第20章

Theywerebravefellowsforallthemischieftheydidhere,andtheyseemedtohavelittleheartintheserviceofthePopishKing。Itwastheofficersdrovethemontoallthisdamage,andoncethey\'dstarted—well,therewereroguesamongstthemsawachanceofplunder,andtheytookit。Ihavesoughttoputtheplacetorights;buttheydidsomewoeful,wantonmischief。"

Wildingsighed。"It\'slittlematter,perhaps,astheplaceisnolongermine。

"No……nolongeryours,sir？"

"I\'manattaintedoutlaw,Walters,"heexplained。"They\'llbestowitonsomePopishtime—server,unlessKingMonmouthcanfollowupbygreatervictoriesto—night\'s。Haveyouaughtamanmayeatordrink？"

Meatandwine,freshlinenandfreshgarmentsdidoldWaltersfindhim;

andwhenhehadwashed,eaten,anddrunk,Mr。Wildingwrappedhimselfinadressing—gownandlaidhimselfdowntosleeponasettleinthelibrary,hisservantandhisdogonguard。

Notaboveanhour,however,washedestinedtoenjoyhishard—earnedrest。Thelighthadgrown,meanwhile,andfromgreyithadturnedgolden,theheraldsofthesunbeingalreadyintheeast。Inthedistancethefiringhaddieddowntoamereoccasionalboom。

SuddenlyoldWaltersraisedhisheadtolisten。Thebeatofhoofswasdrawingrapidlynear,sonearthatpresentlyheroseinalarm,forahorsemanwaspoundinguptheavenue,haddrawnreinatthemainentrance。

Waltersknithisbrowsinperplexity,andglancedathismasterwhosleptonutterlywornout。Asilentpausefollowed,lastingsomeminutes。Thenitwasthedogthatrosewithagrowl,hiscoatbristling,andaninstantlatertherecameasharprappingatthehaildoor。

"Sh！Down,Jack！"whisperedWalters,afraidofrousingMr。Wilding。Hetiptoedsoftlyacrosstheroom,pickeduphismusket,and,callingthedog,wentout,agreatfearinhisheart,butnotforhimself。

Therappingcontinued,growingeveryinstantmoreurgent,sourgentthatWalterswasalmostreassured。Herewasnoenemy,butsurelysomeoneinneed。Waltersopenedatlast,andMr。Trenchard,grimyoffaceandhands,hishatshornofitsplumes,hisclothestorn,staggeredwithanoathacrossthethreshold。

"Walters！"hecried。"ThankGod！Ithoughtyou\'dbehere,butIwasn\'tcertain。Down,Jack！"

Thehoundwasbarkingmadlyagain,havingrecognizedanoldfriend。

"Plagueonthedog！"growledWalters。"He\'llwakeMr。Wilding。"

"Mr。Wilding？"saidTrenchard,andcheckedmidwayacrossthehall。"Mr。

Wilding？"

"Hearrivedhereacoupleofhoursago,sir……"

"Wildinghere？Oddsheart！Iwasmorethanwelladvisedtocome。Whereishe,man？"

"Sh,sir！He\'sasleepinthelibrary。You\'llwakehim,you\'llwakehim！"

ButTrenchardneverpaused。Hecrossedthehailatabound,andflungwidethelibrarydoor。"Anthony！"heshouted。"Anthony！"AndinthebackgroundWalterscursedhimforafool。Wildingleapttohisfeet,awakeandstartled。

"Wha……Nick！"

"Oons！"roaredNick。"You\'rechoicelyfound。IcametosendtoBridgwaterforyou。Wemustawayatonce,man。"

"How—away？Ithoughtyouwereinthefight,Nick。"

"Anddon\'tIlookasifIhadbeen？"

"Butthen……

"Thefightisfoughtandlost;there\'sanendtothegarboil。Monmouthisinfullflightwithwhat\'slefthimofhishorse。WhenIquittedthefield,hewasridinghardforPoldenHill。"Hedroppedintoachair,hisaccentsgrimanddespairing,hiseyeshaggard。

"Lost？"gaspedWilding,andhisconscienceprickedhimforamoment,rememberinghowmuchithadbeenhisfault—howeverindirectly—thatFevershamhadbeenforewarned。"Buthowlost？"hecriedamomentlater。

"AskGrey,"snappedTrenchard。"Askhiscraven,numskulledlordship。

Hehadasgoodahandinlosingitasany。Oh,itwasallmostinfernallymishandled,ashasbeeneverythinginthisill—starredrising。

GreysentbackGodfrey,theguide,andattemptedinthedarktofindhisownwayacrosstherhine。Hemissedtheford。Whatelsecouldthefoolhavehoped？AndwhenhewasdiscoveredandDunbarton\'sgunsbegantoplayonus—hellandfire！weranasifSedgemoorhadbeenarace—course。

