was the champion 
 wrestler of the West, whose fame had reached even as far 
 as London itself, where he had twice appeared to show 
 his skill before the late king, and accounted generally to 
 be the strongest man in England. I knew, also, that 
 should ever I come to close quarters with such a man my 
 strength would be of as little more value to me than that 
 of a child. 
 
 Presently my lady came forth again, and the horses 
 were led round to the door, and here it was that the 
 incident I have mentioned occurred. 
 
 In mounting my steed I had the misfortune to loosen 
 my hat, which fell off and rolled at the others' feet. 
 
 "My hat, fellow," I cried sharply to the youth 
 whom I had taken to be a groom, and who was nearest 
 to it. 
 
 He looked at me for a moment, but he did not offer to 
 stoop. 
 
 "I am not your man," he answered insolently. "Pick 
 it up for yourself. You will need it to shield your, 
 face," he added with a grin. 
 
 I flung a curse at him, but there was no other help for 
 it but to do as he said, for the landlord had gone indoors. 
 I was compelled to dismount, therefore, and it needed but 
 the light contemptuous laugh that came from my lady's 
 lips to inflame afresh my anger against her, which grew
 
 OF MY LADY'S MISSION 6S 
 
 steadily with every hour that we rode beneath the burn 
 ing summer sun. 
 
 We crossed the Teign above Newton Abbott, and con 
 tinued our way by means of the old Roman Road up the 
 beautiful valley of the Exe. The sun was low down in the 
 west and the shadows were lengthening on the grass 
 when the massive towers of the cathedral at Exeter came 
 into sight, and beneath them the smoke cloud that hung 
 above the city in the still evening air. We crossed the 
 bridge over the river and entered the gates, and at the 
 commencement of the High Street I left the others to 
 ride forward, and turning my horse into a side thorough 
 fare, made my way along the less crowded streets to a 
 large house standing in a quiet square not far distant 
 from the cathedral, for I knew that it was here, if any 
 where, that I should find my Lord Danvers. The house 
 itself was inhabited by one Mistress Maddon, who had at 
 one time been upon the stage, but who, having married 
 from thence a wealthy merchant of the city of London, 
 had in the course of a few years reduced him to the 
 verge of ruin by her extravagance. Upon this she had 
 fled incontinently with Sir Richard Danvers, and had 
 come to Exeter two years previously, where she flaunted 
 it before the town, to the no small scandal of the city 
 dignitaries and their ladies. Nay, the scandal was notor 
 ious throughout the West. 
 
 I dismounted before the house, and flinging my reins to 
 a beggar loitering near, ascended the steps. 
 
 The door was opened by a gorgeously dressed lackey 
 in a livery of scarlet.
 
 64. MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 "Sir Richard Danvers is here?" I said sharply. 
 
 He stared superciliously at my travel-stained appear 
 ance. 
 
 "My lord is indeed present," he replied loftily, "but 
 his hours for transacting business are over for the day." 
 And he made as though to shut the door in my face. 
 
 But I was too quick for him. With a thrust of my 
 foot I sent it open again and stepped quickly past him 
 into the hall. 
 
 "Not so fast," I said coolly. "My business is too 
 urgent to admit of further delay, and you can so tell 
 your master." 
 
 He looked at me for a moment with an air of outraged 
 dignity. 
 
 "Impossible that you can be admitted," he said stiffly. 
 "His lordship is dining." 
 
 "Nevertheless, I must see him," I answered grimly. 
 "And I am on the king's service, my friend. It occurs 
 to me, therefore, that you will do well to announce me 
 without further waste of time if you would save yourself 
 present trouble." 
 
 I suppose that there was a look in my eyes that showed 
 him I was not a man to be trifled with, for without more 
 ado he noiselessly crossed the hall and ushered me into 
 a richly furnished room, where he left me to my own 
 devices. 
 
 I have said that the apartment was richly furnished, 
 but a second scrutiny convinced me of the error of my 
 first impression. The light of the setting sun flaming 
 through the windows fell upon the heavy gilt furniture
 
 OF MY LADY'S MISSION 65 
 
 and mirrors, the Oriental carpets and hangings, serving 
 but to increase their appearance of general gaudiness. 
 There was that, indeed, about the whole which bespoke 
 a certain amount of wealth, but of wealth coupled with 
 ill taste. I contrasted the room with that other one at 
 Cleeve which I had so lately left, and it was to the latter's 
 distinct advantage. For the rest, opposite me was a door, 
 half concealed by a thick curtain, and near the hearth 
 stood a small table littered with papers, and upon which 
 lay a man's hat and riding gloves. It may have been 
 ten minutes that I waited thus impatiently, keeping an 
 eye upon the street without, ere the door behind me 
 opened and a woman entered the room. 
 
 It needed but a glance to assure me that this was the 
 Mistress Maddon, and she was well in keeping, both in 
 dress and appearance, with her surroundings. 
 
 Doubtless she had at one time been handsome in a bold, 
 masculine way, but she was now past her prime, and 
 the resources of art could not conceal the ravages of 
 time. Nay, if anything, they tended rather to increse 
 them. On a sudden a vision of my lady rose before my 
 eyes, and I gazed on the smirking, beruddled face of the 
 woman before me with a sense of deepening disgust. 
 
 She was the first to break the silence. 
 
 "You wish to see Sir Richard Danvers?" she said, ad 
 vancing. 
 
 "Such is my desire, madam," I answered, bowing. 
 
 "And one which I fear cannot be gratified," she replied, 
 "for 'tis his Lordship's invariable custom to sleep after 
 dining."
 
 66 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 In spite of her smooth words, I was not satisfied, for 
 my eyes, travelling past her, happened to rest upon the 
 curtain which covered the other doorway, and I saw it 
 move. 
 
 Decidedly, the door behind it had been opened. Accord 
 ingly I raised my voice. 
 
 "Then I pray you to awake him, madam," I answered, 
 "for the business I have to discharge is urgent." 
 
 "What is your business?" she said sharply. 
 
 "Madam," I answered coolly, "I regret that it is for 
 his ears alone." 
 
 She bit her lip with vexation. 
 
 "Or, to be plain, sir," she replied, "you will not tell 
 me?" and she tapped her foot impatiently upon the 
 floor. 
 
 "If you so put it, madam," I said bluntly. 
 
 She looked at me with a gathering frown. "You need 
 not fear to trust me, sir," she answered quickly. "My 
 lord has no secrets that I do not share." 
 
 "But I am not his lordship," I retorted with a faint 
 sneer. "Therefore I pray you to hold me excused, 
 especially as it is connected with affairs of state." 
 
 "Oh, 'tis upon a matter of state you come?" she cried 
 in a surprised tone. 
 
 "If a document signed by the Privy Council itself can 
 be rightly so termed, madam," I answered dryly. 
 
 "Then you are not Colonel Overton?" she said hastily. 
 
 I looked at her in unfeigned astonishment. I suppose 
 she saw the answer written on my face. 
 
 "Ah, I see that you are not," she added.
 
 OF MY LADY'S MISSION 67 
 
 "I am certainly not Colonel Overton," I replied, at a 
 loss for her meaning. 
 
 "Nor come on his behalf?" she persisted. 
 
 "So little, madam," I answered, "that I do not even 
 know the name of the gentleman you mention." 
 
 To my surprise she gave a short laugh. 
 
 "Had you given us your name and the nature of your 
 business at first, sir, you might have saved yourself 
 this delay," she said abruptly. Then raising her 
 voice : 
 
 "You can come in, my lord," she cried. "It is not 
 Colonel Overton." 
 
 At this the curtain was drawn aside, and a man whom 
 I recognised from description to be Sir Richard Danvers 
 himself entered the room. I looked at him with some curi 
 osity. There was little remaining of the grace of manner 
 and personal beauty that in his younger days had made 
 him a companion of the gay and witty Charles II. of that 
 name, as his total unscrupulousness had equally endeared 
 him to the late king. In age he was at this time nearing 
 fifty, and his clean-shaven face bore the traces of a 
 career of dissipation. His cravat was loosened, and I 
 noticed the stain of wine upon his velvet coat. 
 
 He came forward with a somewhat shamefaced air. 
 
 "Curse me!" he cried, "I am glad of it. It would 
 seem that there is some mistake. I owe you a thousand 
 apologies, sir, for keeping you waiting. 'Tis the fault 
 of the blockhead who admitted you. I took you for a 
 gentleman to whom I lost somewhat heavily at cards 
 last evening. You will understand it is not always con-
 
 68 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 venient to pay. But I do not think that I have your 
 name ?" 
 
 "I am Captain Cassilis, of the Tangier Horse," I 
 answered. 
 
 He looked at me, frowning; then, with a sudden inter 
 est in his heavy eyes : 
 
 "Cassilis? Cassilis, the swordsman?" he cried. 
 
 I bowed low in acknowledgment. It seemed that my 
 reputation had preceded me. 
 
 "If you will remember, my lord," I continued, "I was 
 charged yesterday with the arrest of the Marquis de 
 Launay, at Cleeve." 
 
 "I did indeed sign a document to that effect," he re 
 plied, "but I was unaware that you were the officer to 
 whom the task was entrusted." 
 
 He drew a chair to the table, scattering the papers 
 from the latter with a sweep of his hand. 
 
 "Proceed, sir," he continued brusquely. "You suc 
 ceeded in arresting this gentleman?" 
 
 "He should be in Exeter to-night, my lord," I an 
 swered; "and " 
 
 "One moment, captain," he interrupted. "Pardon me 
 my forgctfulness. You have had a long ride and a 
 dusty one. Let us have wine, Nell, for talking is 
 cursedly thirsty work, and of business, thirstier !" 
 
 "Not for me, my lord," I said hastily ; "my errand ' : 
 
 "Can wait," he answered. "Tush, man ! You will talk 
 all the readier. I have wine here that would unloose any 
 tongue." And he threw himself back in his chair. 
 
 I cursed him inwardly for the delay, for at this moment
 
 OF MY LADY'S MISSION 69 
 
 I distinctly caught the faint clatter of horses' hoofs in 
 the street below. I was obliged to wait, however, until 
 the woman had brought a bottle and glasses from a 
 carved oaken cabinet and placed them upon the table 
 before him. My lord filled the glasses with a slightly 
 trembling hand. 
 
 "Ha!" he said, "this is wine of the best, captain. 
 None of your light French wines, this ! I bought it of 
 Rochester himself. And damn me ! I should know a good 
 wine when I see one. None better." 
 
 I looked at the face of the man before me, and in my 
 own mind I fully coincided with his opinion. 
 
 "I drink to the success of your mission, sir," he con 
 tinued. 
 
 "With all my heart," I answered. 
 
 He drained his glass at a draught, but as for me, I 
 was content to be more moderate, for the wine was of 
 the strongest. 
 
 "And now to your tale, captain," he said, refilling 
 his glass. 
 
 I waited no longer, but plunged briefly into a recital 
 of the events of the previous day, omitting only that 
 portion that related to the bruise upon my forehead. 
 Once Mistress Maddon interrupted me. 
 
 "And this Lady Ingram," she said contemptuously, 
 "you have seen her? Is she as beautiful as they say?" 
 
 "She is very beautiful, madam," I answered quietly. 
 
 Despite my hatred of her, I could be no less than candid. 
 Once, too, when I came to the account of how she had 
 served the royal warrant, my lord swore a great oath
 
 70 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 and half rose from his seat ; but he sank back again and 
 did not interrupt me. In the momentary silence that 
 followed the conclusion of my story I caught the sound 
 of voices in the hall without ; nay, I even thought that I 
 could distinguish my lady's imperious tones. 
 
 Suddenly my lord leaned forward. 
 
 "But there was resistance?" he said, scanning my face. 
 
 I felt my brow burn. 
 
 "Nothing of any consequence, my lord," I answered 
 carelessly. 
 
 "Ha !" he cried ; "I have been too lenient hitherto. And 
 here here," he continued, taking a paper from the 
 table before him, "is an order from the Council urging 
 more stringent measures. Should James succeed in Ire 
 land, Louis will land an army on the coast 'tis more 
 than likely here, in Devon. Tourville, with the French 
 fleet, is in the channel. Parliament is distracted. Spies 
 everywhere. Burn me!" he cried with sudden rage, 
 "they shall not complain of my remissness, and I will 
 begin here. I would that I had to deal with this 
 woman !" 
 
 "In that case, my lord," I said, "your wish may be 
 speedily gratified, for Lady Ingram is herself in Exeter 
 for the express purpose of waiting upon your lordship." 
 
 "Say you so?" he replied with an ugly frown. "Then 
 I will see her. And curse me! she shall have cause to 
 remember it." 
 
 "But not here," Mistress Maddon cried suddenly. "Let 
 her carry her complaints elsewhere to London, if she 
 pleases! She shall not come here!"
 
 OF MY LADY'S MISSION 71 
 
 "Shall not?" my lord cried angrily. "She shall come 
 here, or elsewhere, as I choose, madam ! Remember, I am 
 master of this house and what you are!" he added 
 brutally. 
 
 "You do well to remind me of that," she answered 
 bitterly; "but she does not enter whilst I am here." 
 
 "What, jealous?" my lord cried sneeringly. "Sink 
 me! 'tis a good jest that. The little Maddon jealous!" 
 And he laughed coarsely. 
 
 "I have so much reason to be jealous, have I not?" the 
 woman answered contemptuously. "Nevertheless," she 
 continued, "this fine madam shall not enter the house." 
 
 I caught the sound of footsteps in the hall. 
 
 "Then I fear in that case, madam, that you are too 
 late," I said quickly. 
 
 She turned to me in sudden surprise. 
 
 "Too late? And why, sir?" she cried. 
 
 "Too late, madam," I answered firmly, "for I think 
 that the answer is here." 
 
 Even as I spoke the door was thrown wide open and 
 my lady stood upon the threshold. 
 
 It was my lady, still wearing her riding mask. Over 
 her shoulder I caught a glimpse of the lackey's scared 
 face. 
 
 For a moment she stood in the doorway, and I saw 
 her slightly start as her eyes encountered mine ; evidently 
 she had not expected my presence. Then she entered 
 the room. 
 
 It would be hard to say whether my lord or Mistress 
 Maddon was the more surprised at her appearance.
 
 72 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 Nevertheless, it was the woman who first recovered her 
 self. 
 
 "This is an unexpected honour, madam," she said, ad 
 vancing. "The business must surely be urgent that 
 brings your ladyship as far as Exeter on such a day !" 
 
 My lady stepped back, drawing her skirts together with 
 a slight gesture of repulsion as cruel as it was inten 
 tional. I saw that she was fully acquainted with the 
 scandal attached to this woman's name. 
 
 "The business must indeed be urgent that brings me 
 here," she answered scornfully. 
 
 "Where you come a self-invited guest," Mistress Mad- 
 don replied quickly. "But of course your ladyship has 
 been to Court, and doubtless you have been taught 
 manners which less favoured persons cannot hope to 
 imitate." 
 
 "Including even a sense of shame," my lady answered 
 icily. 
 
 I saw the woman before her redden beneath her rouge. 
 
 "Indeed !" she retorted sneeringly. "But perhaps your 
 ladyship needed to be instructed in the lesson. It does 
 not come readily to every one of our sex." 
 
 "To some, never," my lady replied in the same icy 
 tone, and I saw her eyes flash behind her mask. "But I 
 have had so little experience of how to treat such women !" 
 
 "Oh," Mistress Maddon cried, "you have a keen wit, 
 madam, have you not? 'Tis a pleasure to converse with 
 you. Will your ladyship condescend to be seated?" 
 
 "I prefer to stand," my lady replied haughtily. She 
 turned to the man, who still sat silent at the table.
 
 OF MY LADY'S MISSION 73 
 
 "Sir Richard Danvers," she cried, "I presume you have 
 already heard from the lips of this gentleman a version 
 of the story that brings me to Exeter?" and she shot a 
 glance replete with scorn at where I stood. "I demand 
 to know," she continued proudly, "by what right do you 
 arrest a guest residing in my house?" 
 
 Her words aroused my lord. 
 
 "And I demand, madam, that you remove your mask !" 
 he replied. 
 
 My lady drew herself erect. 
 
 "Is this necessary, sir?" she said coldly. 
 
 "If we are to continue the conversation, madam," my 
 lord answered, "I prefer that it should be face to face." 
 
 "Or if you have scruples, madam,"' Mistress Maddon, 
 who was standing near to the window, cried suddenly, "I 
 notice that your ladyship's servants grow impatient." 
 
 With a sudden passionate gesture my lady tore the 
 riding mask from her face and flung it from her. 
 
 "Are you satisfied, sir?" she cried with flashing eyes, 
 in the depths of which I read all the scorn of her sur 
 roundings, all the loathing of the people in whose pres 
 ence she was. And as I gazed at where she stood, with 
 the dying sunlight falling on her graceful figure and 
 turning the masses of her hair to burnished gold, surely, 
 I told myself, never had I seen so fearless a lady nor so 
 fair a face. 
 
 And could there be a greater contrast than that afforded 
 by the two women before me? The one so proud and 
 pure, so rich in all the noblest qualities endowing woman 
 hood, the other with the glamour of passion long since
 
 74 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 decayed, leaving but the barren husk of sin in its 
 train. 
 
 I glanced at my lord. As he gazed upon her beauty, 
 into his eyes there crept a look such as I had seen 
 upon men's faces before. 
 
 "Of what measure of truth there was in the story told 
 you I do not seek to learn," my lady continued proudly. 
 "But I demand the immediate release of M. de Launay 
 as the least reparation you can offer for the outrage com 
 mitted by this man, whose very presence in my house was 
 an insult, and was resented by me as such." 
 
 Unconsciously I raised my hand to my forehead, but 
 my lady's quick eyes noted the movement, for she turned 
 upon me suddenly and added : "And I think, sir, that you 
 will not easily conceal the mark of my resentment." 
 
 "I stood before her and I was dumb. That she should 
 mock me and before strangers. How I hated her in 
 that moment ! I was about to stammer something in 
 reply when my lord sprang to his feet and struck the 
 table before him with his clenched hand. 
 
 "Demand? Reparation?" he cried, with sudden pas 
 sion. "By G , madam, you go too far ! But I shall 
 
 know how to deal with you as I have the authority." 
 And he snatched the paper he had previously shown me 
 from the table. 
 
 "Have a care, my lord," Mistress Maddon cried ma 
 liciously. "Remember the fate of the other document. 
 It would seem that her ladyship has a predcliction for 
 destroying that which does not belong to her." 
 
 "Ha! you are right, Nell," my lord cried, his brow
 
 OF MY LADY'S MISSION 75 
 
 black with passion. "You defy the king's authority, do 
 you, madam?" he continued, "and beat the king's 
 officers? Well, 'tis known to us that your part of the 
 county is disaffected, that your house is a centre for 
 Jacobite meetings and a harbourage for their agents. 
 Were it not for urgent affairs here I would visit you 
 myself. As that is impossible, I will tell you what I will 
 do, madam. I will send such a force to Cleeve as shall 
 effectually quench all sparks of rebellion there. Aye, and 
 I will find the right man to set over it to deal with you." 
 
 "And the very man you desire is here here to your 
 hand !" and Mistress Maddon pointed full at me with her 
 fan. 
 
 As I thought of all the possibilities her words carried, 
 of the opportunities of repaying to my lady the shame 
 I had suffered at her hands, my heart beat more rapidly 
 and the breath came quicker from my lips. Here was 
 revenge, indeed!" 
 
 "Sink me!" my lord cried, "but you are a clever one, 
 Nell. Captain Cassilis, you have no cause to love this 
 lady. What say you? Will you be this man? You 
 shall have full power over their lives and bodies!" he 
 added with a leer. 
 
 "That I accept, my lord," I cried quickly. "And I will 
 answer for it," I continued between my set teeth and with 
 a glance of triumph at my lady, "that your lordship 
 shall have no trouble there whilst I am in command !" 
 
 "I am well assured of it," he replied, with a short laugh. 
 
 "And I I will appeal against this outrage," my lady 
 cried quickly.
 
 76 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 "Appeal to the queen, an you will, madam," he 
 answered rudely. "Though, distracted as she is with 
 fears for her husband's safety in Ireland, I scarcely think 
 that she will interfere on behalf of those who are his 
 active enemies. To the Council! Proclaim yourself a 
 Papist and see what consideration you will meet with at 
 their hands. No, no, I give you credit for more sense, 
 madam," he continued; "and I trust that you will take 
 this lesson to heart." 
 
 "And I trust," Mistress Maddon cried ironically, "that 
 your ladyship has suffered no hurt through entering this 
 house ! Perhaps for the future, my lady, you will learn 
 a little more experience of how to treat 'such women T ' 
 
 And she swept her a mocking curtesy. 
 
 My lady was beaten, and she knew it. 
 
 In that moment I could almost have found it in my 
 heart to pity her. Yet she spoke no word. 
 
 For a moment, indeed, she stood gazing at the woman 
 before her with a look of unutterable scorn, then she 
 turned upon her heel. 
 
 I sprang to the door and flung it wide. "Permit me 
 to be your lackey, madam, for this occasion," I cried 
 sneeringly, "until I can appear as your master at 
 Cleeve!"
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 OF HOW THREE GENTLEMEN OF DEVON DRANK THE KING'S 
 HEALTH 
 
 AN hour later, when I left the house, I carried in my 
 breast a sealed document giving me the fullest powers of 
 acting, both in Cleeve and the surrounding district, 
 against "all Papists and adherents of the man James 
 Stuart ; being enemies of his Majesty, King William, and 
 of the peace of this realm." Moreover, I had received an 
 order from my lord upon the treasury which had been 
 duly paid me by his secretary that had lined my 
 pockets with gold pieces, to defray all such disbursements 
 as should be necessary to bring M. de Launay to London. 
 For the express orders of the Privy Council were that 
 the marquis should be treated with all courtesy until such 
 time as he should be delivered into the custody of the 
 governor of the Tower, that grirn and ill-omened 
 fortress, at present crowded with the partisans, real or 
 suspected, of the base and despicable James ; amongst 
 the most noteworthy of whom were the Earl of Shrews 
 bury and the Queen's uncle, Clarendon. 
 
 Also I carried a letter from his lordship to the Earl 
 of Nottingham, Secretary of State, praying him to send 
 a regiment or two into Devonshire ; for with the excep 
 tion of the Tangier Horse there were no regular troops 
 nearer to Exeter than Bristol or Plymouth. And even
 
 78 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 now, in consequence of a riot arising out of a drunken 
 brawl, my lord had been compelled, at the urgent de 
 mands of the most influential citizens, to send the regi 
 ment out of the city ; whence they had marched the day 
 before as far as Exmouth, so great was the fear inspired 
 by their licentiousness. 
 
 I saw, therefore, that I should have little more assistance 
 to rely on than that of my own troop amounting in 
 all to sixty men which still lay in De Brito's charge 
 at Cleeve. And with this force I had to overawe the 
 district and patrol the coast from Start Bay to Teign- 
 mouth. 
 
 Accordingly, armed with this commission for the pres 
 ent, and with the prospect of revenge upon my lady in 
 the near future, I rode slowly through a network of 
 narrow alleys to the Castle and Falcon, a respectable 
 hostelry in the High Street ; for it was here that I had 
 told Cornet Graham to look for me. 
 
 It was not, however, until fully two hours later that I 
 heard the tramping of horse in the street without. 
 
 I made my way to the door and found the landlord 
 already upon the steps, the landlady, a buxom woman, 
 at his side. 
 
 It was, indeed, the cornet and his prisoner. Behind 
 them came an escort of six troopers. The whole party 
 dismounted before the inn. 
 
 "Ha, M. Cassilis !" the marquis cried, catching sight of 
 me, "confess that you were growing anxious ! Did you 
 not think that I had knocked my estimable guard upon 
 the head?"
 
 THREE GENTLEMEN OF DEVON 79 
 
 "When I had your word of honour, M. de Launay?" I 
 said, smiling. "But I fear you have had but a weary 
 journey." 
 
 "By no means," he answered lightly. "I have been 
 admiring your Devon scenery, which is only excelled," 
 he added gallantly, "by the beauty of its women !" 
 
 And he made a bow to the pretty landlady, who smiled 
 and blushed in return, worthy of the Court of the Grand 
 Monarque from whence he came. 
 
 I could see that the cornet was burning with curiosity 
 to hear my story; but it was not until we had fully 
 supped that the marquis rose to his feet. 
 
 "If I have your permission, gentlemen," he said, bow 
 ing, "I think that I will retire." 
 
 "So soon, monsieur?" the cornet cried. "The night 
 is young yet. Will you not take your revenge for your 
 losses of yesterday?" 
 
 "I beg that you will hold me excused," he answered, 
 with a deprecating gesture. "I am feeling somewhat 
 fatigued, and there is a long journey ahead. I should 
 prefer, therefore, to seek my couch, if my good friend 
 the host will conduct me hither !" And with a courteous 
 bow he left the room. 
 
 When the door had closed upon him I drew my chair 
 again to the table and gave the cornet an account of what 
 had passed in my interview with Sir Richard Danvers. 
 He listened throughout in silence. 
 
 Only when I had finished: "What a woman!" he said 
 admiringly. 
 
 I knew of whom he spoke.
 
 80 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 Suddenly he reached out his hand and raised his glass. 
 **I will give you a toast, captain," he cried. "To the 
 health of Lady Ingram !" 
 
 "Aye," I answered grimly; following his example, "to 
 the next meeting between us !" 
 
 Our arrival in London excited little curiosity, so com 
 mon at this time was the sight of a suspected Jacobite 
 being taken to Newgate or the Tower. In the city itself 
 we found the wildest rumours afloat. William had been 
 totally defeated in Ireland! Tourville with the French 
 fleet had entered the Thames ! Whilst at the first sound 
 of his guns the Papists were to rise and commence a gen 
 eral massacre ! 
 
 These and a hundred other reports equally alarming 
 were greedily swallowed by the panic-stricken citizens. 
 It was not without real regret at parting with the mar 
 quis that we arrived at length at the gate of the Tower 
 facing Tower Hill ; for throughout the journey he had 
 proved a most entertaining companion. And though 
 his air of assumed gaiety did not deceive me as to the 
 secret anxiety he felt beneath it, yet he was a man who 
 had travelled much and could readily adapt himself to 
 the manners of the people with whom he was in com 
 pany. I doubt not that at Versailles he would have been 
 as stately a courtier as with us he was bon camarade. 
 
 The daylight was fast dying when, in answer to my 
 summons, the gate was at length opened by a surly 
 warder. And the usual formalities having been complied 
 with, I handed over the body of M. de Launay into the 
 custody of the lieutenant of the Tower.
 
 THREE GENTLEMEN OF DEVON 81 
 
 "Adieu," I said at parting, taking the marquis's 
 proffered hand. "And I trust, monsieur, that you will 
 speedily regain your liberty." 
 
 He shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 "Who knows what evil fate lies before us!" he an 
 swered lightly. "To-day, M. Cassilis, you are a free 
 man, a good horse beneath you, a sword at your side. 
 To-morrow, you may be married!" And he dis 
 appeared into the gloom of the gate-house. 
 
 I gave the word, and we turned our horses' heads and 
 rode slowly back to the Bull Tavern in Cheapside, where 
 we put up for the night. On the morrow I dismissed the 
 cornet and his men with instructions to make all speed 
 in returning to Cleeve; and then with my lord's letter 
 in my breast I set out through the city to deliver it to 
 the Earl of Nottingham. 
 
 In every square and open space the citizens were drill 
 ing, whilst many of the shops and houses were barricaded 
 as if to withstand a siege, in expectation of the arrival of 
 the French. The earl dismissed my lord's petitiom very 
 curtly, with a promise of some Dutch troops who were 
 arriving shortly from The Hague. And with this 
 promise I was forced to be content. 
 
 Three days afterwards I was back in the capital of the 
 West; and I stayed but to give his Grace of Notting 
 ham's message to my Lord Danvers, and the next day set 
 out southwards. 
 
 It was evening when I found myself riding down the 
 valley road within a mile of Gleeve; and I will confess 
 that at every step that brought me nearer the house my
 
 82 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 heart beat more rapidly. How would my lady greet me ! 
 What would she say to me, or I to her? It was in think 
 ing such thoughts as these and in picturing my welcome 
 that I arrived at length at the entrance gates and saw 
 that which brought me to a sudden halt. 
 
 In the earlier part of the day there had been a heavy 
 storm, and the torrents of rain that had then fallen had 
 softened the gravel surface of the avenue. Upon this 
 surface were the marks of many horses' hoofs, and they 
 all led in the direction of the house. 
 
 I dismounted and examined them more closely. The 
 prints were fresh not more than half an hour old ; and 
 I speedily came to the conclusion that it was not De 
 Brito or any of his party, for these horses were shod in 
 a manner different to that of the troopers' animals, such 
 as the one I bestrode. 
 
 Who, then, were these men, and for what purpose had 
 they come to Cleeve? Was my lady engaged in some 
 desperate scheme to assist the Stuart cause? 
 
 Clearly it was incumbent upon me to discover. I turned 
 aside, therefore, within the gates and led my horse 
 through the thick undergrowth to some little distance 
 from the road, and there left him ; and I then made my 
 way cautiously through the trees that lined the avenue 
 on either side to a spot from which I obtained a sight of 
 the front of the house, which as yet I had only viewed by 
 night. 
 
 Seen by daylight, it was an old grey stone residence, 
 long and low ; part of which, I subsequently found, dated 
 back to the reign of the first Tudor sovereign ; though
 
 THREE GENTLEMEN OF DEVON 83 
 
 that portion of it that was nearest to me had been added 
 by the present earl. In front of the house lay a broad 
 stretch of green turf; and upon this, beneath a wide 
 spreading oak, a dozen horses were tethered. At some 
 little distance from these lounged a group of six or eight 
 serving men in conversation with the steward, whom I 
 easily recognised again, and who carried a large flagon 
 in his hand. I scanned the front of the house closely, 
 but there appeared no sign of life in its narrow mul- 
 lioned windows. If I would obtain further information 
 as to my lady's guests, clearly I must seek for it else 
 where. 
 
 I turned on my heel, therefore, and made a wide detour 
 through the trees, coming out at length at the back of 
 the house. The house itself and the broad terrace that 
 ran behind it lay a little to my left, and I saw with satis 
 faction that the windows nearest to me were lighted up, 
 and though I could not from my position see the in 
 terior of the room itself, yet I felt that here, if anywhere, 
 was to be found the key of that which was to me at pres 
 ent a mystery. 
 
 Concealing myself, therefore, in the deep shadow 
 afforded by a green mass of laurels, I set myself pa 
 tiently to wait until such time as I could approach the 
 house nearer with less risk of discovery. And fortunately 
 for my purpose the night was a dark one. Over the 
 manor roof a crescent moon hung low down in the heav 
 ens, but such light as it afforded was shed upon the 
 front of the house, and the shadow fell the deeper upon 
 the broad terrace before me.
 
 84 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 When it was as I judged sufficiently dark to make the 
 attempt, I stole across the grass, and softly crossing the 
 terrace, I gained the shadow of the house itself. Along 
 this I cautiously made my way, cursing my heavy boots, 
 that at every step I took grated harshly upon the gravel 
 walk. Presently I came to a halt. Twenty paces away, 
 the light from the nearest window fell in a broad white 
 patch upon the terrace, shining with a ghostly radiance 
 upon the low wall opposite that ran above the moat. To 
 appear within this circle of light without being seen by 
 any one within the room I saw at once was an impossi 
 bility. Yet even as I stood hesitating what I should do 
 next, Fortune settled it for me in an unexpected man 
 ner. For without warning the window opened outwards, 
 and a woman clad in white appeared upon the step. 
 
 I flattened myself against the ivy-covered wall behind 
 me, and so stood, scarcely daring to draw my breath, 
 for it needed but one glance to assure me that it was my 
 lady herself, the light from within shining full upon 
 her golden hair. 
 
 For it may be a minute she stood there gazing into the 
 night. Then with a weary gesture she raised her hand 
 to her brow, and turning on her heel, disappeared into 
 the room, and the light from the window vanished sud 
 denly from the terrace. 
 
 I rubbed my eyes and stared again at the spot. In 
 place of the brightly illumined circle of a moment before 
 rested only impenetrable darkness. Yet from the three 
 windows beyond the light was still shining. 
 
 As the full significance of this fact dawned upon me,
 
 THREE GENTLEMEN OF DEVON 85 
 
 I stole forward until I reached the step. And I was not 
 mistaken. Inadvertently in re-entering the room, my 
 lady had loosened the curtains, and they had fallen to be 
 hind her. 
 
 From within came the sound of voices, but the curtains 
 were so thick that the words were indistinct and the light 
 shone through but faintly. 
 
 Cautiously I raised my hand and slightly parted the 
 heavy drapery before me, and the interior of the room 
 lay open to my gaze. 
 
 Upon the hearth, beside the carved stone chimney-piece, 
 stood my lady, the light of the candles shimmering in the 
 folds of her soft satin gown. Seated at a table near, 
 upon which lay the remains of a meal, were three men, 
 whom I had never before seen. At the head was a sallow, 
 hawk-faced man, with a certain stiffness of carriage that 
 sufficiently proclaimed a military career. He wore a full 
 bottomed periwig and was dressed in a suit of sober 
 black. The one nearest to me was more conspicuous. 
 He was an enormously stout man, in a coat of plum- 
 coloured velvet. He had laid aside his wig upon the table 
 before him, and the light shone upon his round bullet 
 head, crowned with a few scanty locks of hair, which he 
 mopped ever and again with a coloured kerchief. Fac 
 ing me was a young man of some twenty years of age, 
 dressed in a richly laced suit of grey and silver. 
 
 My lady was speaking, but in a voice so changed I 
 could scarcely recognise it as hers ; for so far I had but 
 heard it hard and bitter with scorn ; now it was soft and 
 raised in pleading.
 
 86 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 "Oh," she was saying, "how can you longer hesitate, 
 even for a moment ? Or why delay ? Surely you, Colonel 
 Wharton, know, depleted or troops as the country is at 
 present, now is the very time for all true friends of the 
 Stuart cause to proclaim themselves openly in arms !" 
 
 "Admitting the truth of all that you have said, madam," 
 the man in black answered, "and the fact of the money 
 and arms being to hand at the time you mention, still I 
 cannot but look upon the enterprise as a most desperate 
 one." 
 
 "Desperate?" the stout man cried. " 'Tis suicide 
 sheer suicide ! Would you have me believe that the coun 
 try is any the more anxious to receive James back than it 
 was, two years ago, to be quit of him?" 
 
 "I am afraid that I do not understand you, sir!" my 
 lady answered. "You have heard what has already been 
 said!" 
 
 "Granted," he replied quickly. "And now hear what 
 I have to say, madam. Is it right for us to risk our ' 
 he coughed slightly "to risk the lives of these poor 
 peasants in a premature and ill-organized rising? The 
 sin of doing so is a matter to be considered, madam. We 
 should unite the hum ! guile of the serpent 
 
 "With the courage of the hare !" put in the young man 
 contemptuously. 
 
 "With the hum! courage of the quadruped men 
 tioned," the other continued, without apparently notic 
 ing the sarcasm. "And the affair should be approached 
 with all due circumspection. I think that is the correct 
 phrase, Colonel Whartoi ?"
 
 THREE GENTLEMEN OF DEVON 87 
 
 "Certainly, certainly," the latter answered. "It is but 
 sound common sense." 
 
 "And it savours to me," the young man cried impa 
 tiently, "to be more of " 
 
 "Rupert," my lady interrupted quickly, "be silent, I 
 beg of you!" 
 
 "Of what, young man?" the colonel said in his precise 
 tone, fixing his eyes upon the other's face. "Of caution, 
 you should say. For take the word of an old soldier who 
 has seen some service in his time, I say that arm your en 
 thusiasts as you will, they will never stand against dis 
 ciplined troops. And we want no second Monmouth 
 affair to teach us wisdom !" 
 
 "But you forget, Colonel Wharton," my lady cried. 
 "What of the French troops that Louis will send us?" 
 
 "Pardon me, madam," the colonel replied gloomily. 
 "That he says he will send us ! I am of opinion that if 
 the house of Stuart relies upon French assistance for its 
 restoration, that event will not take place in my lifetime ; 
 although you, madam," he added, "may possibly live to 
 see a grandson of James ascend the throne !" 
 
 "The more reason, sir, that we should act, relying on 
 ourselves," the young man cried quickly ; and the glance 
 of gratitude my lady gave him was not lost on me. "I 
 am of opinion that never before have James's affairs 
 worn so favourable an aspect. And I, for one, gentlemen, 
 am ready and willing to tread the path her ladyship 
 points out, though, it should lead me to the scaffold!" 
 
 "Ah, youth ! youth ! there spoke thy language," the 
 stout man said, shaking his head slowly with a movement
 
 88 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 that set his pendulous chin quivering. "Not that I 
 blame Sir Rupert Courtenay for being outspoken," he 
 added, somewhat hastily, as the other half rose from 
 his seat. "At his age I was like him." 
 
 "Young in years I may be," the other cried hotly. 
 " 'Tis a fault that time will remedy. At least, I am not 
 
 "Gentlemen," my lady cried pleadingly, "for my sake, 
 do not quarrel. "Oh," she continued passionately, "what 
 ill fate clings around the Stuarts, that among their 
 friends every measure formed on their behalf is born to 
 perish in the rifts of selfish strife !" 
 
 "If I spoke somewhat hastily, sir," the young man said 
 sullenly, "you must put it down to my Courtenay blood. 
 I am willing for this lady's sake to withdraw my words." 
 
 "Let it pass, sir, let it pass," the other answered with 
 a wave of the hand. "As between gentlemen they are 
 already forgotten." 
 
 "And may I be permitted to know, madam," the colonel 
 broke in, "the names of those who have consented to aid 
 you in this scheme 'ere adding my own to the number 
 if I approve of it," he added. 
 
 I saw that for a moment my lady hesitated. 
 
 Then she drew a folded paper from the bosom of her 
 gown. "See," she cried eagerly with shining eyes. 
 "Here is the authority for what I do, and with the signa 
 ture of the king himself my king !" imprinting a kiss 
 upon the parchment. "Gentlemen, I rely upon your 
 honour for their non-divulgence," she added quietly, 
 laying it upon the table before them.
 
 THREE GENTLEMEN OF DEVON 89 
 
 The colonel bowed in acquiescence; and drawing a 
 candle to him, unfolded the paper and glanced at its 
 contents. Suddenly he raised his eyes. 
 
 "I see that your ladyship's name heads the list," he 
 said shortly. 
 
 "I should be base indeed to ask others to risk danger 
 that I feared to dare myself," she answered proudly. 
 
 And I, the silent watcher without, asked myself how he 
 could longer hesitate. Had I been in the man's place, 
 had my lady so looked and spoken to me pshaw! what 
 foolishness was this! The woman had beaten me like 
 a hound ; and I held her life and the lives of the men be 
 fore me in the hollow of my hand ! And I had heard and 
 seen enough of the latter to sum up, in my own mind at 
 least, their characters. God help my lady's scheme if 
 she depended on such men as these for its success ! 
 
 The colonel finished reading; and with a totally im 
 passive face handed the paper in silence to the stout man 
 beside him. 
 
 The latter perused it with sundry short ejaculations; 
 then: 
 
 "Hum !" he said at last. "These are well-known names, 
 madam." 
 
 "That being so," my lady replied quickly, "and my 
 cousin," she added, indicating the young man in grey 
 having already signed, it only remains for you, gentle 
 men, to do likewise!" 
 
 "No, no, no," the stout man replied, rising hastily to his 
 feet. "Let there be no waiting, madam ! I will put no 
 pen to paper! What!" he added hastily, meeting my
 
 90 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 lady's look of wondering contempt, "would you have 
 me hazard my lif e into the keeping of any one who would 
 sell it, for aught I know, upon the first opportunity?" 
 
 "/ shall keep the paper, sir," my lady answered coldly. 
 
 "That may be, madam, that may be," he continued, 
 working himself into a rage. "And it may suit these 
 gentlemen," he added, tapping the paper in his hand, 
 "but it is not so agreeable to me. And besides that, I 
 am not sure that my conscience will suffer me to aid 
 you." 
 
 "Your conscience!" my lady cried with infinite scorn. 
 
 "Aye, madam, my conscience," he went on, no whit 
 taken aback ; "for whether you succeed or fail, shall 
 I be privy to that which will again bring bloodshed with 
 its attendant misery upon the people of this country ?" 
 
 I waited no longer. 
 
 "I will answer that question for you, sir," I cried 
 clearly, stepping into the room. "You will not!" 
 
 My lady uttered a low cry and stood as if turned to 
 stone, with parted lips and straining eyes. The two men 
 who were seated half rose, clutching at the table before 
 them in the extremity of their surprise. As for the stout 
 man, when his glance lighted upon my uniform he caught 
 his breath with a gasp of mortal fear and fell back into 
 his chair with ashen face and quivering lips, and the 
 paper fluttered from his nerveless fingers. 
 
 In three strides I crossed the floor, and in a moment the 
 paper was in my hand. The next and I had thrust it in 
 my breast. That broke the spell. 
 
 "You !" my lady gasped in a choking voice.
 
 " 'You !' ray lady gasped in a choking voice"
 
 THREE GENTLEMEN OF DEVON 91 
 
 "Yes, I, madam!" I answered quickly. "You did not 
 expect me to return so speedily ! You keep strange com 
 pany at Cleeve, my lady," I continued sneeringly. "And 
 such that whilst I take up my residence in this house you 
 will do well to regulate." 
 
 Ere she could reply the younger of the men sprang to 
 his feet, upsetting his chair in the act. 
 
 "By Heaven, the paper!" he cried. "To me, colonel! 
 We must have it at all hazards !" And he drew his sword. 
 An example which was not followed, however, by the 
 cravens at his side. Remembering the serving men I had 
 seen without, I saw that the matter was getting serious, 
 and I had no wish to hurt the lad. 
 
 "One moment," I cried sternly, raising my hand with a 
 gesture of command. "I beg that you will not put me to 
 the trouble of summoning the troopers who wait without ; 
 for I think that you forget, gentlemen," I continued 
 slowly, "that if I arrest you in this house, the conse 
 quences to my lady will be of the gravest character 
 consequences," I added, "which I am as desirous of avoid 
 ing as you are for reasons of my own." 
 
 I saw that my words took effect. The man before me 
 hesitated and then stood still, frowning. I suppose that 
 a moment's reflection showed him the truth of what I had 
 said, for he slowly sank his point. 
 
 "What, then, do you propose to do?" he said at last; 
 and I knew by the tone of his voice that the game was 
 in my own hands. Henceforth everything was easy. I 
 would show my lady who was the master here. 
 
 "I will tell you," I answered quietly. "But you will
 
 92 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 oblige me, Sir Rupert Courtenay I think that I have 
 the name correctly by first laying your sword upon the 
 table. And, Colonel Wharton, yours. No hesitation, 
 gentlemen," I continued sternly. "I have force sufficient 
 to ensure obedience." 
 
 Still for a moment he wavered in doubt. 
 
 "And if I comply, sir, with your request," he said 
 slowly, "what guarantee have I that this lady shall suffer 
 no harm ?" 
 
 "My word of honour, sir," I answered quietly. 
 
 "Honour?" my lady cried quickly. "If you look for 
 aught of honour from this gentleman, I warn you that 
 you will look in vain !" 
 
 "I thank you for your good opinion of me, madam," I 
 answered calmly, "which, coming from your ladyship, 
 was such as I should have expected. And I can the more 
 readily overlook your words, since I know how inoppor 
 tune must be my presence. But I think that for the 
 present it is for me to command and for you to 
 obey." 
 
