HEARTS 
 
 AND THE 
 
 HIGHWAY 
 
 CYRUS 
 OWNSEN 
 
 BRADY 
 
 
 
 
 I
 
 tAGH.
 
 ^4s he opened the door, he 
 
 started back in surprise. 
 
 "Fore God" he said "did I 
 
 not know, I should think it 
 
 Lord Carthew in 
 
 life again'
 
 HEARTS AND 
 THE HIGHWAY 
 
 A ROMANCE OF THE ROAD 
 
 First set forth by Lady Katharine Clanranald and Sir 
 Hugh Richmond and now transcribed by 
 
 Cyrus Townsend Brady 
 
 Author of "The Island of Regeneration," "The 
 Better Man," etc. 
 
 WITH FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS 
 BY F. C. YOHN 
 
 A. L. BURT COMPANY 
 
 PUBLISHERS NEW YORK
 
 COPYRIGHT, igog, BY 
 THE CROWELL PUBLISHING COMPANY 
 
 COPYRIGHT, iqn, BY 
 DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY 
 
 Published, March xgiz
 
 SRLF 
 URL 
 
 5149908 
 
 Bebtcatcb to 
 MRS. HARRIETTE ROSCOE ELLARD 
 
 AND HER DEVOTED ASSOCIATES 
 IN THE LIVELIEST AND MOST ENTHUSIASTIC 
 WOMAN'S AUXILIARY SOCIETY THAT I KNOW
 
 PREFACE 
 
 X 
 
 THIS story is exactly what it purports to be, a 
 romance, as the reader who cares to follow the 
 Highway with the Hero and Heroine whose ad- 
 ventures thereon are hereafter set forth will see. 
 It makes no pretence at being an historical novel, 
 and yet, perhaps, it is only fair to the Manes of 
 Lady Grizel Ogilby to point out that she herself 
 once played a dashing role, somewhat like that 
 attributed to Lady Katharine Clanranald, in a 
 similar emergency in Scottish history and at a 
 similar crisis in the family fortunes. I am just a 
 little tired, for the nonce, of the problem story, 
 and I have turned to this with a keen relish in 
 which I humbly trust the reader will share. Va- 
 riety is the life of literature: if I confined myself 
 to one kind of books, or to one kind of sermons, 
 I should be a dead author and a dead preacher as 
 well. 
 
 The relaxations of life are not to be found in 
 idleness, but in doing things that are different. 
 It is a far cry from The Island of Regeneration 
 to The Better Man and from The Better Man
 
 vi Preface 
 
 to Hearts and the Highway. And it will be a 
 farther cry, perhaps, to the next story! Here's 
 hoping that each may find a place and welcome in 
 some gracious reader's heart. 
 
 CYRUS TOWNSEND BRADY. 
 
 ST. GEORGE'S RECTORY, KANSAS CITY, Mo., 
 New Year's Day, 1911.
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 BOOK I 
 THE WINNING OF A HUSBAND 
 
 As Set Forth by the Lady of the Quest ^ 
 
 with a Necessary Interlude by the 
 
 Gentleman in Person 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 MM 
 
 In Which I, Lffdy Katharine Clanranald, 
 Come to a Desperate but Manly Resolu- 
 tion 3 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 Wherein Worthy Master Dunner Finds My 
 Lord Carthew's Clothes lastly Becoming 
 to Me as I Ride Away . . . .,.18 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 How I Ate, Drank, and Gamed with Sir 
 Hugh Richmond, Under Whom I Would 
 Fain See Service . . . . . . .34
 
 viii Contents 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Wherein I Played the Highwayman and 
 What Befell Me on the Road . . .53 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 In Which I Ride Away with My Captor, 
 Who Threatens Me with Death for High 
 Treason 71 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 In Which, by the Favour of the Kings Mes- 
 senger, I am Permitted to Ride South 
 Again on My Quest . . .... ,.. 89 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 Wherein, at the Request of Lady Katharine 
 Clanranald, Whom He Loved, Sir Hugh 
 Richmond Takes up the Tale, Relating 
 What Happened to Him in the Tolbooth 
 Prison 104 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 How I Got the News of a Noble Self -Sacrifice, 
 How It Affected Me, and What I Re- 
 solved to Do for Sir Hugh Richmond . 127
 
 Contents ix 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 PAGE 
 
 My Interview with the King of England and 
 the Good and Bad Angels That Attended 
 Him 138 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 In Which I Bargain Successfully for That 
 Which Is as Dear to Me as the Life of 
 My Father . . . ... . . 156 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 Wherein Sir Hugh Richmond Finds Me, 
 Not Unwilling, Thrust upon Him . . 177 
 
 BOOK II 
 THE KEEPING OF A WIFE 
 
 As Described by the Gentleman Who Did If, 
 
 'with an Incidental Digression by 
 
 the Lady Herself 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 In Which /, Sir Hugh Richmond, Who Tell 
 This Tale, Find That It Is Easier to 
 Marry Lady Katharine Clanranald than 
 to Keep Her for My Own . . . .195
 
 x Contents 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 WfUUm 
 
 Wherein I Set Down in Due Course the Reso- 
 lution to Which I Came, Which Boded 
 III to the King, as I Rode Southward . 209 
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 Wherein, by the Grace of God, Our Own 
 Determination, and the Speed of Our 
 Good Horses, We Reach Monkwear- 
 mouth in Time . 220 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 Shows How the Lord Chief Justice of Eng- 
 land Kept a Love Tryst and What Befell 
 Him at the Boar's Head Inn 236 
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 How My Lord Stenwold Settled His Account 
 and Paid His Debt in Full .... 249 
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 In Which Lady Katharine Richmond, at the 
 Request of Her Husband, Tells How She 
 and Lord Stenwold Came to Stenwold 
 House 265
 
 Contents xi 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Wherein Lady Katharine Describes What 
 Took Place in the Antechamber Where 
 the King Made Love to Her . . .279 
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 Wherein Sir Hugh Richmond Interrupts a 
 Tete-a-Tete Between His Wife and one 
 James Stewart 291 
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 How Sir Hugh and Lady Katharine, with 
 Some Assistance from General Fever- 
 sham, at Last and Finally Overcame the 
 Majesty of England 307
 
 As set forth by the Lady of the Quest ^ 
 
 with a necessary Interlude by the 
 
 Gentleman in Person
 
 Chapter 
 
 I 
 
 In which I, Lady Katharine Clanranald, come to 
 a desperate but manly Resolution 
 
 <c r"l~lIME," said the councillor gravely, " is all 
 that we lack." 
 
 " And money, sir," I added most dis- 
 consolately. 
 
 " True," was the somewhat amused answer of 
 the grim old attorney. " The King hath very 
 pressing need of money ever, and with the Stuart 
 disposition there goeth always the itching palm of 
 Cassius." 
 
 " That last need," I commented thoughtfully, 
 " might be supplied in some measure. There are 
 the jewels of the Countess, my lady mother, and my 
 own as well." 
 
 " And though the estates be confiscate," re- 
 turned Master Dunner, " there are certain moneys 
 in my charge which the justiciaries wot not of, and 
 which are available for any purpose that will serve 
 
 my lord." 
 
 3
 
 4 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " Nay, sir, I would not have you jeopard your 
 own savings," I burst out hurriedly, but he 
 straightway checked me. 
 
 " Your ladyship," he said softly, " I am not 
 only an attorney, but in a remote degree I am kin 
 to your family and of your blood. My ancestors 
 followed Clanranald in peace and war. They 
 served him with the sword, I with the pen, 'tis 
 true, but natheless ..." 
 
 " Master Dunner," said I, vastly touched, " you 
 say true, and for the Earl I accept your proffer. 
 Think ye that together we could raise two thou- 
 sand pounds? " 
 
 " With your ladyship's jewels and those of the 
 family which you took precaution to remove be- 
 fore the troopers seized the house, I think with my 
 own poor savings added thereto we might even 
 compass three thousand." 
 
 "Scots?" quoth I. 
 
 " English, madam." 
 
 " 'Tis a goodly sum." 
 
 " Ay, indeed, but as I had the honour to tell 
 you a moment since, 'tis not money we lack but 
 time." 
 
 " Will you explain that to me again, Master 
 Attorney?"
 
 A Manly Resolution 5 
 
 Indeed, I had become quite bewildered by the 
 sudden changes of fortune which had plunged us 
 into this dire misery. 
 
 " 'Tis true undoubtedly, madam, that your hon- 
 oured father did conspire with the Duke of Mon- 
 mouth or his partisans in Scotland to raise the 
 country in revolt against King Jamie of England, 
 his brother, but there were extenuating circum- 
 stances. He was in a manner forced into the en- 
 terprise, although his influence and voice were ever 
 raised in restraint. I have prepared a brief here, 
 well attested. Indeed, those of the meaner sort 
 lately executed for treason have cheerfully borne 
 testimony to the Earl's unwillingness, and I have 
 here their depositions. Then, too, there is a rec- 
 ommendation from the Lord Chief Justice, to- 
 gether with a petition signed by various gentlemen 
 praying the King to exercise his royal clemency. 
 If we could get that into his hands backed by that 
 sum of money of which we have spoke, I think 
 there would be no doubt that His Majesty would 
 be pleased to commute the sentence." 
 
 He smiled confidently as he concluded. 
 
 " Why not send it to him at once then?" I 
 asked rather sharply. " Why delay and waste 
 hours in idle talking?"
 
 6 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " But, your ladyship, I have told you there is 
 no time." 
 
 "What mean you?" 
 
 " The proceedings in the trial, which was most 
 unduly hurried despite our earnest protests and 
 in which no proper opportunity was given to es- 
 tablish these facts, have been sent to His Majesty 
 in London. On account of the Earl's rank and 
 importance, a royal warrant is required for his 
 execution." 
 
 I shuddered at that word, but Master Dunner 
 ran on inflexibly, knowing that I was privy to the 
 worst already. 
 
 " The findings of the court were approved with 
 most unseemly haste, and a royal warrant issued 
 which is even now on the way. I have had pri- 
 vate advices from a correspondent in London, who 
 hath interest at the Gourt, that the warrant is 
 being despatched to Edinburgh in the personal 
 custody of Sir Hugh Richmond, an officer of the 
 Royal Army. My messenger coming post-haste 
 hath outstripped him, in part because he hath been 
 obliged to deliver other similar warrants, which 
 hath made his progress slower than one who comes 
 direct." 
 
 " But have you not appealed to the Lord Chief
 
 A Manly Resolution 7 
 
 Justice to delay the execution of the warrant un- 
 til we can communicate with the King? " I asked 
 earnestly. 
 
 " Madam, I have, but he is inflexible. He says 
 he hath no power, though with the best will in 
 the world, to stay the execution of a royal 
 warrant." 
 
 " But if I should appeal to him? " 
 
 " You might as well appeal to the Tolbooth 
 itself." 
 
 "Then the case is hopeless?" 
 
 " Ay," said the old man gently enough, but 
 with such decision as carried conviction to my sink- 
 ing heart, " unless by some means the delivery of 
 the warrant can be estopped until we have access 
 to the King." 
 
 " Could the messenger be bribed? " 
 
 " I fear not. Sir Hugh Richmond is, I am told, 
 a man of independent fortune, a proved soldier, a 
 loyal gentleman." 
 
 " I meant not with money, old friend," I re- 
 plied, smiling at him. 
 
 " By Heaven ! " answered the advocate, look- 
 ing me full in the eyes, " if any power could do it, 
 it would be your fair face, my lady, and, given 
 you time and opportunity, I believe you might win
 
 8 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 any man to your thinking, but here again 'tis 
 impossible." 
 
 " But if some one took the warrant from him 
 by force?" 
 
 " That would answer," said the advocate, " but 
 who is to do it, madam? It would be high trea- 
 son in the first place and certain death in the sec- 
 ond, and in the present unsettled state of affairs, 
 or rather settled in His Majesty's interest, you 
 could not get a man to lift a hand." 
 
 He shook his head gloomily as he finished. 
 
 "Could I not? " I replied reflectively. " There 
 are . . ." 
 
 And then I stopped. 
 
 I had plenty of friends to be sure, and I did not 
 doubt that among them I might find some of suffi- 
 cient devotion and daring to risk life and fortune 
 to do me this service. Whoever did it, however, 
 would want a reward commensurate with the risk 
 incurred, and with the service rendered. I knew 
 full well what that reward would be. It would 
 be myself, and there was not one among the gay 
 gallants who had paid me court and who, I doubt 
 not, even now would be at my side, or at my feet, 
 were I not in close hiding, thinking to serve my 
 father better at large than if I were with him in
 
 A Manly Resolution 9 
 
 the prison that I would marry. I was as heart- 
 whole and fancy-free as any maid in Scotland, and 
 would fain remain so; though, if it came to a 
 pinch, I would of course sacrifice my own freedom 
 to any gallant gentleman who would save my good 
 old father's life. 
 
 He and I were the last of the Clanranalds. 
 Brother I had had, but he had died two years 
 before, and my mother had long since preceded 
 him. My father and I had been much together 
 at Clanranald House, and I loved him with a 
 devotion, I think, which passed that entertained 
 by most Scottish maids for their fathers. I did 
 not desire to marry anybody. I wanted my fa- 
 ther's life saved. I wished to be back again at 
 Clanranald House, the old, sweet, free life flow- 
 ing on as it did before this bastard Monmouth and 
 his futile ambitions came athwart our path. But 
 that was not to be. Surely some other way might 
 be found to stop the messenger. I strained my 
 wits hard to devise one. 
 
 " Madam," said Master Dunner, who had been 
 scrutinising me searchingly as these thoughts ran 
 through my troubled brain, " you know how gladly 
 I would assume the adventure myself, were it 
 not .
 
 io Hearts and the Highway 
 
 He looked down very sadly at his poor clubbed 
 foot and shrunken limb, which had made him an 
 attorney instead of a soldier. He was older than 
 my father, too, and could with difficulty sit a 
 horse. 
 
 " I know your will, sir," I interrupted quickly, 
 catching him by the hand, " but that is not to be 
 thought of." 
 
 "What, then?" 
 
 That he, with all his shrewdness and resource, 
 should ask the question of me, a woman, proved 
 as nothing else the hopelessness of the situation. 
 Yet the question was a sharp spur to my imagina- 
 tion. It seemed to force choice among the men 
 who had paid court to me at Clanranald House 
 in happier days. 
 
 " Let me think," replied I, as I passed in rapid 
 review the various young gentlemen of my ac- 
 quaintance. There was not one of them who was 
 acceptable as a husband in the least degree to me. 
 There must be some other way, and yet ... I 
 came to a sudden decision. 
 
 " I will do it myself," I said boldly with a flash 
 of inspiration. 
 
 'You, my lady?" exclaimed the attorney in 
 great amaze.
 
 A Manly Resolution n 
 
 " Why not I ? I can use a small sword with 
 most men of my acquaintance. My father hath 
 given me much of his own skill, and I have never 
 hesitated to cross blades in friendly bout with any 
 of our guests at home. As for other weapons, I 
 have often ranged moor and glen with the Earl; 
 I have brought down a stag and know the use of 
 small arms." 
 
 " But you are a woman." 
 
 " Can I not for the nonce be a man?" I asked. 
 "What's to hinder, indeed?" 
 
 " And do you imagine that, even if you were 
 to attempt to carry out this mad scheme, you could 
 get the better of a tried soldier, an experienced 
 man of the world as rumour accrediteth Sir Hugh 
 Richmond to be?" asked the old man with a 
 slightly ironic touch. 
 
 ** Since time and the world began, Master Dun- 
 ner, weak woman, backed by her wit and finesse, 
 hath got the better of strong man," I replied with 
 spirit. 
 
 " But you are proposing to approach him as 
 a man." 
 
 " I shall be not less a woman for all that," I 
 retorted triumphantly, veering to the other side of
 
 12 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 the argument, " and being all a woman and half 
 a man ..." 
 
 "Which half, madam?" 
 
 11 The outward and visible shape thereof," I an- 
 swered, blushing. 
 
 The little attorney laughed grimly. 
 
 ' 'Fore God," he said, " forgive me, madam, 
 but the thought of you as . . ." 
 
 " Master Dunner," said I imperiously, " I am 
 a tall woman as women go " and I fervently 
 thanked God for the first time in my heart for 
 that fact, heretofore something of a grief to me, 
 since your small women were the fashion then and 
 thereafter " and I doubt not I will make a braw 
 man enough." 
 
 " But your face, madam . . . your hair . . . 
 your voice? " 
 
 " I will cut my hair." 
 
 " Would you sacrifice . . . ? " 
 
 " Peace, man ! What is the loss of a few locks, 
 that will grow again, beside my father's head. I 
 will darken my face a bit indeed, had it been 
 summer instead of spring I should have been 
 brown enough to pass muster I will wear a wig. 
 and my voice," it was a deep contralto, " will 
 serve. You must get me a suit of clothes, boots,
 
 A Manly Resolution 13 
 
 coat, and . . . the other things ; a sword, let it be 
 a good one; pistols . . . and, behold! I am 
 transformed." 
 
 " And suppose that I fall in with this mad plan 
 of yours, may I ask what further do you intend 
 to assay? " 
 
 "Which way rides the messenger?" 
 
 " Madam, he comes through Berwick and the 
 road along the shore." 
 
 "Will he go to Dalkeith?" 
 
 " I think not. Rather by way of Dunbar and 
 Prestonpans." 
 
 " When do you expect him? " 
 
 " He should be here to-morrow.*' 
 
 " Good ! " said I decisively. " 'Tis yet early 
 morning and there is time. Where will he lie to- 
 night?" 
 
 " I should think perhaps at Cockenzie. There 
 is an inn there, The Black Douglas, of much re- 
 pute for travellers, and 'tis an easy journey thence 
 to Edinburgh. He was to stop a night at Ber- 
 wick, another at Dunbar." 
 
 He had the route pat enough, to be sure ! 
 
 ' Think you that your information is to be de- 
 pended upon? " 
 
 " Madam, I believe so."
 
 14 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " I will meet him, then, at Cockenzie. What 
 say you is the name of this famous hostelry? " 
 
 " The Black Douglas. But what are your plans 
 then?" 
 
 " To act as circumstances may dictate." 
 
 " My dear lady," said the old man, coming 
 nearer to me, " forgive my presumption. I have 
 served your race long and well. You have no one 
 left to advise you but me, humble though I am. 
 I must ask to know more of your plans before I 
 consent to aid you." 
 
 " And I cannot tell you just exactly what I hope 
 to do." 
 
 " But in a general way? " 
 
 " In some way or other I shall take from him 
 his despatch-bag, abstract therefrom the war- 
 rant for my father. You shall describe it to me 
 so I may identify it easily." 
 
 "But . . ." 
 
 " Ask me no more ! " I cried. " I am resolved 
 upon it. If you will not help me,. I shall go my- 
 self without your aid." 
 
 " Misfortune may befall you." 
 
 "What of that? If I am to lose my father, 
 I care not what becomes of me." 
 
 " But others care."
 
 A Manly Resolution 15 
 
 " Nay, for no others do I care." 
 
 " Madam," he said gravely, " I do think that 
 a bit unkind." 
 
 " But for thee," I answered quickly, discerning 
 the trend of his thought. " But because I hold 
 you in honour and you are my last, my only 
 friend, the one being to whom I can appeal, I 
 beg of you question me no further, but give me 
 your aid. The risk is for my father's life and 
 his peril justifieth anything." 
 
 " You have won me, madam," said the old man, 
 deeply touched I could see. " Tell me what you 
 wish me to do." 
 
 " Procure me clothes suited to my new em- 
 prise, a horse and see that he be a speedy and 
 spirited one, no ambling woman's pad for me, but 
 the best that can be got; money sufficient for any 
 possible wayside need, say a hundred pounds; a 
 sword, an Andrew Ferrara if you can come at 
 one in a hurry; pistols for the holsters; a saddle- 
 bag containing toilet necessaries; a horseman's 
 cloak." 
 
 " They shall be here in an hour," said the old 
 man. " I have a suit of your brother's, a riding- 
 suit, which he left at my house when last he vis- 
 ited Edinburgh before his death. 'Tis complete
 
 1 6 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 in all points and will fit you, I doubt not, to per- 
 fection." 
 
 He was a year older than I, but he had been 
 dead two years and I had had time to catch up 
 with him. 
 
 " There is a sword that belonged to my father 
 as well. 'Tis a tried blade," said the old man. 
 " I could not give it into worthier hands, and 'tis 
 well adapted to your size, for my father was a 
 man of slight build and did not swing the pon- 
 derous claymores of your ancestors." 
 
 " I am greatly pleased by your willingness to 
 entrust it to me, Master Dunner. I hope I may 
 use it as worthily as your father did or any of our 
 house." 
 
 " Madam, you do me proud," said the old 
 gentleman, bowing like a courtier. " As for the 
 rest, I will make shift somehow. Would that I 
 could go with you myself! " 
 
 "Would that you could," replied I, "but 'tis 
 not to be thought of, and there is work for you 
 to do as well." 
 
 "What is that?" 
 
 " The ransom money," said I. " It must be 
 raised and put in bills of exchange upon London. 
 The papers must be prepared."
 
 A Manly Resolution 17 
 
 " Ay," was the answer, " and if God grant you 
 be successful, they must be despatched to London 
 at once." 
 
 " If I am successful, and I must be, I shall take 
 them myself." 
 
 "You are your father's daughter!" cried the 
 attorney. 
 
 "If you have these things here within the hour, 
 I can reach Cockenzie by nightfall. You should 
 see me back to-morrow. Where shall I meet 
 you?" 
 
 " Here," said the advocate. " The woman who 
 keeps the house is devoted to me. No one sus- 
 pects what this mean dwelling harbours, and 'tis 
 the safest appointment I can give you." 
 
 " All's arranged then," said I, giving him my 
 hand. 
 
 He bent low over it, and I felt that it had 
 never been pressed by worthier lips than those of 
 the honest advocate.
 
 Chapter 
 II 
 
 Wherein worthy Master Dunner finds My Lord 
 CarthevJs Clothes vastly becoming to me as 1 
 ride away 
 
 MASTER DUNNER was as good as his 
 word. In half an hour there was a 
 huge package, carefully tied up, deliv- 
 ered at the door by one of his clerks. I took it 
 to my own chamber and eagerly cut the lashings. 
 It was a complete suit, of blue and silver. In 
 my distraction, anxiety, and apprehension I had 
 time to think how vastly it became my fair skin 
 and blue eyes and bright hair. I had a wealth 
 of the latter, and I confess, in spite of my brave 
 words, that it was with a considerable pang that 
 I had the woman who kept the house come into 
 the room and, with clumsy, unskilful fingers, crop 
 my long locks with her scissors. Fortunately my 
 hair was curly, and, had it not been that the 
 styles were otherwise, methought as I looked in 
 the glass that the short ringlets were not unbe- 
 coming. With the suit were wig to go on one 
 
 18
 
 My Lady Rides Away 19 
 
 end of me and boots for the other. I was of 
 my brother's height, but my feet were smaller 
 than his ; nevertheless, to my great satisfaction, the 
 boots served well. 
 
 In my petticoats I was a tall woman; dressed 
 as I found myself presently, I was rather an un- 
 dersized man, yet not altogether insignificant. My 
 face did look painfully fair: my cheeks pink and 
 white, my upper lip innocent of the faintest sug- 
 gestion of a moustache; yet, out of some paste 
 from my toilet-table, I did contrive to dull the 
 colour in my cheeks and to impart a brownish 
 cast to my complexion that robbed it of a little 
 of its femininity. My voice, which luckily hap- 
 pened to be a deep contralto, I could manage well 
 enough. 
 
 With the suit was a riding-cloak, which I draped 
 about me, and fancied that thus equipped no one 
 could penetrate my disguise. I bore a striking 
 likeness to my brother, too, thus apparelled. It 
 went to my heart, when I looked at myself, to 
 think of my father under sentence of death; alone, 
 childless, save for one poor girl. 
 
 I had scarce finished adjusting my wig, clapping 
 my hat upon it, walking up and down the room 
 to accustom myself to the strange garb, when Mas-
 
 2O Hearts and the Highway 
 
 ter Dunner was announced. As he opened the 
 door, he started back in great surprise at what he 
 saw of me. 
 
 " Tore God," he said, " did I not know, I 
 should think it Lord Carthew " my brother's 
 courtesy title " in life again." 
 
 His eyes travelled upward and rested upon my 
 face. He shook his head. 
 
 " Save for that burning blush, the imitation is 
 perfect." 
 
 " I think," said I, " that I shall not fly my 
 colours in that way again. You see " I sat 
 down as I spoke and gathered my cloak about 
 my legs, of which for the first time in my life 
 I became acutely conscious " you see, I expect 
 that all others who look upon me will regard me 
 as a man, while you know that I am but a woman, 
 and . . ." 
 
 " I see," said the advocate, gravely smiling at 
 my logic. 
 
 " It was foolish of me to blush," said I con- 
 tritely, " seeing that you are older than my 
 father." 
 
 " I held you in my arms when you were chris- 
 tened, my lady," remarked the old man simply, 
 but with feeling.
 
 My Lady Rides Away 21 
 
 " I know," I answered. 
 
 I rose to my feet and threw back my cloak. 
 I must get accustomed, I thought, to these strange 
 clothes and the world's scrutiny. No better op- 
 portunity presented itself for beginning than then 
 and there. 
 
 "Hast brought the sword?" I asked, strug- 
 gling to forget my garb. 
 
 For answer he handed it to me, belt and all. 
 The hilt was richly chased and jewelled, but I 
 had seen swords whose whole value consisted in 
 that which rose above the scabbard. I drew it 
 forth instantly and examined it critically. It was 
 indeed a rare and beautiful blade, such as would 
 have delighted the eye of a practised swordsman. 
 I balanced the trustworthy weapon easily in my 
 hand. It fitted my arm as if it had grown to my 
 palm. 
 
 'Tis a rare and beautiful weapon, if I am a 
 judge." 
 
 " I think, from the way you handle it, that you 
 are." 
 
 I shot it back into its sheath, clasped the belt 
 about my waist, and instantly felt a thousand 
 times more manly than before. The steel dan- 
 gling against my legs seemed to add the finishing
 
 22 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 touch of completeness to my disguise. I was now 
 a man indeed. 
 
 " Here," said the advocate, extending his hand 
 with a purse, " is the money." 
 
 I sought to thrust it, womanlike, into the bosom 
 of my shirt beneath the ruffles. 
 
 Master Dunner laughed. 
 
 " You have a pocket, sir, where such things are 
 kept by men." 
 
 Once more I blushed. 
 
 " Your reminder is a good one," said I in some 
 confusion, searching in the breast of my coat until 
 I found the receptacle. " I may appear manly 
 enough, but I lack practice in the niceties of the 
 masquerade." 
 
 " That will come in time, madam," said the 
 old man. 
 
 " Ah, yes," was my smiling answer, " but, as 
 you noted before, time is what we lack. Yet I 
 must e'en do my best with what I have. Where 
 is the horse, and the mails?" 
 
 He pointed toward the door. 
 
 " In the alley at the back of the house. The 
 mails are strapped to the saddle. They contain 
 a change of linen and various other articles. I 
 saw to their bestowing."
 
 My Lady Rides Away 23 
 
 " Men's clothing or women's ? " 
 
 " Men's, of course. From Lord Carthew's 
 wardrobe. What should a young gallant like you 
 be doing with women's gear?" 
 
 " True," said I. " You are right. May not the 
 horse be brought around to the front of the 
 house? " 
 
 " I think it safer and more secluded in the al- 
 ley. Suspicion is easily excited in Edinburgh now, 
 and to see so splendid a cavalier as yourself issu- 
 ing from so mean an abode as this might give rise 
 to curious question. This is our only haven. I 
 would hold it inviolate for your return until to- 
 morrow night." 
 
 " You are right, Master Dunner," said I. 
 " And now I must go. I can think of nothing 
 more. What's o'clock? " 
 
 " 'Twas on the stroke of nine as I entered the 
 house." 
 
 " If I ride carefully, I should be at Cockenzie 
 before five. That will give me ample time. If 
 our calculations fail not, I will meet Sir Hugh 
 there." 
 
 I paused. 
 
 " And may God aid you and defend the right ! " 
 said the old man solemnly.
 
 24 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " Amen," said I. " And now good-bye." 
 
 I extended my hand once more. Mine ancient 
 friend bowed over it, but I prevented him. 
 I stepped toward him. Indeed, I overtowered 
 him quite on account of his diminutive stature and 
 his lameness, so that I bent my head and kissed 
 him on the forehead without ceremony or hesi- 
 tation. 
 
 "Good-bye, true friend," I said. 
 
 He was mightily touched by this mark of con- 
 descension. His thin face flushed. 
 
 " I would to God," he cried, " that I were 
 young and strong and whole that I might ride 
 for you or with you. 'Tis I who play the woman's 
 part." 
 
 " Nay," said I, touched in turn by his generous 
 words. " Without you this could not be. Will 
 you have access to my father?" 
 
 " Yes, by the favour of the Lord Chief Jus- 
 tice, who is well affected toward me. What shall 
 I tell him?" 
 
 " Tell him everything. Tell him, on the faith 
 of the last Clanranald, I will have the warrant, 
 or . . ." 
 
 I paused. 
 
 "Or what, your ladyship?"
 
 My Lady Rides Away 25 
 
 " Or I will await him on the other side," I 
 answered, looking away. 
 
 "God forbid!" earnestly protested the old 
 man, sinking down and burying his head in his 
 hands by the table. 
 
 "Look for me with the warrant to-morrow 
 night," said I, forcing a smile lest I should break 
 down, with my hand on the door. 
 
 " Wait! " he cried. " Don't think of bringing 
 me the warrant. Destroy it instantly, tear it up 
 when you get your hands upon it, or, better still, 
 burn it. Here ! " 
 
 He drew from his pocket a flint and steel in a 
 little case. He was one of the few who prac- 
 tised the new-fangled habit of smoking the Vir- 
 ginia weed. I never could see what pleasure he 
 got from it. 
 
 ' Take these. You can kindle fire with them. 
 Burn the warrant, should you be fortunate enough 
 to lay hands upon it. Scraps may be pieced; 
 ashes tell no tales. You understand the use of 
 these things ? " 
 
 I had often seen him light his pipe. 
 
 " Entirely," said I. " You shall see me, then, 
 to-morrow night, with the statement that the war- 
 rant is destroyed."
 
 26 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " I pray so, I pray so! " cried the old man as 
 I passed out of the room. 
 
 Now, I had I suppose I should say it to my 
 shame often ridden astride at home. While I 
 ordinarily rode as was the habit of my sex, some- 
 times, in wild mountain excursions through the 
 forest glens or on hunting trips and adventurous 
 journeys in the Highlands with my father and 
 some faithful servitors, I had perforce and of 
 necessity been compelled to ride astride. There- 
 fore, it was no novelty for me to have between 
 my legs a good horse. 
 
 Advocate learned in the law though he might 
 be, Master Dunner was a rare judge of horse- 
 flesh, I thought, or else he had wit enough to 
 employ unquestioned talent for that purpose, for 
 I never saw a sweeter, better-bred steed than that 
 led by a horse-boy in the alley. He was perhaps 
 a trifle undersized for a full-grown man's charger, 
 but for my weight and build he was admirable : a 
 deep French bay in exquisite condition. The sad- 
 dle and mails behind were new, and the horse 
 was equipped point device. 
 
 You see from this that I had studied French. 
 Indeed, I was much better educated than the ma- 
 jority of my sex, to whom all learning save the
 
 My Lady Rides Away 27 
 
 simplest was a sealed book. My father had taken 
 interest in me to teach me things, and I even knew 
 where that quotation from Master Shakespeare 
 came which my advocate had used, for my Lord 
 and I had read the plays together and liked them 
 well. 
 
 Slipping a coin into the horse-boy's hand, I 
 stepped by the side of my horse, patted him a few 
 moments, fondled him to make his acquaintance, 
 wished that I had brought a bit of sugar for him, 
 but made up for that default by my tender usage 
 of him. Then I sprang lightly to the saddle and 
 cantered slowly down the alley. 
 
 I was entirely familiar with Edinburgh and I 
 easily avoided the main highways, taking alleys 
 and by-streets, until I came to the gate in the city 
 wall which gave out to the east, or Dunbar Road. 
 Doubtless I made a fine sight with my handsome 
 clothes, my easy bearing, my youthful face and my 
 gallant steed. The soldiers at the gate, thinking 
 they had to do with a wealthy gentleman, saluted 
 as I passed, and I took some comfort in acknowl- 
 edging, with a careless wave of my gauntleted 
 hand, their respective duties. 
 
 By rights I should have been accompanied by a 
 servant on another horse, but I did not stay long
 
 28 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 enough to let any question me for that lack, for 
 so soon as I was clear of the town, and a turn of 
 the road hid me from possible observation and 
 scrutiny by the soldiers, I put spurs to my horse. 
 Indeed a word would have been sufficient, but the 
 spurs were upon my boots and I touched him with 
 one. His bound nearly unseated me, by the way. 
 
 I was minded to distance possible pursuit by 
 putting a long space between me and the town 
 as soon as possible. There were two roads be- 
 fore me that led westerly; one crookedly along 
 the shore, and the other inland a mile or so. The 
 shore road was the more frequented, the broader 
 and better highway; it was also somewhat longer, 
 since it followed the windings of the coast, while 
 that inland, through wooded and farming coun- 
 try and over the hills, was straighter, shorter, and 
 more direct. It was also much less travelled, and 
 therefore I was less apt to meet with question 
 and more apt to avoid pursuit, should any be 
 made. Accordingly, I chose the inland way. The 
 two roads met at a place called Musselburgh, and 
 from thence the way ran directly along the shore 
 to the tavern where I confidently expected to meet 
 my friend. 
 
 I was an astonishingly good horseman how
 
 My Lady Rides Away 29 
 
 I dropped into the masculine in talking of myself, 
 I thought ! and I knew that, if I pushed my horse 
 too hard at the first, he would be spent for the 
 rest of the day. Therefore, after going perhaps 
 five or six miles at a rapid pace, I checked him, 
 and thereafter proceeded in a more reasonable 
 way. 
 
 I met no one of any importance, save yokels 
 driving hay-wains and wagons of produce to the 
 city, travelling pedlars, a little company of mer- 
 chants, a stray soldier, to all of whom I gave 
 good-day and passed on, none offering to molest 
 me. My heart, which had beat high at the sight 
 of the first-comer with all sorts of vague anticipa- 
 tion of disaster, at last became quite indifferent to 
 any approaching traveller, and I flattered myself 
 that I need be under no apprehension whatever of 
 any one penetrating my disguise or seeking to 
 harm me. 
 
 Nevertheless, I was careful to see that my pistols 
 were loose in the holsters; that the priming made 
 them fit for instant discharge, and that my sword- 
 hilt was pulled a little forward ready to hand, 
 should anybody attempt to stop me. I was de- 
 termined to show my mettle and not to yield until 
 the last extremity. There were, of course, high-
 
 30 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 waymen abroad, but they rarely molested people 
 in open daylight. By nightfall, please God, I 
 would be safely sheltered in The Black Douglas 
 at Cockenzie. 
 
 It was noon when I cantered gallantly down the 
 streets of Musselburgh. I had determined to rest 
 there an hour to bait my horse, to get my dinner, 
 and to consider further what my plans and future 
 work should be. I drew up before the door of a 
 comfortable-looking hostelry. Stable-boys came 
 running; the landlord himself appeared in the 
 doorway of his inn. I descended, called for a 
 meal which I demanded should be of roast beef 
 and other substantial accompanied by a bottle of 
 wine, thus doing violence to my natural dainty 
 appetite, which would have preferred a fowl and 
 cold water. I also engaged a private parlour and 
 was accordingly served in private. I spent an hour 
 thus very quietly and pleasantly without dis- 
 turbance. 
 
 Now, I had been brought up very unconven- 
 tionally in a way that would have scandalised my 
 female relatives, had I enjoyed any, and which 
 doubtless did scandalise certain neighbouring 
 dames whose seats adjoined our own, but, never- 
 theless, I was a woman and I had never been
 
 My Lady Rides Away 31 
 
 absolutely free, independent, and unrestrained 
 before. 
 
 I confess to a delightful sensation of excite- 
 ment at my present situation. I think I must 
 have had all the daring and adventurous spirit 
 of the famous Clanranalds, and to be thus 
 mounted on a good horse with money in my purse, 
 a good sword by my side, a great adventure be- 
 fore me, filled me with joy. I had all the con- 
 fidence of youth and inexperience, and all the 
 hopefulness of woman, that somehow I should be 
 able to bring about my desire, and that my ro- 
 mantic action in attempting this wild masquerade 
 would result in the saving of the life of my noble 
 father. 
 
 I thought with considerable complacency that 
 this exploit of mine would entitle me to something 
 more than a mention of my name in the family 
 chronicles, and that perhaps I might be counted 
 as worthy the best traditions of our ancient house. 
 In anticipation, I could feel my Lord clasp me in 
 his arms when I had saved his life and bless me 
 for my daring, although I well knew that he would 
 have died rather than give his consent to such an 
 amazing undertaking. 
 
 The good meal, the wine, of which I drank
 
 32 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 but sparingly, pouring the rest out of the window 
 when no one was looking, refreshed me greatly. 
 With a new zeal, therefore, I mounted my horse, 
 flung the landlord a guinea, at which he bowed 
 himself nearly to the floor, and cantered down 
 the street through the town and out upon the 
 broad ocean highway. 
 
 The sea breeze, with all its splendid freshness, 
 lifted the close curls of my full wig, fanned my 
 brow, and cooled my cheeks in the most exhila- 
 rating way. I rode rapidly enough, observing my 
 horse possessed of all the qualities of speed and 
 stamina that his appearance had indicated, and, 
 without anything untoward or exciting happening, 
 about five o'clock in the evening I drew up at the 
 Black Douglas Inn, at Cockenzie. 
 
 Cockenzie was merely a huddle of little houses, 
 with nothing on earth to recommend it except the 
 old inn pleasantly placed on a bluff headland over- 
 looking the sea. It was the only house of any 
 pretence whatever in the little fishing village, and 
 before it I drew rein. Judicious inquiries elicited 
 the fact that at the moment I was the only guest 
 of the inn. I bespake the best chamber, ordered my- 
 self substantial supper, saw personally to the quar- 
 tering and care of my hor*e, washed my own face
 
 My Lady Rides Away 33 
 
 and hands, went out of the rear door of the inn, 
 walked to the edge of the high bluff, and sat down 
 on a rude bench overlooking the sea, while wait- 
 ing for my supper, and pondered carefully on my 
 next step. 
 
 I had address enough to find out from the inn- 
 maid who saw me to my apartment that no such 
 traveller as I suspected Sir Hugh Richmond to be 
 had passed by within that day or the day before. 
 Therefore, I was in time. I had no doubt that 
 this very night he would appear on the scene. 
 Master Dunner's information was such as to carry 
 assurance to him, and I depended upon its ac- 
 curacy. Sitting and watching the ocean, I tried 
 to decide upon my best course when I should at 
 last be confronted by mine enemy.
 
 Chapter 
 III 
 
 How I ate, drank, and gamed with Sir Hugh 
 Richmond, under whom I would fain see 
 Service 
 
 FOR all my cogitations, I had settled upon 
 nothing, and I was not only surprised but 
 confused when there stepped out on the 
 porch and made toward me the clatter of his 
 boots upon the pavement caused me to turn my 
 head a cavalier, whom I instantly divined to be 
 the bearer of our evil tidings. Abstractly, I had 
 a welcome in my heart for him such as Pharaoh 
 of old entertained for similar messengers, and I 
 purposed to meet him in much the same way, too; 
 concretely, my first thought was one of pleased 
 surprise at his appearance. 
 
 He was tall, well-knit, well-bronzed, of darker 
 skin and eyes than mine. His face was handsome 
 in a stern and somewhat martial way. His bear- 
 ing was that of a soldier and accorded well with 
 the rich uniform he wore. I observed that he 
 
 34
 
 The Beguiling of Sir Hugh 35 
 
 made directly to me, and, therefore, I inferred 
 that he had come to seek me. I was annoyed at 
 myself that I had enjoyed no more time for prepa- 
 ration for the meeting. I must have been deeply 
 absorbed in my thoughts, I decided, not to have 
 heard the clatter he made riding up to the door 
 of the inn on the other side. 
 
 I had taken off my hat heavy, clumsy felt 
 thing that it was! but, as the new-comer ap- 
 proached, I clapped it firmly on my head and 
 rose, resisting with difficulty a wild inclination to 
 wrap my riding-coat about my legs like the skirt 
 of a dress. 
 
 My officer stopped a few paces from me, 
 clapped his heels together, removed his hat with 
 a sharp military gesture, and bowed quite grace- 
 fully before me. 
 
 " Sir," said he in a firm, authoritative voice, 
 due perhaps to his habit of command, " may I in- 
 troduce myself? I am Sir Hugh Richmond, cap- 
 tain in the King's Guards." 
 
 " My name is . . ." replied I, bowing in my 
 turn, "is . . ." 
 
 What was my name? In my hurry it had not 
 occurred to me to fix upon any. I paused stu- 
 pidly enough while the gallant captain fixed his
 
 36 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 dark eyes upon me in surprised inquiry. I blurted 
 out the first that came into my mind. 
 
 " Henry Carthew," I said. 
 
 " I am glad to have the honour of your ac- 
 quaintance, Mr. Carthew," continued the soldier 
 agreeably. 
 
 As he spoke, he smiled slightly. His face 
 changed at once, and I thought, when he smiled, 
 I had never seen a pleasanter-looking man. It 
 was as if the real man had given a glimpse of 
 himself behind the cloud with which habit and 
 military discipline had shrouded him. Oh, but he 
 was good to look on then ! 
 
 " The pleasure, sir, is mine. I am honoured in 
 the acquaintance of so distinguished a soldier as 
 Sir Hugh Richmond." 
 
 Another look of surprise came to the face of 
 the officer. 
 
 " You have heard of me, sir? " he asked, not 
 without a certain pride. 
 
 " Your charge at Sedgemoor hath been told of 
 even in Scotland." 
 
 " 'Twas naught," he said carelessly. " I take 
 it, sir, that you are not a soldier? " 
 
 " Only by inclination," replied I bravely. " I 
 am contemplating service, however, and indeed,
 
 The Beguiling of Sir Hugh 37 
 
 sir, 'twas for that I came hither in the hope of 
 meeting you." 
 
 " Of meeting me?" 
 
 " Even so," I answered boldly, feeling that by 
 happy chance I had stumbled upon an excellent 
 excuse for my presence and interest. " We have 
 heard in Edinburgh that you were on your way 
 hither with warrants for the execution of the Earl 
 of Clanranald and other rebels against His 
 Majesty." 
 
 " Faith, sir," was the reply, " my name, my 
 history, and business seem well enough known in 
 these parts. And how, may I ask, was this news 
 bruited abroad? " 
 
 " Express riders from the south have stated 
 that you were charged with the delivery of the 
 King's warrants for those high enough for His 
 Majesty to take personal interest in," I answered 
 promptly. 
 
 " 'Fore God, sir," exclaimed Sir Hugh, laugh- 
 ing lightly, " with that rumour running ahead of 
 me, I wonder some one did not endeavour to 
 despoil me of my warrants in the interest of the 
 condemned ! " 
 
 " Sir," said I, " we are all loyal men in these 
 parts."
 
 38 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 I smiled as I spoke. 
 