"Therestwasbutthenaturalsequel。Thefoot,seeingourconfusion,broke。Theywereralliedagain;brokeagain;andagainwererallied;

butalltoolate。Theenemywasup,andwiththatdamnedditchbetweenustherewasnogettingtoclosequarterswiththem。HadGreyriddenround,andsoughttoturntheirflank,thingsmighthavebeen—0God！—

theywouldhavebeenentirelydifferent。Ididsuggestit。ButformypainsGreythreatenedtopistolmeifIpresumedtoinstructhiminhisduty。IwouldtoHeavenIhadpistolledhimwherehestood。"

Walters,atgazeinthedoorway,listenedtothebittertirade。Wilding,onthesettle,satsilentamoment,hiselbowsonhisknees,hischininhishands,hiseyessetandgrimasTrenchard\'sown。Thenhemasteredhimself,andwavedahandtowardsthetablewherestoodfoodandwine。

"Eatanddrink,Nick,"hesaid,`andwe\'lldiscusswhat\'stobedone。"

"It\'llneedlittlediscussing,"wasNick\'ssavageanswerasheroseandwenttopourhimselfacupofwine。"There\'sbutonecourseopentous—instantflight。IamforMineheadtojoinHewling\'shorse,whichwentthereyesterdayforguns。Wemightseizeashipsomewhereonthecoast,andthusgetoutofthisinfernalcountryofmine。"

TheydiscussedthematterinspiteofTrenchard\'shavingsaidthattherewasnothingtodiscuss,andintheendWildingagreedtogowithhim。Whatchoicehadhe？ButfirsthemustgotoBridgwatertoreassurehiswife。

"ToBridgwater？"blazedTrenchard,inapassionatthefollyofthesuggestion。"You\'reclearlymad！AlltheKing\'sforceswillbethereinanhourortwo。"

"Nomatter,"saidWilding,"Imustgo。Iamdeadalready,asithappens。"AndherelatedhissingularadventureinFeversham\'scamplastnight。

Trenchardheardhiminamazement。Ifanysuspicioncrossedhismindthathisfriend\'sloveaffairshadhadanythingtodowithrousingFevershamprematurely,heshowednosignofit。ButheshookhisheadatWilding\'sinsistencethathemustfirstgotoLuptonHouse。

"Shaltsendamessage,Anthony。Walterswillfindsomeonetobearit。

Butyoumustnotgoyourself。"

IntheendMr。Trenchardprevaileduponhimtoadoptthiscourse,howeverreluctanthemightbe。Thereaftertheyproceededtomaketheirpreparations。Therewerestillacoupleofnagsinthestables,inspiteofthevisitationofthemilitia,andWalterswasabletofindfreshclothesforMr。Trenchardabove—stairs。

Ahalf—hourlatertheywerereadytosetoutonthisforlornhopeofescape;thehorseswereatthedoor,andMr。WildingwasintheactofdrawingonthefreshpairofbootswhichWaltershadfetchedhim。

Suddenlyhepaused,hisfootinthelegofhisrightboot,andsatbemusedamoment。

Trenchard,watchinghim,waxedimpatient。"Whatailsyounow？"hecroaked。

Withoutansweringhim,WildingturnedtoWalters。"WherearethebootsIworelastnight？"heasked,andhisvoicewassharp—oddlysharp,consideringhowtrivialthematterofhisspeech。

"Inthekitchen,"answeredWalters。

"Fetchmethem。"Andhekickedoffagaintheboothehadhalfdrawnon。

"Buttheyareallbefouledwithmud,sir。"

"Cleanthem,Walters;cleanthemandletmehavethem。"

StillWaltershesitated,pointingoutthatthebootshehadbroughthismasterwerenewerandsounder。Wildinginterruptedhimimpatiently。

"DoasIbidyou,Walters。"Andtheoldman,understandingnothing,wentoffontheerrand。

"Apoxonyourboots！"sworeTrenchard。"Whatdoesthismean？"

Wildingseemedsuddenlytohaveundergoneatransformation。Hisgloomhadfallenfromhim。Helookedupathisoldfriendand,smiling,answeredhim。"Itmeans,Nick,thatwhilsttheseexcellentbootsthatWalterswouldhavemewearmightbewellenoughforaridetothecoastsuchasyoupropose,theyarenotatallsuitedtothejourneyIintendtomake。"

"Maybe,"saidNickwithasniff,"you\'reintendingtojourneytoTowerHill？"

"Inthatdirection,"answeredMr。Wildingsuavely。

"IamforLondon,Nick。Andyoushallcomewithme。"

"Godsaveus！Doyoukeepafool\'seggunderthatnestofhair？"

Wildingexplained,andbythetimeWaltersreturnedwiththebootsTrenchardwaswalkingupanddowntheroominanoddagitation。"Oddsmylife,Tony！"hecriedatlast。"Ibelieveitisthebestthing。"