 "I waited a moment, but she did not speak. She only 
 looked at me. Yet that look hurt me more than words. 
 Despite my assumed air of carelessness, the scorn and 
 loathing in her eyes made me wince. 
 
 "And I will give your ladyship a word of future advice," 
 I continued with a sneer. "Open windows consort ill with 
 conspiracy !" 
 
 "I trust, sir, that you do not include me in that cate 
 gory," the colonel broke in suddenly, "for I think that 
 you have no evidence to support such an assertion."
 
 THREE GENTLEMEN OF DEVON 93 
 
 "No evidence at all," the stout man cried, recovering 
 somewhat from his first shock of surprise. Though if 
 ever conscious guilt looked out of a man's eyes, it was 
 in his, and his twitching lip belied his air of assurance. 
 "Not a shadow of it!" he continued, growing bolder at 
 the sound of his own voice. "And if you were listening, 
 captain, you heard what I was saying. As a magistrate 
 of this country it is my duty hum ! strictly in the in 
 terests of government to acquaint myself with the opin 
 ions of the most influential families. Had you delayed 
 your appearance a moment longer, you would have heard 
 the measures I was about to take to hum ! counteract 
 the scheme of this misguided lady !" 
 
 "As to that," I replied and I could afford to forgive 
 him his cowardice for the man was playing into my 
 hands, "I am willing to take your word for it, Mr. ?" 
 
 "Wetherell," he answered "Nicholas Wetherell, at 
 your service. I am well known, sir! I believe that I 
 can honestly say," he added pompously, "that I am a 
 man of some weight in the city of Exeter." 
 
 I looked him steadily in the face. 
 
 "I do not doubt it," I answered quietly. 
 
 The young baronet gave a short laugh and the colonel's 
 mouth writhed itself into a grim smile. Nay, for a mo 
 ment even I thought that my lady's face relaxed some 
 what ; but, meeting my eyes, she stiffened again into her 
 old mask of scorn. 
 
 "Yet I do not know, Mr. Wetherell," I continued dryly, 
 "that the government would entirely approve of your 
 method of obtaining information."
 
 94 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 "There is no more loyal subject, sir, in England than 
 I !" he cried hastily. 
 
 "Indeed," I answered, "I think that your loyalty, sir, 
 is as strong as your courage !" 
 
 "And I trust that the latter does not need to be ques 
 tioned, captain," he blustered. 
 
 "It does not!" I replied, with I fear some of the con 
 tempt I felt for the man appearing in my voice. "But 
 I will put your loyalty to the test. You have wine 
 there," I continued, stepping to the table, the whilst they 
 watched me in silence. "As loyal subjects, therefore, you 
 will not refuse to join me in drinking a toast." 
 
 I slowly filled four glasses, three of which I placed in 
 the centre of the table. 
 
 "Gentlemen," I cried clearly, raising the fourth, "to 
 the health of his Majesty, King Willilam!" 
 
 For it may be ten seconds they sat silent. The room 
 was very still. I gazed full at my lady where she stood 
 upon the hearth. She was leaning slightly forward, her 
 hands pressed against her bosom, watching the scene be 
 fore her with fascinated eyes. It was a battle of our 
 wills and I had won ! 
 
 Suddenly the stout man stretched out a shaking hand. 
 
 "To the health of King William, sir !" he cried quickly, 
 all the more anxious to make up for his first slight hesita 
 tion. "I desire no better toast." And he drained his 
 glass. 
 
 "Nor I also," said the colonel more slowly. "To King 
 William, sir ! I wish him success in his campaign !" 
 
 But I noticed that he avoided meeting my lady's eyes.
 
 THREE GENTLEMEN OF DEVON 95 
 
 I turned to the young baronet. And here I expected 
 trouble. 
 
 "Sir Rupert Courtenay," I said quietly, "it is your 
 turn !" 
 
 For a moment he hesitated, and I saw a quick glance 
 pass between him and my lady. Then, to my surprise, 
 he gave a light laugh and raised his glass. 
 
 "I drink to the king !" he cried clearly, with a defiant 
 look at me. 
 
 I noted mentally his reservation, and I knew whom 
 he meant. But it was not my cue to quarrel with him. 
 I was more than content with my victory. 
 
 "Good !" I said aloud, following his example. "That is 
 sufficient, sir ! and I replaced my glass upon the table. 
 "I will not detain you longer, gentlemen," I added. "I 
 have already said that for reasons of my own I am willing 
 to overlook your presence here. Whether I take further 
 steps in the matter will depend entirely upon your fu 
 ture conduct. But for the present, gentlemen, there is 
 the door. I should recommend you to take your de 
 parture with all speed. The night air is somewhat 
 chilly!" 
 
 And they needed no further urging. Without a word 
 the stout man replaced his wig upon his head and, catch 
 ing up his hat, started for the door. Perhaps he feared 
 that I might yet repent my clemency. And the colonel 
 was not slow to follow his example. True, he had the 
 decency first to turn to my lady, as if to make his 
 adieux ; but one glance at her rigid figure and burning 
 eyes was sufficient for him.
 
 96 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 "This comes of having a woman in it," he said shortly, 
 turning on his heel and leaving the room. 
 
 I glanced at my lady. Her head was bent. I could 
 not see her face. Suddenly, with a quick, defiant move 
 ment she upraised it, tossing the hair from her forehead. 
 
 "Cousin Rupert," she cried proudly, "your arm!" 
 
 The young baronet hastened to do her bidding, and 
 she moved by me, drawing her scented skirts aside, lest 
 they should touch me in passing. At the door, still with 
 her hand upon his arm, she turned. 
 
 "You have beaten me twice, sir," she said, in a voice 
 trembling with passion. "For your own sake beware 
 of the third time !" And she swept out.
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 OF HOW I PLATED KNIGHT-ERRANT, AND OP MY LADY 5 S 
 GRATITUDE 
 
 WHEN my lady had left the room and the swish of her 
 silken skirts had ceased I hastened to take my departure, 
 for I did not doubt that if it was discovered I had come 
 alone and that the troopers of whose presence I had 
 talked so glibly existed only in my own imagination, her 
 ladyship would take active measures for the recovery of 
 the paper in my possession. 
 
 I stepped through the window, therefore, and sought 
 the spot where I had left my horse. I took the bridle 
 in my hand, and, avoiding the avenue leading to the 
 gates, led him through the tangled undergrowth until 
 we came out, some hundred yards below, upon the road. 
 
 Here I halted and looked back. There was no sound 
 to break the stillness save the soft sighing of the night 
 wind in the branches overhead. At my feet the white 
 road stretched away into the night, silent and lonely. 
 
 I lost no time, therefore, in mounting, and a few min 
 utes later, without molestation, reached the village. 
 
 As I rode up the main street I saw that the troopers 
 had quartered themselves upon the inhabitants; for a 
 dozen or more were lounging in the open doorways upon 
 either side of the road, who upon catching sight of my 
 face, stiffened their backs and saluted me as I passed.
 
 98 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 Before the inn itself a noisier group were gathered, 
 whose laughter and jests died away for a moment as I 
 dismounted, to again break out with renewed clamour 
 when I had crossed the threshold. 
 
 Calling for a light, I made my way to the little chamber 
 that I had previously occupied. Carefully fastening the 
 door behind me and satisfying myself that I was indeed 
 alone, I set the candle upon the little table and drew the 
 precious paper from my breast the paper big with the 
 fate of my lady's freedom! Perhaps in the temper of 
 the times her life ! For I well knew that in the nation's 
 present state of panic the government would have little 
 consideration and respect for either rank or sex. And 
 'twas well known that the Earl of Ingram was one of 
 James's most trusted councillors. 
 
 The paper itself was a small sheet of coarse white 
 parchment and was folded into three. 
 
 As I stood turning it over in my hands, on a sudden 
 my lady's face seemed to confront me. 
 
 Again I went over the scene so lately enacted, again I 
 heard her clear voice raised in pleading, and moved by 
 some impulse of I know not what, I laid the paper un 
 opened upon the table, and with the candle in my hand 
 I went down on my knees upon the dusty floor. 
 
 Presently in the corner of the room farthest from the 
 window I found that which I sought a loosened board. 
 
 With the aid of my sword I raised one end of this, and 
 in the cavity beneath I slipped the fateful parchment, 
 replacing afterwards the board and removing all traces 
 of my handiwork. It was not until this was accomplished
 
 HOW I PLAYED KNIGHT-ERRANT 99 
 
 that I breathed more freely, and I sought my couch with 
 a distinctly lighter heart. 
 
 It was late next morning when I awoke, and the bright 
 June sunshine was streaming into the room through the 
 little latticed window. I dressed hastily and descended 
 to the inn parlour, where I found the two cornets already 
 at the table. During the meal I gathered from Cornet 
 Graham some information respecting Cleeve. The vil 
 lage itself and the surrounding farms belonging to the 
 Ingram family contained some eight hundred inhab 
 itants ; but of this number, fully two hundred being the 
 young and able-bodied men were serving under the earl 
 in Ireland. Of the remaining number some eighty only 
 were males, and these the greybeards or youths too young 
 to endure the arduous duties of the Irish campaign. 
 
 When I had made myself acquainted with such gossip 
 as he had at his command, I gave the cornets their orders 
 for the day, and returning to my room, arrayed myself 
 in full uniform. Also whilst in London I had taken the 
 opportunity of visiting a tailor's shop in the Haymarket 
 and purchasing to myself sundry little fripperies of 
 attire, such as a lace cravat and fashionable peruke, the 
 which I smiled at myself for donning. Nevertheless, I 
 was minded to look my best when I again presented my 
 self at Cleeve. 
 
 My vanity satisfied, I made my way to the stables, and 
 mounting my horse, set out for the manor. 
 
 Evidently my arrival had been expected, and my lady 
 had given her orders as to my future treatment ; for as 
 I reined in my horse and dismounted before the door, of
 
 100 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 a sudden it opened, and the steward came to the head of 
 the steps. Behind him I caught a glimpse of a little 
 group of servants, most of whom were women, who re 
 garded me with feminine curiosity. 
 
 "Is it your pleasure to enter, sir?" said the steward 
 respectfully, though the sullen hate in his eyes belied his 
 deferential manner. 
 
 "And my horse?" I said curtly, ascending the steps. 
 
 "Shall be looked to, never fear," he replied ; then, rais 
 ing his voice : "Martin !" he cried ; and at his call the 
 youth w T ho had accompanied him upon the ride to Exeter 
 came slowly forward from the group behind. "Take 
 this gentleman's horse to the stables." 
 
 "And see that he lacks for nothing," I said grimly, "or 
 you will regret it, my friend!" 
 
 For I had not forgotten this same youth's insolence to 
 me upon the road, and I was determined to show these 
 people that for the present, at least, I was their master. 
 
 When he had moved away, muttering and cursing to 1 
 himself, I followed the steward to the dining hall, which 
 I have previously described. Everything in it was as I 
 had seen it upon my first arrival, only the room was 
 empty. 
 
 "My lady is out?" I said carelessly. 
 
 "No," the steward answered slowly; "she is not out, 
 but- -" 
 
 "She is not desirous of seeing me, you would say?" I 
 answered quickly. "Be frank, man! I understand. 
 And for the present it is a matter of indifference to me, 
 as I intend to make myself acquainted with the gardens
 
 HOW I PLAYED KNIGHT-ERRANT 101 
 
 and the cliffs adjoining. But you will prepare a room 
 for me," I continued, watching him out of the corner 
 of my eye; "and also inform your mistress that I dine 
 at noon, and must then request their ladyships' pres 
 ence." 
 
 The start he gave did not escape me. 
 
 "My ladies will dine with you?" he stammered. 
 
 "Certainly," I replied harshly. "Is there any reason 
 why they should not? Or does it require another neck 
 let to teach you that I am a man to be obeyed?" And 
 with this parting shot I left him. At the threshold of 
 the room I turned. He still stood in the centre of the 
 floor, apparently bereft of speech. 
 
 "The hour is noon," I said quietly, "and I beg that 
 they will not keep me waiting." 
 
 Arrived in the open air, for the first time I remembered 
 that I had not as yet seen the gigantic figure of Sampson 
 Dare ; and encountering the youth Martin, I asked what 
 had become of him. 
 
 He looked up for a moment from his task. 
 
 "He is not here," he said, scowling. 
 
 "I asked you where he was," I answered dryly. 
 
 "In London, then, if it will please you," he retorted 
 sullenly. 
 
 "Ah !" was all I said in reply. And turning on my heel, 
 I left him. But I understood perfectly upon what errand 
 the man had gone, and I saw by this, even if I had not 
 received ample proof already, that my lady was not a 
 woman to let the grass grow under her feet. Doubtless 
 she had powerful friends in London whom she trusted
 
 102 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 to interest government on her behalf. If so, I thought, 
 time alone will show whether her confidence was mis 
 placed. 
 
 For the present, at least, I held the winning cards. 
 
 From the stables I took the first broad path, and finally 
 came to the cliffs, where I stumbled upon the little path 
 which we had ascended fourteen days previously in the 
 darkness and storm. 
 
 And the longer I looked at it, the more I wondered that 
 our attempt on such a night had not ended in disaster. 
 Even by daylight it was no pleasant task to tread the 
 narrow ledge, as I discovered for myself when I essayed 
 to make the descent. No pleasant knowledge, that a 
 single slip or a momentary giddiness would precipitate 
 me into the sapphire sea, slumbering peacefully a hun 
 dred feet below. 
 
 Nevertheless, I persevered in the attempt, and in due 
 time reached the beach. 
 
 On the flat slab of rock at the bottom of the steps I 
 paused. The tide was fast coming in, and the first waves 
 were gently rocking the boat, that still lay where we 
 had before seen it, in the little bay beneath the cliff. 
 
 The sun beat fiercely down upon my head and sparkled 
 upon the crests of the waves, until the whole surface of 
 the water resembled a sea of burnished silver. Presently 
 my eyes lighted upon something that roused in me a 
 momentary curiosity. The beach, as I have previously 
 said, was composed of small, grey pebbles; but about 
 ten feet from the foot of the cliff lay a patch of hard 
 sand, some twelve feet square, its smooth, yellow sur-
 
 HOW I PLAYED KNIGHT-ERRANT 103 
 
 face showing plainer by reason of the slate-coloured 
 shingle surrounding it. How it had come in such a place 
 was beyond my imagination to fathom. 
 
 For some minutes I stood gazing over the sea; then, 
 turning, I retraced my steps, and passing idly through 
 the sunlit gardens, reached the house. 
 
 It wanted a few minutes to the hour when I entered the 
 dining hall, and I saw that my instructions had been 
 obeyed. 
 
 In the centre of the room, a table, laden with massive 
 silver plate, had been set out for three. I laid aside 
 my hat and sword and waited for my guests' appearance 
 with a heart that beat more rapidly than was its wont. 
 
 Nevertheless, it was five minutes past the hour of noon 
 when the steward appeared in the doorway. 
 
 "How is this?" I said curtly. "You carried my mes 
 sage?" 
 
 "My ladies would know if you command their pres 
 ence?" he answered slowly. 
 
 "Aye," I cried impatiently. "Command them, then, 
 in the devil's name!" 
 
 "I will not fail to give them your orders," he retorted 
 quickly, and was gone ere I could make reply. 
 
 And presently they came. 
 
 Long ere they entered the room I heard the soft rustling 
 of their gowns and the click of their heels upon the 
 polished oaken floor. The younger sister's face was 
 pale, with a certain shrinking timidity in the covert 
 glance she stole at me. My lady's face was stone, and 
 her eyes were hard and glittering. I bowed low to them
 
 104- MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 on their entering, a salute which the younger woman 
 returned with a slight acknowledgment, and which my 
 lady totally ignored. 
 
 When they had seated themselves opposite me, and 
 the steward had placed the covers upon the table, I lost 
 some of my original nervousness in fulfilling the civilities 
 of the table. And I strove to appear entirely at my ease, 
 praising the beauty of the gardens and the cooking of 
 the dishes before us. But to all my conversation nay, 
 even to direct questions, the younger woman replied only 
 in monosyllables my lady not at all. 
 
 And they made no pretence of eating what I pressed 
 upon them. Stately and still, they sat and looked at me. 
 And gradually I froze! 
 
 They could not have hit upon a better device whereby 
 to unnerve me. Minute by minute, try as I would, my 
 assumed air of assurance left me. Beneath the gaze of 
 my lady's scornful eyes, of her rigid figure and curled 
 lip that all proclaimed my presence as pollution I 
 felt the hot blood mantling to my brow, and the words 
 died stammering from my tongue. 
 
 I strove to gather courage from the wine before me, 
 and my hand was shaking. 
 
 Presently I could bear it no longer, and I pushed my 
 plate from me and rose to my feet. 
 
 "If you would prefer for the future to dine alone, 
 madam," I said sullenly, "you have my permission to do 
 so." 
 
 "I thank you for the concession, sir," my lady said 
 coldly; "which, being prisoners, we have no right to
 
 HOW I PLAYED KNIGHT-ERRANT 105 
 
 expect. Also as our jailer," she continued with bitter 
 emphasis, "is it permitted us to take our daily ride 
 alone?" 
 
 "Certainly," I answered ; though the scathing contempt 
 in her voice and eyes made me wince. "I see no reason 
 against your doing so! And believe me, madam," I 
 continued earnestly, "excepting in so far as my duty 
 here compels me, I have no desire to interfere with your 
 actions or restrain your freedom." Yet I might 
 have spared myself the confession, for without a 
 word of thanks from either of them they moved away. 
 "And one word more, madam," I continued, as 
 
 they reached the doorway; "the paper ?" and I 
 
 hesitated. 
 
 My lady turned quickly at the words. 
 
 "The paper which you stole, sir?" she said coldly. 
 
 "Which I You use a harsh phrase, madam," I 
 
 answered irrelevantly, advancing a few paces nearer 
 to her. On a sudden I was minded to prove to her that 
 she was unjust to me to shame her for her words. "I 
 had no wish," I continued in a low voice, "to use it to 
 your injury, my lady, and so " 
 
 "You can spare me further, sir !" she interrupted icily. 
 "Your insolence I can bear for the present, but not 
 your hypocrisy. That you are present here to-day is 
 insult enough to my womanhood; for the rest, I pray 
 you keep as far from me as the Limits of this house 
 permit." 
 
 For a moment I stood before her tongue tied and 
 trembling. Then :
 
 106 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 "Very well, madam," I said harshly. "As you please! 
 I was about to say that this paper is no longer in my 
 possession, but in the hands of those who will make ruth 
 less use of it should any accident befall me ! I am aware 
 that the cliffs of Cleeve are dangerous," I added mean 
 ingly ; and with a bow I went back to my seat. 
 
 But alone with my thoughts, I cursed the foolishness 
 that had led me to demand their presence, and I laid the 
 humiliation I felt at my lady's door. Bah ! 'twas a pitiful 
 little triumph, and one worthy of her ! As I recalled the 
 look that had shone in her eyes I bit my lip savagely and 
 strove with what appetite I could rally to complete my 
 meal. But the taste had gone from the dishes, the wine 
 was sour. 
 
 Presently, in sheer ill humour with things in general, 
 and with my lady in particular, I rose from the table, 
 and making my way to the stables, mounted my horse 
 and set out for the village. 
 
 Arrived there, I assembled the astonished troopers, and 
 there for an hour I drilled them in the little square before 
 the inn. And well for the knaves that they gave me no 
 offence upon which to vent my rage, for it would have 
 gone hard with the offender, whomsoever he might have 
 been. 
 
 It was whilst engaged in this duty that I became aware 
 of the clatter of a horse's hoofs approaching rapidly 
 down the village street, and looked up to meet my lady's 
 scornful eyes, a smile of disdain upon her lips. 
 
 'Twas but a moment's glimpse I gained of her, the 
 next and she had passed; but for me the pleasure had
 
 HOW I PLAYED KNIGHT-ERRANT 107 
 
 gone from my task and again my thoughts were em 
 bittered. 
 
 Accordingly I dismissed the men somewhat curtly, and 
 turning my horse's head, rode past the church in the 
 direction which my lady had taken. I went at a foot 
 pace, however, for I had no desire to overtake the woman 
 in front ; at the same time, I was minded to ride as far 
 as Cleevesborough, the tall hill rising to the south of 
 the village. To overtake her? My faith, no! Hence 
 forth I would avoid her and so follow her advice. At 
 the foot of the hill I fastened my horse to a straggling 
 thornbush and ascended the rest of the way on foot. 
 From the summit I glanced below me. 
 
 Some two miles distant my lady showed as a rapidly 
 moving speck upon the ribbon of white road that wound 
 down the valley. A mile or so beyond her I could dis 
 tinguish the upper portion of a large black-timbered 
 mansion rising above the surrounding trees. Long 
 after she had disappeared beneath the latter, I still re 
 mained upon the summit of the hill, admiring the beauty 
 of the scene. At length I descended to where I had left 
 my horse, and mounting, rode slowly down to the level 
 of the road. Arrived there, however, I determined that 
 I would not return by the way that I had come, but would 
 strike inland and make my way in a half circle back to 
 Cleeve. 
 
 With this intention I crossed the road and entered the 
 trees upon the opposite side. I found that these did not 
 continue for more than a few hundred yards, giving 
 place to a succession of little grass-grown hollows, cov-
 
 108 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 ered with sparse, brown bracken, and here and there a 
 scattered boulder breaking through the coarse turf. 
 
 In most of these depressions were pools of stagnant 
 water and patches of black bogland that required some 
 caution in avoiding, so that it was not without satisfac 
 tion that about a mile farther I came upon a path. It 
 was a mere bridle track running down the centre of the 
 hollow, and was little used, as I saw at once by the marks 
 of the hoof prints upon its surface, which were fully a 
 week old. I set my face in the direction of Cleeve, and 
 the sorrel broke into a trot. The track led from hollow 
 to hollow, some broad, some narrow, and for the most 
 part with marshy, reed-grown ground on either side. 
 
 I rode with slackened rein, my hat pressed low upon 
 my brow, and I gave myself up to my thoughts 
 thoughts in which my lady strangely mingled. 
 
 The sun beat down with almost tropical heat upon me ; 
 and what little wind there had been on the uplands above 
 was here shut out by the slopes upon either side. 
 
 How far I had proceeded thus I do not know, for lulled 
 by the rhythmic stroke of my horse's hoofs, with half- 
 closed eyes I took no account of time. 
 
 On a sudden the sorrel stopped with a jerk that all but 
 unseated me. Then he commenced to back, and I felt 
 his flanks quiver. In an instant I was alert, and I 
 searched the pathway in front with my eyes, thinking 
 perhaps some viper or creature of the bog had startled 
 him. But I could see nothing. 
 
 Slipping from the saddle, therefore, I soothed the 
 frightened animal as best I could, and glanced keenly
 
 HOW I PLAYED KNIGHT-ERRANT 109 
 
 around me. I was in a deeper depression than any I 
 had as yet traversed a circular, cup-shaped hollow, its 
 sides sloping some quarter of a mile to the ridge above. 
 In front of me stretched the path, to right and left of 
 it patches of bogland, its black surface covered with 
 slime and green water weed. 
 
 Stay, was it the path ? I bent and gazed fixedly at the 
 track before me, then, unbuckling my sword, I slowly ad 
 vanced, probing the ground in front of me. At the 
 sixth step my sword encountered no resistance. I drew 
 back with a shudder, and, despite the heat of the day, a 
 cold chill ran down my back. Again I tested the spot 
 with my sword. The green mass quivered at my touch, 
 but there was no solid ground, and in a moment the truth 
 flashed upon me. 
 
 The bog upon the right, which stretched some distance 
 up the slope, had slipped, undermining the path, which 
 at a casual glance still retained its ordinary appearance 
 by reason of the green entangled weed floating upon its 
 stagnant surface. 
 
 Never had Nature cunningly concealed a man-trap 
 more treacherous. But for my horse's sagacity I should 
 have been pah! the very thought of sinking slowly 
 beneath the noisome ooze made me shudder. I turned 
 away, and taking the bridle rein in my hand, I skirted 
 round the smaller patch of bogland on the left and re 
 gained the track beyond. 
 
 Arrived there, however, I did not at once ride forward. 
 On the contrary, I retraced my steps to the brink of the 
 bog, for I was minded to see how far the pathway was
 
 110 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 undermined. To the spot where I had stood before upon 
 the opposite side was, as near as I could judge, some 
 fifteen feet. I cast about for some means of warning 
 travellers of their danger; but there was nothing but 
 the bare hillside around me, and with a shrug I turned 
 away. After all, what concern was it of mine? Resolv 
 ing, however, for the future to take to the ridges and 
 to avoid the low-lying ground, I remounted my horse 
 and headed straight for the top of the hollow, some quar 
 ter of a mile distant. I had all but reached the summit 
 of the slope when a dull sound struck upon my ear the 
 regular thud, thud of a horse's hoofs and of a horse 
 ridden at speed. 
 
 I drew rein in idle curiosity as to who the rider might 
 be in such an unfrequented spot. Nearer and nearer 
 came the sound behind me, and a minute or so later the 
 horse and its rider flashed into sight. 
 
 It was my lady herself ! 
 
 My lady mounted on the chestnut mare that I had so 
 admired. And in a moment I understood. The green 
 track that had nearly proved fatal to me led to the 
 mansion I had seen from the summit of Cleevesborough, 
 the smooth turf forming a more pleasant bridle path 
 to the village than the dusty road. 
 
 Along this pathway my lady was sweeping at full 
 gallop, was sweeping to the death that lurked below! 
 And I hated her! 
 
 But even as the thought came to me I gathered up 
 the reins, drove in my spurs, and in a moment I was 
 thundering down the slope. Even now, though years
 
 HOW I PLAYED KNIGHT-ERRANT 111 
 
 have lapsed, how the memory of that ride comes back 
 to me! 
 
 Less than e, quarter of a mile distant, at right angles 
 to me, and somewhat nearer than I to the green pitfall 
 below, came the chestnut at full gallop, spurning the 
 ground from beneath her flying hoofs. And with a cer 
 tain shrinking of the heart I could in nowise account 
 for, moment by moment I realised that the sorrel I be 
 strode was no match for the more thoroughbred and 
 lighter weight of the animal before me. And seeing this, 
 I rose in my stirrups and shouted. It may have been 
 that my words were drowned in the thunder of our 
 galloping hoofs. It may be, seeing that it was I nay, 
 more likely, I thought bitterly, because it was I my 
 lady took no heed. And in my heart I cursed the wil- 
 fulness of this woman who would take naught from me, 
 not even words of warning. Yet this very wilfulness 
 made me but the more resolved to save her to save her 
 at all hazards! I settled myself, therefore, more firmly 
 in the saddle, and the race continued. And now less 
 than two hundred yards divided us two hundred yards 
 and the morass between. 
 
 Also, now that I was nearer, I realised that for once 
 I had done my lady an injustice, and that the animal 
 beneath her was far beyond her control. So clear, in 
 deed, was the air, so brilliant the glaring light, that I 
 could mark the chestnut's straining eyes and the white 
 foam flying from her lips aye, and I could clearly dis 
 tinguish the outline of my lady's graceful figure as she 
 rose and fell to the mare's stride could see the dainty
 
 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 head and glowing cheek, the proud, oval face, and the 
 stray tresses of golden hair escaping from beneath her 
 grey velvet riding hat. And now she was but forty 
 yards distant from the brink, and spur as I would, the 
 sorrel might do no more. 
 
 Again I rose in my stirrups. 
 
 "For God's sake, beware of the bog, madam!" I 
 shouted, pointing to the ground between us. "Turn 
 to the left! To the left!" For I saw that her only 
 chance lay in skirting round the smaller patch as I had 
 previously done. And now, indeed, despite her contempt 
 for me, something in my voice must have attracted my 
 lady's attention, and, accustomed as she was to the nature 
 of the surrounding country, her quick eyes discerned 
 her danger ; for I saw her throw her whole weight upon 
 the left rein. 
 
 But it was too late, nothing could stop the chestnut 
 now, and seeing this, my lady abandoned the attempt, 
 and arriving at the brink, she lifted the mare with her 
 hand and essayed the leap instead. 
 
 For a moment, as she rose into the air, I closed my eyes, 
 and but opened them upon hearing the dull thud with 
 which the mare alighted in safety upon the near side. 
 
 Not quite, for her hind feet striking upon the very 
 edge of the path, the soft, spongy turf gave way beneath 
 the shock, and she rolled back into the bog. 
 
 Yet my lady was safe. Even in mid air she had freed 
 her foot from the stirrup, and as the mare struck the 
 ground she sprang clear to fall, indeed, upon her hands 
 and knees on the soft turf a dozen paces distant.
 
 HOW I PLAYED KNIGHT-ERRANT 113 
 
 A moment later I reached the spot and flung myself 
 from the saddle. My lady had already regained her 
 feet. 
 
 "You are not hurt, madam ?" I cried anxiously, forget 
 ful for the moment of the hatred between us. 
 
 She did not answer me. No doubt the fall had dazed 
 her. Instead, she turned in the direction of her horse 
 and took two steps forward. But I was too quick for 
 her. 
 
 "Have a care, madam !" I cried, barring her further 
 progress. "This is no woman's task, and the ground is 
 dangerous. Trust me," I continued earnestly, "to do all 
 that is possible to save your favourite." I turned from 
 her as I spoke and made my way to the edge of the bog. 
 
 With eyes dilated with terror and blood-red nostrils 
 distended, the mare still struggled to regain her footing. 
 At no little risk to myself of being drawn into the bog, 
 I succeeded at length in laying hold of the rein, and I 
 drove my heels into the turf and exerted all my strength 
 aye, till the muscles of my back and arms cracked 
 beneath the strain in a vain endeavour to assist her 
 efforts. But though her forefeet, indeed, rested upon the 
 more solid ground, her struggles were growing fainter 
 and she was sinking rapidly. I saw that it was a ques 
 tion of moments only, and there was but one expedient. 
 Loosing hold of the rein with my right hand, I drew 
 my sword and thrust her lightly in the breast. 
 
 At the touch of the steel she gave a snort of mingled 
 pain and terror and rose from her knees. Her hoofs 
 caught, slipped upon the soft, wet turf, caught again
 
 114 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 as I threw my weight into the scale, and the next moment 
 I was on my back upon the grass, and the hollow spun 
 round me in a golden mist. 'Twas but a second or two 
 I lay there, however, for the mare's head had caught me 
 fairly in the chest and the breath was gone from my 
 body. Then I slowly rose to my feet and turned to look 
 behind me. Twenty paces away my lady stood sooth 
 ing the frightened animal, that now stood quivering 
 with terror from head to foot. 
 
 I approached her slowly, with a feeling of exultation in 
 my breast. For had I not proved my words to her and 
 succeeded? Had I not by service rendered placed her in 
 my debt? Surely I had earned this woman's gratitude, 
 and I would take it as my just reward. She did not look 
 at me as I approached. Instead, she drew a snow-white 
 kerchief from the bosom of her gown and with ostenta 
 tious care began to staunch the blood that welled from 
 the wound I had inflicted upon the mare's breast. One 
 might almost have supposed that she thought more of 
 this slight wound than if the animal itself had been en 
 gulfed. Three paces from her was a large flat boulder, 
 one of many that lay scattered upon the turf. By the 
 side of this I halted. Still she did not turn her 
 head. 
 
 Her hat had fallen back, revealing the tresses of golden 
 tair straying in wild disorder upon her neck. I had 
 leisure to observe more closely the exquisite symmetry of 
 her figure, displayed as it was to its best advantage by 
 the tight-fitting riding coat she wore. 
 
 Peeling, I suppose, my eyes upon her, she deliberately
 
 HOW I PLAYED KNIGHT-ERRANT 115 
 
 turned her back on me and continued her task as before. 
 I waited two three minutes, still she did not speak. 
 
 "Am I to have no thanks, madam?" I said at length in 
 a low voice. 
 
 "It was a praiseworthy action," she answered icily ; 
 "and as such doubtless carries its own reward." 
 
 On a sudden my exultation vanished at her words. It 
 was borne in on me that she would rather have been 
 beholden to the meanest beggar upon the road than to me. 
 Yet I would not be discouraged so easily. Again I broke 
 the silence: 
 
 "I do not think that the animal is much hurt, madam," 
 I said humbly. " 'Tis but a flesh wound at most. Never 
 theless, in case of further mishap, may I be permitted to 
 return with you?" 
 
 And then indeed she looked at me. 
 
 "The road is public property, I believe, sir!" she re 
 plied in the same icy tone. "And I cannot prevent you, 
 if you force your presence on me. But if you were any 
 thing but what you are if you laid any pretence to 
 being a gentleman, you would spare me the loathing of 
 your company!" 
 
 I fell back then, indeed, as if she had struck me, and 
 without a word in reply I returned slowly to the sorrel's 
 side and made pretence of tightening the girths with 
 fingers that were trembling. 
 
 This was her gratitude ! This my reward ! Yet I con 
 soled myself with the thought that even yet she would be 
 obliged to seek my assistance in remounting, and I deter 
 mined that I would not be the one to again make advances.
 
 116 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 But I did not know my lady, nor had I taken into con 
 sideration the fact of the boulders scattered plentifully 
 around. 
 
 As with my back to her I fumbled at my saddle, I 
 heard the mare's footsteps receding; and, turning 
 sharply, was in time to see her ladyship move slowly 
 away. 
 
 Erect in the saddle, with never a backward glance, she 
 urged the mare into a canter, breasted the green slope, 
 disappeared, and left me there in the sunlit hollow 
 alone !
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 OF CERTAIN PASSAGES IN THE ROSE GARDEN 
 
 NEITHER that day nor the following one did I again see 
 my lady. And if I yet retained some lingering hope of 
 her relenting in her old attitude towards me, I was 
 doomed to be disappointed. 
 
 Nevertheless, in pursuance of my duties many a visit I 
 paid to solitary farms and to the houses of the gentry 
 scattered along the coast; at some to meet with the re 
 spect which my uniform and the nature of my errand 
 warranted; at others and these for the most part be 
 longing to Catholic gentlemen to encounter an ill-con 
 cealed hostility that sufficiently testified with whom their 
 sympathies rested. And everywhere I found the same 
 brooding spirit of alarm and discontent. The whole 
 country was on the tiptoe of expectation. Rumours of 
 William's defeat and death were freely circulated by 
 James's infatuated followers. Scarcely a fisherman 
 upon the coast but who woke fully expecting to see a 
 French army drawn up upon the shore. Indeed, through 
 out all the western counties the Jacobites were secretly 
 arming, awaiting but the success of the Stuart cause 
 in Ireland to kindle anew the flames of civil war. 
 
 Such was the condition of England in this, the month of 
 June, 1690. 'Twas some ten days after the incident in 
 the hollow that I again had speech of my lady. Intelli-
 
 118 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 gence had reached me of a rumoured landing of arms in 
 the neighbourhood of Teignmouth. Leaving De Brito, 
 therefore, and twenty men to guard the village, with the 
 remaining two-score troopers at my heels, I set out north 
 wards. Whether, for once, rumour had lied, or whether 
 the Jacobites had got wind of our presence I do not 
 know ; but certain it is that though we lay all that day 
 and the next concealed in a beech wood near to the town 
 nothing occurred, nor did we see any sign of a vessel off 
 the coast. 
 
 On the third day, therefore, empty handed, we returned 
 to Cleeve. It was evening, when, dismissing the troopers 
 at the entrance gates, I rode up to the manor. 
 
 Seldom, I think, in all my wanderings have I witnessed 
 a more lovely night. Behind the torrs, in a golden glory 
 the sun was sinking to its rest, gilding the foliage of 
 the oaks with a dozen varying shades of orange, pink 
 and purple, and in the light of which the house before 
 me stood refulgent, as if 'twas bathed in lambent flame. 
 
 I rode slowly to the stables, and having seen my horse 
 safely stalled, I passed by way of the terrace to the 
 house. 
 
 The doors and windows stood wide open, for 'twas a 
 warm June night and the smoke curled lazily from the 
 tall chimneys into the still evening air ; but there was no 
 other sign of life about it, and I entered and made my 
 way to the dining hall without encountering any one. 
 
 Here indeed, though I met with the same solitude, I 
 found a cold collation upon the oaken table, to the which 
 I readily applied myself, wondering the while at the
 
 PASSAGES IN THE ROSE GARDEN 119 
 
 silence of the house and half wishing such is man's in 
 consistency for their ladyships' presence. Once, my 
 eyes travelling through the open window, rested upon the 
 figure of a woman passing swiftly down one of the ter 
 race walks. But the distance and the gathering dusk left 
 me uncertain as to whether it was my lady or no. 
 
 Presently I rose and sauntered slowly through the gar 
 dens to the cliffs ; and here, upon the highest point, I 
 flung myself upon the grass and gazed in genuine ad 
 miration upon the scene. 
 
 Long I lay there watching the lights spring up, one 
 by one, in the village below me, until the crimson glow 
 faded from the fleecy clouds above; then at last I rose 
 and slowly retraced my steps. As I passed through the 
 misty, scented gardens, idly culling the roses that lined 
 the pathway on either side, the bats were fluttering 
 around me on their silent wings, and faintly in the deep 
 ening dusk came the hoot of wandering owls. Somewhere 
 in the trees around the house a nightingale poured forth 
 its flood of song, as slowly upon the quiet landscape fell 
 the peaceful stillness of the summer night. 
 
 Presently I saw upon my right a green arch of yew, 
 and passing beneath this, I came upon a spot the like 
 of which I have never seen to equal. Surely, I told my 
 self, this is my lady's garden, and one well worthy to 
 match with her in point of loveliness. For it was a 
 veritable bower of roses a smooth stretch of green 
 lawn, interspersed with beds of flowers of every con 
 ceivable shade of colour. The thick yew hedge en 
 closing it was cut in the stiff and formal manner of the
 
 120 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 Dutch, a fashion brought with William from the The 
 Hague. In the centre stood a white marble fountain, 
 the jet from which fell with a pleasant plash into the 
 wide basin beneath. One side of this enclosure was fenced 
 by the low stone wall that ran above the moat, and facing 
 me, another leafy arch gave entrance to the terrace walk 
 beyond. Yet it was not admiration for the scene before 
 me that brought me to a sudden halt and caused my 
 heart to quicken its pulsations ; for upon the broad 
 steps at the fountain foot a woman was seated with a can 
 vas in her hand, a brush and palette at her side. At 
 the sound of my footsteps she turned her head, and I 
 saw that it was my lady's sister, Mistress Grace. 
 
 "Captain Cassilis," she said with a winning smile, "saw 
 you ever a more lovely night ? Alas ! I fear that my poor 
 efforts fall far short of the reality. But you shall judge, 
 sir, of their merits for yourself." And she held the can 
 vas out to me. 
 
 For a moment I stared at her in sheer astonishment. 
 Then with a beating heart I took the canvas in my hand ; 
 for although she had not shown the same hostility 
 towards me that my lady had done, yet never before had 
 she addressed me of her own free will. 
 
 "You will let me see it?" I said humbly. 
 
 "You have been a great traveller, I believe, sir," she 
 answered ; "and therefore your opinion should carry 
 weight. 
 
 "But you do not speak !" I held the painting from me, 
 the better to observe it; though had it been the finest 
 masterpiece that Rome or Florence could produce, I
 
 PASSAGES IN THE ROSE GARDEN 
 
 doubt if in that moment I had marked its beauty; for 
 my head was in a whirl. Was the barrier between myself 
 and these women to be broken down at last ? 
 
 "Madam," I replied hastily, "to say that it is beautiful, 
 is only " 
 
 "To flatter me !" she interrupted quickly, as I hesitated, 
 racking my brains for a phrase she might not deem ex 
 travagant. "And," she continued lightly, "is it your cus 
 tom, sir, to judge of a picture's excellence upside 
 down?" 
 
 "Madam," I stammered in utter confusion, "I crave 
 your pardon " 
 
 "Fie, sir!" she continued, smiling. "Do you not know 
 that to wound a woman's vanity is to make an enemy for 
 life? And I had inferred," she continued in the same 
 tone of raillery, glancing at the roses in my hand, "that 
 you were a lover of Nature yourself." 
 
 "If, madam," I said hesitatingly, "you would permit me 
 in some slight measure to retrieve my unfortunate error, 
 and would so far honour me as to accept this humble 
 tribute of my regret " 
 
 "I love flowers," she said simply, taking my proffered 
 gift and raising it to her face, perhaps to hide her 
 heightened colour. 
 
 "And I also," I replied, looking down at her slight, 
 girlish figure, as with deft fingers she rearranged the 
 roses in her lap. "For to one fresh from the reeking 
 kennels of London, where pestilence stalks hand in hand 
 with crime, this old world garden where you live comes 
 as a glimpse of Eden."
 
 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 "Yet I have read, sir," she said impulsively, "that every 
 Eden has its " 
 
 She broke off abruptly without finishing the sentence; 
 and even in the dusk I saw the warm blood mantle to her 
 brow. 
 
 "Its serpent, you would say," I said quietly, reading 
 her thoughts ; "aye, madam ?" 
 
 For a moment or two there was silence a silence broken 
 only by the soft sound of the falling water and the voices 
 of the night. I glanced at the woman before me and 
 my heart sank. What a gulf there was between her life 
 and mine! 
 
 Presently she spoke. 
 
 "It was a thoughtless speech," she said in a 
 low voice. "I pray you forget my hasty words." 
 
 Again there was silence between us. But the memory 
 of my errand in this place, of my lady's open scorn, and 
 of the haunting feeling of unrest that I had previously 
 felt recurred to me again with double force. 
 
 "You, at least, do not hate me, madam," I said bitterly, 
 leaning upon the marble basin and gazing into the water 
 below. 
 
 "It may be that I have not my sister's pride," she an 
 swered slowly, "or it may be that my nature is not 
 formed for hatred. And then " she continued, bending 
 lower over the flowers, so that I could not see her face. 
 
 "Yes, madam?" I said inquiringly, as she paused. 
 
 "Forgive me if I am wrong," she replied; "but I do 
 not think that you are happy here." 
 
 "Happy?" I cried, startled out of my self-control.
 
 PASSAGES IN THE ROSE GARDEN 123 
 
 "God knows that I am not ! Do you imagine that I have 
 no feeling? That it is pleasant for me to be shunned as 
 if I were a leper unfit for human ken? But for your 
 kindly speech of me to-night, since first I came to Cleeve 
 I have encountered naught save contumely and cruel 
 words. Yet I would remind you, madam, that another in 
 my place might not have dealt with you so leniently." 
 
 In the silence that followed on my words a silence 
 in which the woman before me rose to her feet, and, lay 
 ing the flowers that I had given her upon the fountain 
 rim, stooped to collect her scattered colours a quick step 
 sounded on the terrace walk, and my lady's figure ap 
 peared beneath the arch of yew. 
 
 "Why, Gracie?" she cried gaily. The fountain was 
 between us she had not discerned my presence. "I 
 have been seeking everywhere for you ! And what is 
 this?" she continued, catching sight of the flowers, and 
 raising them to inhale their fragrant odour. "Roses? 
 Ah, now I understand! Cousin Rupert has been here, 
 and the painting, I fear me, was but a pretext !" 
 
 "Indeed but you are wrong!" Mistress Grace replied 
 with pretty confusion. "It was this gentleman who gave 
 them to me !" 
 
 At her words I stepped aside, and my lady and I were 
 face to face. It sent a swift pang to my heart to see 
 the sudden change upon her face. A moment before she 
 had been gay and smiling, but now, at sight of me the 
 smile was frozen on her lips, and the hand in which she 
 held the flowers fell to her side again. For it may be 
 twenty seconds thus we stood, her eyes hardening with
 
 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 the pride I knew so well. Then she spoke. "It was 
 kind indeed of Captain Cassilis to give us of our own," 
 she said coldly. "But in the house yonder there are of 
 flowers enough and yet to spare. And for your com 
 passion, sir, toward our fallen state, it may follow 
 these !" 
 