 " Since Sedgemoor," returned the captain, shar- 
 ing in my amusement. 
 
 " Ay, since Sedgemoor, and I believe there is 
 no man in Scotland would molest you." 
 
 " But the adherents of Clanranald? I mention 
 him since he is of the greater rank," he asked 
 curiously. 
 
 I shrugged my shoulders. 'Twas excellent well 
 done i' faith. I doubt if Mistress Nell Gwynn 
 herself could have acted better. Although my 
 heart was beating like to choke me, I gave no out- 
 ward sign. 
 
 " He hath made his bed," I said, with what 
 affectation of indifference I could muster, " let him 
 lie upon it." 
 
 " 'Tis like to be a long sleep then," returned 
 my captain grimly, " for the warrant spells his 
 death." 
 
 " So we have heard," said I. 
 
 I had to bite my lip and turn away for the 
 moment, but I put such iron constraint upon my- 
 self as enabled me to awaken no suspicion in the 
 captain's mind. 
 
 "Poor gentleman!" he said, after a little 
 pause. " I never had errand that I liked less to
 
 The Beguiling of Sir Hugh 39 
 
 discharge. But this work does not interest you, 
 young sir." 
 
 Oh, did it not ? I never was so interested in all 
 my life. 
 
 " Nor did I break upon your solitude to dis- 
 cuss the King's business or my own. I learned 
 from the landlord that a guest had preceded me, 
 and that a gentleman had ordered supper who 
 sat in loneliness out here, whence I made bold to 
 interrupt your reverie and propose that we should 
 share the table. I have had so little society since 
 entering Scotland that I pine for a little free in- 
 tercourse with my equals. Most gentlemen have 
 avoided me, due perhaps to the rumour of which 
 you speak." 
 
 " You are very welcome to such poor compan- 
 ionship as I can give you," said I. " And indeed, 
 as I told you, I had come here to seek you with 
 view to entering the King's service. I'm a gen- 
 tleman of some small fortune. They call me the 
 Laird of Lochnaven." 
 
 " Your age, young sir? " said the captain, sur- 
 veying me thoughtfully. 
 
 " My age ! " I exclaimed, with a woman's nat- 
 ural reluctance to declare it. " Is it necessary that 
 I ,
 
 40 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 The captain threw back his head and laughed 
 boisterously. 
 
 " You are as timorous about giving it as if you 
 were a girl." 
 
 "Twenty!" exclaimed I in my deepest voice 
 and most imperious manner. "And, sir, I would 
 thank you to modify your allusion to any timidity 
 you may falsely suspect me of." 
 
 I laid my hand on my sword and was glad to 
 feel the touch of the hilt. It gave me something 
 to still my agitation. 
 
 ' Thou art a good lad," said the captain 
 genially, clapping me heavily upon the shoulder, 
 " if but a slight one. I like your pluck, Master 
 Carthew, and I have no doubt we will turn you 
 into a brave soldier yet." 
 
 " I have, I trust, interest enough to procure me 
 a cornetcy." 
 
 " Interest is well enough, but, hark ye, a word 
 in your ear. What you Scots call siller is about 
 the most interesting appeal any one can make to 
 King James." 
 
 " I will e'en have a supply of that." 
 "Well, then," returned the captain, "the mat- 
 ter can be easily arranged, I make no doubt. We 
 shall take further counsel on 't to-morrow. If
 
 The Beguiling of Sir Hugh 41 
 
 agreeable to you, I should like to have you in my 
 own company of guards. There's a vacancy or 
 two since Sedgemoor, and I'll own my heart warms 
 to you, lad." 
 
 " Nothing would please me better," said I, de- 
 lighted at the success of my ruse, " than the pros- 
 pect of service under so distinguished a master of 
 the art as yourself." 
 
 " You talk like a book, boy," said the captain, 
 not ill-pleased, however, at the compliment. " I 
 foresee we shall get along vastly well. I had been 
 pining for the sight of a woman in all these lonely 
 rides, but you will take the place of one as well 
 as any man on earth could." 
 
 Could he suspect me ? 
 
 " Sir, sir! " I cried, "do I infer that you think 
 me womanish? " 
 
 " What a tinder-box it is!" laughed the cap- 
 tain. " I only meant your wit and your spirit 
 would go far to render other company unneces- 
 sary. Come," he resumed, " loose your hold upon 
 your sword. I am too old to fight with you, and 
 in too peaceful a mood for quarrel to-night, espe- 
 cially about nothing." 
 
 " Gentlemen," said the landlord, coming out 
 of the door and approaching us, " your supper is
 
 42 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 served. Not hearing to the contrary and seeing 
 you together, sirs, I have ventured to set it at 
 one table." 
 
 " You have done well," I replied. 
 
 " Excellent i' faith," commented my companion 
 genially. 
 
 And together we turned toward the house. It 
 was, indeed, a noble supper that was set before 
 us. My fellow-traveller insisted that, as I was the 
 first-comer and had done the ordering, to me ap- 
 pertained the head of the table. He proved a 
 good trencherman likewise, and made much mock 
 of my small appetite, alleging that all good sol- 
 diers were of necessity good feeders. I did my 
 best to follow his generous example, but I am 
 afraid I minced more as a woman than ate vig- 
 orously as a man. 
 
 It had been dusk outside when Sir Hugh had 
 approached me. The dim light of the candles in 
 the big parlour in which we supped was not more 
 favourable to a disclosure of my secret than the 
 twilight outside. I felt confident that no sus- 
 picions had been awakened in the soldier's mind, 
 although how I could have borne his keen scrutiny 
 in the full blaze of day was a doubtful question. 
 I did not mean to bear it, so far as I was con-
 
 The Beguiling of Sir Hugh 43 
 
 cerned, under those conditions if it could in any 
 wise be helped. 
 
 " If I be not indiscreet, Sir Hugh," said I, 
 during a pause in the meal, " I take it that you are 
 an unmarried man?" 
 
 " You take it right, Master Carthew. A sol- 
 dier loves all ladies; he marries none." 
 
 " A poor lookout for womankind if the best 
 men are in the army," said I, bridling. 
 
 " 'Tis the stern necessity of the trade," he re- 
 turned coolly. " Wedlock and the sword go not 
 well together. Have you a sweetheart, young 
 sir?" he asked in his turn. 
 
 "I?" I exclaimed indignantly. "Certainly 
 not. No. Yes. . . . That is . . ." 
 
 " Keep thy secret, lad. Do you come soldiering 
 with me, you will have one in every town where 
 you are stationed longer than a fortnight." 
 
 "Are soldiers, then, so fickle?" 
 
 "They are truth itself," he paused, "to the 
 nearest fair," he added. 
 
 He lifted his glass and surveyed it a moment 
 with half-shut eyes. 
 
 " I give you a toast. To the nearest fair ! " 
 
 He drank his. I sipped mine. He noticed my 
 abstemiousness.
 
 44 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 "When you love harder, you drink deeper and 
 fight better," he said sagely. 
 
 "Doubtless," said I. "And yet," I ran on, 
 " the romances tell us of the constant devotion of 
 the knight to his lady. Of how the soldier ad- 
 ventures far and wide and yet remains true to his 
 one ideal at home." 
 
 " Such hath not been my experience. War and 
 soldiering you will find are not as they are writ 
 of in books." 
 
 " You have questioned me ; I have no doubt 
 that you will permit me to question you," I said 
 in my turn. 
 
 " You are not under my command yet," said 
 the captain, smiling at my presumption. " Ask 
 what you will." 
 
 " Then there is no especial lady to whom your 
 thoughts revert?" 
 
 " None, or rather there are a dozen," was the 
 prompt reply. 
 
 I do not know why I should have felt glad 
 at this, or what particular interest I had in Sir 
 Hugh Richmond's love affairs, but he had rather 
 flouted the idea of my sex, and, although I wore 
 the trews for the time being, I could not forget 
 that I was yet a woman. I should have liked to
 
 The Beguiling of Sir Hugh 45 
 
 teach this red-coated Sassenach a thing or two, 
 and I really longed for an opportunity to show 
 him that we girls of Scotland were not to be so 
 lightly dismissed as all that. 
 
 " You see, lad, I have campaigned in many 
 countries, and have seen many women. God bless 
 them all ! I have liked an eye here, a cheek there, 
 a foot and ankle yonder, a fine figure in this place, 
 a merry laugh in another, spirit in a third, meek- 
 ness in a fourth, but I have never seen one, that 
 had all these traits and characteristics blended, that 
 measured up to my own ideal." 
 
 " And. what is your ideal, may I ask? You will 
 forgive my curiosity. I am less a man than I 
 seem." It was verging on the truth with a venge- 
 ance. " I have lived sequestered most of my life, 
 and you cannot think how it interests me to have 
 the views of so experienced a man of the world 
 and so veteran a soldier as yourself upon this 
 subject." 
 
 He looked sharply at me as I sat at the head 
 of the table toying with my glass, as if he sus- 
 pected some hidden meaning in my words, but I 
 never appeared more innocent and guileless in my 
 life than at that moment. 
 
 "Well," said he, " 'tis a strange turn the con-
 
 46 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 versation hath taken, but I know not why I should 
 not humour you. My ideal maid, then, will be a 
 woman who is first of all tall, about your own size. 
 She shall have hair of sunshine colour and eyes of 
 blue, and her cheek shall be fair to contrast with 
 my own dark visage. In shape she shall be plump, 
 not slender. Her hands shapely and white, but 
 strong. I want none of your puling, lackadaisical, 
 sentimental misses. She shall be a woman of 
 spirit, one with courage enough not to run a-squeak 
 at the sight of a mouse, one that can handle a 
 sword or press the trigger of a weapon and dis- 
 charge it without shutting her eyes at the report, 
 one who can ride by my side if need be. As for 
 learning, I want none of your dull and stupid 
 minxes. Let her be read so that she can talk 
 about something beside fallals, furbelows, chil- 
 dren, and housewifery; one who could meet me 
 on some terms of equality, who can preside grace- 
 fully over my establishment and mother my many 
 children." 
 
 I thanked God that the candle-light did not 
 disclose the furious colour in my cheek. 
 
 " Think you," said I, " that such a woman 
 would be a good mother?" 
 
 " She would bring forth a race of soldiers," was
 
 The Beguiling of Sir Hugh 47 
 
 the answer, " which is what I should like best to 
 father." 
 
 " And what have you," I asked, forgetting that 
 I was not a man in my indignation at his un- 
 bounded and condescending assurance, " to offer 
 in exchange for this female paragon you have 
 described ? " 
 
 "What have I to offer?" He started to his 
 feet violently and leaned over the table. " This 
 is past endurance, sir," he said in sudden temper, 
 striking the board hotly with his fist. " What do 
 you mean? " 
 
 " Nothing, nothing offensive," I returned 
 quickly, endeavouring to keep my temper and be 
 calm as his anger rose. " 'Tis but a jest. I meant 
 no offence." 
 
 His temper subsided as suddenly as it had 
 arisen. 
 
 " As you say," he answered, after a moment's 
 reflection; " 'tis idle talk. You ask what I have to 
 offer ? Truth to tell, I never thought of it in that 
 way." 
 
 " But would it not be fair," I asked, " to take 
 stock of the qualities to be exchanged for those 
 you have demanded ? " 
 
 " Fair, yes; but a man hardly likes to appraise
 
 48 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 himself; in fact, I doubt that he can do it truth- 
 fully. Yet I'll try. I am thirty-two, heart-whole 
 and fancy-free, the possessor of a rentroll of five 
 or six thousand a year, hold a commission in the 
 King's Guards, am sound in wind and limb, good 
 in temper, possess some small learning which I 
 got at Oxford, and faith, that's all." 
 
 I laughed. I could not help it. 
 
 ' That's the assurance of mankind," I said at 
 last. " Do you give me leave to speak frankly 
 about you? " 
 
 " I invite you to do so," returned the captain 
 complacently. 
 
 " Here you are, just an ordinary, commonplace 
 soldier approaching middle life, of good birth and 
 reasonable fortune, declaring that nothing can suit 
 you but the never-to-be-realised ideal you have de- 
 scribed." 
 
 " You are, indeed, frank," returned Sir Hugh 
 resentfully. 
 
 " I am," I answered, " and I will be more so. 
 If you wish, I will give you my own ideal of 
 womankind." 
 
 " I should like to hear what your vast experience 
 has evolved," returned the other, somewhat sar- 
 castically.
 
 The Beguiling of Sir Hugh 49 
 
 " She shall be small, tender, meek, adoring, 
 dark of hair and eye, dainty and nice of taste and 
 appearance. She shall hang upon my words, at- 
 tempt no equality with me, come to my hand, 
 and . . ." 
 
 " You want a dog, not a woman," said the 
 captain, laughing. "When you have seen more, 
 your views will differ." 
 
 " It may be." 
 
 " And what, pray, is your ideal man? " he asked 
 lightly. 
 
 " He shall be tall and strong and brave and 
 true, with bright hair and blue eyes, a soldier by 
 profession, and fierce to all the world but reserv- 
 ing his tender side for me. ... I mean for the 
 woman that he loves," I added hastily to cover my 
 slip. " He shall worship her and think her as far 
 above him as the stars." 
 
 " You ought to marry your ideal man to your 
 ideal woman," interposed the captain jocosely, 
 " and see what the result would be. 'Fore God, 
 sir, I'd like to observe such a union. Meanwhile, 
 give me leave as an older man. We have talked 
 enough sentiment for a boxful of French romances. 
 It hath made me thirsty. Another bottle of wine, 
 pray." He rapped on the table as he spoke, and
 
 50 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 bade it brought. " And then, when the remains 
 of our supper shall be cleared away, I propose 
 that we pass an hour in play before we retire for 
 the night. I at least must make an early start 
 to-morrow." 
 
 " I am agreeable," said I. " We have ex- 
 changed views upon our ladies and their cavaliers, 
 and I am willing to back my luck against your 
 own." 
 
 "With what shall we play?" 
 
 " With dice," I answered. " At any game of 
 skill with such a veteran as you I would be at too 
 great a disadvantage." 
 
 " True," said the captain, looking me over 
 carefully. " Thou art a queer lad, but I like 
 thee." 
 
 " The regard is mutual," said I. " What shall 
 the stakes be?" 
 
 " Let us play for shillings," he said after a 
 thoughtful moment. 
 
 His intent was so obvious that I could not bear 
 the imputation. 
 
 " Nay, for guineas! " I cried. 
 
 " Done," said the captain. " Here's rare 
 sporting blood, I see." 
 
 When we parted for the night an hour later,
 
 The Beguiling of Sir Hugh 51 
 
 Captain Richmond was near a hundred pounds 
 richer than when he sat down. It was purely a 
 game of chance, this throwing of the dice, and 
 yet, I know not how it was, luck was steadily 
 against me. I had sense enough to reserve a few 
 guineas for my roadway needs, but with the rest 
 I had played desperately till all were gone. 
 
 It was the first time that I had ever tempted 
 fortune with the ivory. My father had never al- 
 lowed me so to do. The fascination of it was 
 great, but hardly enough to compensate for the 
 repentance I felt for even this modest depletion of 
 the totally inadequate store that Master Dunner 
 would be able to gather for our great purpose. 
 
 Too late. I was horror-struck at my folly and 
 my imprudence. Something of my feelings must 
 have appeared in my face, for, on a sudden, Cap- 
 tain Richmond pushed the heap of guineas across 
 the table toward me. 
 
 " There, lad," he said most courteously, " I did 
 but jest with you. Take thy guineas back. We 
 have had a pleasant evening together, and I shall 
 be happier if your gold is in your own purse rather 
 than in mine." 
 
 But this I could not brook. 
 
 " Sir," said I, " I may appear a poor loser, but
 
 52 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 'tis in appearance only. You have fairly won the 
 stakes and they are yours. Nay," I cried as I saw 
 him about to speak again, " to protest further 
 would be to insult me! " 
 
 " As you will," said the captain coolly, " and, 
 if I may say so, I congratulate you upon being 
 a good loser. You shall have your revenge an- 
 other time, with Fortune, I trust, in a more com- 
 placent mood. Which way do you ride to- 
 morrow? " 
 
 " To Edinburgh," I answered. 
 
 " Do you make an early start?" 
 
 " At daybreak," I replied. 
 
 " We shall ride together then and discourse 
 further." 
 
 "Upon our ladies?" I asked impudently to 
 cover my dismay. 
 
 " Nay, upon your commission in my company," 
 he answered. 
 
 " With all my heart," said I. 
 
 "Here's to our further acquaintance," he con- 
 tinued, pouring himself another glass of wine. 
 " And so, good-night."
 
 Chapter 
 IV 
 
 Wherein I played the Highwayman and what be- 
 fell me on the Road 
 
 1 RETIRED to my chamber in a great state of 
 perturbation. I had made the captain's ac- 
 quaintance; I had some idea of his tempera- 
 ment and quality; I had gained, to a certain de- 
 gree his confidence and won, in some measure, his 
 regard, it appeared. There was no doubt about 
 his liking for me. Yet I was no nearer the ac- 
 complishment of my purpose than before, and the 
 sight of the captain had not reassured me as to 
 its entire practicability. He could jest and dis- 
 course idly with me, and play and eat and drink 
 like any other man and soldier, but I instinctively 
 realised that in an emergency it would be a bold, 
 a ready, and a resourceful person who could get 
 the better of such as he. 
 
 In the parlour of the inn he was one man; on 
 the road to-morrow he would be another. I could 
 match him at repartee easily enough, but when it 
 came to a quick eye, a steady hand, a daring heart, 
 
 53
 
 54 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 I would be sadly lacking. There was no compari- 
 son between us on the score of efficiency. In so 
 much as I fancied that I surpassed other women 
 in physical ability, so I was sure that in the same 
 degree he surpassed other men. Only the despera- 
 tion lent to me by my father's grave peril would 
 tend to equalise conditions between us. 
 
 I said that he liked me. I liked him. He dif- 
 fered from the gentlemen with whom I had been 
 acquainted. He was more a man of the world 
 than any. His coolness, his personal distinction, 
 even his age, attracted me. I wished that he had 
 been on my side. I could have trusted him with 
 the wild undertaking I was now endeavouring to 
 bring about, and I could have rested quite confi- 
 dent that he would succeed in it. 
 
 Yes, marvellous as it may seem, I could have 
 viewed his claiming the inevitable reward with a 
 certain degree of equanimity, if equanimity be the 
 word to describe a wildly fluttering, beating heart 
 such as my own. He inspired my confidence and 
 something more. 
 
 My mind swiftly reverted to his ideal woman. 
 I was not vain and foolish, I trust, and yet was 
 I not tall and fair? Was there not sunshine, or 
 had there not been sunshine in my long locks be-
 
 What Befell on the Road 55 
 
 fore I cut them off? Were my eyes not the blue 
 of which he spoke? Was not my figure plump? 
 I examined what was visible of it with another 
 burning blush, wondering if he had marked it. 
 Could I not ride and hold a sword and fire a 
 weapon without shutting my eyes? Did I not have 
 learning enough to match me with this , . . 
 
 Pshaw, the man was nothing, could be nothing, 
 to me except my enemy. And all such speculations 
 were indeed idle. If I had time and could appear 
 before him in my proper person, I might win his 
 devotion did I desire it, I made no doubt. 
 
 But I had no time. I had to get from 
 him to-morrow, in some way, by some means, 
 the fatal warrant. How ? His chamber was across 
 the hall from mine. Could I effect entrance 
 therein in the middle of the night, and, un- 
 observed, steal the despatch-case in which, doubt- 
 less, he would carry it? It might be done, but 
 suppose he awoke and seized me there and 
 found me a woman? 
 
 I shivered at the thought. What would he think 
 of me in such a case? On the other hand, what 
 did I care what he thought of me so long as I got 
 the warrant? 
 
 But if I were caught, would I not have to pay
 
 56 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 the price, lose all, and get nothing? It could 
 not be. 
 
 Was there any way in which I could win it from 
 him by finesse? None. By cajolery? Men do 
 not cajole men. And if I said, or he discovered, 
 that I was a woman, I would be helpless. 
 
 There was but one way: I should have to take 
 it from him by force. I, a woman, to all intents 
 a slender stripling, would have to overmaster this 
 veteran soldier! Well, I swore that I would do 
 it. I would stop him in the highway, be the risk 
 what it might. 
 
 A long time I made plans, only to dismiss one 
 after another until, at last, I hit upon something 
 that seemed to give at least faint promise of suc- 
 cess. I would stake all upon that. I could do 
 nothing else. 
 
 Slipping off my boots and coat and loosening 
 my clothes slightly, I threw myself down upon the 
 bed, having left directions that I should be called 
 by four of the clock, and fell into a troubled sleep, 
 full of anxious dreams born of my strange plight. 
 
 I was up betimes, hastily dressed myself, and 
 descended to the taproom. It was still dark. I 
 knew that Sir Hugh would not be called until 
 daybreak, that he would order breakfast ere he
 
 What Befell on the Road 57 
 
 started, and that I should have probably an hour 
 for my purposes. Bidding the sleepy maid to get 
 me some kind of a meal, I went out to the stables 
 to look to my horse. 
 
 There were only two strange horses in the 
 stalls, mine and this soldier's. Our saddles hung 
 side by side on pegs. Awakening the ill-tempered 
 hostler, I despatched him to the taproom to bring 
 my saddle-bags and to draw a bucket of water 
 for my horse. The instant he left the stable, I 
 ran to Sir Hugh's saddle and drew the pistols 
 from the holsters. They were a pair of heavy, 
 serviceable, soldier-like weapons. I had a fit of 
 trembling at the idea that they might be pointed 
 at me. 
 
 To unscrew the ramrods and draw the charges 
 was the work of a few moments. I was in a des- 
 perate hurry and, fortunately, got the pistols, still 
 primed, back in the holsters before the stable-boy 
 came in. I tossed him a crown to relieve his 
 spleen, and bade him get my horse ready quietly 
 and bring him to the door of the inn within ten 
 minutes. 
 
 Then I went back, hastily partook of such 
 breakfast as was set before me and paid my reck- 
 oning to the landlord, who had by this time come
 
 58 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 sleepily down the stairs. I left a message for Sir 
 Hugh Richmond that, being nervous and having 
 passed a sleepless night, I had risen early, break- 
 fasted and had ridden on ahead, and would pro- 
 gress slowly that he might overtake me on the road 
 at his convenience. Then I clambered to the sad- 
 dle and rode away in a rare state of perturbation 
 indeed. 
 
 Coming to Cockenzie the day before, I had 
 marked a place where the road bent sharply away 
 from. the shore, on account of the broken nature 
 of the cliffs, and plunged for the space of a mile 
 through a stretch of woodland. Such a place, if 
 fortune gave me the least favour, would be most 
 advantageous for my purposes. There I had de- 
 termined to play the part of highwayman. 
 
 When I reached the spot, I drew away from the 
 road beneath the trees and made a careful survey 
 of the situation. I found that I could sit my horse 
 under the shelter of the trees, myself unseen, al- 
 though with a clear glimpse of the open road lead- 
 ing to the forest, and could easily burst out upon 
 a traveller coming around the bend without giving 
 him the least previous warning. 
 
 It was still early in the morning in fact, it was 
 not yet full dawn when I reached this point, some
 
 What Befell on the Road 59 
 
 miles from the inn, and I hoped that no other 
 traveller on the road would inconveniently appear 
 to balk me in my desire. Fortunately no one was 
 abroad then. The place and road were lonely and 
 deserted. 
 
 I had plenty of time to make all my prepara- 
 tions. I carefully examined my pistols and saw 
 that my sword was ready at hand. If Sir Hugh 
 had examined his own' weapons critically and had 
 recharged them, if I did not kill him first I should 
 probably be shot dead. 
 
 The alternatives before me were simple, I re- 
 flected with a faint heart. Before an hour, I should 
 possibly be murdered or be a murderess myself. I 
 liked neither the one possibility nor the other. If 
 Sir Hugh had not recharged his pistols, it was 
 likely that I could get his despatch-bag, but prob- 
 ably only after I had shot him, for I realised that 
 a man such as he would never give up a charge 
 upon a mere demand or threat such as I had at 
 first hoped might suffice. 
 
 Well, I knew all this before. There was no use 
 repining at it now. I played for a great stake 
 my father's life. That stood higher with me than 
 the life of any other man or woman, including my 
 own. I would carry out the enterprise with deter-
 
 60 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 mination to the end as I had planned, whatever 
 the consequences to myself. But I would that the 
 necessity had never been laid upon me, a helpless 
 maiden. 
 
 It is simple enough and easy enough to say all 
 this, but it was by no means easy or pleasant to 
 think on at the time, and I own that no hour I 
 ever spent dragged as that one. Indeed, if the 
 undertaking had been put off another hour, I be- 
 lieve I could scarce have mustered courage enough 
 to carry the affair through even for my dear Lord's 
 life. 
 
 It seemed such a pity that no other way pre- 
 sented itself. Certainly, I did not want to shoot 
 this unsuspecting officer. I had almost rather he 
 shot me. Instantly my imagination ran away with 
 me, and I pictured him lying lifeless and bloody 
 at my feet, or myself in like case. And in these 
 speculations I own I quite lost sight of the heads- 
 man's axe and the block awaiting my father in 
 Edinburgh with only me to stay them. 
 
 I was becoming quite unmanned when I caught 
 the sound of a horse's footfalls on the road. I 
 rose to my feet from the grassy bank where I 
 had been resting, ran back under the trees, mounted 
 my own horse, rode to the bend of the road, and
 
 What Befell on the Road 61 
 
 stationed myself out of sight behind a thick 
 growth of underbrush. I peered cautiously down 
 the road before I took this position and discov- 
 ered that the oncoming horseman was the red- 
 coated Sir Hugh. 
 
 The sun had just risen, and the open road was 
 full of light, although the place where I stood 
 was still in quite deep shadow. My nervousness, 
 I am thankful to say, largely left me in the mo- 
 ment of emergency, and I observed with satisfac- 
 tion that the hand which held the pistol resting 
 lightly across the pommel of the saddle was quite 
 steady. 
 
 Sir Hugh was pushing his horse at a smart pace. 
 Fortunately for me, however, he reined in just as 
 he approached the wood and scanned it curiously, 
 like the careful soldier that he was. There was 
 nothing suspicious, however, and he rode on rather 
 carelessly. As he came around the bend, I was in- 
 stantly disclosed. I endeavoured to sit and to look 
 as negligently as was possible. I don't think any- 
 thing in my appearance awakened his suspicion, 
 for he checked his horse, and turned slowly toward 
 me with an air in which were mingled surprise and 
 satisfaction. 
 
 " Good-morrow, Master Carthew ! " he cried,
 
 62 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 with a wave of his hand and quite buoyantly. " I 
 thought I had lost you. What strange freak 
 made you get up and ride ahead? " 
 
 The moment had arrived. It was now or 
 never. If I waited, I could not do it. He looked 
 so handsome in the full light. He bore himself so 
 bravely and seemed so glad to chance upon me 
 again. Quick as a flash, I lifted my right arm and 
 pointed the pistol fair at his heart, although I 
 prayed that I might not have to press the trigger. 
 
 "Stop where you are!" I cried peremptorily. 
 " If you move a hand, I'll put a bullet through 
 your heart, sir." 
 
 I never saw such blank astonishment in any hu- 
 man face. At other times I might have laughed 
 at it. 
 
 ' Why, good God ! " he exclaimed when he 
 could master his amazement a little. 
 
 " Silence ! " I cried. And my voice, I am sorry 
 to say, lost the deep pitch to which I had striven 
 to subdue it and rang highly feminine. " I mean 
 what I say," I continued. " If you do not obey 
 my commands, I shall be under the painful neces- 
 sity of killing you." 
 
 Instinctively confronted by such a weapon, 
 and my hand, I thrilled to see, did not even yet
 
 What Befell on the Road 63 
 
 tremble, though my heart beat so it was like to 
 choke me, he had remained absolutely motion- 
 less. 
 
 " Is this a jest, young sir? " he at last inquired, 
 frowning. 
 
 " No jest as you will see, but I have no time 
 for talk. I want . . . " 
 
 " Your hundred guineas, I suppose," he 
 sneered. ' Why, I offered you them last night. 
 You could have taken them like a gentleman in- 
 stead of filching them like a thief." 
 
 " I want no guineas ! " I protested. 
 
 But he was too quick for me. With a move- 
 ment of lightning-like rapidity, the which I 
 had not imagined him or any man capable of, 
 he bent forward, whipped a pistol out of his 
 holster, pointed it at me, and pulled the trigger. 
 For one brief second my eyes did close. There 
 was a flash in the pan thank God, nothing more. 
 I had not, in spite of my fright, lowered my 
 weapon. 
 
 " Curses on the pistol ! " he cried. 
 
 I laughed. 
 
 " If you do not instantly drop it in the road, I 
 will pull the trigger." 
 
 I think he realised now that I was in earnest,
 
 64 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 for he unclosed his fingers and the pistol fell to 
 the ground. 
 
 " Now," said I, " you need not look at the 
 other weapon, for I myself drew the charges this 
 morning." 
 
 I was sure of my man now and I could afford 
 to temporise. 
 
 " You can examine it yourself," I continued 
 confidently, " to make sure that further resistance 
 on your part is futile. Only I warn you that, if 
 you turn it never so little toward me, I will let 
 you have this pistol, and I assure you it is thor- 
 oughly charged." 
 
 With this permission he at once drew the other 
 pistol from the holster, examined it, and, by com- 
 mand, dropped it in the road beside its useless 
 fellow. 
 
 " You have me at a disadvantage, Master 
 Carthew. I am soldier enough to know when I am 
 beaten. What do you wish of me? " he asked me 
 quietly enough; too quietly, had I but known it. 
 
 " Your despatches," I said. 
 
 " My despatches? " 
 
 " You can understand the English language," 
 I continued, " even when spoken by a Scot. 
 Hand them over, or I swear to you ..."
 
 What Befell on the Road 65 
 
 " This is foolish preparation for a commission 
 in the King's service, boy." 
 
 " I desire no service with that false King," I 
 answered recklessly. 
 
 " Are you for Monmouth, then? " 
 
 " I am." 
 
 " Why, Lord love ye, boy, the Duke hath been 
 executed long since on Tower Hill, and ..." 
 
 " I'm for myself, then ! " I cried. " We waste 
 words. Your despatches ! " 
 
 " I have liked you," said the man gently, look- 
 ing at me quite pleasantly, with a little smile upon 
 his lips. " There is the making in you of a rare 
 soldier, for all your slender, almost feminine 
 appearance." 
 
 At that my pistol did waver for a second, it 
 was terribly heavy, I found, extended out before 
 me, but only for a second. 
 
 " Be advised. This is high treason. You will 
 die for it surely." 
 
 " On my own head be the consequences. I ap- 
 preciate the kindness of your warning. Once and 
 for all, will you give over the packet." 
 
 " Needs must with such a persuader," he said, 
 smiling. 
 
 He reached his left hand into his breast pocket
 
 66 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 and drew forth a heavy leather wallet. He ex- 
 tended his hand toward me. I was new at the 
 business; I should have had him drop it in the 
 road and ride on, but such was my eagerness for 
 it that I spoke to my horse and advanced a pace 
 to meet him. 
 
 I nearly had cause to rue forever that miscalcu- 
 lation, for while still extending the packet with 
 one hand, with the other he reached down with as- 
 tonishing quickness, drew my other pistol from 
 the holster, and pulled the trigger. Our horses 
 were both in motion at the time. My only salva- 
 tion was to fire upon him, and, even as the weapon 
 which he had seized spoke, so did mine. I felt a 
 sharp, agonising pain in my left shoulder. I knew 
 that I had been hit; how seriously I could not tell, 
 nor could I give much thought to my condition, 
 for my interest was in him. 
 
 Fortune had favoured me, for as I stared, my 
 left arm dangling, Sir Hugh threw up his hands, 
 his face went white; I could see a red smudge on 
 his forehead. He reeled in his saddle, fell back, 
 slipped sideways, and slid down to the road. Both 
 horses were in a great state of excitement. Sir 
 Hugh's foot was still in the stirrup. I had man- 
 aged to control mine by a word; his own horse
 
 What Befell on the Road 67 
 
 started off. Sir Hugh would have been dragged 
 and battered to pieces in a few bounds. I barred 
 the way and, with my right hand, I caught his 
 horse's bridle and brought the well-trained animal 
 instantly to a stop. I found that, although my 
 coat-sleeve was stained with blood, I could still 
 move my arm, which rather convinced me that 
 my wound was a flesh wound of the shoulder and 
 nor serious. 
 
 Therefore I dismounted, stepped over to Sir 
 Hugh, disengaged his foot from the stirrup, and 
 tore the packet from his hand. His forehead and 
 the side of his face were covered with blood. He 
 was still breathing. Recklessly, I tore off a ruffle 
 from my sleeve and strove to stanch the blood. I 
 expected to see a round hole in the skull. There 
 was nothing there, however, but a deep gash that 
 extended sideways along the temple. I was not 
 skilled in gunshot wounds, but I realised instantly 
 that he was not mortally hurt, and I was never 
 more fervently thankful in all my life than for 
 that. 
 
 As soon as I saw what had happened, I took 
 my lace and linen tie and rapidly bandaged 
 the soldier's head. Then, as I knew I must get 
 away for my life, I mounted my horse again,
 
 68 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 and, having first taken the precaution to detach 
 from its straps a little despatch-bag that hung 
 from the pommel of the saddle, I turned his 
 horse's head back toward the inn and gave it a 
 hearty stroke or two with my hand to set it 
 galloping away. Thereupon, with a final and re- 
 luctant glance at the poor prostrate soldier, I put 
 spurs to my own horse and galloped madly down 
 the road, feverishly anxious to get away. 
 
 When I had got out of sight of any possible 
 observation from Sir Hugh, even if he had re- 
 covered sufficiently to observe me, I turned my 
 horse into the wood by the side of a little brook 
 that crossed the road. I urged him through the 
 trees until he was completely out of sight of any 
 passerby. Then I swung myself from the sad- 
 dle, tore open the package that Sir Hugh had 
 handed me, hastily glanced over the papers, and 
 discovered that the precious warrant was not 
 among them ! 
 
 Sick at heart, I hammered at the lock of the 
 despatch-bag, which I thanked God I had had the 
 wit to bring with me, until I got it open. It con- 
 tained various official documents, and among them 
 was one I recognised, to my great relief and hap- 
 piness. Ruthlessly, I broke the royal seal. The
 
 
 
 As soon as 1 saw what 
 
 had happened, I took my 
 
 lace and linen tie and rapidly 
 
 bandaged the soldier s head. 
 
 Then I knew I 
 
 must get away 
 
 for my life
 
 What Befell on the Road 69 
 
 name of my father swam before my eyes. It was 
 the warrant for his execution. 
 
 With hands that trembled now as they had not 
 trembled before during the adventure, I dragged 
 from my pocket the flint and steel. Heaping to- 
 gether some leaves, touchwood, and dried brush, 
 I soon kindled a blaze. I held the warrant therein 
 with my hand and watched it burn. The wax 
 melted at last and left a red spot in the middle of 
 the ashes. I had succeeded, and by my own wit 
 and address. My father's life was saved. 
 
 I had kept myself up till then by sheer strength 
 of will. The wound in my shoulder had bled un- 
 heeded. I was greatly weakened. A sudden reac- 
 tion came. I felt frightfully faint and ill. 
 
 I rose to my feet and managed in some way to 
 divest myself of my coat and waistcoat, fumbling 
 with my one hand amid the unfamiliar buttons. 
 Then I tore open the breast of my shirt, dragged 
 it off my shoulder, and discovered a long, jagged 
 wound across the top. The sight of the red blood 
 upon my white flesh made me nervous and sick. 
 
 I fell to my knees and started to crawl toward 
 the brook. I did not know whether I should reach 
 it or not. The world was growing darker and 
 blacker about me every minute. I set my teeth
 
 70 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 together and crawled mechanically on. I had 
 almost arrived at the brink when a voice I knew 
 broke upon my ear, recalling me at once to full 
 consciousness. 
 
 " Well, Master Carthew," the words came 
 to me as if from a great distance, " I have you 
 now." 
 
 I looked up. There stood Sir Hugh, hatless, 
 his head still bound, his cheek still bloody. He 
 had a drawn sword in his hand. Amazing as it 
 may seem, I was almost glad to see him: I felt 
 so sick, and weak, and helpless. Yet I did not 
 give up. With a flash of my old spirit, I strove 
 desperately to rise to my feet. I got as far as my 
 knees and, forgetful of my naked shoulder, I 
 stared up at him boldly. 
 
 "Too late," I said. 
 
 " Good God ! " I heard him exclaim. " 'Tis a 
 woman." 
 
 And then I knew nothing more.
 
 Chapter 
 V 
 
 In which I ride away with my Captor, who 
 threatens me with Death for High Treason 
 
 WHEN I came to my senses, I found my- 
 self lying in the arms of the soldier: 
 that is, he was kneeling by me, with my 
 head pillowed on his arm. It was a comfortable 
 position, but I could not retain it a moment 
 longer than was necessary. My wig had been 
 pulled off; my face was wet with water from the 
 brook, which he had dashed in it energetically; 
 my throat was burning from some kind of liquor 
 which he had poured down it. 
 
 After the first emotion of comfort from being 
 thus supported, my immediate feeling was one of 
 fierce indignation that he had so mishandled me. 
 I opened my eyes and my mouth at the same time, 
 furiously determined to protest. One does not 
 come out of such a swoon, however, in full pos- 
 session of one's powers, and in that particular Sir 
 
 Hugh had the advantage of me, for, so soon as 
 
 71
 
 72 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 I unclosed my eyes and before I had a chance to 
 say a word, he spoke. 
 
 " My dear young lady," he began, with an air 
 of masculine superiority which made me detest 
 him. 
 
 That he should speak so to me was not to be 
 borne. My weakness and faintness had passed. 
 I resolutely drew myself away from him, and sat 
 up. I maintained my position, too, although my 
 head swam and things looked hazy and vague for 
 a few moments. 
 
 " I am glad," said he with a gleam of triumph 
 in his eye, " to see that you are better. Another 
 swallow from this flask will probably put you to 
 rights again." 
 
 He proffered me as he spoke a little silver- 
 mounted bottle, which looked as if it might have 
 been made to carry in the pocket. I shook my 
 head positively. 
 
 " I want no more of it," I said. " I shall do 
 very well as I am." 
 
 Then my eye fell upon my half-naked shoulder. 
 With a convulsive movement, I swept my shirt 
 across my breast, and held it there, and I know 
 that my face was scarcely less crimson than the 
 wound itself.
 
 Death for High Treason 73 
 
 Sir Hugh Richmond, of course, saw my gesture. 
 He paused, bit his lips to repress a smile, and then 
 began resolutely. 
 
 " Madam," he said, as cold as you please, " I 
 know not who you are, or why you have indulged 
 yourself in this mad prank. You seem to be a 
 gentlewoman. ..." 
 
 Seem ! Great Heavens ! and yet I was thank- 
 ful for the acknowledgment after all, for good- 
 ness knows, there was nothing in my conduct 
 which would indicate that I belonged to that 
 degree. 
 
 " And, therefore, I beg to assure you that, 
 until matters are explained to me and arranged be- 
 tween us, I regard you simply as a woman in 
 distress, entitled to my respectful duty and pro- 
 tection." 
 
 4 You are very kind," I said, seeing that he 
 paused once again. 
 
 " It is difficult to say this," he resumed, with 
 some little embarrassment, " but you have a raw 
 and open flesh-wound in your shoulder. It is 
 necessary that it be bound up. In the nature of 
 things you cannot do it yourself. There is no suc- 
 cour or help within miles. You must allow me to 
 act as your surgeon."
 
 74 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 "Never!" said I. 
 
 " But the bleeding must be stopped," he con- 
 tinued imperatively. " You must be got away 
 from here." 
 
 " I don't care, even if I bleed to death," I pro- 
 tested vehemently but most miserably. 
 
 " Madam, you must," was the stern answer. 
 " In the first place, although I am loath to allude 
 to it in your present condition, really you are now 
 a prisoner in my custody. You have halted the 
 King's messenger, robbed the King's post on the 
 King's Highway. The act is felony; nay, more, 
 'tis treason. The punishment I pointed out to you 
 a few moments since. I must convey you hence, 
 and I cannot march you away with that open 
 wound." 
 
 " Let me die here then ! " I wailed, not realis- 
 ing that death was not imminent from that cause 
 at any rate. 
 
 " 'Tis impossible," he said briefly, but with a 
 firmness I could not stay. " And, in short, we 
 have wasted too many words already." 
 
 He stepped toward me and bent over me. In 
 my desperation I struck feebly at him with my 
 unwounded arm. 
 
 " Madam," he said gently, catching me by the
 
 Death for High Treason 75 
 
 arm, " surely you see how futile is your resistance 
 
 to me." 
 
 " But you are wounded yourself." 
 
 " A mere scratch," he replied. " Now, permit 
 
 me." 
 
 There was no help for it. I sank back on the 
 grass and hid my face with my right hand. 
 Never in all my life had I been so humiliated and 
 ashamed. The tears welled through my fingers. 
 I hated myself for weeping, but I had no power 
 to check their flow. 
 
 He whipped out a knife from some place, and, 
 with skilful hands, slit the shirt across my shoul- 
 der, laying it bare. For all my blinding my eyes, 
 I was acutely conscious of everything he did, and 
 a little thrill of admiration at his delicacy per- 
 vaded me. A ruder man might have opened the 
 shirt, but he took every care to conserve, so far 
 as was possible, my outraged feelings by exposing 
 me as little as possible. 
 
 " Have you anything," he said at last, after 
 he laid bare the wound and washed it with water, 
 which he brought from the brook in his hands; 
 " have you any bit of linen on your person with 
 which to bind it up?" 
 
 " Naught," said I.
 
 76 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " If you only had a linen petticoat," he blurted 
 out. 
 
 " Ay," was my answer. " If I had that I 
 should not now be here wounded, helpless, and at 
 your mercy." 
 
 He looked me over critically from head to foot. 
 I could see betwixt my fingers. His glance, which 
 was careless and indifferent enough, made my 
 flesh fairly creep. Then he did a strange thing. 
 He tore off his coat, and applied the knife to the 
 sleeve of his own shirt. He cut it clear close to 
 the shoulder, slit it in lengths, used the ruffles 
 as a cloth to cleanse the wound, the edges of 
 which he drew together, applied some plaster 
 which he procured from a little box in his waist- 
 coat, and then, with amazing skill and deftness, 
 used the strips of his sleeve to bandage it all firmly 
 and well. It is impossible to describe the relief 
 afforded me by the process. When it was com- 
 pleted, I drew down my hand from my face and 
 looked gratefully at him. 
 
 " Now, madam," said he, " 'tis but a rough 
 soldier's dressing, but the bleeding is checked, and 
 'twill serve until we can have it properly bandaged 
 and attended to by a more skilful chirurgeon or 
 apothecary."
 
 Death for High Treason 77 
 
 There were a few small pieces of his sleeve 
 lying by my side. I sat up and used them to wipe 
 my tear-stained face and heavy eyes. Sir Hugh 
 surveyed me thoughtfully yet most kindly while I 
 did so. 
 
 " I believe," said he, " that, with my assist- 
 ance, we can manage to get your waistcoat and 
 coat on you. The wound is fortunately high up 
 on the shoulder, and you can bend your arm with 
 but little pain. I take it that you do not wish 
 to be recognised as a woman, at least by chance 
 wayfarers, and it will be necessary for you to 
 make this effort." 
 