"Theonlything,Nick。"

"Andsinceallislost,why……"Trenchardblewouthischeeksandsmackedfistintopalm。"Iamwithyou,"saidhe。

CHAPTERXXIV

JUSTICE

IthasfallentomylotinthecourseofthisveridicalchronicleofMr。

AnthonyWilding\'sconnectionwiththeRebellionintheWest,andofhisweddingandpost—nuptialwinningofRuthWestmacott,torelatecertainmattersofincidentandpersonalitythatmaybeaccountedstrange。Butthestrangestyetremainstoberelated。ForinspiteofallthathadpassedbetweenSirRowlandBlakeandtheWestmacottsonthatmemorablenightofSundaytoMonday,onwhichthebattleofSedgemoorwaslostandwon,towardstheendofthatsamemonthofJulywefindhimnotonlybackatLuptonHouse,butonceagaintheavowedsuitorofMr。Wilding\'swidow。Foreffronterythisisamatterofwhichitistobedoubtedwhetherhistoryfurnishesaparallel。Indeed,untilthecircumstancesaresifteditseemswildandincredible。Soletusconsiderthese。

OnthemorrowofSedgemoor,thetownofBridgwaterbecameinvested—

infestedwerenowhittoostrongaword—bytheKing\'sforcesunderFevershamandtheodiousKirke,andtherebeganareignofterrorforthetown。Theprisonswerechokedwithattaintedandsuspectedrebels。

>FromBridgwatertoWestonZoylandtheroadwasbecomeanavenueofgallows,eachbearingitsrepulsivegemmace—ladenburden;fortheKing\'scommandswereunequivocal,andhangingwastheorderoftheday。

ItisnotmydesireatthisstagetosurfeityouwiththehorrorsthatwereperpetratedduringthathideousweekofJuly,whennoman\'slifewassafefromtheroyalbutchers。TheawfulcampaignofJeifreysandhisfourassociateswasyettofollow,butitisdoubtfulifitcouldcompareinruthlessnesswiththatofFevershamandKirke。Atleast,whenJeifreyscame,menweregivenatrial—orwhatlookedlikeit—

andthereremainedthemachance,howeverslender,ofacquittal,asmanylivedtoprovethereafter。WithFevershamtherewasnosuchchance。AnditwasofthiscircumstancethatSirRowlandBlaketookthefullestandthecowardliestadvantage。

TherecanbenodoubtthatSirRowlandwasavillain。Itmightbeurgedforhimthathewasacreatureofcircumstance,andthathadcircumstancesbeenotheritispossiblehehadbeenacredittohisname。Buthewasweakincharacter,andoutofthatweaknesshehaddevelopedaHerculeanstrengthinvillainy。Failurehaddoggedhimineverythingheundertook。Brokenatthegaming—tables,houndedoutoftownbycreditors,hewasindesperatestraitstorepairhisfortunesand,aswehaveseen,hewasnotniceinhisendeavourstoachievethatend。

RuthWestmacott\'sfairinheritancehadseemedaneasythingtoconquer,andtoitsconquesthehadappliedhimselftosufferdefeatashehadsuffereditinallthingselse。ButSirRowlanddidnotyetacknowledgehimselfbeaten,andtheBridgwaterreignofterrordealthimafreshhand—ahandoftrumps。Withthishecameboldlytorenewthegame。

Hewasassmoothasoilatfirst,averypenitent,confessinghimselfmadinwhathehaddoneonthatSundaynight—madwithdespairandrageathavingbeendefeatedinthenobletasktowhichhehadturnedhishands。HispenitencemighthavehadlittleeffectupontheWestmacottshadhenotknownhowtoinsinuatethatitmightbebestforthemtolendaneartoit—andaforgivingone。

"YouwilltellMr。Westmacott,Jasper,"hehadsaid,whenJaspertoldhimthattheycouldnotreceivehim,"thathewouldbeunwisenottoseeme,andthesametoMistressWilding。"

AndoldJasperhadcarriedhismessage,andhadtoldRichardofthewickedsmilethathadbeenonSirRowland\'slipswhenhehadutteredit。

NowRichardwasinmanywaysachangedmansincethatnightatWestonZoyland。Atransformationseemedtohavebeenwroughtinhimasoddasitwassudden,anditdatedfromthemomentwhenwithtearsinhiseyeshehadwrungWilding\'shandinfarewell。Whereprecepthadfailed,Richardfoundhimselfconvertedbyexample。Hecontrastedhimselfinthatstressfulhourwithgreat—souledAnthonyWilding,andsawhimselfashewas,aweakling,strongonlyinviciousways。Repentanceclaimedhim;repentanceandafineambitiontobeworthier,toresembleasnearlyashisnaturewouldallowhimthisAnthonyWildingwhomhetookforpattern。Hechangedhisways,abandoneddrinkandgaming,andgainedtherebyahealthiercountenance。Theninhiszealheovershothismark。HedevelopedatasteforScripture—reading,bethoughthimofprayers,andeventooktosayinggracetohismeat。Indeed—forconversion,whenitcomes,isafuriousthing—theswingofhissoul\'spendulumthreatenednowtocarryhimtoextremesofvirtueandpiety。