 She had been standing near to the wall that ran above 
 the moat, and now, suiting the action to her words, she 
 tossed the roses contemptuously into the black water 
 below. 
 
 "Come, Gracie," she added, turning on her heel. 
 
 In a few strides I had barred her further progress. 
 
 "One moment, madam," I said hoarsely; "I desire a 
 word with you." 
 
 "The desire is not reciprocal, sir," she answered icily. 
 "Permit me to pass." 
 
 "Not until you have heard me, madam," I cried des 
 perately. "Even the greatest of criminals can claim 
 so much right." 
 
 "In that case," she replied with bitter irony, "your 
 claim is indisputable. Say on, sir. We are but two un 
 armed women here." 
 
 For a moment, speechless, I stared at her, with the hot 
 blood flushing to my face. How this woman hated me ! 
 
 "Well, sir," she cried impatiently, "have you nothing 
 to say? No further insults for your prisoners?" 
 
 "Madam, madam !" I burst out passionately, "what have 
 I done to you that you should hate me so ?" 
 
 "Hate you?" she answered slowly, gazing at me with 
 hard, cruel eyes. "I think that you mistake me, sir.
 
 PASSAGES IN THE ROSE GARDEN 125 
 You are too mean, too base a thing to hate. I loathe 
 
 And as with bent head, to hide the pain her words 
 caused me, I stood aside, without further notice, save, 
 indeed, one pitying glance from Mistress Grace, they 
 passed me by, and I heard their footsteps die away into 
 the night. 
 
 Long I remained where they had left me, my brain a 
 chaos, a tumult in my breast. The song of the night 
 ingale still quivered on the peaceful air, and the moon 
 rose high in the heavens, silvering the tops of the sur 
 rounding oaks and flinging the shadows of their twisted 
 boles upon the grass. Yet still I lingered by the foun 
 tain, in no wise conscious of the flight of time, whilst the 
 very leaves, whispering to the passing breeze, seemed but 
 to mock me with the echo of my lady's words. Presently 
 my brain grew clearer. What was this woman to me that 
 I should imagine that her words could wound me? Or 
 what concern of mine the opinion that she held of me? 
 'Twas but a week or two at most, and Cleeve, its fortunes, 
 and its mistress would but linger in my memory a van 
 ished dream. Or, at the most, the vision of my lady 
 would shine athwart the pathway of my chequered life, 
 like as a radiant star above my head shot suddenly across 
 the lighted heavens and vanished in illimitable space. 
 
 With a grim smile and a firm step I made my way to the 
 house. Arrived in the hall, however, a surprise awaited 
 me. Within the main entrance, seeming to fill the door 
 way, and conversing with my lady in low tones, stood the 
 formidable figure of Sampson Dare.
 
 126 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 The actual words I could not catch, but of the failure 
 of his mission I could readily guess, both by his dejected 
 face and also by the fact that at the sound of my footstep 
 my lady turned swiftly away, and with bent head and 
 averted face passed up the oaken stair. When the last 
 rustle of her skirts had died away I slowly crossed the 
 hall. 
 
 "Well, my friend," I said, addressing the giant before 
 me, not wisely, I admit, "what news of London?" 
 
 He scowled at me for a moment without speaking, then 
 bending suddenly, he thrust his face within a foot of 
 mine, and I felt his hot breath on my cheek. 
 
 "Hark you !" he growled hoarsely, opening and shut 
 ting his great hands, "but for my orders I would twist 
 your neck and think no more of it than if I killed a rat !" 
 
 "Tush, man !" I made answer, meeting his gaze firmly, 
 though I confess I was considerably startled at his 
 words, for well I knew that once within his iron grip, 
 the man had strength to carry out his threat, "and 
 bring the troopers down upon the house? You should 
 best know in that case what consideration your mistress 
 would be like to meet with at their hands. No, no," I 
 continued coolly, twisting my moustaches, "I give you 
 credit for more sense than that, unless, indeed, your 
 body's growth has dwarfed your brain." 
 
 His face had fallen at my words. I suppose he saw 
 their wisdom, but he still regarded me with a look of vin 
 dictive hatred. 
 
 "So you shelter yourself behind the women, do 
 you?" he said at length. "Very well, Master Chicken-
 
 PASSAGES IN THE ROSE GARDEN 127 
 
 heart ! Only, should it happen that they cannot shield 
 you " 
 
 "In that event, my friend," I answered, lightly tap 
 ping the butt of the pistol in my sash, "the bigger the 
 bulk, the easier the mark. You understand?" And with 
 out further words I left him. But that night on retir 
 ing to my chamber, for the first time I took the precau 
 tion of sounding all the walls and flooring with my 
 sword, and having assured myself as to the non-existence 
 of a secret entrance, I placed my sword and pistols within 
 easy reach of my hand ; for with so resolute a man now 
 at her bidding, I was by no means certain that my lady 
 might not attempt some desperate scheme against me. 
 Nay, as I stood at the open window gazing across the 
 woods to where the moonlight fell upon the old church 
 tower and the slumbering hamlet below, I was minded 
 for the moment to transfer my quarters to the village 
 inn. But shame at such a course kept me to my post, 
 and I flung myself at last upon my couch, conscious that 
 the day had brought to me another formidable antago 
 nist, a relentless foe. 
 
 Under the circumstances, therefore, it is not to be won 
 dered at that I slept but ill, or that it was with a dis 
 tinct feeling of relief I awoke from a troubled slumber 
 to hear the distant clock upon the church strike five. 
 
 I sprang from my couch and set the window wide. By 
 my faith! 'twas a morning to put heart in any man. 
 The fresh sea breeze stole softly through the casement, 
 fragrant with the scent of opening flowers. Overhead a 
 few fleecy clouds drifted idly beneath a dome of deepest
 
 128 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 blue, whilst in the gardens below me, flooded by the sum 
 mer sunshine, gorgeous butterflies on painted wings 
 flitted above the dew-bespangled grass. 
 
 As, lost in thought, I leaned upon the sill, the fancy for" 
 a swim in the distant, murmuring sea commended itself 
 so strongly to my mind that, hastily dressing, I took my 
 sheathed sword beneath my arm and descended the stairs. 
 No one was as yet abroad, and all was silent in the house 
 when I quietly unbarred the outer door and stepped upon 
 the terrace. And now that I was in the open air, my 
 courage, that had somewhat waned the night before, re 
 turned to me. I laughed at the fears that then had power 
 to shake me, and I told myself with a thrill of pardonable 
 pride that over all this fair domain and that which it con 
 tained I was the master, and would prove my power. But 
 on arrival at the cliffs my exultation suffered a sudden 
 check, for I had scarcely set foot upon the narrow path 
 when my eyes, travelling to the beach below, fell upon 
 that which caused me to fling myself down upon the grass 
 and to peer cautiously over the edge of the cliff ; for in 
 the little bay beneath, a boat, urged by a single pair of 
 oars, was rapidly approaching to the land. Presently 
 it grounded on the shingle, and in the solitary occupant 
 who sprang ashore I recognised the figure of Sampson 
 Dare. He beached the boat high and dry above the re 
 ceding tide, and, stooping, took from thence a lantern 
 and a cloak. This done, he straightened his back, and, 
 unconscious of the watcher overhead, shading his eyes, 
 stood looking out to sea. What in the name of mystery 
 was the man doing here here at this early hour, with a
 
 PASSAGES IN THE ROSE GARDEN 129 
 
 lantern in his hand? Clearly, the very fact of this 
 proved that he had been out all night. Yet for what 
 was he watching now? Or what did the man expect? 
 
 And suddenly the answer came, for the thick haze that 
 had hitherto hung upon the surface of the water was 
 rapidly dissipating beneath the sun's increasing power, 
 and as with its disappearance the prospect widened, 
 away out at sea, some two miles distant, I caught sight 
 of the dark hull of a small vessel with a cloud of white 
 canvas above, looking for all the world like some great 
 seabird riding on the wave. 
 
 Short time had I to note her appearance, however, for 
 even as I gazed the helm swung round, and heading for 
 the open sea, she vanished in the golden mist beyond. 
 
 Not till then did the figure of the man below me turn 
 and with a quick step ascend the beach. And seeing this, 
 I quickly withdrew, concealing myself among the shrubs, 
 where I could command both a view of the path by which 
 he must come and also of the house itself, and setting my 
 self to wait for what should follow. 
 
 And presently my patience was rewarded, for on arriv 
 ing within sight of the house, at the beginning of the 
 sloping lawns, he came to a sudden halt, and after closely 
 scanning its windows, fell to pacing up and down the 
 grass. Nor had he long to wait before the door by 
 which I had left the house suddenly opened and my lady 
 herself stepped forth into the light. 
 
 At sight of her the man again advanced, and they met 
 upon the little bridge above the moat, that, as it were, 
 divided all the gardens from the house.
 
 130 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 What my lady was saying to him, or that the fact of the 
 door being unbolted had caused her some uneasiness, I 
 could not but shrewdly guess; for they both turned to 
 look up at my open window. And I saw the big man lay 
 his hand upon the long rapier at his side with a gesture 
 that boded ill for me should my presence be discovered, 
 and set me crouching closer in the bushes, cursing my 
 scarlet coat and heavy military boots that compelled me 
 to remain in my concealment, from which I could neither 
 advance nor retreat. Yet the entrance to the rose garden 
 lay but some dozen feet away; if, I thought, as they 
 turned once more and came towards the place where I lay, 
 that was their goal, then surely my ears were keen 
 enough to give me the key to this mystery. That it was 
 a plot with which my fate was somehow connected I did 
 not doubt ; the presence of the vessel alone confirmed my 
 opinion, and I awaited with a beating heart for their ap 
 proach. 
 
 But again, I confess, I did not know my lady, and I 
 could not but admire her caution, for when within thirty 
 feet of where I lay, on a sudden she turned sharply aside, 
 and leading the way to the very centre of the open lawns, 
 careless of whether I should see them together, they 
 sauntered slowly up and down in earnest conversation. 
 Of the nature of this latter I could only guess, but in the 
 added sparkle of my lady's eye, in the prouder poise of 
 her lovely head, I read all the signs of a settled purpose, 
 of indomitable will. 
 
 They parted eventually at the little bridge, the big 
 man evidently receiving some instructions, for he nodded
 
 PASSAGES IN THE ROSE GARDEN 131 
 
 repeatedly, and strode off in the direction of the 
 stables. 
 
 After he had disappeared my lady still remained lean 
 ing, lost in thought, against the low stone parapet. But 
 if, as I now believe, she had a suspicion of my presence 
 near, why then 'twas well conceived, for while she was 
 "there I dared not move, and thus the time was gained for 
 Sampson Dare to speed upon his errand. 
 
 Twas full five minutes ere she roused herself, and then, 
 with a searching glance over the sunny gardens, turning 
 on her heel, she walked slowly to the house. 
 
 It was not until the door had closed upon her that I 
 ventured from my hiding place, and stealthily making a 
 wide detour, for I would not have her deem that I had 
 played the spy, came out upon the avenue before the 
 house. Passing thence to the stables, I found my sus 
 picions considerably strengthened, for Sampson Dare 
 was nowhere to be seen, and the powerful grey that he 
 bestrode was missing from its stall. 
 
 But if the events of the morning left me in some per 
 plexity, they left me also alert and on my guard to 'face 
 the threatened danger, and I returned slowly to the 
 house, fully determined to probe the secret to its core. 
 I spent the morning, therefore, in hanging about the 
 house and stables, seeking for something that would 
 enable me to form a clue. But nothing occurred, nor did 
 Sampson Dare again return, and reluctantly I owned 
 myself completely baffled. 
 
 Towards noon, grown weary of inactivity, I mounted 
 my horse with the intention of riding to the village, but
 
 132 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 I had got no further than the gates of the manor when 
 I was startled by the sound of a cavalry trumpet echoing 
 amongst the torrs. 
 
 Shading my eyes with my hand, I gazed down the 
 valley. Upon the winding road from Exeter, and still 
 some two miles distant, I saw the scarlet coats and glitter 
 ing accoutrements of a regiment of horse upon the 
 march. And upon the leading files approaching nearer, 
 I was no less surprised to recognise my own comrades 
 of the Tangier Horse. At the sight I turned the sorrel's 
 head, drove in my spurs, and rode down to meet the 
 approaching column. I received a hearty welcome from 
 my fellow-officers, and a few minutes later I was riding 
 side by side with Colonel Savage, a man as much disliked 
 and feared as was the brutal Kirke himself. 
 
 In answer to the questions that he put to me, I gave 
 him a brief account of my adventures, omitting much, 
 however, relating to my lady; for the coarse jests of the 
 men around me upon the nature of my present duty 
 grated with an unwonted distaste upon my ear. 
 
 Yet these were the men with whom I had been content 
 to ruffle it with the best nay, even to be looked upon as 
 a sort of leader, on the reputation of my swordsman 
 ship. I, a gentleman of family! At the thought a 
 sudden rush of shame pervaded me. 
 
 "So this is Cleeve," the colonel said abruptly. We had 
 reached the entrance gates. "I would I had the harrying 
 of yonder dove cot. But that my orders to advance admit 
 of no delay I would visit it as in the days of '88." 
 
 'Twas my turn now to do the questioning, and in reply
 
 PASSAGES IN THE ROSE GARDEN 133 
 
 he told me they were bound for Plymouth, whither every 
 soldier in the county was being hurried, since the French 
 fleet, under Tourville, was hovering off the coast and a 
 descent upon the town was daily expected. Also, that in 
 Ireland affairs had reached a crisis. William, with an 
 army of not less than thirty thousand men, was in full 
 march southwards ; whilst James had retreated from his 
 camp at Dundalk and thrown himself into Drogheda. It 
 was expected that a battle would be fought in the im 
 mediate vicinity of Dublin. 
 
 All this and more for of the doings of the outer world 
 I had but scanty news he told me as we rode ; so that it 
 was with surprise I found that we had reached the out 
 skirts of the village. A deep frown gathered on the 
 colonel's face as at our appearance the troopers hastened 
 from the houses. 
 
 "The rogues grow lazy," he said grimly. "I will 
 promise them no lack of work between here and 
 Plymouth." 
 
 "Plymouth?" I said inquiringly. 
 
 "Aye," he answered quickly. "Do you suppose that I 
 can leave three-score troopers rotting here when every 
 man is needed in the south?" 
 
 "But " I began in some dismay. 
 
 "There is no 'but' about it," he said impatiently. "My 
 orders are strict. Nevertheless, I will strain a point in 
 your favour. You shall have a dozen men." 
 
 "A dozen men?" I cried incredulously "a dozen men 
 to guard this place?" 
 
 "And that is ten too many," he replied. "What? Are
 
 134 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 you afraid of a set of country clodpoles, who could not 
 tell a sabre from a scythe?" 
 
 "Yet even a scythe may form a dangerous weapon, as 
 Sedgemoor proved," I said tartly. 
 
 "Bah !" he replied contemptuously. We were dismount 
 ing in the courtyard of the inn as he spoke. " 'Tis not 
 like you, Cassilis, to reckon odds. A pity, indeed, if a 
 dozen men cannot order a parcel of beer-swilling clowns, 
 who would scuttle to their burrows fast enough at the 
 snapping of a pistol. But who the devil have we here ?" 
 
 I looked up quickly at the words. We were approach 
 ing the steps in a body when the door of the inn suddenly 
 opened and a man came hastily out. 
 
 He was dressed in riding costume, and as he halted in 
 surprise at sight of us, I saw that it was the young 
 baronet, my lady's cousin. 
 
 "Permit me, colonel," I said, stepping forward, "to 
 bring to your acquaintance Sir Rupert Courtenay, of 
 Clevedon Hall." 
 
 "Courtenay?" said the colonel, frowning. "I knew a 
 Courtenay years ago in Flanders." 
 
 "My father fell at Teneffe," the young baronet replied 
 with visible impatience. 
 
 "What?" cried the other heartily. "You are the son 
 of Richard Courtenay 'Fighting Dick* we called him 
 my old comrade in arms? The most rampant Papist 
 and prince of good fellows that ever drew sword from 
 Bcabbard. Aye, aye ! I can trace the likeness now. But 
 'tis no place for discussion, this. You will join us 
 within."
 
 PASSAGES IN THE ROSE GARDEN 135 
 
 "Your pardon," stammered the young man, who, I could 
 not help seeing, was considerably embarrassed at his 
 words, "but there is an appointment " 
 
 "With a woman, I'll warrant," the colonel said quickly ; 
 then noticing the flush upon the other's face: "Tchut! 
 women will keep. And I will even hold you my prisoner 
 for the time and so preserve you from temptation. Nay, 
 I will take no denial, sir," he continued peremptorily. 
 "You shall share the honours of our table, and we will 
 crack a bottle to your father's memory." 
 
 Accordingly the whole party followed them to the inn 
 parlour, whither the landlord was speedily summoned to 
 attend their wants. But as for me, in the confusion 
 caused by our arrival I passed unnoticed from the room 
 and left the inn.
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 OF THE DUEL IN THE WOOD 
 
 ONCE, however, in the open air I paused; and then, 
 with no fixed intention in my mind, I slowly crossed the 
 yard and peered in at the open stable ; and here, indeed, 
 a surprise awaited me, for a horse, which I recognized as 
 belonging to the young baronet, and upon which he had 
 twice visited the manor, was standing unsaddled in the 
 nearest stall. 
 
 Wrapped in thought, I stood staring at the animal be 
 fore me. From the inn came a confused babel of voices, 
 the clatter ofcrockery, the clink of cups, and now and 
 again a burst of laughter. But to all this I gave no heed, 
 for my brain was thinking deeply. What was Sir 
 Rupert Court enay doing here? And, seeing that he 
 lived but some three miles distant, for Cleveden Hall was 
 the old mansion I had seen from the summit of Cleeves- 
 borough nestling in the trees, what purpose could he 
 have in putting up his horse at the village inn ? That he 
 was bound for the manor I did not doubt. But would 
 any man forsake his horse at the village to walk the 
 remainder of the way on foot? The idea was preposter 
 ous. And then I remembered his confusion at the 
 colonel's words, and the appointment he had mentioned, 
 and a sudden light broke on me, and all was plain. He 
 had come to meet my lady, was in her confidence, a
 
 OF THE DUEL IN THE WOOD 137 
 
 sharer of her schemes! Dolt that I was, not to have 
 thought of it before ! He had come to meet my lady 
 but where? 
 
 A few moments thought, and it flashed upon me like an 
 inspiration. 
 
 At the beginning of the village, where the parkland sur 
 rounding the manor ceased and the first scattered houses 
 of the street began, parallel with the road, a narrow 
 winding path ran through the woods. I had stumbled 
 upon it by accident when first I came to Cleeve, and 
 though I fancied it was seldom used, save by the ser 
 vants of the manor in their errands to and from the vil 
 lage, 'twas an ideal spot, I vow, in which to hold a tryst. 
 Aye, and as the memory of it grew upon me the very spot 
 itself was mirrored clear before my eyes. 
 
 At one place in the wood, where the pathway widened to 
 an open clearing, a little rustic bridge was thrown across 
 a stream. 'Twas here, if anywhere, that they were like 
 to meet. If only I could make my way to this spot unper- 
 ceived and conceal myself in the vicinity, it was more 
 than likely that I should learn the meaning of these 
 mysteries. True, 'twas not an honourable part to play 
 eavesdropper, but I consoled myself for what misgivings 
 I had upon the subject with the thought that all was fair 
 in war, and that if the part was thus forced upon me, 
 why, 'twas my lady herself who was to blame for it. 
 
 With my resolution formed, I roused myself for action. 
 I knew that for the execution of my project I had time 
 to spare, for I was well assured, however urgent were 
 his orders to advance, the colonel would not yet release
 
 138 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 his guest. Accordingly, unnoticed by any one within, I 
 passed across the yard and gained the village street, 
 threading my way between groups of men and horses, 
 until I stumbled at length upon the man I sought, the 
 one-eyed sergeant of my troop, and to him I gave in 
 structions to secure my horse and to choose a dozen men 
 on whom he could rely, and with these, upon the regi 
 ment's departure, to take possession of the inn and to 
 await my further orders. 
 
 He saluted in return, and I watched his burly figure 
 go clanking down the street. Then satisfied that I had 
 at least one tried and cunning soldier to uphold me, I 
 continued on my way. 
 
 When I had left the village behind me and had reached 
 the woods, I turned sharply to the right, and at a dis 
 tance of some two hundred yards from the road I came to 
 the entrance of the little path. As I stepped into the 
 cool shadow of the trees, I paused irresolutely, as a sud 
 den thought struck me. What if it was not my lady he 
 had come to meet, but Mistress Grace ! I had seen 
 enough with my own eyes to convince me that there was 
 a warmer feeling existing between them than mere 
 cousinly affection. Was all my cunning scheme to end 
 in witnessing a lover's meeting? 
 
 Almost I had persuaded myself that this was indeed 
 the case, and I was strongly tempted to retrace my steps. 
 But the memory of the dark, mysterious vessel I had seen 
 deterred me from my purpose, and again I set my face 
 resolutely towards the house, and at the next turning 
 in the path I came upon something by which my ardour
 
 OF THE DUEL IN THE WOOD 139 
 
 was considerably stimulated, for fluttering from a 
 thorn bush beside the track was a shred of scarlet 
 cloth. 
 
 I took this tell-tale witness in my hand and closely ex 
 amined it. It was of the same material as the coat I 
 wore, and had been but recently torn from its wearer, for 
 now that I gazed about me, my suspicions roused, in a 
 patch of moist turf at my feet I saw the fresh print of a 
 man's spurred heel. I gazed eagerly ahead; but the 
 pathway so wound and twisted that I could not see a 
 dozen feet before me only the hot sun slanted through 
 the leaves above and fell upon the thickets of brier, and 
 bush and bracken that walled me in on either side with a 
 hedge of emerald green. 
 
 I listened, but no sound reached my ear save the hum of 
 insect life around me and the sough of the wind in the 
 whispering trees. Yet who was the man who had re 
 cently passed along this path? And why should a 
 trooper be wandering in the woods ? 
 
 The more I thought of this, the more it puzzled me. I 
 could hazard no conjecture as to the man's identity, still 
 less as to his purpose. Only, with a growing uneasiness, 
 I loosened my sword in its sheath and advanced more 
 cautiously, searching the bushes on either side. 
 
 It may have been for some quarter of a mile I had pro 
 ceeded thus when, upon drawing near to the little clear 
 ing, on a sudden I heard the sound of a man's deep voice 
 and a woman's startled cry. 
 
 At the sound I slipped amongst the bushes on my left, 
 and forcing my way through their tangled growth, at
 
 140 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 the turning of the path I parted the leafy screen before 
 me and gazed across the little clearing. 
 
 Two figures met my eyes. In the woman standing with 
 her back to me I had no difficulty in recognising my lady ; 
 but, dazzled by the sunlight, I was forced to look twice 
 at the man who faced her at the head of the bridge, bar 
 ring her progress the man dressed in the uniform of 
 the Tangier Horse ere I clearly perceived his features. 
 It was De Brito ! 
 
 De Brito ! The sight of him came as a revelation to me. 
 For at once I remembered that I had not seen him at the 
 village when the regiment rode in, though in the incidents 
 following our arrival this fact had escaped my memory. 
 But the explanation of his presence in the manor woods I 
 had yet to learn, and I bent my attention on the scene be 
 fore me. 
 
 What had already passed between them I could 
 only guess, but my lady was now speaking. 
 
 "Are you aware, sir, that this is private ground?" she 
 said clearly. 
 
 "Private ?" De Brito answered mockingly. "Aye, aye ! 
 A sweet spot for a meeting. But seeing that the recreant 
 lover is but a laggard, why, you should thank me, mis 
 tress, that I am here to take his place." 
 
 "Whoever you may be I do not know," my lady an 
 swered, her figure trembling with surprise and passion, 
 "but be assured of this, your insolence to me shall not 
 go long unpunished. And now, stand aside." 
 
 "Oho ! you think to frighten me with fine words, do you, 
 madam?" he sneered, his evil smile replaced by an ugly
 
 OF THE DUEL IN THE WOOD 141 
 
 frown. "Not so fast, my dainty dove ; you came hither 
 for your own pleasure, you will remain awhile for mine." 
 
 "Let me pass," my lady replied, advancing boldly 
 towards him. 
 
 But she had mistaken her man. Instead of giving place 
 to her, he took two steps forward and gripped her wrists. 
 
 "You shall pass fast enough, mistress," he said roughly, 
 "but first I will even take toll of those ripe lips ; for 
 who passes, pays." And despite her struggles he strove 
 to draw her towards him. Up till now I had remained 
 a silent spectator of the scene; nay, I had even felt a 
 thrill of satisfaction that my lady should see that not 
 every one would treat her with the same forbearance that 
 I had shown towards her; but when he laid hands upon 
 her a sudden flame of anger took possession of me, and 
 I sprang into the open space. 
 
 "You hound!" I cried. 
 
 At my words, releasing his hold upon my lady's wrists, 
 he stepped backwards, a circumstance of which I was 
 not slow to take advantage by placing myself between 
 him and the bridge. But his surprise once mastered, he 
 faced me with a lowering brow. 
 
 "So," he said sneeringly after a moment's pause, "the 
 recreant lover arrives. Now I understand, and I con 
 gratulate you, mistress, on your choice." 
 
 "You fool!" was all I could stammer, so taken aback 
 was I at his words; "what do you mean?" 
 
 "What I say," he answered in the same sneering tone. 
 "We were blind not to have suspected it before. 'Tis 
 not the first time a pretty face has caused a man to
 
 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 change sides. And I come between you, do I?" he con 
 tinued darkly. "I am a spoil-sport, am I? Yours, and 
 that " 
 
 I checked the foul word on his lips by a blow that sent 
 him reeling backwards, when, his spurred heel catching 
 in a projecting root, he fell heavily to the ground. 
 
 Throughout the foregoing scene my lady had remained 
 standing in the same spot, as if doubtful what course to 
 take. 
 
 "Go, madam," I said quietly, unsheathing my sword 
 and placing myself to cover her retreat, though without 
 daring to take my eyes from the man before me. 
 
 As the latter rose slowly to his feet I heard my lady's 
 receding footsteps cross the bridge and die away upon 
 the woodland path, and in another minute I had need 
 of all my skill to meet the attack of the man before me, 
 for with a furious oath he drew his sword and flung 
 himself upon me, and our blades met to the sound of the 
 music that I loved so well. 
 
 From the first I read murder in his eyes, and so fierce, 
 indeed, was his attack that I was driven back to the bank 
 of the stream; and it was only when I felt myself upon 
 the very edge of this that I realised my danger. I dared 
 not turn my head, but instinctively I knew that one step 
 backwards and I should fall some four feet to the bed 
 of the stream, where, penned between its narrow banks, 
 I was practically at my opponent's mercy, and what form 
 this latter would take I read all too clearly in his blood 
 shot eyes. He saw his advantage, too, for with a short 
 cry of triumph he redoubled his efforts, so that I tottered
 
 OF THE DUEL IN THE WOOD 143 
 
 on the very brink. But his very confidence of success 
 was like to have been his undoing, for rallying myself 
 with the courage of despair, I parried his furious lunges 
 and thrust so shrewdly in return that I laid his cheek 
 open from brow to chin. 
 
 Startled for a moment by the suddenness of the attack, 
 and blinded by the blood that sprang freely from the 
 wound, he threw himself violently backward, thus 
 narrowly escaping the second thrust with which I fol 
 lowed up my advantage. 
 
 But the respite thus afforded me was sufficient. I 
 sprang lightly aside and renewed the fight upon more 
 equal terms. Once, indeed, we paused as if by mutual 
 consent, and faced each other with dripping brows and 
 labouring breath. But in a few moments' time we fell 
 to it again, and the glade resounded to the rasping of 
 our blades, that thrust and parried, twined and clicked 
 together like sentient things of evil; whilst the sun lay 
 hot upon the clearing and the birds flew chattering from 
 the surrounding woods. And once again I narrowly 
 escaped with my life, for as we circled round each other 
 I stumbled over the very root that had previously caused 
 his downfall, and though I sprang instantly aside, so 
 near was the fierce thrust that he aimed at me that his 
 point shredded the cambric at my throat. 
 
 Up till now I had been acting mostly on the defensive, 
 but roused by this last attack to sudden passion, and con 
 scious of a thin trickle of blood upon my breast that 
 warned me how near had been my peril, I called all my 
 skill to my aid and began to press him in my turn.
 
 144 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 And from that moment the aspect of the fight altered, 
 for good sword though the man was, his intemperate 
 habits were against him, and whereas, minute by minute, 
 as the fight proceeded I felt myself growing cooler and 
 settled more steadily to my work, the sweat gathered 
 thicker on his brow and his chest heaved in panting 
 breaths to his exertions. Thickset as the man was, and 
 like a bull for strength, I felt his thrusts momentarily 
 grow weaker, and foot by foot I pressed him backwards 
 across the open space back until he could retreat no 
 further by reason of the encircling trees ; and then, 
 as I felt his pressure on my blade diminish, twice I drove 
 him round the little clearing. Nor for all his renewed 
 efforts could he make headway against me or even hold 
 his ground. 
 
 Once he rallied, twice he rallied, but my wrist was iron 
 and I would not be denied. And with my glittering point 
 ever at his breast, looking into my grim face, I think he 
 tasted then the bitterness of death. Think? Nay, I 
 know. I could read in his dilated eyes, in the snarling, 
 blood-streaked lips, that reminded me of naught so much 
 as of a trapped wolf, that he realised that he was 
 mastered. The man was no coward, as I knew, but read 
 ing my purpose by his own, small blame to him that the 
 shadow of doom gathered upon his face, or that as for a 
 third time I drove him before me, a low groan escaped 
 his lips. 
 
 "Curse you !" he gasped hoarsely, parrying wildly ; 
 "finish it, and be " 
 
 And even as he spoke the end came, for putting aside
 
 OF THE DUEL IN THE WOOD 145 
 
 a still wilder thrust, I slipped within his guard and 
 wounded him in the wrist. 
 
 At that the sword fell from his nerveless fingers, and 
 staggering to the nearest tree, he leaned against its 
 knotted trunk, while the blood dripped steadily upon the 
 grass and his breath came in long-drawn, labouring sobs. 
 And at this moment from the direction of the village the, 
 trumpets of the regiment sounded the "assembly." The 
 sound was wafted clearly to our ears upon the breeze, 
 and I saw De Brito start and straighten himself ere 
 turning to me with a puzzled frown. 
 
 "Well," he said hoarsely, "what are you going to do?" 
 
 For answer I pushed his sword towards him with my 
 foot. 
 
 "There is your sword," I said shortly, "and the regi 
 ment is in the village. You should know as well as I the 
 meaning of that trumpet call. For the rest, Senor 
 de Brito, I am glad that our paths lie for the present 
 wide apart." 
 
 Still for a moment he glowered on me, relief struggling 
 with hate upon his face. Then he stooped and raised 
 his sword. 
 
 "You are a fool," he said slowly, sheathing his blade 
 and hastily twisting a handkerchief round his wounded 
 wrist. "A while ago I should have killed you without 
 scruple." 
 
 "I am not an assassin," I said coldly. 
 
 "On your head be it, then," he answered sneeringly. 
 "Only the matter does not end here, and if you live 
 long enough there shall yet be a heavy reckoning be-
 
 146 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 tween us. No, curse you !" he added with sudden passion, 
 "you have not seen the last of Heitor de Brito." And 
 with a look of baffled hate, he turned upon his heel. 
 Long after the sound of his footsteps had died away in 
 the woods I stood where he had left me, pondering upon 
 the events of the last half hour. 
 
 Indeed, it was only when from the village there came 
 another long-drawn blast sounding the "advance" that 
 I roused myself to a sense of my surroundings. Then 
 sheathing my sword, I quenched my burning thirst at 
 the stream, and having freely bathed my face and hands 
 and ascertained that the wound upon my neck was a 
 mere scratch scarce more than skin deep, indeed I 
 turned to leave the spot. Yet now that the fierce excite 
 ment of the moment was past and had given place to the 
 inevitable reaction, I began to ask myself what I had 
 gained by championing my lady's cause, and to count 
 the cost of my interference. What was it to me that 
 she should meet with insult, or that for her sake I 
 should make for myself a ruthless enemy? 
 
 My present position was by no means so secure as I 
 could have wished it to be. Here was I isolated from 
 all assistance in this out-of-the-way village, with but a 
 dozen troopers at my back, in the midst of a people 
 notoriously hostile to us, and, for all I knew, a whole 
 regiment of Jacobites in the vessel I had seen in the 
 bay. The prospect was not encouraging. 
 
 And upon reaching the village I had an example of the 
 effect that the presence of so small a number of my men 
 remaining there produced, in the altered demeanour of
 
 "He leaned against its knotted trunk, while the blood 
 dripped steadily upon the grass"
 
 OF THE DUEL IN THE WOOD 147 
 
 the villagers themselves ; for whereas before they had 
 scarcely dared to show themselves in the street, now upon 
 every doorstep and in the open space before the inn ex 
 cited groups were gathered, above which sounded the 
 shrill voices of the women and the low muttering of the 
 men. 
 
 This clamour, indeed, fell to silence as I passed, but was 
 renewed with double vehemence when my back was 
 turned. To this, however, I paid no heed, but looking 
 neither to the right nor left, I strode down the street, 
 the excited groups making way for me readily enough 
 at the sight of my grim visage and clanking sword. 
 
 I found that the sergeant had faithfully carried out my 
 orders by withdrawing with his party to the inn, for I 
 deemed that this latter building was the most capable 
 of being held by a dozen resolute men in the event of 
 their being besieged, though that fate should play them 
 so scurvy a trick I did not anticipate. 
 
 Still, I determined that I would give my lady no single 
 loophole by which she might contrive to outwit me. So 
 true is it that a fool will pride himself on his acuteness 
 even in the midst of his folly, though this lesson was 
 more fully inculcated on my mind by subsequent events. 
 
 Conformable to the plan that I had conceived in my own 
 brain, I took the sergeant aside and warned him to be 
 strictly on his guard against surprise, arranging that 
 two pistol shots in rapid succession should be the mutual 
 signal of danger between us. But so comfortable was the 
 aspect of the inn parlour, of which the troopers had 
 already taken possession, and the welcome sight of the
 
 148 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 familiar uniforms with their reassuring air of security, 
 that again I was sorely tempted to remove my quarters 
 thither also. Surely it was my pride only that prevented 
 me. 
 
 Glancing through the open window, I saw a trooper 
 bringing my horse from the stable, and again I cau 
 tioned the sergeant to look well to the safety of their 
 own animals and to make certain that the liquor with 
 which the troopers were served had not been previously 
 tampered with. 
 
 "No fear of that," he said with a grin, pointing to two 
 unopened casks of ale which they had already rolled 
 into the room. "He will be a clever man who touches 
 that whilst we are present." 
 
 Nevertheless, I could see that although as a soldier he 
 was inclined to look down upon the villagers as a set of 
 ignorant rustics, he was visibly impressed on hearing of 
 the vessel I had seen, and I believed that I could trust 
 him to look well to the safety of his party. With a few 
 parting words to the men themselves, I mounted my 
 horse and rode away. 
 
 Again as I clattered up the street I was the mark of 
 all eyes, but I fancied that the groups showed more re 
 luctance to make way for me. 
 
 At the door of the blacksmith's forge, round which 
 were gathered some dozen of the hardiest men left in 
 the village, I caught sight of Sampson Dare, towermg 
 a head and shoulders above the rest, and at the same 
 moment his eyes met mine with a glance full of menace 
 and defiance there was no mistaking. Yet I made as if
 
 OF THE DUEL IN THE WOOD 149 
 
 I did not see, and in accordance with my assumed air 
 of indifference, with hand on hip and lightly humming 
 a little air, I passed them by and so rode slowly to the 
 manor. But here I could gain no information that would 
 enlighten me upon the events of the day, though I spent 
 an hour in pacing the terrace walks, keeping a watchful 
 eye upon the house. From there I made my way to the 
 cliffs ; but though I gazed eagerly seawards, I could see 
 no trace of the mysterious vessel of the morning. To the 
 horizon the surface of the sea was bare of any sail. 
 
 Again I returned to the house, half hoping that I might 
 yet find my lady waiting to tender me her thanks for 
 the service I had rendered her in the wood. 
 
 But again I was disappointed ; my lady was nowhere to 
 be seen. And a few hours later that happened which 
 drove all speculation upon her conduct from my mind. 
 It was drawing towards ten of the clock, and I was linger 
 ing at the table after my evening meal, when I was 
 startled by a loud and prolonged knocking proceeding 
 from the direction of the main entrance. 
 
 So urgent, indeed, was the clamour that I sprang in 
 stantly to my feet, and thrusting the pistols which I kept 
 ever handy into my sash, I caught up my sword and 
 hurried into the hall. And this indeed so quickly, that 
 ere any of the servants had reached the spot I had flung 
 open the massive door. 
 
 Outside in the dusk was one of the troopers. He was 
 panting heavily as if he had been running. 
 
 The sight of his face confirmed my forebodings. 
 
 "What is it?" I cried quickly.
 
 150 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 "The horses !" he gasped. 
 
 "The horses?" I repeated sharply. "What of them? 
 Speak, man!" 
 
 "Are gone!" he continued, leaning against the door 
 post. 
 
 "Gone?" I cried incredulously. "Gone? Do you mean 
 to tell me, man, that they could remove a dozen horses 
 from the stable, from beneath your open windows, with 
 out you seeing them ? You were drunk, you knaves !" I 
 said fiercely. 
 
 "It is not true," he answered sullenly, recovering his 
 breath somewhat. "And for the stable, 'tis a wooden 
 shed. They had removed the boards at back and the 
 stalls are empty. But that is not all. For Long Mars- 
 den " 
 
 "Aye!" I cried impatiently. "What of him?" 
 
 "He had gone to see how they fared, and " 
 
 "Is missing, too?" 
 
 "No," he answered slowly ; "he is not missing ; but " 
 
 "Where is he?" I cried, grasping the fellow's arm so 
 that he winced. 
 
 "In the stocks !" he replied. 
 
 "In the stocks?" 
 
 I stepped back a pace or two and gazed at the man in 
 blank astonishment. 
 
 "Aye," he added hastily. "He had been stunned as he 
 entered the stable door. Ten minutes later we found him 
 with a broken head in the stocks, and the key is miss 
 ing !" 
 
 Still I could do nothing but stare stupidly at the fel-
 
 OF THE DUEL IN THE WOOD 151 
 
 low, until the silence following his words was broken 
 by a low laugh from behind me. I turned quickly at the 
 sound. 
 
 In the doorway upon my left, and so close that she must 
 have heard every word between us, stood my lady. And 
 at the sight of her a sudden rage possessed me. 
 
 "So," madam !" I cried passionately. "I believe I have 
 to thank you for this." 
 
 I could not make out her face clearly, for she stood in 
 the shadow of the doorway only her white-robed figure 
 and her sparkling eyes. 
 
 "For what, sir?" she replied in a voice in which amuse 
 ment struggled with contempt. "For stealing your 
 horses ?" 
 
 "That and this other outrage !" I continued, striving to 
 hide my mortification, and succeeding, I fear, but ill. 
 " 'Twas done by your orders and you know by whom." 
 
 Again she laughed mockingly, a laugh that stung me 
 worse than any words of scorn. 
 
 "Would you question me as to their names, sir with the 
 flame of a candle?" she replied. "I have heard that is 
 a gentle method of yours !" I remembered the sergeant's 
 threat to the steward, and I coloured hotly at her words. 
 
 "No, madam," I answered when I could speak, "for I 
 should as little expect truth from your lips as I should 
 look to you for gratitude !" And without further words 
 I turned and, closely followed by the trooper, ran down 
 the steps. 
 
 Once in the road, however, I was forced to restrain my 
 impatience and to slacken my pace, for the man beside
 
 152 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 me was little used to running, and, moreover, was ex 
 hausted by his previous exertions. I questioned him 
 closely, therefore, as to the details of what had passed. 
 From this I gathered that just before their supper was 
 served the man whom they called Long Marsden had 
 taken a lantern and stepped across to the stables to see 
 that all was safe there, as one or other of the men had 
 done at short intervals throughout the evening. That at 
 first his absence caused no uneasiness, but when ten min 
 utes had elapsed and he did not return, their suspicions 
 were aroused, and two of their number were sent to look 
 for him. That they found the stable door bolted on the 
 inside, and upon this being forced open, they found a 
 great gap in the back wall of tLo shed, where half a dozen 
 boards had been removed and the horses gone. More, 
 the lantern lay upon the ground and a thin trail of 
 blood led through the opening. This they had followed 
 round the adjacent buildings until they came to the 
 square before the inn. Here, in the shadow of the court 
 house, they saw a dark mass huddled in the village 
 stocks, which proved to be the body of the missing 
 trooper. He was quite insensible, and was bleeding 
 freely from a gash upon the forehead ; and the stocks be 
 ing secured by a heavy padlock, all their efforts to force 
 it had proved unavailing. 
 
 And all this, be it understood, had happened within a 
 hundred feet of the inn. 
 
 "But did you see no one, man?" I said at length. 
 
 "Not a soul," he replied. "The place might be 
 deserted."
 
 OF THE DUEL IN THE WOOD 153 
 
 And upon reaching the village, I found this last state 
 ment fully verified; for the street lay empty and silent 
 under the moon. Not a light showed in any of the houses 
 on either side. All was darkness and silence. 
 
 And rendered even more uneasy by this ominous silence 
 than by the open clamour of a few hours previous, I 
 passed hastily up the street to where the moonlight fell 
 upon a group of scarlet-coated figures gathered round 
 the framework of the stocks. 
 
 As I approached the sergeant detached himself from the 
 group and came to meet me. 
 
 "He is coming to," he said briefly, saluting. 
 
 I said no word to him, good or bad ; but as they made 
 way for me in silence, I knelt down by the side of the un 
 fortunate trooper. He was half conscious, indeed, and 
 moaned frequently as if in pain. A brief examination 
 showed me that his wound was not so serious as it had at 
 first appeared, and that it was more from the shock of 
 the blow that the man was suffering. I next turned my 
 attention to the stocks themselves. The upper or sliding 
 portion was fastened to the lower by an iron hasp and 
 staple, through the latter of which passed a heavy pad 
 lock, strong enough to resist all the efforts of the 
 troopers' swords. 
 
 Presently I rose to my feet. 
 
 "Six of you follow me," I said shortly. And I turned 
 and walked swiftly back to the blacksmith's cottage. 
 
 Upon the door of this latter I rapped loudly with the 
 hilt of my sword. The noise went echoing down the 
 silent street, and we stood waiting for what should follow.
 
 154 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 Nevertheless it was fully three minutes before a window 
 above was opened and a man thrust out his head. 
 
 "What do you want?" he said in a sleepy voice as 
 sumed, I had no doubt. And I recognized him as one of 
 the men whom I had seen with Sampson Dare. 
 
 "You !" I answered sharply. "To come down and open 
 the door!" 
 
 "Open the door?" he answered. "A likely thing that! 
 Who be you who come disturbing honest folk at this 
 hour?" I would have you know I have a gun here for 
 thieves, and " 
 
 "Hark you, fellow !" I cried sternly, stepping out where 
 the moonlight fell full upon my face, while six pistols 
 covered him. "If the door be not open in two minutes I 
 will blow in the lock and serve you as I served the steward 
 yonder. Do you hear, you knave ?" I continued fiercely. 
 "You shall hang, on my word of honour!" For here I 
 had no women to deal with. 
 
 Perhaps he read in my face that I should keep my 
 word perhaps the fate that had overtaken the steward's 
 obstinacy decided him. 
 