 " With your assistance, I am sure I can man- 
 age it," I said, rising to my feet. 
 
 He extended me a friendly hand during the 
 endeavour, and I was very glad to take it. I 
 was shaky still in my knees, but I had no doubt 
 I could manage all that was necessary. It was 
 an operation of some difficulty to get the coat 
 and waistcoat on without hurting me too greatly, 
 and indeed, although the pain was severe, I set 
 my teeth together and it was presently managed. 
 Next he mixed me a draught of spirit, well diluted 
 with cool water, in the little cup around the bot- 
 tom of the flask. After I had partaken of this,
 
 78 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 I felt ready for whatever fortune had in store 
 for me. 
 
 1 You will be quite yourself in a few moments, 
 I think. Meanwhile, I will allow you to rest 
 at your ease while I inquire into this strange pro- 
 ceeding." 
 
 He indicated a fallen tree. I threw myself 
 down on the grass and rested my head and un- 
 wounded arm upon it. Sir Hugh stood with 
 folded arms by my side, quite in the attitude of a 
 judge. 
 
 " Now," said he with ceremonious politeness, 
 " that you are quite comfortable, will you kindly 
 relieve my natural curiosity as to your extraor- 
 dinary procedure?" 
 
 I hesitated as to how to begin the answer to 
 this entirely natural request. Sir Hugh prompted 
 me. 
 
 " First," he said, " it would be well for you to 
 tell me your name and condition." 
 
 I could see no reason for concealing it. He 
 had but to produce me in Edinburgh as his pris- 
 oner and a thousand people would tell him who 
 I was. 
 
 " My name," said I, " is Katharine Clanranald." 
 
 The soldier started.
 
 Death for High Treason 79 
 
 " What 1 " he exclaimed. " Are you the daugh- 
 ter of the Earl of Clanranald? " 
 
 " His only daughter," I returned. 
 
 "Lady Katharine Clanranald?" 
 
 " The same, sir." 
 
 " Is he your father whose warrant I was fetch- 
 ing from the King? " 
 
 " You speak truly, sir." 
 
 "The warrant; where is it?" 
 
 This was my one moment of triumph in all the 
 interview now proceeding. I pointed to the re- 
 mains of the fire off to one side. 
 
 " You will find what remains of the seal in 
 that heap of ashes yonder," I said, smiling tri- 
 umphantly. 
 
 Sir Hugh deliberately stepped over to it, care- 
 fully examined the heap of ashes, stirred it up with 
 his foot, lifted the shapeless mass of wax in his 
 hand. 
 
 " Your despatch-bag and the wallet you were 
 good enough to hand me lie yonder," I said, 
 " their contents otherwise intact." 
 
 He turned to them, picked them up, examined 
 them carefully, thrust the wallet into the breast 
 pocket of his coat, and turned to me, holding the 
 despatch-bag in his hand.
 
 80 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " I see," said he, " that you have burned your 
 father's warrant. Why did you do this, may 
 I ask?" 
 
 " You were an enemy . . . " I began. 
 
 " Certainly not your enemy, madam," he in- 
 terrupted quickly. " I simply serve my King and 
 obey his orders. I have no personal feeling 
 against you or against the Earl. That should be 
 obvious." 
 
 " 'Tis a matter of indifference, your feeling to- 
 ward me or mine," I replied coolly, at which he 
 flushed darkly. 
 
 " May I ask what you expect to gain beyond 
 delay by this most extraordinary action, which is 
 fraught with consequences to yourself infinitely 
 more serious than you can imagine?" 
 
 " I know to the full, sir, what are the conse- 
 quences to myself, and, knowing them, I took the 
 risk to save my father's life." 
 
 " But you cannot save his life by this means. 
 It will be not difficult to procure another warrant, 
 and your action has removed the last vestige of 
 possibility of royal clemency. You have gained 
 nothing but a brief delay for your father, while 
 for yourself ..." 
 
 " And that, sir," I returned, " is all that I de-
 
 Death for. High Treason 81 
 
 sire. New evidence hath been disclosed which 
 will be laid before the King, with application for 
 pardon signed by most of the great and loyal gen- 
 tlemen of Scotland. I played for time. They 
 cannot execute my father without the warrant, 
 and, while one is being sent there, I shall be on 
 my way south to London, to plead with His 
 Majesty the Earl's cause." 
 
 " Humph ! " said Sir Hugh, " you have for- 
 gotten one thing." 
 
 "An4 what is that, pray?" 
 
 " That you are now a prisoner attainted of 
 treason; that to-night I turn you over to the com- 
 mandant at Edinburgh, and your place will be a 
 cell beside your father's. Two heads, one of 
 them a fair one, may go to the block instead of 
 one." r 
 
 He spoke slowly and with cool deliberation, 
 which lent tremendous emphasis to every word he 
 said. I stared at him, bewildered, the truth of 
 what he said coming over me like a wave. Was 
 it indeed possible that I had risked everything and 
 to no avail? 
 
 " Sir, sir," I began, and then I hid my face in 
 my hands once more. 
 
 The pause was broken by the soldier.
 
 8 2 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " I never could abide to see a woman weep. 
 The thought that many a hard adventure and 
 many a bold attempt ends in a woman's tears has 
 oft taken the joy out of some gallant undertak- 
 ing," he said uncomfortably. " I pray your lady- 
 ship control your grief." 
 
 "Control my grief I" I flashed out. "Put 
 yourself in my place. I have staked everything, 
 full of hope that I might thus insure my father's 
 life, and you tell me that I have but made his 
 death more certain." 
 
 " And have only involved yourself in his evil 
 fortune." 
 
 " For that I care not." 
 
 " And there is no one for whom you care enough 
 to regret this life? " 
 
 " None, save Master Dunner." 
 
 " Ah ! " exclaimed Sir Hugh, " and who is 
 Master Dunner, pray?" 
 
 " An aged retainer of our house, the attorney 
 and councillor who hath aided me in this 
 juncture." 
 
 " Was this wild plan his? " 
 
 " My own," I answered. 
 
 " And had you no man of your house to whom 
 to turn?"
 
 Death for High Treason 83 
 
 " We are alone, my father and I." 
 
 " And was there no gallant among your ac- 
 quaintance who could relieve you of this desperate 
 endeavour? " 
 
 " Not without a price greater than I could 
 pay." 
 
 "And that price?" 
 
 I do not know why I answered these questions, 
 but he stood before me so dominant and so mas- 
 terful; I felt so miserable and weak and helpless; 
 the enterprise which I had carried through so gal- 
 lantly, and from which I had hoped so much, was 
 apparently fruitless. I was as a child before him 
 for the time being. 
 
 " The price, I ask," he repeated. 
 
 " Myself." 
 
 A slow smile swept across Sir Hugh's face. 
 
 " Have you never found that tall, strong, brave, 
 true man, with bright hair and blue eyes; that 
 brave, fierce soldier to all the world who reserves 
 his tender side for you, who will worship you and 
 think you as far above him as the stars, Master 
 Carthew?" 
 
 " Not yet," I answered, bitterly ashamed of 
 myself as he quoted my foolish remarks of the 
 night before.
 
 84 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 I looked pointedly at him as I spoke. 
 
 " My own hair is brown, my eyes and skin are 
 dark." He shook his head sadly and then, with 
 a swift change of manner, he continued, " But, 
 do you know, I think I have found the woman of 
 whom I dreamed, and of whom I told you over 
 the cups last night." 
 
 There was a direct, not to say a burning, in- 
 tensity about his gaze, as he fixed it on me, that 
 fairly shocked me. 
 
 " I pray you, sir, do not mock me," I began in 
 my confusion. 
 
 In spite of my words, there was something that 
 thrilled my heart not only in what he said, but 
 in the way he said it. 
 
 " I was never farther from mockery in my life," 
 said Sir Hugh gravely. 
 
 " These," said I, " are the manners of the 
 army, doubtless, which finds a sweetheart in every 
 post." 
 
 " How admirable is your memory," returned 
 the soldier. 
 
 " And 'tis most ungenerous to entreat me thus, 
 being a woman, wounded, helpless, beaten, and 
 your prisoner." 
 
 " It is so," said Sir Hugh contritely. " Madam,
 
 Death for High Treason 85 
 
 you have rebuked me well. Now, what is to be 
 done?" 
 
 It was obviously not for me to answer that 
 question, so I remained discreetly silent while Sir 
 Hugh pondered the situation, thinking deeply on 
 his course. 
 
 " Do you know how far it is to the next town, 
 Musselburgh I believe they call it? " he asked me 
 at last. 
 
 I was tempted not to answer him. I would 
 fain give no advice or counsel. I was not bound 
 to give aid and comfort to the enemy. But lin- 
 gering remains of discretion prompted me to pla- 
 cate my fierce conqueror by submissiveness, if 
 possible. 
 
 " It is perhaps five or six miles by the road, I 
 think." 
 
 " I could walk that distance easily. But 
 you . . . We must get there some way. Once 
 there, it will be easy to secure a conveyance to 
 enable us to reach Edinburgh in safety. I see 
 naught for it but to go to the highroad and wait 
 the chance of a passing coach or wagon, which we 
 will impress." 
 
 " My horse should be yonder," I said. 
 
 " I frightened him away when I came up."
 
 86 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 "Your own horse?" 
 
 " You drove him off evidently, for when I came 
 to my senses he was gone." 
 
 " We will go, then, to the roadway. How did 
 you find me here, sir?" I asked, rising slowly to 
 my feet. 
 
 " You left a trail that a baby could have fol- 
 lowed." He smiled. " And, before we start, 
 there is another matter that must be adjusted be- 
 tween us." He hauled out of his pocket as 
 he spoke a netted purse containing the money he 
 had won from me the night before. " This," he 
 said, " is yours. I don't play at dice with 
 women." 
 
 He extended his hand with the purse in it, and 
 bowed low before me. 
 
 I took the money oh, I did not intend to keep 
 it! I was never so angered and humiliated in all 
 my life. 
 
 " Surely, sir," said I, " I have some claims to 
 be considered as having played the manly part in 
 that, in broad daylight on the King's Highway, I 
 have despoiled a royal messenger, a tried and 
 proved soldier, of his charge, and, in an encounter 
 at arms, have left him senseless in the roadway 
 while I made off scot-free,"
 
 Death for High Treason 87 
 
 u You have described the situation and your 
 action excellent well, madam, but this exhibition 
 of manly courage, address, and daring does not 
 make you less a woman. I may fight with you on 
 necessity, but I cannot game with you. The gold 
 is yours and you will have need of it," remonstrated 
 the soldier. 
 
 For answer, I hastily flung the purse and its 
 contents into the brook. 
 
 " Let it lie there," I said. 
 
 Sir Hugh laughed uproariously. Then he delib- 
 erately waded into the brook, fished up the purse 
 from the shallow pool in which it lay, and put it 
 in his pocket. 
 
 " Your true woman," he said, " flings away 
 treasure; your true soldier gathers it up, that, at 
 some future day, he may place it in her hand 
 again." 
 
 " Lead on to the roadway," said I, as imperi- 
 ously as you please. . 
 
 " Had best cover your curls with the sunshine 
 in them, madam, with your wig before we go," 
 said Sir Hugh, lifting up wig and hat and pre- 
 senting them to me with a graceful but most 
 ironical bow. 
 
 I clapped them on my head in some fashion.
 
 88 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 I was so angry that I neither knew nor cared 
 whether they were rightly placed or not ; and then, 
 meekly to all appearances but with a heart filled 
 with inward rage, I plodded through the forest 
 to the side of the road.
 
 Chapter 
 VI 
 
 In which, by the Favour of the King's Messenger, 
 I am permitted to ride south again on my 
 Quest 
 
 FORTUNE favoured us, for what should 
 come along but an empty coach and four 
 that had taken one of the minor gentry out 
 to his country seat and was returning to the city. 
 The coachman was sufficiently astonished at the 
 sight of a King's officer, his head bound up in a 
 bloody rag, and a pale slip of a boy in disordered 
 guise by his side. He halted instantly on being 
 hailed, and when Sir Hugh disclosed his name and 
 rank, and required the use of a coach to take us 
 to Musselburgh in the name of the King, he made 
 no demur, especially as his conscience was quieted 
 and any resentment mitigated by a guinea which 
 the soldier flung to him with a prodigal hand. 
 
 At his gesture, I preceded my captor into the 
 coach, and sank back in the thick cushions of the 
 
 seat with a great feeling of relief. Sir Hugh 
 
 8 9
 
 90 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 clambered in after me, shut the door, and sat down 
 by my side. 
 
 " I should relieve you of the annoyance of my 
 presence," he said, " by riding on the box were it 
 not for this unseemly appearance." 
 
 He pointed to his head, and my heart really 
 smote me. I would have killed him I suppose to 
 secure the warrant, if it were necessary, but I had 
 no wish to see him suffer, thereafter. I was ever 
 an impetuous woman, and at once I spoke my 
 thought. 
 
 " Sir, you must be holding me strangely indif- 
 ferent to one who hath so delicately entreated me, 
 but I am ashamed to say that I quite forgot your 
 wound." 
 
 " I forgot it, too," said Sir Hugh, " and, in- 
 deed, 'tis nothing to worry about. Had I water 
 and a towel, save for a raw scar for a few days, 
 there would be no evidence of it. I have had 
 bullets into me and through me seriously and often 
 enough to make nothing whatever of a trifling 
 scratch like this." 
 
 " I thank God," I said fervently, " that it was 
 only a scratch." 
 
 " Madam," he rejoined promptly, " you can- 
 not be more grateful to Providence for that than
 
 The Favour of the King's Messenger 91 
 
 I am that my inadvertent bullet merely grazed 
 your shoulder." 
 
 " Yet, sir, had you stricken me down, I had 
 been saved from a worse fate." 
 
 Sir Hugh said nothing. The pause was almost 
 unbearable. I broke it. He seemed to be waiting 
 for me to do so. 
 
 " What . . . what is the punishment for 
 treason? " I asked. 
 
 " The block, madam," was the sepulchral 
 answer. 
 
 Now I was willing to die. Indeed, if my father 
 had to die, I was more than willing. At least I 
 had been until now. But there was something so 
 sinister and horrible in the prospect my imagina- 
 tion conjured before me at his word that I went 
 white and shuddered. 
 
 " 'Tis a hard fate," said Sir Hugh swiftly, 
 " hard fate for a brave man and harder for a 
 sweet woman. There must be some way of avoid- 
 ing it." 
 
 There was nothing that I could think of to say, 
 no way that I could see for avoiding it, so I per- 
 force kept silence, biting my lip, clenching my 
 hands, and fighting back the tears that brimmed 
 in my eyes in spite of myself.
 
 92 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " Madam," asked Sir Hugh, at last looking at 
 me very hard, " have I not used you gently since 
 the affair of this morning? " 
 
 " That you have ! " I cried. " I shall not for- 
 get your kindness, your delicacy about ... about 
 my shoulder. A helpless maid could have fallen 
 in no gentler hands. I shall thank you for your 
 treatment during the rest of my short and unhappy 
 life." 
 
 " Soldiers," said Sir Hugh, " are not always so 
 black as they are painted. I am glad to hear you 
 say that. I tried to treat you as I would a sister 
 or a wife, had I been blessed with either. Now, 
 will you allow me to question you on one or two 
 points? " 
 
 ' You may ask me anything, and anything that 
 a woman may properly reveal I shall not keep 
 back. I am glad to requite your services by entire 
 confidence." 
 
 " You say that your father is not guilty of high 
 treason? " 
 
 " No," said I, " I cannot say that, but I do say 
 he went with Monmouth's adherents against his 
 will; that he was in a measure compelled to, and 
 that there are many circumstances which mitigate 
 his offence against the King, so much so that, with
 
 The Favour of the King's Messenger 93 
 
 the petition for pardon, we are persuaded that His 
 Majesty will commute the sentence perhaps to 
 exile or confinement." 
 
 " I am a soldier of the King, and, therefore, 
 what I say may appear strange, but you interest 
 me, madam. You interested me last night, you 
 interested me more this morning, and you interest 
 me even more at this moment." 
 
 If interest in his language did not spell some 
 other word, then I fear I was no judge of hidden 
 meanings. 
 
 ' There is one argument to which the King is 
 rarely insensible," he resumed rather guardedly. 
 
 "And what is that?" 
 
 " 'Tis heard in the ring of the guinea upon his 
 fellow." 
 
 " We are not without some argument of that 
 sort," I replied. 
 
 " And how much, pray, do your resources 
 amount to? " 
 
 " About three thousand pounds, I think," was 
 my answer. 
 
 " Including the hundred I won from you last 
 night?" 
 
 He took the wet purse from his pocket and bal- 
 anced it lightly in his hand.
 
 94 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " Including that," I said, humbly enough now 
 in all conscience. 
 
 " Now, madam," he said, extending it to me 
 once more, " I pray you as the good comrade of a 
 poor soldier, who, although he hath been cozened 
 by a woman, is not yet without some reputation, 
 to accept this trifle as part of your father's 
 ransom." 
 
 I hesitated. It was hard for me to put my pride 
 in my pocket, but he had spoke me so fair and 
 had treated me so well; his manner was so win- 
 ning and we needed the money so much I ac- 
 tually took it. 
 
 " That's well done," he said, clapping me 
 lightly on the shoulder, " and like a lad of spirit," 
 he laughed. 
 
 I was unreasonably glad of his praise, I know 
 i 
 
 not why; but honestly I set down my feelings as 
 they came to me. I did not resent the friendly 
 touch on my shoulder, either; its kindly animus 
 was so apparent. 
 
 " You have been very good to me," I said, ex- 
 tending my hand. 
 
 He took it in his own firm, brown one, and held 
 it strongly, yet without hurt. 
 
 " 'Tis the first lad's hand I ever kissed," he
 
 The Favour of the King's Messenger 95 
 
 laughed again, bending over it and pressing his 
 lips upon it. 
 
 How different that from the pressure of Mas- 
 ter Dunner's lips, or of any other that had touched 
 my hand! 
 
 " I have put my pride in my pocket with my 
 guineas," I said, "but what avail either now? I 
 have simply succeeded in getting myself in prison 
 with my father." 
 
 " There is many a thing happens between the 
 arrest of a criminal and his being clapped into a 
 cell," interrupted Sir Hugh, with a profoundly 
 philosophic air. " But I have not yet finished my 
 catechism, my lady. I asked you last night had 
 you a sweetheart, and your confusion led me to 
 believe that you . . . What am I to think 
 now?" 
 
 " Sir," said I, " you have no right to question 
 me as to my private affairs." 
 
 " No right certainly, but as a friend, as a pos- 
 sible ally, I still press for an answer." 
 
 " I have none." 
 
 " Answer or sweetheart? " 
 
 " Neither." 
 
 " And there is no gallant gentleman of Scotland 
 to whom you are pledged?"
 
 96 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " Would I be here if there were?" I answered 
 sharply. 
 
 " True," said Sir Hugh. 
 
 " Now it is my turn to question. Why do you 
 ask?" 
 
 " Not idly, your ladyship, I protest. I have a 
 good reason." 
 
 "What is that?" 
 
 " Your true soldier never gives his reason until 
 he has to." 
 
 " Oh ! " I remarked, indignant at being thus 
 flouted. 
 
 " Nevertheless," said he, " I shall give you 
 mine. I am willing to save you for yourself, not 
 however for another man." 
 
 To save me! What could he mean? I stared 
 at him, bewildered. 
 
 " I don't understand," I began. 
 
 " You will presently. Now, let me tell you 
 something about myself. I haven't a relative in 
 the* world, save a distant cousin, who would suc- 
 ceed to the title and estates should anything 
 happen to me. As I hinted, I have admired 
 and played with many women; I have loved 
 none. I have never seen my ideal, whose 
 qualities I prated of to you so volubly last
 
 The Favour of the King's Messenger 97 
 
 night, until " he paused significantly " this 
 morning." 
 
 " Oh, Sir Hugh ! " I cried, " how can you thus 
 make sport of my misfortunes? " 
 
 " I was never more serious in my life, madam, 
 and I tell you this in order that you may under- 
 stand my action and that consideration for no 
 other person than yourself need obtrude itself 
 upon my course. I intend, when we reach Edin- 
 burgh, to deliver you to . . ." 
 
 He stopped and looked hard at me, the conclu- 
 sion hidden. 
 
 "The Lord Chief Justice," said, I, completing 
 his sentence. " It is just." 
 
 " To worthy Master Dunner, your attorney. I 
 intend to place in his hands bills of exchange on 
 my London bankers for the sum of seven thousand 
 pounds, which, with your own three thousand, will 
 better serve to move the King to grant your peti- 
 tion when you present it to him. His Majesty will 
 be at Durham within a week. You can reach him 
 there and save yourself the long journey to 
 London." 
 
 I stared at the man in bewildered amaze, scarce 
 at first comprehending the meaning of his easy 
 sentences.
 
 98 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " But I am a prisoner," I faltered. 
 
 " My lady," was the answer, " you are as free 
 as air. You can leave the carriage this moment, 
 at your will, though I trust you will do nothing so 
 precipitate and foolish as that departure would be." 
 
 u Then you don't mean to lodge information 
 against me, and have me charged with treason, and 
 imprisoned, and ..." 
 
 " I mean to say ..." 
 
 " But your failure to deliver the warrant? How 
 can you ..." 
 
 " That's easily explained. I was robbed by 
 highwaymen, and ..." 
 
 "But your honour, your reputation?" 
 
 " I think they will survive even such a strain," 
 he continued easily. 
 
 "The seven thousand pounds?" 
 
 " I devote it to the service of your ladyship and 
 your cause. The Earl, your father, can repay it 
 at his convenience." 
 
 " And what," I asked, in my confusion, " hath 
 brought me this noble, this most generous treat- 
 ment from an enemy ? " 
 
 "May you never have a worse enemy in all your 
 life, Lady Katharine, than the one who now sits by 
 your side."
 
 The Favour of the King's Messenger 99 
 
 The revulsion from despair to hope again was 
 too great to be borne. When I realised the full 
 purport of his words, I could scarce contain my- 
 self. I could find no words adequate to the situa- 
 tion. My usually ready tongue was paralysed. I 
 knew not with what speech to break the silence. 
 
 " What hath so greatly changed you ? " I in- 
 quired at last. 
 
 " You have," said the man bluntly. 
 
 I confess I liked the direct simplicity of the 
 answer. Without giving me time for comment, he 
 ran on: 
 
 " As I told you, I never saw a lad whom I liked 
 better on short acquaintance than I did you last 
 night. That you have turned out to be a woman 
 in the morning, has only strengthened my " he 
 hesitated " my regard," he added. 
 
 And, if that word did not spell what he had 
 called interest had spelled to me before, again I 
 was ignorant of the finer shades of meaning in 
 the language. 
 
 " Never," said he, " in all my goings out and 
 comings in through this little world, have I met a 
 woman like you. I owe you a score which, I fear 
 me, I shall never pay : that you, a mere girl, should 
 have got the better of me, a tried soldier, fills me
 
 IOO Hearts and the Highway 
 
 with shame and with admiration at the same time. 
 I like your spirit. Should we have met under hap- 
 pier circumstances, it would have been my chief 
 ambition to . . ." 
 
 He stopped suddenly. It was most annoying. I 
 was burning to hear the completion of the sen- 
 tence. 
 
 "To what, sir?" I asked. "Why don't you 
 finish?-" 
 
 " Madam," said he meaningly, " as a soldier 
 and a gentleman, I put no price upon my services 
 to a woman;" whereat I was discreetly and deli- 
 ciously silent. 
 
 It was noon when we rode into Musselburgh. 
 Sir Hugh, making such excuse as would serve to 
 justify our condition, ushered me into a private 
 room of the inn with all the care and tenderness 
 that my sex and helplessness merited. He left me 
 to my own devices for a little space, and returned 
 presently with a physician, the chief practitioner of 
 the town. The doctor much marvelled, I doubt 
 not, but questioned me not at all, because, as I 
 afterward learned, Sir Hugh had warned him to 
 make no inquiry as to what he saw. He sewed up 
 the wound, re-bandaged it, complimenting the skil- 
 fulness with which it had been treated by the way,
 
 The Favour of the King's Messenger 101 
 
 declared that I would suffer no great inconvenience 
 from it, that it would be well in a short time, and 
 left me. 
 
 After his departure, there was set before me the 
 daintiest and most delicate meal, which I partook 
 of alone, although, to be honest, I would have 
 greatly enjoyed the company of my captor. I took 
 occasion to freshen my face and hands, and lie 
 down for a half-hour's quiet rest before Sir Hugh 
 tapped on the door. 
 
 " How fare you, madam ? " he asked, after I 
 had arisen and bade him enter. 
 
 " Excellently well," was my answer. " I am 
 greatly refreshed by the surgeon's visit, my meal, 
 and this hour of quiet." 
 
 "Canst sit a horse, think you?" 
 
 " As well as ever in my life," I replied. 
 
 " Well, then, I have two here, and, if you are 
 ready, we will ride." 
 
 Sir Hugh had bought himself a hat; the sur- 
 geon had attended to his wound the white 
 bandage about his forehead was not unbecoming 
 to one of his soldierly appearance and bearing. He 
 had made such explanations as were necessary, and, 
 although there was quite a crowd about the door 
 of the hostelry as we came forth and mounted our
 
 IO2 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 horses and rode away side by side, there was no 
 demonstration. 
 
 We passed the time before we reached Edin- 
 burgh, riding slowly and being passed by several 
 horsemen, in much pleasant converse, tacitly avoid- 
 ing the subject uppermost in our hearts. Sir Hugh 
 gave me much sage information about the King 
 and how to approach him, for which I was deeply 
 grateful. 
 
 His uniform and imperious presence procured 
 us free entry through the gates, although it was 
 well toward evening when we reached the town. 
 Nothing would do thereafter but that he must 
 escort me to my hiding-place. It was perhaps 
 reckless and imprudent of me to allow him to have 
 knowledge of it, but such had been his kindness 
 to me that I could deny him nothing. I piloted 
 him, therefore, by the back streets to the rear of 
 our lodging. We tethered the horses to the fence 
 and entered the house by the back way. Master 
 Dunner, who had heard the clatter in the alley, 
 met me at the kitchen door. 
 
 "Have you succeeded?" 
 
 " Beyond our wildest dreams," I said. 
 
 " Who is this? " asked the old man, peering back 
 of me at the towering form of the soldier.
 
 The Favour of the King's Messenger 103 
 
 " This," said I, " is Sir Hugh Richmond." 
 
 " Good God ! " exclaimed the attorney, " have 
 
 you taken him, my lady, as well as the warrant ? " 
 " Indeed," said Sir Hugh, laughing, " I think 
 
 in truth she hath."
 
 Chapter 
 VII 
 
 Wherein, at the Request of Lady Katharine Clan* 
 ranald, whom he loved, Sir Hugh Richmond 
 takes up the Tale, relating what happened to 
 him in the Tolbooth Prison 
 
 EDY KATHARINE CLANRANALD has 
 asked me to make this personal contribution 
 to her veracious narrative. 
 I shall not soon forget the mystification and sur- 
 prise of worthy Master Dunner, counsellor-at-law. 
 I could well understand his amazement. That the 
 emissary of the King, presumably bearing the 
 royal warrant for his patron's execution, should ap- 
 pear at his carefully selected hiding-place in the 
 company of her ladyship was surely inexplicable. 
 His wonderment and admiration grew after we 
 had entered the dining-room and were seated 
 about the table partaking of the excellent repast 
 his worthy factotum had provided when, with 
 some promptings from me when she would fain 
 have minimised her own heroic part, the adven- 
 tures of Lady Katharine were related to him. His 
 
 104
 
 What Happened in the Tolbooth 105 
 
 legal mind was quick to grasp the salient fact that 
 the warrant had been destroyed and that no exe- 
 cution could take place, therefore, until it had been 
 supplied by a new one. When this fact had been 
 thoroughly apprehended to his satisfaction, he had 
 time to give thought to other matters, and he pro- 
 ceeded to cross-question us both with a searching 
 power by which he learned everything that had 
 occurred. 
 
 " Why," he asked me, " did you determine upon 
 this quixotic action which would result in such 
 serious consequences to yourself, sir, were it dis- 
 closed to the King? " 
 
 " Master Dunner," said I meaningly, " if the 
 good reason for my action be not apparent to you, 
 then all I can say, sir, is that you are a very blind 
 man." 
 
 At which her ladyship blushed divinely. She 
 looked charming as a boy, so winning, indeed, that 
 I could scarce imagine her fascination enhanced 
 by any change of apparel whatsoever, and I should 
 have kept her a boy forever were it not that I 
 could not see how in thaf capacity I could change 
 her name from Clanranald to Richmond, which I 
 was firmly purposed to do at the first convenient 
 opportunity, provided her consent could be ob-
 
 106 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 tained, and of that I was bold enough to feel 
 hopeful. 
 
 44 Sir Hugh," she said, almost in answer to my 
 unspoken thought, 4< I have to thank you for kind- 
 ness so great that I know not how I shall ever 
 repay you." 
 
 44 1 have rendered you some slight service, 
 madam, a tribute to your gallantry and devotion, 
 as one soldier might to another, and there is no 
 word of repayment ever to be mentioned betwixt 
 us," I said. 44 But now it grows late. I am ex- 
 pected at the castle to-night, I infer from what 
 Master Dunner hath said, and it will be necessary 
 for me to take my departure without further 
 delay." 
 
 I drew forth from my pocket, as I spoke, the 
 wallet of which my lady had despoiled me and 
 which she had returned to me, and, asking for 
 pen and ink, I gave to Master Dunner such writ- 
 ings as, in his judgment and mine, would enable 
 him to command the sum of seven thousand 
 
 pounds, which, with what he had, would complete 
 
 ^ 
 
 the sum of ten thousand with which to approach 
 the King. Master Dunner was very careful to 
 give me such security as he could, acting as the 
 Earl's agent and jealous for his patron's honour,
 
 What Happened in the Tolbooth 107 
 
 and promised speedy repayment of the loan. 
 Lady Katharine made some demur, but between 
 us we easily overruled her: I, because I was de- 
 termined that my quixotic impulse should be car- 
 ried out; and Master Dunner, because he would 
 have taken anything from anybody to save his 
 patron. The transaction was soon over, and I 
 arose to take my departure. 
 
 " I have a word of advice to give," I remarked, 
 ere I said good-bye. " Whatever you do, do 
 quickly. It is quite late. I may have difficulty in 
 getting access to the Lord Chief Justice or the 
 military commandant. Possibly I shall not see 
 them until the morning. No messenger, it is likely, 
 will be despatched to the King until late to- 
 morrow." 
 
 " I will ride to the King myself early in the 
 morning," said Lady Katharine immediately. 
 ' You told me that he would be at Durham by 
 the time I could get there." 
 
 " Ay," replied I, " but it will be a hard ride 
 for a woman." 
 
 " I will go just as I am," returned her lady- 
 ship. 
 
 ' Your wounded shoulder? " 
 
 " A night's rest will put that to rights."
 
 io8 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " Have you none other who can go? " 
 
 " 1 have only two friends," returned her lady- 
 ship and her appreciation really thrilled me 
 " Master Dunner " she hesitated " and your- 
 self, Sir Hugh," she continued, extending her 
 hand. 
 
 I do not know what made me do it. I had 
 kissed it in the carriage like a courtier. Now I took 
 her fine hancl in my own and shook it well. 
 
 " As one soldier to another, lad," I said, clap- 
 ping her lightly upon the shoulder for the third 
 time. " 'Fore God, I like you well, and, when 
 the time comes, I should be glad to have you in my 
 company," I said, with double meaning, " for- 
 
 ever." 
 
 " Should I enlist as a soldier, Captain Rich- 
 mond," returned my lady, saluting gallantly with 
 her disengaged hand, " I should like no better for- 
 tune than to follow your flag." 
 
 I dared not trust myself to continue the con- 
 versation in this vein. There was no doubt about 
 it, although I be writ down here as a fool, I was 
 head over heels in love with this beautiful and 
 daring woman. She had captured my heart as 
 completely as she had captured my person back on 
 the highroad. I was helpless before her. And
 
 "/ like you well, and 
 when the time comes I 
 should be glad to have 
 you in my com- 
 pany -forever"
 
 What Happened in the Tolbooth 109 
 
 only the fact that she was in some small measure 
 in my debt prevented me from carrying her heart 
 by escalade. I would have taken it by storm 
 like a soldier had it not been that gratitude might 
 have inclined a capitulation, which I would not ac- 
 cept unless it came from an interest and affection 
 that equalled my own. 
 
 I answered her salute in kind, therefore, and, 
 not trusting myself to say another word, turned 
 on my heel and went out, accompanied by Master 
 Dunner, who desired to walk a space with me and 
 talk further about these various matters. He 
 begged Lady Katharine to retire at once and get 
 such rest as she could, if she persisted in her deter- 
 mination to ride south in the morning, and he 
 promised to be with her betimes. 
 
 41 Sir Hugh," he began, as we walked along the 
 almost deserted street, the house being in one 
 of the meaner quarters of the city for safety, " it 
 is idle to attempt to disguise from me that you 
 have placed yourself in a position of considerable 
 danger." 
 
 " I did not choose," said I, " to dwell upon that 
 in the presence of her ladyship, for obvious rea- 
 sons." 
 
 " I understand," said the old lawyer gravely,
 
 1 10 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 and yet with a little twinkle in his eye. " Your 
 interest in her ladyship can only arise from one 
 cause." 
 
 " You are not so blind as I fancied, Master 
 Dunner," I returned, smiling. " I confess to you, 
 I have never met a woman of her spirit, her wit, 
 her resource, and, if I may judge from what I see, 
 of her beauty, of . . . " 
 
 " You may spare me the catalogue of her lady- 
 ship's attractions," said the old man drily, " not 
 because I am not fain to hear you dilate upon 
 them, but there are other matters more pressing 
 which must be considered between us, and more 
 interesting as well." 
 
 " There is nothing more interesting," said I 
 and if I had been a young cornet instead of a vet- 
 eran captain of horse well on his way to majority, 
 who indeed might have commanded a regiment 
 had he chosen to give up his place in the King's 
 bodyguard, I could not have been more reckless in 
 my speech " than discussing Lady Katharine, but 
 what you say is true. I cannot and need not dis- 
 guise from you that my position is somewhat 
 perilous." 
 
 " Exactly," returned the lawyer. " You have 
 been robbed of the King's warrant here in Scot-
 
 What Happened in the Tolbooth ill 
 
 land. The act is more than highway robbery; it 
 is treason. The fact that the only warrant that 
 is taken is Clanranald's points to some adherent 
 of that house. It is possible there are those who 
 will say that the resistance you offered was not 
 so vigorous as you might have made, despite that 
 bandage upon your forehead. You may have been 
 observed. Indeed, I am sure you must have been, 
 for you have admitted to me that you gave your 
 full name and rank most imprudently at the city 
 gate and at Musselburgh as well. Perhaps some 
 one may have heard your conversation with Lady 
 Katharine in the wood. In short, sir, I need 
 not refrain from telling a soldier that you are in 
 grave peril of being attainted for treason yourself 
 as an accomplice and, forgive me, that you cer- 
 tainly are to a treasonable attack upon the King 
 his privilege." 
 
 " Even so," I replied. " But I can honestly give 
 my word that the warrant was taken from me by 
 force, and back it with my oath were that neces- 
 sary; that I did not surrender it willingly; that I 
 did everything that I could to retain and defend 
 it, and that it was not until I was senseless from a 
 bullet wound that I lost it. I have not failed in 
 my duty."
 
 U2 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " Except," said Master Dunner, " you have not 
 given up to justice the assailant whom you cap- 
 tured after the assault." 
 
 "Lady Katherine?" said I. 
 
 " Exactly," was the answer. 
 
 " Well, my only defence for that is Lady Katha- 
 rine herself." 
 
 " And how far think you would that go in a 
 court of justice? " 
 
 " Before a jury of soldiers, a long distance," I 
 laughingly replied. " But, jesting aside, I realise 
 all that you say, and, were any harm to come to 
 the King from my action, I should feel differently, 
 and I should have acted differently. Lady Kath- 
 arine Clanranald made a brave play for a few 
 days' delay, and all I have done is to assure her 
 that she shall have the time for which she strug- 
 gled. If the King persists in his determination 
 that the Earl shall pay the extreme penalty, 
 why, no great harm will have been done by 
 the few flays' respite which he will enjoy. And 
 if, on the contrary, his daughter's enterprise 
 meet with its proper reward, a great harm 
 will have been avoided. Therefore, I justify 
 myself for what I have done, and hold it not 
 inconsistent with my honour as a man, my obli-
 
 What Happened in the Tolbooth 113 
 
 gation as a subject, or with my duty as an 
 officer." 
 
 The reasoning was specious, but, specious or 
 not, it had to serve. 
 
 " I am glad to see you in so reasonable a frame 
 of mind," continued the advocate. " We are now 
 upon the High Street. If you will refresh yourself 
 in the inn yonder, I will have your horse brought 
 to you and you can then ride to the castle and 
 report to the Governor and the Lord Chief Justice 
 while I turn these bills of exchange into drafts 
 upon London. It would not advantage your 
 cause, should you fall into difficulties, if I should 
 be seen in conversation with you. But should you 
 need an advocate, I recommend to you Master 
 William Abadie, a skilled and learned counsellor- 
 at-law, and my very good friend, through whom 
 my own poor talent will also be at your service 
 freely." 
 
 " I thank you," said I, " and I will await my 
 horse here." 
 
 We parted with mutual expressions of esteem, 
 and, though I have little affection for lawyers, I 
 own I never met one that I liked better than 
 Master Dunner. If I got in trouble and Master 
 Abadie proved as agreeable, I should be in for-
 
 ii4 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 tune. I ventured to charge Master Dunner, ere 
 he left me, with a message of reassurance to her 
 ladyship, which he promised faithfully to deliver, 
 and I engaged his good offices as well to represent 
 my conduct to her in the proper light should occa- 
 sion serve. 
 
 My horse was soon brought to me, and I made 
 my way without difficulty to the gates of the castle, 
 announced my name and rank, and demanded to 
 see the commandant without delay. I was ushered 
 into the presence of General Ramesay. He was 
 seated at a table in his office, and by him in an- 
 other chair was another man of imposing, if some- 
 what legal, aspect. General Ramesay received me 
 with a certain abruptness, which was somewhat 
 disconcerting. However, I was not called to be 
 a censor to his manners, and, so long as he was 
 decently civil to me, I had no reason to make any 
 complaint. 
 
 I reported briefly that I had been stopped on 
 the road from Cockenzie to Musselburgh that 
 morning by a highwayman, with whom I had had 
 an encounter; that, although I had wounded him 
 in the shoulder, he had been fortunate enough in 
 an exchange of shots to strike me in the head; 
 that his bullet had laid me senseless in the road,
 
 What Happened in the Tolbooth 115 
 
 whereupon he had taken my despatch-bag, broken 
 it open, extracted therefrom the warrant for the 
 execution of the Earl of Clanranald, and made off 
 with it; that I had come to my senses, and, with- 
 out a horse, had availed myself of such means as 
 presented to reach Musselburgh, where I had 
 bought the animal I had left outside, and I now 
 delivered my other despatches and reported my- 
 self subject to his orders. 
 
 General Ramesay heard me without interrup- 
 tion. When I finished my brief recital, in which 
 I told nothing that was not absolutely true, al- 
 though I was very careful not to tell everything 
 that happened, it was the man on the other side 
 of the table who spoke. His accent was decidedly 
 Scottish. His manner was harsh, imperious, and 
 severe. I felt instinctively that trouble was to be 
 looked for from him. He had some notes scrib- 
 bled upon a sheet of paper before him, which he 
 drew closer and examined carefully through a pair 
 of great horn spectacles before he spoke. 
 
 " You lay last night at Cockenzie you said, 
 Captain Richmond?" 
 
 I turned to General Ramesay. 
 
 " Sir," said I, " I am quite willing, in the ex- 
 ercise of my duty, to answer any question, to obey
 
 n6 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 any order from you, my superior officer, but be- 
 fore I reply to this gentleman, will you kindly 
 advise me as to . . . " 
 
 " This is Sir Alexander Forfair, Sir Hugh," 
 said the General. " The Lord Chief Justice of 
 Scotland. 'Tis he to whom the warrant was to 
 have been delivered." 
 
 " I beg your pardon, your lordship," said I, 
 bowing to the old man. 
 
 He wasted no time in ceremony. 
 
 " Your answer to my question, please." 
 
 Although I did not at all fancy his manner, and 
 saw indication of trouble for me therein, I 
 promptly replied in the affirmative with the best 
 grace possible. 
 
 " You had as a companion at table a young " 
 he paused " gentleman? " 
 
 " I had, sir." 
 
 "What was his name?" 
 
 " He told me that it was Carthew." 
 
 " Have you any reason for believing that that 
 name was assumed for the occasion?" 
 
 I was silent. 
 
 The Lord Chief Justice was skilled in reading 
 men, and he saw at once that he need press that 
 question no further.
 
 What Happened in the Tolbooth 117 
 
 " He answers not, mark you, Ramesay," he 
 said, turning to the General. 
 
 41 Sir Hugh," said the old soldier, with whom 
 I had some acquaintance, having served under him 
 previously, " as a brother officer, and I may say 
 as a friend, I advise you to be entirely frank with 
 his lordship. You stand in a position of some 
 peril." 
 
 " Pardon me, General Ramesay," interposed the 
 other man. " We need not dwell upon that at 
 present. Sir Hugh doubtless understands his po- 
 sition. He is experienced enough to know how 
 grave it is and what the consequences of his re- 
 fusal to answer would be." 
 
 I knew well how serious the position might be 
 if these men knew all that I had done, but that 
 they could know it was beyond belief. I deter- 
 mined, whatever might betide, not to betray Lady 
 Katharine. I was in for it, I supposed, and I did 
 not disguise to myself the gravity of the situation 
 in which I had become involved. 
 
 " We know more," resumed Sir Alexander 
 Forfair, " of your movements than you imagine, 
 sir. We know that you and this young man were 
 extremely friendly on last night; that you parted 
 after an evening spent together on the most
 
 n8 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 amicable terms; that the young man left before 
 you did; that some sort of an encounter, as you 
 allege, took place in the wood a few miles this 
 side of Cockenzie. We know further that you 
 and the young man rode together in Lord Leven's 
 coach to Musselburgh ; that you and he came a- 
 horseback to Edinburgh, and that you are now 
 here alone." 
 
 It was not difficult for me to see whence this in- 
 formation had come. My horse had gone back to 
 the inn at Cockenzie. The landlord had sent a 
 messenger immediately, who had observed the 
 blood and evidence of struggle in the wood. He 
 had galloped on to report the adventure to the 
 authorities at Edinburgh. They had been looking 
 for me. They had learned in some way of our 
 ride to Musselburgh, probably from the coach- 
 man, who would be apt to talk about it, and our 
 entrance through the city gates an hour since had 
 been doubtless reported. 
 