"0Lord！"hewouldcryascoreoftimesaday,"Thouhastbroughtupmysoulfromthegrave;ThouhastkeptmealivethatIshouldnotgodowntothepit！"

Butunderlyingallthisremainedunfortunatelytheinherentweaknessofhisnature—indeed,itwasthatveryweaknessandmalleabilitymadethissuddenandwholesaleconversionpossible。

UponhearingSirRowland\'smessagehisheartfainted,despitehisgoodintentions,andheurgedthatperhapstheyhadbetterhearwhatthebaronetmighthavetosay。

ItwasthreedaysafterSedgemoorFight,andpoorRuthwaswornandexhaustedwithhergrief—believingWildingdead,forhehadsentnomessagetoinformherofhisalmostmiraculouspreservation。ThethinghewenttodoinLondonwasfraughtwithsuchperilthatheforesawbuttheslenderestchanceofescapingwithhislife。Therefore,hehadargued,whyconsolehernowwithnewsthathelived,wheninafewdaystheheadsmanmightprovethathisendhadbeenbutpostponed？

Todosomightbetogivehercausetomournhimtwice。Againhewashauntedbythethoughtthat,inspiteofall,itmayhavebeenpitythathadsogrievouslymovedherattheirlastmeeting。Better,then,towait;betterforboththeirsakes。Ifhecamesafelythroughhisordealitwouldbetimeenoughtobearhernewsofhispreservation。

Indeepestmourning,verywhite,withdarkstainsbeneathhereyestotellthetaleofanguishedvigils,shereceivedSirRowlandinthewithdrawing—room,herbrotheratherside。Tohisexpressionsofdeeppenitencehefoundthemcold;sohepassedontoshowthemwhatdisastrousresultsmightensueuponastubbornmaintainingofthisattitudeoftheirstowardshim。

"Ihavecome,"hesaid,hiseyesdowncast,hisfacelong—drawn,forhecouldplaythesorrowfulwithanyhypocriteinEngland,"todosomethingmorethanspeakofmygriefandregret。Ihavecometoofferproofofitbyservice。

"Weasknoserviceofyou,sir,"saidRuth,hervoiceaswordofsharpness。

Hesighed,andturnedtoRichard。"Thiswerefolly,"heassuredhiswhilomfriend。"YouknowtheinfluenceIwield。"

"DoI？"quothRichard,histoneimplyingdoubt。"YouthinkthatthebungledmatteratNewlington\'smayhaveshakenit？"quothBlake。"WithFeversham,perhaps。ButAlbemarle,remember,trustsmeveryfully。

Thereareuglyhappeningsinthetownhere。Menarebeinghunglikelinenonawashing—day。Benottoosurethatyourselfarefreefromalldanger。"Richardpaledunderthebaronet\'sbaleful,half—sneeringglance。"Benotintoogreathastetocastmeaside,foryoumayfindmeuseful。"

"Doyouthreaten,sir？"criedRuth。

"Threaten？"quothhe。Heturneduphiseyesandshowedthewhitesofthem。"Isittothreatentopromiseyoumyprotection;toshowyouhowIcanserveyou？—thanwhichIasknosweeterboonofheaven。

Awordfromme,andRichardneedfearnothing。"

"Heneedfearnothingwithoutthatword,"saidRuthdisdainfully。"SuchserviceashedidLordFevershamtheothernight……"

"Issoonforgotten,"Blakecutinadroitly。"Indeed,`twillbemostconvenienttohislordshiptoforgetit。Thinkyouhewouldcaretohaveitknownthat`twastosuchachanceheowesthepreservationofhisarmy？"Helaughed,andaddedinavoiceofmuchslymeaning,"Thetimesarefullofperil。There\'sKirkeandhislambs。Andthere\'snosayinghowKirkemightactdidhechancetolearnwhatRichardfailedtodothatnightwhenhewaslefttoguardtherearatNewlington\'s！"

"Wouldyouinformhimofit？"criedRichard,betweenangerandalarm。

Blakethrustouthishandsinagestureofhorrifiedrepudiation。

"Richard！"hecriedindeepreproofandagain,"Richard！"

"Whatothertonguehashetofear？"askedRuth。"AmItheonlyonewhoknowsofit？"criedBlake。"Oh,madam,whywillyoueverdomesuchinjustice？Richardhasbeenmyfriend—mydearestfriend。Iwishhimsotocontinue,andIswearthatheshallfindmehis,asyoushallfindmeyours。