 "Wait," he said slowly, disappearing from the win 
 dow. Presently he opened the door. 
 
 "Now what do you want of me?" he said sullenly. 
 
 "To release the man," I said sharply. 
 
 "I have not the key," he replied. 
 
 "Ah !" I said slowly. "And how know you that we de 
 sired a key, my friend? Your own words convict you. 
 No, no," I continued with a sneer, as he could find no 
 words in answer; "you have not the key, of course,
 
 OF THE DUEL IN THE WOOD 155 
 
 and the village has not the key but you have tools here, 
 Master Blacksmith, and strong arms to wield them. So 
 get you speedily what you require, if you would not 
 swing at your own door." 
 
 In short, a few minutes later found us back at the 
 stocks, and the blacksmith began his task. Neverthe 
 less, so stout was the iron, that it required a full twenty 
 minutes' filing ere the man was released from his un 
 pleasant position. They carried him into the inn, and 
 having seen him restored to consciousness and his wound 
 dressed, I set about considering our position. As to 
 who were his actual assailants the man himself could give 
 no information, for he had been struck down ere he had 
 advanced two steps within the stable. And the horses? 
 'Twas worse than folly to search for them by night, 
 and by this time they were no doubt miles away, or hidden 
 in some secluded spot amongst the torrs. 
 
 And both the landlord and his assistants swore so 
 volubly that they knew nothing of the occurrence, for 
 that they were serving the troopers at the time, that, 
 strongly as I suspected them, I could prove nothing. 
 
 And so soundly rating the troopers for their careless 
 ness, I returned presently to the manor, but not to rest. 
 For I sat watching and listening at the open window, 
 with my pistols at my side and sword unsheathed, until 
 the first streaks of dawn were lightening the sky. Not 
 till then did I throw myself upon my couch and court 
 forgetfulness in slumber. 
 
 Ah, my lady, my lady! The game to be played out 
 between us has opened in your favour! Who will se 
 cure the final trick?
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 OF HOW MY LADY PLAYED DELILAH 
 
 BRIGHTLY the sunshine streamed into my little room on 
 this the first of July, 1690, a day destined to become 
 famous in the history of Ireland, and with its dawn to 
 usher a new era into that misgoverned island. 
 
 I sprang from my couch with nerves braced for the 
 duties of the coming day. I was not without some mis 
 givings that I might find my own horse to be missing. 
 But upon opening the stable door, there was the sorrel 
 standing in the stall, apparently unharmed. And much 
 relieved in my own mind as regarded his safety, I led him 
 into the yard, and mounting, rode swiftly to the village. 
 
 Here I found the sergeant and his men awaiting my 
 arrival and eager to commence the search for the missing 
 animals. But I was not minded to leave the inn wholly 
 unguarded, and, moreover, the wounded man was still 
 weak from the blow he had received and the subsequent 
 loss of blood, and was ill fitted to take part in what 
 might prove an arduous undertaking. I left the 
 sergeant and three men, therefore, to keep him company, 
 all fully armed and this time alert enough against sur 
 prise, and with the remaining eight troopers at my 
 heels commenced the search. The track of the horses led 
 from the stables to a little stream some hundred yards 
 away, and there abruptly ceased. As this stream came
 
 HOW MY LADY PLAYED DELILAH 157 
 
 from the torrs, I felt convinced that it was there we 
 should look for them, probably hidden in some secluded 
 hut, or in one of the many boulder-strewn hollows that 
 lay amongst the hills. We turned our faces, therefore, 
 in that direction, scattering on both sides of the stream 
 and striving to pick up the lost trail. 
 
 But though we advanced some four miles thus, there 
 was no sign of any tracks having left the water, and 
 the farther we advanced, the wilder grew the scenery. 
 Hitherto we had been ascending a series of gentle slopes, 
 with scattered clumps of trees here and there, that grew 
 into a dense wood on the summit of a hill immediately 
 in front of us. 
 
 When we had descended into the valley beyond, we 
 found ourselves completely shut in by the torrs, with 
 nothing on either side of us but the desolate, treeless 
 slopes with their monotonous covering of withered grass. 
 And to add to our discomfort, the sun was gaining in 
 power. Yet this, indeed, gave way presently to still 
 wilder scenery than any we had yet met with ; for what 
 had before been mere hollows between the hills soon 
 changed into deep glens, in any one of which a regiment 
 might safely have been hidden away without discovery. 
 Small wonder, then, that in diligently searching amongst 
 these we soon became hopelessly lost; nor for all our 
 endeavours could we again find the way by which we 
 had come. Nay, more, we had so turned and doubled in 
 the course of the last half hour that I was completely at 
 a loss as to the direction in which Cleeve now lay. For 
 all I knew every step that we advanced might be taking
 
 158 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 us farther and farther away from it. And seeing this, 
 about noon I called a halt in a deep glen, where an over 
 hanging bank afforded us some protection from the sun, 
 though the stifling heat of the hollow was well-nigh 
 unbearable. And here we dined upon the scanty fare 
 with which each man had provided himself before leaving 
 the village, though in this respect my sorrel came but 
 poorly off, for of water there was none. As for me, 
 small appetite had I for food, being, indeed, a prey to 
 the keenest anxiety. A hundred times I blamed myself 
 for proceeding so far and for thus abandoning the little 
 party at the inn. 
 
 What might not have happened in our absence? 
 Granted they were well armed and forewarned against 
 surprise, nevertheless, small chance had four men against 
 forty, and 'twas not so much with force I feared they 
 had to deal as guile. 
 
 Yet the day was wearing on, and here were we power 
 less to render them any assistance. I sprang impatiently 
 to my feet, and leaving the troopers to their meal, I 
 climbed the hillside above ; for it was not improbable that 
 from the summit I might obtain sight of some landmark 
 that might give me a clue as to our whereabouts. But 
 again disappointment awaited me. There was nothing 
 to be seen but a ring of encircling hills, devoid, so far 
 as I could see, of human habitation. With a bitter curse 
 at my own stupidity I descended the hill, and again we 
 set out in the direction in which I imagined Cleeve lay. 
 
 But this, it seemed, was but to entangle us worse 
 amongst the hills ; and for hours we wandered in a net-
 
 HOW MY LADY PLAYED DELILAH 159 
 
 work of narrow ravines, each of which exactly resembled 
 its fellow, and seemed but to mock us by its similarity. 
 Of our subsequent wanderings I prefer to say but little. 
 It was not, however, until sunset that, footsore and 
 weary, we arrived once more at the village. 
 
 No sooner did we come in sight of the inn than I was 
 reassured as to the safety of the men I had left behind 
 by the sight of the sergeant placidly smoking in the 
 open doorway. In the street beyond a few rustics were 
 standing at their doors, or chatted to one another across 
 the street ; and the whole scene was as peaceful an aspect 
 as any village in England. Whilst the men were quench 
 ing their thirst with copious draughts of ale, I drew the 
 sergeant aside and questioned him as to what had hap 
 pened in our absence. It was in doing this that, glanc 
 ing through the open window near which we were 
 standing, I saw one of the troopers watering my horse 
 in the yard. This done, he turned and led him towards 
 the stable. But no sooner had he flung open the door 
 than the empty bucket fell from his hand, and he uttered 
 a shout that brought us running to his side. He was. 
 still standing, staring into the shed as if petrified. 
 
 "What is it? What do you see, man?" I cried as I 
 approached. 
 
 "Look," he answered, pointing, with a white face, 
 within. "They are there !" 
 
 I flung him aside and peered eagerly into the stable. 
 I could not believe my eyes ; for there, in the very place 
 which we had quitted twelve hours before on our fruitless 
 quest, a dozen horses were standing in the stalls.
 
 160 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 "But they are gone, man! They are gone!" I stam 
 mered stupidly when I had recovered the use of my 
 tongue. 
 
 "Aye, they are gone," said the sergeant laconically, 
 "as you see." 
 
 But now as the fact of their reappearance became plain 
 to all, from the weary, sweating troopers there burst such 
 a chorus of profanity as caused the horses themselves to 
 turn their heads in mild surprise. As for me, I leaned 
 against the doorway, and the ludicrousness of the situa 7 
 tion striking me, gave way to unrestrained laughter 
 laughter, however, which had in it more of relief than 
 mirth. For consider for a moment the situation. Here 
 was the mare's nest of danger that I had been raising 
 to myself all day resolved into nothing more than a 
 practical jest, designed, I had no doubt, by my lady to 
 cause us annoyance. 
 
 While we had spent the day in tramping the country 
 side in useless search, the horses had been snugly con 
 cealed most likely in a cottage near at hand. The trick 
 was humiliating, to say the least of it. On one point, 
 however, it set me at rest. Surely they would not have 
 returned the horses had they contemplated any sinister 
 design against us. Nevertheless, in order to guard 
 against a repetition of surprise, I bade two of the 
 troopers sleep in the loft above the stable. And I also 
 resolved to seek an explanation of my lady at the earliest 
 opportunity. 
 
 Returning to the inn, I gave the sergeant a few fur 
 ther instructions, promising, indeed, to return again at
 
 HOW MY LADY PLAYED DELILAH 161 
 
 ten o'clock to see that all was done to ensure safety for 
 the night ; and this in the presence of the landlord, 
 though the significance of this fact did not occur to me 
 till long afterwards. 
 
 This done, I ordered my horse to the door, and arming 
 myself ere leaving the inn with a weapon which I thought 
 might prove useful in the coming interview that I prom 
 ised myself, I mounted my horse and rode away. 
 
 Arriving at the manor, I found the same lifelessness 
 there that had characterised it on the preceding day, but 
 little I recked of this at the time, for my mind was fully 
 engrossed in thinking what I should say to my lady and 
 in speculating upon her reply. I dismounted at the 
 stables and gave the weary sorrel into the charge of the 
 youth Martin who was loitering there. As I flung him 
 the rein, "See that he is ready saddled for me in an 
 hour's time," I said quietly. For answer he made a wry 
 face and moved away with a short, derisive laugh. 
 
 I stood gazing after him in undisguised astonishment. 
 At any other time, when my mind had not been so pre 
 occupied, I should have chastised the young boor for his 
 insolence. As it was, I shrugged my shoulders contempt 
 uously and turned away. Bah ! 'twas only natural, after 
 all. Like mistress, like man ! I lingered for awhile upon 
 the terrace, loth to go indoors, until the last purple tints 
 faded from the western sky and the soft July night 
 wrapped the house and gardens in its silent embrace. 
 Anon, the full moon rose above Cleevesborough, silvering- 
 the surrounding oaks and streaking the grass with their 
 checkered shadows. Presently with a half drawn sigh I
 
 162 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 rose from the terrace wall upon which I had been leaning 
 and passed slowly into the house. Within doors I met 
 with the same monastic silence, though I found the 
 candles lighted and my supper awaiting me in the dining 
 hall ; and laying aside my encumbering weapons, I ap 
 plied myself to the dishes before me with all the zest of 
 a starving man. When my hunger was appeased I filled 
 my glass, and leaning back in my chair, gave myself up 
 to my thoughts. And who shall say into what realms of 
 fancy my thoughts strayed, or what dream faces of the 
 future I saw in the flickering flame of the candles before 
 me. Only I know that the dark eyes of my lady of Cleeve 
 looked out at me, and her proud, elusive face stared at 
 me from the shadows of the room. I strove to bring 
 my mind back to the events of the past day, and the 
 more convinced I became that the whole plot had origi 
 nated in her fertile mind. For what object I had yet 
 to learn. A glance at the clock convinced me that it was 
 too late to seek an interview with her that night to 
 morrow I would demand of her an explanation. And 
 in the possession of that which I carried in my breast, 
 I fancied that I should meet with some consideration at 
 her hands. I roused myself at length from these re 
 flections, and rising, took my cloak from the chair 
 where I had laid it, and proceeded to buckle on my 
 sword. This done I laid my loaded pistols upon the 
 table, and raising my half-emptied glass to my lips, 
 drained its contents preparatory to taking my depart 
 ure. 
 "Captain Cassilis!" said a soft voice clearly.
 
 I turned sharply at the sound. And at sight of the 
 radiant vision before me, I caught ray breath with a 
 great gasp of wonder, and the glass fell unheeded to the 
 floor and was shattered into a dozen pieces at my feet; 
 for my lady herself was descending the stairs ! My lady 
 in a gown of brocaded satin, with a bunch of red and yel 
 low roses in her hand. The low cut corsage that she wore 
 displayed to full advantage the magnificent proportions 
 of her bust, upon which diamonds flashed and sparkled 
 in the light. Upon her gleaming hair was a large hat of 
 pale blue velvet of the same colour as her gown and 
 ornamented at the front with a massive silver clasp. Be 
 neath this her eyes shone with a radiance that rivalled the 
 jewels at her breast, and if 'twas not to Nature only 
 that she owed the increased loveliness of her face, why 
 then she was so exquisitely painted, that to the eyes of a 
 plain soldier like myself its presence was undetectable. 
 For the rest, one jewelled hand slightly raised the skirt 
 of her trailing gown, affording a glimpse of the rich 
 satin petticoat beneath and of a pair of high-heeled 
 shoes with diamond studded buckles. And this portrait 
 of my lady I carry ever in my mind through all the 
 years ; for of a truth never had she appeared so beautiful 
 as on that night, when all the resources of art had been 
 requisitioned to increase her alluring beauty and excite 
 ment had lent an added brilliancy to her eyes. 
 
 "Have I your permission to enter, sir ?" she said softly, 
 pausing upon the lowest step and gazing at me without 
 apparently noticing my confusion. Only then did her 
 words break the spell that held me tongue-tied. With a
 
 164 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 great effort I strove to recover my composure, though 
 my heart thumped painfully in my breast and I felt the 
 hot blood mantling to my face. 
 
 "Madam," I stammered at length, "such permission in 
 your own house is surely unnecessary. Especially," I 
 added somewhat bitterly, "as I will not intrude my un 
 welcome presence upon you." And with a bow I flung 
 my cloak over my arm. 
 
 "In that case, sir," she answered quickly, "I fear that 
 the very object of my visit will be defeated." 
 
 "Your ladyship means ?" I replied, pausing in 
 
 surprise. 
 
 "That it is to beg the favour of a few moments' speech 
 with you that I am here." 
 
 "With me, madam?" 
 
 "With you !" she answered, smiling at my too evident 
 astonishment, though not without some trace of em- 
 barassment in her manner. 
 
 I was silent out of sheer curiosity, for her looks, her 
 changed manner towards me, puzzled me. 
 
 "Captain Cassilis," she said abruptly, "will you accept 
 these few roses at my hands in return for those which 
 I so ungraciously flung away?" 
 
 And without waiting for my reply, she advanced with 
 a soft rustling of her rich gown to the table and com 
 menced to arrange them in a cut-glass bowl that graced 
 the centre of the board. 
 
 As for me, I know that I stammered some reply, I 
 scarcely remember what, for my eyes were fixed in open 
 admiration upon her tall, graceful figure as she bent
 
 HOW MY LADY PLAYED DELILAH 165 
 
 above the flowers. From where I stood upon the hearth, 
 slightly behind her, yet close enough for the scent of her 
 clinging draperies to be wafted to me, I could mark the 
 faultless curve of her waist, the bare, white shoulders, 
 and beneath her velvet hat the heavy waving masses of 
 her hair maddening, bewildering hair, that with every 
 turn of her lovely head glittered in the light with the 
 sheen of burnished gold. 
 
 My lady indeed seemed unconscious of my scrutiny as 
 she busied herself with her task, but I fancied there was 
 a half smile upon her lips when she turned to me sud 
 denly and said: 
 
 "But I have not yet acquainted you with the object of 
 my intrusion. I should be guilty of worse than ingrati 
 tude if I did not thank you, sir, for the service you so 
 timely rendered me yesterday. If I have withheld my 
 thanks until now, it is not that I underrate its value, nor 
 forget the peril that you risked on my behalf." And 
 she flashed a glance at me that again set my heart beat 
 ing rapidly. 
 
 "I beg that you will say no more, madam," I cried 
 hastily. "Your words already far exceed any merit that 
 you may consider attached to my action." 
 
 "I think that I am the best judge of that, sir," she 
 answered, smiling. 
 
 "The man was insulting you, madam," I replied 
 gravely. "In that I chanced to be in the wood at 
 the time I count myself fortunate. Yet the meanest 
 beggar maiden had claimed the like assistance at my 
 hands."
 
 166 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 "I thank you for the comparison, sir," my lady an 
 swered in a slight tone of pique. 
 
 "Your pardon, madam!" I replied humbly. "I fear 
 that I put my meaning but clumsily, and with the 
 language of the camp rather than of the Court. Yet, 
 believe me saving always my duty to the uniform I 
 wear my sword is ever at your service." 
 
 "And in these troublous times a good sword 
 is more priceless than rubies," she said lightly. 
 "Have a care, sir, that I do not take you at your 
 word." 
 
 "I ask for no more, madam," I replied earnestly. "Be 
 assured that you will not find it to fail you." 
 
 To this she answered nothing in words, but again she 
 raised her lustrous eyes to mine. And by that glance 
 I accounted myself amply repaid both for the danger 
 I had escaped and for incurring De Brito's enmity ; for 
 if she had seemed beautiful before, judge how enchant 
 ing she now appeared, when all scorn and pride had van 
 ished from her face and left her a very woman. Seeing 
 her in this softer mood, I felt my courage rapidly re 
 turning. 
 
 "And I also have somewhat to say to you, my lady," I 
 commenced after a moment's pause. 
 
 "Indeed?" she answered inquiringly. "But I fear that 
 I detain you, sir? You were going out?" 
 
 "To the village, madam," I replied, "but that can wait." 
 
 And again I laid aside my cloak. 
 
 "Then you will not ask me to sit down, Mr. Cassilis?" 
 she said archly.
 
 HOW MY LADY PLAYED DELILAH 167 
 
 "Madam," I stammered in reply, crimsoning with con 
 fusion, forgive my lack of courtesy. If I had for a 
 
 moment thought, that " And I hastily crossed the 
 
 floor to where a large leather-covered chair stood 
 against the wall. I was in the act of lifting this when, 
 happening to raise my eyes to an oval mirror that hung 
 above it on the oak-panelled wall, I caught the re 
 flection of my lady's face behind me. And it was so 
 changed, so stamped with a look of scorn and repulsion, 
 that I dropped the chair I was raising and turned 
 hastily round. Yet there stood my lady beside the table, 
 gazing smilingly at me with sparkling eyes, so that I 
 was fain to believe that my own had deceived me, or that 
 the mirror by some trick had played me false. With 
 out more ado, therefore, I raised the chair and returned 
 to her side. 
 
 "Will you place it here for me, Captain Cassilis !" she 
 said, moving with a click of her high heels near to one 
 of the open windows. "Is not the night too lovely to miss 
 enjoying?" 
 
 Obediently I placed my burden on the spot she indi 
 cated, and she seated herself, facing the open window. 
 In truth it was a most lovely night. From where she 
 sat a glorious vista was obtained of the broad, straight 
 terrace, the sloping lawns, whitened by the moon, with 
 the dark shadow of the woods beyond. And, rising above 
 these latter, in the direction of the village, the massive, 
 square tower of the church. 
 
 A momentary silence fell upon us as we gazed a silence 
 which was broken at length by my lady.
 
 168 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 "And now that I am all attention, sir," she said lightly, 
 "what is it that you wish to say to me?" 
 
 "Why, madam " I began, and I hesitated awk 
 wardly, all the fine speeches I had prepared beforehand 
 vanishing on the instant from my memory, under the dis 
 concerting gaze of her dark eyes. "What of the 
 horses?" I ended somewhat lamely. 
 
 She gave a low, musical laugh, that went rippling 
 through the room. 
 
 "As to your horses, sir !" she replied, "I have not heard 
 that any one is missing." 
 
 "No, madam," I answered with what sternness I could 
 muster. "True, there are none missing, but I fail to 
 see what object there was in their abduction." 
 
 "When you had matched your cleverness against mine, 
 sir?" she said quickly. 
 
 "I confess that I had not looked upon it in that light," 
 I replied. "So to your ladyship I must ascribe their 
 disappearance and for myself a day's toilsome search." 
 
 "I did not say so !" she answered, smiling. 
 
 "But you implied it, madam," I persisted. "I am as 
 well assured that the plan itself emanated from your 
 ladyship as I am that your servants carried it into exe 
 cution." 
 
 "You would not have me incriminate them, sir?" she said 
 quickly. 
 
 "There is no need, my lady," I answered grimly. "For 
 you forget that it requires but a word from me to 
 arrest them on suspicion." 
 
 "Then if I were you, sir," she replied in a low voice,
 
 HOW MY LADY PLAYED DELILAH 169 
 
 "I would be generous. The lion can well afford to spare 
 the mouse." 
 
 "True, madam," I answered ; "but when the mouse hap 
 pens to stand six feet six, with a sword in due propor 
 tion, it behooves the lion to look well to his own safety !" 
 
 Again she smiled, but on a sudden her face became 
 grave. 
 
 "I would not have any one suffer for what was, perhaps, 
 a foolish trick," she said. "I pray you, sir if, in 
 deed, you meditate retaliation for the annoyance caused 
 you let the punishment fall upon me." 
 
 For a moment I stared at her without replying. The 
 idea of any man punishing the lovely woman before me 
 was well-nigh inconceivable. 
 
 "Reassure yourself, madam," I said at length. "Your 
 servants will take no injury at my hands. Only there 
 must be no recurrence of such a trick. My troopers are 
 rough, and for one at least of their number it has proved 
 but a sorry jest." 
 
 "Alas, poor man!" she answered. 
 
 "How, madam !" I cried incredulously. "You pity 
 him?" 
 
 "Why not?" she replied quickly. 
 
 "Well because I do not understand you, madam," I 
 burst out. 
 
 "I am a woman, sir," she answered. "Is not that reason 
 logical enough?" 
 
 "Yet a few days ago nothing would have been too bad 
 to happen to them," I said bluntly. 
 
 "A few days ago, sir, I did not know many things that
 
 170 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 I do now," she rejoined, toying with a rope of pearls 
 that hung from her shoulders. "And in that I pity him, 
 I do but make use of the prerogative of my sex. 'Tis the 
 divine right of woman to be inconsistent." 
 
 To this I found no reply, and again we fell silent. 
 
 Suddenly my lady leaned forwards. 
 
 "Mr. Cassilis," she said winningly, "will you answer 
 me a question ?" 
 
 "If it is in my power to do so, certainly, madam," I 
 replied. 
 
 "Then will you as a soldier tell me candidly what chance 
 of success has James in Ireland ?" 
 
 "My lady," I answered, after a few moments' pause, 
 "you have asked me for my candid opinion, and giving 
 that, I dare not buoy you up with false hopes. This only 
 will I say, that the army which James has got together 
 is as inferior in arms and discipline to that of William 
 as the former leader's ability as a general is surpassed 
 by the latter's military genius. One issue alone is possi 
 ble the downfall of the Stuart cause." 
 
 She remained silent for a few moments, digesting, I 
 suppose, my words. On a sudden she looked up. 
 
 "You have seen much service abroad, sir?" she said in 
 quiringly. 
 
 "Aye, madam," I made answer. "My sword has been 
 drawn in many quarrels and has owned many masters." 
 
 "But always in the cause of honour, sir," she said 
 quickly. 
 
 "Honour?" I rejoined. "Ah, madam, what have such 
 as I to do with honour? Honour a chimera the dream
 
 HOW MY LADY PLAYED DELILAH 171 
 
 of fools ! With me, that is the cause of honour which 
 puts most guineas in my purse, be the right of the 
 quarrel what it may." 
 
 "Oh," she said impulsively, "I could not live a life 
 like that." 
 
 "Nay, madam," I answered quietly, "but you are a 
 woman a woman sweet and beautiful and pure thank 
 God for it!" 
 
 "A woman with a woman's wayward passions and sins," 
 she replied. 
 
 "Ah, my lady," I answered, "sins? you?" 
 
 She stopped me with a gesture of her hand. "How 
 should you judge, -sir, of a woman's responsibilities or 
 errors ?" 
 
 "True, madam," I replied with a sigh, "for I have 
 known so few." 
 
 "But have you no relatives, Mr. Cassilis?" she said 
 slowly. "Is there no sister or one more dear to you that 
 looks to you for protection?" 
 
 "None, my lady," I answered sadly. "A sister, in 
 deed I had, but " I stopped, overcome by old 
 
 memories. 
 
 "She is dead?" my lady said gently. 
 
 "Aye, madam," I replied. "She was murdered! Nay, 
 nay, do not mistake my meaning. But well, she was 
 beautiful, madam, and was much courted on that account. 
 Amongst the suitors for her hand was one a favourite 
 of the late King Charles a profligate devoid as much 
 of all moral worth and honour as was his dissolute master. 
 Yet to this man, with a woman's perversity, she gave
 
 172 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 the preference. Madam," I continued in a low voice, 
 "You will readily guess the sequel. They were married, 
 contrary to all warning and advice. And the result, 
 which all had foreseen, speedily followed. Within two 
 months the libertine had wearied of his toy and of the 
 restraints of wedlock. In a year she was dead, killed as 
 surely by the man's brutal neglect as if he had run his 
 rapier through her gentle heart." 
 
 I stopped, overcome by the emotion that my words had 
 recalled to me, and stood staring at my lady, whose head 
 was slightly bent, and whose long lashes swept her cheek. 
 
 Suddenly she gave a fleeting upward glance. "Forgive 
 me," she said gently. "I did not know." 
 
 "There is nothing to forgive," I answered quietly. 
 "Rather should I crave your pardon, my lady, for in 
 truding so sad a story upon you. It is one ill suited for 
 a lady's ears. I know not why I have told you." And 
 I turned from her and gazed out into the night 
 with eyes that saw not the moonlit gardens before 
 me, but only the sorrowful, girlish face of one 
 who had loved me well. I started when my lady's 
 next words brought me to earth again. For the moment 
 I had forgotten her presence in the room. 
 
 "And this man, sir," she said slowly, "what of 
 him?" 
 
 "I killed him, madam," I answered quietly. "We met 
 one early dawn in Spring Gardens, and he there paid 
 to the brother that which he should have devoted to his 
 wife. 'Twas that that drove me from the country and set 
 me wandering over Europe these fifteen years. But I
 
 HOW MY LADY PLAYED DELILAH 173 
 
 forget that this story can have but little interest for 
 you, my lady." 
 
 "Why should it not ?" she replied. "Life is full of such 
 sad stories." She leant her head on her hand, and for 
 a moment or two we were silent. "I, too, am troubled to 
 night for the safety of one I love," she continued. 
 
 "Yes, madam?" I murmured as she paused. 
 
 "I allude to my brother," she said quickly. "Mr. 
 Cassilis, you know well that a battle is imminent. Alas ! 
 my brother is a true Ingram, in that he is so rash. I 
 tremble for his safety." 
 
 "I trust for your ladyship's sake that your fears are 
 groundless," I replied, "and that you may welcome his 
 return in happier times." 
 
 She smiled sadly by way of answer. And instantly my 
 mind recurred to the bill of attainder passed against him. 
 If, thought I, he is possessed of the same indomitable will 
 as his sister 'twill be long ere he makes his peace with 
 William. But I did not give expression to my thought. 
 
 "And yet," she said slowly, "I know not but that it is 
 for the best that he is absent. Were he to know," she 
 continued, with a swift, upward glance at me, "that we 
 were shall I say prisoners in our own house, I know 
 not of what extreme folly he might be guilty." 
 
 "And who could wonder, madam?" I answered, "or 
 who could find it in their heart to blame him? What 
 danger is there which a man beloved by you would not 
 freely dare, and count the peril his highest privilege! 
 What self-sacrifice for your sake too severe for one 
 who loved you !"
 
 174 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 "Loved me?" she said, shrinking. 
 
 "Yes, yes ; who loved you !" 
 
 In my earnestness I had drawn near and laid one hand 
 upon the back of her chair. She made no reply to my 
 words, but I saw a slight shiver pass through her frame. 
 
 "Ah, madam, forgive me," I said hastily. "The win 
 dow is open, and you are cold." And I made as though 
 to close it. 
 
 "No, no, sir," she cried hastily, rising to her feet in 
 sudden agitation. "Indeed you are mistaken. On the 
 contrary," she added, raising her hand to her brow, "the 
 room is very close, or I am not feeling quite myself. And 
 I have left my fan in the garden. Will you permit me 
 to fetch it, Mr. Cassilis?" 
 
 "Nay, madam, will you not rather permit me to per 
 form this slight service for you, the while you remain 
 quietly here?" 
 
 "I think that it is upon the fountain in the Rose Gar 
 den," she murmured. Then as with a bow I turned 
 away, she added: "But I cannot so far trouble you, sir. 
 I am overmuch in your debt already." 
 
 I had reached the window, but I turned at her words. 
 
 "A debt which you are repaying me in full to-night, 
 madam," I said with a smile. 
 
 "Ah !" she cried, gazing at me with increased per 
 turbation. 
 
 "Why do you say that, Mr. Cassilis? Why do you 
 speak like that?" 
 
 "Because," I answered, returning her glance firmly, 
 "by your kindness and trust in me to-night you more
 
 HOW MY LADY PLAYED DELILAH 175 
 
 than reward me for that which I have suffered at your 
 hands. And I I seek but to serve your ladyship, how 
 ever humbly !" And I turned upon my heel and left her 
 standing there.
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 OP HOW MY LADY PLAYED DELILAH CONTINUED 
 
 As I crossed the broad terrace, looking neither to the 
 right nor left, the moon flung my dark shadow upon the 
 gravel path and the soft night wind stole through the 
 silent gardens and fanned my face. But my eyes were 
 blind to the beauties of the silvery landscape, light as day 
 itself, and of the starry heavens above me; for it was 
 my lady! my lady! ever my lady! that was my one re 
 curring thought the sum total of my reflections. 
 
 For the time being I was as one distraught, bewitched, 
 indeed, by the spell her beauty had cast upon me. Wild, 
 fleeting visions of the future rose before my eyes. With 
 the fall of the Stuart the old order had changed; who 
 knew what might occur under the new? A good sword 
 coupled with brains might carry a man far upon the road 
 to success in these unsettled times. He who was poor 
 to-day might yet aspire to climb the ladder which led 
 to fame, providing that he was prepared to grasp the 
 means of rising or had wit enough to rightly use his 
 opportunities. Many a man, indeed, dated the foun 
 dation of his fortunes to the Revolution, and received a 
 title in reward for his services. Then why not I? The 
 former requisite for success I knew that I already had. 
 I believed that I possessed the brains, or the experience 
 of years of wandering had been in vain. And after-
 
 HOW MY LADY PLAYED DELILAH 177 
 
 wards ? I had no settled purpose in my brain; all 
 
 was a chaos, through which my lady's face alone shone, 
 beckoning me upward. 
 
 That William would be successful in the coming 
 struggle I had not the slightest doubt. I knew the man 
 well, for I had fought under him in Flanders; and 
 though, in the light of future history, he may not be 
 considered as a great soldier in the same sense as were 
 his contemporaries, Turenne and Luxembourg, yet he 
 possessed a genius for snatching victory out of defeat. 
 As for James, with the infatuated imbecility that char 
 acterised him throughout every great crisis of his career, 
 he had taken no pains to keep up the discipline of his 
 troops during the past winter, wasting his time with his 
 so-called Court at Dublin whilst his army spread over 
 the surrounding country, committing every species of 
 rapine and plunder. One thing above all was plain to 
 me : Ireland at the present time was the field that offered 
 scope for a man's ambition. There, when blows would 
 shortly be exchanged notice was to be won and 
 promotion achieved. Little did I guess that the battle 
 of the Boyne had already been lost and won, and 
 that even now the mean-spirited James was in full 
 flight for France, after reproaching his army with 
 the cowardice which his own folly had principally 
 engendered. 
 
 'Twas in meditating thus that I came at length to the 
 entrance of the rose garden and halted beneath the arch 
 of yew. Before me the fountain gleamed white in the 
 moonlight that flooded all the open space surrounding
 
 178 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 and flung fantastic shadows of the closely-cropped trees 
 upon the grass. In the distance came faintly to my ears 
 the murmur of the sea, and the gardens around me were 
 full of the voices of the night. 
 
 I crossed quickly to the fountain, and even before I 
 reached it I saw the object of my errand lying upon the 
 marble basin. It was in all respects a .dainty fan a 
 thing of painted silk and ivory, with the perfume of 
 violets yet clinging to it, and with my lady's monogram 
 in gold upon the handle. I lingered for a few moments, 
 holding it in my hand, recalling again the face of its 
 . beautiful owner, and pondering upon our late con 
 versation. 
 
 Then with a settled purpose in my mind, I retraced my 
 steps by way of the terraces, and so to the house. I 
 found my lady seated in tjie same room where I had 
 left her. She looked up quickly when I entered and 
 thanked me prettily in a few low-spoken words. The 
 colour had deepened in her cheeks, and I noticed that the 
 hand which she held out for her fan was slightly trem 
 bling. But I would have none of her thanks. 
 
 "Do not thank me, madam, for so slight a service," I 
 said quickly. "I would do far more to pleasure your 
 ladyship, a proof of which I am about to give you." I 
 drew from my breast the folded paper, which I had 
 placed there before leaving the inn. "This paper," I 
 began slowly, gazing straight at my lady, who had risen 
 in sudden agitation, '.'of which I took possession in this 
 very hall, under certain circumstances that I doubt not 
 are still fresh in your ladyship's memory, and that bore
 
 HOW MY LADY PLAYED DELILAH 179 
 
 a dangerous resemblance to conspiracy, is folded as you 
 see it was folded when it came into my hands." 
 
 She did not seem to comprehend the full significance of 
 my words or to grasp my meaning. I paused for a 
 moment, and continued more slowly: "Am I wrong in 
 supposing this paper to contain the names of a few 
 gallant but misguided gentlemen who favour the cause 
 of James?" 
 
 "You should best know, sir," she replied in a low voice. 
 
 "No, my lady," I answered quietly ; "that is where you 
 are wrong. I do not know the contents of this paper, 
 because I have not opened it." 
 
 Still she gazed at me as if she did not understand. On 
 a sudden she drew a step nearer, and I saw the colour 
 fade from her face. Doubtless until this moment she 
 had thought that I had already made use of it had 
 placed it in the hands of the authorities. 
 
 "You you have not opened it?" she said in a troubled 
 voice. 
 
 "No, madam," I answered. "Scarcely can I expect you 
 to believe me, yet on my honour as a gentleman it is the 
 truth." 
 
 "Then then you mean " she faltered, resting 
 
 both hands upon the table and leaning forward, probing 
 my eyes as if she would read my soul. 
 
 I met her gaze unflinchingly. 
 
 "The names that this paper contains are known to you, 
 madam?" I replied quietly. 
 
 "Yes," she whispered; and I saw that she was trem 
 bling.
 
 180 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 "Then, my lady," I answered firmly, stepping to the 
 table and holding the paper in the flame of the nearest 
 candle until only a little feathery ash remained, "I give 
 the lives of these gentlemen to you. Your secret is your 
 own." 
 
 "You give them to me, sir?" she cried passionately. 
 "You do this for me? Ah, Mr. Cassilis, why do you 
 shame me so?" 
 
 "How, madam?" I said, totally at a loss to understand 
 her words. "Shame you?" 
 
 "Yes, yes shame me," she continued in the same 
 passionate tone, "by this that you have done for me; 
 by the forbearance that you have shown towards me 
 towards one who is unworthy " 
 
 "My lady," I cried, "unworthy?" 
 
 "Oh," she continued, "if you would not believe in me; 
 if you knew all if you knew!" She broke off and 
 laughed a trifle wildly. "Ah, forget my foolish words !" 
 
 "Say, rather, that it will be my happiness to remember 
 them, madam," I replied gravely ; though I confess that 
 I was puzzled at her marked agitation, for which, so far 
 as I could see, there was no adequate reason. "And do 
 not think that I blame you for your devotion to the 
 cause of James. Were there many among his adherents 
 as courageous as yourself, we should speedily see the 
 Stuart back at Whitehall. Though in the accomplish 
 ment of this object you have not my sympathy, yet the 
 very boldness of the scheme by which you hoped to effect 
 a rising in this county cannot but command my ad 
 miration. The very hopelessness of imagining that you
 
 HOW MY LADY PLAYED DELILAH 181 
 
 could succeed in the face of William's settled govern 
 ment would appeal to any soldier." 
 
 "And you who wear his uniform you to whom these 
 men were enemies can yet find it in your heart to spare 
 them?" she said in a low voice. 
 
 I took two steps towards her. 
 
 "Nay, do not credit me with a generosity which a 
 nature such as mine is incapable of forming. A month 
 ago I would have sent these men to death and recked 
 little of the doing, save, indeed, to count it to my credit. 
 Shall I tell your ladyship why I have not done so?" 
 
 She made a faint gesture of protest, but I took no heed 
 and continued : "Because I knew that your name headed 
 the list, madam." And I stopped, overcome by my own 
 temerity. 
 
 She had moved to the window while I was speaking, 
 and her face was turned from me. I could not guess 
 what thoughts were passing through her brain, but I 
 fancied that I saw her shoulders heave. Yet she made 
 no reply, though I waited almost trembling for the 
 words that did not come. 
 
 "I can feel but little sympathy for men who required 
 a woman's name to stimulate them to action," I said 
 at length. "On your part it was a brave deed to do, 
 though a foolish one. Yet had I been in your place, 
 doubtless I, too, should have considered that the end 
 justified the means." 
 
 "Ah," she cried, turning swiftly to face me, "say those 
 words again! Do you think that, Mr. Cassilis? Do 
 you indeed believe that?"
 
 182 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 "What, madam?" I answered, smiling. 
 
 "That that the end justifies the means?" she said 
 almost fiercely. "Surely that is true, is it not?" 
 
 "Providing always that the means employed be hon 
 ourable, madam," I replied. 
 
 "And if not?" she cried quickly. "What if if I 
 had given my word had pledged myself to a certain 
 course then " 
 
 "I think that the thing is too monstrous for supposi 
 tion," I replied firmly. "That aught dishonourable and 
 you could have anything in common is beyond con 
 ception." 
 
 Again she turned away to the window, and stood look 
 ing over the park. In the silence that followed it was 
 not without a certain guilty surprise that I heard the 
 church clock strike ten. Suddenly I remembered my 
 promise to the sergeant. 
 
 "I regret that I must take leave of you, madam," I 
 said hastily. I was unaware that the hour had grown so 
 late." 
 
 "You must leave me so soon, Mr. Cassilis?" she said, 
 with a reproachful glance. "I was hoping that you 
 would tell me somewhat of your life abroad." 
 
 "And believe me sincere when I say that it is not from 
 any choice of mine that I cannot stay to gratify your 
 curiosity, madam," I replied. "To-morrow, should you 
 be of the same mind, I shall count myself fortunate in 
 relating the experiences of a life that has been mostly 
 spent in roving the cities of the Continent. To-night 
 it is impossible, for a soldier's first obedience is to duty."
 
 HOW MY LADY PLAYED DELILAH 183 
 
 "Do not let me detain you, sir," she answered some 
 what coldly, turning slowly from the window and moving 
 towards the stair. 
 
 "I trust, madam," I said humbly, anxious not to lose 
 her good opinion, "that you are not offended by my 
 abrupt departure?" 
 
 "How should that be, Mr. Cassilis?" she replied 
 graciously. "Are we not friends?" 
 
 "I bowed low to conceal the exultation her words caused 
 me, and then, taking my hat and cloak, I advanced to 
 the table for my pistols. On a sudden I was startled 
 by a low cry of pain from behind me. I turned swiftly 
 at the sound. My lady had stumbled upon the lowest 
 step and had fallen forward upon her hands. She re 
 covered her feet almost immediately, but only to lean 
 with half-closed eyes against the carved oak balustrade. 
 
 "Are you ill, madam?" I cried anxiously, crossing 
 quickly to her side. 
 
 "No, no, it is nothing, sir," she gasped. "Only my 
 foot slipped, and my wrist I am afraid that it is 
 sprained." And again a piteous little moan that was 
 almost a sob escaped her lips. 
 
 "Let me summon assistance, madam," I said hastily, 
 stepping to the door. 
 
 "No, no," she cried again, "I beg that you will not, 
 sir. Indeed, it is nothing, and I would not alarm my 
 my sister." 
 
 "Yet I fear that you are in pain, my lady," I said, 
 pausing irresolutely, my hand upon the handle. 
 
 "It will pass, sir," she answered bravely. "It is foolish
 
 184 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 of me, and you will think me a great coward, Mr. Cassi- 
 lis, but I would not cause unnecessary alarm ; and if if 
 I may rest here for a moment, until this faintness is 
 passed " 
 
 As she spoke she moved somewhat unsteadily across the 
 floor and sank again into the chair with a long-drawn, 
 shuddering sigh she strove in vain to suppress. 
 
 I stood gazing at her, torn by conflicting emotions. It 
 was growing late and I had already broken my word 
 to the sergeant; yet, almost as if she divined my 
 thoughts, she raised her head. 
 
 "Are you still there, sir?" she said in a low voice, with 
 a quiver as of pain in it. "Ah, let me beg of you to 
 leave me!" And she leaned her head upon her hand so 
 that I could no longer see her face to hide her tears, 
 I fancied. 
 
 I flung my cloak and hat from me and returned slowly 
 to her side. She was a woman and in pain. I could do 
 no less. 
 
 "Since that you do not desire me to call your women, 
 madam," I said hesitatingly, "if you would permit me 
 to look at your wrist myself. I am possessed of some 
 slight knowledge of surgery," I continued, growing 
 bolder at her silence "a knowledge acquired by many 
 years' familiarity with wounds and sickness in foreign 
 lands." 
 
 She did not make any reply to this, nor even a gesture 
 of dissent. I waited for a few moments in silence. 
 
 "May I, madam?" I said at length, in a voice I strove 
 to render steady.
 
 HOW MY LADY PLAYED DELILAH 185 
 
 "If you would be so good, sir," she murmured. 
 
 With my heart beating furiously, I sank upon one 
 knee beside her and gently took her white hand in both 
 my own strong brown ones. Gently as I raised it, how 
 ever, at my touch I saw a tremor of pain pass through 
 her. 
 
 It was with momentary surprise that as she turned her 
 face swiftly towards me I noted there were no traces 
 of tears upon her cheeks, but that her eyes were hard 
 and glittering. Yet I was in no condition to remark 
 upon this at the time, for the warm touch of her hand 
 rendered me scarcely less agitated than she was for some 
 reason herself. As I gazed at the soft, white wrist and 
 jewelled fingers resting quietly in mine, in the silence 
 of the room I could hear the loud beating of my own 
 heart, and I know that my hands were trembling. 
 
 For now that I was in such near proximity to her, I fell 
 beneath the spell of her wondrous beauty, as many a 
 better man, I ween, had done before me. So close, indeed, 
 was I, that a fold of her rich gown swept my knee so 
 close that I could mark every heave of her white bosom 
 as it rose and fell stormily; and the perfume of her 
 presence was in my nostrils. 
 
 In that moment, with the lovely, flower-like face in its 
 frame of gold so close to mine, I forgot my promise to 
 the sergeant the lateness of the hour the difference of 
 rank my duty all! 
 
 Kneeling there at her feet, I would have given up hon 
 our, life nay, my Tery hope of heaven itself, to do her 
 pleasure. Madness, you will say. Aye, such madness
 
 186 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 as moved the first unhappy parent of our race madness 
 which women will inspire till time shall be no more. 
 
 Something of what was passing in my mind must have 
 appeared in my face, for my lady shrank back a little 
 and made as if to withdraw her hand ; and at that I bent 
 my head to hide my tell-tale eyes and made a brief exam 
 ination of her wrist. There was no sign of bruise upon 
 the white, rounded arm such an arm as Venus herself 
 might have envied, where the blue veins meandered be 
 neath a skin as soft as velvet. 
 