 What a fool I had been ! I had permitted my- 
 self to be robbed by a woman and had become 
 so infatuated with her that the simplest precau- 
 tions had escaped me. I stood absolutely con- 
 victed. There was no defence I could make; no 
 explanation in the least degree plausible that I
 
 What Happened in the Tolbooth 119 
 
 could urge. In one moment the peril of the situa- 
 tion burst upon me. Lady Katharine's act had un- 
 doubtedly been treason. I stood as an abettor and 
 participant therein. My only salvation would be 
 to tell the whole truth and throw myself upon the 
 mercy of the Justice and the King. If I did that, 
 I had no doubt that I might escape with no 
 more severe punishment than a reprimand. But 
 that was the one thing I could not do. I had put 
 my head in a noose, or under the axe rather, having 
 previously fettered myself, hand and foot. I was 
 helpless. What I should have been glad to have 
 done for love of her ladyship, I had now the added 
 incentive to do for my honour's sake. No gentle- 
 man, under such circumstances, could have be- 
 trayed a woman. 
 
 " Now, sir," continued the Chief Justice, as 
 these thoughts ran lightning-like through my head, 
 " what have you done with the royal warrant for 
 Clanranald's execution?" 
 
 " It was burned," I answered. 
 
 "Who burned it?" 
 
 " The highwayman." 
 
 " And you permitted it? " 
 
 "I had naught to do with it, lying senseless in 
 the road."
 
 I2O Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " Do you deny that the young man with whom 
 you supped at Cockenzie and with whom, doubt- 
 less, you arranged this pretty little play was the 
 highwayman? " 
 
 " I deny nothing, sir, neither do I affirm any- 
 thing, save that there was no arrangement between 
 us; that I was assaulted upon the highway; that 
 I made the best defence I could, and that I was 
 wounded." 
 
 " Do you deny that you were thereafter this day 
 in company with this young man?" 
 
 A thought came to me. 
 
 " I will take oath, sir; I will pledge my word 
 as an officer and a gentleman that I was not in 
 company with any young man during the whole 
 day, save such chance companionship as was thrust 
 upon me by the inn-keeper at Musselburgh, the 
 men from whom I bought horses, and so on," I 
 protested warmly. 
 
 General Ramesay of his kindness here did me 
 a good turn. 
 
 " I have known Sir Hugh Richmond these 
 many years, my lord," he said to the Chief Jus- 
 tice; " we have served together and I would stake 
 my life upon his honour." 
 
 " I have heard the testimony of many men,"
 
 What Happened in the Tolbooth 121 
 
 said Sir Alexander. " I think I am as able to tell 
 when a man is speaking the truth as any judge in 
 all Scotland. I beg to assure you, General Rame- 
 say, and you, Sir Hugh Richmond, that I not only 
 believe but know that you are speaking truthfully, 
 for the man who held you up on the highway, with 
 whom you rode to Musselburgh, with whom you 
 entered the city, was a woman. What is her 
 name? " 
 
 If a bombshell had exploded at my feet, I could 
 not have been more amazed. 
 
 ' That," I said at last, with such firmness as I 
 could muster, " I decline to state." 
 
 " Sir Hugh Richmond," continued the old man, 
 pointing his finger at me, " I rather like your bear- 
 ing and appearance. I have no doubt what you 
 say is, in the main, true; that you were robbed 
 on the highway by a woman." 
 
 He laughed grimly, and, while I was willing to 
 be robbed by her ladyship, I could have killed him 
 for the mocking sneer in his voice. It is one thing 
 to be robbed by the woman you love; it is an- 
 other thing to be twitted about it and have the 
 world throw the fact in your face. 
 
 But I could do nothing. It was part of the 
 price that I would have to pay for the winning of
 
 122 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 her ladyship, which had become the chief object 
 of my life, from the moment I held her wounded 
 and senseless in my arms by the brook-side in the 
 wood. 
 
 " But, sir," continued the Chief Justice, " while 
 I, for one, am rather glad that the warrant hath 
 not reached my hand, for I understand that a 
 petition for pardon, with a full statement of certain 
 circumstances which render it reasonable, is to be 
 presented to the King, yet all this has nothing to 
 do with your conduct. You are constructively 
 guilty of the gravest dereliction of duty and of 
 high treason, and it becomes my duty, sir, to see 
 that you are arrested and tried forthwith. The 
 fact that you have done this halfway under com- 
 pulsion, and halfway out of foolish regard for 
 a petticoat, or that which should have worn one 
 I would better say, may mitigate your offence in 
 the eyes of frail mankind, but the law takes no 
 cognisance of that. I think, however, that I may 
 promise you clemency and my interest with His 
 Majesty, which is not small, as well, if you will 
 disclose to me the name of your accomplice, the 
 woman in question." 
 
 " That, sir," said I, bowing to the old man, 
 " is the one thing which as a gentleman, if not as
 
 What Happened in the Tolbooth 123 
 
 a justice, you will perceive that I can by no means 
 declare." 
 
 "As a gentleman, sir, I am not discussing this 
 matter, but as a justice." 
 
 " Then, sir," said I, " we have no common 
 ground on which to meet." 
 
 " You may pay," said Sir Alexander, smiling 
 grimly at my repartee, " for your silence with 
 your head." 
 
 " At least, sir," I answered, " 'tis better to pay 
 with my head than with my honour." 
 
 " There is not a woman in Edinburgh," said 
 my lord reflectively, "or in Scotland, that I know 
 of, who could do this thing, unless it were Clan- 
 ranald's daughter." 
 
 I was a veteran; I am glad to say I did not 
 change colour or manifest the slightest emotion, 
 although this arrow drawn at a venture had hit 
 the mark. 
 
 It was General Ramesay who interposed at this 
 juncture to relieve what might otherwise have been 
 an embarrassing pause. 
 
 " She hath been searched for throughout Scot- 
 land. She hath vanished completely since her fa- 
 ther's apprehension, and it is believed she is now 
 in England," he said.
 
 124 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 Would God she were, thought I. 
 
 " Well," said Sir Alexander, " whoever it was, 
 she must be found. 'Tis not safe that such a 
 woman should be at large." 
 
 He rose to his feet as he spoke and bowed 
 grimly but not ungracefully toward me. Indeed 
 I rather liked .this stern old Justiciary. 
 
 " Sir Hugh Richmond," he said, " speaking as 
 a man, and not as a justice, I will admit that there 
 is some reason for admiration and protection and 
 alliance with a woman of that stamp, if her per- 
 son accord with her courage." 
 
 " Sir," said I, bowing in my turn, " her spirit 
 is above all praise, and her wit and her beauty are 
 beyond even her enterprise." 
 
 " I take it," continued Sir Alexander, " that 
 if you escape the block, Sir Hugh, you will be a 
 lucky man in more ways than one." 
 
 " Even should I not escape, sir," said I, " I 
 shall count myself fortunate in what I have been 
 able to do." 
 
 " As a man," continued Sir Alexander, step- 
 ping closer to me, " I offer you my hand." 
 
 I shook it heartily as he continued, turning to 
 withdraw : 
 
 " And as a justice, if I have to sentence you,
 
 What Happened in the Tolbooth 125 
 
 it will be with a very grave regret. General 
 Ramesay, with this information laid before you, 
 attested by the landlord of the inn, the physician 
 at Musselburgh, the soldiers on watch at the gate, 
 Lord Leven's coachman, you see we have agents 
 everywhere and spies as well in these troublous 
 times, Sir Hugh, you will, of course, put this 
 gentleman under immediate arrest, and keep him 
 in close confinement, pending the formal presenta- 
 tion of the charges, the trial, and the King's 
 pleasure." 
 
 After having thus boldly laid his cards upon 
 the table and revealed the course by which our 
 movements had been traced, and how he got 
 knowledge that my companion was a woman, the 
 Lord Chief Justice bowed to us both and left the 
 apartment. General Ramesay summoned his 
 guard, demanded my sword, placed me in ward 
 for the night, allowing me to use one of the rooms 
 of the castle upon my parole. At my urgent re- 
 quest, he forthwith sent a messenger for Master 
 Abadie, urging him to come to me without delay. 
 I was then left to my own reflections. 
 
 Well, I had done that which had brought my 
 fortunes to a pretty pass, but, when I thought of 
 Lady Katharine, I could not bring myself to re-
 
 126 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 gret it as I should. I had somehow a confident 
 hope that Fortune, which had thus favoured me 
 in permitting me to make her acquaintance, would 
 be of service to her and see me through this coil 
 of difficulty. 
 
 My head ached furiously, as it had off and 
 on, from the wound, but I welcomed every 
 pang with pleasure, for was I not suffering for 
 her, and did I not know by intuition that she 
 would be acutely conscious of every pang that I 
 felt? Indeed, I think I was inclined to luxuriate 
 a little in my martyrdom, and, although I was not 
 base enough to declare the situation to Lady 
 Katharine, yet I knew that she would hear of it 
 sooner or later, e'en though I used every precau- 
 tion to keep it from her. 
 
 Indeed, I realised that I must get word to her 
 in some way of the fact that her venture was 
 known; that my companion was discovered to be 
 a woman, and that, if she wanted to get out of 
 Edinburgh, she must do it that very night. Well 
 it was for me that Master Dunner had given me 
 the name of Master Abadie. It was through him 
 that I must communicate with Lady Katharine at 
 once.
 
 Chapter 
 VIII 
 
 How I got the News of a noble Self -Sacrifice, how 
 it effected me, and what I resolved to do for 
 Sir Hugh Richmond 
 
 I NOW take up the telling of my own story 
 once more. 
 
 Of all that happened as Sir Hugh has re- 
 lated it, I was, of course, in entire ignorance until 
 some time after. He left me with a growing 
 amazement and a growing admiration for his gen- 
 erosity. He had borne the humiliation of being 
 overmastered by a woman with such good-humour 
 and such gallantry that the shame an ordinary man 
 would have felt in such circumstances was mine. 
 By not resenting it, he had laid me under a tre- 
 mendous obligation, which he had increased until 
 it was almost unbearable, by his after treatment: 
 his refusal to take me prisoner, his risking his 
 reputation and name as a soldier to shield me, his 
 bestowal upon Master Dunner of the moneys 
 which he had so generously offered to lend to my 
 
 father in his strait, his advice and counsel as to 
 
 127
 
 128 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 what was to be done. Indeed, I could not with 
 my life repay what he had done for us, or to be 
 honest, not for us but for me, I thought. Yet 
 I knew instinctively that I had it in my power to 
 bestow upon him a reward which, unless I were 
 greatly mistaken, would go far to compensate him 
 for all. 
 
 Under other circumstances, I would have con- 
 sidered his evident predilection for me, his ad- 
 miration so boldly and yet so tactfully expressed, 
 as the mere casual compliment of a gallant soldier; 
 but his words were backed by deeds, and, strange 
 as it might be, I could not disguise the fact from 
 myself that the man's profession had been just 
 short of ardent devotion to me and my fortunes, of 
 passionate desire to have me for his own. 
 
 Was I willing or unwilling? I had blushed 
 many times before during this adventure, but all 
 the colour rolled into one wave would not have 
 equalled the rush of emotion that came over me 
 when I put that question to myself and found but 
 one answer in my heart. 
 
 What a fool I was, to stand many a stubborn 
 siege and fall at the lifted hand of the first way- 
 side comer ! And yet, how nobly he had behaved, 
 how gallantly he had treated me, with what self-
 
 The Noble Self-Sacrifice 129 
 
 abnegation, with what generosity, with what in- 
 finite delicacy. He had shaken me by the hand 
 like a man and called me his little comrade and 
 clapped me on the shoulder and wished that I 
 might be in his company. I admitted to myself 
 that I could think of no sweeter command. If I 
 were a fool, I even luxuriated and rejoiced in this 
 my folly. 
 
 Although I was intensely weary from my two 
 days of hard journeying, the emotions through 
 which I had gone, and the strain through which 
 I had passed, it was a long time before I fell into 
 the sound and dreamless sleep in which I sought 
 recuperation from all the fatigues and excitements 
 of the days before. 
 
 I was awakened by the tapping of the serving- 
 woman upon my door. When I made sleepy an- 
 swer to her repeated summons, she said that Mas- 
 ter Dunner was below and insisted upon seeing me 
 at once, upon matters of the gravest import. I 
 must hasten for life and death. 
 
 I thrust my bare feet into a pair of slippers, 
 threw over my night-dress a robe which lay at 
 hand, and descended the stairs to the dining-room. 
 With Master Dunner was another elderly gentle- 
 man, at the sight of whom I started back in great
 
 130 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 dismay, for I would not thus be seen by any other 
 than he who was as a foster-father to me. But 
 the attorney stayed my intended retreat. 
 
 " This," said he, " is the learned Counsellor 
 Abadie. You must waive ceremony and hear 
 what is to be said." 
 
 Counsellor Abadie was a friend of our own 
 advocate. I had often heard of him as one of the 
 most eminent and upright attorneys of Edin- 
 burgh. 
 
 " This," said Master Dunner, " is Lady Katha- 
 rine Clanranald, the heroine of the adventure of 
 which I have told you." 
 
 " Madam," said the other attorney, bowing 
 low, " I am vastly honoured to have the privilege 
 of your acquaintance. As a friend and admirer 
 of the Earl of Clanranald, your noble father, I 
 want to thank you and congratulate you, in the 
 name of Scotland, for your filial devotion and 
 splendid courage." 
 
 " Sir," said I, " 'tis but what any daughter 
 might have done." 
 
 " But what few would have ventured upon," 
 he answered. 
 
 " We are not here to exchange compliments 
 forgive me, Abadie," said Master Dunner impa-
 
 The Noble Self-Sacrifice 131 
 
 tiently. " Will you explain the situation to Lady 
 Katharine?"" 
 
 " Madam," said the other advocate, " I am 
 charged with the delivery of an important mes- 
 sage to you." 
 
 "From my father?" 
 
 " From Sir Hugh Richmond." 
 
 " No harm hath happened to him ? " I cried in 
 great alarm. 
 
 " None yet," was the answer, " but he hath 
 been er " the advocate paused " apprehended. 
 He hath summoned me as his counsel, and he now 
 desires me to say to you that it is known that he 
 was in company with a woman disguised as a man ; 
 that the hue and cry is to be raised for you in the 
 morning; that strict search is to be made, and 
 that, if you have business which calls you from 
 Edinburgh, you must get away to-night." 
 
 " What hath happened to Sir Hugh Rich- 
 mond? " I asked. 
 
 " Why, nothing," began Master Abadie spe- 
 ciously. 
 
 " Sir," persisted I, now thoroughly alarmed, 
 " I am my father's daughter. I am much be- 
 holden to the gallant gentleman you represent. I 
 must know the whole truth."
 
 132 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " Tell her what she wants to know, Abadie," 
 said my old friend sharply. " She is of the stuff 
 that must know and that can bear." 
 
 I thanked him with a look. 
 
 " He hath been arrested, charged with derelic- 
 tion of duty, giving aid and comfort to the King's 
 enemies, high treason, in short," was the answer. 
 
 "My God!" I exclaimed. 
 
 " His whole course is known. It is believed, 
 since he entered the city in friendship with you, 
 that the robbery was arranged between you; that 
 he was privy to it before and accessory to it after- 
 ward." 
 
 " But could he not say that it was I, and, by 
 delivering me up, have saved himself?" 
 
 " Madam, he could not." 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 " Can you, a soldier's daughter, ask that ques- 
 tion ? " returned Master Abadie. " His honour 
 as a gentleman . . ." 
 
 "Oh!" I gasped. "Is that all?" 
 
 " All and enough, your ladyship." 
 
 " Is it known who . . . ? " 
 
 " Not yet. They seek a woman, not you 
 especially." 
 
 " I will go at once and deliver myself up to
 
 The Noble Self-Sacrifice 133 
 
 Sir Alexander Forfair and declare the whole 
 story." 
 
 "But your father!" said Master Dunner. 
 " The information must be spread before the 
 King. We dare not trust the papers and the 
 money to another hand." 
 
 " Was ever woman so torn," cried I, " between 
 her father and her . . . ! " 
 
 I stopped. What was I about to say? 
 
 " Sir Hugh Richmond," interposed Master 
 Abadie, " hath said that you are to give yourself 
 no concern as to his fortune, but you are to go 
 at once to the King. Some means must be found 
 to get you safely out of Edinburgh before the 
 morning. He bids you think not of him, but of 
 your father." 
 
 " What is the punishment should Sir Hugh be 
 found guilty, Master Abadie ? " 
 
 " As he is a soldier," said the advocate, " he 
 may have choice of being shot rather than be be- 
 headed." 
 
 " I cannot sacrifice his life to save my father's," 
 I continued, sick at heart and, I make no doubt, 
 white to the lips at the dreadful alternative Fate 
 had propounded to me. " I have no right to 
 do so."
 
 134 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " Sir Hugh is an officer of the King's Guards," 
 broke in Master Dunner. " They will not execute 
 him without royal approval." 
 
 " Ay," assented the other advocate. " General 
 Ramesay is his friend. They will not hasten the 
 procedure. I have his word on 't." 
 
 " But, if I surrender myself, they will let him 
 go free at once, and ..." 
 
 "And your father, the Earl!" cried Master 
 Dunner. 
 
 " God help me ! " I moaned. 
 
 " Ay, so may He do ! " was the answer. " But 
 be advised by me, madam," continued my old 
 friend. " My brother advocate and I here have 
 talked the matter over carefully. The appeal for 
 your father must go to the King. The one chance 
 of clemency for Sir Hugh Richmond is there as 
 well. I tell you plainly that, even though you were 
 to give yourself up, which no gentleman could 
 suffer under any circumstances, his guilt in the 
 eyes of the law would be none the less plain. It 
 is not only your father's life, but Sir Hugh's as 
 well and your own liberty, that depend upon the 
 King's action; and the sooner you appeal to him, 
 the better it will be for you all." 
 
 There was sound sense in this certainly.
 
 The Noble Self-Sacrifice 135 
 
 " Can I not see my father or Sir Hugh before 
 I go?" 
 
 " It would be impossible," cried both gentlemen 
 in a breath, " and fatal even if it could be brought 
 about ! " 
 
 " Can you get me out of Edinburgh at this hour 
 of the night?" 
 
 " Ay," was the immediate answer. " Five 
 hundred pounds hath bribed a soldier at the Dum- 
 fries gate. But it must be done within the hour 
 or not at all." 
 
 " I have my clothes, but I shall need another 
 horse?" 
 
 " It shall be here, it should be here now, for 
 we have already taken order for it, anticipating 
 your consent," answered Master Dunner. " How 
 doth your wound? " 
 
 " I suffer nothing from it, the pain in my heart 
 is so great," I said. 
 
 " 'Tis a hard fortune that drives you on." 
 
 " Hard indeed," said I, " but we cannot repine 
 over that. The King fortunately is at Durham 
 according to Sir Hugh's word. I should be there 
 within the week." 
 
 " I would you had some one to ride with you ! " 
 cried Master Dunner.
 
 136 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " I had best go alone," I answered. 
 
 " But if you should be stopped in the way, Lady 
 Katharine?" 
 
 " Think you," I cried, " that I have gone 
 through all these perils and dangers to be stopped 
 in the way? " 
 
 " Go and dress, then, and make you ready at 
 once. I have here the petition, and something 
 over ten thousand pounds in two equal bills of 
 London exchange, easily carried and negotiable. 
 You must do the rest," said Master Dunner. 
 
 " But hasten, I pray you, madam," added Mas- 
 ter Abadie. 
 
 I nodded, turned, and ran from the room. I 
 was soon dressed. Save that I donned a fresh 
 shirt in exchange for that which I had worn, I 
 wore the same attire as I had put on when I first 
 set forth on the adventure. I do not suppose ever 
 maid got into men's clothes quicker or more 
 eagerly than I. 
 
 But for Sir Hugh, I thought as I fumbled nerv- 
 ously among the unfamiliar buttons, I would fain 
 have been born a man myself. But now, in spite 
 of my father's peril, in spite of Sir Hugh's dan- 
 ger, in spite of my own position, and the trying 
 journey that lay before me, I could not but exult
 
 The Noble Self-Sacrifice 137 
 
 in this further and final evidence of my soldier's 
 devotion to me, evidently as deep as it was sud- 
 den. I could no longer disguise, had I wished to, 
 his feelings or my own. 
 
 When I descended to the hall, I found the two 
 advocates waiting for me. Master Abadie, being 
 able to ride a horse, was to accompany me as far 
 as the gate. I bade farewell to Master Dunner, 
 implored his prayers for my safe journey and suc- 
 cess, and Master Abadie and I mounted our 
 horses and rode quietly away through the deserted 
 streets of the town. I heard the clock in the old 
 church tower toll two strokes in the morning. 
 There was no moon and it was very dark. None 
 accosted or molested us. We were shrouded in 
 horsemen's cloaks and went silently along, saying 
 nothing. 
 
 The sentry at the gate was ready for us, and, 
 faithful to his agreement, he slipped open the 
 postern. I shook hands with Master Abadie, and 
 then, upon the impulse of the moment, whispered 
 a message to him for my soldier. 
 
 " Tell him," said I, " that I ride to the King to 
 tell him all, to beg his clemency, and should I fail 
 he called me his comrade, we struck hands on it 
 I shall come back as a soldier to die by his side."
 
 Chapter 
 IX 
 
 My Interview with the King of England and the 
 good and bad Angels that attended him 
 
 I PASS over the adventures of my journey al- 
 beit they were sufficiently thrilling to fur- 
 nish pages for a romance. On second 
 thoughts I went via Galashiels, Hawick, Norham, 
 Warwick, and Shields to Durham. The distance 
 as the crow flies was not much more than a hun- 
 dred miles; by the road it was perhaps half again 
 as long. I accomplished it in four days and a 
 half at the expense of a foundered horse which 
 I left at Norham. A man as hard pressed as I 
 could have done it in less time, I know, but for a 
 woman it was a fine ride, I have been told by those 
 whose judgment I value, and certainly it was hard 
 upon me. 
 
 Early in the afternoon of the fifth day my 
 horse and I staggered into Durham. Which was 
 the more tired I cannot say. For myself I was 
 utterly weary. What little good looks I might 
 
 : 3 3
 
 The Good and Bad Angels of the King 139 
 
 have boasted in the beginning had been entirely 
 worn away. 
 
 Had my errand been completed, I doubt not I 
 should have collapsed utterly, but the hardest part 
 was yet to come. I ascertained from the landlord 
 of the hotel where I drew rein that His Majesty 
 was still in Durham, or rather he was at Bishop- 
 Auckland, the residence of the Lord Bishop of 
 Durham. Rumour had it that His Majesty was 
 to move on the morrow. I had no time to lose, 
 therefore, and it was well that by hard riding, 
 without sparing myself, I had arrived as soon as 
 I had. 
 
 I was shown to a private chamber and there 
 summoned the landlady and took her into my con- 
 fidence. She was an honest, motherly sort of a 
 woman. There was no reason for concealment. 
 I told her who I was, and for what I had come, 
 and asked her aid. She was blithe to assist me. 
 I was well provided with ready money, not merely 
 the bills of exchange for the greater sum, but suffi- 
 cient for all the expenses of my journey, and it 
 was an easy matter, therefore, for the worthy 
 woman to procure me dress suited to my sex and 
 station. 
 
 I lacked the freedom of my man's attire when
 
 140 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 I was again stayed within my woman's garments, 
 and yet there was a certain satisfaction in being 
 once more a girl as Nature had designed me. I 
 forced myself to partake of food and wine. The 
 landlady and her daughter acted as my tire- 
 women. Somewhat refreshed by my meal and a 
 bath, I called a carriage, and accompanied by the 
 young girl, set out in more comfort than at any 
 other period in my journey for Bishop-Auckland. 
 
 I went just as I was, pale, haggard, drawn, 
 and worn. With my short crop of curly hair I 
 must have looked strangely out of mode. The 
 landlady was for touching my cheeks with rouge 
 and for supplementing my lack of long locks with 
 false ones which she declared could easily be pro- 
 cured at the nearest wig-maker's, but I would have 
 none of it. 
 
 It was quite late when we reached the castle, 
 and some demur was made as to my admittance. 
 It was not until I had declared my name and rank 
 to the gentleman-in-waiting that I effected en- 
 trance. When I told him that I was my father's 
 daughter, he looked at me curiously, but after a 
 momentary hesitation bowed before me and led 
 me into the palace, leaving the maid without. 
 
 I had never seen King James. The mean and
 
 The Good and Bad Angels of the King 141 
 
 treacherous qualities he afterward showed, indeed, 
 which were first displayed in his conduct after 
 Monmouth's rebellion, had not yet become widely 
 known, but we in Scotland had our suspicions of 
 his character. I looked for no royal magnanimity 
 or generosity from His Majesty. 
 
 It was with a dubious and a sinking heart, 
 therefore, that I followed my guide. We pres- 
 ently stopped before a great door. The officer 
 knocked thereon, and after a moment was bidden 
 to enter. Directing me to remain where I was un- 
 til further notice, he at once opened the door, and 
 passed within, leaving it slightly ajar. 
 
 I had so much at stake that I did that from 
 which under other circumstances I would have re- 
 coiled. I stepped closer to the door where I could 
 hear what transpired, if I could neither see nor be 
 seen. 
 
 " Well, sir," I heard a voice from within say- 
 ing, high, thin, imperious notes, " what means this 
 interruption? " 
 
 " May it please Your Majesty," was the reply, 
 " there is a young woman without who seeks 
 audience." 
 
 ' Woman ! What woman? " the first voice ran 
 oh.
 
 142 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " She says that her name is Clanranald, Your 
 Majesty." 
 
 " What! " came in violent suddenness from the 
 one whom I judged to be the King. 
 
 " Yes, Your Majesty. She professes to be Lady 
 Katharine Clanranald, daughter of the earl of 
 that ilk." 
 
 "What would she with us? We will not see 
 her." 
 
 u A woman," broke in a third voice, harsh, cold, 
 infinitely brutal and cruel, " Your Majesty, should 
 ever be welcome to a king, especially if she have no 
 natural protector." 
 
 How I loathed and hated that voice with its 
 frightful insinuation ! I wondered whose it might 
 be? But I had no time to indulge my emotions, 
 for the King spoke again. 
 
 " True," he laughed, " Clanranald must ere 
 this have left his head by the block. Sir Hugh 
 Richmond hath had time to go and come." 
 
 " Those," said a fourth voice, " who are father- 
 less should have a father in the King, Your Maj- 
 esty." 
 
 It was in substance just what the other man had 
 said, but how different was its tone and meaning? 
 There were sweetness, gentleness, as well as force
 
 The Good and Bad Angels of the King 143 
 
 in the new voice that moved my heart. There 
 was some kindness in that room then after all, I 
 thought. 
 
 " Well put, my lord," said the King. " Captain 
 Culver, you may admit the lady." 
 
 " How," said the third voice, which had made 
 the ineffably brutal suggestion a moment before, 
 u if she be armed and hath come to revenge her 
 father's death?" 
 
 " Well thought on, my lord," said the King. 
 
 " I will take it upon myself to see that Your 
 Majesty comes to no harm," broke in a fifth voice 
 at this juncture, speaking our language brokenly 
 with a slight French accent, by the way, which I 
 shall not attempt to reproduce. 
 
 " 'Tis well, my friend. Stand you there on 
 guard with your sword drawn and keep the girl 
 at a distance." 
 
 " I want no sword, Your Majesty," was the re- 
 ply, " to master a woman." 
 
 " I hold you responsible for her, Louis. Now, 
 Captain Culver." 
 
 In another moment my messenger and guide 
 came out to the anteroom, threw open the door, 
 and motioned me to proceed. Summoning my 
 courage, I stepped through the doorway. The
 
 144 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 door was closed behind me immediately, and I 
 found myself in a vast vaulted room, a library 
 apparently. On a high chair at the head of a 
 large table sat the King. I knew him at once. To 
 his left there was a man in the robes of a Bishop 
 of the Church, a man of kindly, benignant, gentle, 
 merciful face, so different in his aspect from the 
 man who sat on the other side of the King that 
 his good heart, which would have been evident 
 anywhere, was the more marked by contrast. The 
 other man wore the dress of a cavalier, but he 
 had thrown over it the robe of a justice. His face 
 was handsome but marred by the most brutal, 
 cruel, and licentious expression. His eyes stared 
 at me and his look was an insult. On the hither 
 side of the table an elderly but gallant soldier of 
 foreign aspect in the rich uniform of a general 
 officer waited. Next to the Bishop's his was the 
 pleasantest countenance that I fronted. Pride, 
 haughtiness, cruelty, covetousness were evidenced 
 in the King's face, but by the side of the man 
 next to him, he almost looked like an angel of 
 light. 
 
 I surveyed the four with lightning-like rapidity. 
 I was fighting for life, my father's life, Sir Hugh 
 Richmond's life, and I almost felt in that baleful
 
 The Good and Bad Angels of the King 145 
 
 royal presence for my own honour as well, and I 
 must take stock of my enemies or friends. 
 
 " The King, madam ! " cried the soldier, inclin- 
 ing his head toward His Majesty as I advanced. 
 
 I sank to my knees instantly and stretched out 
 my hands. 
 
 " Your Majesty," I pleaded, " mercy! " 
 
 " Rise, madam," said the King. " Nay, stand 
 you there," he added quickly as I rose and made a 
 sudden movement toward him, " by the Earl of 
 Feversham." 
 
 I glanced rapidly at the soldier. So this was 
 Louis de Duras, the French soldier of fortune, the 
 favourite of the King, the commander of his 
 armies, the hero of Sedgemoor. This was the 
 commander who had dashed all of Monmouth's 
 hopes. It was the Bishop who spoke. 
 
 " Your Majesty, the young woman looks weary. 
 Will not your grace permit her the privilege of a 
 chair?" 
 
 " Ay," said the King indifferently, " she may 
 be seated, if she will." 
 
 " I would make the rebel stand," growled the 
 man upon the other side under his breath while 
 the Earl of Feversham courteously handed me a 
 chair.
 
 146 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " I' faith you have made many of them stand 
 upon nothing, Jeffreys," laughed the King up- 
 roariously. 
 
 So that was Jeffreys, he of the Bloody Assize, 
 the greatest disgrace to justice that ever had been 
 seen in all England. He had hanged and burned 
 and beaten and scourged and robbed and murdered 
 without let or hindrance after Sedgemoor, and writ 
 his name in such gory letters upon the pages of 
 history that not all the waters of all the oceans 
 could ever wash him clean, or wash out his 
 damnable record. I looked upon him and I hated 
 him. 
 
 The fierce soldier, the unjust judge, the mean 
 king into what den of wild animals had I thrust 
 myself? Well, I had played gallantly heretofore, 
 and I would bear myself in the same way to the 
 end. 
 
 " I thank Your Majesty," I said, declining the 
 proffered seat. " I come as a suppliant from my 
 father." 
 
 "From your father?" inquired the King in 
 great wonderment. 
 
 He looked at Jeffreys and laughed. 
 
 " You must have come from hell then," roared 
 the Justice, emboldened by the King's look, " for
 
 The Good and Bad Angels of the King 147 
 
 the vile traitor's head hath rolled from the block 
 four or five days since." 
 
 " Shame ! " murmured the Bishop, not so low 
 but that all could hear. 
 
 I despised Jeffreys; I loathed him; I answered 
 him back not as a woman, I am glad to say, but as 
 a man. 
 
 " That's a lie ! " I cried impetuously. " My 
 father lives." 
 
 " The falsehood can easily be made truth then, 
 woman ! " cried the King, leaning forward with an 
 angry frown. 
 
 " At Your Majesty's pleasure," said I boldly. 
 " God hath put the lives of your poor subjects 
 into your hand, but it is to stay that royal hand 
 that I am come." 
 
 "What mean you?" 
 
 " Give me leave, Your Majesty," interposed 
 Jeffreys. " A royal warrant for the execution of 
 the Earl of Clanranald was made out; I wrote 
 it myself. It was sent to Sir Alexander Forfair, 
 my brother of Scotland. Hath he dared to delay 
 its execution, hussy?" 
 
 He rose as he spoke, leaned over the table and 
 shook his fist in my face. I cannot describe the 
 insolence, the overbearing brutality of his man-
 
 148 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 ner. I looked him straight in the face, and an- 
 swered nothing. 
 
 " Well, madam? " cried the King. 
 
 " Your Majesty," I answered, " I will hold no 
 converse with this man. My errand is with your- 
 self." 
 
 " Give her to me, Your Majesty," roared Jef- 
 freys. " I will have her stripped and whip her 
 naked at the cart's tail like Anne Lisle and the rest 
 of the cursed brood of rebels." 
 
 " Sire," interposed the Bishop quickly, " Your 
 Majesty will not do this thing. The meanest sub- 
 ject hath the right to appeal to the Crown, and 
 here is a defenceless woman who begs only for 
 her father's life." 
 
 "Peace, Jeffreys!" said the King. "As for 
 you, my lord of Bath and Wells " so this was 
 good Bishop Ken of whom I had heard! " your 
 advice for once is good. I will hear the lady. 
 Madam, your story." 
 
 " I thank Your Majesty," I said quickly. " Sir 
 Hugh Richmond was set on by a highwayman 
 near Edinburgh, shot, left senseless in the road, 
 despoiled of the royal warrant, which was burned. 
 Therefore, there hath as yet been no execution, 
 fortunately for my plea."
 
 The Good and Bad Angels of the King 149 
 
 " The matter then is but postponed," said the 
 King indifferently. 
 
 " For the present, yes, Your Majesty, but mean- 
 while if Your Majesty will permit me " I took 
 from a little bag which hung at my waist a parcel 
 of papers " here is an appeal for clemency. 'Tis 
 signed by the Lord Chief Justice and the Justices 
 of your High Court. 'Tis countersigned by many 
 great and loyal gentlemen to Your Majesty. 'Tis 
 attested by depositions to show my father's unwill- 
 ingness to follow the Duke of Monmouth, his ef- 
 forts at restraint. Upon it I base an appeal for 
 mercy." 
 
 The King looked hard upon me, frowning as 
 before. 
 
 " Fetch hither the paper, Feversham," he said 
 at last. 
 
 When it was placed in his hands it was a brief 
 paper for all its weighty import he glanced at it 
 curiously and balanced it a moment, his eye turning 
 to Jeffreys and then to Ken. What was passing 
 through his mind? I divined instantly. He 
 would give it to one or the other of these men for 
 examination, and as he gave it, he would determine 
 the fate of us all, for I do believe no human soul 
 ever looked to Jeffreys for mercy and received it.
 
 150 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 My hand caught my throat. I bent forward, 
 such pleading in my looks as for the moment 
 seemed to move even the hard heart of the King. 
 To my relief, he turned to the left and handed the 
 note to the Bishop. 
 
 " Do you examine this, my lord," he said, " with 
 all speed, and let me have your best opinion of its 
 contents." 
 
 Ken instantly opened the paper. 
 
 " Now," said the King, turning his face toward 
 me, " while my lord of Bath and Wells reads your 
 humble petition for mercy, I would fain question 
 you further, madam." 
 
 " I have naught to conceal from Your Maj- 
 esty," replied I. 
 
 " You say that Sir Hugh Richmond was stopped 
 and robbed in the highway? " 
 
 " Yes, Your Majesty." 
 
 " Was he seriously wounded? " 
 
 " No, Your Majesty." 
 
 " Why hath he not returned at once then to re- 
 port the failure of his errand? " 
 
 I hesitated. 
 
 " Sire," said I at last, " rumour hath it that he 
 is under close arrest." 
 
 "Arrest!"
 
 The Good and Bad Angels of the King 151 
 
 "It is suspected that he connived with the high- 
 wayman." 
 
 " That's treason ! " roared Jeffreys. 
 
 " But, Your Majesty. ..." I faltered, and 
 then I stopped. 
 
 How could I say that it was not true, for it was. 
 The King looked puzzled. 
 
 " Hath search been made for this highway- 
 man?" 
 
 " I suppose so," was my answer. 
 
 " Your Majesty," interposed Feversham, " I 
 know- General Ramesay well. He would leave no 
 stone unturned to apprehend the villain who af- 
 fected this bold despoilment." 
 
 " Evidently," said the King to me, " it was some 
 one interested in the welfare of your house who 
 thus robbed my messenger on the highway. Do 
 you know his name? " 
 
 What I did from one point of view was wild, 
 foolish, reckless, and yet I believe that my action 
 was the result of one of those sudden inspirations 
 which sometimes govern people to their weal or 
 woe in critical moments. 
 
 " Your Majesty," said I boldly, " I myself de- 
 spoiled your messenger." 
 
 "Good God!" exclaimed the King, "you, a
 
 152 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 woman, to overmaster a tried soldier like Sir Hugh 
 Richmond?" 
 
 " It was not as a woman that I did it." 
 
 "What mean you?" 
 
 " In man's attire I won his friendship, Sire, and 
 then unsuspecting shot him. My bullet fortunately, 
 however, glanced across his forehead and merely 
 stunned him. His bullet tore its way through my 
 shoulder." 
 
 " Here is no collusion between ye then," said 
 the King. 
 
 " Nay, Your Majesty. But afterward when I 
 had burned the warrant, Sir Hugh overtook me, 
 discovered me to be a woman, had compassion on 
 me, failed to report my assault, did not deliver me 
 to the authorities, and now languishes in the Tol- 
 booth in my place." 
 
 " That accounts for your short hair," said the 
 King irrelevantly. " I had wondered why you 
 came thus out of the mode. You cut it off to pass 
 for boy?" 
 
 " Your Majesty's penetration does you high 
 honour," said I, passing him the sweet compli- 
 ment deftly. 
 
 " I should like to see thee as lad," laughed the 
 King. " What think ye, Jeffreys? "
 
 The Good and Bad Angels of the King 153 
 
 " Saving your grace," cried the Justice, " I think 
 her an impudent, traitorous wench who deserveth 
 nothing whatever from Your Majesty's hands but 
 a place on the block beside her father and her 
 paramour." 
 
 "You coward! " I cried. "You low, base, in- 
 effable cur!" 
 
 " Did ye not pay a price to Sir Hugh for his 
 complacence, answer me that, you little baggage? " 
 he roared. 
 
 " Your Majesty," cried I, flaming, " I appeal to 
 you as the first gentleman of your kingdom to pro- 
 tect me from the insults of this man. Naught, I 
 declare upon my word of honour as my father's 
 daughter, hath passed between Sir Hugh Rich- 
 mond and myself that the whole world might not 
 know." 
 
 " You go too far, Jeffreys," said the King, turn- 
 ing upon the Chief Justice. " This passeth even 
 my easy permission." 
 
 " I shall be pleased, madam, with the King's 
 gracious permission," said Feversham with the 
 chivalric gallantry of his race and ancestry, " to 
 make your cause my own." 
 
 He touched his sword and looked threateningly 
 at Jeffreys. There was kindly blood in this cour-
 
 154 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 teous soldier. I thanked him by a grateful look. 
 It was the good Bishop who interposed in the 
 angry scene. 
 
 " Your Majesty," he said, " I have read here 
 the papers. 'Tis as the maiden declares. The peti- 
 tion is signed by the most noble and most loyal 
 gentlemen of Scotland. The affidavits indicate the 
 Earl of Clanranald's reluctance, his endeavour to 
 restrain his fellow-conspirators. Here is surely a 
 case for clemency." 
 
 " Did you ever see a case that was not for 
 clemency? " roared Jeffreys. 
 
 " Few indeed, sir," said the Bishop, confronting 
 him without blenching. 
 
 The King took the papers and stood looking at 
 me thoughtfully. He was hesitating. With a 
 prayer I played my last card. 
 
 " Your Majesty," I said, " out of the wreck of 
 my father's fortune I have here some five thousand 
 pounds, which should Your Majesty incline to 
 mercy, I will gladly place in Your Majesty's 
 hands." 
 
 " Bribery, woman ! " cried the King. 
 
 But I had wit enough to see the answer. 
 
 " God forbid, Your Majesty, but there must be 
 some worthy friend, some needy charity which
 
 The Good and Bad Angels of the King 155 
 
 Your Majesty would be glad to relieve with this 
 benefaction and evidence of our gratitude." 
 
 14 What would you do, Jeffreys? The maid 
 speaks fair." 
 
 "Were I the King," growled the Justice, "I 
 would have the head of the Earl, the five thousand 
 pounds, and the woman as well." 
 
 "And your advice, Lord Bishop? " 
 
 " I would give the maid her father's life, her 
 own liberty, and return her the five thousand 
 pounds." 
 
 The King paused. 
 
 " I choose the middle course. She shall have her 
 liberty and her father's life, and we will keep the 
 five thousand pounds . . . for charity, my 
 lords."
 
 Chapter 
 X 
 
 In which I bargain successfully for that which is 
 as dear to me as the Life of my Father 
 
 I HAD succeeded in saving my father's life. It 
 was incredible, but none the less true. Yet my 
 task was but half achieved. All my joy would 
 be turned into bitterness, if, through my action my 
 good friend, Sir Hugh Richmond, were to suffer. 
 
 " Make out a pardon," continued the King, 
 " for the traitorous Earl of Clanranald. Let it 
 be conditioned upon his instant departure from 
 our realm of Scotland. If he be found alive 
 therein four days after he hath been enlarged from 
 prison, his head shall be forfeit. Make out also 
 a safe-conduct for this brave young lady back to 
 Scotland." 
 
 The King spoke directly neither to the Bishop 
 nor to the Justice. It was Jeffreys who broke the 
 silence. 
 
 " Do it thou, Lord Bishop," he said roughly. 
 " Thy hand is more used than mine to the writing 
 
 of pardons." 
 
 156
 
 Bargaining with Royalty 157 
 
 " Thank God for that ! " said the good Bishop, 
 drawing writing materials toward him and at once 
 beginning. 
 
 " Art satisfied with our royal clemency, 
 madam?" said the King, smiling. 
 
 " Sire," I replied, " it fills me with joy, but 'tis 
 only what I might have expected from your royal 
 mercy." 
 
 May God forgive me for that atrocious lie! I 
 whispered the instant I had uttered it, as I con- 
 tinued: 
 
 " I have yet another petition to lay before Your 
 Majesty." 
 
 " What's that, girl? " said the King. " Hast an- 
 other father?" 
 
 " Not a father this time. A lover, as I live ! " 
 roared Jeffreys triumphantly. " Said I not so, Your 
 Majesty? " 
 
 "Not a lover," said I to the King, "but Sir 
 Hugh Richmond lieth charged with treason under 
 close arrest. I would also have a full pardon for 
 him." 
 
 " Pardon for a traitor? " 
 
 " He is not so guilty as he seems, Your Majesty. 
 I robbed him of the warrant fairly and burned it. 
 It was not until after it had gone that he retook
 
 158 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 me, and then his treason consisted in letting me 
 go free that I might appeal with confidence to 
 Your Majesty's tender heart." 
 
 The King swelled visibly. 
 
 " Ay," he said, " tenderhearted should be the 
 King. My lord Jeffreys, did any one ever attribute 
 tender heart to you? " 
 
 " Not in the service of Your Majesty," bellowed 
 the Justice. " I have no heart to pity treason to 
 Your Majesty." 
 
 " ' Blessed are the merciful,' " interposed Ken 
 softly, " ' for they shall obtain mercy.' ' 
 
 " Mercy," said the King, who was in a tender 
 mood apparently, " 'tis a pleasant word." 
 
 Indeed he might well think it so, since by com- 
 mon report it was one he was but little accustomed 
 to use. 
 
 " Out upon both word and thing! " cried Jeff- 
 reys. " I plead for justice on the traitorous sol- 
 dier. Your Majesty's power hath been limited 
 already by the mercy you have shown the false 
 Clanranald." 
 
 " ' And earthly power doth then show likest 
 God's when mercy seasons justice,' " quoted the 
 Bishop still softly, looking kindly at me. 
 