"ItisaboonIcoulddispensewith,"sheassuredhim,androse。"Thistalkcanprofitlittle,SirRowland,"saidshe。"Youseektobargain。"

"Youshallseehowunjustyouare,"hecriedwithdeepsorrow。"Itisbutfitting,perhaps,afterwhathaspassed。Itismypunishment。Butyoushallcometoacknowledgethatyouhavedonemewrong。YoushallseehowIshallbefriendandprotecthim。"

Thatsaid,hetookhisleaveandwent,butheleftbehindhimashrewdseedoffearinRichard\'smind,andofthegrowththatsprangfromitRichardalmostunconsciouslytransplantedsomethinginthedaysthatfollowedintotheheartofRuth。Asaresult,tomakesurethatnoharmshouldcometoherbrother,thelastofhisnameandrace,sheresolvedtoreceiveSirRowland,resolvedinspiteofDiana\'soutspokenscorn,inspiteofRichard\'sprotests—forthoughafraid,yethewouldnothaveitso—inspiteevenofherowndeeprepugnanceoftheman。

Dayspassedandgrewtoweeks。Bridgwaterwassettlingdowntopeaceagain—topeaceandmourning;theRoyalistscourgehadspreadtoTaunton,andBlakelingeredonatLuptonHouse,anunwelcomebutanundeniableguest。

HispresencewasasdetestabletoRichardnowasitwastoRuth,forRichardhadtosubmittothemockerywithwhichthetownrakelashedhisgodlybearingandalteredways。Morethanonceingustsofsuddenvalourtheboyurgedhissistertopermithimtodrivethebaronetfromthehouseandlethimdohisworst。ButRuth,afraidforRichard,badehimwaituntilthetimesweremoresettled。Whentheroyalvengeancehadslakeditslustforblooditmightmatterlittle,perhaps,whattalesSirRowlandmightelecttocarry。

AndsoSirRowlandremainedandwaited。Heassuredhimselfthatheknewhowtobepatient,andcongratulatedhimselfuponthatcircumstance。

Wildingdead,alittletimemustnowsufficetobluntthesharpedgeofhiswidow\'sgrief;lethimbutawaitthattime,andtherestshouldbeeasy,thebattlehis。WithRichardhedidnotsomuchastroublehimselftoreckon。

Thushedetermined,andthusnodoubthewouldhaveactedbutforanunforeseencontingency。Amiserable,paltrycreditorhadsmokedhimoutinhisSomersetretreat,andgotalettertohimfullofdarkhintsofadebtor\'sgaol。Thefellow\'snamewasSwiney,andSirRowlandknewhimforfierceandpertinaciouswhereadefaultingcreditorwasconcerned。

Oneonlycourseremainedhim:toforcematterswithWilding\'swidow。

Fordaysherefrained,fearingthatprecipitancymightlosehimall;itwashiswishtodothethingwithouttoomuchcoercion;some,hewasnotcoxcombenoughtothink—coxcombthoughhewas—mightbedispensedwith。

AtlastoneSundayeveninghedecidedtobedonewithdallying,andtobringRuthbetweenthehammerandtheanvilofhiswill。ItwasthelastSundayinJuly,exactlythreeweeksafterSedgemoor,andtheoddcoincidenceofhishavingchosensuchadayandhouryoushallappreciateanon。

Theywereonthelawntakingthecooloftheeveningafteranoppressivelyhotday。Bythestoneseat,nowoccupiedbyLadyHortonandDiana,Richardlayontheswardattheirfeetintalkwiththem,andtheirtalkwasofSirRowland。Diana—gallinhersoultoseethebaronetbywayofgainingyethisends—chidRichardinstrongtermsforhisweaknessinsubmittingtoBlake\'sconstantpresenceatLuptonHouse。AndRichardmeeklytookherchidingandpromisedthat,ifRuthwouldbutsanctionit,thingsshouldbechangeduponthemorrow。

SirRowland,allunconscious—reckless,indeed—ofthis,saunteredwithRuthsomelittledistancefromthem,havingcontrivedadroitlytodrawheraside。Hebrokeaspellofsilencewithadoloroussigh。

"Ruth,"saidhepensively,"ImindmeofthelasteveningonwhichyouandIwalkedherealone。"

Sheflashedhimaglanceoffearandaversion,andstoodstill。Underhisbrowhewatchedthequickheaveofherbosom,thesuddenflowandabidingebbofbloodinherface—grownnowsothinandwistful—andherealizedthatbeforehimlaynoeasytask。Hesethisteethforbattle。

"Willyouneverhaveakindnessforme,Ruth？"hesighed。

Sheturnedabout,herintenttojointheothers,adullangerinhersoul。Hesatahanduponherarm。"Wait！"saidhe,andthetoneinwhichheutteredthatonewordkeptherbesidehim。Hismannerchangedalittle。"Iamtiredofthis,"saidhe。