 "I do not think that the injury sustained is serious, 
 madam," I said after a few moments. "Nevertheless, it 
 were well to avoid using your hand as much as possible 
 until it has been seen by your own physician." 
 
 As I was speaking, I took the silken scarf that I wore 
 at my throat and deftly bound it round her wrist, in 
 the manner that I had watched a little French surgeon 
 do the like for me, when an unlucky fall from my horse 
 had once kept my sword within its sheath for well-nigh 
 a month. 
 
 "There, madam," I said in a low voice, tying the ends 
 of the scarf into a bow, "I think that for the present, at 
 least, that bandage will serve, for fault of a better one." 
 And, moved by a sudden uncontrollable impulse, I raised 
 her hand to my lips. 
 
 Again a quick shudder passed through her, and with 
 a low, startled cry she snatched away her hand almost 
 roughly and rose quickly to her feet. 
 
 And I rose, too, and our eyes met. 
 
 "Ah, forgive me, madam!" I said humbly. "I fear
 
 HOW MY LADY PLAYED DELILAH 187 
 
 that my roughness has hurt you. Yet God knows how 
 willingly I would bear your pain." 
 
 "Yes, yes," she cried passionately, "I am in pain, but 
 not as you think, sir. It is your solicitude for me, your 
 generous care for me, that hurts me that brands me 
 to-night with shame. And yet and yet " she mut 
 tered, passing her hand across her brow, "you have said 
 that the end justifies the means. They were your own 
 words, sir." 
 
 "With a qualification, madam," I said quietly. 
 
 She raised her hand with a gesture of entreaty. 
 
 "Spare me!" she cried, with increased agitation. "Do 
 not add by your words to the sense of infamy I feel. 
 
 Perhaps even yet it is not too late perhaps ah! " 
 
 She broke off with a sudden gasp and I saw the colour 
 had forsaken her face. 
 
 Thinking nothing but that the faintness had returned 
 to her, I took a step hurriedly towards her. But in a 
 moment I realised that she was not looking at me, but 
 that her gaze was rivetted upon something behind my 
 back. 
 
 I turned swiftly to glance at the open window. And 
 there a sight met my eyes that caused me to pause in 
 genuine astonishment. 
 
 I have already said that above the trees of the park 
 rose the square Norman tower of the church; and now 
 upon the summit of the tower a bright light suddenly 
 flashed, that grew momentarily in volume, until a broad 
 sheet of flame ascended into the sky. Some one had 
 kindled a fire upon the church tower for what? One
 
 188 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 object, and one alone, was possible. It was a signal. 
 And even as I gazed, upon the still night air came the 
 sound of two shots fired in quick succession aye, and 
 following hard upon them a dozen straggling reports 
 and then silence. But with those reports the instincts 
 of the soldier returned to me. There was danger, then 
 danger at the village and I was not there to share ! 
 
 I stood for a moment summing up all the possibilities 
 of the situation; and in that moment a dozen or more 
 lanterns broke from the woodland path that led to the 
 village, and a little crowd of dark figures, with here and 
 there the moonlight giving back the flash of steel, made 
 straight for the terrace. At that my brain cleared with 
 lightning rapidity, and turning swiftly, I snatched my 
 pistols from the table. 
 
 Was it force of habit merely, or some dim suspicion 
 of the truth that caused me to bend closer to look at 
 them in the light of the candles? 
 
 A single glance was sufficient. The flints had been re 
 moved the weapons were useless ! I stood staring at 
 them in dull perplexity; and then I raised my eyes and 
 they fell upon my lady. 
 
 She was standing upon the hearth, erect and motionless, 
 both hands pressed against her bosom, gazing at me with 
 a strange expression, half fearful, half defiant, as if 
 some secret struggle were raging in her breast. She 
 did not speak; there was no need for words. In her 
 face, her attitude, I received the full confirmation of my 
 suspicions read the truth in all its naked hideousness. 
 
 Now I remembered all too late that I had left my spare
 
 HOW MY LADY PLAYED DELILAH 189 
 
 flints in my holsters. Now I understood only too well 
 for what purpose my lady had left her fan in the gar 
 den, who it was that had tampered with the weapons in 
 my hands. With a sickening feeling of despair I realised 
 that all this time she had been but playing a part, had 
 been the lure to keep me from the village while they 
 worked their will upon the men whom I commanded. 
 Her graciousness, her altered demeanour towards me, 
 had been but assumed part of the snare into which, 
 despite my boasted knowledge of the world, I had fallen 
 as easily as any rustic Corydon. 
 
 On a sudden, still with her eyes on mine, my lady slowly 
 raised her injured arm. Slowly, slowly, she raised it, 
 then with a quick, passionate gesture she tore the ban 
 dage from her wrist and flung it into the empty grate 
 behind her. That broke the spell. 
 
 With a long-drawn, shivering breath I recovered my 
 composure. "God forgive you, madam," I said quietly; 
 "for I believe that you have sent me to my death." And 
 without further word or glance at her, I threw my use 
 less pistols upon the floor at her feet, and, drawing my 
 sword, stepped through the open window. But as I set 
 foot upon the terrace I realised to the full my danger; 
 for upon turning to the left, intending, if possible, to 
 reach the stables, I saw the steward and the youth Martin 
 advancing from their direction, and the moonlight shone 
 upon the barrels of the muskets in their hands. They 
 raised a shout at my sudden appearance, but they dared 
 not fire, for I was between them and their friends ad 
 vancing from the opposite end of the terrace, who now,
 
 190 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 indeed, were within a hundred feet of me. And before 
 me was the moat, which even if I could by any means 
 clear (and my heavy riding boots rendered the chance 
 more than doubtful), to cross the open lawns exposed to 
 their shot was but to court certain death. 
 
 Moreover, small desire of escape was there in my heart ; 
 for so stung was I by the knowledge of my lady's treach 
 ery and of my own disgrace, that I was minded to die 
 rather, and so to hide my shame. How after this could I 
 face my comrades, with the knowledge that I had be 
 trayed the trust reposed in me, and, despite my age and 
 experience, had been tricked, cozened, cheated by a 
 woman, like the veriest country clown. 
 
 A little to my right two buttresses projecting from the 
 wall offered security from all save a frontal attack. Be 
 tween these I ensconced myself and awaited my enemies 
 with the desperate determination of selling my life as 
 dearly as possible. In a moment they were around me 
 a score or more of the hardier rogues from the village, 
 armed for the most part with pitchforks and scythe 
 blades lashed to poles, and led by Sir Rupert Courte- 
 nay, my lady's cousin. 
 
 Seeing me standing there, stern and motionless, they 
 came to a sudden halt, and the shouts with which they 
 had before greeted my appearance died away to silence. 
 
 "Give up your sword, sir," said the young baronet 
 sharply. "Your troopers are in our hands and resistance 
 is futile." 
 
 At that I put aside the thrust of a scythe blade from 
 the man who was nearest to me, at the same time slash-
 
 HOW MY LADY PLAYED DELILAH 191 
 
 Ing him across the wrist, and as the knaves drew back a 
 little, not relishing their reception, I condescended to 
 give him an answer. 
 
 "On guard, sir," I said through my set teeth. "Unless, 
 indeed, you prefer to stand by and let your followers 
 murder me. Undoubtedly it is your safest course." 
 
 For a moment he hesitated, thinking, I make no doubt, 
 of the fair girl who awaited him within the house, or per 
 haps he knew my reputation with the sword, that had 
 made older men pause ere provoking me ; but the sneer 
 ing laugh with which I accompanied my last words 
 caused him to flush with shame, as I had so intended. 
 
 "By heaven, no!" he, burst out. "If you are bent on 
 being killed, captain, I will oblige you. And you others, 
 stand back. I have already an account to settle with 
 this gentleman." 
 
 And as, obedient to his command, they drew back a little 
 on either side, leaving us a clearer space to wield our 
 weapons, he sprang impetuously forward, and our blades 
 clashed together. Yet scarcely had we exchanged a 
 dozen passes ere my lady's voice rang high above the 
 music of our swords. 
 
 "Do not kill him! do not kill him!" she cried. 
 
 Whether it was that her sudden appearance within the 
 circle, or that the events of the night had unstrung my 
 nerves and robbed my hand of its cunning, I do not 
 know. But on a sudden my sword wavered, and in that 
 brief instant my opponent's blade slipped within my 
 guard and his point pierced my left breast. Yet still 
 for a moment I did not fall. I staggered, indeed,
 
 192 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 against the wall, but my brain was so clear that the 
 whole scene was printed indelibly upon my memory. 
 The moonlight falling upon the ring of encircling faces, 
 the young baronet staring stupidly at his encrimsoned 
 blade, scarce crediting his victory, and, lastly, my lady's 
 white, stricken face, as, wide-eyed, she gazed at the fast 
 reddening circle on my breast. 
 
 Suddenly the silence was broken by the sharp click of 
 her fan as it fell upon the gravel walk. 
 
 "Madam," I said huskily, taking two steps toward her, 
 with earth and sky rocking in one red mist before my 
 eyes, "you have dropped your fan ; permit me to re 
 store it to you." And I fell heavily at her feet.
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 OF WHAT BEFELL ON THE TERRACE 
 
 IT was dark when my senses deserted me ; it was still dark 
 when they returned amidst the accompanying roar of 
 the battlefield. I was stretched at full length upon the 
 ground, pressed down by some heavy weight that ren 
 dered me powerless of moving hand or foot. Dimly 
 through the black pall of smoke that enveloped me I 
 thought that I recognised the outline of my old charger 
 Gustavus, who had borne me in safety through the perils 
 of many a stricken field, to meet his death at last amidst 
 the rout of Teneff e. So it was Teneffe then ! And yon 
 der, where the fire flashed redly, that was the village it 
 self, fired by the Dutch in that last charge in which a 
 spent cannon-ball had struck me down. Aye, I could 
 see them now a dense mass of men, fighting, struggling, 
 swaying to and fro amidst the blazing ruins of the ham 
 let. More, I could see Conde's veterans victors of 
 Naerden, Rhimberg and the Rhine, recoiling before 
 the berghers and traders of the Netherlands. Nearer to 
 me, upon an eminence some five hundred paces distant, a 
 battery of French artillery added their iron tongues to 
 the increasing roar of the field. Faintly, whenever the 
 smoke drifted, I could see the gunners working madly 
 at their pieces ; but as the retreat of their comrades be 
 fore William's stolid infantry developed rapidly into a
 
 194 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 rout, the guns ceased firing one by one, and limbering 
 up, they advanced at a gallop upon the spot where 
 totally incapable of movement I lay full in their path. 
 
 I struggled vainly to rise a mountain seemed to press 
 me down. I strove to cry out, but no sound came from 
 my parched lips. Nearer and nearer, swifter and 
 swifter, they swept down upon me, in one fierce tempest 
 of maddened horses and shouting men, with the great 
 guns swaying behind them. Now, so close were they, 
 that I could see the wild, straining eyes of the horses and 
 the blackened faces of the gunners, who lashed their 
 teams to frenzy. Now with a trembling of the ground 
 beneath me a nightmare of blood-red beasts and giant 
 riders they were upon me, over me. With a despairing 
 cry I flung out my arm and awoke to a full conscious 
 ness of my surroundings. 
 
 I drew a deep breath and lay for a time gazing up at 
 the ceiling overhead, until the noises in my head gradu 
 ally subsided, and I became conscious of a fierce throb 
 bing in my left shoulder, that most effectually brought 
 back the events of the previous day to my memory. 
 Glancing downwards, I saw that my arm was supported 
 in a sling upon my breast. At that I rose with an effort 
 upon my right elbow and, despite the feeling of faint- 
 ness that oppressed me, took a rapid survey of my 
 surroundings. Clad only in my shirt and breeches, I 
 lay upon a bed of rugs in a room that I had never previ 
 ously seen. In what part of the manor it was situated 
 I could not form a guess, but from its appearance I 
 judged that it was used for little else than a lumber room.
 
 WHAT BEFELL ON THE TERRACE 195 
 
 Beside my couch my eyes lighted upon a tray, whereon 
 was set a flask of spirits, put ready there, I opined, 
 'gainst my awaking. I reached for the flask and drank 
 deeply of its contents. It was cognac in quality the 
 best and with the generous spirit I felt my strength 
 return to me and the life blood course swifter through 
 my veins. Presently I staggered to my feet and moved 
 somewhat unsteadily in the direction of the window. It 
 was guarded by three massive iron bars let into the solid 
 masonry, and of such a thickness as to effectually pre 
 clude all possibility of escape in that direction. My 
 prison was in the left wing of the house, for below me 
 was the stable yard, with the stables themselves directly 
 facing me. No one was about, so that taking this fact, 
 together with the coolness of the morning air into con 
 sideration, I judged that the hour was yet early. Ah, 
 but it was good to breathe the fresh sea breeze into one's 
 lungs, to watch the sunlight dancing in the courtyard, 
 and the white, fleecy clouds chasing each other overhead. 
 
 I next turned my attention to the wound upon my 
 shoulder, striving in so far as I was able to ascertain 
 the exact extent of injury inflicted. To my surprise and 
 gratification, upon slipping my arm from the sling 
 which supported it, I found that I could move it with 
 tolerable freedom, and with no very great addition to the 
 pain that I already endured. 
 
 Presently I made the discovery that the sling itself 
 belonged to me was, in fact, no other than the very 
 scarf which I had bound around my lady's wrist. Up till 
 that moment I had been so absorbed in examining my
 
 196 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 prison, that I had lost all recollection of the means which 
 had deprived me for the time being of my liberty. But 
 now at the sight of this scarf, bringing back in a flood 
 of memory all my lady's treachery and my own humilia 
 tion, I fell into so fierce a rage as surely never woman 
 roused in man before. 
 
 In a sudden access of unreasoning passion I tore the 
 silken sling from around my neck and ground it savagely 
 beneath my heel. Oh, for one hour of liberty ! One 
 hour of revenge upon this woman who had beguiled me 
 to my undoing! One hour to break that haughty 
 spirit to bend, to crush, to bring her grovelling upon 
 her knees for pity ! Pity ? If that the time should ever 
 come that I could repay her for the present shame I felt 
 by striking her through those she loved, then let her not 
 look for any pity at the hands of the man whom she had 
 wronged, for by all I held most sacred I would not spare 
 her! 
 
 After awhile, oppressed by a feeling that I could not 
 breathe, I moved again to the window, that the cool sea 
 breeze might play upon my burning forehead. 
 
 "Good-day to you, general," said a mocking voice. 
 "Will your lordship be pleased to require your horse this 
 morning?" I glanced swiftly down. 
 
 Below me in the courtyard was the youth Martin, and 
 behind him the grinning faces of the other two stable 
 hands. All three carried old-fashioned muskets in their 
 hands, with more or less rusty swords strapped to their 
 waists. Evidently my prison was well guarded. 
 
 I stepped hastily back from the casement, yet not so
 
 WHAT BEFELL ON THE TERRACE 197 
 
 quickly but that I caught the jeering laugh with which 
 the words were accompanied. It was this laugh more 
 than the insolence of the words themselves that stung 
 me once more to sudden rage ; and I fell to pacing the 
 floor in a frenzy of impotent passion. 
 
 Doubtless my lady had taken a pleasure in relating 
 to all within the house the manner in which the poor dupe 
 had fallen into her snare aye, and had laughed 
 laughed with them over my discomfiture! The latter 
 thought was maddening. 
 
 I stopped in my walk, and in order to seek any dis 
 traction rather than to dwell further upon my shame, 
 I set to work in feverish haste to examine the lumber that 
 the room contained, in the hope that I might discover 
 some weapon with which to arm myself. Though to 
 what purpose, seeing that I had no strength to use it, 
 even if I had stumbled upon that which I sought, I did 
 not stop to reason. But there was no weapon of any; 
 description to be found. Books there were in plenty, 
 old tapestry and pictures, china and odd-looking furni 
 ture, in shape such as I had never previously seen, and all 
 bearing the same mark of extreme age. 
 
 Presently I desisted from my search and again peered 
 cautiously out of the window. The two louts still lin 
 gered in the doorway of the stable opposite, but the 
 youth Martin had disappeared. Even as I stood watch 
 ing the men before me somewhere within the house a door 
 banged to loudly, and there came the sound of footsteps 
 nearing the room in which I was confined. At that I 
 reseated myself upon the chest and strove to regain my
 
 198 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 ordinary composure, for I was determined that my 
 gaolers should not be witnesses of how deeply I felt the 
 shame of my present position. The footsteps ceased in 
 the passage without, a key was thrust into the lock, and 
 a moment later the heavy door swung open, disclosing 
 the figure of the steward. 
 
 "You are to follow me," he growled, with a sour smile. 
 
 "Whither?" I asked curtly. 
 
 "That you will soon know," he replied, with all his old 
 hatred of me looking out of his eyes. "Come no more 
 words." 
 
 "I will know now, or I do not stir from this room," I 
 said stubbornly. "Hark you, Master Steward, I have 
 asked you a civil question and I await your answer." 
 
 "What if I refuse?" he growled. "I have it in my 
 power to compel you." 
 
 "You may use force if it so please you," I answered 
 boldly, snatching up the stool upon which I had been 
 sitting. 
 
 "But in that case I warn you there will be more than 
 one head broken ere I am removed." 
 
 For a few moments we faced each other in silence, and 
 he half turned, as though he was about to summon as 
 sistance, but apparently he thought better of it, or my 
 resolute attitude daunted him, for again he hesitated. 
 
 "Very well, if you must know," he said with a grim 
 smile, "to my lady, then." 
 
 "Ah!" was all I answered, though I felt my heart 
 quicken. 
 
 "And now I hope you are satisfied," he continued, his
 
 WHAT BEFELL ON THE TERRACE 199 
 
 former insolent manner returning. "So come, let us 
 have no further waste of time." 
 
 "What, as I am?" I cried quickly, remembering on a 
 sudden the scantiness of my attire. Even the shirt I 
 wore had been partly cut away to enable them to dress 
 my wound. "Where is my uniform, you rascal?" 
 
 "Burnt !" he answered sneeringly. "And I have no 
 orders to play the part of tailor." 
 
 "To the devil with your orders !" I cried in a rage. 
 "Get me some clothes, fool ! Would you have me appear 
 before ladies in this guise?" 
 
 Still for a moment he hesitated, then, "Wait," he said 
 briefly. And he went out, locking the heavy door be 
 hind him. When the last sound of his footsteps had died 
 away, I commenced to pace the floor in some agitation. 
 So I was to see my lady then ? In good sooth I had need 
 of all my composure to face the coming interview. Not 
 for the world would I have her see that any words of 
 hers had power to move me. Not for the world would I 
 give her cause to triumph at my humiliation. Rapidly 
 I shaped out in my own mind a course of conduct to 
 pursue and had reduced my face to a state of impassive- 
 ness ere, after the lapse of some ten minutes, the 
 steward's returning footsteps again became audible. 
 
 This time he carried a bundle in his hand, which he 
 flung as carelessly at my feet as one might fling a bone 
 to some stray cur. 
 
 I turned it over with my foot. It was a coat of coarse 
 brown cloth such as any groom might wear, and reeked 
 indeed most vilely of the stable.
 
 200 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 "Pah !" I said in disgust. "Is this the best you can find 
 me, man?" 
 
 "Best?" he cried impatiently. "Aye, and too good at 
 that, since it comes from the back of an honest man. 
 But make your choice and quickly ! Either you come 
 of your own accord or we will drag you there. Time 
 presses. Which is it to be ?" 
 
 I saw that the knave would keep his word, and now that 
 I knew my destination I was in no mind to appear before 
 my lady in so undignified a fashion. I bade him sharply 
 then to hold his peace and to assist me in donning the 
 coat of which a closer inspection lent but an increase 
 to the repugnance I felt in wearing. This, indeed, seeing 
 that it was impossible owing to my wound that I 
 could accomplish of myself, he presently did, though 
 with much muttering the while, of which I took no 
 heed. 
 
 Even then I was forced to again resume my sling and 
 to fasten the one empty sleeve upon my breast, for I 
 found that I could not yet force my arm within it, owing 
 to the latter's stiffness. This done, I turned to the 
 steward. 
 
 "I am ready," I said curtly. "Lead on, my friend." 
 
 He looked at me with a cunning smile. "Not so fast," 
 he answered, stepping quickly into the passage and 
 drawing a pistol from his breast. "You will go first, 
 if you please ; and play me no tricks, for I am armed, 
 as you see, and I have a good memory." 
 
 In truth, I saw that the knave would only be too glad to 
 revenge himself upon me, so I shrugged my shoulders in-
 
 WHAT BEFELL ON THE TERRACE 201 
 
 differently and turned along the passage in the direc 
 tion he indicated. 
 
 In this order we proceeded, then, until we reached the 
 entrance hall. Yet still the lout behind me pointed for 
 ward, and we passed out of the main door, and so into 
 the open air. 
 
 But it was only when I was descending the steps that I 
 fully realised the scene, and the meaning of the shouts 
 that I had heard became plain to me. For on my right, 
 at the end of the terrace, where three broad steps led 
 down on to the grassland bordering the main avenue, 
 was a little group of some half dozen persons, among 
 whom my eyes lighted almost immediately upon the tall 
 figure of my lady. 
 
 Below them, upon the grass, the whole of the villagers, 
 men, women and children, seemed to have gathered ; and 
 a clamour of derisive shouts greeted my appearance. 
 
 Beyond bestowing one look of contempt upon them I 
 took no heed, but calling all my fortitude to my aid, 
 with head erect and with a firm step I passed along the 
 terrace to where my lady awaited me. 
 
 As I approached nearer I scanned the persons before 
 me more closely. With some at least I was already ac 
 quainted. There was Mistress Grace, who eyed me, I 
 thought, with a glance that bespoke more of pity for my 
 forlorn condition than of triumph at the successful issue 
 of their enterprise. Near to her was my late adversary, 
 the young Sir Rupert Courtenay, and three or four of 
 the neighbouring gentry, all of whom I knew to be of 
 the Jacobite persuasion; while at the head of the steps,
 
 202 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 with a grim smile upon his face, stood the stalwart figure 
 of Sampson Dare. But it was with more curiosity that 
 I gazed upon the two men with whom my lady herself 
 was conversing. They were seated at a small table, a 
 bottle and glasses before them, and a more villainous pair 
 of rogues it has seldom been my lot to set eyes upon. 
 He who seemed to be the spokesman was dressed in a 
 voluminous skirted coat of blue, adorned here and there 
 with tarnished bold braid. Beneath this was a faded 
 silken vest, and I caught a glimpse of a brace of pistols 
 garnishing the broad belt at his waist. His legs, like 
 those of his companion, were encased in high sea-boots 
 that reached all but to his thigh, and upon his head was 
 an old-fashioned three-cornered hat. In years he might 
 have been anything from forty to sixty, but his brown 
 mahogany face was so scarred and wrinkled that it gave 
 no clear indication as to his age. That he was a seaman 
 I saw at a glance, and my mind instantly reverted to the 
 vessel I had seen in the bay. His companion was a tall, 
 gaunt man, dressed in a coarse blue jerkin and with a red 
 cotton cap upon his head. For the rest, both these 
 worthies wore heavy gold earrings and carried long 
 swords at their sides. Master and mate I took them to 
 be, and as it subsequently proved, my surmise was 
 correct. 
 
 At length I came to a halt, I caught the words which 
 he of the blue coat was addressing to my lady. "No, 
 no," he was saying in a harsh voice that was well in 
 keeping with his whole appearance, "have no fear on 
 that score, mistress. They shall be treated like gentle-
 
 WHAT BEFELL ON THE TERRACE 203 
 
 men. Curse me! like gentlemen. No more humane 
 a man than I am ever set sail from Bristol port, as Silas 
 Ball here will tell you." 
 
 Here he looked across at the mate, who grinned 
 broadly, as at some excellent jest a jest which at the 
 time I failed to comprehend, though afterwards I came 
 to experience more of the former gentleman's humanity. 
 
 "Given a fair wind, in two days' time they will be 
 
 Is this the man?" he added abruptly, setting down his 
 half -emptied glass and bending his brows upon me. 
 
 Up till now my lady had been standing with her back to 
 me, but at these words she turned, and we were face to 
 face. For it may be twenty seconds we stood thus, my 
 lady proud and cold, I with a tumult of conflicting 
 emotions in my breast, in which a rapidly rising rage 
 against her treachery was the more predominant. At 
 once the clamour around us was stilled into the silence 
 of a great expectancy. 
 
 "This is the man, Captain Barclay," my lady said 
 quietly. Then, with her eyes still upon mine, she added : 
 "I trust, sir, that your wound is on a fair way towards 
 recovery ?" 
 
 "Madam," I answered bitterly, striving to control the 
 passion in my voice, "awhile ago you accused me of 
 hypocrisy in that I pitied you. I think that the accusa 
 tion might well be reversed. You have openly rebelled 
 against the government, you have defied the royal au 
 thority, and, for all that I am aware, have slain the 
 troopers under my command, and, lastly, you have de 
 prived me, a king's officer, of my liberty by such base
 
 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 trickery as only the heart of a woman could conceive. 
 You should have been an actress, madam, had fate not 
 willed you to be born a lady. I congratulate you. Satan 
 himself might take lessons from you in deceit!" For 
 a moment she did not speak, and I saw the colour deepen 
 in her face. 
 
 "I fought you with a woman's weapons," she answered 
 coldly "your manly wit against my woman's beauty. 
 If I succeeded, you have but yourself to blame." 
 
 "You say true, madam," I cried hotly. "For falsehood, 
 flattery and guile those are, indeed, a woman's 
 weapons not a gentleman's !" 
 
 "Then by your own words, sir," she replied icily, "you 
 do but prove the truth of my assertion." 
 
 "As to the sequel of your scheme, madam," I con 
 tinued, "the shame of it rests rather in success than fail 
 ure. To your own conscience I leave it to justify your 
 conduct. But I have little doubt that long practice 
 has rendered your ladyship proficient in the art of de 
 ception to which I fell a victim." 
 
 She threw back her proud head and gazed at me with 
 flashing eyes. "And do you imagine, sir, even for a 
 moment, that the part I degraded myself into playing 
 was an easy one!" she replied scornfully. "To expose 
 myself to the shame of your approval?" 
 
 "No, madam," I answered sternly. "There you are 
 wrong. For a man's honest admiration, however humble 
 his station in life, carries no shame to the woman who 
 inspires it were she the highest in the land." 
 
 "Oh, sir," she cried ironically, "spare me your sophis-
 
 WHAT BEFELL ON THE TERRACE 205 
 
 try; for honesty coupled with your name is too incon 
 gruous. And let me take this opportunity of informing 
 you that thanks to your credulity the army of 
 France, so long delayed, may land in safety on our 
 shores to-night; and thus, sir, indirectly, you have 
 hastened the first step that restores the Stuart to the 
 throne." 
 
 Then raising her voice so that all might hear: "God 
 save King James 1" she cried clearly ; and the cry was 
 enthusiastically caught up both by the gentlemen upon 
 the terrace and the waiting crowd below. 
 
 "And you tell me this, madam?" I said in a choked 
 voice when the clamour had died away. 
 
 She turned upon me with a scornful smile. "If you 
 think that you can make use of the information, sir, you 
 are welcome to do so," she replied. "But I think 
 and these gentlemen will bear me witness that your 
 present position is scarcely to be envied." And she 
 mocked me. Standing there in the pride of her power 
 and her beauty she mocked me I, a weak and wounded 
 prisoner ! 
 
 "And you are wounded, too," she continued pitilessly, 
 "and by one scarce more than a boy a boy !" she added 
 with intense scorn. "I think if I remember right, sir, 
 that you offered me the service of your sword. When I 
 require such service from any man on my behalf, it shall 
 be from one who has the wit and strength aye, and 
 skill enough to handle it." 
 
 I stood trembling and dumb before her, gazing from 
 one to the other of the ruthless, mocking faces around
 
 206 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 me. and back again to my lady's scornful countenance. 
 Yet was there no real cause for me to wonder at her 
 present mood; for deep down in the heart of every 
 woman aye, even in the very best of them, there is an 
 innate well of cruelty, a delight in inflicting pain upon 
 our sex, which, it may be, is engendered by their physical 
 inferiority. It was at this moment that, as with a sense 
 of utter loneliness I faced my encircling enemies, a sud 
 den faintness seized me. I know not whether it was due 
 unto my wound, or whether all that I had passed through 
 had overtaxed my strength, but I staggered back against 
 the terrace wall. Yet even in that moment I was not so 
 far unconscious but that I heard an exclamation of pity 
 escape the lips of Mistress Grace. 
 
 "Madam," I gasped hoarsely I could bear no more 
 "let us end this. Kill me if you will, but for God's sake 
 end this !" 
 
 "You are right, sir," she answered quickly. <f l will end 
 it, and spare myself the further insult of your 'honest 
 admiration.' There are depths below depths of infamy 
 and shame. But if admiration is based upon kindred 
 qualities of spirit, I can conceive no greater degradation 
 than to be the object of your passion." Yet as she spoke 
 I saw that the colour had forsaken her face and she 
 pressed her hand against her side, as if in sudden pain. 
 Aye, others saw it too, for, "Lettice, you are ill!" her 
 sister cried, hastening to her assistance. But my lady 
 put her aside. 
 
 "No, no," she cried passionately. "It is nothing 
 nothing! Is not this the hour of my triumph? And
 
 WHAT BEFELL ON THE TERRACE 207 
 
 shall I not take it? Shall I not " She broke off 
 
 abruptly with a slight shudder, then with a sudden 
 change of manner she ran to the terrace wall and beck 
 oned to the expectant crowd below. 
 
 "Look there," she cried fiercely, flinging out her arm 
 towards me. "There is the man before whom for many 
 days we have cowered and trembled, who has held our 
 safety and our lives in the hollow of his hand; there is 
 the man who has called himself our master our mas 
 ter yours and mine mine ! Look well upon him 
 now !" 
 
 A fierce shout answered her words and the crowd pressed 
 forward to the foot of the steps with menacing cries 
 and curses, in which the voices of the women joined the 
 loudest. 
 
 "Give him to us!" a voice shouted, and the cry was 
 quickly caught up and repeated. "Aye, give him to us ! 
 To the cliffs with him !" 
 
 "To the cliffs, say you?" cried a wild-eyed woman 
 shrilly, darting up the steps and endeavouring to push 
 her way past Sampson Dare. "To the gallows with 
 him ! 'Twas such as he that hung my boy to the sign 
 post of the inn for following King Monmouth! Aye, 
 and played their drums the while to drown his dying 
 cries ! This for you butcher !" She flung a clod of 
 earth that struck me full in the face, and above the 
 fierce shout of approval that greeted her words, mingled 
 with those of "butcher!" and "to the sign-post with 
 him!" I heard my lady give a hard, cruel laugh at 
 my discomfiture. Stung more by this than all the in-
 
 208 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 dignities heaped upon me, I rallied all my strength and 
 faced them squarely at the head of the steps. 
 
 "Peace, you hounds," I cried sternly. "You who yelp 
 so loudly now for James would, at a turn of Fortune's 
 wheel, bark louder still for William ! Not with such 
 as you have I to deal. But for you, madam !" I cried 
 hoarsely, turning to my lady, who stood pale and erect, 
 her eyes shining with defiance and a light I could not 
 read "you, who knowing better, lure these senseless 
 hinds to ruin with a cunning worthy of yourself and of 
 your cause to you, I say, the debt between us is no light 
 one. Look to yourself in the day that I repay you 
 for this morning's work 1" 
 
 In the vehemence of my passion my wound reopened, 
 and with the world receding from my fading vision I 
 fell back senseless in the arms of Sampson Dare.
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 OF THE GENTLEMAN ABOARD THE GOOD SHIP "PRIDE OP 
 
 DEVON" 
 
 FOR exactly how long my swoon lasted, to this day I 
 can but hazard a vague conjecture. But with returning 
 consciousness I found myself lying upon a heap of 
 straw in the stable I have before mentioned, with the 
 steward bending over me busily engaged in re-bandag 
 ing my wound. Beyond him, near to the doorway, 
 lounged Sampson Dare, and in the yard without I 
 caught a glimpse of three or four servants belonging 
 to the manor, all of them fully armed, and of the youth 
 Martin holding the bridle of my own impatient sorrel. 
 
 "So, so," said the steward grimly, upon seeing me open 
 my eyes. "King William is spared the mourning for a 
 valiant servant." 
 
 "And the devil has lost his own as yet," added Samp 
 son Dare with a grin. 
 
 I closed my eyes for awhile and lay silent ; for the sun 
 light without dazzled me, and I was conscious, more 
 over, of a feeling of intense weakness, by which I imag 
 ined that I must have lost a quantity of blood which 
 was, indeed, the case. 
 
 When the man beside me had completed his task, even 
 to replacing my arm within its former sling, all of 
 which, to his credit be it said, he accomplished with no
 
 210 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 undue harshness, he thrust a flask of spirits in my hand 
 and bade me curtly, "Drink." 
 
 In this, indeed, I was the more ready to obey him, since 
 not only was I afflicted with an intolerable thirst, but also 
 the events of the past few hours recurred swiftly to my 
 memory, and I was minded to uphold my dignity and 
 conceal the weakness that I really felt in the presence of 
 the men before me. Deeply, therefore, I quaffed of the 
 cognac which the flask contained, drinking in with it 
 an increased vitality and such returning strength that 
 presently I was enabled to stagger to my feet. 
 
 "That is better," said the steward, nodding approv 
 ingly, as I was fain to lean for a moment or two longer 
 against the wall to recover from the sudden faintness 
 which the effort had entailed; "for the day wears on 
 apace, and 'tis time we should be moving." 
 
 "Whither?" I gasped hoarsely, glancing from his face 
 to that of Sampson Dare. 
 
 "Ah, you will see time enough," the latter made an 
 swer. "A pleasant journey to you, with good com 
 pany !" and he grinned broadly. 
 
 "Come, come, we waste time," said the steward im 
 patiently, at the same time beckoning to Martin to 
 bring my horse nearer. "Can you mount?" he added, 
 turning abruptly to me. 
 
 At that I rallied all my strength, and disregarding his 
 proffered arm, I stepped somewhat unsteadily, I will 
 admit through the open doorway to the sorrel's side, 
 who turned his head at my appearance and whinnied 
 softly in gentle recognition. But the sight of the animal
 
 GOOD SHIP "PRIDE OF DEVON" 
 
 was as if I had found an old friend, and it was with a 
 renewal of hope that with Sampson Dare's assistance I 
 climbed heavily into the saddle. Yet if some wild scheme 
 of escaping had for a moment crossed my mind it was 
 speedily doomed to be disappointed ; for, with the steward 
 leading the sorrel by the bridle and with the other men 
 forming in a little cluster around me, I was forced to 
 admit to myself, however reluctantly, that any idea of 
 regaining my liberty was for the present at least im 
 practicable. 
 
 Nay, more, as my eyes, travelling from face to face of 
 the group around me, encountered those of Sampson 
 Dare, as if reading my thoughts, he significantly patted 
 a long barrelled pistol in his hand. No, the odds were 
 too heavy against me in my wounded state, and so, with 
 a slight shrug, I resigned myself to waiting for what 
 should follow. 
 
 In this order, then, we left the stables behind us and 
 moved slowly towards the entrance gates of the manor. 
 Upon turning the corner of the house, we came once 
 more in full view of the terrace and of the crowd 
 that still gathered thickly upon the grass below. 
 Eagerly I looked towards the scene of my late 
 humiliation. 
 
 The gentlemen still lingered upon the terrace and the 
 two seafaring men awaited our appearance at the foot 
 of the steps and immediately made their way towards 
 us ; but of my lady herself or of her sister I could see 
 nothing. And at this I was greatly relieved, for of a 
 surety I had not courage enough left to me to sustain
 
 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 with dignity another interview such as that through 
 which I had lately passed. 
 
 As for the waiting crowd, doubtless it would have gone 
 hard with me at their hands had I not had the escort of 
 Sampson Dare and the other stout rogues by my side for 
 my protection; or it may be that my lady had herself 
 issued stringent orders as to my safe conduct ; for though 
 upon catching sight of me they immediately thronged 
 around us, yet they contented themselves with calling 
 down curses upon me, and beyond this, offered no violent 
 opposition to our progress. Indeed, they came no 
 farther with us than the gates of the manor, and upon 
 turning into the road, we were left to proceed on our 
 way alone, save for the company of the two seamen 
 who followed close upon our heels, ever and anon break 
 ing out into a lusty chorus, which they sang at the 
 full strength of voices, rendered not too steady by the 
 spirits they had been freely imbibing. 'Twas a doggerel 
 verse at best, nathless possessing a jingle that even in 
 the midst of the anxiety I felt as to my position per 
 sistently forced itself upon my memory: 
 
 "Then a fig for a landsman's life, my lads 
 
 And a cheer for the Spanish Main ! 
 With the still lagoons and the bright doubloons 
 And the black-eyed maids of Spain, my lads ! 
 
 Oho, for the maids of Spain ! " 
 
 To this accompaniment we arrived in no long time at 
 the village, and passing slowly down the deserted street, 
 wended our way to the little stone jetty that lay behind 
 the court-house; that is, all save the two worthies who
 
 GOOD SHIP "PRIDE OF DEVON" 213 
 
 had followed us, who stopped to further refresh them 
 selves at the inn. 
 
 Swiftly I glanced seawards. Less than a mile off 
 shore lay the mysterious vessel I had seen from the cliffs ; 
 and the sight confirmed the suspicions I already had in 
 my mind as to my further destination. Moreover, as 
 obedient to a curt command from Sampson Dare, I 
 slowly dismounted on the pier, I took occasion of the 
 steward to inquire whither we were bound. 
 
 For a moment he hesitated, as if debating with himself 
 whether he should satisfy my curiosity ; but apparently 
 concluding it could do not harm, his face relaxed into 
 a grim smile. 
 
 "To France," he replied briefly. 
 
 "France?" I cried, unable under the sudden surprise 
 to conceal the dismay his words caused me. 
 
 "Aye," he answered sourly, enjoying my too evi 
 dent confusion. "The prospect does not please 
 you? Well, I think that the galleys will more 
 than counterbalance this." . And he lightly touched his 
 neck. 
 
 I would have questioned him still further but that the 
 captain and the mate arrived at this moment upon the 
 jetty just as a boat put off from the vessel's side and 
 made rapidly for the spot where we were standing. But 
 at sight of the boat, or rather I supposed, finding no boat 
 ready waiting for us, the captain, who I saw at a glance 
 was decidedly the worse for liquor, broke out into a 
 string of horrid curses, which ceased only for lack of 
 breath. With face inflamed and gait unsteady he ad-
 
 MY LADY OF CLEEVE . 
 
 vanced to the end of the jetty and awaited its nearer 
 approach. 
 
 "You rogues!" he roared, as the object of his rage 
 came alongside and the two evil-looking faces of the sea 
 men who manned it were raised to his. "You scum! 
 You devil-spawn ! You must return to the ship without 
 orders, must ye! And keep your betters waiting, must 
 ye ! Burn my body ! but I'll teach ye discipline when I 
 get aboard!" 
 
 Then in a fresh access of drunken fury he turned 
 suddenly upon me, and drawing a pistol from his belt 
 waved it towards the waiting boat below. "Get in, you 
 dog!" he shouted brutally. I glanced at the faces of 
 the men around me. In no one of them did I see aught 
 but satisfaction at my departure. So, with the prospect 
 of escape at present receding, I shrugged my shoulders 
 lightly, and disdaining further speech of them, I seated 
 myself in the bow of the boat. 
 
 Scarcely had I ensconced myself ere the captain and 
 the mate took their places in the stern, the captain still 
 with the pistol upon his knees. 
 
 "Shove off and be damned to ye!" he roared. "And 
 put your backs to it if you would not wish a bullet in 
 ye!" 
 
 Obedient to his command, the men bent to their oars in 
 sullen silence a silence all too plainly born of fear 
 and we headed for the distant vessel and a prison. 
 
 As the distance between the boat and the shore behind 
 us gradually increased I took my last look of Cleeve. 
 The evening was fast drawing on and already the cloud
 
 GOOD SHIP "PRIDE OF DEVON" 215 
 
 shadows lay in darkened patches upon the green slopes 
 of Cleevesborough, though all around us the sea shim 
 mered golden in the glory of the sinking sun. Behind 
 us, the little group of figures upon the jetty still lin 
 gered, staring after us the sorrel in their midst. And 
 so still was the evening air that even at that distance 
 their voices came plainly to my ears across the widen 
 ing water. Away to the right, above the dark woods 
 that crowned the rugged cliffs, I caught sight of the tall 
 chimneys of the manor that had proved so sorry a grave 
 to my ambitions. Bitter were my thoughts as I gazed 
 upon it. A week ago had seen me in the plenitude of 
 power master of the manor and of all beneath its roof. 
 Now I sat in the gathering night shadows a helpless, 
 dishonoured prisoner, every stroke of the oars speeding 
 me nearer to France and to the galleys. And the cause 
 of it all a woman! 
 
 All this time the captain in the stern had not been 
 silent now cursing at the seamen for their tardiness, 
 anon breaking out into snatches of the song I had be 
 fore heard : 
 
 "And the black eyed maids of Spain, my lads! 
 Oho ! for the maids of Spain ! 
 
 Presently I turned my attention to the vessel we were 
 rapidly approaching. Certainly the appearance of the 
 captain and the crew were not prepossessing, and con 
 firmed me in the opinion that she was a privateer, most 
 likely hailing from Bristol one of those free lances 
 of the ocean fitted out by wealthy Jacobites to assist 
 the cause of James ; but which such was the unsettled
 
 216 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 state of the times preyed upon all merchant shipping 
 alike with strict impartiality. 
 
 The ship proved to be a larger craft upon nearer ap 
 proach than I had first imagined. She lay motionless 
 upon the water, stern on towards us, and her tapering 
 spars and tracery of ropes stood darkly out against 
 the evening sky. As we swept round to larboard, above 
 the cabin window in her stern I saw her name, The 
 Scourge. At the same time I caught sight of a score 
 or more of villainous faces gazing at us from above the 
 bulwarks of her low, black hull, from which, here and 
 there, the frowning muzzles of her guns protruded. But 
 small time had I for speculation upon her character, 
 for no sooner were we alongside and it was not without 
 considerable difficulty that I gained the deck than the 
 captain turned fiercely upon the first of the two sailors 
 who had followed us aboard. 
 
 "That for disobeying orders, you dog!" he cried, 
 snatching a pistol from his belt and striking the fel 
 low so shrewd a blow with the heavy butt that the rogue 
 fell to the deck half stunned. 
 
 "Up with ye !" he added, bestowing a brutal kick upon 
 the man's prostrate body. "No skulking here while Bar 
 clay's in command. Though, curse me ! a more humane 
 man than I never left Bristol port !" 
 
 More I was not permitted to see or hear, for at a 
 word from the mate, a couple of the ruffians seized me, 
 and forcing me down a narrow companion ladder aft, 
 flung open a door at its foot and thrust me inside with 
 unnecessary violence; and I heard the shooting of the
 
 GOOD SHIP "PRIDE OF DEVON" 217 
 
 heavy bolts behind them. At first, I could distinguish 
 nothing of my surroundings, but after a few moments, 
 when my eyes had grown accustomed to the gloom, I 
 made out that I was in a small cabin some seven feet 
 square, destitute of all furniture, but with a narrow 
 wooden locker at one end. Such light and air as there 
 was if light it could be called, which was at best but 
 semi-darkness came from a narrow slit, six inches 
 high not more, above the door. As for the heat of the 
 place, 'twas stifling, for be it remembered it was now the 
 very height of summer, and the little air there was be 
 low deck stole through the open companion way down 
 which we had come. I raised my hand above me and 
 found that I could touch with ease the massive timbers 
 overhead. Being a tall man, as I have previously stated, 
 I also found that with comparatively little difficulty I 
 could raise my face to the level of the slit above the 
 door. But there was little to reward my curiosity. I 
 could see, indeed, the companion ladder without and a 
 narrow passage to my left running into the gloom, 
 which I conjectured to lead to the cabins astern, but 
 that was all. 
 