 I recognised Master William Shakespeare's
 
 Bargaining with Royalty 159 
 
 words as I had recognised them before on Master 
 Dunner's lips. 
 
 The King hesitated as before between these two 
 differing counsellors. And once more I threw the 
 golden weights in the balance, hoping to incline it 
 my way. 
 
 " If it please you, Sire, I have yet another five 
 thousand pounds. ..." 
 
 The King started. 
 
 " For charity, Your Majesty," I added quickly, 
 " if Sir Hugh Richmond be enlarged." 
 
 " By the Mass," said the King, betraying him- 
 self, at which Ken started, " methinks the lady 
 rains gold pieces." 
 
 " Sir Hugh Richmond's whole estate will be con- 
 fiscate, Your Majesty," said Jeffreys. " 'Tis worth 
 much more." 
 
 " Why, so it will," replied the King, " yet five 
 thousand pounds more for charity, 'tis a goodly 
 sum, hey, my Lord Bishop ? " 
 
 " Indeed, Your Majesty, well expended it will 
 relieve the suffering of many of God's poor," re- 
 turned the Bishop. 
 
 " Quite so," said the King. 
 
 He stopped again. I had played my last card. 
 I could do no more if it failed. Jeffreys opened
 
 160 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 his mouth to speak. As he did so, my heart sank, 
 but the King stopped him. 
 
 " My Lord Chief Justice," he said, " we will 
 decide this matter ourselves. Madam," he said 
 at last, " your plea for mercy hath been heard 
 again. Sir Hugh Richmond's life shall be spared. 
 His estates shall be confiscate. He is broke from 
 his rank, dismissed from our guards, and must 
 leave our realm at once. My Lord Bishop, since 
 you have already tried your hand, will you draw 
 up the writing for that? " 
 
 " With alacrity, Your Majesty," said the Bishop, 
 busying himself writing once more. 
 
 " Now, madam, I believe that all is completed 
 except ..." 
 
 The King paused. 
 
 I thrust my hand into the bosom of my dress and 
 drew forth the bills of exchange. I very well knew 
 what he wanted; the mean King, not content with 
 confiscating my friend's estate, would have the 
 bribe as well. He was more avaricious even than 
 the base and contemptible Jeffreys if it were possible 
 for any one to go lower than this unjust judge. 
 
 " They are here, Your Majesty, ten thousand 
 pounds in bills of exchange upon London," I said, 
 lifting them up.
 
 Bargaining 'with Royalty 161 
 
 " You may present them yourself, madam," said 
 the King with a manner he meant to be gracious, 
 as I made as if to hand them to General Fever- 
 sham. 
 
 Thereupon, I approached the King, taking care 
 that my access to him should be on the side of 
 Bishop Ken, who drew back courteously as I came 
 near. I knelt before the King and extended the 
 papers. His Majesty took them, examined them 
 cannily, laid them on the table before him, and 
 extended his hand. I had just bought his favour 
 in the most barefaced and open way, yet such as 
 it was I had received mercy, although I knew that 
 without the money, all my pleas would have been 
 of no avail. There was no help for it; although 
 I could rather have bitten it, I had to kiss the 
 royal hand. 
 
 " Here are the writings, Your Majesty," said 
 Bishop Ken. 
 
 The King signed them; they were sealed with 
 the royal seal which lay upon the table, folded, 
 tied, waxed by the Bishop's own hand, and then 
 were handed to me. I had triumphed in all points. 
 I could not resist a look at Jeffreys as I took them. 
 And if looks could kill, he had been a dead man. 
 Indeed, for that matter, my lord repaid my en-
 
 1 62 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 venomed glance with interest. I little knew what 
 was brewing behind his malevolent aspect. 
 
 " Here, too," said the King, " is your safe-con- 
 duct." 
 
 " I thank Your Majesty once more," said I, 
 " with all the gratitude in a daughter's heart, and 
 now I crave leave to withdraw." 
 
 "Wait!" cried Jeffreys hatefully. "Your 
 Majesty, you have pardoned two notorious crim- 
 inals, one an atrocious rebel, the other a traitor 
 against your person. You have not, however, dis- 
 posed of this woman." 
 
 " What mean ye, Jeffreys? " 
 
 " By her own confession she, too, is a traitor to 
 Your Majesty. She robbed Sir Hugh Richmond 
 on the King's Highway. She burned the warrant 
 for her father." 
 
 " Shame ! " protested the Bishop, rising. " This 
 passeth all bounds, Your Majesty. I have kept 
 silent while this bloodthirsty Man of Belial hath 
 raved and blasphemed. Were I not a man of 
 peace ..." 
 
 " I wear a sword as I have said, Your Majesty," 
 interposed Feversham, " and I will most gladly 
 make this lady's cause my own if you will but 
 give permission."
 
 Bargaining with Royalty 163 
 
 " Peace, gentlemen all ! No brawling in our 
 presence. My Lord Chief Justice hath spoken 
 true. This woman is a traitor, and we have not 
 yet disposed of her personal affairs." 
 
 I would have given the world at that moment 
 for another five thousand pounds. 
 
 " Perchance," sneered Jeffreys, almost, as it 
 were, reading my thoughts, " she hath come pre- 
 pared with another offer to Your Majesty's needy 
 charities. Is it so, madam?" 
 
 " Alas, sir," said I, lifting my hands, " you have 
 my all. My only hope is in your clemency." 
 
 ' You shall not hope in vain," said the King 
 promptly and to the great surprise of everybody, I 
 am sure. 
 
 ' Thank God that I hear Your Majesty speak 
 those words," cried the Bishop. 
 
 There was a muffled roar from Jeffreys. 
 
 " Is she to go scot-free, Your Majesty? " 
 
 " No," said the King. " Her punishment shall 
 be suited to her crime." 
 
 What could that be, I thought, but death? 
 Well, if I had saved my father and Sir Hugh, 
 I could well die. 
 
 " I will confer," said the King, " with the 
 Bishop here upon it."
 
 164 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 At that my hopes took an upward bound. 
 
 " But first," he turned to me again, " I would 
 have you return to your abiding place and after 
 supper present yourself to me as the highwayman 
 you have declared yourself to be. Meanwhile 
 leave here the papers." 
 
 " Sire ! " cried I imploringly. 
 
 " Enough," said the King. " My mind is made 
 up as to that. Feversham, do you escort this lady. 
 I hold you responsible for her custody. She must 
 be produced here after supper, and mark ye that 
 she come in manly fashion else she shall feel the 
 weight of our displeasure." 
 
 " May I not have my father's and the soldier's 
 pardons to take with me? " 
 
 " They shall be delivered to you to-night," was 
 the unsatisfactory reply. 
 
 My heart sank. Perhaps some of my disap- 
 pointment appeared in my face. 
 
 " On the word," said His Majesty, " of a 
 king." He paused as if there were some doubt 
 as to the value of that attestation, as indeed there 
 was. " On the word of a gentleman, I promise 
 you shall have them," he added. 
 
 He bowed not ungracefully. He had some of 
 the Stewart charm, for all his meanness, when he
 
 Bargaining 'with Royalty 165 
 
 chose to display it. He picked the pardons up and 
 handed them to the Bishop. 
 
 " Here, my lord, do you be the custodian of 
 them until the lady returns." 
 
 " I would Your Majesty had given them to 
 me ! " cried Jeffreys. 
 
 " I know you too well for that," laughed the 
 King. 
 
 " You have played at mercy, Sire," said the 
 Justice, frowning. 
 
 " It was my fancy," said the King haughtily, 
 " for the first time; it may be for the last time, but 
 whatever it be, I will not have it questioned. Go, 
 Feversham. Until to-night, madam. And you, 
 my lords, attend me." 
 
 The Earl of Feversham, who had evidently been 
 deeply moved by my story, was kindness itself to 
 me. His own carriage, a much more luxurious 
 equipage with much better horses than the public 
 conveyance I had hired, which he dismissed forth- 
 with, was placed at my disposal. Together we 
 rode back to the inn, and taking my word of honour 
 that I would present myself in the parlour thereof 
 in due time to enable us to keep the appointment 
 with the King, he most obligingly left me to my 
 own devices.
 
 1 66 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 Bidding the inn maid who had accompanied me 
 to call me without fail in time for me to make 
 ready, I slipped off my dress, threw myself upon 
 the bed, and fell instantly to sleep. The greater 
 anxiety had been removed from my heart. Al- 
 though I do not pretend to disdain life, yet since I 
 had secured the freedom and immunity from fur- 
 ther punishment of my father and my soldier, 
 naught else very greatly mattered. I did not really 
 think that anything very serious was toward, so 
 far as I was concerned, and whatever may be the 
 explanation, I fell fast asleep. The short period 
 of rest greatly refreshed me and presently I felt 
 another woman. 
 
 When the maid summoned me, I arose, bathed 
 and put on my faded, tarnished suit of blue and 
 silver. Round my waist I belted my sword, fresh- 
 ening the clothes where I could, and then booted, 
 spurred, wigged, hatted, coated, armed, I de- 
 scended to the parlour where the Earl of Fever- 
 sham awaited me. He was evidently much struck 
 by my appearance, but had the delicacy to say 
 nothing. 
 
 We returned to the palace a-horseback, it being 
 quicker and suited to the changed conditions. 
 Promptly at the appointed time we were ushered
 
 Bargaining with Royalty 167 
 
 into the presence of the King in the same room 
 in which the interview of the afternoon had taken 
 place. Now, I had worn this suit of blue and 
 silver after the first compunction of conscience 
 with absolute indifference. I had become entirely 
 accustomed to it, and my modesty took no affront 
 because I was seen abroad in it. I had passed 
 muster easily enough for a stripling and I had 
 never thought of what the clothes concealed or 
 revealed until that moment when I stood in the 
 presence of the King. 
 
 The same gentlemen who had been with him 
 before were with him now, Jeffreys on his right, 
 Ken on his left. Naturally I suppose I made a 
 striking figure. Their curiosity was, without doubt, 
 much excited, and they were all anxious to see 
 me. The look that the Bishop bent upon me was 
 full of interest, but it was full of a gentle consid- 
 eration, almost of pity. He might have looked at 
 his own daughter that way, deprecating the fact 
 while he acknowledged the necessity for her un- 
 maidenly appearance. But the glances of the King 
 and his minion were so brutal, so suggestive, so 
 degrading that unconsciously, as my face flamed 
 and my body tingled, I clapped my hand to the 
 hilt of my sword.
 
 1 68 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " By the Mass," laughed the King, although 
 there was a quaver of uncertainty in his cowardly 
 voice, " never lay your hand on your sword in 
 the royal presence in that manner. Stay, madam," 
 he cried hastily as I made a bold step forward. 
 "Feversham!" 
 
 The officer quietly laid a restraining hand upon 
 my arm. 
 
 " Bethink you where you are, madam," he 
 whispered, " and how much depends on your con- 
 duct." 
 
 " Your Majesty," said I quickly, " I did but lay 
 my hand upon my sword to proffer it in your serv- 
 ice," which was another falsehood, for I would 
 have been glad to have driven it into Jeffreys' 
 black heart in his very presence; ay, even into the 
 King's heart also. 
 
 " You come of a stock, madam," said the King, 
 " which makes us doubt such protestations of true 
 service. Yet she can be a bold enough enemy; 
 hey, my lord? " 
 
 He turned to the Bishop. 
 
 " She hath shown here, Your Majesty," re- 
 turned the prelate, " how deeply devoted she is to 
 the noble earl, her father." 
 
 " She shows more than that," roared Jeffreys,
 
 Bargaining 'with Royalty 169 
 
 leering lustfully, " she shows a pretty figure, a well 
 turned leg. ..." 
 
 My hand went to my sword again. Had I been 
 a man, I could not have more fiercely resented his 
 disgracefully insulting words and looks. Again 
 Feversham laid his hand upon my arm. 
 
 " Sire," he burst out, " this is unendurable. 
 Your Majesty hath made me the protector and 
 guardian of this lady. As a man of the sword I 
 usually have little to do with those of the robe, 
 but on my word ..." 
 
 "I shall myself protect this lady's honour," in- 
 terposed the King loftily. 
 
 It seemed to me that the protection was like to 
 be that afforded by the wolf to the lamb. Still, 
 however, bad as he might be, he did not equal Jeff- 
 reys in baseness. There was something apparently 
 in being a king. 
 
 " And I think you go too far, Jeffreys," His 
 Majesty ran on. 
 
 " Why, you wanted to see for yourself," the 
 other muttered. 
 
 " Will you be silent, sir? " cried the King, now 
 thoroughly aroused and indignant at being thus 
 shamed before the rest, at which Jeffreys slunk 
 back, abashed.
 
 170 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " Your story, madam," continued the monarch, 
 addressing me, " seemed so incredible to me that 
 I wished to see for my own eyes what appearance 
 you made, and by our Lady, what hath been dis- 
 closed of your temper makes me the more inclined 
 to credit it. We have deliberated carefully with 
 the Lord Bishop as to your future punishment, 
 and . . ." 
 
 He stopped. 
 
 " Wouldst like to stay at our court and win our 
 royal favour? " he asked, with a certain eager so- 
 licitation in his bearing. 
 
 At this Jeffreys' lip curled, and the Bishop looked 
 gravely anxious. They both knew very well what 
 he meant and so, in sooth, did I. 
 
 ' Your Majesty," said I, " I must share the for- 
 tunes of my father, and I take it that his presence 
 will not be acceptable at your court." 
 
 ' Very well then," said the King, looking very 
 much disappointed at my refusal to his sudden 
 proposition, "we will say no more on't, save to 
 add this, should your inclinations ever change, you 
 will find a warm welcome here ... I mean at 
 court." 
 
 " I thank Your Majesty," said I. 
 
 The King turned to the Bishop, who arose,
 
 Bargaining 'with Royalty 171 
 
 bowed, and presented three sealed documents. The 
 King took them in his hand and then extended 
 them to me. 
 
 " Here," said he, " is the pardon of your father, 
 that of Sir Hugh Richmond, and . . ." he paused 
 as he lifted the third paper, " and your own sen- 
 tence." 
 
 " And may I ask what that is, Sire? " 
 
 " You may ask," was the answer, " but you are 
 not to be told what it is until you reach Edin- 
 burgh." 
 
 " Whatever it may be," said I, " I shall submit 
 to it gladly in view of Your Majesty's clemency 
 to those I came hither to save." 
 
 The King laughed uproariously. 
 
 " Don't be too sure of that," he said. " Now, 
 Feversham, will you have this lady and these docu- 
 ments delivered to General Ramesay and Sir 
 Alexander Forfair at Edinburgh on pain of our 
 displeasure and without delay ? " 
 
 " Your Majesty," I cried, " let me take the par- 
 dons there alone. I give you my word of honour, 
 Sire, that I will not break the seal or look within 
 that which concerns me personally, but I will de- 
 liver it as it stands, and the others also, to the 
 Lord Chief Justice."
 
 172 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 * Your word of honour as a man ? " 
 
 " As a woman, Sire." 
 
 " And why do you wish to go alone? " 
 
 " Because I can make the greater speed if I be 
 not hampered by an escort of soldiery." 
 
 " Would you take a woman's word, Your Maj- 
 esty? " growled Jeffreys. 
 
 " Not that of the women with whom you con- 
 sort, my lord," said the King caustically, " but of 
 this one, yes. How if you should be stopped, 
 madam? " 
 
 " I can defend myself," I answered, " and these 
 papers would be of no value to any one but myself. 
 There is not a highwayman in Scotland who would 
 despoil me of them, or who, knowing my story, 
 would not aid my progress." 
 
 " You shall go as you came, alone," said the 
 King. " Feversham, take orders for the lady's 
 departure on the morrow, escort her safely beyond 
 the limits of the town." 
 
 " It shall be done, Your Majesty," returned the 
 soldier. 
 
 " And now, Sire," I asked, " have I leave to 
 retire?" 
 
 " You may go," said the King magniloquently, 
 " and hereafter, when men speak ill of me as they
 
 Bargaining with Royalty 173 
 
 often do of kings, remember that in your case 
 at least I used you well." 
 
 " I shall not forget, Your Majesty," said I, 
 bowing low, " your royal kindness, nor the rea- 
 sons therefor," I could not help adding in spite 
 of the danger, as I thought how I had bribed 
 him. 
 
 The King looked at me suspiciously at this 
 equivocal compliment, which was a great act of 
 folly on my part, for I had not yet got away with 
 my precious documents, but by great good-fortune 
 for me he said nothing. 
 
 " Have I Your Majesty's leave to speak a word 
 of farewell and acknowledgment to Your Majesty's 
 friends? " I asked further. 
 
 The King nodded gravely. 
 
 " As for you, sir," then said I, turning to the 
 Bishop, " you have been a father in God indeed 
 to the afflicted and the troubled, the cast down and 
 the weak. I shall remember it in far Scotland, 
 and before I go, may I ask your prayers and your 
 blessing? " 
 
 I humbly knelt before him as I had not knelt 
 since I had knelt to the King himself when I first 
 entered the room. 
 
 The old man, his homely face lighted with divine
 
 174 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 and tender compassion, laid his hands upon my 
 head and prayed for my defence. 
 
 " You have said well," commented the King, 
 somewhat touched by this tender action, " for you 
 owe more to the cleric than you dream of. Now, 
 'tis your turn, Jeffreys." 
 
 He laughed viciously. 
 
 " As for you, sir," said I, rising and turning 
 toward him, I stood this time with my head up 
 and my hand upon my sword, " I would to God I 
 were in truth instead of seeming a man, for, saving 
 the royal presence, I would drive this weapon 
 through your black heart, and were there any men 
 of my race alive, they would never rest until they 
 had struck you down." 
 
 " Treason, treason ! " bellowed Jeffreys. " She 
 would raise a weapon against the King, his Justice, 
 Your Majesty! " 
 
 " You brought it on yourself," said the King 
 coolly. " Faith, I like the woman's spirit. Look 
 to it, Jeffreys! Look to it! Hast any word for 
 me, madam? " 
 
 " No more than I have said, Sire, save to wish 
 that I had another five thousand pounds." 
 
 The King started. 
 
 " For Your Majesty's charities."
 
 Bargaining 'with Royalty 175 
 
 " You have said words enough," returned James, 
 who evidently liked ill the turn of the conversa- 
 tion. " Had best withdraw from our presence 
 
 now." 
 
 I went out of the chamber with my colours fly- 
 ing, General Feversham in attendance upon me. 
 The gallant soldier chuckled mightily when we 
 were safely out of earshot of the King. 
 
 " Faith, madam," he said, " you made a fine 
 end. Ride you to-morrow morning? " 
 
 " Sir," said I, " a word in your ear. You will 
 not betray me? " 
 
 " On the faith of a soldier, no." 
 
 " I fear the King, I fear Lord Jeffreys more. 
 He is capable of apprehending me and destroying 
 the pardons. Therefore, I ride to-night." 
 
 " But you are road-weary." 
 
 "What of that? I will take an unfrequented 
 road, and lie to-morrow in some quiet spot until 
 I be recovered." 
 
 " You shall not go alone," said Feversham. 
 " The peril that you mention is not imaginary. I 
 myself will ride the night through with you. Nay, 
 I have a wife and daughters older than yourself. 
 You may trust me without fear." 
 
 " Indeed, I do," I cried, gladly extending my
 
 176 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 hand, which the brave soldier took and shook 
 vigorously. 
 
 " I will see you safely over the frontiers. Damn 
 that Jeffreys for a black-hearted villain. He is 
 a man of peace, but he hath slain and tortured 
 more in his Bloody Assize than even that most 
 ruthless soldier Kirke himself." 
 
 Which was putting it pretty strongly, indeed, 
 I thought !
 
 Chapter 
 XI 
 
 Wherein Sir Hugh Richmond finds me, not unwill- 
 ing, thrust upon him 
 
 SIX days after, my return progress being 
 slower than my dash southward, I rode 
 through the gates of Edinburgh. 
 
 The Earl of Feversham had been as good as 
 his word. He had convoyed me by retired roads 
 until all possibility of interference had been 
 avoided. At the first convenient opportunity I 
 had lain down and slept a day and a night straight 
 through. Had I not enjoyed this chance for rest, 
 I should have died of sheer fatigue and nervous 
 strain. As it was, I was still a wreck of a woman 
 .when I was halted by the soldiers of the guard 
 at the familiar city gate. 
 
 "Is your name Carthew?" cried the officer, 
 who had been summoned by the sentry as I ap- 
 proached. 
 
 " Well, sir, I have sometimes been so called," 
 I answered. 
 
 "Humph!" 
 
 177
 
 178 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 He read from a lengthy written description in 
 his hand : 
 
 " ' Young, slight, fair of face, a woman in man's 
 attire, a riding suit of blue and silver, sometimes 
 known as Carthew.' ' 
 
 The description certainly fitted me. 
 
 " Madam, or sir, whatever you be, you are 
 under arrest," he said. " We have been search- 
 ing for you for ten days. I have orders to convey 
 you instantly you are apprehended to the castle 
 and turn you over to the Commandant or the Lord 
 Chief Justice." 
 
 " I would fain make some change in my apparel, 
 sir. You have guessed right; I am a woman. I 
 should like to resume the garments of my sex, 
 but after that, I shall be at your service. Indeed, 
 you could do me no greater kindness than to take 
 me speedily where you mention." 
 
 " I should like to oblige you, madam," said the 
 officer, " but my orders admit of no discretion. 
 As you are, you must be delivered to the Com- 
 mandant at once." 
 
 " Very well, then. I will give you my word," 
 said I, " if you will allow me to ride quietly by 
 your side, to make no effort to escape your 
 custody."
 
 His Majesty's Mercy 179 
 
 " Your word ! " said the officer. " The word of 
 one Carthew, a traitor? " 
 
 " The word of Lady Katharine Clanranald, 
 daughter of the Earl of Clanranald, carrying mes- 
 sages from His Majesty, the King, to Governor 
 Ramesay and Lord Chief Justice Forfair," I an- 
 swered quite calmly. 
 
 The officer stared. 
 
 " So that's the solution of the mystery," he ex- 
 claimed. " Very well, madam, I accept your word. 
 If you will wait here a moment until my horse is 
 saddled, we will proceed." 
 
 His trust in my honour touched me. In a short 
 time, his horse was brought around. He spoke to 
 a squad of cavalry, and I riding by his side, we 
 cantered through the streets and up toward the 
 castle. 
 
 General Ramesay and Sir Alexander Forfair 
 were closeted together. So soon as the officer de- 
 clared who was the prisoner he brought, I was in- 
 stantly admitted. It was the same chamber, I 
 afterwards learned, in which Sir Hugh had sub- 
 mitted to the questioning. The two gentlemen 
 were alone. The officer was dismissed. I was 
 courteously invited to a seat and the questioning 
 began.
 
 180 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " You are, I take it," said Sir Alexander, u Lady 
 Katharine Clanranald ? " 
 
 " I am, sir." 
 
 " You stopped the King's messenger on the 
 King's Highway a fortnight ago? " 
 
 " I did, sir." 
 
 " You robbed him of the royal warrant for the 
 execution of your father. This warrant was de- 
 stroyed." 
 
 " I cannot deny it." 
 
 " Afterward by cajolery, or bribery, or what- 
 ever female arts or influence you possess, you 
 suborned an honest soldier, you won him away 
 from his duty, you made him a traitor to his King, 
 and faithless to his cause." 
 
 " Sir," said I, " if to be touched by the misfor- 
 tunes of a daughter who risked life and reputation 
 to save her father, especially when the warrant 
 had been destroyed before he reached me; and if 
 to extend compassion to a woman wounded, help- 
 less, and at his mercy be to fail in his duty, to 
 betray his trust, to be a traitor to his King, then 
 I suppose that I cannot deny the charge against 
 Sir Hugh." 
 
 " Do you deny, madam," asked the Chief Jus- 
 tice sternly, " that it was all arranged between
 
 His Majesty's Mercy 181 
 
 you; that the scheme was concocted in the inn, 
 that you and he connived together by superficial 
 wounds, perhaps self-inflicted, to give your own 
 interpretation to the facts?" 
 
 Oh, how fierce was his look at poor me ! 
 
 " On my solemn word, sir, as my father's daugh- 
 ter, I do deny that. I did deliberately rob Sir 
 Hugh Richmond, but without his knowledge be- 
 forehand. We had met in friendly converse the 
 night before and had conceived a mutual regard 
 for each other." 
 
 General Ramesay smiled, and even a flicker of 
 humour appeared on the face of Sir Alexander. 
 I resented it hotly. 
 
 " As one man and another," I cried, " for Sir 
 Hugh knew not that I was a woman until later. 
 I will admit that he was unsuspicious of me, and 
 that gave me the only advantage by which I could 
 have hoped to overcome so tried a soldier. As 
 for the rest, sirs, it happened as I have said. It 
 was pure kindness of heart toward me. And what 
 would have been gained by handing poor me over 
 to punishment since the warrant had been de- 
 stroyed, sirs ? " 
 
 " That was not a matter about which a soldier 
 need have inquired," said General Ramesay. " He
 
 1 82 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 had a certain duty to do. He failed to do it. He 
 has been arrested, tried, condemned." 
 
 " But not executed ! " I cried, laying my hand 
 upon my heart and turning very white. 
 
 " Not yet, madam," said the General, looking 
 very stern. 
 
 " How could he be tried without me as the prin- 
 cipal witness? " 
 
 " He hath admitted everything, except to dis- 
 close your name, rank, and whereabouts." 
 
 " Indeed, madam, you yourself are a prisoner 
 and must submit to the same trial," interrupted 
 the Justice. 
 
 " Nay, not so, your lordship," I answered tri- 
 umphantly. 
 
 I drew from the pocket of my coat the three 
 papers. 
 
 " Here," said I, extending one, " is His Maj- 
 esty's free pardon for the Earl, my father. This," 
 I continued, laying the other upon the table, " is 
 a document of similar purport for Sir Hugh Rich- 
 mond." 
 
 I held back the third, while Sir Alexander For- 
 fair eagerly picked up the other two. He broke 
 the seals, scanned them hastily, passed them to 
 General Ramesay, and then addressed me.
 
 His Majesty's Mercy 183 
 
 " Madam, it is as you say. Never did I receive 
 orders with a better grace, never shall I carry out 
 royal mandates with a lighter heart. Hey, 
 Ramesay? " 
 
 " As for the Earl," said the General, " he is a 
 political prisoner with whom I am not greatly 
 concerned, but I am rejoiced indeed that my old 
 friend and comrade, Sir Hugh Richmond, is to 
 go free. He hath failed in his duty, 'tis true, but, 
 by Heaven, madam, when I look at you, I find 
 excuse for him." 
 
 " But yourself, Lady Katharine," said the Jus- 
 tice gravely, " you at least are not relieved by 
 these documents." 
 
 ." Sir," said I, " I have here still a third paper 
 of importance." 
 
 "Whatsaithit?" 
 
 " With its contents I am not acquainted, but His 
 Majesty did declare that it prescribed my punish- 
 ment. I gave my word to him that I would de- 
 liver it to your lordship unopened, and you can 
 testify that I do so." 
 
 " Hast not thy share of the curiosity of woman, 
 madam?" queried the Justice. 
 
 " Not in this case, my lord," said I boldly. " I 
 left it with my petticoats."
 
 184 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " Wouldst know thy fate, girl?" he continued, 
 breaking the seal and looking at me before he ex- 
 amined the contents. 
 
 " So long as my father and . . . friend are free, 
 what happens to me is of little consequence," was 
 my answer. 
 
 The Lord Chief Justice looked at the paper. 
 His lips twitched. He passed it over to General 
 Ramesay. Less controlled than the other, the 
 soldier burst into a loud laugh. 
 
 " A sentence, indeed! " he cried. " How think 
 you it will be liked? " 
 
 " Prisoners, I believe," returned the Justice, 
 " are not consulted as to their likes and dislikes 
 when sentence is passed upon them." 
 
 This was all very mystifying to me, but at least 
 it was evident that my punishment was not very 
 terrible. Sir Alexander and the General consulted 
 together in whispers for a few moments, and then 
 the soldier spoke to me. 
 
 " Madam, your sentence contemplates a life im- 
 prisonment, but under conditions which perhaps 
 may make it bearable. I regret extremely to be 
 compelled to communicate such unpleasant tidings 
 to you, but I have no option, and as the sentence 
 is to commence immediately on your arrival here,
 
 His Majesty's Mercy 185 
 
 I shall have to order you into close confinement at 
 once." 
 
 " May I not see my father?" said I, bravely 
 striving to keep up heart under this tremendous 
 and surprising prospect. Indeed, I could see noth- 
 ing in it to cause such laughter on the part of the 
 two old men before me. 
 
 " Presently, madam, but not now." 
 
 " And if I might see Sir Hugh Richmond for 
 a moment, I should like to tell him," I faltered, 
 " that I have succeeded in securing his freedom, as 
 I am responsible for his detention." 
 
 " Presently, presently," said the Justice. 
 " Meanwhile, I will prepare orders for your fa- 
 ther's freedom and for Sir Hugh's as well, but you 
 will have to obey General Ramesay's orders. 
 There is no choice." 
 
 " Let me see my father, then, as soon as possi- 
 ble, and Sir Hugh Richmond, if he care to visit 
 me and it is permitted," said I, rising and prepar- 
 ing to follow the Governor. 
 
 He escorted me gravely along several corridors 
 and down several flights of stairs until we came 
 to the strong rooms of the castle. Summoning a 
 turnkey, we paused before a locked and grated 
 door.
 
 j 86 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " Your present place of detention will be here, 
 madam," he said as the door was unlocked. 
 
 I entered the room. It. was bare and simply 
 furnished, empty of other person than myself. 
 Some grated windows admitted light, but were so 
 high placed that I could not see anything but sky 
 out of them. It was indeed a prison. There Vas 
 an opening in the wall beyond, closed with a door. 
 
 " Should you care to do so," said the com- 
 mandant very softly, " you may open the door 
 and enter the other room. Is there anything I 
 can do for you before I go?" 
 
 " Send me some clothes suitable to my sex and 
 station, if you will. Master Dunner, the advocate, 
 will procure them, I am sure. And that is all, 
 sir." 
 
 " They shall be sent for immediately," said the 
 General, bowing himself out. 
 
 I heard the door close; I heard the key turn 
 in the lock. I was alone. My great adventure 
 was over; my punishment had begun. Well, I had 
 saved my father's life and Sir Hugh Richmond's 
 life. I was willing to pay the price by the long 
 confinement to which I must perforce look for- 
 ward. This was the mercy of the King! I 
 tried to keep up a brave heart, and yet after a
 
 His Majesty's Mercy 187 
 
 while I failed. I sank down on a rude chair by 
 a ruder table, and laid my head on my arms, and 
 cried just like any other woman. 
 
 A noise called me to myself. Fearful, I raised 
 my head. The door to the right into the other 
 room was open. A man stood in fair view under 
 the arch of it. It was Sir Hugh Richmond. 
 
 " My God ! " he exclaimed. " Lady Katharine* 
 is it you? What do you here?" 4 
 
 " I am a prisoner," I faltered, " a prisoner for 
 life." He came closer to me. " But you are free, 
 sir." 
 
 "What mean you?" 
 
 " I rode south to King James. His Majesty 
 hath been graciously pleased to pardon you," 
 was there indication of my feelings in the fact 
 that I put Sir Hugh first? "you and my fa- 
 ther," I said. " But me he hath condemned to 
 imprisonment for life." 
 
 'The dog!" cried the soldier. "I renounce 
 his allegiance. The cruel, brutal tyrant! And I 
 have fought for him. Madam, I will not have it 
 so. I will go to him myself and wrest from him 
 your pardon." 
 
 ' You cannot," I cried; " by the terms of your 
 release, if you are found in Scotland within four
 
 1 88 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 days thereafter, you are to be killed as an outlaw 
 without recourse." 
 
 " And if I were to be shot the next moment, I 
 would still force my way into his presence if for 
 naught but to tell him what I thought of him. 
 What is life, what is freedom for me without you ? 
 I might not tell you before when I had rendered 
 you some slight service, but now when there is much 
 to do for you, I can declare that I love you, and 
 you only, and that without you life, liberty are 
 nothing." 
 
 " Is this," said I, " one of those protestations 
 which spring fortnightly from your lips ? " 
 
 " Madam, it springs eternally from my heart. 
 I am ashamed of my foolish words." 
 
 " And your ideal woman? " I persisted. 
 
 " Lady Katharine," said the man, " I never 
 thought to see her, to look upon her as I do now. 
 I never thought ..." 
 
 He came closer to me; he caught me in his 
 arms. Was I too tired or disinclined to struggle, 
 I wonder? At any rate, he was not to be denied 
 in his purpose. 
 
 " I never thought," he went on, " thus to hold 
 her in my arms. I never expected thus to kiss 
 her lips."
 
 His Majesty's Mercy 189 
 
 He suited his action to his words. And I 
 what was the matter with me? I resisted not; I 
 lay there trembling, thrilling his own ! 
 
 " I am a prisoner," I said at last when he gave 
 me breath and space to talk, although still he held 
 me close, and still my arms clung about his neck. 
 " I can be nothing to you except. . . ." 
 
 " I would tear down the castle stone by stone, 
 hurl the King from his throne itself, but I would 
 have you now," said my soldier. 
 
 Neither of us had noticed that the door at the 
 back of the room had opened. It was Sir Alexan- 
 der Forfair's dry and caustic voice which broke 
 upon our passion. 
 
 "Still talking treason, Sir Hugh?" he said, 
 shaking his finger. " But we will overlook it this 
 time. We have not heard a word. Hey, Gen- 
 eral Ramesay? " 
 
 " I am as deaf as the walls, your lordship," 
 replied the soldier. 
 
 Sir Hugh and I parted in great confusion. At 
 that moment my eye fell upon the tall figure of my 
 father, white-haired, bent and broken from his 
 long confinement. In a moment I was in his arms, 
 the others standing aside respectfully to let us 
 come together. As I hung upon my father, as he
 
 190 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 kissed me, fondled me, and blessed me, it was Sir 
 Hugh's voice which interrupted us. 
 
 " Sir," said he to General Ramesay, " is that the 
 Earl of Clanranald ? " 
 
 " The same," said the General. 
 
 " By your leave, sir," continued the young 
 soldier stepping forward, " I am Sir Hugh Rich- 
 mond of Surrey, until recently an officer in the 
 King's .Guards, now a disgraced soldier, and if I 
 understand your daughter aright, sentenced to 
 exile like yourself. I am not without friends upon 
 the continent, especially in Holland whither I pro- 
 pose to retire, and whither I should be glad, if your 
 plans permit, to have you accompany me. Nor 
 am I absolutely penniless, for I have certain moneys 
 at interest in that country which are at your service. 
 For the rest, I love your daughter; I would fain 
 make her my wife. May I have your consent to 
 our union, my lord? " 
 
 At this Sir Alexander and the General looked at 
 each other and smiled again. 
 
 " I know naught of you, sir," replied the old 
 Earl courteously. " You seem a gallant gentle- 
 man." He hesitated. " I am old, friendless, alone. 
 This is the last of my ancient race. What saith my 
 daughter? "
 
 His Majesty's Mercy 191 
 
 Thus adjured I spoke up bravely. 
 
 " If it pleases you, sir, to give your consent, I 
 shall be very happy," I answered. " Had it not 
 been for Sir Hugh's kindness to me, I had not suc- 
 ceeded in procuring your freedom. You know the 
 story?" 
 
 " Master Dunner hath told me. And you wish 
 to marry this gentleman?" 
 
 44 'Tis the dearest wish of my heart," I said 
 with growing courage and resolution. 
 
 " It is also evidently," interposed Sir Alexander 
 Forfair, " the dearest wish of His Majesty the 
 King's heart as well." 
 
 He lifted a paper as he spoke, which I imme- 
 diately recognised. 
 
 44 My punishment ! " I exclaimed in amaze- 
 ment. 
 
 " 'Tis indeed a heavy one." 
 
 44 Imprisonment for life," I broke out. 
 
 44 Even so, madam, but in the custody of Sir 
 Hugh Richmond, who will give bond, a marriage 
 bond, forthwith to safeguard the prisoner." 
 
 44 With all I have, or hope to have," answered 
 the delighted soldier. 
 
 And this time before them all once more he took 
 me in his arms.
 
 192 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 Outside in the corridor, a priest, the chaplain of 
 the garrison, waited, and there before them all, clad 
 as I was, I placed my hand in that of my soldier, 
 and we were made man and wife. 
 
 The brief ceremony was soon over. There was 
 little time for delay; we had but four days in which 
 to leave Scotland, yet the others considerately with- 
 drew, leaving me alone with my husband for a mo- 
 ment. The door was open and there was none to 
 bar our going when we chose. The footfalls of 
 my father, who was the last to go, had scarce died 
 away in the passage when my husband took me 
 once more in his arms. 
 
 " I feel," said I, " as if I had won you at the 
 pistol's point." 
 
 " My lad," said he, laughing, " as I told thee 
 before, I am glad to have thee in my company and 
 under my command." 
 
 " You shall find me," said I, " a faithful com- 
 rade, a dutiful and obedient ..." I paused . . . 
 " soldier," I managed to say before he clasped me 
 close again.
 
 BOOK II 
 THE KEEPING OF A WIFE 
 
 As described by the Gentleman who did it, 
 
 with an incidental Digression by 
 
 the Lady herself
 
 Chapter 
 XII 
 
 In which /, Sir Hugh Richmond, who tell this Tale, 
 find that it is easier to marry Lady Katharine 
 Clanranald than to keep her for my own 
 
 BEING a soldier and a veteran of many an 
 out-fall and on-fall, of frequent battle and 
 stubborn leaguer, I know that to get and 
 to keep are two entirely different operations. To 
 have and to hold, which go together in the phrase, 
 are not always associated in life, especially in a 
 soldier's life. 
 
 Through a series of the most romantic adven- 
 tures and perils, which she herself most gallantly, 
 with some slight assistance from me, had over- 
 come, I had got myself a wife; but as I stood on 
 the low bluff near Cockenzie that afternoon and 
 watched her being borne away, swiftly away from 
 me, by a small boat to a smart brigantine hove to 
 in the offing, it seemed to me that I had won her 
 but to lose her. 
 
 Enlarged from prison by her woman's wit and 
 married that very morning, I had counted myself 
 
 195
 
 196 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 the happiest of men; now I was the most misera- 
 ble. Exiled by the King, my estates confiscate, 
 broke in rank these i couid have borne. But to 
 find my wife torn from me by force of arms, my- 
 self regarded with sudden hatred and suspicion 
 by those by whom I was surrounded, surely I 
 might have been forgiven if I had fallen into utter 
 despair. 
 
 But I was a soldier, I had bided the shock in 
 many a stricken field, and I knew that the battle 
 was not lost or won whiles I, or the enemy, could 
 keep that field. Therefore I did not despair; on 
 the contrary, I was white hot with growing rage. 
 
 The Majesty of England was a large thing. 
 I was but a poor soldier, an outlaw and an exile, 
 a proscribed man, a death sentence hanging over 
 my head if I were found within the confines of the 
 three kingdoms within four days. So far so good, 
 no worse sentence could be passed upon me. If I 
 failed, I would liefer die than not without Lady 
 Katharine Clanranald this morning by the grace 
 of God become Lady Katharine Richmond, and 
 my wife. Losing her, I did not care what hap- 
 pened to me. 
 
 I was a tried and veteran soldier, a seasoned 
 man of the world, yet the passion that I had sc
 
 Easier to Marry than to Keep 197 
 
 suddenly developed for this splendid woman might 
 have amazed even me, had I been capable of con- 
 sidering it from any point of detachment. I had 
 met with many women in my life, some good and 
 some bad, the latter, I am afraid, predominating; 
 and I had been drawn in touch with all classes from 
 the peasant to the great dame of the court, but 
 I had never seen anybody who united in her own 
 proper person so many, or I believe I may say all, 
 of the qualities I loved in woman as Katharine 
 Clanranald. Not only her beauty, which was in- 
 comparable and unsurpassable, but her wit, her 
 bravery, her address, her but the reader who has 
 read her story, even though she so modestly told it 
 herself, knoweth all this as well as I. Do you 
 wonder that I felt reckless, friend, who read this 
 rougher and blunter chronicle of mine, or that I 
 came to instant and desperate resolution there on 
 the shore ? 
 
 The King basely, treacherously, but perhaps as 
 monarchs went in those days, not unroyally, had 
 taken my wife; I would take her back, I swore. I 
 would pluck that coward fox from his very throne 
 and, if I found a hair of her head had been in- 
 jured, his life should pay for it, if I were to be 
 hung, drawn, and quartered the next moment. I
 
 198 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 took a solemn oath to it by the Living God, as I 
 stood there on the bluff. 
 
 It all happened this way. We were married 
 in the morning, there was naught to keep us in 
 Scotland, where Master Dunner a gentleman, 
 truly, even if an advocate with Master Abadie's 
 assistance, to whom I was much indebted, foresee- 
 ing the turn of affairs, had everything in readiness, 
 every resource that the Earl could reasonably come 
 at instantly available. 
 
 The quicker we escaped from the reach of so 
 uncertain a monarch as James II., the better. All 
 men knew him well enough, but I knew him best 
 of all, for I had served long in his Guards, so we 
 planned instant departure. 
 
 By good fortune we found a stout ship was sail- 
 ing from Cockenzie for the Low Countries that 
 very night. It was necessary to ride thither to 
 take passage upon her. Master Dunner cast his 
 fortunes in with those of his patron and kinsman, 
 the Earl, and had elected to go with us. As we 
 were proscribed people and found not many clam- 
 ouring for service with us, we chose to go as we 
 were, without servants or further tendance than 
 what we ourselves could easily furnish each to the 
 other.
 
 Easier to Marry than to Keep 199 
 
 My wife laughingly pointed out that I could ap- 
 propriately play lady's-maid to her since she had 
 played soldier laddie to me, and though my blunt 
 fingers were better fitted to pistol butt and sword 
 grip, I had no doubt that I could pass a lashing 
 for her stays or join together a hook and eye, if 
 main strength and determination and good will 
 were necessary qualifications. 
 
 You have seen my lady dressed as a boy before, 
 and you might have seen her wearing her brother's 
 clothes again that day for better convenience in 
 riding and travelling. I do not know whether I 
 like her better in her proper woman's gear or in 
 men's to tell the truth she is adorable in either 
 but I had such sweet associations with the latter, 
 she was more comrade and not less wife as she 
 bestrode her horse gallantly booted and spurred and 
 cantered by my side, that I was more than satisfied 
 with her election. Never hoped I to find both com- 
 rade and wife in one woman. 
 
 I doubt not I behaved like a foolish boy. Anon 
 I trolled out a stave of soldier song. In the lone- 
 somer parts of the road I clapped her on the 
 shoulder when I had a chance, as if she had been 
 a boy; yet I recognised such colour as no boy ever 
 sported come and go in her cheek under my touch
 
 2OO Hearts and the Highway 
 
 as I drew her to me and kissed her as no boy was 
 ever kissed. 
 
 I vow, if it had given her pleasure, I would 
 have got down in the road and let her ride over 
 me. She bewitched me, she possessed me, she 
 does still for that matter, I am more fond and 
 foolish now than ever. I can master with ease my 
 turbulent regiment of soldiers of fortune with 
 which we were getting ready for a great adventure 
 toward England under Dutch William, but in truth 
 she wound me around her finger then and ever. 
 