"Why,soamI,"sheansweredbitterly。

"Sinceweareagreedsofar,letusagreetoendit。"

"ItisallIask。"

"Yes,but—alas！—inadifferentway。Listennow。"

"Iwillnotlisten。Letmego。

"IwereyourenemydidIdoso,foryouwouldknowhereafterasorrowandrepentanceforwhichnothingshortofdeathcouldofferyouescape。

Richardisundersuspicion。"

"Doyouharkbacktothat？"Thescornofhervoicewasdeadly。Haditbeenherselfhedesired,surelythattonehadquenchedallpassioninhim,orelsetransformeditintohatred。ButBlakewasplayingforafortune,forshelterfromadebtor\'sprison。

"Ithasbecomeknown,"hecontinued,"thatRichardwasoneoftheearlyplotterswhopavedthewayforMonmouth\'scoming。Ithinkthatthat,inconjunctionwithhisbetrayalofhistrustthatnightatNewlington\'s,therebycausingthedeathofsometwentygallantfellowsofKingJames\'s,willbeenoughtohanghim。"

Herhandclutchedatherheart。"Whatis\'tyouseek？"shecried。Itwasalmostamoan。"Whatis\'tyouwantofme？"

"Yourself,"saidhe。"Iloveyou,Ruth,"headded,andsteppedcloseuptoher。

"0God！"shecriedaloud。"HadIamanathandtokillyouforthatinsult！"

Andthen—miracleofmiracles！—avoicefromtheshrubsbywhichtheystoodboretoherearsthestartlingwordsthattoldherherprayerwasansweredthereandthen。

"Madam,thatmanishere。"

Shestoodfrozen。NotmoreofastatuewasLot\'swifeinthemomentoflookingbehindherthanshewhodarednotlookbehind。Thatvoice！A

voicefromthedead,avoiceshehadheardforthelasttimeinthecottagethatwasFeversham\'slodgingatWestonZoyland。HerwildeyesfelluponSirRowland\'sface。Itshowedlivid;thenether—lipsuckedinandcaughtinthestrongteeth,asiftopreventanoutcry;theeyeswildwithfright。Whatdiditmean？Byaneffortshewrenchedherselfroundatlast,andascreambrokefromhertorouseheraunt,hercousin,andherbrother,andbringthemhasteningtowardsheracrossthesweepoflawn。

Beforeher,ontheedgeoftheshrubbery,agreyfigurestooderectandgraceful,andtheface,withitsthinlipsfaintlysmiling,itsdarkeyesg1eaming,wasthefaceofAnthonyWilding。Andasshestaredhemovedforward,andsheheardthefallofhisfootupontheturf,theclinkofhisspurs,theswishofhisscabbardagainsttheshrubs,andreasontoldherthatthiswasnoghost。

Sheheldoutherarmstohim。"Anthony！Anthony！"Shestaggeredforward,andhewasnomorethanintimetocatchherassheswayed。

Heheldherfastagainsth:mandkissedherbrow。"Sweet,"hesaid,"forgivemethatIfrightenedyou。Icamebytheorchardgate,andmycomingwassotimelythatIcouldnotholdinmyanswertoyourcry。"

Hereyelidsfluttered,shedrewalongsighingbreath,andnestledclosertohim。"Anthony！"shemurmuredagain,andreachedupahandtostrokehisface,tofeelthatitwastrulylivingflesh。

AndSirRowland,realizing,too,bynowthatherewasnoghost,recoveredhislostcourage。Heputahandtohissword,thenwithdrewit,leavingtheweaponsheathed。Herewasahangman\'sjob,notaswordsman\'s,heopined—andwisely,forhehadhadearlierexperienceofMr。Wilding\'splayofsteel。

Headvancedastep。"0fool！"hesnarled。"Thehangmanwaitsforyou。"

"Andacreditorforyou,SirRowland,"camethevoiceofMr。Trenchard,whonowpushedforwardthroughthosesameshrubsthathadmaskedhisfriend\'sapproach。"AMr。Swiney。`TwasIsenthimfromtown。He\'slodgedattheBull,andbellowslikeonewhenhespeaksofwhatyouowehim。Therearethreemessengerswithhim,andtheytellofadebtor\'sgaolforyou,sweetheart。"

AspasmoffurycrossedthefaceofBlake。"Theymayhaveme,andwelcome,whenI\'vetoldmytale,"saidhe。"LetmebuttellofAnthonyWilding\'slurkinghere,andnotonlyAnthonyWilding,butalltherestofyouaredoomedforharbouringhim。Youknowthelaw,Ithink,"hemockedthem,forLadyHorton,Diana,andRichard,whohadcomeup,stoodnowapaceorsoawayindeepestwonder。"Youshallknowitbetterbeforethenightisout,andbetterstillbeforenextSunday\'scome。"

"Tush！"saidTrenchard,andquoted,"`There\'snonebutAnthonymayconquerAnthony。\'"