 I next turned my attention to the door itself. It was 
 of stout timber, far too strong to be broken open by any 
 thing short of an axe and fastened, moreover, by the 
 bolts that I had heard drawn. Presently, therefore, I 
 desisted from my inspection, and seating myself upon 
 the locker, I gave myself up to my reflections. The light 
 grew feebler and feebler in the cabin, until at length 
 it died out altogether, and I was left in the darkness to
 
 218 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 speculate upon the strange adversities of fortune. As 
 for the steward's threat of the galleys, I swore des 
 perately to myself that such a fate should not be mine, 
 though as yet I could see no glimmer of light as to how 
 I was to accomplish my escape. One thing I had in my 
 favour. The vessel was yet at anchor and remembering 
 the fact of the stillness of the evening air, I thought it 
 unlikely that a breeze would spring up for many hours, 
 so that there was time before me wherein to formulate a 
 plan. 
 
 It was not until some two hours later that I saw a 
 light glimmer upon the ceiling of the cabin and heard a 
 heavy step descending the ladder. A moment later the 
 bolts were withdrawn and the mate himself appeared in 
 the doorway. In one hand he carried a lantern, which 
 he held up the better to view me. He was followed by 
 a boy bearing a coarse brown loaf and a pitcher of 
 water. These the latter set upon the boards and with 
 drew. Yet the mate lingered for a moment, making pre 
 tence of waiting to see if I should speak. 
 
 "There is your supper," he said at length, finding that 
 I kept silent. 
 
 " 'Tis coarse enough fare," I said abruptly, "and quite 
 in keeping with your lodging." 
 
 "Yet be content," he answered, "'tis better than that 
 of your men." 
 
 "Ah, they are aboard, then?" I said quickly ; for up till 
 now I had been so taken up with considering my own 
 position that I had scarcely given a thought to 
 them.
 
 GOOD SHIP "PRIDE OF DEVON" 219 
 
 In irons," he answered, grinning. "And you, too, had 
 we another set aboard." 
 
 "Bah !" I replied nonchalantly, concealing the trepida 
 tion his words caused me. "There are worse things, my 
 friend, and it is not far to France." 
 
 "Ho, ho, ho !" he chuckled. "To France no ! It is 
 not far to France, as you say." 
 
 Something in the man's words in his face caused me 
 a vague uneasiness. 
 
 "Hark you, master mate," I said sharply. "I am your 
 prisoner; why not be frank with me? You have been 
 paid to carry us to France, is it not so?" 
 
 "What, then?" he replied slowly. "A poor sailorman 
 must live. There's a market for such stout knaves &s 
 you any day in Algiers !" 
 
 And without further word he closed and bolted the door 
 behind him, and I heard his heavy footsteps ascend the 
 ladder, and left me in the darkness. But if I had been 
 anxious to escape before, his last words made me doubly 
 so. All too clearly I understood his meaning. The vil 
 lains had not scrupled to accept the money paid by my 
 lady or her Jacobite friends for our removal, but were 
 now meditating selling us into a slavery a hundred times 
 worse than death itself, thus making for themselves a 
 double profit. For how long I sat there in the darkness, 
 revolving this and all that had led up to it I do not 
 know. At length, worn out by the excitement and events 
 of the day through which I had passed, I stretched my 
 self upon the hard boards, and with my coat for a pillow 
 fell into a heavy slumber.
 
 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 For many hours I must have slept the sleep of exhaus 
 tion, for the light was glimmering faintly upon the 
 beams overhead when I awoke to a full consciousness of 
 my surroundings. Also I discovered at once that we 
 were at sea, for the vessel was rolling heavily. Over 
 head I could hear the trampling of feet and the cap 
 tain's voice roaring out hoarse commands. But no one 
 came near me, and for hours I waited in solitude revolv 
 ing a scheme in my brain which every moment took shape 
 more clearly. True it was a chance only, and a forlorn 
 one, yet I could see no other way, and desperate men 
 do not stick at trifles. 
 
 The idea then came to me fully at noon, when again 
 the door was unbolted to admit the boy and the tall mate 
 with a repetition of the coarse fare of the preceding 
 night. But it was necessary for the execution of my 
 plan that I should wait for the friendly covering of 
 darkness, so I huddled myself upon the locker and 
 feigned to be overcome by the rolling of the ship. The 
 mate looked at me carelessly. 
 
 "Ho, ho, ho !" he cried with a grin. "Hast lost thy sea 
 legs, man ? Why, my bully, 'tis a capful of wind this 
 scarce fit to call a breeze." 
 
 To this I replied with a groan by way of answer, sink 
 ing my head more forward that he might not see my 
 face; and with a few ribald jests at my expense he pres 
 ently left me in solitude. 
 
 When the door had again closed I fell to upon the 
 food that they had brought me. Coarse though it was, I 
 had need of all my strength for the task before me. For
 
 GOOD SHIP "PRIDE OF DEVON" 
 
 as it was, in the first place, essential for me to escape 
 from the cabin, I had resolved to attempt a sudden rush 
 when next they should bring me my supper, trusting to 
 luck to find some means of leaving the vessel in the dark 
 ness and confusion. 'Twas a madman's scheme at best, 
 but I dared delay no longer, for every hour carried me 
 farther from the shores of England. Weapon I had 
 none, but I had caught a glimpse of a long knife in the 
 mate's belt, and could I but get possession of this, I 
 vowed I would not be retaken without a struggle. Also 
 I was handicapped heavily by the wound in my breast, 
 that had stiffened the muscles of my shoulder, leaving 
 me with but the partial use of my left arm. And, again, 
 there was the boy to be reckoned with. But anything 
 was better than to tamely submit to be sold into slavery, 
 and hope of liberty is a great factor in renewing 
 strength and courage. 
 
 Moreover, I reflected, if what my lady had said was 
 true, the safety of England might lie in my hands. 
 
 How long the hours seemed to me until the light began 
 to fade in the cabin can well be imagined ; but gradually 
 it grew less and less, and was I deceived, or was it really 
 a thin mist that came floating down the hatchway and 
 penetrated to my prison cell? My heart gave a great 
 leap 'twas sure a heaven sent boon to cloak my escape. 
 And ere the light had quite faded a new inspiration came 
 to me. I was still wearing my heavy military boots that 
 reached above my knee, although my spurs had been re 
 moved, belike by one of the servants at the manor. I 
 now drew these off that I might be the lighter upon my
 
 222 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 feet and also the more silent, and the thought came to me 
 that one of them would form no bad missile with which 
 to preface my attack. Nay, I trusted that the first 
 surprise would be so great that I should secure the knife 
 with but little difficulty and then well, liberty is dear 
 to the heart of every man. So I waited alone in the 
 darkness with every nerve strung for the coming en 
 counter, listening to the creaking of the ship's timbers 
 and the faint shouts of command from the deck over 
 head. And at last there came a gleam of light above 
 the doorway, and I heard the mate's step upon the ladder. 
 Once he slipped ere he reached the bottom and I heard 
 him curse loudly. 
 
 I rose at that, and with the boot in my hand awaited the 
 opening of the door. But Fortune, that had of late 
 played me so many scurvy tricks, was surely anxious to 
 make amends to me that night, for upon the bolts being 
 withdrawn, the door swung slowly open and disclosed the 
 figure of the mate only. He had set the lantern upon 
 the floor at his feet and in his left hand carried my coarse 
 night fare. Without troubling to raise the light so as 
 to satisfy himself as to my condition, he took two steps 
 into the cabin and stooped to place the food upon the 
 floor. But that was his undoing; for hastily changing 
 my original intention, as the rogue bent down I swung 
 the boot aloft, and with all the strength of arm and body 
 brought down the heavy heel upon his head. Without 
 cry or groan he flung his arms wide and fell an inert 
 heap at my feet. In a moment I had thrown myself upon 
 him my hands upon his throat. But there was little
 
 GOOD SHIP "PRIDE OF DEVON" 223 
 
 need for me to exert any pressure there, the fellow lay 
 as motionless as a log. And when, a moment later, I re 
 leased my grip and slightly raised his head, it fell again 
 with a dull thud upon the boards. Not till then did I 
 rise to my feet, my first care being to secure the lantern, 
 and with this in my hand I re-entered the cabin and care 
 fully closed the door behind me. Then I again bent 
 over my prisoner. A very brief examination sufficed to 
 assure me that the fellow was but stunned ; and securing 
 his knife, I bound his arms firmly behind his back with 
 his own belt ; and with a strip torn from the sleeve of his 
 shirt and his red cap I made an effectual gag. This 
 done, I propped him against the locker. Then blowing 
 out the lantern, I crept from the cabin. Once outside in 
 the passage, I shot the heavy bolts behind me and stood 
 still for a moment listening. 
 
 Not a sound came to show that the mate's fall had been 
 heard from the deck, though I could hear voices raised as 
 though in altercation, and I knew that it would not be 
 long before his absence was discovered. 'Twas almost 
 dark where I stood, at the foot of the ladder, clutching 
 the knife in my hand, every nerve in my body braced to 
 meet whatever should befall. Overhead, a lighter patch 
 in the gloom indicated the hatchway. As my eyes grew 
 more accustomed to my surroundings, I made out that 
 the only other exit was by way of the narrow passage 
 on my left, that led, I felt assured, to the cabin astern. 
 Yet I was reluctant to abandon my men without mak 
 ing some effort to liberate them, even though, from 
 what the mate-had said, I knew them to be in irons some-
 
 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 where in the forepart of the ship. I should, indeed, have 
 ventured upon some desperate scheme for their release 
 which would assuredly have led to my own undoing 
 nay, I had already ascended the ladder, and my head was 
 all but on a level with the deck enough so, indeed, to 
 show me that a thin damp mist wrapped the ship in its 
 embrace, so that of the masts and spars above little was 
 discernible when on a sudden from the deck above came 
 the hoarse voice of Captain Barclay. 
 
 "Forward there!" he roared. "Where is the mate? 
 Send him aft, one o' ye !" 
 
 'Twas a question of minutes only ere his plight was 
 discovered. I turned on the instant, and darting down 
 the ladder, sped swiftly along the narrow passage op 
 posite, to where a faint light shone from beneath a door 
 at the farther end. I did not stop to consider what 
 might lie behind it, but taking a firmer grip of the 
 knife, I flung open the door. A single glance showed 
 me the cabin was empty. Swiftly I closed the door and 
 shot the heavy bolt that fastened it, then glanced quickly 
 around me. 
 
 A single oil lamp swung from a beam in the centre, 
 faintly illuminating the interior. It shone upon the 
 small square table immediately below it, littered with the 
 remains of a meal, and upon a few articles of clothing, 
 tossed carelessly upon the sleeping bunk, as well as upon 
 a few old-fashioned pistols and hangers. But 'twas to 
 the window that I turned my attention, flinging it open 
 and gazing out into the night. One quick glance I gave, 
 then an exclamation of thankfulness rose to my lips. It
 
 "A very brief examination sufficed to assure me that the 
 fellow was but stunned"
 
 GOOD SHIP "PRIDE OF DEVON" 225 
 
 was, indeed, the stern cabin of the ship, and the light 
 shone out upon a white wall of vapour ; for the sea fog 
 was thickening fast. But it was not that only that had 
 fired me with hope ; 'twas the sight of a rope cleaving 
 the mist ; and peering down, I made out the dim outline 
 of a boat towing astern. 
 
 On a sudden, as I leaned far out of the window and 
 grasped the rope with both hands, the deep voice of the 
 man at the helm above me broke out into the song I knew 
 so well : 
 
 "With the still lagoons and the bright doubloons 
 And the black-eyed maids of Spain, my lads ! 
 Oho ! for the maids of Spain ! " 
 
 Then after a pause: "Curse this mist!" I heard him 
 mutter. And precisely at this moment came a thundering 
 knock upon the cabin door behind me and a gruff voice 
 calling upon the mate to open. 
 
 'Twas no time to hesitate ; at the risk of being seen by 
 the helmsman above me at the risk of my wound re 
 opening I launched myself out upon my frail support 
 and let myself down into the darkness. 
 
 It seemed an eternity ere my feet touched the bow of 
 the boat below, but once I had clambered aboard a few 
 strokes of my knife served to sever the rope, and a mo 
 ment later the light in the cabin of the Scourge disap 
 peared into the fog, leaving me alone upon the waste of 
 waters. Not till then did I seize the oars, and pulling the 
 boat's head round commence to row gently in the opposite 
 direction to that which the vessel had taken.
 
 226 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 Blacker and blacker closed the night around me, until 
 I could scarcely see the full length of the boat. Pres 
 ently the mist changed into rain, that grew ever in 
 volume until I was soon drenched to the skin. In this 
 condition, worn out and shivering in my wet clothes, I 
 continued for many hours, until gradually a numbness 
 began to steal over me. In vain I struggled against it. 
 Slowly it grew upon me despite my efforts, until at 
 length, careless of what fate might befall me, I stretched 
 myself in the bottom of the boat and lapsed into un 
 consciousness. 
 
 * # * * * 
 
 "Boat ahoy !" 
 
 The cry came pealing across the water and was still 
 ringing in my ears when my scattered senses returned to 
 me. I raised my head above the thwart and gazed about 
 me, as yet but half awakened. Darkness had given place 
 to a grey and misty dawn and the rain had ceased 
 to fall. But almost immediately my eyes fell upon that 
 which effectually aroused me. 
 
 At a short distance away a small brig lay to upon the 
 water, a dozen curious faces looking down upon me from 
 the low bulwarks. Upon the raised poop astern two men 
 were standing, gazing earnestly in my direction. One 
 was short and thick set, with sailor written plainly upon 
 his weather-beaten countenance. The other was to all 
 appearance a gentleman, though his tall figure was con 
 cealed by a long riding coat ; and I could see little of his 
 face beneath his richly laced hat. 'Twas the shorter of 
 the two who had hailed me.
 
 GOOD SHIP "PRIDE OF DEVON" 227 
 
 "Ahoy !" he cried again in stentorian tones. "Can ye 
 row aboard?" 
 
 At that I shouted back an assent ; though exhaustion 
 had so wrought upon me that my voice was strangely 
 weak ; and again betaking myself to the oars, I gained at 
 length the vessel's side, where a dozen friendly hands 
 assisted me aboard. The tall gentleman had disappeared 
 from the poop, but his companion, whom I took to be the 
 master of the ship, came forward to receive me. He 
 quickly cut short my few stammered expressions of grati 
 tude. "Presently, presently !" he said, eyeing me closely. 
 "Why, y'are wet to the skin, man, and fit subject for an 
 ague. Here," he cried, beckoning to two of the sea 
 men standing near, "take him below and rig him out 
 amongst ye ! No, no," he continued not unkindly, seeing 
 that I was about to speak, "y'are on my ship, man, and 
 needs must obey orders ! Afterwards you may tell your 
 tale." And he turned upon his heel. 
 
 I said no more, but followed the seamen down into the 
 forecastle, where, after receiving a somewhat motley 
 change of garments, together with a stiff pannikin of 
 cognac, I felt little the worse for my night's adventure. 
 From the seamen themselves I could gain but little in 
 formation, save that the brig was the Pride of Devon, 
 three days out from Kinsale, and bound for Southamp 
 ton, and that she had been considerably delayed by the 
 thick fog prevailing the previous day. Upon all other 
 subjects they were strangely reticent, so that I presently 
 gave up questioning them and signified my readiness to 
 accompany them on deck.
 
 228 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 On arriving there I saw the figure of the master await 
 ing me at the foot of the poop ladder; but to my 
 astonishment, upon my approaching he laid a finger upon 
 his lips, and advancing to the door of a cabin, which I 
 had not noticed beneath the poop, he threw it open and 
 signed to me to enter. 
 
 I did so, wondering. 
 
 'Twas a small room, yet somewhat larger than the size 
 of the brig itself promised. In the centre was a table, 
 upon which a repast was already spread; and at this 
 table was seated the gentleman I had previously 
 seen. 
 
 He rose at my entrance and made me a courtly bow; 
 then for a moment we gazed at each other in silence. 
 He was, I think, the handsomest man I have ever seen 
 with regular features and fair moustache matching in 
 colour with his court peruke. He had laid aside his 
 hat, though I noted with surprise that he still wore his 
 plain dark riding coat tightly buttoned, concealing all 
 of his dress beneath save a pair of spurred riding boots. 
 Of fully my own height, he may have been somewhat 
 older in years ; but it was rather the lofty look of mingled 
 pride and command upon his face that caught and 
 rivetted the eye. Here was a born leader of men I told 
 myself, one accustomed to exact obedience, and pos 
 sessing a fiery and indomitable will. No poverty of 
 dress could conceal the latent power suppressed within, 
 or the grace of movement that spoke equally of noble 
 birth. 
 
 "Do I address the owner of this vessel ?" I said bluntly.
 
 GOOD SHIP "PRIDE OF DEVON" 229 
 
 For a moment I thought that a faint smile flickered upon 
 his face. 
 
 "For the present at least, sir," he answered quietly, "I 
 think that I may safely claim that title." 
 
 "Then permit me to tender you my sincere thanks for 
 your timely assistance, sir," I replied. 
 
 He raised his hand deprecatingly. 
 
 "Nay, 'tis unnecessary," he replied. "Important as 
 time is to me at present, humanity would forbid me de 
 serting a fellow-being in such distress, and," he added, 
 with a piercing glance, "if I mistake not, a fellow- 
 soldier." 
 
 "Of some little experience," I answered proudly. 
 
 "Why, then," he replied, smiling, "I was about to break 
 my fast, sir, when your boat was sighted. Permit me to 
 play the part of host, and we will fight the battles of the 
 world together." And he waived me courteously to a 
 seat. 
 
 I bowed in acceptance, and sat down to the table 
 with mingled feelings, foremost among which was one 
 of puzzled bewilderment. For minute by minute it was 
 borne in on me that I had met this gentleman before, 
 though I could not place him in my memory. Yet some 
 thing in his features, in his grace of manner, seemed 
 strangely familiar, reminding me of some one I had 
 lately met. But of whom? And where?
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 OF THE LONELY HUT ON THE SHORE 
 
 THAT I should do full justice to the ample meal before 
 me after my scanty fare of the past two days was not to 
 be wondered at. Meantime, my host chatted pleasantly 
 upon general subjects, more especially upon the wars in 
 Flanders, in which I gathered he had studied the art of 
 war under the great Turenne. Here was a subject upon 
 which, as soldiers, we could both grow enthusiastic ; and 
 we exchanged mutual reminiscences of that great man 
 conceded to be the most celebrated general of his age. 
 At length, when the wine was put before us, I said 
 slowly : 
 
 "Doubtless you are curious to learn, sir, how I came 
 to be in the position from which you rescued me ?" 
 
 "As to that," he replied, "seeing that I cannot at present 
 return the like confidence as regards myself, I can re 
 spect your reticence. Enough that we are followers of 
 the same profession. War is a common mistress for 
 uniting her devotees all the world over." 
 
 Yet glancing across at him, I felt that he deserved 
 some further explanation, though I resolved not to reveal 
 the whole truth. Little did I guess that had I indeed 
 done so, the whole future course of my life would have 
 been changed. Little did I dream what strange vagary 
 Fate was playing me there in that little cabin with the
 
 LONELY HUT ON THE SHORE 231 
 
 grey light of morning falling upon the handsome face 
 of the man before me ! 
 
 "Nay," I said carelessly, " 'tis a common story enough. 
 I escaped yesterday from a rascally privateer, upon 
 which I had been entrapped." 
 
 "They are the curse of the seas !" he said impetuously. 
 ** 'Tis a sign of the times and a scandal to our navy that 
 such hornets are permitted to sail with impunity. Even 
 upon our own Devon coast I have known men to have 
 been kidnapped for the plantations." 
 
 He stopped abruptly, as if he had said too much, and 
 I saw a shade of annoyance for a moment upon his face. 
 But on my own part, though I pretended to see noth 
 ing, I was quick to notice his confusion ; and toying with 
 my glass, I replied: 
 
 "I learn, sir, from the seamen that this vessel is bound 
 for Southampton; had it been at all possible, I would 
 fain have landed in Devonshire." 
 
 "Nothing is easier," he responded. "My own destina 
 tion is Teignmouth; if this will suit your convenience, 
 you are welcome to accompany me ashore." 
 
 "Sir," I made answer, "you are a very courteous gentle 
 man, and right gladly do I accept your offer." 
 
 He bent his head in acknowledgment. 
 
 "Then that is settled," he replied gaily, with a wave 
 of the hand, as if dismissing the subject. "For the rest, 
 I fear I do but play the host indifferently. Your glass 
 is empty, permit me to replenish it. And now, sir, what 
 think you of Luxembourg's qualities as a general?" 
 
 Thereupon we plunged once more into a discussion of
 
 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 the campaigns in Flanders, upon which subject I 
 found my companion to have an intimate knowledge ; so 
 that it was not until nearly an hour later that we 
 ascended to the deck. We there found a distinct change 
 for the better in the appearance of the weather. A fitful 
 gleam of sunshine stole occasionally through the heavy 
 grey clouds and the mist was gradually clearing from 
 the surface of the water. Away to the north, a dark 
 streak of land was faintly discernible, which the master 
 speedily informed us was the distant coast of Devon. 
 But the wind had fallen considerably and the little vessel 
 forged but slowly through the water. One thing I 
 could not help but notice the unusual deference paid by 
 the master to my companion ; confirming me in my opin 
 ion as to his rank and quality. All morning, indeed, we 
 sailed slowly along the coast, seeing no other vessel, for 
 at this time the fear of the French kept our merchantmen 
 to the harbours, save when a goodly number could be 
 conveyed by a fleet of men-of-war. And with every 
 hour I could see that my companion's impatience to 
 reach our destination visibly increased. Though still 
 preserving his courteous demeanour towards me, a dozen 
 times, at least, I heard him demand of the master whether 
 sail could not be increased. But the latter only shook his 
 head, and noon found us some four miles south of Prawle 
 Point. It was shortly afterwards that we descended to 
 the cabin to dine ; but our meal was not concluded ere we 
 were again summoned to the deck by the report of a sus 
 picious sail. My companion rose at once, and together 
 we ascended to the poop, where we found the master
 
 LONELY HUT ON THE SHORE 233 
 
 anxiously scanning a sail that showed plainly through 
 the mist some ten miles to the southward. Nor had we 
 ourselves escaped observation, for even as we stood 
 watching, the vessel's course was changed and she bore 
 down upon us. 
 
 My companion turned to the master with a mute in 
 quiry in his eyes. 
 
 The latter shook his head with a lugubrious air. " 'Tis 
 not, yon vessel will prove to be some rascally French 
 picaroon. Were there more wind I would not fear the 
 result; but I misdoubt gentlemen, whether we shall see 
 Teignmouth this trip." 
 
 The gentleman at my side uttered an exclamation of 
 annoyance. 
 
 "But our bargain, captain?" he cried quickly. "You 
 have been paid to carry me to Teignmouth, and a bar 
 gain is a bargain." 
 
 "Aye," the other answered doggedly; "and a life is a 
 life ; and what think ye would ours be worth should yon 
 der rascals run us aboard? No, no, Exmouth is our 
 only refuge, for there is a king's ship in the harbour 
 and Lord send that we see it safely !" 
 
 In vain my companion remonstrated with him, the fel 
 low was as stubborn as a rock. And in the light of re 
 cent events I could not but admit the justice of his 
 decision. One concession only would he agree to make 
 to run in shore as close as possible and to provide us with 
 a boat, by which my companion and I might leave the 
 ship if we so desired. 
 
 Slowly the afternoon wore away as the chase con-
 
 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 tinued. With every hour the sun shone out more 
 radiantly, its level beams falling full upon the white can 
 vas of our pursuing foe ; and upon an ominous row of 
 guns that boded ill for the brig if it were overtaken. 
 From time to time my companion fell to thoughtfully 
 pacing the deck, at others he would take the master 
 aside, as if to learn his opinion as to our chances of es 
 cape. As for me, I had no desire to intrude upon his 
 privacy or to seem curious as to the reason for his evi 
 dent anxiety. I withdrew, therefore, to the stern, and 
 leaning upon the low bulwarks, fell into conversation 
 with the man at the helm. 
 
 He was a rough, weather-beaten old seadog and was 
 willing enough to respond to my advances and to impart 
 me information. 
 
 "Aye, aye," he said in reply to a question I put him. 
 "She will catch us sure enough ere we reach Exmouth, 
 if so be as the king's ship hear not the sound of our 
 guns." 
 
 He glanced as he spoke with sailorly pride at a few 
 antiquated pieces of brass cannon that had to me the 
 appearance of the veriest toys. "Take my advice, mas 
 ter," he added in a lower tone, so that no one but my 
 self might hear, "leave the ship if ye have the chance; 
 'tis a deal the safer." 
 
 A moment later his mahogany face resumed its ordi 
 nary blank expression, as a quick step sounded behind 
 me, and turning swiftly, I found my host at my elbow. 
 
 "The time has come, sir," he said quietly, "to deter 
 mine our future course of action. For my own part, I
 
 LONELY HUT ON THE SHORE 235 
 
 have decided to leave the vessel, but I would not unduly 
 influence your own decision. Should you consider your 
 self safer on board, you are at full liberty to remain." 
 
 I flung a quick glance around me. Dusk had fallen, 
 but some two miles away loomed the rugged cliffs of 
 Torbay. Astern the pursuing vessel had crept up to 
 within three miles of us. My mind was speedily made up. 
 
 "On the contrary," I made answer, "I shall be pleased 
 to accompany you ; though I fear, sir, that you will find 
 me more of an encumbrance in the boat than otherwise." 
 And I briefly informed him of my wound. But he 
 waived aside all my objections, and after a few moments' 
 earnest conversation with the master he retraced his 
 steps to my side. 
 
 "In five minutes' time, sir, a boat will be provided for 
 our departure. If you have any preparations to make, I 
 pray you then to be in readiness." 
 
 He bowed as he spoke and descended the ladder to the 
 little cabin to collect I supposed his own belongings; 
 as for me, I went below to the forecastle and donned once 
 more the clothes I had worn when I first came on board. 
 This done, I made my way on deck. Swift as I had been 
 in the process, I found my companion already awaiting 
 me with visible impatience upon his countenance. To 
 my muttered apology he took no heed, but stepped to 
 where a boat was already lowered alongside. 
 
 "At your convenience," he said, with a waive of his 
 hand towards the stem. 
 
 "But," I replied hesitatingly, "there is but room for 
 two. You do not mean "
 
 236 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 He shrugged his shoulders negligently. 
 
 "Our friend here is already shorthanded, therefore for 
 the nonce I must be my own oarsman. Have no fear, 
 however, on that account," he added with a smile, as I 
 broke out into a few words of remonstrance. " 'Tis not 
 the first time I have handled an oar, though I must con 
 fess to being of late years sadly out of practice." 
 
 He seated himself as he spoke, and without further 
 delay I took the place assigned to me, and with a 
 few words of kindly leave-taking and advice from the 
 rough seamen above us which my companion courte 
 ously acknowledged by raising his laced hat the 
 rope was cast off and the little vessel forged rapidly 
 ahead. 
 
 To me there was something strange and incongruous in 
 the sight of this gentleman with his aristocratic face and 
 bearing and his shapely white hands upon one of which 
 I descried a magnificent ruby yet plying the oars with 
 the skill of one accustomed to such exercise. For the 
 rest, we had covered but half the distance when the pur 
 suing vessel passed us little more than a mile astern; 
 but to our satisfaction she did not alter her course, but 
 held on in pursuit of the brig. It was growing rapidly 
 dark when we approached the cliffs, and passed slowly 
 along them, seeking some break in their granite barrier 
 where we might safely land. The unusual exertion I 
 could see was telling upon my companion, though he 
 resolutely refused to allow me to change places with him, 
 and presently we came upon such a place as we sought. 
 Two tongues of rock jutting crescent-shape from the
 
 LONELY HUT ON THE SHORE 237 
 
 base of the cliff left a clear space between them some ten 
 feet wide, through which the tide poured with the fury of 
 a millrace. Inside this rocky opening it widened into a 
 little bay, the whole forming a natural harbour, end 
 ing 'in a white pebbly beach. So much we could see, 
 but no more; and without hesitation my companion 
 pulled for the narrow entrance on the crest of a huge 
 roller. We had reached it, were all but through, I had 
 opened my lips to congratulate him upon his skill when 
 he uttered a shout of warning. Whether we had mis 
 calculated the width of the opening in the deeper 
 shadows cast by the cliff, or whether my companion's oar 
 struck against a sunken rock I do not know, but on a 
 sudden the boat capsized, and I found myself struggling 
 in the water. Of the next few moments I have but a con 
 fused recollection, for I am no swimmer. I know that 
 the wave swept me forward, that I went under, rose to 
 the surface sank again, and the next moment my feet 
 touched the bottom, and I found myself gasping waist 
 deep in the water. I dashed the water from my eyes and 
 made for the beach. A little to my right I saw the 
 dark outline of the boat floating bottom upwards. At 
 the same moment a heavy object struck against my 
 knees, all but sweeping me from my feet, and glancing 
 downwards, I saw the white face of my companion, 
 white, but with a crimson splash upon his forehead. I 
 caught his arm and with set teeth braced myself to meet 
 the back wash. When this had passed, I raised my com 
 panion's inert form in my arms and staggered up the 
 beach beyond reach of the water. Then I laid my bur-
 
 238 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 den down and stooped to examine his injuries. He was 
 quite insensible and was bleeding profusely from a long, 
 ragged cut upon the temple, inflicted, doubtless, by a 
 sunken rock or by the boat itself when it capsized. Nor 
 for all my efforts could I restore him to consciousness. 
 Once, indeed, as I bound up the cut with the scarf tak 
 en from his neck, he groaned slightly, and bending 
 my head closer for the darkness had deepened around 
 us I fancied that I saw his eyelids quiver. But he 
 speedily lapsed once more into total unconsciousness, so 
 that I began to fear that his injuries might be severer 
 than I had at first imagined. 'Twas essential, above all 
 things, that I should procure assistance, and that 
 speedily, ere it became quite dark. Accordingly I rose 
 to my feet and took a rapid survey of my surroundings. 
 On either side of me towered the rugged cliffs, but in 
 front the beach gave way to a narrow valley one of 
 those bosky coombes so common to the coast of Devon. 
 I started to ascend it, therefore, and scarcely had I ad 
 vanced a quarter of a mile than I was overjoyed to see a 
 light shining through the trees. Towards this I directed 
 my steps, and presently found myself standing upon 
 the edge of a little clearing in the centre of which stood 
 a rude hut. By this time the moon had risen above the 
 torrs, and in its clear light, a short distance away, I saw 
 a white road running past the head of the coombe. From 
 the hut itself came the sound of hammering, with now 
 and again a snatch of song. I lost no time in approach 
 ing and knocking with my clenched fist upon the door. 
 At the sound both song and hammering died away, and
 
 LONELY HUT ON THE SHORE 239 
 
 a moment later the door was opened and disclosed the fig 
 ure of the singer. 
 
 He was a little old man, dressed in rough fisherman's 
 attire and with the most prominent eyes I had ever seen. 
 Indeed, his whole appearance gave me the impression that 
 he was not overburdened with wits. The interior of the 
 hut was of the poorest description. On the one side I 
 caught sight of a half -finished boat, upon which the fel 
 low had been engaged when I had disturbed him. Upon 
 the other was a couch of dried fern leaves. This, to 
 gether with a rough table and stool and a litter of nets, 
 seemed to sum up the total of his property. Yet when 
 I had given him a hurried explanation, he readily con 
 sented to return with me for my companion, and a min 
 ute later we were striding down the coombe side by side. 
 I gathered on the way that we had landed upon the 
 northern coast of Torbay, and that Cleeve itself lay little 
 more than two miles distant. I learned also that two 
 days before a French fleet of six sail of the line had put 
 into the bay, but that upon the approach of a British 
 squadron they had sailed hurriedly for the coast of 
 France, so that all danger of invasion was at present at 
 an end. 
 
 "Ah," thought I, "so, my lady, your pretty scheme has 
 failed, and the wheel of fortune turns once more in my 
 favour!" We found my companion still lying in the 
 same position in which I had left him, and raising him in 
 our arms, bore him with difficulty for he was no light 
 weight and the trees were thick back to the hut. But it 
 was upon reaching this latter, and depositing our sense-
 
 240 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 less burden upon the bed of ferns that fate culminated in 
 the strangest trick of all. For no sooner did the old man 
 beside me catch sight of my companion's face in the light 
 of the rushlight fixed to the wall than he uttered a 
 startled exclamation. 
 
 "Lord save us !" he cried. " 'Tis the master himself." 
 
 "How, fellow!" I said in surprise. "You know this 
 gentleman?" 
 
 "Aye, aye," he answered, scarce finding his tongue. 
 "Know him? I have lived this forty years upon his 
 land." 
 
 "Then who is he?" I cried, no suspicion of the truth 
 dawning upon my mind. "Speak out, man?" 
 
 "You do not know?" he stammered. "You do not 
 know the Earl of Cleeve?" 
 
 "What!" 
 
 In my surprise I gripped his arm so tightly that he 
 cried out in sudden pain, and wrenching himself free, 
 caught up his hammer and put the table between us. 
 But as for me I had forgotten the fellow's very presence, 
 and stood staring down into the white face of the man 
 before me with but two thoughts gradually dawning 
 upon my stunned senses ; for if this man's words were 
 true, then this this was the Earl of Cleeve, and my 
 lady's brother. As all the possibilities of what this latter 
 phrase might mean to be flashed suddenly upon my mind 
 I could have shouted aloud in my elation. It was not 
 that I knew this man's name to be proscribed, it was not 
 for the sake of the reward offered by goverment for his 
 capture, though that alone might have tempted a more
 
 LONELY HUT ON THE SHORE 
 
 sordid man than I no, it was the knowledge that I held 
 his secret and his life in the hollow of my hand that now 
 at last I would have a full and final reckoning with my 
 lady. At last ! Oh, I would wring that proud heart ! I 
 would humble that haughty spirit to the very dust! I 
 would crush her without pity or remorse! She should 
 plead kneel nay, grovel at my feet for the life that 
 I would refuse! 
 
 We had parted last with but little seeming hope for me 
 to obtain revenge; now all the cards were in my hand, 
 and the man whom she had scorned, despised, and 
 struck struck! I swore a bitter oath at the remem 
 brance had power to bring ruin upon her house and 
 make her taste the bitterness of death ! 
 
 As I conjured up the picture of that proud head bowed 
 low in sorrow, I laughed aloud in my exultation. Then 
 my eyes encountered those of the owner of the hut, who 
 still remained in the same attitude, suspiciously regard 
 ing me, and I came back to earth with a sudden start. 
 
 "Pshaw!" I said contemptuously. "I will do you no 
 hurt, man ! See, I am in a merry mood ! a right merry 
 mood !" And again I laughed exultantly. 
 
 "Aye," he muttered, crossing himself, "but 'tis merri 
 ment that is not good to hear." 
 
 I paid no further attention to him, but bent low over my 
 companion's prostrate form and looked long and 
 earnestly in his face. Now I understood at a glance the 
 likeness to some one that at our first meeting had so puz 
 zled me; now on a sudden I remembered of whom the 
 voice and manners had reminded me. Surely I had been
 
 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 blind not to see before the likeness to my lady. Even as 
 I gazed at him the colour returned slightly to his cheeks, 
 and his lips parted in a scarcely audible sigh. I sank 
 on one knee beside him and threw open his riding coat. 
 Had I needed corroboration of the fisherman's words, I 
 received it then, and the mystery as to why he had re 
 tained his coat in the cabin was at once made clear. 
 For beneath it he was clad in a suit of violet-coloured 
 velvet and his breast glittered with the insignia of some 
 half dozen orders, among which my eyes fell upon the 
 blue ribbon of the Garter and the Order of St. Louis. 
 The hilt of his sword, too, which had been concealed 
 before by his outer coat, was thickly studded with jewels, 
 though the blade itself was of the finest Toledo steel, as 
 I speedily discovered when I essayed to test it. This 
 latter weapon I did not hesitate to appropriate for my 
 own use, and it was with a sigh of satisfaction that I 
 fastened it to my side ; for 'tis wonderful what a feeling 
 of security may be given to a man by the possession of 
 three feet of good honest steel. 
 
 Oh, it was all clear to me now clear as daylight ! As 
 James's most trusted councillor, having great influence in 
 Devonshire and the adjacent counties, he had been hur 
 riedly dispatched by his master to create a diversion in 
 his favour by heading a general rising of the Jacobites 
 throughout the West. By which means James relied 
 upon William withdrawing some of his veteran troops 
 from Ireland to quell it. That it was a plan hurriedly 
 formed and as hurriedly executed was plain, seeing that 
 the earl had not had time to don any disguise ere pro-
 
 LONELY HUT ON THE SHORE 243 
 
 ceeding on board. I bade my unwilling host bring 
 water, and with this I bathed my companion's wound and 
 again adjusted the bandage. 
 
 "He will do now," I said briefly to my host, who had 
 drawn slowly near, watching the proceedings with 
 marked attention. "Leave me to think, my friend !" 
 
 He drew back at that into a corner of the hut and stood 
 furtively regarding me, whilst I seated myself upon the 
 stool at my patient's side and rapidly reflected how best 
 I could profit by this unexpected development. For 
 some little time I remained buried in thought, review 
 ing in all its details a scheme which gradually increased 
 in favour with me the more I conned it. With so much 
 satisfaction did it present itself to my mind that my 
 breath grew quicker at the thought, and I moistened 
 my dry lips in pleasurable anticipation. Indeed, so ab 
 sorbed was I in my own thoughts that it was with a start 
 of genuine surprise I heard from without the sharp clink 
 of a hoof striking against a stone, with the sound of a 
 hearty oath. I sprang to my feet and laid my hand 
 upon my sword. I had my own reasons for not desiring 
 any company at that moment. 
 
 "The door, fool !" I cried to the old man, as there came 
 the sound of footsteps without and the jingle of harness. 
 "Bar the door !" 
 
 But it was too late. Even as the words left my lips, 
 and as he moved to execute my bidding, on a sudden the 
 door was flung open, and a harsh voice cried : "Within 
 there! Can'st tell me how far it is to Cassilis?" I 
 think that an oath rose to my lips also ; for there, framed
 
 244 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 in the doorway, with his rein slung upon his arm, stood 
 the man of all others that I least desired to see. 
 
 "De Brito !" I cried when I had recovered from my sur 
 prise. "What brings you here?" 
 
 "I might with equal justice demand the same of you," 
 he answered. "But as I have ridden express from Dart 
 mouth with a message for you, I may as well acquit me 
 here of my errand." 
 
 "For me?" I cried in still more surprise. 
 
 "Aye," he replied, drawing a sealed paper from his 
 breast ; "though I little expected to find you here when 
 I saw the light from the road yonder. Curse me, if I 
 understand it !" 
 
 "That is my affair," I said coldly. "Give me the let 
 ter." 
 
 "Aye, but," he continued, unheeding my words, 
 "your uniform and 'Sdeath! whom have we 
 there?" 
 
 He had, for the first time apparently, observed the in 
 animate figure behind me. And at that moment the earl 
 stirred slightly and groaned. I had placed myself so as 
 to screen his face from De Brito's view and I now has 
 tened to answer the latter with what carelessness I could 
 assume. 
 
 " 'Tis a long story," I replied, "and must wait the tell 
 ing at some future opportunity. But amongst other ad 
 ventures I was carried off by a privateer. This is a com 
 mon sailorman, who assisted me to escape and was hurt 
 in so doing." 
 
 "Indeed!" De Brito answered with a sneer. I could
 
 read in his eyes that he did not believe my words. "But 
 that I have your word for it I had not given you credit 
 for playing the part of good Samaritan. How now! 
 What are you staring at, old death's head?" 
 
 Following the direction of his eyes, I saw that the old 
 man had drawn gradually nearer during this brief con 
 versation and was now gazing from one to the other of 
 us with a peculiar expression upon his face. Meeting my 
 eyes, he drew back hurriedly, muttering to himself. I 
 turned again to De Brito. 
 
 "Enough!" I said impatiently. "The man is half a 
 fool. And now the paper !" 
 
 He had no further excuse for withholding it and gave 
 it into my hands. Doubtless he hoped that I should 
 move nearer to the light so that he might be enabled to 
 indulge his curiosity. But I was too wary to be so 
 caught, and while opening it I still preserved my position 
 in front of my companion so that he was unable to get a 
 sight of his face. Finding that I was not to be enticed 
 thus, he sulkily retired a few steps, and whilst still keep 
 ing a watchful eye upon him I turned my attention to 
 the letter in my hand. Its contents were brief and to the 
 point. 
 
 "This is to warn you news has been received that the 
 Earl of Cleeve hath set sail for England to effect a rising 
 in favour of James Stuart. So much we know from one 
 who hath betrayed him; but not his landing place. 
 Therefore, be on your guard. Keep watch upon the 
 house. Keep watch upon the servants. 'Tis not unlikely 
 he will endeavour to communicate with his home. And
 
 246 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 forget not that a thousand crowns await his apprehen 
 sion." The letter was signed "Colonel Savage" and was 
 dated July 4, 1690. 
 
 With what feelings I read these words, knowing that 
 the object of this reward lay helpless at my feet, may 
 well be imagined. I raised my eyes to De Brito. He 
 was staring fixedly past me, an evil smile curling his 
 lips. 
 
 "You say that the regiment is at Dartmouth," I said at 
 length. 
 
 "Aye," he answered laconically. "What then?" 
 
 "This," I replied quickly, anxious only to be rid of his 
 presence. "You wil return at once and tell Colonel Sav 
 age from me that I will obey his instructions in 
 every respect. Aye, and if he can spare me twenty 
 troopers, so much the better. That is all, I think." And 
 I glanced meaningly at the door. But for the moment 
 he made no offer to move. 
 
 "Before I go," he said slowly, "I would ask you a 
 question." 
 
 "Well, what is it, man?" I cried impatiently. 
 
 "Do common sailors wear such rings as that?" he an 
 swered, nodding in my direction. 
 
 I will own that his words took me somewhat off my 
 guard. I cast a quick glance behind me, and saw at 
 once what had caught his attention. The earl had moved 
 slightly, and one hand hung down by his side, and upon 
 it, flashing and scintillating in the wavering light, was 
 the magnificent ruby I had remarked when in the boat. 
 But I was quick to regain my wits.
 
 LONELY HUT ON THE SHORE 
 
 "Tush!" I replied with affected carelessness. "Stolen, 
 no doubt. Did I not say it was a privateer?" 
 
 "No doubt," De Brito answered with a sneer. "And 
 that white hand was that stolen also?" 
 
 But my patience was fast vanishing. "Hark you!" I 
 said sternly, fingering my sword hilt. "If you are wise 
 you will not seek to meddle with my affairs. You have 
 received your orders. Go!" 
 
 For a moment he stood facing me, a dark scowl upon 
 his face. But he knew that I was the better swordsman 
 and he had no stomach for a fight. Stifling an oath, 
 he turned upon his heel and left the hut. I followed 
 him through the door and watched him mount. When he 
 had gathered up the reins preparatory to departing, he 
 turned in his saddle and addressed me. 
 