 Did the men of my command but know it I 
 should have been disgraced forever, and it is only 
 of her charity that she confines her sweet domi- 
 nance over me to our lodgings, in the quiet of our 
 chamber rather than in camp and court and field. 
 I grow garrulous as an old woman when I think 
 of her. 
 
 Now I know full well that a soldier should ever 
 be on the alert, but I was as unsuspicious on that 
 mid-day as any man that lived. Monmouth's re- 
 bellion had been stamped out with such thorough- 
 going ferocity by that brute Jeffreys, that there 
 was not even a whisper of disappointment heard; 
 not one, not even among Scotsmen. Nor were 
 there any gentlemen of the highway to be feared,
 
 Easier to Marry than to Keep 201 
 
 and if there were we were all armed, and Katha- 
 rine was as good as a fourth man. 
 
 We rode carelessly therefore, she and I in the ad- 
 vance, sometimes galloping ahead until screened 
 behind a turn of the road or a clump of trees for 
 an exchange of kisses unseen by the Earl and Mas- 
 ter Dunner who jogged on behind sedately. We 
 were approaching the outskirts of Cockenzie vil- 
 lage when the road suddenly swerved around a 
 thick woodland toward the bluff overlooking the 
 sea, where I marked a small brigantine in the of- 
 fing and pointed it out idly enough to my Lady 
 Katharine. 
 
 "Will that be our ship, Hugh?" asked my 
 wife, following my hand with her eyes. 
 
 " No, Kate, I think not," I replied after a care- 
 less glance. " 'Tis too small a boat for such 
 happiness as is ours, Sweet." 
 
 I had scarcely said the word when from out the 
 wood which we were nearly approaching the road 
 running along the very verge of the low bluff that 
 lifted it above the high tide burst a score or more 
 of men on foot. They were led by a person richly 
 dressed whose features were covered with a black 
 visard. 
 
 I had barely time to whisk out my sword
 
 2O2 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 and they were on us. One fellow bolder than the 
 rest I had spitted with the blade, but it was jerked 
 out of my hands. The next moment I was con- 
 fronted by half a dozen heavy pistols, and the 
 leader, he of the mask, cried : 
 
 " Yield you, Sir Hugh. A motion and we blow 
 you from the saddle." 
 
 I might not have hesitated to take the risk, al- 
 though it would have probably ended in my sud- 
 den death, had I not observed that the others of 
 my party were alike menaced. I had fronted cold 
 steel and had looked into the open mouth of musket 
 and pistol, ay and of cannon, too, many times, 
 but it gave me a thrill of horror to see my wife so 
 threatened. I did not realise that she stood in no 
 danger, or I might have acted differently. I made 
 up my mind quickly, as a soldier needs must, and I 
 said with a coolness I did not feel on account of 
 my dear wife: 
 
 " Your arguments are too strong for me, gen- 
 tlemen. I suppose you have come for plunder; my 
 purse is in my pocket, you'll find there is little 
 enough in it, we are exiles proscribed by King 
 James, and ..." 
 
 " I don't want your purse, Sir Hugh Richmond," 
 interposed the spokesman, drawing nearer to me.
 
 Easier to Marry than to Keep 203 
 
 He stopped close by my side, and by a sudden im- 
 pulse, for which I have ever been glad, before he 
 could prevent it I reached over and twitched from 
 his face with one quick movement of my hand the 
 black mask that hid it. I recognised the man 
 instantly. 
 
 "Stenwold!" I cried. "What does this 
 mean? " 
 
 He was furiously angry at being discovered 
 and showed it now. 
 
 " By Heaven ! " he roared, " I could have you 
 shot for that." 
 
 " And since when," I sneered, " has Lord 
 Stenwold addressed himself to the cut-purse trade 
 upon the King's Highway ? " 
 
 Now I knew in an instant that my aggravating 
 accusation was a false one; as in a flash I had di- 
 vined the whole situation. Lord Stenwold was 
 King James' most intimate friend, a man who 
 would stop at nothing, honourable or dishonoura- 
 ble, to further His Majesty's desires. And I knew 
 that King James, probably aided and abetted 
 thereto by that arch-devil Jeffreys' counsel, had re- 
 pented him of his clemency and that he wanted 
 to gain possession of my wife, for what purpose 
 I could well imagine.
 
 204 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 I went white hot with wrath as these thoughts 
 rushed over me. For a moment I had the baresark 
 impulse to throw myself upon Stenwold and his 
 gang and die fighting, and it was hard for me to 
 restrain that impulse ; yet it would have been mad- 
 ness, suicide, and it would have served no purpose, 
 for it would have thrown Lady Katharine de- 
 fenceless and without resource into the hands of 
 the enemy. So, although my blood boiled in my 
 veins, I retained an impassive front. Stenwold 
 laughed mockingly. 
 
 " You play the game well," he said meaningly, 
 " I didn't know you were so good an actor. I was 
 charged to keep our agreement a secret from the 
 lady here, but I see no need of it now. Tjie King 
 loyally and royally does as he said, here is your 
 thousand pounds in gold." He laid a bulky purse 
 across my saddle bow. " We take the lady, you 
 the money, the King's pardon covers you for three 
 days more, but if you be found in his realm there- 
 after God help you." 
 
 " Hugh," cried my wife, " what does this 
 mean? " 
 
 " Hoity-toity," ran on that devil Stenwold, " my 
 lady, you know very well what it means: it was 
 all arranged between King James and yourself be-
 
 Easier to Marry than to Keep 205 
 
 fore you left Durham; I had His Majesty's word 
 for it." 
 
 "Liar! " cried Lady Katharine viciously. 
 
 She was free enough of speech when the situa- 
 tion warranted it. 
 
 " You dog! " cried the Earl of Clanranald, lean- 
 ing forward. " Do you mean to imply that my 
 daughter " 
 
 " The King's word " 
 
 " Out upon the King's word. I wish to God, 
 Monmouth " 
 
 " Have a care, Lord Clanranald," interposed 
 Stenwold darkly. " Your pardon I take it covers 
 acts of the past, there is nothing to prevent me 
 from re-arresting you and laying charges of high 
 treason against you once more for abusing His 
 Majesty's clemency." 
 
 " Damn his clemency and His Majesty too," 
 roared the Earl, struggling to force his horse 
 nearer the other. " If you are a gentleman, draw 
 sword. I am old but I will prove you lie in your 
 own heart's blood." 
 
 " I am not here to fight duels with men old 
 enough to be my grandfather," answered Sten- 
 wold, coolly enough. 
 
 " With me then," I burst out.
 
 206 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 The rogue answered me jeeringly again. He 
 had the whip hand and he knew it. 
 
 " What benefit would it be if I spitted you or 
 you spitted me on the road here? Besides it is 
 all part of the game, as you know." 
 
 " You lie, in your soul," I cried, for the mo- 
 ment wrath getting the better of me, but Stenwold 
 only laughed again that irritating, maddening 
 laugh. God, how I itched to get my hand on his 
 lying throat and shake the wretched pander to 
 death. 
 
 " We have had enough of this," he said, turning 
 away from me indifferently. " My lady, will you 
 come peaceably or " 
 
 " Hugh," cried Lady Katharine, bending to- 
 ward me in wild terror, " you won't let them take 
 me away from you?" 
 
 " Why, he hath sold you," said Stenwold. " The 
 price hangs on his saddle bow. Come, I have no 
 time for further parley." 
 
 Now what was I to do? Before God if I had 
 let go of myself for a single moment I would have 
 thrown myself upon him, yet I could have effected 
 nothing; there were only four of us and one of 
 us a woman, and they were a score and a half. 
 If I had killed one or a dozen of them, what re-
 
 Easier to Marry than to Keep 207 
 
 mained would have sufficed to carry out their pur- 
 pose, and then what would be done with my wife? 
 
 In all that broad realm there was only one man 
 who could succour her myself ! Was I to throw 
 myself away uselessly and force her to shift for 
 herself? Nay, I must bide my time; I must con- 
 tain myself for her sake. Therefore, although to 
 see her manhandled and ruthlessly dragged from 
 her horse, torn from her saddle, almost killed me, 
 I sat immobile on my own steed. 
 
 " Don't hurt her," said Stenwold, never looking 
 my way, as if I was not worth further considera- 
 tion. " We must deliver her in good condition to 
 the King." 
 
 Katharine made a hard struggle, she was a 
 strong, brave woman, but what chance had she? 
 She looked at me appealingly, she called my name 
 again and again, but I made no response. Pres- 
 ently realising the absolute futility of it, she 
 stopped and stood shuddering on the road. Sten- 
 wold's bullies closed about her and forced her to 
 where a small boat lay concealed beneath the bluff. 
 Ere she descended she turned and gave me one look 
 in which love and contempt struggled for the pre- 
 dominance. I dare say that I made a sorry figure, 
 sitting my horse there on the strand with King
 
 208 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 James' guineas hanging across my saddle bow, un- 
 able to hold the wife who had risked so much 
 for me. 
 
 " Good-by, Richmond," Stenwold called out 
 quite airily as the boat, a large one capable of tak- 
 ing them all in, shoved off. " Any message for 
 the King?" 
 
 " Thank his gracious Majesty," cried I bitterly, 
 " for his royal conduct toward me and mine, and 
 say to him that I hope to requite him to the full 
 for all that he hath done."
 
 Chapter 
 XIII 
 
 Wherein I set down in due Course the Resolution 
 to which I came, which boded ill to the King, 
 as I rode southward 
 
 MY poor wife did not look at me as the 
 boat rapidly drew away from the shore; 
 she sat helpless in the stern sheets, her 
 face buried in her hands. I shuddered to think of 
 the light in which she and the rest must have re- 
 garded me then. I had personal and unequivocal 
 evidence of it immediately, for I found myself 
 tapped on the shoulder. The old Earl of Clan- 
 ranald had advanced threateningly toward me. 
 
 "You English coward!" he cried. "Was it 
 for this you married my daughter, who risked her 
 life and honour for you and me ? We should have 
 known better than to have trusted any one who 
 had ever been for a moment associated with James 
 Stewart." 
 
 " And do you believe this monstrous lie, Lord 
 Clanranald?" 
 
 " Believe it? Can I not see and hear? Draw, 
 209
 
 2io Hearts and the Highway 
 
 sir, if you have a spark of courage left, or I shall 
 run you through where you stand ! " 
 
 " I cannot fight with you," I said; " you are her 
 father." 
 
 " The more reason." 
 
 Indeed, I felt the prick of his sword at my 
 throat. I found I had to do something or be cut 
 down. 
 
 " Draw quickly or I will shoot you from your 
 saddle, you villain ! " cried Master Dunner, at that 
 time interposing and presenting a huge old horse- 
 pistol. 
 
 There was nothing left for me. In a twinkling, 
 my blade was in my hand. It had been restored to 
 me by one of Stenwold's men ere they departed. 
 As it gritted against my lord's steel, something of 
 my self-control came back to me. He had been no 
 mean fencer in his younger days, he could have 
 matched any man in the three kingdoms doubtless, 
 but now he was old, he had been some time 
 in prison and was certainly out of practice. His 
 force and fire were soon spent, I was his master, 
 yet he never blenched, although he knew it as soon 
 and as well as I. 
 
 " I tremble," he said grimly, " from physical 
 weakness, not from fear. 1 '
 
 A Bad Outlook for the King 211 
 
 " That I know," I answered. 
 
 " Finish then; you have sold the daughter; spare 
 not the father ! " 
 
 " My lord," said I, as by a sudden trick of 
 fence I twisted his sword from his hands and flung 
 it to the ground, " you wrong me. I neither con- 
 nived at the abduction of my wife, nor will I re- 
 quite your quite natural suspicion with what it 
 merits." 
 
 " Now is it in my mind," cried Master Dun- 
 ner, seeing his patron's discomfiture and peril, " to 
 pull the trigger of my pistol." 
 
 " Do it and kill me if you will, but know that 
 to do so is to destroy the only possible hope of 
 rescue for the woman we all love," I returned 
 quietly, determined to have this all over without 
 more delay and put our affairs on a proper basis 
 immediately. 
 
 " What do you mean? " asked Master Dunner, 
 pistol-muzzle wavering downward. 
 
 " Think for a moment. I love your daughter, 
 Lord Clanranald; I perilled my life and honour 
 for her. I was attainted of treason and death had 
 been my portion for her. I have had no com- 
 munication with King James, save through your 
 daughter. Could I, could any one, have foreseen
 
 212 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 the course of events that brought me to the Tol- 
 booth and what hath happened since? It is ab- 
 surd, sir, on its face. I wonder that you do not 
 see it." 
 
 " But Lord Stenwold? " asked Master Dunner, 
 somewhat shaken by my reasoning. 
 
 " Stenwold is a devil," I persisted. " Did not 
 you see that he tried to convince me that Lady 
 Katharine had made an agreement with the 
 King?" 
 
 " My life on her truth and honour! " cried the 
 Earl. 
 
 " Mine, too," said I quickly. " I would believe 
 her innocent in the face of twenty kings, backed 
 by as many Stenwolds." 
 
 " But why did you sit so calmly by? " faltered 
 the bewildered old man. 
 
 "What could I have done? The four of us 
 together might have cut down or disposed of a 
 dozen men out of the thirty; the rest would have 
 worked their will; there would have been no one 
 left to save her." I gritted my teeth as I spoke: 
 " I will rescue her, or avenge her. We alone in 
 the three kingdoms are able to help her. Do you 
 think that I intend to sit calmly by and let her 
 fall into the arms of the King? It was a part of
 
 A Bad Outlook for the King 213 
 
 the plan to discredit me in the mind of my wife, 
 to make it easier for him to overcome her 
 resistance." 
 
 " But you took the money." 
 " Certainly; why not? We shall have need of 
 all of it and more mayhap. We'll fight the King 
 with his own coin." 
 
 " What mean you to do? " 
 " When my wife is brought before the King, 
 I mean to be there." 
 "But how?" 
 
 " I don't know ; I shall accomplish it in some 
 way; I saved my own life but to lay it down again 
 for her. God help the King when he comes under 
 my hand ! " 
 
 " My lad," said the Earl, at last convinced, " I 
 did, indeed, misjudge you. Forgive me. My 
 hand." 
 
 " And mine too, sir," said Master Dunner, " if 
 in truth you will honour me." 
 
 I grasped them both eagerly, saying: 
 "We waste time, gentlemen; we must be 
 doing." 
 
 " What plans have you? " 
 " I ride south to-night; the King was at Dur- 
 ham; its nearest port is Sunderland. That ship
 
 214 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 will take her there; at least, I think so. If I could 
 only have some assurance ..." 
 
 At that juncture I caught sight of a figure mov- 
 ing in the trees; instantly my pistol was out of its 
 holster and levelled in that direction. 
 
 " Hands up," I cried, " or you shall be shot 
 down!" 
 
 " I have no fear of your weapon, sir soldier," 
 came from the coppice, " but, because I can ren- 
 der you service, I . . . " 
 
 " Come forth," said I, as a sturdy Scotsman 
 stepped out upon the road and saluted me. 
 
 " Those men raided my little farm, yonder, be- 
 fore you came; they rudely kissed my wife by 
 force; they killed my chickens, milked my cows, 
 and destroyed my garden. Afterwards they talked 
 freely enough. I know the whole plan, and would 
 have got to you and warned you of it had they 
 not kept me in close ward. They are to take the 
 lady to King James at Sunderland, or Monkwear- 
 mouth." 
 
 " You hear, my lord ! " I cried to the Earl 
 triumphantly. 
 
 I opened the King's purse, got out some of the 
 King's guineas, and passed them over to the faith- 
 ful man.
 
 A Bad Outlook for the King 215 
 
 " Here's for you," said I. 
 
 " That will pay for the chickens and the milk 
 and the other things, except the kiss and the in- 
 sults to my wife." 
 
 " And who took them? " I asked. 
 
 " The man in the lead." 
 
 " I shall add your score to mine, my friend, and, 
 rest assured, he shall pay high for both. Tell your 
 woman so." 
 
 " I'd rather assist in the paying myself, your 
 honour," said the Scotsman. " You see, sir, I am 
 an old soldier and have been to the wars; I can 
 wield a heavy claymore still; my ancestors have 
 fought alongside Lord Clanranald's; if you wish 
 me, I will go with you." 
 
 I looked at the man thoughtfully. He was a 
 stoutly-built knave, of medium age, with a de- 
 pendable honest look out of his eyes that promised 
 well. 
 
 " Have you a weapon? " 
 
 " I have at the farm." 
 
 " Get it, then." 
 
 "But my wife?" 
 
 " Have you any children? " I asked. 
 
 " None; we were married a few weeks since," he 
 answered, smiling.
 
 216 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " Bring her along if she will come," I answered, 
 " and make haste." 
 
 He saluted, turned, and ran back through the 
 trees. 
 
 " Surely you are not going to encumber yourself 
 with a woman in this desperate venture?" pro- 
 tested Lord Clanranald. 
 
 " First hear my plan. With some of this money 
 you, sir, are to get a ship; buy it, charter it, steal 
 it if necessary. You will find what you want in 
 Leith, doubtless. You can also enlist a half-dozen 
 sturdy Scotsmen who can be depended upon, and 
 you will make the best speed you can to Sunderland 
 Harbour and wait there for me. If I do not bring 
 Lady Katharine off to you, it will be because I am 
 a dead man." 
 
 " We shall do as you say without fail," said 
 the Earl. " Ours is the easier part, but how will 
 you recognise us?" 
 
 " We must arrange upon some signal," I an- 
 swered, reflecting. 
 
 " I have it," said the Earl. " We'll paint upon 
 the mainsail my device, a bleeding heart pierced 
 by a long sword." 
 
 "Excellent; but if it should be night?" I 
 queried.
 
 A Bad Outlook for the King 217 
 
 " Three lanterns set as a triangle a red one at 
 the top, the others white." 
 
 " Admirably devised." 
 
 "But the woman, gentlemen?" said Master 
 Dunner. 
 
 " Lady Katharine might need the assistance and 
 companionship of a female in a ship full of men; 
 she shall go with you, and the man I will take 
 with me. 
 
 " Would that I could go with you instead," said 
 Lord Clanranald. 
 
 " Nay, my lord, you have not the physical 
 strength to ride as fast or as far as I." 
 
 " My wife, your honour! " cried the man who 
 had given us such valuable information, now com- 
 ing back to the road, while following close behind 
 him tramped a young and pretty country wench, 
 tearful and excited. 
 
 " I am Sir Hugh Richmond," I began, inclining 
 my head politely toward her as I spoke. I have 
 ever believed in treating women with courtesy, 
 whatever their rank. " My wife hath been ab- 
 ducted by King James; the man who insulted you 
 has taken her to him, and I ride forward to take 
 her from his hands and to avenge the insult that 
 hath been put upon us. The Earl of Clanranald
 
 2i 8 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 here is to take ship at Leith and meet us at Sun- 
 derland, where King James awaits my wife. You, 
 dame, will go with him. What is your name, 
 friend?" 
 
 " Macleod, sir," he answered, " and this is 
 Alison, my wife." 
 
 " Lady Katharine's horse is yonder; he is some- 
 thing light for you, but he will carry you well, I 
 have no doubt. Now let us be about our business 
 quickly." 
 
 " I shall be off Sunderland before you come," 
 said the Earl. " I'll follow hard on the heels of 
 yonder vessel." 
 
 " And I shall board you with your daughter and 
 my wife, or you will know that I am a dead man 
 and she is past saving." 
 
 . " In that event, King James shall still reckon with 
 me," said the Earl resolutely. " Good-bye, lad, 
 and God bless you. Mistress Alison, Master Dun- 
 ner will take you up behind him. I will gallop on 
 ahead." 
 
 " Good-bye, good friends all," I answered, sa- 
 luting them. 
 
 "May God give us success ! " responded the gal- 
 lant old nobleman, lifting his plaided bonnet in 
 return.
 
 A Bad Outlook for the King 219 
 
 He turned away, followed presently by Master 
 Dunner, with Mrs. Alison riding on the croup. 
 I sat my horse a moment and stared out to sea at 
 the little boat bearing my wife away; then I turned, 
 clapped my hat more firmly on my head, gathered 
 the reins more tightly, and looked at my new friend 
 with his long sword. 
 
 " Come," said I. 
 
 " And God help that man if he falls in my 
 hands," he said. 
 
 " And God help the King if he falls in mine," I 
 replied, cantering off to the south.
 
 Chapter 
 XIV 
 
 Wherein, by the Grace of God, our own Deter- 
 mination, and the Speed of our good Horses, 
 we reach M onkwearmouth in Time 
 
 I DO not believe that any two men ever pushed 
 horse-flesh to a greater extremity than did Mac- 
 leod and I on that journey south. I am reputed 
 to be a cool man, and it would be idle to deny that, 
 having been rather severely tested a great many 
 times in the course of my life, I had earned the 
 reputation, especially as more than once that life 
 had depended on my skill with my sword or my 
 quickness with my pistol. Accordingly, I fancied 
 myself as well able to preserve my equanimity in 
 times of stress and strain as any man in England, 
 but I declare that I never was so thoroughly 
 aroused and excited in my life. Our horses were 
 in a constant lather of sweat and foam, but the 
 journey was just as hard on the riders as upon the 
 ridden. 
 
 Macleod was a grim old soldier, and he seemed 
 to catch some of my determination. Lady Katha- 
 
 220
 
 The Noble Use of the King's Gold 221 
 
 rine's horse had been a good one, else he would 
 have foundered long since, and he kept pace with 
 my spirited bay, which had carried me often in the 
 wars and whose mettle and endurance I knew by 
 heart. It hurt me somewhat to push the horses the 
 way we did, but I was playing for greater stakes 
 than were to be measured by one horse's life, or 
 many for that matter. I had to get to Sunderland 
 before, or at least by the time, my wife arrived 
 there by sea. 
 
 Going by land, naturally I should have out- 
 speeded the ship easily had luck not been so curs- 
 edly against me. In the first place, it had rained, 
 some of the roads were almost impassable, and 
 some of the bridges were washed out. We pushed 
 on frantically, scarcely allowing ourselves time to 
 eat, snatching a few moments' rest here and there, 
 more to breathe the horses than to sleep. 
 
 It was, therefore, three days and a half after 
 our departure that we staggered into Monkwear- 
 mouth, and drew rein before the Boar's Head Inn, 
 hard by old Saint Peter's Church. I was familiar 
 with the village and the town of Sunderland across 
 the river, where in all probability we should find 
 the King. Before I was promoted to the Royal 
 Guards, I had been in garrison at Sunderland
 
 222 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 Castle. This knowledge would stand me in good 
 stead. I am a man who remembers those things, 
 and I was glad that King James had elected to 
 meet his pander at Sunderland. Of course I run 
 some risk of being recognised there, but it had 
 been half a score of years since I had visited the 
 town and I had little to fear from that chance; 
 little or much, however, that risk of such recognition 
 had to be run. 
 
 It was close on to noon when we reached the 
 Inn. Requesting food and a good rub-down for 
 our tired horses, which Macleod was to look to, 
 and ordering dinner to be served in a private room 
 and to be ready within an hour, I made my way to 
 the waterside. I had carefully fixed in my mind 
 the lines of the brigantine which had carried away 
 my wife, and I was concerned with anxiety to see 
 if she were in the river yet. 
 
 There were a number of ships on both sides 
 of the river: some tied up at the wharves and 
 quays, others anchored in mid-stream. Not one 
 of them was the vessel for which I looked. I was 
 most careful in my scrutiny, and I could swear 
 that I was right. This gave me great relief and 
 satisfaction; I was in time. 
 
 Indeed, in spite of our delay, we had pressed
 
 The Noble Use of the King's Gold 223 
 
 on so furiously that it was most probable that 
 we had arrived a little ahead of them, for out at 
 sea I discerned several specks that might be ships, 
 one of them possibly the brigantine carrying my 
 wife. The tide, however, was beginning to ebb, 
 and it would be five or six o'clock at least before 
 they could beat up against the off-shore breeze 
 and anchor abreast the town. 
 
 Mightily comforted by my observations, I sud- 
 denly bethought me to make my assurance double 
 sure as Master Shakespeare saith for I re- 
 paired to the office of the harbour-master and de- 
 manded speech with that functionary. I was still 
 wearing my guardsman's uniform. I intended 
 to change it for a more sober and less distinctive 
 garment at the first opportunity, but I was glad 
 now that I had not yet done so, for it won me 
 instant respect and prompt answer from the old sea- 
 dog who had charge of the water-front and the 
 shipping. I threw prudence to the wind and ques- 
 tioned him freely. 
 
 " Hath Lord Stenwold and a party from Scot- 
 land arrived with a prisoner for the King? 'Tis 
 an affair of State which, of course, you will not 
 mention." 
 
 " Not yet, your honour," answered the man,
 
 224 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " but I expect them in with every tide; their vessel 
 is in the offing now, I believe." 
 
 " And how long do you think it will be before 
 they make a landing? " 
 
 " With wind and tide against them, sir," he 
 answered, squinting seaward down the river, 
 " 'twill be close on to seven o'clock before they 
 are abreast the castle." 
 
 I threw him a coin one of King James' ! for 
 his civility, whereat he thanked me profusely, 
 and, bidding him not to mention it to any one, I 
 wrapped my cloak around me and walked off 
 again. Whatever I was to do, must be done un- 
 der cover of the night. I was quite capable of 
 confronting the King in broad day, to kill him if 
 he had wronged a hair of my wife's head, but I 
 was there to save her rather than to avenge her, 
 and I did not propose to run any unnecessary or 
 foolish risks, not because of fear for my person, 
 but because I was bent on carrying out my plan 
 for her dear sake. 
 
 Therefore, I went calmly back to the Inn and 
 partook heartily of a most noble repast. The 
 landlord himself waited upon me, and when I 
 whispered that I was on the King's business, but 
 the matter was to be kept secret, seeing my uni-
 
 The Noble Use of the King's Gold 225 
 
 form as confirmation, he was vastly flattered and 
 promised ready compliance with any duty I might 
 lay upon him. I assured his silence and good faith 
 by a covert threat that His Majesty himself would 
 resent any discussion of my presence among the 
 gossips in the village. 
 
 In the course of conversation, I learned, to my 
 great satisfaction, that His Majesty had that day 
 chosen to lie at Stenwold House instead of Sun- 
 derland Castle. 
 
 This was an ancient seat belonging to my lord 
 of that name, which had been graciously put to 
 the disposal of this Royal Majesty, while its 
 owner did the King's evil errand. I learned more, 
 too : namely, that Jeffreys, he of the Bloody Assize, 
 was also in Sunderland, where he had been hold- 
 ing his outrageous court. The landlord charac- 
 terised him as : 
 
 " A royal good gentleman, your honour, fond 
 of wine and woman and gaming; hath been here 
 in this very hostelry of mine three nights 
 a-running." 
 
 I knew something of the loose habits of the 
 bloody villain, which, indeed, were no secret to 
 any one well informed as to the doings of the 
 court, and so far as I had formulated any plan I
 
 226 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 had counted upon this knowledge. For once For- 
 tune was playing in my hands. 
 
 " Think you he will be here to-night? " I asked, 
 disguising my eagerness by assumption of indif- 
 ference. 
 
 " Ay, 'tis more than likely he will be, your 
 honour." 
 
 " Very good," said I. " When he comes, ap- 
 prise me of the fact without mentioning it to him; 
 I would fain surprise my lord by the King's com- 
 mand! His Majesty loveth a jest and we have 
 set a pretty trap for the Lord Chief Justice. 'Tis 
 a wager, understand?" 
 
 " Certainly, your worship," answered the land- 
 lord, rising to the question like a gudgeon to the 
 baited hook as I slid a coin another of the King's 
 hoard! carelessly over the table to him. Like 
 all Englishmen, he was full of sporting blood and 
 dearly loved a bet. " I understand, your excel- 
 lency," he said as he pouched the guinea, which 
 also he dearly loved. " Trust me, sir." 
 
 " Now, another favour," I continued. " My 
 man, here, is from the north and is unfamiliar 
 with the shops of Sunderland; would you execute 
 a small commission for me? " 
 
 " With pleasure, your excellency."
 
 The Noble Use of the King's Gold 227 
 
 " We have ridden hard on the King's service 
 and have left our mails behind," which was true 
 enough, by the way, " I want a suit of apparel. 
 Canst get it for me among the shops of thy friends 
 in Sunderland? " 
 
 " I have a brother in the trade and all the gentry 
 of the county buy ..." 
 
 " Say no more," said I. " There are ten 
 guineas," again more of King James' ! " get me 
 the best you can, something quiet and unobtrusive, 
 rather suited for out-door use than for the court, 
 yet rich and elegant, such as a gentleman should 
 wear. You are about of my own build, although 
 somewhat stouter; what fits you will doubtless suf- 
 fice for me." 
 
 " The amount is ample for the purpose, your 
 excellency," said the landlord, taking the money; 
 " indeed, much more than ..." 
 
 ' Whatever is unexpended you may keep for 
 your trouble." 
 
 " Your excellency overwhelms me," returned 
 the delighted man. " They shall be here within 
 the hour. I am proud to be much of a size with 
 your honour." 
 
 * Very good," said I, " and, mind, no talk- 
 ing by order of the King."
 
 228 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " I shall be silence itself," returned he, turning 
 to do my errand. 
 
 The rain of golden guineas which I had pro- 
 duced so generously on every occasion was having 
 tremendous effect upon him. Only the very great 
 or the very noble could, in his mind, thus indiffer- 
 ently dispose of precious treasure. It was money 
 well spent, however, since it made him entirely 
 submissive to my will. 
 
 " Go now, then," said I, " for I am in some- 
 thing of a hurry." 
 
 The landlord instantly bowed himself out, and 
 I could hear him bustling about in the public 
 room, bawling for his coat and hat with vast im- 
 portance, while making ready to execute my com- 
 mission. 
 
 "What think you, Macleod?" said I, rising 
 from the table and bidding him take my place and 
 fall to on the ample remains of the meal; " is the 
 man true? " 
 
 He was a shrewd observer, this Scotsman, I 
 had found, and I wanted his judgment on this im- 
 portant point. 
 
 " A good deal depends upon this landlord," I 
 added. 
 
 " So long as you rain guineas upon him, you've
 
 The Noble Use of the King's Gold 229 
 
 got him body and soul, your honour," he answered 
 drily. 
 
 " Thanks to the King," laughed I, lifting the 
 still rather full purse, " the fountain has not yet 
 run dry." 
 
 We had divided it equally between Lord Clan- 
 ranald and myself ere we parted at Cockenzie, 
 and, though I had spent of my share freely, much 
 still remained. 
 
 " But it likes me ill," said Macleod covetously, 
 " to see such good gold lavished on such a 
 wastrel." 
 
 " There will be plenty for us all," said I, " can 
 I once win away with my wife." 
 
 " I care not how plenty they be, sir," was his 
 courteous answer, " a guinea's a guinea, whether 
 there be one or a thousand." 
 
 " Here's one for you then," said I, " since you 
 like them so well." 
 
 " I no meant my words for that," answered the 
 worthy Scotsman, " but I will e'en take the guinea 
 just the same." 
 
 " I am going to lie down now and get some 
 sleep, and I recommend you to do the same when 
 you have finished your meal. Leave word that I 
 am not to be disturbed, and, if I do not happen to
 
 230 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 be awake at five of the clock, you are to come and 
 
 rouse me." 
 
 " Very good, sir," replied my good attendant, 
 whom I had learned to trust; " I'll first take a look 
 at our horses and then I'll be blithe to follow your 
 honour's advice." 
 
 I left him finishing the remains of the meal and 
 withdrew to an inner chamber. Taking off my 
 coat, and kicking off my riding-boots, I threw my- 
 self on the bed, and for three hours I slept as 
 sound as ever I slept in my life. When I opened 
 my eyes my watch told me that it was now five 
 o'clock. I had taught myself the valuable habit 
 of awakening whenever I wanted to when on serv- 
 ice or in the field, and I had the practice down to 
 a nicety. I was very much refreshed from my eat- 
 ing and sleeping, and, after I had given myself a 
 fine wash in a tub that I caused to be brought 
 to me, I felt fit for anything, even to the bearding 
 of a king! 
 
 When I was ready for them, Macleod, who had 
 also been asleep, brought me the clothes the land- 
 lord had procured. It was a rich suit of dark 
 blue laced with silver, which fitted me well and 
 seemed not unbecoming, though I do look my best 
 in the noble scarlet of the Royal Guards, accord-
 
 The Noble Use of the King's Gold 231 
 
 ing to Kate, my wife. I put it on at once and, 
 finding it so satisfactory, I sent out another guinea 
 to the worthy Boniface, bidding him prepare sup- 
 per for us. We sat down to it at six o'clock. I 
 waived ceremony on this occasion, and Macleod, 
 w r ho modestly placed himself at the far end of the 
 table, ate with me. We both proved good trencher- 
 men. 
 
 I suppose it was near on to seven o'clock when 
 we finished. I had no idea where we might get 
 our next meal, and we were both of us old enough 
 soldiers to appreciate the prime importance of at- 
 tending well to the commissariat while we had 
 opportunity. 
 
 It was perhaps half-past seven when we trotted 
 away from the Inn yard, both of us wrapped in 
 long cloaks, with our hats pulled well down over 
 our faces and with our pistols carefully loaded and 
 primed in our belts. I did not intend to be caught 
 napping by the King at this time with empty 
 weapons, as I had been by my wife before. We 
 made our way to the river-bank, and followed the 
 road to the landing in the direction of Stenwold 
 House. 
 
 It was still light, and I observed a brigantine 
 slowly beating up the river. My heart leaped at
 
 232 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 the sight of her. I would know that ship in a 
 thousand. It was she. I raised my hand and 
 shook it toward her as she came slowly on. Sten- 
 wold and my wife would be aboard. I was in 
 good time, thank God! 
 
 For a moment I considered whether it would 
 be possible to ambush the party who would bring 
 Lady Katharine to the shore and sweep her away 
 from them as soon as they landed. But I reluc- 
 tantly abandoned that idea. We two could do 
 little with so many as they would be. We must 
 try strategy instead of force. I had devised a 
 better plan. 
 
 1 could not wait until the brigantine anchored, 
 not even to catch a glimpse of my Lady Katharine 
 as they landed. We trotted at a sharp pace back 
 to the Inn, where the landlord gave me further 
 interesting news: he advised me privately that 
 Lord Jeffreys had sent a messenger there to say 
 that he expected to pass the evening and the night 
 at the Inn, I had intended to summon him my- 
 self otherwise, he was coming incognito, and a 
 certain dame was to be notified to meet him. I 
 laughed. 
 
 " By the King's command, I'll be the only lady 
 that he'll see."
 
 The Noble Use of the King's Gold 233 
 
 " It will be a royal jest," said the landlord, 
 also greatly amused. 
 
 " His Majesty will be much pleased when he 
 hears of it," said I. 
 
 " I hope, sir, that the King may be pleasured, 
 indeed," said he. 
 
 " No doubt of it," I returned. 
 
 " And you will tell him, please your honour, 
 that I did my small part to your entire satisfac- 
 tion, sir? " 
 
 " I will see that your zeal is properly re- 
 warded." 
 
 "What must I do further?" asked the de- 
 lighted landlord. 
 
 " This," said I : " since his lordship is coming 
 on an errand of love," I paused; the landlord 
 nodded, " he will require a private room in 
 which to receive the person whom he expects to 
 meet. Do you contrive that I shall be there in her 
 place." 
 
 "And what then, sir?" 
 
 " Nothing then," said I, laying my finger by 
 the side of my nose. " I shall do all the rest. 
 My lord will require the room for the whole night 
 and must on no account be disturbed. The lady 
 must not be notified."
 
 234 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " You mean no harm to the King's Justice? 
 Forgive the question, your excellency," said the 
 landlord, rather anxiously. 
 
 " 'Twould be a hanging matter to meddle with 
 him, my good friend. Rest easy; his Majesty 
 loves his Chief Justice and would not have a hair 
 of his head harmed. Know you my Lord Jeff- 
 reys' seal? " 
 
 " I happen to know it, for he hath despatched 
 letters by me. I have seen it on all papers I take 
 from him, and his signet ring as well." 
 
 " Good ! This is a most secret business," said 
 I, " and, while you would doubtless be well re- 
 warded for your assistance, I would not answer 
 for your head should you betray me." I softened 
 this threat with another guinea King James' 
 again ! " The King is a royal paymaster," I 
 added knowingly. 
 
 " Everything, your excellency," said the land- 
 lord, now completely at my disposal, " shall be 
 exactly as you wish it." 
 
 " And I myself," I continued, " am not with- 
 out interest at the court. This night the King will 
 deny me nothing. I am sure you seem a man to 
 be trusted; there is a lady in the case, you 
 comprehend? "
 
 The Noble Use of the King's Gold 235 
 
 Of course he comprehended! 
 
 Presently I found myself in a very lofty and 
 spacious chamber, the best in the Inn. Adjoining 
 it was a smaller bedroom, whose one window 
 looked upon the deep and silent close of the 
 Cathedral, now deserted. The chamber was ad- 
 mirable for my purpose. In the bedroom I sta- 
 tioned Macleod. I had directed him to procure 
 a quantity of light yet strong rope, and by some 
 means, like the faithful fellow that he was, he had 
 managed to obey my rather difficult order: he had 
 the most of it wound about his person. There 
 were a number of candles burning in the great 
 apartment. I extinguished them all but one, and, 
 drawing back so as partly to be concealed by the 
 window, I loosened my sword in its sheath and 
 waited for the coming of Lord Jeffreys with what 
 patience I could muster but little, I will admit.
 
 Chapter 
 
 XV 
 
 Shows how the Lord Chief Justice of England 
 kept a Love Tryst and what befell him at the 
 Boar's Head Inn 
 
 IT seemed hours, although really but a few 
 minutes, before there came a discreet tap upon 
 the door. Before I had time to say a word, 
 it opened cautiously and the burly figure of a man 
 muffled in a long cloak entered the room. The 
 door was closed behind him. He took off his hat, 
 unbuttoned his coat, and dropped it carelessly in a 
 chair. 
 
 " 'Tis so dark in here, Doll," he began, in a 
 rough, hoarse voice, " that I couldn't see a blush 
 on your face, even if you could conjure up one." 
 He peered about him in the half-light uncertainly. 
 " Why so sparing of the candles? " he asked with 
 a coarse laugh. " Come, no tricks, you baggage; 
 where are ye? " 
 
 He looked about him a moment more, fortu- 
 nately not seeing me behind the hangings, and then 
 
 236
 
 The Love Tryst of the Chief Justice 237 
 
 strode boldly across the room and laid his hand on 
 the bed-chamber door. 
 
 "Art couched already, wench?" he chuckled 
 out. 
 
 As noiselessly as a cat, and with more swiftness 
 than he had exhibited, I had followed him and, as 
 his hand touched the door handle, I pricked him 
 on the shoulder with the point of my sword. He 
 wheeled around with a marvellous swiftness for 
 a man of his bulk and confronted me. He did not 
 yet recognise me in the dim light, but he saw 
 enough to know that it was the tall form of a 
 man in the room he expected to be welcomed to 
 by a woman. He opened his mouth, but, before 
 he could make a sound, I said: 
 
 " Unless you want me to run you through with 
 this blade, you will be absolutely silent, sir." 
 
 I never saw a more ridiculous spectacle than he 
 presented his mouth open, his fat face violently 
 flushed. Like most bullies not all this blood- 
 thirsty jurist God save the mark was an arrant 
 coward. He shrank back against the wall and 
 only stopped retreating when further escape was 
 impossible. 
 
 " Do you know what 'tis you are doing?" he 
 growled. " You are raising sword against the
 
 238 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 Lord Chief Justice of England; your life will 
 be forfeited, 'tis treason. I will have you hung, 
 drawn, quartered. Drop your blade instantly, 
 knave," he went on, gaining courage as he heard 
 his own voice. 
 
 " I would not hesitate to raise this blade against 
 the King himself," answered I coolly. 
 
 "What, sirrah . . ."he began. 
 
 He was so accustomed to browbeat helpless vic- 
 tims who came before his court that his course 
 was as natural as breathing, but I was not a victim 
 and this was not a court, as he should very soon 
 find out. 
 
 " And I am quite aware," I interrupted, " of all 
 that I risk. It disturbs me not a whit. In faith, 
 were I you, my lord, I would not dwell too much 
 on what may happen to me in future ; your present 
 predicament is your chief concern. I advise you 
 to give heed to it." 
 
 " Is it my money you want? " he asked, grow- 
 ing more and more alarmed. 
 
 " Nay," said I, " keep your hands by your 
 side." 
 
 My sword made little circles about his throat. 
 It was a trick of fence I had learned and it added 
 greatly to his discomfiture.
 
 The Love Tryst of the Chief Justice 239 
 
 " Take away that blade," he pleaded. 
 
 " When it suits me," I replied. 
 
 I edged around him until I could reach the bed- 
 room door. I knocked upon it, and instantly Mac- 
 leod presented himself. It pleased me to see that 
 he had his old and terrible Scottish claymore bared 
 and ready. 
 
 " Who is this? " asked Jeffreys, with a new ac- 
 cession of alarm. 
 
 " You will learn presently, my lord, that it is 
 now not for you to ask questions, but to answer 
 them." 
 
 "What would you, sir?" asked Macleod of 
 me. 
 
 " Lights," said I. " I have no doubt that Lord 
 Jeffreys would fain know whom he entertains; but 
 first bolt the door into the hall." 
 
 " One shout," growled the Lord Chief Justice, 
 " and I could arouse the Inn." 
 
 " But you would be so sound asleep, my lord, 
 on the next second, that no shouting that I have 
 heard would suffice to awaken you. Dost take my 
 meaning? " 
 
 " Curse you, yes ! " 
 
 " Remember, then, to speak softly till I give 
 you leave to call."
 
 240 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 While I had spoken, Macleod had barred the 
 heavy door precluding any chance interruption; 
 although I trusted to the landlord's zeal and de- 
 votion to prevent that, it was well not to neglect 
 any precaution. Then, from the solitary candle, 
 he lighted a number of others. My back was to 
 the light, but presently I moved to let it shine 
 upon my face. 
 
 " Richmond! " gasped Jeffreys, turning a shade 
 paler under his red. 
 
 " The same, sir." 
 
 " What do you here? " queried the Lord Chief 
 Justice. " You are a proscribed outlaw; I can or- 
 der you seized and executed without formality of 
 a trial; you have no standing in the court." 
 
 " I know that full well," said I. " I knew it 
 before I heard it from your lips, worthy master 
 of the law, and therefore your repetition of it af- 
 fects me not at all." 
 
 "What do you want?" asked the frightened 
 blackguard blusteringly. 
 
 " A small thing, an it please you my wife." 
 
 ' You fool," he muttered under his breath, " I 
 haven't got her. Go to the King." 
 
 " That I shall, sir." 
 
 The incautious admission of the Lord Chief
 
 The Love Tryst of the Chief Justice 241 
 
 Justice that I should seek the King apprised me of 
 what I had more than suspected, that he was in 
 the base plot. 
 
 "I mean I know nothing of her," he began, 
 seeking to cover his blunder. 
 
 " I am glad to find out from you where she hath 
 been taken." 
 
 Jeffreys laughed. He saw that I knew, and 
 that I was not to be put off. Besides, his natural 
 viciousness would not let him lose so good an 
 opportunity to taunt me, even at so great a risk to 
 himself. 
 
 " The King hath some spirit, after all," he said 
 meaningly. 
 