"`Tisclear,"saidWilding,"youtakemeforarebel。Anoddmistake！

Foritchances,SirRowland,thatyoubeholdinmeanaccreditedservantoftheSecretaryofState。"

Blakestared,thenfellapreytoironiclaughter。Hewouldhavespoken,butMr。Wildingpluckedapaperfromhispocket,andhandedittoTrenchard。

"Showithim,"saidhe,andBlake\'sfacegrewwhiteagainashereadthelinesaboveSunderland\'ssignatureandobservedthesealsofoffice。HelookedfromthepapertothehatedsmilingfaceofMr。Wilding。

"Youwereaspy？"hesaid,histonemakingaquestionoftheodiousstatement。"Adirtyspy？"

"Yourincredulityisflattering,atleast,"saidWildingpleasantlyasherepocketedtheparchment,"anditleadsyouintherightdirection。

Ineitherwasnoramaspy。"

"Thatpaperprovesit！"criedBlakecontemptuously。Havingbeenaspyhimself,\'hewasagoodjudgeofthevilenessoftheoffice。

"Seetomywife,Nick,"saidWildingsharply,andmadeasiftotransferhertothecareofhisfriend。

"Nay,"saidTrenchard,"`tisyourowndutythat。Letmedischargetheotherforyou。"AndhesteppeduptoBlakeandtappedhimbrisklyontheshoulder。"SirRowland,"saidhe,"you\'reaknave。"SirRowlandstaredathim。"You\'reafoulthing—amuckworm—SirRowland,"addedTrenchardamiably,"andyou\'vebeendiscourteoustoalady,forwhichmayHeavenforgiveyou—Ican\'t。"

"Standaside,"Blakebadehim,hoarsewithpassion,blindtoallrisks。

"MyaffairiswithMr。Wilding。"

"Aye,"saidTrenchard,"butmineiswithyou。Ifyousurviveit,youcansettlewhatotheraffairsyouplease—including,belike,yourbusinesswithMr。Swiney。"

"Notso,Nick,"saidWildingsuddenly,andturnedtoRichard。"Here,Richard！Takeher,"hebadehisbrother—in—law。

"Anthony,youdamnedshirk—duty,seetoyourwife。Leavemetomyowndiversions。SirRowland,"heremindedthebaronet,"Ihavecalledyouaknaveandafoulthing,andfaith！ifyouwantitproven,youneedbutstepdowntheorchardwithme。"

HesawhesitationlingeringinSirRowland\'sface,andheuncurledthelastofthewhiphecarried。"I\'dgrievetodoaviolentthingbeforetheladies,"hemurmureddeprecatingly。"I\'dneverrespectmyselfagainifIhadtodriveagentlemanofyourqualitytothegroundofhonourwithahorsewhip。But,asGod\'smylife,ifyoudon\'tgowillinglythisinstant,`tiswhatwillhappen。"

Richard\'snewbornrighteousnesspromptedhimtointerfere,toseektoavertthisthreatenedbloodshed;hishumanityurgedhimtoletmattersbe,andhishumanityprevailed。Dianawatchedthisforeshadowingoftragedywithtightlips,palecheeks。Justicewastobedoneatlast,itseemed,andasherfrightenedeyefelluponSirRowlandsheknewnotwhethertoexultorweep。Hermother—understandingnothing—

pliedhermeanwhilewithwhisperedquestions。

AsforSirRowland,helookedintotheoldrake\'seyesagleamwithwickedmirth,andragewelleduptochokehim。Hemustkillthisman。

"Come,"saidhe。"I\'llseetoyourfinefriendWildingafterwards。"

"Excellent,"saidTrenchard,andledthewaythroughtheshrubberytotheorchard。

Ruth,reviving,lookedup。HerglancemetMr。Wilding\'s;itquickenedintounderstanding,andshestirred。"Isittrue？Isitreallytrue？"

shecried。"Iambeingtorturedbythisdreamagain！"

"Nay,sweet,itistrue;itistrue。Iamhere。Say,shallIstay？"

Sheclungtohimforanswer。"Andyouareinnodanger？"

"Innone,sweet。IamMr。WildingofZoylandChase,freetocomeandgoasbestshallseemtome。Hebeggedtheotherstoleavethemalittlewhile,andheledhertothestoneseatbytheriver。Hesetherathissidethereandtoldherthestoryofhisescapefromthefiring—party,andoftheinspirationthathadcometohimonthemorrowtomakeuseoftheletterinhisbootwhichSunderlandhadgivenhimforMonmouthinthehourofpanic。Monmouth\'scavaliertreatmentofhimwhenhehadarrivedinBridgwaterhadprecludedhisdeliveringthatletteratthecouncil。Therewasneveranotheropportunity,nordidheagainthinkofthepackageinthestressfulhoursthatfollowed。Itwasnotuntilthefollowingmorningthathesuddenlyremembereditlayundelivered,andbethoughthimthatitmightproveaweapontowinhimdeliveryfromthedangersthatencompassedhim。