 "Good-night to you, Captain Cassilis," he cried mock 
 ingly. "I think I promised you once not to forget you. 
 Well, 'tis a pleasant night for a ride, and Meriden lies 
 but a mile or so out of my way!" Then in a sudden 
 outburst of rage he shook his fist at me with a furious 
 oath. The next moment he had set spurs to his horse, 
 and I heard the beat of his hoofs die away upon the 
 night.
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 OF THE HOME COMING OF HIS GRACE OF CLEEVE 
 
 FOR some moments I remained in the same attitude, star 
 ing fixedly in the direction in which he had disappeared, 
 and pondering upon his words ; then I retraced my steps 
 to the hut. At the doorway I paused. The old man 
 had left his position in my absence and was now kneeling 
 by the earl's side, apparently muttering something in 
 his ear. Even as I gazed he put his two hands upon his 
 breast and lightly shook him. 
 
 Then I entered. "What is it? What are you doing 
 there?" I cried. 
 
 At the sound of my voice he turned his head towards 
 me but he did not rise. "Aye, but 'tis a sad sight this," 
 he replied quaveringly. "There will be sorrow at the 
 manor when this is known." 
 
 "Yoa say true, old man," I answered grimly. "There 
 will be sorrow there sorrow indeed !" 
 
 I crossed over to his side and stood staring for a mo 
 ment at my late companion. The colour had in some 
 measure returned to his face and he lay breathing heav 
 ily. I stooped and gently disengaged the ruby from his 
 finger, to slip it upon my own. Then I turned to leave 
 the hut. I had all but reached the door when the old 
 man's voice arrested me. He had risen to his feet, and
 
 HOME COMING OF HIS GRACE 249 
 
 I noticed a subdued excitement in his voice and manner ; 
 but of this I thought nothing at the time. 
 
 "You are going out ?" he said slowly. 
 
 "Aye," I answered. "Is there anything strange in 
 that? I will myself bear tidings of the earl's misfortune 
 to the manor. You say that yonder road will take me to 
 the village?" 
 
 "It runs direct," he replied eagerly. "You cannot miss 
 the way, and 'tis scarcely two miles distant." 
 
 "Why, then," I answered, "I shall start at once. In the 
 meantime you will watch over our friend there. He will 
 sleep belike for many hours, and see that you open not 
 the door till my return. You understand ?" 
 
 He nodded in assent, and without further word I went 
 out closing the door behind me. 
 
 Once upon the ^road I looked long and searchingly to 
 the south. De Brito had long since disappeared, and 
 no figure of man or beast broke the barren surface of the 
 low hills. I turned my face resolutely northwards and 
 set out at a brisk pace for my destination, picturing to 
 myself the meeting with my lady and all that I should 
 say. I must have been walking for the half of an hour 
 ere I caught sight of the head of Cleevesborough, beyond 
 which lay the village. Involuntarily I quickened my 
 steps at sight of it, and when some time later I had 
 skirted round its base, I found myself within a quarter 
 of a mile of the church. It behooved me then to pro 
 ceed with more caution, and accordingly I left the road 
 and, forcing my way through the low hedge that bor 
 dered it, I made my way slowly along in its shadow.
 
 250 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 When I had advanced thus to within a hundred yards of 
 the nearest house, which happened indeed to be the inn, 
 I paused to consider what course I should next take. 
 There were lights burning in the tavern, and the dark 
 figures of men showed through the open windows. For 
 the rest, the village was quiet enough, and even as I stood 
 there hesitating the clock upon the church struck ten. 
 I had come to the decision of making a detour round the 
 village, and was about to put this plan into execution, 
 when a distant sound upon the road behind me brought 
 me to a sudden halt. Far away at present, but growing 
 momentarily nearer, came the thud of a horse's hoofs. 
 Crouching lower in the shadow of the hedge, I awaited 
 the appearance of the rider, a sudden suspicion crossing 
 my mind that it was De Brito following me, though with 
 what purpose I could not well divine. Two hundred 
 yards away the road took a sudden bend, and it was not 
 until the rider had passed this point that I was enabled 
 to get a clear view of him in the moonlight. A single 
 glance showed me that it was not De Brito, but one who 
 rode upon an errand of life and death. The horse 
 swayed ominously from side to side ; the rider reeled in 
 his saddle. At a nearer approach I could see his face, 
 white and ghastly with mingled dust and weariness. And 
 then, when within twenty yards of the spot where I lay 
 concealed, on a sudden horse and rider came crashing 
 to the ground, a widening pool of blood spreading from 
 the former's mouth and nostrils telling its own tale. The 
 horse had been ridden literally to the death. Yet the 
 man stayed but to cast one glance at her and then stag-
 
 HOME COMING OF HIS GRACE 251 
 
 gered rather than walked in the direction of the 
 village. 
 
 'Twas then that, rising to my feet, I kept pace with 
 him upon the opposite side of the hedge, for I was de 
 termined to ascertain the nature of his business. When 
 he entered the courtyard of the inn I was, all unperceived 
 by him, close enough to hear what followed, though it 
 would have taken a sharp pair of eyes to have detected 
 me in the deep shadow cast by the building. The man 
 made straight for the open door before him, at the same 
 time shouting hoarsely : 
 
 "Ho there, landlord ! a cup of brandy and a horse, in 
 the King's name !" 
 
 His words drew a dozen heads to the windows and a 
 moment later the landlord himself appeared in the door 
 way. Over his shoulder I caught a glimpse of my old 
 acquaintance the steward. 
 
 "Who calls so late? What do you wish, friend?" 
 said the landlord. 
 
 "Food, drink, and a horse, in the King's name; for I 
 have ridden my own to the death, and must be in Exeter 
 ere dawn," the other answered. 
 
 "What!" cried the host. "You carry news belike?" 
 
 "News?" replied the other in a firmer tone. "Aye 
 news from Ireland. Great news ! glorious news !" 
 
 Then raising his voice so that all might hear, he con 
 tinued: "Three days ago a great battle was fought 
 upon the banks of the Boyne, in which James's army was 
 totally defeated. By this time William is in Dublin." 
 
 For a moment there was a silence of sheer dismay fol 
 lowing his words.
 
 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 "And King James?" faltered the steward at length. 
 
 "The late king thou meanest, friend," said the other 
 sternly. 
 
 "James Stuart fled from the field and, upbraiding those 
 around him, embarked at Kinsdale and escaped to France, 
 leaving those who were worthy of a better leader to 
 make their own submission. All fear of him is at an end ! 
 God save King William !" 
 
 And faintly from the group behind came in echo, "God 
 save King William !" 
 
 I waited to hear no more. Pressing my hat low upon 
 my brow, I left the shadow of the wall in which I had 
 been standing and ran swiftly down the village street. 
 No one was abroad to question me; scarcely a light 
 showed in any of the houses on either side ; and quickly 
 as I knew the news that I had heard would spread, for the 
 present at least I had the start of them. 
 
 Now to put my scheme of revenge into execution to 
 obtain an interview with my lady. 
 
 At the end of the street I turned aside and plunged into 
 the narrow path leading through the woods. It was 
 darker here beneath the trees, though the moonlight fil 
 tered through the leaves and lay in silvery patches at my 
 feet. But with my heart growing hotter with revenge, 
 the nearer that I drew to its consummation, I pushed 
 on, reckless of the briars that clutched at me, as if they 
 would have impeded my progress, and cursing at every 
 spreading root that tripped me up, and at the sudden 
 turnings of the path that, as often as not, precipitated 
 me into the bushes that skirted it on either side.
 
 HOME COMING OF HIS GRACE 253 
 
 Upon arriving at the end of the wood I paused for a 
 moment beneath the shadow of the trees. There were 
 lights in the lower windows of the manor. Evidently the 
 household had not yet retired for the night. I loosened 
 my sword in its sheath and made my way slowly along 
 the terrace, as once before I had done upon that memo 
 rable night when I had surprised my lady and her Jacobite 
 friends to the latter's disadvantage. The windows of 
 the dining hall were open, and arriving safely at the 
 nearest one, I cautiously peered into the room. In the 
 silence of the night I could hear the loud beating of my 
 own heart ; for my lady herself was within a few feet of 
 me ! She was seated at the spinet, and was, as far as I could 
 see, alone. Her back was towards me, and as yet she 
 was all unconscious of my presence. Even as I stood 
 watching her, she swept her fingers over the keys and 
 broke out into a low, dreamy love-song, the passionate 
 cadence of which held me spellbound forgetful of the 
 errand that had brought me there. Nay more, forgetful 
 even of the insults I had suffered at this woman's 
 hands ; but with vague regrets rising within me, old 
 memories awaking to which my heart had long been a 
 stranger. 
 
 The song ceased, the last sad echoes floated out to me 
 and died away upon the night, and my lady leaned her 
 head upon her hand and remained lost in reverie. 
 
 Bah! Was this Captain Cassilis, whose sword was 
 known and feared throughout the Lowlands, or was it 
 some love-sick stripling enraptured at the sound of his 
 mistress's voice? I passed my hand across my eyes, for
 
 254 
 
 a sudden dimness had clouded their vision. Then I drew 
 a long breath and stepped into the room. 
 
 "Madam !" I said in a low voice. She did not turn her 
 head. 
 
 "I wish for nothing," she answered absently. 
 
 I saw that she took me for one of her servants and 
 with a grim smile I advanced a few steps towards her. 
 "Yet I think, madam," I replied, "that it would be as 
 well to give me your attention." 
 
 She tifrned then indeed, and at sight of me she rose to 
 her feet with a cry of surprise. 
 
 "You?" she cried, the brilliant colour deserting her 
 cheeks. "You here?" 
 
 "As you see, madam," I answered with a mocking bow, 
 my heart hardening, all softer feelings deserting my 
 breast. "No thanks to your ladyship, however, that I 
 am not at present bound for a French prison or for that 
 equally desirable place of residence a Moorish galley." 
 
 "Such being the case, sir," she replied quickly, "why 
 do you again venture where at a word from me my ser 
 vants will arrest you?" 
 
 "Because, madam," I answered coolly, "circumstances 
 have arisen that no longer render your servants danger 
 ous to me and that also place your ladyship in a some 
 what unenviable position." 
 
 "I do not understand you, sir," she said coldly. "And 
 I do not know what sins I have committed that heaven 
 should send me the degradation of again having you be 
 neath my roof ; but if you have anything to say to me, 
 I pray you be as brief as possible."
 
 HOME COMING OF HIS GRACE 255 
 
 "Then I will come to the point, madam," I answered 
 calmly. "To be brief, James has been signally defeated 
 upon the banks of the Boyne, and fled, like the craven he 
 is, to lick the boots of his master Louis. William is in 
 Dublin. The star of the Stuarts is set for ever!" 
 
 She could not altogether suppress a start of surprise at 
 rny words ; but the next moment she had drawn herself 
 erect and her eyes blazed with scorn. 
 
 "It is not true!" she cried passionately. "It is not 
 true ! I will not believe ! Yet her face had grown of 
 marble whiteness. 
 
 "Madam," I replied coolly, "that I again venture my 
 person beneath your roof should be sufficient warrant of 
 the truth of my words. The messenger has but just ar 
 rived in the village. More than that, in a few minutes 
 your own steward will be here to confirm my statement." 
 
 "Yet," she faltered, struggling against the conviction 
 of the truth. "But no it is impossible ! You are lying 
 to me, sir," she continued in a firmer tone. "There were 
 brave men, experienced soldiers, with James. Would he 
 be so base as to desert those who risked their lives and 
 fortunes for him?" I shrugged my shoulders carelessly. 
 
 "Do not deceive yourself, madam," I made answer. 
 "Carry your mind back to the past. Hast James Stuart 
 ever shown any consideration for others when his own 
 worthless life was in danger? The man who could steal 
 away from his palace by night, without striking one blow 
 for his crown and kingdom, would care little what fate 
 befell those who had supported him. Your own heart 
 tells you that I speak the truth," I ended quietly.
 
 256 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 She raised her hand in a gesture half of protest. "And 
 these gentlemen?" she cried passionately. "Do you 
 think, sir, that my brother is a man to seek safety in 
 flight? To desert those who have faithfully followed 
 him?" 
 
 "On the contrary," I answered grimly the moment of 
 my triumph was very near "I know that he did not." 
 
 Something in my face must have attracted her atten 
 tion, for I saw a sudden look of fear creep into her eyes. 
 
 "You know?" she faltered. "What do you know?" 
 
 "I am coming to that," I answered. "There is a chair 
 beside you. Will you not be seated, madam?" I con 
 tinued with mock politeness. "I fear that the tidings I 
 have brought have not been wholly welcome to you !" 
 
 She looked at me with something of her old look of 
 repulsion ; nevertheless, I could see that she was strangely 
 agitated as she sank into the chair that I had indicated. 
 I took a step nearer to her. 
 
 "When," I commenced slowly, "two days ago, with the 
 generosity characteristic of you, you sent me on board 
 that vessel, you imagined that I had passed out of your 
 life for ever. But there was one thing you had omitted 
 to take into consideration the nature of the man with 
 whom you had to deal. I am no child to sit down and ac 
 cept my fate with folded hands, but a man skilful in 
 resource, and of much experience. Moreover, the debt 
 between us is over heavy." 
 
 "All* this is superfluous, sir," she interrupted. "If 
 there is nothing else for me to hear ?" 
 
 "Very well, madam," I continued. "I forgot that this
 
 HOME COMING OF HIS GRACE 257 
 
 could have very little interest for you. Suffice it, then, 
 to say that I escaped from this vessel at no small risk to 
 myself, and drifted throughout the night, without food, 
 without shelter, in an open boat alone." 
 
 "Still, sir," she said impatiently, half rising from her 
 chair, "I do not see the connection 
 
 I checked her with a movement of my hand. "I pray 
 you hear me out, madam," I continued firmly. "I prom 
 ise you that I shall not detain you long. At daybreak 
 this morning I was sighted by a small brig, whose master 
 thereupon bore down to my assistance and took me 
 on board. This little vessel I found had come from 
 Ireland, and she carried one passenger on board a 
 gentleman !" 
 
 I paused and gazed fixedly at my lady. She did not 
 speak, but I heard her catch her breath sharply, and 
 again I saw that look of fear in her eyes. I think that 
 at last she had a suspicion of the truth. 
 
 *'He was a very handsome gentleman, of a singularly 
 noble presence ; and his face seemed in a manner to be 
 familiar to me. This, again, can be of little interest to 
 you, madam." 
 
 Again I paused ; then I continued more slowly : 
 
 "I will not dwell longer upon the events of the day, but 
 will merely state that some few hours ago, in the com 
 pany of this gentleman, I left the vessel. There were but 
 our two selves in the boat, madam, and by some misad 
 venture it capsized in landing, whereby my companion 
 sustained somewhat severe injury." 
 
 My lady gave a cry of pain, and again as I looked at
 
 258 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 her white, drawn face I felt the same chill, shrinking 
 sensation I had experienced in the wood. But I reso 
 lutely put it from me and continued: 
 
 "I bore him in safety to the land, madam, and procur 
 ing assistance, had him carried but there, it cannot in 
 terest your ladyship where he was carried ; I left him in 
 safe hands, however, and it was in passing through the 
 village on my way here that I learned the news that 
 I have already related to you." 
 
 She had risen to her feet while I was speaking, and 
 now faced me with trembling limbs and heaving 
 bosom. 
 
 "And this this gentleman?" she almost whispered. 
 
 I drew still nearer to her and met her gaze firmly. It 
 was the moment of my revenge. 
 
 "Is Cecil Ingram, Earl of Cleeve, whose life is forfeit 
 upon English soil, and whom one word of mine con 
 signs to the block!" 
 
 There was silence in the room silence unbroken. 
 Twice she raised her hand to her throat and essayed to 
 speak, but no words came from her trembling lips. Then 
 she swayed slightly so that she was fain to seek the sup 
 port of a small table that stood beside the chair in which 
 she had been sitting. I took a quick step towards her, 
 for I thought that she would fall; but she waived me 
 back and struggled to regain a momentary composure. 
 Ah, my lady, my lady! If you had never suffered in 
 your life before, you suffered then, as there rose before 
 your eyes the vision of a ruined house a fallen cause 
 a brother's trial the Tower the scaffold!
 
 HOME COMING OF HIS GRACE 259 
 
 "The proof?" she gasped at length, her hands pressed 
 to her bosom, her eyes like those of an animal at bay. 
 "The proof of what you say ?" 
 
 "Is here," I answered, unbuckling the rapier at my 
 side and laying it upon the table before her. "Doubtless 
 you will recognise your brother's sword !" 
 
 She bent to scan the hilt, and a low moan of pain 
 escaped her lips. 
 
 "Or if you seek still further evidence," I continued re 
 lentlessly, "I have that also. Do you know this ring, 
 madam?" and I stripped the ruby from my finger and 
 held it out to her. 
 
 She took it from my hand, and even as she did so my 
 thoughts flew back to our first meeting in that very hall, 
 when she had so scornfully refused to accept the warrant 
 of arrest from me; but now fear and misfortune had 
 broken down her pride. I suppose that the ring itself 
 was a family heirloom, for it required but a single glance 
 for her to recognise it. 
 
 "It is his ring his ring !" she cried ; then in a broken 
 voice she added: "God help us!" 
 
 Her trembling knees would no longer support her; 
 she sank back into the chair, and flinging out her arms 
 upon the table, bowed her proud head upon them and 
 gave way to passionate weeping. 
 
 And I I stood there by the table gazing down at her 
 with a host of conflicting emotions in my breast. The 
 thought, indeed, crossed my mind that this might be but 
 another trick simulated to arouse my compassion; but 
 in a moment I put the idea from me. This was no pre-
 
 260 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 tence, but the despairing sobs of one who had abandoned 
 hope. And it was precisely the one thing that I had not 
 taken into account. That she would meet me with anger 
 and defiance I had taken for granted ; that this attitude 
 would then give way to one of pleading I had also 
 equally imagined and had been prepared to gloat over 
 her humiliation. But this hopeless misery disarmed me. 
 My lady proud, my lady scornful that was but natural, 
 was but the fitting heritage of her birth and beauty. 
 But my lady in tears was a factor so improbable that it 
 had never entered into my calculations. As I stood, gaz 
 ing upon her bowed head, minute by minute I felt my 
 former anger against her evaporating. And then on a 
 sudden, a strange thing happened. For before my eyes 
 rose a vision of my father long since dead. Of a manly, 
 kindly hearted, stainless gentleman, whose creed had 
 been, "A gentleman's word is his bond," and whose life 
 had been spent in living up to those ideals which the ma 
 jority of men admire but disregard. Following this, 
 came one of a sweet-faced, gentle mother, gazing at me 
 with sad, reproachful eyes a pure, spiritual face that 
 seemed to stand between me and the object of my ven 
 geance, pleading with me to show mercy for the sake of 
 their common womanhood. How long the vision lasted 
 I do not know, but I uttered a stifled cry and covered 
 my eyes with my hand. When I removed the latter it was 
 gone, and I saw only the brightly lighted room and the 
 stricken figure of the woman before me. But though my 
 knees were trembling and the perspiration gathered 
 thickly on my forehead, a strange new resolution was
 
 HOME COMING OF HIS GRACE 261 
 
 forming in my breast. I felt like a man who had been 
 snatched from the edge of a precipice, and I shuddered 
 to think how near I had come to the brink how near I 
 had come to bartering man's highest privilege that 
 of protection for the sake of an empty revenge. A 
 revenge, too, directed by me I, a strong man, against 
 a lady a woman God's finished work ! 
 
 My first feeling was one of overwhelming shame, but 
 following hard upon this a great pity filled my breast. 
 Thank God I was still a gentleman! 
 
 "Madam!" I said gently, bending over the table. 
 
 She did not raise her head; her sobs had ceased; she 
 was very still. Something in her attitude attracted my 
 attention. I passed round the table and lightly touched 
 her arm ; then, meeting with no response, I sank on my 
 knees at her side and gently drew one arm from before 
 her face. It was as I had thought she had fainted. 
 Seeing this, I raised her tenderly, so that her head 
 rested upon the cushions of the chair ; then I fell to chaf 
 ing her cold hands. And at this moment, as I knelt with 
 my lady's hand in mine, there came the sound of hur 
 ried footsteps in the hall, the door was flung wide open, 
 and on the threshold stood the Earl of Cleeve himself, 
 and behind him Mistress Grace. 
 
 To say that I was surprised at the sudden appearance 
 of the man whom but an hour before I had left lying in 
 the fisherman's hut, to all appearance grievously 
 wounded, would but inadequately describe my feelings. 
 So astounded was I, that I remained staring up at him 
 still with my lady's hand in mine. He had removed the
 
 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 bandage from his forehead and the long, ragged scar 
 showed plainly in the light. 
 
 "Your Grace?" I stammered; and again: "Your 
 Grace?" 
 
 I rose to my feet and fell back a few paces. And as 
 with a cry of fear and compassion Mistress Grace hur 
 ried to her sister's side, the earl stepped forward and 
 confronted me. 
 
 "Aye," he answered, his voice stern and cold, his cour 
 teous manner disappeared. "I suppose my unlooked-for 
 appearance upsets your plans, sir. I thank God I am 
 in time to save my sister's honour." 
 
 I started as if I had received a blow. 
 
 "Her honour!" was all that I could stammer. "Her 
 honour !" 
 
 "I have said it," he answered coldly, at the same time 
 possessing himself of the sword which I had foolishly 
 left upon the table. "The old man yonder was no fool. 
 I am acquainted with your unsavoury reputation, and fol 
 lowed fast upon your heels. Once at the village it was 
 an easy matter to procure a horse." In a moment I 
 saw it all. The old man must at some time have heard 
 my name doubtless when he had been drinking at the 
 inn. I remembered how that De Brito had used it at our 
 meeting in the hut ; and this, coupled with the latter's 
 uniform, had enabled him to put two and two together 
 with a shrewdness that I had not given him credit for. 
 Of course it was all plain to me now. After my de 
 parture he had found means to arouse the earl from 
 his swoon, and the latter had followed me with but
 
 "On the threshold stood the Earl of C'leeve himself"
 
 HOME COMING OF HIS GRACE 263 
 
 little delay. I cursed myself for my lack of fore 
 sight. 
 
 "You are mad," I answered, coming to myself. All 
 those schemes which were forming in my brain were shat 
 tered to pieces by his unlooked-for appearance. "Mad 
 to venture hither ! Have you not heard ?" 
 
 "If you mean, sir, have I heard of the ruin of the cause 
 to which I had devoted my life, I answer that I have, 
 both that and many things. And I am here to perform 
 a solemn duty. It is to rid the world of a very dirty, 
 scoundrel." 
 
 I felt the hot blood flush my brow. 
 
 "Your Grace," I answered, striving to speak calmly, 
 "if you will permit me to explain " 
 
 "Enough of words, sir," he cried impatiently. "The 
 honour of my house is dear to me, and honour forbids 
 that men like you should invade its threshold and con 
 trive such work as that ! He nodded as he spoke to where 
 my lady still remained, unconscious despite her sister's 
 efforts to revive her. 
 
 "But," I muttered, cudgelling my brains to discover 
 some means whereby I might evade him, "I have no quar 
 rel with your Grace and no sword." 
 
 "For the first, sir," he replied haughtily, "I am the best 
 judge. And for the second, 'tis a matter that can be 
 easily remedied." He stepped quickly to the wall as 
 he spoke, and took therefrom a beautiful duelling rapier, 
 which he measured beside his own. Then turning, he 
 held the two out to me. 
 
 "Choose which you will," he said briefly.
 
 264 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 Mechanically I took one from his hand, for my ears 
 had caught a distant sound from without, and I felt that 
 I would welcome any interruption at that moment that 
 would give me a little time for thought. Nearer now 
 and nearer came the sound of a man's running steps. 
 They did not pause at the outer entrance, but came 
 right on across the hall, and the next moment the steward 
 burst into the room. His face was pale, the perspiration 
 stood out upon his brow, he panted so heavily that he 
 could scarcely speak. 
 
 "Fly, my lord, fly!" he gasped brokenly. "The 
 dragoons are in the village." 
 
 "Dragoons?" I cried, starting. 
 
 "Aye," he said excitedly, "Dutch dragoons from 
 Meriden a score of them. They know that you 
 are at the manor," he continued, turning to his master 
 and wringing his hands helplessly. "In three 
 minutes they will be here. God help us all! We are 
 undone !" 
 
 Meriden! In a flash I understood. Now I saw the 
 meaning of De Brito's words. He had known to these 
 troops being quartered there, and to revenge himself 
 upon me had gone to their commander. Whether he had 
 guessed the real quality of the wounded man or what tale 
 he had concocted I do not know ; but it had been powerful 
 enough to induce that officer to send a force to the hut to 
 investigate the matter. Arrived there well, the times 
 were rough, and too well I knew their methods. They 
 had speedily discovered all they desired to know and 
 had then followed at top speed, hoping, doubtless, to
 
 HOME COMING OF HIS GRACE 265 
 
 pick up some share of the reward. Truly there was no 
 hope now, for the man before me. 
 
 All this had passed through my mind as it were in a 
 moment. I was roused by hearing the earl's voice. 
 
 "Dragoons?" he was saying. "Yes summoned by 
 this gentleman !" 
 
 "It is not true !" I answered firmly. "Until now, your 
 Grace, I was as ignorant as you yourself that they were 
 in the neighbourhood." 
 
 "It matters little," he replied sternly, drawing his 
 rapier and flinging the empty sheath from him. "I have 
 still three minutes left to me. I trust that in that time 
 I shall kill you!" I stood hesitating, for I knew not 
 what to do. On a sudden Mistress Grace ran swiftly to 
 his side. 
 
 "Cecil, Cecil !" she cried in a voice of agony, "why do 
 you linger here? Why do you waste the precious mo 
 ments? Fly fly whilst there is time! Did you not 
 hear? In a few minutes it will be too late!" 
 
 "It is too late now," he answered, "and I have other 
 work to do !" 
 
 Down at his feet she flung herself and clung with her 
 little hands around his knees, so that for the moment he 
 could not move. 
 
 "No, no !" she cried piteously, raising her tear-dimmed 
 face to his. "It is not yet too late not yet ! Cecil, I 
 entreat I implore you for your own sake for all our 
 sakes to save your life! The window is open they 
 cannot see the way you go !" 
 
 "And leave this man to point them on my track," he
 
 266 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 answered bitterly. "You do not understand. My pres 
 ence here is known. The whole countryside would be 
 searched. I am no Monmouth to be taken in a ditch. 
 And on my honour, I leave not Cleeve till I have fought 
 this man." 
 
 I looked at the firm, set face before me, and knew that 
 though death stared him in the face he would keep 
 his word. His sister knew it also, for with a low, moan 
 ing cry she released her hold. Then he strode towards 
 me. 
 
 "Draw, sir," he cried. "Men credit you at least with 
 skill in swordplay." 
 
 Then, seeing that I made no movement to lay hand to 
 hilt, he added: "Must I strike you to arouse your 
 courage? Are you a coward, sir, as well as a ruffian?" 
 
 But during the last few moments I had been thinking 
 rapidly. I looked to the past, and saw little there to 
 cheer me or regret. I looked to the future, and down 
 the vista of the years to come I saw myself sink ever 
 lower until it might be some chance tavern brawl found 
 me at length a nameless grave. My glance wandered to 
 my lady and 
 
 "There is no need," I answered quietly. "I will fight 
 your Grace, but not here, where at any moment we may 
 be interrupted. As the person challenged, I have the 
 right of choosing the ground, and I claim my right. 
 At the foot of the cliff path leading to the beach 
 there is a level stretch of sand. That is the spot 
 I choose." 
 
 "As you will," the earl answered. "I care not for the
 
 HOME COMING OF HIS GRACE 267 
 
 place, so it be at once." And he strode out through the 
 open window. 
 
 But no sooner had he disappeared than the apathy that 
 had held me seemed to vanish. My brain was clear, my 
 will unshaken. I stepped swiftly to where Mistress 
 Grace still knelt upon the floor, her face buried in her 
 hands. 
 
 "Listen," I cried quickly, raising her gently to her 
 feet. "You are brave, madam I am sure that you are 
 brave. There is much depends upon you. Try, then, 
 to recover yourself for your brother's sake." 
 
 She raised her face to mine. I know not what she read 
 there, but on a sudden I saw a new light flash into her 
 eyes, and she laid her two hands upon my breast. 
 
 "You," she whispered "you are going to save him!" 
 
 "With heaven's help I am," I answered quickly. 
 "There is a chance yet it is a desperate one! Your 
 part, madam, must be to hinder these men as long as 
 possible. Use your woman's wit. Bid them search the 
 house. Delay them but ten minutes, and all may yet be 
 well." 
 
 "But my sister?" she faltered, casting a lingering 
 glance at my lady's unconscious figure. 
 
 "You must act for her," I said rapidly. "There is 
 no time to lose. Listen !" 
 
 I raised my hand to enjoin silence. Far away down the 
 avenue came the trampling of horse. "They are com 
 ing! Now, madam, will you trust me?" 
 
 She stretched out her hands impulsively. "With all 
 our lives," she whispered.
 
 268 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 I bowed my head in silence. I could not speak. Her 
 sweet, womanly trust in me was yet another link to bind 
 me to my purpose. The next moment she had left the 
 room and I heard her close and bolt the heavy outer door. 
 Then I turned upon the steward. 
 
 "Answer," I cried, taking him by the shoulders, "and 
 briefly, man. Is the boat still there below the cliff?" 
 
 "Yes," he replied, catching something of my own 
 energy. 
 
 "And know you of any craft in the harbour that would 
 venture the coast of France to-night for gold?" 
 
 "Aye," he answered, "or for love of the master. Never 
 theless, there is the money collected last week from the 
 rents " 
 
 "Then fetch it," I cried, interrupting him, "and follow 
 to the beach. Haste, man, haste! The precious mo 
 ments are fleeting fast !" 
 
 Without a word he turned away, and left me standing 
 in the centre of the room. Then once again I drew near, 
 it might be for the last time, and gazed down into my 
 lady's lovely face, now so white and still. One slender 
 hand hung at her side. I stooped and, half timidly, put 
 out my own towards it. On a sudden, I know not why, a 
 sense of my unworthiness came over me. I bent lower 
 still, and, raising the hem of her gown, pressed it to my 
 lips. Then I passed out into the night.
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 OF THE COMING OF THE DUTCH DRAGOONS 
 
 AT the little bridge over the moat, the tall figure of my 
 antagonist had halted, but upon my appearance on the 
 terrace he turned his back on me and strode off resolutely 
 in the direction of the cliffs. And I I followed him 
 with a strange conflict raging in my breast. 'Twas not 
 of fear for the result of the encounter, though I did not 
 deceive myself but that I should find a formidable op 
 ponent in the man before me. At that time skill in the 
 use of the rapier formed not the least part of the educa 
 tion of a gentleman, and I could not doubt but that his 
 Grace would have benefited by the lessons of the best 
 foreign masters. No, it was rather a knowledge of the 
 certain penalty that the success of my scheme must exact, 
 and a feeling that I was playing a part more worthy of 
 a hero of romaunt. Yet as my lady's face as I had last 
 seen it rose up before my eyes, I felt a simple pleasure 
 in the thought that I could minister to her happiness. 
 When all that I had it in my heart to perform was done, 
 would she then think of me with scorn and loathing 
 I wondered? Would the memory of me be but one of 
 shuddering aversion in all the years to come? Happen 
 what might, I knew that I could no longer deceive my 
 own heart; that the image of this woman's face would 
 be with me until the end. All this time I had been strid-
 
 270 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 ing rapidly through the moonlit gardens in the wake of 
 the earl. On reaching the pathway at the head of the 
 cliffs I paused to cast one lingering look in the direc 
 tion of the manor. Here and there I could see lights 
 shining through the trees, but no sound came from the 
 house to show that our flight was as yet discovered. The 
 gardens themselves were very still. A few bats fluttered 
 silently through the darkness. Overhead, the moon 
 sailed higher into the heavens, across which, ever and 
 anon, a great star flashed and vanished. From below 
 me came up the low murmur of the tide along the shore. 
 It was such a night as might well shame the lust of mur 
 der in men's hearts by its calm serenity. Light as it 
 was, I found the descent of the cliff path to be little cal 
 culated to soothe the nerves of one about to engage in 
 a duel of more than life. But the earl did not even pause 
 in the descent doubtless familiarity with it in his boy 
 hood had robbed it for him of all its terrors and for 
 very shame's sake I followed, pressing, I will confess, as 
 near as possible to the cliff wall upon my right and striv 
 ing to avoid gazing into the abyss at my side. Arriv 
 ing at length at the foot of the path, I found my an 
 tagonist already testing the surface of the patch of sand 
 that I had chosen. I saw that the steward had spoken 
 truth. The boat lay close to the edge of the incoming 
 tide. For the rest, the sand was firm, and the moon ren 
 dered the spot as suitable as one could desire for the 
 matter in hand. 
 
 "I trust that the ground meets with your Grace's ap 
 proval?" I said after a short silence.
 
 COMING OF DUTCH DRAGOONS 271 
 
 "Excellently well," he answered, turning for the first 
 time towards me. "And now, sir, under the existing 
 circumstances I think that we may waive the usual 
 formalities." 
 
 As he spoke he divested himself of his outer coat and the 
 starred and decorated one below it. This done, he tossed 
 aside his hat and wig and stood before me in his shirt 
 of white cambric ; and then indeed, at sight of the 
 splendid specimen of manhood thus revealed, had I been 
 a timorous man, I might well have fallen to reckoning up 
 my chances of success. But no thought of that entered 
 my mind as, throwing off my own poor coat, I bared 
 my arms to the elbow, and drawing my rapier, tested it 
 against the side of my boot. 'Twas the one that he had 
 taken from the wall, and was a good bit of steel, pliant 
 and nicely weighted as indeed it had need to have been, 
 seeing the issues that hung upon its blade. Then I ad 
 vanced to take up my position upon the sand and, salut 
 ing briefly, we fell to work and our swords crossed. Aye, 
 and from the very first I knew that I had met an ad 
 versary whom it would tax all my skill to conquer. From 
 the beginning he fought with a cool determination a 
 calm confidence of the result that did little towards 
 steadying my somewhat wild fence of the first few mo 
 ments. For my mind was busy picturing what was 
 already happening inside the house, and every minute I 
 expected to hear the voices of the dragoons from the 
 cliffs above that should tell of our discovery. Never be 
 fore, not even when I met and worsted Galliani, the finest 
 blade in Italy, nor when, before Belgrade, I had slain the
 
 272 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 celebrated Azim Alii before the eyes of two armies, was 
 my skill in swordplay so put to the test. To and fro 
 across the little patch of sand we thrust and parried ; the 
 rasping of our blades mingling with the lap of the en 
 croaching waves. But never once, for all my fierce at 
 tack, could I get past that iron guard, and when, after 
 five minutes had passed, and we drew back for a mo 
 ment, as if by mutual consent, to regain our labouring 
 breath, neither of us could boast of having gained any 
 advantage over his opponent. 
 
 Save that the handsome face of the man before me 
 was slightly pale, he was outwardly as calm, as self- 
 possessed as ever, rather as if he were engaged in some 
 friendly encounter with the foils than with an adversary 
 whose reputation with the rapier I speak it in all sin 
 cerity was common talk from London to Vienna. 
 
 But the moment's breathing space had steadied my 
 nerve, and when, in response to my brief, "On guard, 
 sir!" our blades again crossed, the fierce joy of the 
 combat had entered into my veins, and I resolved to put 
 in practice a certain thrust that had been shown me many 
 years before by an old sergeant of Papenstein's 
 dragoons. 'Twas a sure and deadly thrust to those un 
 knowing of its defence ; and though I had no intention of 
 pressing it home to a fatal issue, I felt assured of its 
 success for the purpose I had in view. But to accom 
 plish it required the utmost nicety of distance ; and so, in 
 pursuance of my object, I attacked him again so fiercely 
 that I drove him back to the very edge of the sand. But 
 once there my wrist weakened, my thrusts became more
 
 COMING OF DUTCH DRAGOONS 273 
 
 and more feeble. Then, as he gave a sudden rally, I be 
 gan to give ground before him. Step by step I re 
 treated, barely keeping him at sword's point ; and so well 
 must I have played my part that, as he plyed me with 
 thrust on thrust and I still fell back, I saw a faint smile 
 curl his lips. And I too smiled in my heart as, without 
 removing my eyes from his, I yet marked the exact spot 
 where I should strike. And a moment later my chance 
 came. For, thrusting high, as he threw up his arm to 
 guard, I entwined my blade round his with a wrench 
 that all but disarmed him, and in the same movement 
 with an upward turn of the wrist I ran him through 
 the body. 
 
 Without a groan his sword dropped from his hand, 
 and, staggering slightly, he fell face downwards upon 
 the sand. In a moment, throwing my own weapon from 
 me, I was down on my knees by his side. A brief exam 
 ination showed me that I had not miscalculated my thrust 
 save by a hair's breadth from the spot that I had 
 marked. The wound was high up in the muscles of the 
 right breast, and my experience told me that 'twas but 
 a matter of a week or two at most ere he was again 
 upon his feet. 
 
 On a sudden, as I stooped over him, I heard the sound of 
 a footstep striking against a stone, accompanied by a 
 muffled cry. Leaping to my feet, I turned in time to see 
 the figure of a man hurrying down the cliff path behind 
 me. I confess that at the sight my heart almost stopped 
 beating, for I thought that my labour had been in vain 
 and that the dragoons were upon me. But at a second
 
 274 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 glance I recognised the familiar figure of the steward, 
 whose approach neither of us had heard in the heat of our 
 late encounter. A moment later he had gained my side, 
 and was staring down, dazed and horror stricken, upon 
 the unconscious figure of his master. 
 
 "What is this?" he stammered, his jaw falling. "What 
 have you done? My God, you have killed him!" 
 
 "No, fool," I answered curtly, "I have saved him!" 
 
 Yet for all the help he was capable of giving me I might 
 as well have been without his assistance had I not caught 
 him roughly by the arm. 
 
 "There, man," I cried quickly, "don't stand staring 
 so ! What of the dragoons ?" 
 
 "They are searching the house," he answered, still in 
 the same dazed manner. 
 
 "Then recall your wits, man," I replied. "There is not 
 a moment to lose. Help me to lift him into the boat." 
 
 Mechanically he stooped to obey me, and together we 
 raised the unconscious figure at our feet and laid him 
 carefully in the stern of the boat. This done, I ran to 
 where we had left our clothes preparatory to the en 
 counter, and returning, flung the earl's riding coat, to 
 gether with my own hat, coat and sword, into the boat, 
 which the first incoming waves were already rocking. 
 Then I signed to the steward to enter. 
 
 "Now," I said briefly, "play the man if you would save 
 your master's life. Do not delay to attend his wound 
 a little bloodletting will do him no harm; and it were 
 better he should remain unconscious, since of his own 
 free will he would not escape. Pull straight for the vil-
 
 COMING OF DUTCH DRAGOONS 275 
 
 lage. Once there, spare not your gold, man. Remember, 
 he must be well on his way to France to-night." 
 
 "But you? you are not coming too?" he cried. 
 
 "No," I answered somewhat sadly ; "I have other work 
 to do. You can handle an oar?" 
 
 "In my youth," he answered doubtfully. "But of what 
 use is it ? Such craft as are in the harbour will not float 
 until high tide, and that will not be for another hour. 
 They will ride back to the village and will search the ves 
 sels there." 
 
 I remembered then that he spoke the truth. The stone 
 jetty all but enclosed a small harbour, inside which, 
 save at high tide, the fishing craft lay high and dry. 
 Well, 'twas but another danger to be met in the part that 
 I was about to play. "Have no fear of that," I replied. 
 "They will not continue their search. I will answer for 
 it." 
 
 "Not for such a prize as that?" he said doubtingly, 
 nodding towards the unconscious figure in the stern. 
 
 "Man, man," I cried impatiently, "you are wasting 
 precious moments ! I tell you they will not search 
 further because the earl will be here." 
 
 As I spoke I thrust the oars into his hands, and with a 
 powerful heave I sent the little boat dancing out upon 
 the water. And the final impression I had of it was of the 
 bewildered face of the steward as he pondered upon 
 my last words, of which I could see he had not 
 grasped the meaning. But turning on my heel, I 
 strode back up the beach to the scene of our late 
 encounter, and swiftly donned the earl's bedecorated
 
 276 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 coat, peruke and hat. This done, I picked up his 
 richly jewelled sword and thrust it into the sheath. Then 
 I turned to look at the boat. 
 
 Already it had passed beyond the point of rock at the 
 head of the little bay, and nothing met my eyes but the 
 empty waste of waters. Slowly I returned to the water's 
 edge and pondered upon my next move. So far every 
 thing had succeeded as I had planned, and there but re 
 mained for me to play the final part. How still was the 
 night ! How lonely the spot ! Overhead, a myriad stars 
 studded the dark vault of heaven and were reflected in 
 the placid water beneath. The moon looked down upon 
 me and threw my shadow black upon the beach. The 
 ripple of the waves amongst the pebbles at my feet was as 
 some soul-inspiring melody guiding and beckoning me 
 upward along the path of honour. I had turned, with 
 the intention of again seeking the gardens, when a shout 
 from above caused me to raise my head. I saw at a 
 glance that all further initiative was taken from my 
 hands. Here and there lanterns flashed upon the cliffs, 
 and in their light I caught the glint of steel. The cry 
 was quickly caught up and answered from different di 
 rections, and a moment later several dark figures ap 
 peared upon the path. I came to a standstill and awaited 
 their approach, for it occurred to me that the longer I 
 could possibly delay them, the better would be the earl's 
 chance of escape. So I drew my sword and stood out full 
 in the moonlight, a noble-looking figure, I make no 
 doubt, in my rich dress, beneath which, nevertheless, my 
 heart was beating painfully. At a nearer approach I
 
 COMING OF DUTCH DRAGOONS 277 
 
 recognised the blue coats and white facings of William's 
 Dutch dragoons. They were part of the troops I imag 
 ined that had been hastily sent for from The Hague at 
 the commencement of the present crisis, when James's 
 landing in Ireland had thrown the nation into a state of 
 panic. That they did not relish the pathway down which 
 they must come was apparent to me ; nevertheless, a tall 
 officer, followed by some half dozen troopers, slowly made 
 their way to the beach. At the foot of the path he 
 halted for a moment until his men had spread out in a 
 half circle behind him. Then he advanced towards me. 
 
 "Surrender !" he cried in English, though with a strong 
 foreign accent. 
 
 "It would appear, sir," I replied in his own language, 
 of which I had gained a fair knowledge in my campaigns 
 in Flanders, "that there is no other choice left to me." 
 
 At my words his face was almost ludicrous in its sur 
 prise. He was a tall man, as I have said, and of a most 
 melancholy countenance. I took him to be one of those 
 unfortunates whom promotion persistently passes over. 
 
 "How?" he cried. "Your lordship speaks Dutch?" 
 
 I made him a low bow by way of answer. It was as 
 well to sustain my part. 
 
 "As you hear for yourself, sir," I replied. 
 
 "Then," he answered, dropping his English, and taking 
 a step nearer to me, "I have the honour to arrest you, 
 my lord, in the name of his Majesty, King William!" 
 
 I raised my hand in deprecation. 
 
 "One moment, sir," I replied coolly. "Ere I render you 
 my sword, I must also have the honour of knowing to
 
 278 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 whom I am to deliver myself. Might I warn you to with 
 draw your foot you are just within sword-reach, and 
 I am somewhat over-hasty." 
 