 " Now, by the God above us," I hissed, " I 
 could kill you for those words." 
 
 And, but I needed him, I would have done it 
 then and there. The world would have been well 
 rid of so low and base a villain that disgraced the 
 judicial ermine that he wore. 
 
 " I did but jest," he said, in cowardly confu- 
 sion. " It was the King's will. I had naught to 
 do with it." 
 
 " Don't jest that way again or I might indulge 
 my own humour, which, I assure you, hath a more 
 biting point than yours;" and, as that point was
 
 242 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 plainly visible to him, he could not have missed 
 my meaning. " I know perfectly well that you 
 and that pander Stenwold are as much responsible 
 as the cowardly King, whom I have served long 
 enough to estimate at his true worth, or worth- 
 lessness. He hath exiled me, he hath stolen my 
 wife ; I am no longer his man, but Prince William's, 
 across the water, and, when we come back, God 
 help King James and you ! " 
 
 " I am sure," protested Jeffreys, " that I wish 
 you well and ..." 
 
 " No more of that," I said curtly. 
 
 " I'll e'en help you to get your wife," he ran 
 on, "if ..." 
 
 " I intend that you shall do so without condi- 
 tions." 
 
 " But I am helpless here," continued my lord. 
 " Release me and I will go to the King ..." 
 
 " 1 know a better way than that," I said. 
 
 "What way?" 
 
 " I will bring my wife from his Majesty's hand 
 with an order from you, my lord." 
 
 " From me ? I don't understand you. I cannot 
 issue orders to the King, sir. You rave." 
 
 " Nay, I was never soberer. I shall tell the 
 King that I have you in safe ward; it will be her
 
 The Love Tryst of the Chief Justice 243 
 
 life or your life. If a hair of her head is harmed, 
 you shall pay." 
 
 "My God, man!" 
 
 " The King loves you, you say." 
 
 "Yes, but ..." 
 
 " Have you no confidence in the reality of his 
 affection?" 
 
 " Ay, surely, but . . . " he began, more fever- 
 ishly. 
 
 " Enough," said I. " I have decided, and from 
 my decision there is no appeal to any court. On 
 yonder table are writing materials; go to it; write 
 as I dictate." 
 
 " Nay, good Sir Hugh, I . . ." 
 
 " Hesitate but a moment and I will make your 
 life pay before I have ascertained that she has 
 suffered. You know, Lord Jeffreys, that I have 
 nothing to lose." 
 
 " I'll write, I'll write, but be not so hasty with 
 thy point, Richmond-" 
 
 11 No more," said I. " Take the quill." 
 
 "What shall I write?" he asked, seizing the 
 pen. 
 
 And thus I dictated to him: 
 
 " For God's love, Your Most Gracious and 
 Royal Majesty, I am held prisoner by Sir Hugh
 
 244 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 Richmond, who threatens me with instant death 
 should his wife suffer any mistreatment at Your 
 Majesty's hands. I have served you well, Sire; 
 leave me not now defenceless in mine enemy's 
 hand. Sir Hugh is desperate; he will kill me. I 
 fear me for my life. Your most faithful humble 
 servant." 
 
 He wrote it all down at my dictation. 
 
 "Hast finished?" I asked. 
 
 He nodded his head. 
 
 " Sign it." 
 
 He scrawled beneath it, " Jeffreys, Lord Chief 
 Justice of England." 
 
 " Seal it," said I. 
 
 His hands trembled so he could scarcely drop 
 the wax, his mouth was so dry it was difficult to 
 moisten the seal, but he managed somehow or 
 other. 
 
 " You never wrote truer words in your life," I 
 said, taking the paper, and the seal as well, and 
 examining both of them carefully, keeping him 
 well covered the while, to see that he had played 
 me no tricks in his writing. 
 
 "What next?" he asked. 
 
 " Go into yonder room." I pointed to the bed- 
 chamber.
 
 The Love Tryst of the Chief Justice 245 
 
 " I have done what you asked, you would not 
 murder me now? The laws of war require that a 
 hostage be kindly entreated and ..." 
 
 " I intend to lock you there until I have seen 
 the King. Go!" 
 
 Seeing no help for it, he rose to his feet and 
 entered the room, followed by me and Macleod. 
 Jeffreys continued to protest, but I silenced him 
 with that wonderfully bright persuader in my 
 hand. 
 
 " Now that I have the letter," said I, " I care 
 little whether you are alive or dead, and, for the 
 toss of a coin, I would rid the world of you. But 
 I am not a judge; being only a poor soldief, I'll 
 keep faith with you. Your life depends entirely 
 upon your absolute obedience; I must bind you 
 securely." 
 
 He said no more, but suffered himself to be 
 bound without resistance. Macleod had brought 
 plenty of rope; we lashed him until he was as im- 
 mobile as an iron bar; then we picked him up and 
 laid him on the bed and, with what remained of 
 the rope, secured him so that he could not move 
 about or roll off to the floor. 
 
 " You will be enlarged, doubtless, in the morn- 
 ing," said I. " I wish some of Monmouth's
 
 246 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 friends and followers whom you hounded to death 
 could see you now." 
 
 " For God's sake," he gasped, " if you must 
 leave me this way, give me a draught of wine ! " 
 
 " Nay," I replied smilingly. " Here is some- 
 thing that will suit your thirst and dry humour 
 much better." 
 
 I crammed into his huge mouth, which he had 
 opened gaspingly to protest, a soiled towel which 
 I took from the wash-stand. I rammed it in hard 
 and, with a piece torn from the sheet, I bound it 
 down around his head and neck. I thought my 
 lord's veins would burst in his forehead, he grew 
 so purple. 
 
 " A pleasant night to you," said I. " And may 
 the love of your King secure your release in the 
 morning." 
 
 We extinguished the candles, went out into the 
 large room, and closed the door. In a voice that 
 Jeffreys within could easily hear, I said to my man: 
 
 " You will stay here on this side of the door 
 until I send for you in the morning. If the pris- 
 oner by chance should get free of his bonds, or 
 should fall from his bed, or should make any out- 
 cry, go in and kill him without further delay. 
 You understand?"
 
 The Love Tryst of the Chief Justice 247 
 
 " I do, sir, and it shall be as you wish," he an- 
 swered loudly. 
 
 Macleod ostentatiously drew a chair up in front 
 of the door and then, as I had need of him and 
 could not leave him there, he rose from the chair 
 and noiselessly followed me down the room. We 
 extinguished the lights in the outer chamber, and, 
 having locked all doors, took the keys with us. 
 We had but little fear, unless some alarm was 
 given, but that the Lord Chief Justice would be 
 quite safe for the night, and that he was going 
 to pass such night as he had never passed before. 
 We waited to see the landlord, and I bestowed upon 
 him some more of King James* his guineas. I 
 showed him the letter sealed with Lord Jeffreys' 
 seal. He could not read it, but he recognised the 
 signet. 
 
 " I know that seal full well," he said, entirely 
 satisfied by it. 
 
 " My Lord Jeffreys hath retired for the night, 
 and upon no chance is he to be disturbed until 
 morning, unless I should come back or send. He 
 doth not wish the lady you know to be sent for." 
 
 " I understand," he said knowingly. He was 
 a wise and understanding landlord indeed ! 
 
 " The door is locked behind us," I added,
 
 248 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " and, if you value your life, keep away from it 
 and keep others away as well." 
 
 " Your excellency shall be obeyed." 
 By this time Macleod and the hostler of the Inn 
 had brought around the horses again. We 
 mounted them once more and cantered down the 
 street until we struck the river road. So far 
 everything had gone without a hitch. The King 
 lay at Stenwold House; my wife had been recently 
 brought there. Access to him would be difficult, 
 doubtless, but I now had means to open the gate 
 and pass the guard. Once inside it would go 
 hard if I did not effect Katharine's release. 
 
 If Clanranald had succeeded in his part of the 
 plan all would be well. He ought not to be more 
 than five hours behind the brigantine, I thought. 
 As we got away from the houses, we eagerly 
 searched the sea, and sure enough, between the 
 far-away lighthouses on either side of the river- 
 mouth, there was a vessel. It was so dark we 
 could not have seen her had she not carried three 
 lights set in a triangle, a red one at the top ! Clan- 
 ranald was on time. The tide now approaching 
 full flood, he ought to be abreast Stenwold House 
 in a few hours. We set spurs to our horses and 
 clashed on rapidly.
 
 Chapter 
 XVI 
 
 How My Lord Stenwold settled his Account and 
 .paid his Debt in full 
 
 STENWOLD HOUSE stood on the bank of 
 the river, about half-way between Monk- 
 wearmouth town and the lighthouse on 
 the point that jutted out seaward far beyond. It 
 was some distance from the outskirts of the vil- 
 lage, and I noted, as we galloped along, that the 
 surrounding country was lonesome and desolate. 
 
 I had at first intended to take Macleod into the 
 castle with me, but a better thought came to me 
 as we rode. Long before we reached the house 
 I drew rein and, to Macleod's great and over- 
 whelming disappointment, I outlined exactly what 
 I wished him to do. 
 
 " Upon second thoughts," I said, " I will not 
 take you with me further. Do you go back to the 
 village and get a boat, a wherry that two of us 
 can row and yet one that you can manage your- 
 self on a pinch, and bring it to the river-bank 
 
 under the walls of the castle yonder." 
 
 249
 
 250 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " But Lord Stenwold, sir," protested the 
 worthy Scotsman, who evidently would fain play a 
 bolder part. 
 
 " I'll take care of him," I replied. 
 
 " I would like it well," persisted my attendant 
 stoutly, " if I could take the payment for that 
 kiss myself." 
 
 " Do not fear, man," said I, " I'll take payment 
 for us both, and, unless I blunder strangely, he 
 will never live to kiss another woman after this 
 night. You could not do any special good with 
 me in the castle. The two of us could not take 
 the place by force, and, for strategy, one is as good 
 as two or a thousand ay, better. You can serve 
 us all, and your revenge, best by providing the 
 means of escape. I am like to need it both sorely 
 and quickly to-night." 
 
 " Yonder's our ship, sir," he said, silenced by 
 my emphasis. 
 
 " Yes, I have marked her." 
 
 We both stared seaward at the lights. I was 
 sorry that I had not arranged some method of 
 signalling the Earl, but none that I could have 
 thought of would have been practicable and, in- 
 deed, any attempt at it would infallibly have be- 
 trayed us.
 
 My Lord Settles His Account 251 
 
 " Am I to rent, borrow, or steal a boat, your 
 honour?" asked Macleod, appreciating the fact 
 that my decision, which was only common-sense, 
 was unalterable. 
 
 " You are to be here within the hour with the 
 boat. I care not how you get it. That's your 
 own lookout; but get it. Don't fail me; remem- 
 ber your wife is on that ship; and it might be con- 
 venient for you to bear in mind that Lord Jeffreys 
 has had ample opportunity to familiarise himself 
 with your face and figure as well as with mine, and 
 I would not give a penny for your life if you are 
 in England when he gets loose." 
 
 " I shall be there within an hour," answered 
 the Scotsman stoutly. " This horse, sir? " 
 
 " You can't take him aboard ship," I replied; 
 " you must leave him behind." 
 
 " Very good, sir." He half-wheeled his horse 
 and then stopped. " You are going on a desperate 
 venture for your wife," said he; " if a poor man 
 might be so bold ..." 
 
 His hand went out toward me rather tentatively 
 in the darkness. I waived the difference in rank 
 at once for that matter, I have ever been willing 
 to shake hands with honest men, even those of low 
 degree.
 
 252 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " Good luck and God bless you, sir," he said 
 earnestly. 
 
 " Thank you," said I. " Don't fail me," I re- 
 peated again. 
 
 " I will meet your honour in an hour, yonder," 
 he replied. 
 
 With that he put spurs to his horse and gal- 
 loped away. Now what was I to do? It was evi- 
 dent that it might be difficult to get entrance to 
 Stenwold House, and more difficult to get access 
 to the King. I did not want to play my trump 
 card, Lord Jeffreys' note, until the last moment. 
 Yet, what could I do without it? 
 
 If I had time, I might perhaps have managed 
 to scale the walls in some way and effect an en- 
 trance by stealth, but I had no time. Too much 
 had been wasted as it was. I judged it to be about 
 eight o'clock. I was morally certain that I would 
 be in good time, but I did not dare to tempt For- 
 tune too long and too much. 
 
 I knew that King James would at first try 
 cajolery and persuasion that was his usual 
 method; not until they failed would he try brib- 
 ery, being a niggardly monarch, and only in the 
 last instance would he resort to force. I could 
 picture accurately what was about to happen, the
 
 My Lord Settles His Account 253 
 
 course of affairs was clear to me, but to effect any- 
 thing I must get in the castle, and boldness was 
 my only resource. 
 
 It was fortunate for me that the King had 
 chosen to lie at Stenwold House instead of the 
 Castle at Sunderland, across the river. It would 
 have been difficult, if not impossible, to have ef- 
 fected my purpose had he been there. Here it 
 was easier. At most he would be surrounded by 
 but few of his guards; perhaps he would be de- 
 pending entirely upon Stenwold's retainers for 
 protection. The King was not more bold in his 
 debaucheries and abductions than he was on the 
 field of battle or anywhere else, and it may be that 
 some lingering sense of shame might cause him to 
 conduct his disgraceful amour in secret when he 
 could do it. 
 
 I did not stand still in the road making these 
 reflections; on the contrary, they came to me as 
 I galloped swiftly toward the house. 
 
 The castle was an old one, built God knows 
 how many centuries before and added to from 
 time to time. The rambling walls were sur- 
 rounded by a moat now gone dry, which was 
 crossed by a drawbridge never raised. I thun- 
 dered up to the gate at full speed, flung myself
 
 254 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 from my horse, knowing full well he was tired 
 and would stand until doomsday, unless driven 
 away, in case I needed him again. And, with the 
 hilt of my sword, I knocked heavily upon the 
 panel of the great door. 
 
 A wicket-gate at the side was instantly opened 
 and a man in the uniform of the King's Guards 
 peered through. Light was shed upon us from 
 a flaming cresset hanging over the arch of the 
 main door; by it I saw him plainly and recog- 
 nised him, too. His name was Harkins; he was 
 a sergeant, an old comrade and friend who had 
 been in my own company of the Royal Guards. 
 The recognition was mutual, but, before he could 
 speak, I interrupted him. , 
 
 " Sergeant," said I, " you don't know me, you 
 have never seen me before, understand? " 
 
 " N-n-no, sir," was the astonished answer. 
 
 " Well, these are facts; get them in your mind," 
 I insisted sharply. 
 
 ' Very good, sir," he answered slowly, begin- 
 ning to comprehend, " I don't know your honour, 
 I have never seen you before." 
 
 " That's it; you will be glad you did not recog- 
 nise me to-morrow." 
 
 The sergeant nodded, he was not a stupid man.
 
 My Lord Settles His Account 255 
 
 and he tegan to see the reason for my strange 
 course. 
 
 " And now," said I, " I am a messenger from 
 my Lord Chief Justice, a private messenger, who 
 must see the King instantly. Lord Jeffreys is now 
 at the point of death, his life's in the greatest 
 danger." 
 
 " But, your honour," stammered the sergeant, 
 " it will be impossible to see the King to-night. 
 He's got a woman with him, and Lord Stenwold 
 himself keeps everybody from him." 
 
 " That woman is my wife," said I grimly. 
 
 " Good God, sir ! " exclaimed the sergeant. 
 " What do you want me to do? " 
 
 " First of all, admit me; then take me to the 
 Officer of the Guard who is he? Do I know 
 him?" 
 
 " No, sir, it is Leftenant Brayford; he's a new 
 officer, your honour, and he is at play with Ensign 
 Scarlett in his quarters off the guard-room. They 
 are drinking too, sir." 
 
 " Good," said I. " That leaves you in virtual 
 command of the guard? " 
 
 " It does." 
 
 " Go to Mr. Brayford, and tell him that an 
 urgent messenger from Lord Chief Justice
 
 256 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 Jeffreys desires to see Lord Stenwold on a most 
 serious business, and contrive that you shall be 
 the one to conduct me to him." 
 
 " I think that will be easy, sir," said the ser- 
 geant, closing the wicket and marching off. 
 
 It was fortunate that I had found old Harkins 
 at the gate; the man had been devoted to me and 
 was as faithful as the day was long. Whether his 
 devotion to me would overcome his duty to the 
 King was a thing I could not decide, and I stood 
 there, leaning against the rough stones of the wall, 
 a prey to the intensest agonies of apprehension I 
 had ever experienced, lest I should be denied en- 
 trance and stopped helplessly at the very begin- 
 ning of the undertaking on which so much de- 
 pended. My relief was correspondingly great 
 when the door opened and honest old Harkins 
 appeared again. 
 
 " I am to conduct you to Lord Stenwold, by 
 orders from Leftenant Brayford, who, with Mr. 
 Scarlett, is well in liquor now, sir," said the old 
 soldier. 
 
 " This will cost young Brayford his commis- 
 sion, mayhap his head, I fear me," said I under 
 my breath. 
 " And me mine, as well it may be, Sir Hugh," an-
 
 My Lord Settles His Account 257 
 
 swered Harkins simply, but making no pause on 
 that account. 
 
 " Man," said I earnestly, " I am off for the 
 Low Countries to-night with my wife, if all goes 
 well. There is plenty of soldiering and good pay 
 there. We have served together for many years; 
 come with me." 
 
 " That will I gladly if you will take me, Sir 
 Hugh," answered Harkins earnestly, and evi- 
 dently pleased. 
 
 " Good; if you serve me well in my great need 
 this night, I promise you shall never have cause 
 to regret it." 
 
 " What do you propose to do, sir, if I may 
 make bold to ask? " 
 
 " To take my wife from the King, even if I 
 have to kill him." 
 
 " Good God, sir, I hope it won't need to come 
 to that!" 
 
 " It is not likely," said I contemptuously. " The 
 King will give way before he dies." 
 
 "Yes, sir," answered the old man thoughtfully. 
 " He ain't the bravest King on earth." 
 
 " No, but we waste time." 
 
 " Very good; come this way, sir." 
 
 I muffled my face in my cloak and disguised my
 
 258 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 walk so that none of the men on guard or loung- 
 ing in the courtyard, waiting for their tour of 
 duty to begin, would by any chance recognise me. 
 The sergeant made his way quickly across the 
 courtyard and entered the main building, with me 
 hard at his heels. We proceeded down a large 
 hall, up a long flight of steps, and into a vast 
 apartment, at the further end of which and 
 before a door a soldier stood guard. We marched 
 straight up to him. 
 
 " Is Lord Stenwold within ? " asked the ser- 
 geant in a low voice as the man saluted him. 
 
 " Yes, sir," was the whispered reply, " and he 
 hath left strict order that no one is to disturb him 
 on any account." 
 
 " There is a messenger here from the Lord 
 Chief Justice Jeffreys," returned Harkins quickly, 
 " who must see the King on a matter of life and 
 death. He must have access to Lord Stenwold; 
 when I have turned him over to my lord my re- 
 sponsibility ceases." 
 
 " But, sergeant ..." began the man, unwill- 
 ing either to disobey Lord Stenwold's order or too 
 obstinately to resist his sergeant. 
 
 " Enough," said old Harkins peremptorily. 
 " You will take your orders from me ; I will re-
 
 My Lord Settles His Account 259 
 
 lieve you at this door and guard it myself; you 
 go to the further end of the hall, station yourself 
 outside yonder door, and keep out anybody and 
 everybody at every hazard till you are relieved." 
 
 " Orders are orders," said the soldier resign- 
 edly, " but the responsibility will be yours." 
 
 " It is mine," assented Harkins. 
 
 The man shouldered his halbert and marched 
 down to take the post designated outside the en- 
 trance door, through which we had come, at the 
 far end of the hall. It had all been cleverly 
 thought out by the sergeant. I had not given him 
 credit for such shrewdness. Whatever happened 
 behind that closed door that gave entrance to my 
 Lord Stenwold's retreat would have few auditors 
 and all but one as far away as possible. I thanked 
 him with word and look. 
 
 " Now, your honour," said he, " it rests with 
 you. I will keep this door as long as I can; I 
 will give it up to no one, unless the Leftenant or 
 the Ensign should make their rounds. I don't 
 think that likely, but the guards will be relieved 
 at ten and you have but a short time at your 
 disposal." 
 
 " I do not want much time," I replied. " No 
 matter what you hear, keep fast by the door, un-
 
 260 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 less I call you. I'll soon be back, successful, or 
 I'll be dead, in which case remember you do not 
 know me." 
 
 " Very good, sir, and God help us all." 
 
 " Amen," said I. 
 
 The hurried conversation had been earned on 
 in low whispers, so as to give no possible alarm. 
 I laid my hand upon the door. Fortunately it was 
 unlocked, and gave under my gentle pressure. 
 What had Stenwold to fear, and why should he 
 lock himself in ? All the doors in Stenwold House 
 were secret and noiseless, especially those in my 
 lord's private apartments. This one opened 
 without a sound, and, with a stealthy motion that 
 would not attract attention, I stepped noiselessly 
 into the room. 
 
 This apartment was smaller than the other, 
 which had been possibly designed for a refectory 
 in days gone by, and was evidently a library. It 
 looked toward the sea. Heavy hangings draped 
 the windows, a thick carpet lay on the floor. The 
 place was richly furnished and brightly lighted 
 from many candles in sconces and hanging lustres 
 of candelabra. In the centre of the room, by 
 the side of a small table, reclined Lord Stenwold, 
 in somewhat negligent disarray, in a large and
 
 My Lord Settles His Account 261 
 
 comfortable chair. On the table were bottles and 
 glasses and the remains of a meal. Lord Sten- 
 wold had evidently just finished his repast. He 
 was engaged in the pleasant act of leaning back 
 in his chair and yawning, stretching out his hands 
 the while. His back was toward the door and 
 nothing had as yet apprised him of my presence. 
 I slipped my sword out of the scabbard as gently 
 as possible. I thought I made no sound, but evi- 
 dently I did, for he was on his feet in a minute and 
 facing me. 
 
 "Richmond!" he gasped, in a low, strained 
 voice, evidently not caring or daring to arouse 
 the King or the house. " Good God! " 
 
 His hand reached for his own sword, lying on 
 a stool by his chair. I could have spitted him 
 then and there without risk or trouble, but it was 
 ever against my principles to attack an unarmed 
 man, and I let him seize his weapon. I said in a 
 voice low to match his own, but full of vengeance 
 and hate : 
 
 " You vile pander, you have come to the end 
 of your tether now." 
 
 Stenwold menaced me with his point and then 
 sneered. 
 
 " Why, you fool," he exclaimed, " this is my
 
 262 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 house! I have but to call out and the King's 
 Guard will be on you in a moment. To-night His 
 Majesty would be private yonder with a lady. I 
 would not have him disturbed. Yield you at once. 
 If the lady be in a melting mood, as I doubt not, 
 sweet remembrances of their pleasant love passages 
 may incline the King to clemency in the morning 
 when you sue." 
 
 I needed nothing more, but, if I had, that last 
 mordant insinuation would have been enough. I 
 advanced on him with such fury, forgetful of 
 everything, that he opened his mouth to cry out 
 in his alarm; ere he could do it, I whipped out a 
 small pistol of French make, which I carried ever 
 in my pocket, and held it toward him in my left 
 hand. 
 
 " You know," said I, " that I am a dead shot 
 with either hand, and I swear to God that I will 
 put a bullet through your black heart if you make 
 a sound, if I am to be torn to pieces the next 
 second." 
 
 ' You have an advantage over me," said Sten- 
 wold coolly. He had recovered himself and 
 seemed a little ashamed of his lapse. " I have 
 naught but my sword." 
 
 To do him justice, the villain was brave enough,
 
 My Lord Settles His Account 263 
 
 I knew; yet, as he said, he was armed only with 
 his sword. 
 
 " I don't intend to use the advantage," I re- 
 plied, " unless you force me to it. If you will 
 agree to stand up and fight like a man and in 
 silence, you shall have your chance." 
 
 " Done ! " said the man quickly. " My word 
 of honour against yours, that whichever of us dies 
 does it silently." 
 
 I laid the pistol on the table on the instant. 
 
 'There's my answer. Now, on guard!" 
 
 It was no light task I had before me. Stenwold 
 was one of the best fencers in the King's realm; 
 he and I had enjoyed friendly bouts many times, 
 although I never liked him, and more often than 
 not he had bested me, although I was counted 
 something of a master of the white weapon myself. 
 In a scientific engagement he was pretty certain to 
 get the better of me, but this was guerre a 
 outrance, and at that sort of a game I felt I 
 would be his master. Neither did I intend to de- 
 lay matters, nor did I desire to fill the room with 
 noise of ringing steel. 
 
 We fell easily into position; he made the first 
 lunge at me, as I knew he would. Contrary to the 
 rules of fencing, I parried it with my left arm, his
 
 264 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 point grazing through the flesh between my elbow 
 and shoulder, as I expected. Heedless of the pain, 
 with that I closed with him to his great surprise, 
 and, before he could disengage or divine what I 
 would be at, I shortened my sword and drove it 
 home, through his heart. 
 
 It was quickly done and soon over. He reeled 
 and threw up his hands; I dropped my own blade 
 to the carpet, which luckily prevented noise ; caught 
 him in my arms and eased him down. He was 
 stone dead by the time I laid him on the floor. 
 
 I will admit that I felt no remorse whatever. 
 The last taunt about my lady had maddened me. 
 I had killed him with as little compunction as if 
 he had been a rat, which indeed he was. Draw- 
 ing his blade from my sleeve, I laid it across his 
 breast. Resuming my own sword, I stepped to 
 the piece of tapestry over the door which he had 
 pointed out to me, behind which I knew I should 
 find the King and my wife.
 
 Chapter 
 XVII 
 
 In which Lady Katharine Richmond, at the Re- 
 quest of her Husband, tells how she and Lord 
 Stenwold came to Stenwold House 
 
 A" the request of my dear husband, Sir Hugh 
 Richmond, I take up the telling of this 
 strange, yet true, tale for a little space. He 
 did the same for me when the narration of events 
 was in my hand, and I can do no less for him; 
 besides, he is my true and lawful lord, and I owe 
 him duty and I pay him love unbounded, the more 
 especially the latter, because I so basely requited 
 his affections by doubting him. 'Tis true it came 
 from the suggestions of that devil Stenwold, and 
 I can scarce bring myself to believe that I would 
 have entertained a doubt of my lord and master 
 if his, to me, inexplicable conduct, when I was 
 rushed away from him on the bluffs above Cocken- 
 zie, had not somehow given colour to the sus- 
 picion. He sat his horse so quietly, outwardly so 
 indifferent to my appeals; with King James' his 
 
 purse hanging on the saddle bow, the price of my 
 
 265
 
 266 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 dishonour apparently; not even lifting voice, much 
 less drawing blade or striking blow for me. What 
 could I think? 
 
 Sir Hugh hath often assured me since that he 
 quite forgives me the suspicion, that he pardons 
 the anger and resentment I harboured against him, 
 that it was thoroughly warranted. Being a 
 woman, albeit according to him a wonder among 
 women and the best wife a soldier ever had such 
 is his fond flattery! he saith I could not be ex- 
 pected to know what idea was in a mere stupid 
 man's mind. 
 
 And I could not be blamed for not seeing that a 
 husband at large and free to effect my rescue was 
 worth a thousand dead ones who had been cut to 
 pieces by a band of murderous villains before my 
 very eyes. By which he says he would have ef- 
 fected nothing and perhaps have plunged me into 
 deeper grief than was mine when I was dragged 
 away from him. 
 
 Besides all this kindness from my lord, I take 
 some little comfort in the knowledge that my fa- 
 ther and Master Dunner also were deceived. 
 Still they did not love him as I, and I should have 
 known. Especially as, if I had thought, I would 
 have known that in no way could my lord have
 
 The Desperate Resolution of the Wife 267 
 
 had any communication with the King since our 
 meeting. But who that is mad with jealousy and 
 fear can think clearly? 
 
 I could with more equanimity bear to see him 
 dead rather than dishonoured, as he seemed to me 
 that afternoon when I was ravished away. My 
 fault, my grievous fault, lay in my failure to re- 
 alise that no power on earth could dishonour my 
 lord. The mere fact that he suffered himself in 
 some degree to be put in this false position, and 
 to answer nothing, ought not at all to have wor- 
 ried me, who, though I knew him but shortly, yet 
 loved him and his greatness of heart so well. 
 
 Sir Hugh says, it is nonsense for me to reproach 
 myself for an entirely natural and justifiable 
 thought, but I do; and we Clanranalds and, al- 
 though I am only a woman, I have all the pride 
 of race of the stoutest and best of them have 
 ever loved honour more than life; and my hus- 
 band's rank, if less exalted than ours, he being but 
 a simple Baronet while we are Belted Earls, is as 
 old and honourable as any one's. After all, I am 
 sure it was that dastardly Stenwold's persistent in- 
 sinuations if I may characterise his broad and 
 open remarks about my husband as insinuations 
 that made all the trouble.
 
 268 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 I was so torn between shame and terror and 
 humiliation and fearful anticipation, as I sat in the 
 boat, that I was not mistress of my mind. I was 
 completely in the power of this creature of King 
 James, and my interview with the King at Dur- 
 ham had shown me that defenceless, penniless, 
 helpless, I had nothing good to expect from His 
 Majesty. 
 
 I heard the sailors speak of Sunderland, and I 
 knew, therefore, that the King had moved from 
 Durham, perhaps to get out from under the in- 
 fluence of the good Bishop, who had been my 
 champion and advocate, and, in all probability, his 
 chief adviser now would be Lord Jeffreys. God 
 help the man or woman or child subject to his 
 caprice. I knew very well what the King designed 
 for me, but I was quite resolved what to do on that 
 score. I would die without the least hesitation be- 
 fore the King, or any one else, should possess me. 
 
 My husband might have been false to me, he 
 might have taken the King's purse, and perhaps 
 be expecting future pay from the King in exchange 
 for me, but I was his wife still and I was a Clan- 
 ranald, my noble father's daughter, we were not 
 of the class from whom were chosen mistresses for 
 kings.
 
 The Desperate Resolution of the Wife 269 
 
 I was that desperate and reckless that, if I had 
 or could come at a weapon in my hand when the 
 time came, I was resolved that I would even kill 
 the King myself. I had heard whispers of his 
 courage, or his lack of it rather, and I would gladly 
 kill him rather than submit to his desire, if there 
 was no other way. 
 
 It was these desperate resolutions which enabled 
 me to sustain, with some degree of fortitude, my 
 terrible situation. Indeed, my grief was not so much 
 on the score of the future as it was because of the 
 past. The doubt of my husband's love and hon- 
 our bade fair to kill me. I could take care of 
 myself, and could throw away my life rather than 
 be clasped in any one's arms that had not the 
 right. 
 
 Yet I blame myself, with abiding shame; and 
 I still think had I been given opportunity, had 
 Stenwold kept silent, had I been left alone, I 
 might have recovered my faith and trust in my 
 lord, but my captor was constantly at my elbow 
 with his infamous suggestions. Indeed, he played 
 his part well; I knew what he would be at he 
 wanted to make it easy for the King but in that 
 effort he failed absolutely. Not even the King 
 himself could do that.
 
 270 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 My resentment grew and developed to such an 
 extent that I thought grimly enough that Stenwold 
 might as well introduce a wild animal into the 
 King's closet as to thrust me in there. But I dis- 
 sembled my feelings to some extent and took care 
 to give my gaoler no faintest hint of my deter- 
 mination. 
 
 I was treated civilly enough on the voyage, al- 
 though Stenwold's every look was an insult, and 
 I felt my heart grow cold under his evil and 
 suggestive scrutiny; yet I knew that I had naught 
 to fear from him. In his mind I was meat for 
 his betters. I was, therefore, under little or no 
 apprehension while on the sea. It was a small 
 ship and wretchedly uncomfortable, but I was a 
 good sailor and, even if I had been a bad one, 
 I should have had too much in mind to have spared 
 thought to anything else, no matter what I might 
 have suffered. 
 
 We made rather a quick passage to Sunderland. 
 Indeed, the time seemed frightfully short to me. 
 Anticipating I knew not what, maturing plans in- 
 volving all sorts of desperate actions in my hard 
 situation, and trying to explain to myself my hus- 
 band's lack of conduct, I came at last to doubt, 
 and I almost convinced myself that he had not
 
 The Desperate Resolution of the Wife 271 
 
 been a party to the outrage. But that conclusion 
 involved me in worse difficulty than before, for it 
 almost forced me to think of him as a coward, 
 afraid to risk his life for my honour, unwilling 
 to die in my defence God forgive me, my dear 
 husband, that I so wronged you, for cowardice in 
 any man, and especially in the man I honoured 
 with my affection, seemed to me to be the unpar- 
 donable sin. 
 
 Oh, I was torn, maddened, during that voy- 
 age ! Married in the morning, separated at noon- 
 day what was in store for me? 
 
 It was dusk when we dropped anchor off Sun- 
 derland, and my Lord Stenwold had the boat 
 got ready. I followed him into it submissively 
 enough; it was either that or be carried; there was 
 no use in my making a profitless struggle then; 
 I would save my energy and strength for the 
 crucial moment. A leaf out of my husband's 
 book that, had I but known it, which now makes 
 my failure to understand him the more blame- 
 worthy in my eyes. I shall never forgive myself 
 for it, although he hath assured me many times 
 that he forgot it, as he forgot everything else that 
 had gone before, in the first kiss he pressed upon 
 my lips in Stenwold House that very night a^?-
 
 272 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 such exciting hours as I never look for nor want 
 to pass again. 
 
 We soon traversed the short distance from the 
 anchorage to the castle. I marked, as we clambered 
 up the bank and took the long walk along the 
 moat edge to bring us to the entrance to the house, 
 which fronted away from the water, that the 
 brigantine got under way and moved over to the 
 Sunderland shore, as soon as the boat rejoined her. 
 
 Stenwold House lay on the north, or Monk- 
 wearmouth side, of the river. I surmised that the 
 King had accepted my Lord Stenwold's proffer 
 of his seat near the village so as to be the more 
 private and secluded in his villainy than in the 
 more spacious castle and fort of Sunderland, across 
 the stream. 
 
 They had taken my sword from me; my pistols, 
 of course, had been left behind in the holsters at- 
 tached to my saddle. I was absolutely unarmed 
 and defenceless; I had not even been allowed the 
 privilege of knife and fork on the voyage, my 
 food having been so prepared for me that I could 
 eat it with a spoon. 
 
 I had no money; all we possessed, which was 
 but little, being in my husband's keeping, and I 
 had few jewels a wedding ring and one other.
 
 The Desperate Resolution of the Wife 273 
 
 I did not wish to give up my solitaire diamond, 
 saving it for a last resort, therefore I was with- 
 out means to bribe; and indeed, in the confines of 
 the small ship, Stenwold kept such close watch 
 upon me that I had no opportunity for speech, 
 even with any one else. Never did I utter such 
 fervent prayers as I did all through that cruise, 
 that God in some way would raise up help for 
 me and enable me to defend that which was dearer 
 to me than life itself and yet I was young, too, 
 and passionately attached to my husband, and life 
 was sweet. 
 
 God was answering my prayers in His own way. 
 Now I thank Him daily for what He did for 
 me and that I enjoy my husband's entire forgive- 
 ness and continued love. He blesses me while 
 I write now, who am Sir Hugh's wife, which I 
 find to be so different from what I dreamed it 
 before my marriage. These things do indeed 
 change us more than we wot of, when we give 
 our heart and hand and person into the keeping 
 of some one else. I can scarcely stir without 
 Sir Hugh at my side now ; I look to him for every- 
 thing; his guidance is half my life, his inspiration 
 the rest of it; and I was once the most independent 
 maid in Scotland!
 
 274 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 I run on incessantly; there shall be no more in 
 this strain. Suffice it to say that I mounted the 
 great stairs of the castle with a steady step. I was 
 shown through a long hall, then through a smaller 
 room, and then into another, still small but spa- 
 cious and elegant enough. This room overlooked 
 the water. 
 
 Stenwold House was perched on the brow of 
 the cliff, or steep bank, of the Wear. The apart- 
 ment in which so much took place was in the sec- 
 ond story, and perhaps seventy feet from the high- 
 tide line of the river. There was, so far as I 
 could see, but one entrance to the apartment, and 
 that was by the door through which we had come. 
 The room was handsomely furnished, and off to 
 the left through another door, half-opened, I dis- 
 cerned a bed-chamber, at the sight of which I grew 
 cold with fear and shame. 
 
 " Will it please you," began my Lord Sten- 
 wold, after we two entered the room, and my heart 
 leaped to see that it was empty, " to refresh your- 
 self after your journey? " 
 
 " Nothing that you can do or say, or any one 
 else here, will please me in the least degree," I 
 retorted, with what carelessness and firmness I 
 could muster.
 
 The Desperate Resolution of the Wife 
 
 " Your ladyship grieves me beyond expression," 
 was his sneering answer. " However, I shall leave 
 the task of pleasing you to an abler and nobler 
 being than my poor self." 
 
 " Meaner and baser would be better words, if 
 that were possible," said I. 
 
 His face flushed, he glowered at me darkly, he 
 even instinctively touched his sword-hilt. 
 
 " Madam, you will live to bless me for this 
 adventure," he said. 
 
 " If I live at all, sir," I returned, " I shall curse 
 you to the last day of my life or yours." 
 
 " If you would take a fool's advice, ma- 
 dam . . ." 
 
 " A knave's rather," I interposed. 
 
 " 'Tis much the same thing. We are all of us 
 fools or knaves some of us both; and the only 
 wise man is he who recognises and admits his 
 knavery or his foolery," he ran on cynically, striv- 
 ing to recover his equanimity. 
 
 " You speak capably from your own experi- 
 ence," said I. " I doubt you have met many gen- 
 tlemen and gentlewomen in your evil life and 
 service, but, if you have, I am sure you have 
 no personal knowledge or experience that would 
 enable you to recognise either."
 
 276 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " Madam, do you know how defenceless you 
 are ? " he cried, apparently provoked beyond con- 
 trol by my flings at him. " Do you not know that 
 the King will tire of you as quickly as he fancied 
 you? Do you realise what it would mean to you 
 then, to have a friend in me ? " 
 
 He approached me threateningly as he spoke. 
 
 " I am not so defenceless as you think, Lord 
 Stenwold, and, weak as I am, I have a Friend still 
 who . . ." 
 
 "Your husband?" he interposed sneeringly. 
 
 " Almighty God," said I. 
 
 "God!" 
 
 His jaw dropped; I never met such a look of 
 astonishment as I saw in his face, and then he 
 laughed sardonically. 
 
 " God may be all right in His heaven, doubt- 
 less," he continued, " but we are on earth, and 
 here the King's word rules." 
 
 " 'Tis more like hell," I returned. 
 
 " And I am devil-in-chief, madam," he said, 
 bowing. " Saving, of course, the King's royal 
 grace and precedence," he added. " But enough 
 of this; His Majesty, I am informed, desires to 
 consult your pleasure in every way. He is kind- 
 ness itself toward the fair."
 
 The Desperate Resolution of the Wife 277 
 
 " Let him release me then, and restore me to 
 my father." 
 
 " In every way but that." 
 
 " I have no other pleasure, no other wish, no 
 other will." 
 
 " What ! not a thought for thy cowardly, treach- 
 erous, money-loving husband ? " 
 
 There he wounded me. I am ashamed to say 
 it, but I thrust my face into my hands and turned 
 away, to hear again that mocking laugh. May 
 God and my husband forgive me, I never can. 
 It was Stenwold who broke the silence that fell 
 between us. 
 
 " I shall have something to eat and drink 
 brought to you here. After that, my charge of 
 you is over; I shall deliver you to my royal 
 master." 
 
 " May I eat alone?" 
 
 " Madam, you may; the taste of your sharp 
 tongue that I have just had hath somewhat im- 
 paired my own appetite, I confess. When you are 
 somewhat tamer, I shall visit you again; mean- 
 while, I wish you joy of your evening, and His 
 Majesty likewise." 
 
 There was something ironic in that wish for 
 the King that did give me a certain satisfaction.
 
 278 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 I would not give much for any pleasure His 
 Majesty was to get out of me. I thought I was 
 quite capable, in default of other means, of chok- 
 ing the King to death with my own hands, if I 
 could muster the strength, and I believed that in 
 the last extremity I could. I was desperate, you 
 see.
 
 Chapter 
 XVIII 
 
 Wherein Lady Katharine describes what took place 
 in the Antechamber where the King made Love 
 to her 
 
 WHILE Stenwold was away, I swiftly ex- 
 amined both roomsthe antechamber 
 and the bedroom: they had no entrance 
 and no exit, save by that one door, which was 
 now locked against me. I had only one resource 
 I could throw myself from one of the windows to 
 the rocks below as a last resort. 
 
 The room was full of light from many candles, 
 the windows were heavily draped; I opened the 
 sash of one of them and fastened it back. Then I 
 drew a chair in front of the open window and cov- 
 ered it with the heavy hangings. The night was 
 fair, there wa's little or no breeze fortunately. Not 
 enough wind came through the open casement to 
 stir the candles even, or, if there did, the draperies 
 were sufficiently close and heavy to contain it. 
 Without examination, it could not have been 
 
 known in the room that the window was open or 
 
 279
 
 280 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 that the chair was so placed that I could by means 
 of it leap to the sill. 
 
 Fortunately, it was a large window, and I could 
 throw myself through it in a moment. I did not 
 want to go to my death yet I was young, and 
 loved life, even under the circumstances and I kept 
 on hoping against hope. I tried to persuade myself 
 that there was some explanation of my husband's 
 conduct that would let me love him and let me 
 show him that love I vow before God that I 
 had not ceased to care for him, in spite of all 
 provided I could win away from the dangers I 
 was in. I would not make the wild plunge until 
 the last moment. 
 
 These hurried inspections and preparations were 
 scarcely completed when the door was opened, and 
 Lord Stenwold entered; he was followed by two 
 lackeys, who brought me a royal repast. It was 
 set upon a table conveniently placed by direction 
 of the master of the house, and, when all was in 
 readiness, he turned to me with a bow and asked 
 me if there was anything else I wanted. A thought 
 came to me as I watched them arrange the meal, 
 and I answered thus : 
 
 " Will not my Lord Stenwold, after the watch- 
 ful care with which he hath looked to me during
 
 In the Antechamber of the King 281 
 
 our journey, do me the honour to take a glass of 
 wine with me, and drink a toast of my making? " 
 
 " My lady, I have never refused to drink, to 
 game, to fight, or to love with anybody on earth," 
 said Stenwold, bowing gallantly, " and I shall not 
 begin now." 
 
 " Allow me then." 
 
 I stepped to the table, poured out two glasses 
 of wine, proffered him one, and took the other 
 myself. He bowed low as he lifted it up, looking 
 at me inquiringly. 
 
 " Your toast, madam? " 
 
 " God save the King," said I, with sinister 
 mockery. 
 
 I think he must have felt what was in my mind, 
 for that toast was plainly threat, not prayer, and 
 for a moment he hesitated. 
 
 " Surely," said I, " no loyal servant of so noble 
 a master can balk at that sentiment." 
 
 " So long as you believe in God, madam," he 
 said at last, " you might better have phrased it, 
 ' God save yourself,' but have it your own way; 
 I drink." 
 