"Itwasaslenderchance,"hetoldher,"butIemployedit。IwaitedinLondon,inhiding,closeuponafortnightereIhadanopportunityofseeingSunderland。Helaughedmetoscornatfirst,andthreatenedmewiththeTower。ButItoldhimtheletterwasinsafehandsandwouldremainthereinearnestofhisgoodbehaviour,andthatdidhehavemearresteditwouldinstantlybelaidbeforetheKingandbringhisownheadtotheblockmoresurelyeventhanmyown。Itfrightenedhim;butithadscarcelydoneso,sweet,hadheknownthatthatpreciousletterwasstillinmyboot,formybootwasonmyleg,andmylegwasintheroomwiththerestofme。

"Hesurrenderedatlast,andgavemepapersprovingthatTrenchardandI—forIstipulatedforoldNick\'ssafetytoo—wereHisMajesty\'saccreditedagentsintheWest。Iloathedthetitle。But……"—hespreadhishandsandsmiled—"itwasthatorwidowingyou。"

Shetookhisfaceinherhandsandstrokeditfondly,andtheysatthusuntiladrycoughbehindthemrousedthemfromtheirjoyoussilence。Mr。Trenchardwassaunteringtowardsthem,hislefteyetuckedfartherunderhishatthanusual,hishandsbehindhim。

"`Tisathirstyevening,"heinformedthem。

"Go,tellRichardso,"saidWilding,whoknewnaughtofRichard\'salteredways。

"I\'vethoughtofit;buthaplyhe\'ssensitiveonthescoreofdrinkingwithmeagain。Hehasdoneittwicetohisundoing。"

"He\'lldoitathirdtime,nodoubt,"saidMr。Wildingcurtly,andTrenchard,takingthehint,turnedwithashrug,andwentupthelawntowardsthehouse。HefoundRichardintheporch,wherehehadlingeredfearfully,waitingfornews。AtsightofMr。Trenchard\'sgrim,weather—beatencountenancehecameforwardsuddenly。

"Howhasitsped？"heasked,hislipstwitchingonthewords。

"Yondertheysit,"saidTrenchard,pointingdownthelawn。

"No,no。Imean……SirRowland。"

"Oh,SirRowland？"criedtheoldsinner,asthoughSirRowlandweresomematterlongforgotten。Hesighed。"Alas,poorSwiney！IfearI\'vecheatedhim。"

"Youmean？"

"Artslowatinference,Dick。SirRowlandhaspassedawayintheodourofvillainy。"

Richardclaspednervoushandstogetherandraisedhiscolourlesseyestoheaven。

"MaytheLordhavemercyonhissoul！"saidhe。

"MayHe,indeed！"saidTrenchard,whenhehadrecoveredfromhissurprise。"But,"headdedpessimistically,"Idoubttherogue\'sinhell。"

Richard\'seyeskindledsuddenly,andhequotedfromthethirtiethPsalm,"`Iwillextolthee,0Lord;forThouhastliftedmeup,andhastnotmademyfoestorejoiceoverme。\'"

Dumbfounded,wondering,indeed,wasWestmacott\'smindunhinged,Trenchardscannedhimnarrowly。Richardcaughttheglanceandmisinterpreteditforoneofreproof。Hebethoughthimthathisjoywasunrighteous。Hestifledit,andforcedhislipstosigh"PoorBlake！"

"Poor,indeed！"quothTrenchard,andadaptedarememberedlineofhisplay—actingdaystosuitthecase。"Thetearsliveinanonionthatshallwaterhisgrave。Though,perhaps,IamforgettingSwiney。"Then,inabriskertone,"Come,Richard。WhatlikeisthemuscadineyoukeepatLuptonHouse？"

"Ihaveabjuredallwine,"saidRichard。

"Aplagueyouhave！"quothTrenchard,understandinglessandless。

"HaveyouturnedMussuman,perchance？"

"No,"answeredRichardsternly;"Christian。"

Trenchardhesitated,rubbinghisnosethoughtfully。"Hum,"saidheatlength。"Peacebewithyou,then。I\'llleaveyouheretobaythemoontoyourheart\'scontent。PerhapsJasperwillknowwheretofindmeabrain—wash。"Andwithafinalsuspicious,wonderinglookatthewhilombibber,hepassedintothehouse,muchexercisedonthescoreofthesanityofthisfamilyintowhichhisfriendAnthonyhadmarried。

Outside,thetwilightshadowsweredeepening。

"Shallwehome,sweet？"whisperedMr。Wilding。Theshadowsbefriendedher,aveilforhersuddenconfusion。Shebreathedsomethingthatseemednomorethanasigh,thoughmoreitseemedtoAnthonyWilding。