 He drew back quickly at that. The troopers closed in 
 nearer to me. Stout-looking fellows they were for the 
 most part and eager, I could see, to begin the affray. 
 But the melancholy officer made no sign ; on the contrary : 
 "If that be all," he answered with a touch of pride, "I 
 think that I can satisfy your lordship. I am Pieter Van 
 Someren, lieutenant in his Majesty's Delft dragoons, 
 and son of the burgomaster of that town." 
 
 Again I swept him a low bow. "And pardon me!" I 
 continued, raising my eyebrows. "In command of these 
 troops, may I ask?" I thought that his face fell some 
 what. 
 
 "Well, no," he said hesitatingly. "To speak truth, my 
 commanding officer is above ; but the pathway is not to 
 his liking, and well " he added, shrugging his 
 shoulders, "he is from the ranks." 
 
 There was that in his tone which caught my attention 
 and of which I was quick to take advantage. 
 
 "Yet he is in command, nevertheless, by your own con 
 fession. 
 
 "Sir," I answered haughtily, "you are a man of 
 birth yourself. You will readily understand that it is 
 against my honour to surrender save to the officer of 
 senior rank." 
 
 For a moment he hesitated, and I could see there was a 
 struggle going on in his breast. True, they might over 
 power me by a concerted attack, but there was also the
 
 COMING OF DUTCH DRAGOONS 279 
 
 risk of my being killed in the struggle, in which case 
 farewell to all hope of the reward offered for my ap 
 prehension or rather for that of the man whom I 
 was impersonating. At the same time I had appealed 
 to him as to an equal, and to be thus classed was flatter 
 ing to his pride. I knew what his reply would be ere he 
 opened his lips. 
 
 "As you please!" he said stiffly. And turning to 
 one of the troopers, he gave a rapid order that sent 
 the man hurrying back by the way that they had 
 come. 
 
 So there, after the sounds of his departing footsteps 
 had died away upon the path, we remained in the same 
 attitudes facing each other ; all save the lieutenant, who 
 withdrew a few paces apart, where he could command a 
 better view of the man's progress. Suddenly he uttered 
 a quick exclamation 
 
 "What is this?" he cried, stooping to examine some 
 thing at his feet. "This sand is all trampled and there 
 is blood here!" 
 
 For a moment I confess that I was taken aback, but only 
 for a moment ; then the wit that nature had given me as 
 serted itself. "Ah," I said, coolly, "a little affair of 
 honour, sir, before your arrival." 
 
 "But," he replied, looking up at me with a puzzled air, 
 "what of your opponent, my lord?" 
 
 I shrugged my shoulders carelessly. "The sea has its 
 secrets, sir," I replied, meeting his gaze frankly. "It 
 is a safe hiding place." 
 
 He glanced searchingly over the moonlit surface of the
 
 280 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 water, as if he half expected to see the -body there ; I 
 could tell that he was not wholly satisfied. But like a 
 sensible man, he forebore to question me further. After 
 all, what concern was it of his ? Had he not already made 
 his name famous by my capture? Small time, indeed, 
 had he for speculation, for already the first waves were 
 rippling gently over the sand, blotting out in a mo 
 ment all traces of the recent conflict. And had we 
 needed a further diversion, it was provided for us by the 
 appearance of his commanding officer upon the path. 
 Preceded and followed by a trooper, he slowly and re 
 luctantly descended. The men had fastened their belts 
 together and held them like a rope to keep him from the 
 edge; but notwithstanding this precaution, it could be 
 seen how he clung to the cliff upon his right, and upon 
 a nearer approach could be heard to be alternately be 
 moaning the errand that put him in so perilous a posi 
 tion and conjuring his men to proceed with greater cau 
 tion. I thought that a smile of contempt flitted for a 
 moment across the face of the lieutenant, but catching 
 my eye, it vanished instantly and he stepped to the foot 
 of the path to await their coming. The descent safely 
 accomplished, he presently returned, accompanied by a 
 short, stout officer, whose appearance seemed more suited 
 to the wine shops of The Hague than to the rocky cliffs 
 of Devon. 
 
 "This is Major Verbrughen!" the lieutenant said 
 curtly. 
 
 I held out my sword to the man at his side. 
 
 "Then to you, sir," I said quietly, "I surrender myself
 
 COMING OF DUTCH DRAGOONS 281 
 
 on parole. I trust that you have not been put to incon 
 venience in satisfying my honour P" 
 
 "To great inconvenience," he answered bluntly ; "for 
 which I, for one, see no necessity. But you you Eng 
 lish are so proud ! What a country ! What a road ! I 
 am a soldier not a fly ; and I do not like such work." 
 
 What further he would have added I do not know, for 
 the lieutenant drew him aside and began to speak to him 
 in a low voice. 
 
 Meantime I turned my back upon them all to escape 
 the gaze of the troopers, who had throughout stood 
 stolidly regarding me, no doubt appraising in their own 
 minds the value of the orders upon my breast. But pres 
 ently the two men's voices rose louder, and I caught 
 scraps of their conversation. 
 
 "A thousand crowns !" it was the major's voice. "Ah, 
 my Wilmina! Little did I dream of this when last I 
 bade thee good-bye; but thou shalt see that I will keep 
 my word. Yes, yes, the little house that I have so often 
 promised thee shall be thine own at last !" 
 
 "I would have you remember, however, Major Ver- 
 brughen," the lieutenant's voice replied, "that to me be 
 longs the credit of this arrest." 
 
 "So! good lieutenant, I will not fail to make mention 
 of you !" the other answered. 
 
 "It is not mention that I desire," the lieutenant said 
 sourly. "But for me the man might well have escaped, 
 and I shall lay claim to the reward." 
 
 "You?" the other cried hotly. "You will lay claim?" 
 
 "Why not?" the lieutenant answered, raising his voice.
 
 282 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 "Was it not my suggestion to search the gardens? Am 
 I to do all the work and gain no profit by it?" 
 
 "And am I not in command here?" the major cried 
 angrily; "and was it not to me that he surrendered? 
 You to receive a thousand crowns? Why, 'twould be 
 squandered at the first gaming table you sat down to !" 
 
 "And you to spend them on your Wilmina?" the lieu 
 tenant retorted with a sneer. "Why, she has forgotten 
 your very name ere this." 
 
 "It is false!" the major shouted, beside himself with 
 rage. 
 
 "You shall answer to me for your words, Major 
 Verbrughen !" cried the other in a tone equally as loud. 
 
 I turned swiftly upon my heel and faced them. The 
 major's face was purple with passion, the lieutenant 
 stood with his hand upon his sword. In the background 
 the troopers remained standing, like so many blue-coated 
 statues. Here was an unexpected chance of gaining 
 time. 
 
 "Gentlemen," I said, advancing towards them, "in that 
 I could not help overhearing part of your conversation, 
 I pray you pardon me. It would seem that the matter 
 at issue is one calling rather for deeds than words. The 
 night is still young, and the light will serve. I shall be 
 happy to act as second to either of you gentlemen, and I 
 make no doubt that one of your men will be equally will 
 ing to serve in a similar capacity." 
 
 They both turned in my direction, and for a moment 
 they stood silent, glancing first at me and then at one 
 another.
 
 COMING OF DUTCH DRAGOONS 283 
 
 "I am at all times ready to uphold my words," said the 
 lieutenant, still fingering his sword hilt. But it seemed 
 that my very eagerness had defeated its own purpose, 
 for 
 
 "And I I do not fight when engaged upon duty," said 
 the major stiffly. "I thank your lordship for the re 
 minder. Lieutenant Someren, we will discuss this mat 
 ter later. But the tide is rising fast, and it is full time 
 that we returned to the house." He turned as he spoke 
 and cast a lingering look at the narrow path. Is there 
 no other way by which we can go, my lord?" he added 
 hesitatingly. 
 
 "None," I answered, inwardly cursing myself for my 
 stupidity in interfering. Had I not done so it might 
 well have been that the quarrel would have led to blows 
 and more time might have been gained. Now, however, 
 it was too late, and all that I could do was to cast about 
 in my mind for some means by which I might still further 
 delay them. I thought that the major gave a slight 
 groan upon hearing my reply. "Lieutenant Someren," 
 he said after a moment's pause, "take four men and lead 
 the way." 
 
 The lieutenant saluted, not a muscle of his lean face 
 moving. Apparently he had forgotten their late 
 estrangement and became once more a military machine. 
 As the little party moved away: "Now, my lord," the 
 major continued, turning towards me, "be good enough 
 to follow!" 
 
 I shrugged my shoulders lightly and obeyed him. He 
 himself brought up the rear with the remaining three
 
 284 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 troopers. It was not lost upon me that the burly ser 
 geant immediately behind me carried his pistol in his 
 hand. Evidently he was a man of precaution and did not 
 put the same confidence in my parole as did his superior 
 officers. In this order, then, we commenced the ascent; 
 nor could I wonder that to men accustomed to the flat 
 country of Holland the task should be so unwelcome. 
 Even I, though by this time I had gained a tolerable ac 
 quaintance with the path, could not but be moved by 
 the weirdness of the scene. The moon threw our shadows 
 black against the cliff, accentuating the darkness of the 
 gulf at our side, from which, growing ever fainter as 
 we ascended, rose up the low murmur of the tide. It was 
 some little time, therefore, ere we gained the summit, to 
 find a couple more troopers in waiting there. With the 
 major and lieutenant on either side of me preserving, 
 however, a strict silence towards each other and with 
 the troopers in our rear, I passed once more and for the 
 last time through the misty, rose-scented gardens that 
 were filled for me with so many memories. Nor could I, 
 for all my efforts, put the penalty that I must pay wholly 
 from my mind. For what had I done? I, a soldier, 
 had betrayed my trust! Had assisted a noted rebel to 
 escape! and for what? Was it not for a mere shadowy 
 sentiment such as a man of my experience and years 
 should not have been guilty? But though I strove thus 
 to reason with myself, I know that the beating of my 
 heart increased the nearer that we approached the lighted 
 windows of the house. For all my thoughts centred then 
 upon what my lady would say to me, and how I should
 
 COMING OF DUTCH DRAGOONS 285 
 
 first reveal myself to her, so that the men at my side 
 should have no suspicion of the imposture practised on 
 them. 
 
 But do what I would, I could think of no way by which 
 I could prepare those at the house, for my brain was 
 in a chaos, and only the image of my lady's face was be 
 fore my eyes. Already we had reached the little bridge 
 and, crossing, passed slowly down the terrace to where a 
 broad stream of light came from the open door and lay in 
 a white patch upon the gravel walk. As we passed 
 the lighted windows of the dining hall, I strove to gain 
 a glimpse of the interior; but the curtains had fallen 
 to I could see nothing. Clearly I must trust to luck 
 that they should not betray me in their surprise. 
 
 Entering, I found some dozen troopers lounging in the 
 hall, who sprang to attention upon our appearance. 
 Through the open door beyond I caught sight of their 
 horses at the foot of the broad entrance steps. In the 
 passage leading to the servants' quarters three or four 
 of my lady's women were huddled together, gazing upon 
 the scene before them with white, scared faces. I bent 
 my head as I passed through, that they might not see 
 my face, and with the two officers at my heels I entered 
 the dining hall to find it empty. 
 
 For a moment I do not know whether in my heart I 
 was the more disappointed or relieved to find it so. 
 But the fact gave me time at least to collect my scattered 
 thoughts. Already I reckoned that it could want barely 
 another half hour until it should be high tide. I turned 
 suddenly to the major.
 
 286 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 "May I ask, sir," I said calmly, "from what source you 
 received the information as to my presence here?" 
 
 "As to that," he replied readily, "I cannot tell you. 
 I do but obey my orders." 
 
 "Ah," I answered. "And you come ?" 
 
 "From Plymouth," he replied. "But our regiment lies 
 to-night at Meriden." 
 
 "And pardon me is it your intention to return 
 thither at once?" 
 
 For a moment he hesitated. I think that the pros 
 pect of the long Devon miles lying between him and 
 his comfortable quarters held but little attraction for 
 him. 
 
 "That will depend upon the condition of our horses, 
 my lord," he said at length. "We have ridden far and 
 fast to-day." 
 
 A sudden inspiration occurred to me. "Then do me the 
 favour, gentlemen, to look upon me as your host for the 
 short time that you remain beneath this roof. Even 
 misfortune must wait upon hospitality. And a bottle 
 of wine is no mean antidote for a long night ride." 
 
 I saw his eyes begin to sparkle. Nevertheless, he still 
 made pretence to hesitate. 
 
 "Certainly I have no orders for immediate return," he 
 said slowly. "What think you, lieutenant?" 
 
 "You are in command, Major Verbrughen," the latter 
 answered stiffly. He had withdrawn a few paces apart, 
 yet even his melancholy countenance showed no disap 
 proval at the prospect. 
 
 "Well, well," the major continued, turning towards me.
 
 COMING OF DUTCH DRAGOONS 287 
 
 "I will look at the horses myself." And turning 
 abruptly on his heel, he left the room. 
 
 When we were alone I slowly crossed to the hearth, and 
 with my back to the lieutenant, who on his part did not 
 seem particularly desirous of conversation, I fell to 
 thinking of all the fateful events of the day. It was 
 whilst standing thus, that happening to raise my eyes 
 to the broad mirror that hung above the carven mantel 
 piece, I saw that which banished in a moment all other 
 thoughts from my mind. For my lady herself was in 
 the room ! I had heard no door open no sound of foot 
 fall. Yet there, at the foot of the steps leading to the 
 corridor above, she stood motionless, and behind her Mis 
 tress Grace. 
 
 My lady's face was white, though still she strove to bear 
 herself with pride. Her sister made no effort to conceal 
 her tears. In the background I caught sight of the 
 lieutenant bowing profoundly. Slowly, slowly she 
 crossed the floor towards me. And I? I stood rooted 
 to the spot, incapable alike of speech or movement, my 
 heart beating with a rapidity that was not far removed 
 from pain. 
 
 Within a yard of me she stopped, and I saw her strug 
 gling with her emotion saw the tears gathering upon 
 her lashes and I alone heard the low sob of anguish that 
 escaped her lips. And hearing that, I thanked God in my 
 heart that I had done what I had. A moment later her 
 white hands were laid upon my shoulders, and "Cecil!" 
 she whispered brokenly. 
 
 And then indeed I turned and our eyes met.
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 OF HOW I REPAID THE DEBT I OWED MY LADY 
 
 FOR a moment a moment containing in itself a lifelong 
 memory we two stood face to face in a silence broken 
 only by a low cry from Mistress Grace, as for the first 
 time she caught sight of me. 
 
 But no sound came from my lady's parted lips, only, 
 recoiling from me in the extremity of her surprise, still 
 with her eyes on mine, she raised one hand as if to repel 
 me, whilst with the other she pushed the loosened hair 
 from off her brow. Then, drawing a deep breath, I 
 caught her outstretched hand in mine, and, shielded by 
 her figure from the gaze of the lieutenant, I laid my 
 finger on my lips, at the same time saying in a low voice 
 so that none but she could hear : "Madam, madam, do not 
 look so at me ! It is I, indeed ! If you would save your 
 brother's life help me to detain these men." And drop 
 ping her hand, I stepped backwards, for I dared no 
 longer trust myself to maintain my composure. Even as 
 it was I felt my voice quiver. 
 
 To recover myself, I turned swiftly to Mistress Grace, 
 and taking her hands in mine, I stooped as if to kiss her 
 cheek, at the same time whispering in her ear: "Madam, 
 I have redeemed my word. He is safe and on his way to 
 France. Time time now is everything!" 
 
 I felt her hands tighten in my own. "And you you
 
 HOW I REPAID THE DEBT 289 
 
 have taken his place?" she whispered in reply, raising 
 her eyes, still with the traces of tears in them, to mine. 
 
 "Hush yes !" I answered, with a warning glance in 
 the direction of the lieutenant. More than that I could 
 not say, for at this moment the major returned to the 
 room. He paused in astonishment on the threshold, and 
 I saw that his eyes were fixed in open admiration upon my 
 lady. I took a step or two towards him. 
 
 "Forgive me, gentlemen," I said aloud. "I do not know 
 whether my sisters are already known to you." 
 
 "This lady," the major answered, indicating Mistress 
 Grace, and speaking to my surprise in very fair Eng 
 lish, "I have already met. Madam, your wife no." 
 
 I dared not meet my lady's eyes. 
 
 "Your pardon, sir," I said hastily, feeling the hot blood 
 mounting to my forehead "my sister also!" 
 
 "So !" he said, raising his eyebrows and making what 
 he no doubt intended for a bow in her direction. "Then 
 it is for me to beg the pardon." 
 
 I glanced at my lady. There was a lovely blush upon 
 her face that a moment before had been so pale ; otherwise 
 she showed no trace of her late emotion, acknowledging 
 his bow with a stately inclination of her head. 
 
 "It is granted, sir," she answered quietly. 
 
 "And as to your intentions, major?" I said in Dutch. 
 "Will you partake of our hospitality ?" 
 
 "Well," he replied, "it seems to me discourteous to re 
 fuse your offer, my lord, and the horses are certainly in 
 ill condition," he added apologetically. "What say you, 
 lieutenant?"
 
 290 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 The latter's sallow visage bore a look of satisfaction 
 at his decision. "I am of your mind, Major Ver- 
 brughen," he answered, the reserve with which he had 
 clothed himself gradually relaxing. 
 
 "Then that is settled, gentlemen," I said decisively. 
 And turning to Mistress Grace, I continued in a low 
 voice: "Will you be good enough to see that these men 
 are served in the north parlour, madam? a bottle or two 
 of wine of the strongest, you understand? and such 
 fare as you possess. I have that which I would say to 
 your sister alone. Will you do this for me ?" 
 
 She gave me a glance full of meaning. "It is not 
 much that I can do," she whispered in reply. "That 
 which I can willingly," and she prepared to leave 
 the room. 
 
 Again I addressed myself to the two officers. They had 
 drawn together in a more friendly attitude while I 
 was speaking and were conversing in low tones. 
 
 "If you will accompany this lady, gentlemen," I said 
 aloud, "she will herself attend to your welfare. Mean 
 while, I beg that you will hold me excused from joining 
 you. With your permission I would speak with my 
 sister in private." And I glanced across at where my 
 lady still stood upon the hearth, with her eyes ever upon 
 my face. 
 
 But for a moment the major hesitated. "As to that," 
 he said at length, "I do not know what to say." 
 
 "Sir," I made answer, drawing myself haughtily erect, 
 "I have yet to learn that an Earl of Cleeve ever broke 
 his parole. For the matter of that, the parlour where
 
 HOW I REPAID THE DEBT 291 
 
 you sup is but across the hall ; by leaving the door open 
 you may see into this room." 
 
 "Well, well," the major replied, stroking his chin per 
 plexedly, "seeing that it may be for the eh, lieu 
 tenant?" 
 
 "Precisely," the latter answered. 
 
 "Under the circumstances then, my lord," he con 
 tinued, "the favour is granted. And now at your ser 
 vice, madam!" 
 
 He bowed as he spoke to Mistress Grace and together 
 they followed her from the room. 
 
 And my lady and I were at length alone. No sooner 
 had the last sound of their spurred heels died away across 
 the hall than the pride which had hitherto sustained her 
 seemed to vanish. She came quickly towards me, and 
 I saw that she was strangely moved, and that her limbs 
 were trembling. 
 
 "What is this, sir?" she cried in a voice that thrilled 
 with suppressed emotion. "What is this that you 
 have done? My brother was in your power, and 
 yet you are here! And in his dress I do not under 
 stand." 
 
 "Nor have I time to explain, madam," I answered 
 gravely. "Your brother is safe, and the vessel that is 
 bearing him to France should by this time have cleared 
 the harbour. Once there, he will no doubt be doubly wel 
 come to James in his exile. "As for these clothes," I 
 continued humbly, glancing down at the glittering or 
 ders upon my breast, "I crave your pardon that I must 
 wear them yet a little longer. Do not misjudge me,
 
 292 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 madam, when you know the truth. Believe only that 
 there was no other way." 
 
 "I think that we have always misjudged you, sir," she 
 answered in a trembling voice. "I think that we never 
 understood never tried to understand until now !" 
 She moved as she spoke so as to command a view of the 
 open doorway. Then on a sudden she turned swiftly 
 towards me. "They do not look this way," she cried in 
 an eager voice. "Come, sir, come I will be your 
 guide follow me and you may yet evade them !" And 
 hastening to the nearest window, she drew aside the 
 heavy curtains, only to drop them again with a little 
 despairing cry. But not before I had seen. 
 
 Outside, upon the terrace, motionless as a statue, stood 
 a blue-coated trooper. The moonlight shone upon the 
 barrel of his short musketoon. 
 
 "You see, madam," I said quietly I had not moved 
 from my place "it is impossible." And I gazed at her 
 in a kind of wonder. Had it been another I could have 
 sworn that she was anxious. "Even had it been other 
 wise, my lady," I continued, "I could not have availed 
 myself of the opportunity. For my honour now has 
 become dear to me, and honour forbids that I should 
 break my parole to these men. Yet it is sweet to me also 
 that you should care for my safety." 
 
 "Ah, but but what will they do to you?" she cried, 
 and I saw a sudden fear leap into her eyes. 
 
 I drew a deep breath ere I replied. "Madam," I made 
 answer, "imprisonment is no heavy matter for me." 
 
 "Imprisonment?" she cried quickly, drawing a few
 
 HOW I REPAID THE DEBT 293 
 
 paces nearer and gazing full into my face. "But you 
 are sure that is all ?" 
 
 I met her glance as bravely as I could. She must not 
 guess the truth. "Quite sure," I answered quietly. 
 
 Yet still for a moment longer her eyes clung to mine. 
 Then a little sob escaped her lips. 
 
 "After all," she muttered, her head drooping two 
 scarlet spots appearing in her cheeks, "when the truth 
 is known, it may be that they will set you free." 
 
 "Yes, madam," I answered somewhat sadly, "I think 
 that they will set me free." 
 
 She turned away to hide some sudden emotion. When 
 next she faced me her proud face was so softened that 
 I stared at her in dumb surprise. 
 
 "Mr. Cassilis," she said in a trembling voice and I 
 saw that there were tears in her eyes that she made no 
 effort to conceal "do you remember what once you said 
 to me here in this very room that you would one day 
 repay me with tenfold interest? I think that you have 
 already repaid and I no words of mine can speak my 
 sorrow or my shame !" 
 
 "Madam, madam," I cried hoarsely, finding at length 
 my voice, "what is this ? I will not hear !" 
 
 "You will not hear?" she said in a tone of wonder. 
 
 "No, madam," I muttered. "I would not have you 
 abase yourself for me." 
 
 She bent her head so that I could no longer see her face, 
 but yet her lovely figure trembled with some suppressed 
 emotion. "You do this for my brother," she said at 
 length with a sad little smile, "you risk imprisonment
 
 294 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 disgrace for him and yet I may not even thank 
 you !" 
 
 I looked at her, and all the love in my heart leaped into 
 sudden flame. "Nay, madam," I said gently, "it was for 
 your sake!" 
 
 "For my sake for me ?" she cried in a trembling voice. 
 
 "Aye, madam," I answered, "for you for you and 
 therefore death itself were sweet!" And stooping, I 
 raised her hand, all unresisting, to my lips. 
 
 She did not speak, only I felt her hand tremble in my 
 own, and one great sob shook her ere turning swiftly 
 from me she sank into the nearest chair, and bowing her 
 head upon her hands, broke out into passionate weeping. 
 
 For a moment I stared at her in silent wonder. Then I 
 drew near to her side. "Do not grieve, madam," I said 
 in a low voice. "I think nay, I am sure that your 
 brother is now beyond pursuit." 
 
 Suddenly she raised her eyes all misty with their tears 
 to mine. "And do you think, sir," she said brokenly, 
 "that I weep alone for him?" 
 
 "For whom else should you weep, madam?" I said won- 
 deringly. And then something in her face gave me an 
 inkling of the truth. I drew a long breath and con 
 tinued: "Almost I could believe, madam, that in your 
 womanly compassion you wept for me ! My lady, I am 
 not worthy of one tear from such as you. I am not 
 strong enough to ask you to forget but only to forgive 
 me that I should cause you grief!" And kneeling at 
 her side, as once before I had done, I raised the hem of 
 her dress and pressed it to my lips.
 
 HOW I REPAID THE DEBT 295 
 
 "Not worthy?" she cried. "Nay, it is I who am un 
 worthy unworthy of your generosity of the kindness 
 you have shown to me and mine. Ah, Mr. Cassilis, have 
 you nothing else to say to me? no reproaches to heap 
 upon me ?" 
 
 I rose slowly to my feet. "Yes, there is one thing that 
 is in my heart to say, my lady, if you will hear." 
 
 She raised her eyes with a look of startled inquiry to 
 mine ; then on a sudden a lovely colour suffused her face. 
 Yet she did not say me nay. 
 
 "It is this, madam," I continued in a voice I vainly 
 strove to render steady. "It may be that in a little 
 time I must bid you farewell. Ere that time comes I 
 would have you know that you have awakened within 
 me that which had long been forgotten that which I had 
 all but lost. My life the life of the sword wandering 
 from land to land, every man's servant, homeless, hope 
 less, has not been such that it should inspire pity in 
 others or regret to me. Yet until I met you I was well 
 content to lead this life, to ruffle it with men whose daily 
 life you, being a woman, therefore infinitely pure, could 
 little understand still less forgive. But now all this is 
 changed. For you you have restored in me the honour 
 that as a gentleman was mine by birth ; and though well 
 I know a gulf impassable divides our lives, yet for your 
 sake I would willingly face death itself to save you 
 pain. In that prison to which I go believe only in the 
 years to come that, rough soldier though I am, my 
 fondest prayers were for your future happiness. I may 
 not say more I dare not trust myself to say more. I
 
 296 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 have done. God grant that this may be the only sorrow 
 that shall cloud your life !" 
 
 "Oh," she cried, rising to her feet with a shuddering 
 sob, "I cannot bear it ! I cannot bear it !" She raised 
 her hands to her throat, struggling with her emotion. 
 
 There came the hoarse challenge of a sentry from with 
 out, followed by an immediate bustle in the hall as the 
 troopers hastily assumed their arms. I crossed quickly 
 to a small side window, and glancing out saw a party of 
 three horsemen advancing up the avenue. Then I turned 
 again to my lady. She had not moved from her posi 
 tion in the middle of the room. Motionless as a statue 
 she stood, her hands pressed to her bosom, her eyes wide 
 with sudden fear fixed upon the open door. At that in 
 stant the lieutenant appeared upon the threshold. 
 
 "Verdom !" he cried excitedly, buckling on his sword 
 and brushing some stray crumbs from off his coat. "It 
 is he-! It is the general himself !" 
 
 "The general?" I stammered. 
 
 "No less," he answered. "Who would have expected his 
 appearance ?" 
 
 He drew himself stiffly to attention as the sound of 
 spurred heels rang out from the hall, and a moment 
 later three men entered the room. 
 
 He who came first was a man of most striking appear 
 ance. In age he might have been verging upon fifty, 
 and his erect, martial figure and clean-shaven, handsome 
 face showed to the keenest advantage in the uniform of 
 a general of the British army. As if in scorn of the
 
 HOW I REPAID THE DEBT 297 
 
 follies of fashion, he wore no periwig, and his iron-grey 
 hair clustered thickly upon his temples. Nor had he, so 
 far as I could see, any decorations upon his breast that 
 could proclaim him to be a person of distinction; but 
 there was that in his face and bearing that needed no out 
 ward insignia to stamp him as a leader of men. In any 
 company, in any costume, the man's individuality must 
 have struck the most casual observer. Immediately be 
 hind him came an officer in the blue and white uniform of 
 the Dutch dragoons. The third figure was that of 
 Major Verbrughen. 
 
 But no sooner had my lady's eyes fallen upon the new 
 comer's face than she uttered an exclamation of sur 
 prise. Glancing swiftly in her direction, I saw that her 
 face, that had a moment before been so pale, had flushed 
 on a sudden to rose red. 
 
 "Sir Charles Trevelyan!" she cried. 
 
 I knew then with whom I had to deal. His was a name 
 of wide repute the Bayard of his time ! A gentleman 
 of stainless life and simple faith, combining in his person 
 all the simplicity of a child, with the chivalry of a 
 paladin of old. I knew that William upon landing had 
 made him governor of Plymouth and reposed high con 
 fidence in his integrity. Now he advanced hat in hand 
 and with a faltering step to my lady ; and I saw that his 
 face also bore traces of emotion. 
 
 "At your service, madam," he answered gravely, bow 
 ing over her hand. "Little did I think when last we 
 parted that my duty would ever impose upon me so un 
 welcome a task. Being for the present, however, ap-
 
 298 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 pointed commander of the troops in Devon, it occurred to 
 me that I might by my presence spare you such trouble 
 as lies in my power in this unhappy affair. But," he 
 continued in a different tone, for the first time catching 
 sight of me, "who have we here? Where is the Earl of 
 Cleeve?" 
 
 "Under Providence, in safety !" I answered quietly, 
 advancing a few steps. 
 
 For a moment he did not speak he simply looked at 
 me. Yet I felt that I cut but a poor figure under his 
 gaze. 
 
 "Your name, sir?" he said abruptly. 
 
 "Adrian Cassilis," I answered with what grace I could 
 muster, "captain in his Majesty's Tangier Horse." And 
 now that the die was cast I felt my confidence returning. 
 
 "There is something here that I do not understand," he 
 said slowly, crossing the room and seating himself be 
 side the table. "Major Verbrughen, be good enough to 
 explain the meaning of this masquerade?" 
 
 But by my faith the latter was little capable of explain 
 ing anything. His jaw had fallen, he stared at me in 
 speechless surprise. Even the lieutenant's lean counte 
 nance had taken a more melancholy cast. 
 
 "Let that be my task general," I said, advancing to 
 the table, "and first let me exonerate these gentlemen 
 from all blame. It is a simple story, and can soon be 
 told. The Earl of Cleeve is, as I have said, beyond pur 
 suit. For the rest, these clothes I wear should be suf 
 ficient explanation." 
 
 He bent forward and gazed fixedly at me. "And how
 
 HOW I REPAID THE DEBT 299 
 
 comes it," he said at length, "that you are in this 
 house ?" 
 
 "I was in charge here," I answered simply. 
 
 His glance wandered from me to my lady, and I saw a 
 sudden light of understanding leap into his eyes. 
 
 "Ah!" he said briefly, and leaned back in his chair. 
 
 After a moment's pause, in which I stole a glance at my 
 lady, to see that her eyes were fixed upon the general 
 with a dawning horror in their depths, the latter again 
 addressed me. 
 
 "So you, a soldier, in time of war betrayed your trust," 
 he said slowly, "and assisted his Grace to escape, know 
 ing him to be the Earl of Cleeve !" 
 
 "For the friendship that I bear to him yes !" 
 
 "You were aware he was proscribed of the penalty 
 attached to your offence? You did this knowingly ?" 
 
 "And willingly," I answered firmly. 
 
 Again he leant forward and bent his eyes upon me. 
 I trust in that moment that I bore myself as a gentleman 
 should. 
 
 "A pen here," he said abruptly, pointing to some writ 
 ing materials that stood upon an oaken cabinet near. 
 
 The Dutch officer who had accompanied him stepped 
 forward and laid them before him. After writing a few 
 lines in a silence unbroken in the room save for the 
 scratching of the pen, he raised his head. 
 
 "Colonel Zulestein," he said curtly, "you will see to the 
 carrying out of this sentence, for which this shall be 
 your warrant." And he held the paper out to him. 
 
 Ere the latter could take it, however, my lady, who had
 
 300 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 drawn gradually nearer to the table while he had 
 been writing, snatched the paper from his hand. But no 
 sooner had her eyes fallen upon what was written there 
 than a cry of pain escaped her lips. 
 
 "To be shot !" she cried wildly. "To be shot at dawn !" 
 She swayed so violently that I took a step or two forward 
 to assist her. Even the general had risen to his feet at 
 sight of her distress. 
 
 "Madam, I would have spared you this had I but 
 known," he said quickly. "But my duty is imperative." 
 
 She did not answer him she did not even seem to hear. 
 Only for a moment she raised her hands to her brow and 
 a single sob broke the silence of the room. Then she 
 turned and came towards me. And I? I awaited her 
 approach, my hands clenched, my knees trembling. 
 Within a pace of me she stopped, and her eyes, wide and 
 fear-stricken, seemed to read my inmost thoughts. 
 
 "When," she said at length in a low, strained voice, 
 "you did this for me you knew?" 
 
 "Yes!" 
 
 Still for a moment longer her eyes clung to mine, ere, 
 turning, she moved slowly to where the general stood be 
 side the table. "Send these men away !" she said in a 
 low voice, though every word was plain to hear. The 
 room was very still. For a moment he looked surprised, 
 then : 
 
 "Major Verbrughen," he said sternly, "it would be well 
 for you to make enquiries at the harbour. I think that 
 you will find there all that we wish to know. And an 
 other time, sir, be not so hasty in jumping to conclusions !
 
 HOW I REPAID THE DEBT 301 
 
 Colonel Zulestein, be good enough to remain within 
 call!" 
 
 The three officers saluted with military brevity and left 
 the room. 
 
 "Now, madam," he continued, reseating himself, "you 
 wish to speak to me?" 
 
 Even from where I stood I could see that it was only 
 with an effort that she conquered her emotion as she 
 drew a step nearer to him. 
 
 "Sir Charles Trevelyan," she said in a low voice, "a 
 year ago you did me the honour to ask me to become your 
 wife. Oh, by the memory of the love you then professed 
 for me grant me this that now I ask spare this man's 
 life !" 
 
 I stared at her in speechless surprise. This was not my 
 lady, proud and cold, but a passionate woman pleading 
 for life itself. I think that the general was equally 
 astonished. 
 
 "Madam," he said at length, "I would that you had 
 asked me anything but this. With the country so un 
 settled, an example must be made there is no other 
 course to take. For your brother's landing and for the 
 late rising here, I fear I can hold out little hope but that 
 your estates will be confiscated. Believe me, dear lady, 
 such influence as I possess shall be used in your behalf ; 
 but this this that you have asked is impossible." 
 
 "Ah, no," my lady cried in a pitiful voice, "not impos 
 sible, my lord, for with you rests the power of life and 
 death, and in your hands lies all my future happiness! 
 What has he done that he should deserve to die? What
 
 202 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 has he done that you would not have done had you been 
 in his place for me? Ah, my lord, my lord, be gener 
 ous to me in this !" 
 
 He gazed up at her, moved I could see by her entreaty. 
 On a sudden he rose slowly to his feet. 
 
 "You ask this man's life at my hands," he said quietly. 
 "Why?" 
 
 My lady's back was towards me I could not see her 
 face. But plainly to my ears there came these whispered 
 words : 
 
 "Because I love him!" 
 
 I think that a cry escaped my lips. Yet I stood rooted 
 to the spot immovable. But only for a moment. Then 
 I understood. 
 
 "Madam, madam !" I cried : "This must not be !" Then, 
 as she turned towards me, I continued: "I know that in 
 your generous heart you would save me if you could 
 that you would fain repay the debt you think you owe 
 me but that which I have done I have done without re 
 gret." I would have said more, continued more, had I 
 been able ; but such a wondrous light was upon my lady's 
 face that I faltered and grew silent. 
 
 "Madam," the general said after a moment's pause, 
 leaning forward and gazing into her eyes the table 
 only was between "will you repeat those words?" 
 
 "I love him !" she answered simply. "I believe in him 
 I trust him !" she added slowly ; and turning to the gen 
 eral, who had again resumed his seat, she added proudly : 
 "My lord, you have my answer." 
 
 "And yet," the latter said after a moment's pause,
 
 HOW I REPAID THE DEBT 303 
 
 "after what you have said, madam knowing me to 
 be the arbiter of his fate you can still ask me to spare 
 his life?" 
 
 "It is for the very reason that I know what you are 
 that I appeal now to your honour," my lady answered 
 passionately. "To no other man would I so plead." 
 
 He leaned forward, resting one elbow upon the table 
 and covering his eyes with his hand. Stern soldier 
 though he was, I could see that he was trembling. 
 
 "Believe me," she continued in a softer tone, advancing 
 a few steps nearer to him, "I am sorry that my words 
 should grieve you should cause you pain ! But in this 
 one matter at least I have cast aside all modesty and 
 shame. Ah, my lord, in your chivalry, and for the sake 
 of what is past, will you not pleasure me in this? I am 
 not a woman whose love would ever change ; and holding 
 my secret as you do oh, be pitiful to me, and true unto 
 your noble nature !" 
 
 For a moment he remained still and silent, then he rose 
 slowly to his feet. 
 
 "There are some men," he said quietly, "who would 
 demand their own price for granting your request. I 
 will not take the hand without the heart." He paused 
 and cast a long look upon my lady. "Give me the paper 
 that you hold in your hand, madam," he added abruptly. 
 
 Without a word she laid the fatal order upon the table 
 before him, and taking it up, he tore it across and 
 across and flung the pieces from him. Then raising his 
 voice : "Colonel Zulestein !" The Dutch officer appeared 
 upon the threshold. "I have altered my decision concern-
 
 304 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 ing this man," the general said briefly. "You, colonel, 
 will remain in charge of this house until his Majesty's 
 pleasure concerning it be known ! Captain Cassilis," he 
 continued sternly, "I grant you your life on this condi 
 tion only that you leave the shores of England within 
 twenty-four hours. Should you be found within the 
 country after that time your life will pay the forfeit. 
 Colonel Zulestein, you will see that this order is duly 
 carried out." The officer briefly saluted. 
 
 "Ah, my lord my generous lord!" my lady cried, 
 moving towards him with outstretched hands. He 
 caught them in his own. 
 
 "No more, madam," he said quickly. "What I do I 
 do for your sake. Myself I cannot forgive for the 
 breach of the duty that I owe my king. Yet for the fu 
 ture my highest happiness shall be to call myself your 
 friend." He raised her hands quickly to his lips, gave 
 one long look into her eyes, then, dropping her hands, 
 without one glance at me he quitted the room, and the 
 Dutch colonel followed him. 
 
 It was not until the last sound of their spurred heels 
 had ceased that the apathy that had hitherto held me 
 seemed to vanish. So my life was spared saved by my 
 lady but at what a price! I turned now to look at 
 her. 
 
 She had sank into the nearest chair, and her face was 
 turned from me. My eyes wandered round the now fa 
 miliar room that I should see no more, and then with a 
 wildly beating heart I drew near to her side. She neither 
 stirred nor spoke as within a pace of her I stopped,
 
 HOW I REPAID THE DEBT 305 
 
 overcome by my emotion. Ah, how lovely she was 
 how lovely! Never had my heart cried out so for one 
 kind word as upon this our last parting. 
 
 Though her face was averted, I could gaze unrebuked 
 upon the soft masses of her hair, gleaming with a golden 
 sheen in the light upon the faultless curve of her white 
 shoulders, her exquisitely moulded arms, and the scent of 
 violets that seemed ever to surround her was wafted to 
 me where I stood. And I knew that it was for the 
 last time that I must go out to again commence the 
 old weary life of wandering that, in the last few weeks, 
 had faded into a distant memory of the past. A dream 
 naught but a dream, yet passing sweet while it lasted! 
 In the awakening only was the pain. 
 
 Involuntarily I shivered as the dreary prospect of the 
 future years rose up before my eyes. 
 
 "Madam," I said at length hoarsely, "I have lingered 
 to say farewell. I may no longer stay beneath your roof. 
 What can I say to you ? How can I thank you for that 
 which you have done? What words of mine can be but 
 inadequate or aught but poor! What it has cost you 
 to act as you have done I can but dimly guess ! My lady, 
 forget the words that you have spoken. They shall be 
 as if they had never been save to be treasured in my 
 heart through all the years to come." I paused trem 
 bling, and waited for her reply. Yet for a moment she 
 did not speak. 
 
 "But," she said at length in a low voice, without turn 
 ing her head, "what if I do not choose to forget. Are 
 you so sure, sir, that I was only acting?"
 
 306 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 "How, madam!" I stammered. "I I do not under 
 stand !" 
 
 "When you leave this house, sir," she said in the same 
 low tone, "what do you intend to do ?" 
 
 "I shall cross to France, madam," I answered, "and 
 from thence to Flanders ! There is always work there 
 for a good sword there is always fortune to be won 
 there or a nameless grave!" With a quick movement 
 she rose to her feet. 
 
 "You go to France," she said in a voice that thrilled 
 me "to France, whither my brother has already gone ! 
 Ah, Mr. Cassilis, will you not take me too ?" 
 
 I could but stare at her in speechless wonder. Her 
 face as she turned it towards me was so radiantly beau 
 tiful that the words I would have spoken died away upon 
 my lips. She noted my confusion with a tender smile. 
 
 "There is nothing further that should keep me here," 
 she continued. "My sister is about to wed, and the name 
 of Courtenay will secure her from any punishment the 
 government would inflict their services to William 
 are too well known. But with me it is different. I have 
 rendered my name notorious, and I am not minded to lose 
 my liberty along with our estates. Therefore, I shall 
 join my brother across the water. That is one reason, 
 sir," she said slowly, and came to a pause. A lovely 
 colour suffused her face and neck. From beneath her 
 long lashes she flashed a glance at me that set my heart 
 beating furiously. "There is another," she faltered. 
 "You shame me to say it I it is oh don't you un 
 derstand?" And she stretched out her arms to me.
 
 HOW I REPAID THE DEBT 307 
 
 And then indeed I understood. Understood that God 
 in His great mercy had given me His best earthly gift 
 a pure woman's love. Yet for a moment I stepped back 
 wards, battling with my own happiness. 
 
 "Ah, madam, madam," I cried hoarsely, "is it so with 
 you? Is it indeed so? Yet how can this be? You are 
 a great lady, and I? God help me! what am I?" 
 
 A wondrously tender light shone in her eyes. The 
 colour deepened in her face with her sweet yielding 
 sname. 
 
 "You are the keeper of my heart," she whispered in 
 reply ; "my lover and my king !" I caught her hands 
 in mine and raised them to my lips. 
 
 "Listen," she continued softly, ere I could find words 
 to speak. "I was proud and cold to you, dear love, 
 against my own heart's teaching. I am proud still! 
 Prouder in your love than ever I was before ! I would 
 rather share your exile than be the richest lady in the 
 land! In fortune or distress, in poverty or prison so 
 that I am with you, sir, I care not what befalls !" And 
 at those words of sweet surrender I hesitated no longer, 
 but took her in my arms, and in a long, long kiss of 
 betrothal her lips met mine. 
 
 "See !" she whispered a moment later, gently disengag 
 ing herself and pointing to the window, where a grey 
 light was stealing into the room. "It is the dawn the 
 dawn of hope and happiness !" 
 
 I glanced once at the fair landscape, already lightening 
 with the coming day, then my eyes again sought the face 
 of the lovely woman at my side.
 
 308 MY LADY OF CLEEVE 
 
 "And of love," I answered in reply. "Ah God ! my love ! 
 my queen!" 
 
 ***** 
 
 And so it befell that when, eighteen hours later, from 
 the deck of the Good Adventure, I watched the shores 
 of England recede into the purple mists of evening, my 
 lady sat beside me, her hand in mine. A soft breeze 
 played in the cordage overhead, from away forward 
 came ever and anon a snatch of song. The crimson light 
 faded slowly from the sky faded grew fainter died ! 
 The soft summer night enwrapped us round. 
 
 "Sweetheart," I said tenderly, bending towards her, 
 gazing too to where her eyes were fixed upon the distant 
 lights in the home she had renounced, "you will not re 
 gret ? You will always so love me in the years to come ?" 
 
 For answer my lady raised her proud face to mine 
 with love alight, in perfect trust. 
 
 "Until the end !" she whispered in reply, "and after 
 in the fuller life beyond!" 
 
 And what was poverty and exile to me then, for were we 
 not together? 
 
 THE END
 
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