 I sipped mine ; he drained his glass, to my great 
 relief. Then he set the glass down, shrugged his 
 shoulders, turned, and left me. The wine, at
 
 282 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 least, was not drugged or poisoned. I was not 
 hungry, but I ate heartily for strength and I drank 
 a little of the King's rare vintage, for the same 
 reason. 
 
 Again the table provided me with no weapon, 
 yet as I surveyed it disconsolately a thought came 
 to me. I took one of the tall Venetian glasses, 
 went over to the hearth, and deliberately broke 
 it; fortunately, it shattered in such a way as to 
 leave me a smooth space by which to grip it and 
 a sharp edge below to cut or thrust with. It was 
 a poor weapon, but it was the best I could do. I 
 still held it in my hand when again the door was 
 opened ; the lackeys removed the table, and as they 
 did so, Stenwold, who had entered again with 
 them, drew aside the heavy curtain veiling the 
 door and said: 
 
 " His Majesty the King." 
 
 It had come at last, the hour that was to decide 
 my fate, or perchance the King's. Oh, how my 
 heart beat then! 
 
 King James entered the room immediately he 
 was announced. Lord Stenwold closed the door, 
 remaining on the outside of it, and I was alone 
 with the King. I had time to mark that the key 
 was not turned and no bolt was shot. That did
 
 In the Antechamber of the King 283 
 
 me little good, after all, for I realised at once 
 that Stenwold would keep watch on the other side 
 and that the whole castle, in fact, would be well 
 guarded, yet I was glad not to be locked in with 
 my persecutor. 
 
 King James was royally attired, stars and or- 
 ders like suns blazed on the breast of his coat, he 
 had all the outward and visible signs of Majesty, 
 but in his clothing alone; for the rest, his face 
 was flushed, evidently he had been drinking and 
 was now perceptibly in his cups, his wig was 
 slightly awry, his dress disordered a royal spec- 
 tacle, indeed! He bowed low before me, where 
 I stood as cold as the winter's ice, as rigid as one 
 of our mountains in bonny Scotland, and as dis- 
 dainful as if he had been the cur that in truth 
 he was. 
 
 " Madam," he said, a little thickly, but with an 
 evident attempt at amiability, " you are very wel- 
 come to our presence. 'Fore God, having seen you 
 once in that boy's suit, I could not rest until I had 
 you back again at court." 
 
 As he spoke, he looked at me, and the blood 
 stirred in me from head to foot, following his evil 
 glances. I could wear that boy's attire before the 
 world without a thought, but before that King,
 
 284 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 not for a second without shame. I had hated him 
 before I loathed him then. 
 
 " I trust," he went on, " that your Voyage 
 hither hath been a pleasant one, that your recep- 
 tion hath been commensurate with your beauty, 
 and that your present entertainment is to your 
 liking." 
 
 " Your Majesty," said I, " as I told you before 
 in the presence of the good Bishop Ken, who was 
 your good angel on that day ..." 
 
 "Name him not," said the King resentfully; 
 " we are well rid of the pestilent Churchman and 
 his pious advices." 
 
 44 Not so," I persisted. 
 
 44 Madam, I will not have him mentioned," 
 growled His Majesty. 
 
 4 You are, or should be, the font of honour and 
 dignity for these three kingdoms; the oppressed, 
 the weak, the persecuted, the tempted, have only 
 you to whom to appeal, as I, a woman, friendless, 
 alone, bereft of all her protectors, appeal to you 
 now." 
 
 44 Appeal rather to my love for you, Lady 
 Katharine, and I could deny you nothing," he 
 made answer, smirking odiously at me. 
 
 44 Rather do I appeal to the King's mercy, the
 
 In the Antechamber of the King 285 
 
 King's honour, the King's justice . . . ! " I 
 cried. 
 
 " IViean you Lord Jeffreys? " he asked. 
 
 "God forbid!" 
 
 " 'Twas upon his advice I brought you hither," 
 laughed the Monarch. 
 
 " So I might have surmised." 
 
 " He told me, in his blunt, rough way, that I 
 was more than a fool to let escape such a delicious 
 little ..." 
 
 " Spare me his vulgar words ! " I exclaimed 
 contemptuously. 
 
 " I will spare you anything, if you will just 
 love me a little, you little vixen. Come, we have 
 talked enough." 
 
 He moved toward me a step. Instantly God 
 forgive me, it is a fearful thing for a subject to 
 do, but my blood was hot, and I was so enraged 
 I lifted my hand. 
 
 " Come nearer," said I, " and I strike you with 
 this," 
 
 The King stared hard at me, and then burst 
 into laughter as he recognised how little for- 
 midable a thing it was that I held in my hand. 
 
 "What is 't?" he asked. "A bit of broken 
 glass? A woman's weapon."
 
 286 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 I was quicker than he thought, for, though he 
 was on me as he spoke and his hand caught at my 
 wrist, I struggled viciously and managed to scratch 
 his face; indeed, I cut it deep enough for blood 
 to come. 
 
 " You little spit-fire ! " he cried angrily, wrest- 
 ing the broken goblet from me. " What's the 
 matter with you ? There is scarce a woman in the 
 realm that would not be honoured by my af- 
 fection." 
 
 " Here is one," answered I, " that finds it only 
 dishonour." 
 
 I wrenched myself free from him as he spoke 
 and stepped back from him. He was sober enough 
 now, and in an ugly mood, yet strove to control 
 himself and win me if he could. 
 
 "Madam," he pleaded, "be reasonable; you 
 are at my mercy." 
 
 "The King's mercy," I mocked. "What 
 mean those words?" 
 
 ' You don't seem to understand that I love you, 
 Lady Katharine," he went on, " that I can do 
 anything for you, and I will; I will give you riches, 
 I will create you a duchess, I . . . " 
 
 " I have already a higher position than any you 
 can give me," I interposed triumphantly.
 
 In the Antechamber of the King 287 
 
 "And what's that?" 
 
 " I am a true and lawful wife." 
 
 " Wife to a man who sold you unto me? " 
 
 Glad am I I thank God for it daily; I shall 
 continue so to do so long as I live that I an- 
 swered thus: 
 
 " That is a lie." 
 
 "It is the truth!" cried the King. 
 
 " It will take more than the word of James 
 Stewart to make me believe it." 
 
 The King laughed. 
 
 * You called me James Stewart, Katharine Clan- 
 ranald." 
 
 " Katharine Richmond," I protested. 
 
 " Katharine anything you will; I drop my roy- 
 alty, I cast it aside, I am a man who loves you, 
 who will have you; nay, shrink not back, you are 
 helpless, your reputation is gone already, you 
 might as well have the sweet with the bitter, the 
 reward with the service, and there is no shame 
 in it after all as the world sees it, kings are ex- 
 alted above other men. Faith, I know not why 
 I plead a moment with you, when I might take 
 you out of hand, but that I . . . " 
 
 He stepped toward me ; I sprang from him and, 
 being fleeter of foot than he, gained the window
 
 288 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 before he divined my purpose. I tore away the 
 hangings, I leaped upon the sill, and leaned far 
 out, my right knee upon the sill, my left foot on 
 the chair. 
 
 " If you come one step nearer," I cried, looking 
 back at him, " I shall hurl myself upon the rocks 
 below ! " 
 
 " You wouldn't do that," protested the open- 
 mouthed, astonished King, rooted to the spot where 
 he stood. 
 
 "Would I not? If you have the least doubt 
 of my purpose, put me to the test; approach me 
 and I die." 
 
 " But I offer you riches, rank, power, my love, 
 everything." 
 
 " These things spell but two words for me, 
 James Stewart." 
 
 I was resolved that I would no longer call him 
 King or Majesty, who was so unworthy of either 
 title or attributes. 
 
 "And what do they spell?" 
 
 " Shame dishonour." 
 
 " Hey, woman, would you prefer death to our 
 affection?" 
 
 " I would prefer death to your crown, if you 
 went with it! " I cried.
 
 In the Antechamber of the King 289 
 
 The King's back was toward the door, which 
 was in full view from where I crouched upon the 
 broad window-sill. As he stared at me in baffle- 
 ment, and as I looked at him in triumph, the door 
 softly opened. I did not care much who came 
 into the room. While I maintained my position, 
 I had my own fate in my own hands if a dozen 
 were beside the King; therefore, I looked with 
 little curiosity and was totally unprepared for 
 what I saw. 
 
 Silently a splendid figure came through the 
 slowly opened door, which he quietly closed be- 
 hind him; in his hand he bore a bloodstained 
 sword. It was my husband! He was true that 
 was my first thought, I swear. 
 
 My heart stopped its beating; unconsciously, 
 I looked away from the King. He had no thought 
 evidently but for me, for, taking advantage of 
 my momentary inattention, in two bounds he was 
 upon me. He laid hold of my ankle, my foot 
 being on the chair, and laughed triumphantly. 
 
 But I did not care. I made no effort to throw 
 myself over now, not even did I struggle to re- 
 lease myself; my protector was here. In one sec- 
 ond all my trust and confidence came back, so far as 
 he was concerned. I knew he could deal with all
 
 290 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 the kings and crowns on earth to save me. I 
 waited, almost with a sense of amusement at what 
 I knew would be the instant and appalling dis- 
 comfiture of the King, who, as he seized me, ex- 
 claimed : 
 
 " I have you now, madam, and who shall de- 
 liver you from my hand?" 
 
 " I," said my husband, smiling at me. .
 
 Chapter 
 XIX 
 
 Wherein Sir Hugh Richmond interrupts a Tete-a- 
 tete between his Wife and one James Stewart 
 
 AID now I resume the telling of my own 
 story. I cannot describe fhe feeling of 
 thankfulness that filled my heart when I 
 opened the door and saw my wife crouching on 
 the window-seat, and the King standing angry and 
 helpless in the centre of the room. I knew exactly 
 what had been in Lady Katharine's mind: that, 
 rather than submit to the King, she would throw 
 herself from the tower to the rocks below my 
 brave, beautiful, splendid Kate ! I shuddered to 
 think of that catastrophe, and yet I rejoiced that 
 she had found the courage to plan it and that I had 
 come in the nick of time to render it unnecessary. 
 She saw me so soon as I opened the door. The 
 King's back was toward me, and he was not aware 
 of my presence he was so intent upon her as to 
 be oblivious to everything else. He observed her 
 gaze, which had been concentrated upon him, I 
 
 imagined and she hath since told me it was so 
 
 291
 
 292 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 wander my way for a moment and, with a quick- 
 ness for which I should not have given him credit, 
 he realised his opportunity and seized it; for, in 
 two steps he was by her side, he caught her ankle 
 in a firm grasp, her foot being on the chair and 
 her knee upon the window. 
 
 Whether he could have effected that or not if I 
 had not been there, even if her gaze had wan- 
 dered, I cannot say. His touch was profanation, 
 but his present actions were of little importance 
 in my wife's mind or in my own. Since I was 
 there I had but one. course to follow, as ever the 
 bold one ! But, then, I had followed that same 
 course all along and with success. I had bested 
 Jeffreys, entered the castle and killed Stenwold, 
 and I felt no doubt but that I should triumph 
 over the wretched Monarch, a weaker man than 
 either of them. 
 
 There was, too, a certain grim satisfaction in my 
 heart in the situation. It is not every day that a 
 simple soldier and gentleman has the chance to 
 measure himself against a man who, while he was 
 not a great King, was, nevertheless, the appointed 
 ruler over a great realm for the time being. 
 
 I had served King James long and well and he 
 had requited me, after having banished me for a
 
 An Interrupted Tete-a-tete 293 
 
 venial offence that any other monarch had freely 
 pardoned, by endeavouring to take from me all 
 that life held of sweetness and light for me my 
 bonny Kate, my wife. Had he not laid his hand 
 upon her person, I think I could have waited a 
 little while behind the tapestry enjoying the situa- 
 tion. My wife had ever a witty and a cutting 
 tongue, although she uses it not now upon me 
 thank God! and I doubt not that there would 
 have been rare baiting of the King; but the clasp 
 on her dainty ankle and his insulting laugh, his 
 boastful statement, moved me, and I spoke as she 
 hath written. 
 
 " Your Majesty," I added quietly, " hath it not 
 been one of the lessons of your kingship that he 
 laughs best who laughs last? " 
 
 At the first sound of my voice the King had re- 
 leased Lady Katharine and wheeled to face me. 
 His red face went suddenly white as he saw me 
 standing there, grim, forbidding, with a naked and 
 bloody sword in my hand. I could not have been 
 a very pleasant spectacle, although Lady Katha- 
 rine, with a woman's fond exaggeration, has since 
 assured me that I was the fairest thing she ever 
 looked upon for the nonce. I am glad I so ap- 
 peared to her.
 
 294 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " Holy Virgin ! " exclaimed the King, as soon 
 as he could get breath. " Richmond! " 
 
 " I am glad to see that Your Majesty recog- 
 nises me." 
 
 " Hugh ! " cried my wife, finding voice at last. 
 " Thank God, you have come in time." 
 
 " And did you ever doubt that I should be here, 
 sweetheart?" I asked, in turn. 
 
 I never took my eyes off the King, though I 
 spoke to her. I stood between him and the door, 
 and, at a move, I could have spitted him like a 
 fowl, and I would, too; I cared not a snap of 
 my finger for his Majesty or his Kingship. 
 By means of the chair, my wife sprang 
 down from the high window and came close to 
 my side, and, before I knew what she would be 
 at, she seized my left hand and kissed it. That 
 sight aroused the King; he opened his mouth to 
 cry for assistance, but, before he could utter a 
 sound, I was upon him fiercely. 
 
 " Be silent," I hissed at him, " or I will run you 
 through." 
 
 It was impossible for him to turn any whiter, 
 he was so pale already, but he shrank away from 
 the menacing point of the red weapon in terrific 
 agitation.
 
 An Interrupted Tete-a-tete 295 
 
 " You draw your sword against your King? " 
 he exclaimed. 
 
 "You raise your hand against my wife?" 
 I retorted. 
 
 " Down on your knees, sir," said the King, 
 striving to recover his dominance, " and beg for 
 your life. Because of your wife, I may give it 
 to you." 
 
 " Now," mocked I, " that is a most royal 
 clemency on the part of Your Majesty, but, if 
 any knees press the floor in this room, they will 
 not be mine." 
 
 " I am the King of England ..." 
 
 " No one would ever imagine it from your 
 actioris." 
 
 " And you are my subject." 
 
 " Nay," said I; " here we be two men James 
 Stewart and Hugh Richmond and of the two I am 
 the master." 
 
 It was about as insulting a thing as I could 
 say, and the King's position was about as degrad- 
 ing a one as he could well occupy. A moment's 
 reflection upon it goaded the unhappy man to 
 madness. 
 
 " Stenwold! " he cried out suddenly in a high- 
 pitched voice.
 
 296 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 What more he would have added I do not know, 
 for my sword was at his throat. I even pricked 
 him a little, for I saw a spot of blood stain the 
 lace of his tie. I pressed him hard, too, until he 
 shrank against the wall, helpless. 
 
 " Now I am in mind," said I fiercely, " in that 
 you have disobeyed me in calling out, to pin you to 
 the wainscoting and leave you there." 
 
 "Would you kill your King?" gasped out 
 James, alarmed beyond measure. 
 
 " You are no King of mine," I answered 
 roughly. " For one thing, you have banished me, 
 proscribed me, I am an outlaw, and I would kill 
 you as I would any other rat that came beneath 
 my notice." 
 
 "But Stenwold?" 
 
 " Would it not otherwise alarm the castle, you 
 might call on Lord Stenwold forever." 
 
 "Is he dead?" 
 
 "Ay!" 
 
 "Did you kill him?" 
 
 " Yonder, in the antechamber," I said. 
 
 " And you would murder ..." 
 
 "Stop," I interposed. "I killed Lord Sten- 
 wold in fair fight." 
 
 " But I have no weapon, or . . . " said the
 
 An Interrupted Tete-a-tete 297 
 
 King, eagerly grasping at straws to save the rags 
 and tatters of his self-respect. 
 
 And here my wife interposed she lifted from 
 the chair the jewelled sword which the King had 
 laid aside for his love-making and handed it to 
 him. 
 
 " Now you have the means of defence ! " I ex- 
 claimed, throwing her an approving look for her 
 splendid action and the evidence of her confidence 
 in me. 
 
 " I stand here to see fair play," said Lady 
 Katharine fiercely. 
 
 I drew back from him a little space to give 
 him room, and fell on guard, but the King's sword 
 hung listlessly from his hand. 
 
 " I cannot fight with a subject; 'tis beneath me," 
 he muttered. 
 
 "You would fight with a woman, though; you 
 did not find that beneath you," said my wife 
 quickly. " You would contrive to spoil her of 
 that which is infinitely dearer than life. You hesi- 
 tated not to attempt that." 
 
 " But he did not succeed, Kate ! " I cried. 
 
 " I should be deader than Stenwold then," said 
 my wife. 
 
 " If he had, his own life would not be worth
 
 298 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 a moment's purchase," said I grimly. " Your con- 
 duct passes belief, sir." 
 
 " Let us end this comedy," said the King des- 
 perately. 
 
 " 'Tis not yet decided, sir," I said ironically, 
 " from the first act of the play, whether it shall 
 turn out a comedy or a tragedy." 
 
 " You have me in your power," returned James. 
 " What is it you wish? " 
 
 " Freedom to depart instantly from this castle 
 with my wife without let or hindrance by you or 
 any one." 
 
 " Needs must," said the King. " My hour will 
 come, but this is yours. Go! You are free, but, 
 if you are found within my domains within the 
 hour, God help you." 
 
 " Threats," said I mockingly, " ill become the 
 powerless." 
 
 " Death and fury! " exclaimed the King, in fu- 
 tile rage. 
 
 " And this man presumed to love me," laughed 
 Lady Katharine, " and to think that I could mate 
 with such a coward." 
 
 I suppose that was the last straw; the King could 
 stand no more ; he tore nervously at the lace of his 
 collar.
 
 An Interrupted Tete-a-tete 299 
 
 "Go!" he cried. "You have my word that 
 you shall not be stopped." 
 ' Your word," I sneered. 
 
 " My royal word." 
 
 1 Your Majesty, it's not worth the breath that 
 utters it. We will have a safe-conduct from Your 
 Majesty in Your Majesty's own hand; we will 
 have Your Majesty's seal to attest the writing lest 
 any question it." 
 
 " Anything," said the unhappy King, mad to 
 get us away. 
 
 There was a handsome writing-cabinet against 
 the wall. 
 
 "Will it please Your Majesty to sit there," 
 said I, pointing with my sword toward the chair 
 before it. 
 
 The King actually reeled to the place and fell, 
 rather than sat down, in the seat. He was so 
 agitated he could scarcely hold the pen. I bade 
 him calm himself and take plenty of time, as 
 we were not likely to be interrupted, but my 
 friendly words did not seem to have great effect. 
 He made several ineffectual attempts to write, and 
 finally threw the quill upon the desk. 
 
 ' Write it yourself," he said, " and I will sign 
 it."
 
 300 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 " Nay," replied I, " that can hardly be, for I 
 must keep good watch over you." 
 
 " Give me the charge of him, Hugh! " cried my 
 brave Kate eagerly. " You know that I can wield 
 the sword and I have a score of my own to pay 
 back to this man." 
 
 " Good," said I. 
 
 I passed her my sword, and it pleased my heart 
 to see how firmly she grasped it in her sweet hand, 
 and how like a master she handled it. At the 
 same time I slipped her that little pocket-pistol, of 
 French make, that I carried ever about me in times 
 of hazard. 
 
 " Stand up! " she cried abruptly, pointing her 
 blade to the King. 
 
 It cut him to the heart to be thus mastered by 
 a woman. He looked at me as if in appeal. I 
 shrugged my shoulders. 
 
 " The lady is in command," I said. " I know 
 her well, she's my wife; you had best do as she 
 says, and quickly, or I'll not answer for the con- 
 sequences." 
 
 There was nothing for him but obedience. The 
 unhappy man rose slowly to his feet and stared 
 at us, his eyes distilling hatred. 
 
 " Face the wall ! " cried Lady Katharine, and
 
 An Interrupted Tete-a-tete 301 
 
 perforce he had to obey again. She rested the 
 sword-point between his shoulder-blades and 
 tapped him lightly therewith. 
 
 " Turn but your head, move at all," she said, 
 " and I will run you through." She looked at me 
 for a moment and laughed. " Is it well done, my 
 lord? " she asked. 
 
 " Excellent well." 
 
 " Behold the Royal Majesty of England ! " she 
 laughed. " Flattened against the wall of his own 
 palace and held there at her pleasure and by a 
 woman's hand." 
 
 Where have I heard the saying, " Hell hath no 
 fury like a woman scorned "? Well, there was no 
 time for moralising. I sat down, and wrote an 
 order without duress, granting free exit from the 
 castle, without let or hindrance, for Sir Hugh 
 Richmond and Lady Katharine, his wife, with 
 whatsoever jewels and property either bore upon 
 his or her person, and affording them immunity 
 from capture for a space of two hours thereafter. 
 After I had finished it, I sanded it carefully, left 
 it upon the desk and once again resumed my 
 weapons. 
 
 " The prisoner, sir," said my wife, with marked 
 gravity, " hath comported himself admirably un-
 
 302 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 der our gentle persuasion. He hath not stirred; 
 yea, he hath scarcely even breathed." 
 
 Then laughter overcame her. 
 
 " Your Majesty," said I, " you can sign the or- 
 der now." 
 
 The King fell away from the wall and into the 
 chair, almost like a dead man. He seized the pen 
 and scrawled his name beneath it with a shaking 
 hand. 
 
 " Now the Royal signet." 
 
 His hand trembled so he could scarcely drop 
 the wax, but at last he managed to affix his seal 
 to it. 
 
 " Leave the seal on the table," I added. 
 
 " There it is," he replied, slamming it down 
 furiously. 
 
 " I want to play fair with you," I said. " I 
 am not a King; you had better read over the pa- 
 per you have signed." 
 
 The King glanced hastily over it and shoved it 
 toward me. 
 
 " Take it, damn you," he said. " If I but get 
 my hands upon you ..." 
 
 " I know perfectly well what you would fain do 
 with me," I replied coolly. " And if you catch 
 me, you have leave, so far as I am concerned, to
 
 An Interrupted Tete-a-tete 303 
 
 wreak whatever majestic vengeance you are in- 
 clined to." 
 
 " Have you finished this baiting of me now? " 
 he choked out. 
 
 " Not yet. You have confiscated my own es- 
 tates, also the property of the Earl of Clanranald, 
 the father of my wife; we paid you ten thousand 
 pounds for his liberty and for my wife's freedom; 
 I will take that money, if you please." 
 
 " Do you think I carry that much upon my 
 person? " 
 
 " Not in gold or silver perhaps," said I, " but 
 in the stars and jewels that you wear." 
 
 " Wouldst thou rob as well as murder me? " 
 
 " I take but my own," returned I. " Off with 
 them." 
 
 The King tore the jewels from his breast, the 
 rings from his fingers, the pins from his tie, and 
 heaped them down upon the desk. I gathered them 
 together and dropped them into my pocket. 
 
 " Now," said I, " we have done with you. I 
 served you long and served you well. My own of- 
 fence was such as any noble gentleman might have 
 forgiven ; you repaid me by banishment, and then, 
 ignobly, you tried to steal my wife. True it is 
 that in old days you did heap benefits upon me;
 
 304 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 I requite them by sparing you now; and, with my 
 wife, I go. Understanding that neither your 
 spoken word nor your written pledge is worth 
 much to me, who know you of old, I have here 
 something I fancy which will cause you to respect 
 what you have said and what you have written." 
 
 "What is that?" 
 
 " Your Chief Devil is locked up and under 
 guard, his life is forfeit for mine." 
 
 " Jeffreys ! " cried the King. 
 
 " Your Majesty hath wit enough to identify 
 him from my meagre description evidently," 
 said I. 
 
 "And what of him?" 
 
 " He is my prisoner." 
 
 " It is a lie." 
 
 " I have not rank enough to lie. Here is the 
 evidence." 
 
 I forced into his hands Jeffreys' letter. 
 
 " 'Tis forged," he protested. 
 
 "And is this, too, forged? " I asked, as I 
 showed him my lord's signet ring. 
 
 " Does the fool believe," said the King bitterly, 
 " that I would allow his life or anybody's to stand 
 between me and my will? " 
 
 As for that, I could quite believe that in his
 
 An Interrupted Tete-a-tete 305 
 
 present mood the King would have sacrificed Jeff- 
 reys, or anybody, or anything but his life for re- 
 venge upon me and mine, and power to work his 
 will upon both of us. 
 
 " To tell you the truth, sir," I answered 
 smoothly, " even he does not think that highly of 
 you, but even Your Majesty could scarcely afford 
 to have it known that he wilfully sacrificed his 
 Lord Chief Justice for a woman." 
 
 " Enough," said the King; " you have what you 
 came for; now, go! " 
 
 " But one thing more remains to be said," I be- 
 gan. " For the sake of the honourable gentlemen, 
 the honest and gallant men over whom for yet a 
 little space you are permitted to rule, and not to 
 bring shame to them by showing them what a 
 coward their monarch is, my wife and I will keep 
 silent concerning the events of this night, and, if 
 they be mooted abroad, the news will come from 
 you, not from us. I wish Your Majesty a good- 
 night." 
 
 "Go, go!" cried the King. 
 
 " Come, Kate," I said. 
 
 I sheathed my sword and then I kissed her be- 
 fore him. I confess I wanted him to see it, that 
 kiss which he had been denied. Then I took her
 
 306 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 hand and we turned happily away. The King sank 
 down into a chair and lay sprawled there, trem- 
 bling and shaking as if in an ague, while we made 
 toward the door. The desperate game had been 
 played out, and I had won. I was happy, exultant, 
 triumphant. Ten minutes would see us on the 
 water and away, if Macleod had been faithful- 
 which I did not doubt.
 
 Chapter 
 XX 
 
 How Sir Hugh and Lady Katharine, with some 
 Assistance from General Feversham, at last and 
 finally overcame the Majesty of England 
 
 THERE was a sudden clamour in the great 
 hall outside. My heart stopped beating. 
 I halted with my left hand on the closed 
 door. I released my wife and drew my sword 
 again. 
 
 " If anything happens," I whispered to her, " do 
 you go to the window, dearest Kate! I'll hold 
 them in play until you leap, and if I can I'll follow 
 you." 
 
 " I understand," she answered, her eyes shining 
 with love for me and brave determination to die 
 rather than yield to the King. 
 
 A gruff soldier's voice that I recognised said 
 something I could not make out. The farther door 
 at which Harkins had kept watch was suddenly 
 thrown open. Through the closed door between 
 the King's chamber and the anteroom where dead 
 
 Stenwold lay I could hear confused noises, clashing 
 
 307
 
 308 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 of arms, many people entering hurriedly, then that 
 deeper foreign voice, that I knew but could not 
 place, commanded silence. The King had heard 
 as well as I. 
 
 " 'Tis Feversham," he exclaimed, leaping to his 
 feet, his face changing. " We shall see now who 
 
 wins." 
 
 As he spoke another harsher, rougher voice 
 came through the door. 
 
 "And Jeffreys!" cried the delighted King. 
 " Down on your knees, you dog," he roared. " He 
 doth laugh best who laughs last. Madam, you 
 did ill to trust yourself to this man." 
 
 I stood appalled for the moment at this sudden 
 check to our plans. 
 
 " Gentlemen, to me," roared the King. There 
 was a surge toward the door, which had been 
 thrown open at the King's first shout for assist- 
 ance, and in the instant the room was filled with 
 men. But I was quicker than any. I stepped to 
 the side of the King and dragged him back to the 
 wall near the window before he himself or any 
 one else could prevent. My wife followed me. 
 
 ' Your Majesty," I said quickly, while the new- 
 comers stood surprised beyond measure, " I have 
 you covered, have a care what you do. My life is
 
 Overcoming the Majesty of England 309 
 
 forfeit, but if I die, you die before me, dost under- 
 stand?" 
 
 At that second Feversham and Jeffreys in the 
 lead, the officers of the guard following, with the 
 King's gentlemen and Stenwold's lackeys, all 
 stepped toward me. The King and I stood to- 
 gether near the middle of the wall of the farther 
 room, Lady Katharine alone near the window ad- 
 joining us. 
 
 " Back," cried the wretched King, desperately 
 urged thereto by the pressure of that small pistol 
 against his back. 
 
 * Your Majesty . . . " began Feversham, 
 stopping short, and then he recognised me. 
 "Richmond!" he exclaimed; "Lady Katharine 
 Clanranald ! " 
 
 " Katharine Richmond, sir," protested she, 
 proud of her new name. 
 
 " You came in the very nick of time, Lord 
 Feversham," said the King. " Sir Hugh Rich- 
 mond is a traitor and an exile, he is an outlaw, he 
 hath raised his hand against his King, as you see. 
 Take him: We will decide upon his punishment 
 later." 
 
 " Ay, Your Majesty, and if that be not enough, 
 he tied me up, like a trussed fowl, threatened me
 
 310 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 with death, and left me two hours since with a 
 dirty rag in my mouth. But for the chance arrival 
 at the inn of Lord Feversham, who insisted upon 
 seeing me when he heard I was there, I might 
 have died of thirst or suffocation," roared out 
 Jeffreys. 
 
 " He hath killed my Lord Stenwold," cried 
 another. 
 
 " 'Fore God, let's burn the dog, and " 
 
 " Lord Feversham," cried my wife in swift in- 
 terruption. " You served me well once in my need, 
 hear me now. In violation of his honour, the King 
 employed Lord Stenwold to bring me here against 
 my will, to my shame, for His Majesty's foul 
 purpose." 
 
 " Silence, wench," roared the King. 
 
 But I shoved my pistol harder into his side. 
 
 " Give the lady free speech," I said grimly, 
 " and do not use that word again to my wife if you 
 love life." 
 
 " And my husband came here in the nick of time 
 to rescue me from His Majesty " 
 
 " And to avenge you had I been too late," I 
 added. 
 
 " What man of you would not do the same, for 
 one he loved?" she cried, appealing to the rest.
 
 Overcoming the Majesty of England 311 
 
 " You, Lord Feversham, are a French gentle- 
 man, one of the haute noblesse of your gallant 
 land, an honourable soldier; what say you? Is 
 my husband to be blamed for that? Is his life to 
 be forfeit because he sought to protect me from 
 this dishonoured King? " 
 
 Never had she been so royally beautiful herself 
 as in that hour. I knew not till then how fortunate 
 I had been in winning her to wife. I almost for- 
 got our lives hung upon her word in admiration 
 for her, but nevertheless I kept tight hold of the 
 King. 
 
 Louis de Duras looked greatly troubled. 
 
 " Your Majesty," he said at last, " deny this 
 for God's love, and for the sake of your kingly 
 fame!" 
 
 "Why should I deny it?" snarled the King. 
 " The woman is my subject, the daughter of one 
 traitor, the wife of another she ought to be hon- 
 oured." 
 
 " It is ill done, Sire," said the soldier, shaking 
 his head. 
 
 " The King can do no wrong," roared Judge 
 Jeffreys. 
 
 " I should have left you where I found you by 
 chance," said Feversham, looking contemptuously
 
 312 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 at the red-faced travesty of justice, " the soiled 
 rag thrust within your lips consorts well with what 
 falls from them now and ever." 
 
 " Lord Feversham," cried the King, as Jeffreys 
 shrank away from the fierce gaze of the proud, 
 brave soldier, " on your allegiance I command 
 you to obey my order." 
 
 " One step nearer, General Feversham," cried I, 
 tapping the King on the shoulder he was as a 
 child in my hands! "and I blow His Majesty's 
 brains out before you all." 
 
 "Would you murder your King?" cried Jeff- 
 reys. 
 
 " Ay, and die regretting that I had not a second 
 shot for you." 
 
 Feversham stood uncertain. Jeffreys gnashed 
 his teeth in baffled rage and terror. 
 
 " Good God, gentlemen ! " protested the Lord 
 Chief Justice, " is all the power of England in 
 this vagabond's hands? " 
 
 How the situation might have terminated I can- 
 not say. We had reached a position in which ad- 
 vance or retreat were alike impossible on either 
 side. It was my bonny Kate who intervened 
 again. God bless her woman's wit. It saved us 
 both. She suddenly stepped past the Earl of
 
 Overcoming the Majesty of England 313 
 
 Feversham toward me. The soldier bowed, but 
 made as if he would interrupt her progress. 
 
 " Madam," he said, " I respect you, but I must 
 guard as I may the person of the King; your hus- 
 band alone sufficiently menaces him. What want 
 you now ? " 
 
 " Sir," said my wife, looking him full in the 
 face, " I give you my word of honour, as the 
 daughter of the Earl of Clanranald, as the wife of 
 Sir Hugh Richmond, for we were married three 
 days ago in Scotland, that I mean no harm to the 
 King, although he hath threatened me with much. 
 I only wish to take from the person of my hus- 
 band, he being otherwise occupied and so unable 
 to hand it to me, a paper and a seal for your 
 inspection." 
 
 " Keep the woman back, Louis," began the King 
 imploringly, but I thrust him savagely with the 
 muzzle of my pistol and his voice died away. 
 
 " Madam, I take your word," said Feversham, 
 bowing gallantly. " Pass on." 
 
 " By God ! " exclaimed Jeffreys, "if you would 
 let me deal with the woman, we'd have His Maj- 
 esty freed from that knave in a moment. We could 
 have held her as hostage, man." 
 
 The King looked gratefully, the General scorn-
 
 314 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 fully at Jeffreys, who certainly had spoken shrewdly 
 if too late. 
 
 At that moment it repented me that I had not 
 killed him when I had the chance. It was how- 
 ever now impossible to carry out his suggestion, 
 even if Feversham had been so minded. My wife 
 stood close to me and reached her hand into my 
 breast pocket where I had thrust them, and drew 
 forth the King's letter and the King's seal ; in three 
 steps she was by Feversham's side, showing by 
 her approach a confidence in him that touched him 
 evidently, and laid the paper in his open hand. 
 
 " What's this? " asked the General. 
 
 " Read, sir," answered Lady Katharine. 
 
 He stepped nearer the light and opened the 
 document. 
 
 " 'Tis a free passage and immunity for Sir Hugh 
 Richmond and his wife, given without duress and 
 signed by the King," he said. 
 
 ;< This ring, you know it? " continued my wife. 
 
 '* The King's seal," answered Feversham. 
 ' Your Majesty, did you issue this pass? " 
 
 " Yes," said the King, " but " 
 
 " Pardon me, Your Majesty," said I, pressing 
 him a little harder in the back, " you gave me the 
 document of your own free will, did you not? "
 
 Overcoming the Majesty of England 315 
 
 "Yes, that is " stammered the poor King, 
 
 his face sweat-covered. 
 
 " There hath been no one here could put any 
 compulsion upon Your Majesty, hath there?" I 
 asked, ruthlessly pressing my advantage. 
 
 " No," he stammered out at last, " but I will 
 revoke the pass." 
 
 " 'Tis too late," said Feversham bluntly, " un- 
 less by a written order." 
 
 " And at this moment," said I grimly, " the 
 King cannot write." 
 
 " Good God, Feversham ! " began the King, but 
 he got no further. 
 
 " This is monstrous ! " cried my Lord Chief 
 Justice. 
 
 Feversham fiercely turned on him as a dog upon 
 a rat. 
 
 " This is a military matter," he roared. " Will 
 you be silent ? Sir Hugh Richmond, you and your 
 wife by the King's written order are entitled to 
 free passage; as loyal subjects of His Majesty, we 
 respect his name and seal. Back, gentlemen. Way 
 for Sir Hugh and Lady Richmond." 
 
 " Gentlemen," said I, " a word before we go. 
 " Lord Stenwold lies dead in yonder chamber, 
 'tis true, but it was in fair fight. I am this night
 
 316 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 for the Low Countries; if any friend of his wishes 
 satisfaction and fancies himself aggrieved, I shall 
 hold myself at his disposal in Holland, upon what- 
 ever terms he will." 
 
 " I shall see," said Feversham gravely, " that 
 your courteous offer be communicated to whomso- 
 ever may desire to take up the late Lord Sten- 
 wold's quarrel." 
 
 " Thank you," said I. " We are indebted to 
 you for much." 
 
 " A word before you go," said Feversham. 
 " You know that I had no hand in bringing your 
 wife back here." 
 
 " I never for a moment dreamed of it," I replied 
 with a black glance at Jeffreys, who shrank away. 
 " I know well whence the King's evil inspiration 
 
 came." 
 
 " It grieves me," continued Feversham, " to call 
 attention to the fact that if within two hours you 
 are apprehended on English ground, your life, and 
 I doubt not," he added significantly, " your wife's 
 honour will be forfeited." 
 
 "I understand," said I. "Your Majesty," I 
 turned and faced the King. I took off my hat and 
 bowed low to him with ironic courtesy indeed 
 had he not sought to use me and mine so foully,
 
 Overcoming the Majesty of England 317 
 
 I could have pitied him in his degradation and 
 despair " tGood-night, again; you should sleep 
 sweeter for the failure of your designs upon this 
 lady. I trust that I may meet you upon some wider 
 field than this narrow room, where the prize to be 
 struggled for may not be a woman's honour, but 
 a kingdom's rule." 
 
 I clapped my hat on my head, drew my wife's 
 hand through my left arm and, with my bare blade 
 in my right hand, I walked proudly through the 
 door. The gentlemen and soldiers assembled si- 
 lently gave back and opened way by General Fever- 
 sham's directions as we passed through them. The 
 King and Jeffreys both opened their mouths in wild 
 clamour, but Feversham was equal to the emer- 
 gency, he roared out like a stentor : 
 
 ' The King and his Chief Justice would fain be 
 alone, gentlemen. Let us leave the room immedi- 
 ately. Stand not upon the order of your going, 
 sirs " 
 
 And so bellowing orders and commands drown- 
 ing out the sharp words of the King, he hustled 
 all of them out into the anteroom, closed the door 
 and himself stood guard before it. No one could 
 pass then. 
 
 " For God's sake, make haste, Richmond! " he
 
 318 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 cried, as I looked back to catch one last glimpse 
 of him splendidly barring the King's exit. 
 
 For the second time that night King James was 
 a prisoner. I had no fear for Feversham, the best, 
 the only commander worthy the name in the king- 
 dom; he was a soldier; the King might hate him 
 but he could do nothing, especially as any indignity 
 to the Earl would probably cost him the favour of 
 and might involve him in a war with France, which 
 at that unsettled time would have been fatal to his 
 kingship. He needed him. 
 
 At the door old Harkins waited; he had posted 
 himself there, and there he intended to wait what- 
 ever came. His face was white enough under its 
 tan. As I passed by he presented arms and looked 
 intently at me. 
 
 " You are to come with me," I said, assuming 
 an authority I did not have. 
 
 He followed me without a question. We 
 marched rapidly down the long hall, only to be 
 halted at the further end by the officer of the 
 guard; but here another officer overtook us, hav- 
 ing been despatched by Feversham, and ordered 
 that we be given free passage. 
 
 The officer looked sharply at the sergeant but 
 said nothing; fortunately he was but a young
 
 Overcoming the Majesty of England 319 
 
 soldier, and I suppose he thought that Harkins 
 was only discharging his duty by escorting me on 
 my way. So the four of us marched down the 
 stair, through the hall, across the courtyard and 
 outside the gates. Here the officer halted. 
 
 " I would best see them safe across the draw- 
 bridge and down the road, sir," said Harkins 
 gruffly. 
 
 "Very good; go on," said the officer indiffer- 
 ently, turning back. 
 
 In half a dozen steps we were over the draw- 
 bridge, and in another moment the three of us were 
 running madly toward the river bank. Harkins' 
 presence was invaluable now, for he knew a path to 
 the water's edge. We fell rather than climbed 
 down it in the darkness and stood knee-deep in the 
 river. 
 
 " Macleod! " I cried anxiously. 
 
 " Here, your honour, and thank God," came 
 to us out of the darkness, and presently guided by 
 our voices, the prow of a comfortable wherry ran 
 against the bank of the river. 
 
 I lifted Lady Katharine into the boat, clambered 
 into the stern sheets myself and seized the tiller, 
 while Harkins sat down forward of Macleod and 
 finding another pair of oars broke them out, and
 
 320 Hearts and the Highway 
 
 the two men rowed us away from the castle to- 
 ward the mouth of the river. 
 
 Evidently Clanranald's impatience had become 
 so great that he could not remain at sea, for the 
 vessel, with the three lights still twinkling like stars 
 of hope in the blackness, had ventured into the 
 river and was near at hand. I sat in the stern- 
 sheets of the boat, Katharine was next to me, my 
 arm about her, her head upon my shoulder. 
 
 The men rowed lustily and in half an hour we 
 were at the ship's side, in five minutes more Katha- 
 rine was clasped in Clanranald's arms, the wherry 
 was turned adrift, the ship's head was cast off 
 shore, the sails were sheeted home, and we bore 
 away for Holland and Prince William's court 
 for happiness, for love, for freedom. 
 
 Ere we went below into the comfortable cabin 
 to tell the Earl our story, I was stopped by dame 
 Alison and Macleod. 
 
 " Lord Stenwold, sir? " asked the former. 
 
 " Dame Alison," said I, " he will kiss no more 
 women this side of hell, for he lies dead in his own 
 castle by my own hand." 
 
 " That is well done, sir," said Macleod heartily. 
 " Thank you and good-night." 
 
 He touched his bonnet, turned and, followed by
 
 Overcoming the Majesty of England 321 
 
 his wife, disappeared. Lady Katharine was stand- 
 ing in the light that broke from the cabin door 
 looking toward me. I was very happy, very thank- 
 ful. I took off my own hat in turn, looked up to 
 the stars, and made a brief soldier's prayer before 
 I followed her into the cabin. 
 
 " I thank Thee too, O Lord, and good-night ! " 
 
 THE END
 
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 AT MODERATE PRICES 
 
 Any of the following titles can be bought of your 
 bookseller at 50 cents per volume. 
 
 Purple Parasol, The. By George Barr McCutcheon. 
 Princess Dehra, The. By John Reed Scott. 
 Making of Bobby Burnit, The. By George Randolph 
 Chester. 
 
 Last Voyage of the Donna Isabel, The. By Randall 
 
 Parrish. 
 
 Bronze Bell, The. By Louis Joseph Vance. 
 Pole Baker. By Will N. Harben. 
 Four Million, The. By O. Henry. 
 Idols. By William J. Locke. 
 Wayfarers, The. By Mary Stewart Cutting. 
 Held for Orders. By Frank H. Spearman. 
 Story of the Outlaw, The. By Emerson Hough. 
 Mistress of Brae Farm, The. By Rosa N. Carey. 
 Explorer, The. By William Somerset Maugham. 
 Abbess of Vlaye, The. By Stanley Weyman. 
 Alton of Somasco. By Harold Bindloss. 
 Ancient Law, The. By Ellen Glasgow. 
 Barrier, The. By Rex Beach. 
 Bar 20. By Clarence E. Mulford. 
 Beloved Vagabond, The. By William J. Locke. 
 Beulah. (Illustrated Edition.) By Augusta J. Evans 
 Chaperon, The. By C. N. and A. M. Williamson. 
 Colonel Greatheart. By H. C. Bailey. 
 Dissolving Circle, The. By Will Lillibridge. 
 Elusive Isabel. By Jacques Futrelle. 
 Fair Moon of Bath, The. By Elizabeth Ellis. 
 54-40 or Fight. By Emerson Hough.