第6章

assistedbyDianaandLadyHorton—madepreparationforhermarriageasspiritedwomenhavemadepreparationforthescaffold,determinedtoshowtheworldabrave,sereneexterior。ThesacrificewasnecessaryforRichard"ssake。Thatwasathinglongsincedetermined。YetitwouldhavebeensomecomforttohertohavehadRichardatherside;

itwouldhavelentherstrengthtohavehadhiskissofthanksfortheholocaustwhichforhimshewasmakingofallthatawomanholdsmostdearandsacred。ButRichardwasaway—hehadbeenabsentsinceyesterday,andnonecouldtellherwherehetarried。

WithLadyHortonandDianashetookherwaytoSaintMary"sChurchatnoon,andthereshefoundMr。Wilding—veryfineinasuitofsky—bluesatin,lacedwithsilver—awaitingher。AndwithhimwasoldLordGervaseScoresby,hisfriendandcousin,theveryincarnationofbenignityandruddyhealth。

ForawonderNickTrenchardwasnotatMr。Wilding"sside。ButNickhaddefinitelyrefusedtobeoftheparty,emphasizinghisrefusalbycertainchoicereflectionswhollyunflatteringtothemarriedstate。

Someidlersofthetownweretheonlywitnesses—andlittledidtheyguesstheextentofthetragedytheywerewitnessing。Therewasnomusic,andtheceremonywasbriefandsoonatanend。Theonlytouchofjoy,offestiveness,wasthataffordedbythechoicebloomswithwhichMr。Wildinghadsmotherednaveandchoirandaltar—rails。

Theirperfumehungheavyasincenseinthetemple。

"Whogiveththiswomantobemarriedtothisman？"dronedtheparson"svoice,andWildingsmileddefiantlyasmilewhichseemedtoanswerhim,"Noman。Ihavetakenherformyself。"

LordGervasestoodforwardashersponsor,andasinadreamRuthfeltherhandlyinginMr。Wilding"scool,firmgrasp。

Theecclesiastic"svoicedronedon,hisvoicehanginglikethehumofsomegreatInsectuponthescentedair。Itwasaccomplished,andtheywereweldedeachtotheotheruntildeathshouldpartthem。

Downthefestoonednaveshecameonhisarm,herstepunfaltering,herfacecalm;blackmiseryinherheart。BehindfollowedherauntandcousinandLordGervase。OnMr。Wilding"saquilinefaceapalesmileglimmered,likeabeamofmoonlightupontranquilwaters,anditabodethereuntiltheyreachedtheporchandweresuddenlyconfrontedbyNickTrenchard,redoffaceforonce,perspiring,excited,anddust—stainedfromheadtofoot。

Hehadarrivedthatveryinstant;and,urgedbythefearfulnewsthatbroughthim,hehadcomeresolvedtopluckWildingfromthealtarbetheceremonydoneornot。ButinthathereckonedwithoutMr。Wilding—forheshouldhaveknownhimbetterthantohavehopedtosucceed。

Hesteppedforwardnow,andgrippedhimwithhisdustyglovebythesleeveofhisshimmeringbridegroom"scoat。Hisvoicecameharshwithexcitementandsmoulderingrage。

"Awordwithyou,Anthony！"

Mr。Wildingturnedplacidlytoregardhim。"Whatnow？"heasked,hisbride"shandretainedinthecrookofhiselbow。

"Treachery！"snappedTrenchardinawhisper。"Hellanddamnation！

Stepaside,man。"

Mr。WildingturnedtoLordGervase,andbeggedofhimtotakechargeofMistressWilding。"Ideplorethisinterruption,"hetoldher,nowhitruffledbywhathehadheard。"ButIshallrejoinyousoon。Meanwhile,hislordshipwilldothehonoursforme。ThislasthesaidwithhiseyesmovingtoLadyHortonandherdaughter。

LordGervase,insomesurprise,butoverruledbyhiscousin"scalm,tookthebrideonhisarmandledherfromthechurchyardtothewaitingcarriage。Tothishehandedher,andafterherherauntandcousin。

Then,mountinghimself,theydroveaway,leavingWildingandTrenchardamongthetombstones,whitherthemessengerofevilhadmeanwhileledhisfriend。Trenchardrappedouthisstorybriefly。

"Shenke,"saidhe,"whowasridingfromLymewithlettersforyoufromtheDuke,wasrobbedofhisdispatcheslatelastnightamileorsothissideTaunton。"

"Highwaymen？"inquiredMr。Wilding,histonecalm,thoughhisglancehadhardened。

"Highwaymen？No！Governmentagentsbelike。Thereweretwoofthem,hesays—forIhavethetalefromhimself—andtheymethimattheHareandHoundsatTaunton,wherehestayedtosuplastnight。Oneofthemgavehimthepassword,andheconceivedhimtobeafriend。

Butafterwards,growingsuspicious,herefusedtotellthemtoomuch。

Theyfollowedhim,itappears,andontheroadtheyovertookandfelluponhim;theyknockedhimfromhishorse,possessedthemselvesofthecontentsofhiswallet,andlefthimfordead—withhisheadbroken。"

Mr。Wildingdrewasharpbreath。Hiswitsworkedquickly。Hewas,herealized,indeadlyperil。OnethoughthegavetoRuth。Iftheworstcametopassherewasonewhowouldrejoiceinherfreedom。

Thereflectioncutthroughhimlikeasword。Hewouldbeloathtodieuntilhehadtaughthertoregrethim。ThenhismindreturnedtowhatTrenchardhadtoldhim。

"YousaidaGovernmentagent,"hemusedslowly。"HowwouldaGovernmentagentknowthepassword？"

Trenchard"smouthfellopen。"Ihadnotthought……"hebegan。Thenendedwithanoath。"`Tisatraitorfrominside。"

Wildingnodded。"ItmustbeoneofthosewhometatWhiteLackingtonthreenightsago,"heanswered。

Idlers—thewitnessesofthewedding—werewatchingthemwithinterestfromthepath,andothersfromoverthelowwallofthechurchyard,aswelltheymight,forMr。Wilding"sbehaviourwas,forabridegroom,extraordinary。Trencharddidnotrelishtheaudience。

"Wehadbestaway,"saidhe。"Indeed,"headded,"wehadbestoutofEnglandaltogetherbeforethehueandcryisraised。Thebubble"spricked。"

Wilding"shandfellonhisarm,anditsgraspwassteady。Wilding"seyesmethis,andtheirgazewascalm。

"Wherehaveyoubestowedthismessenger？"quothhe。

"HeishereinBridgwater,inbed,attheBellInn,whencehesentforyoutoZoylandChase。Suspectingtrouble,Irodetohimatoncemyself。"

"Come,then,"saidWilding。"We"llgotalkwithhim。Thismatterneedsprobingerewedecideonflight。Youdonotseemtohavesoughttodiscoverwhowerethethieves,norothermattersthatitmaybeofusetoknow。"

"Ratme！"sworeTrenchard。"Iwasinhastetobringyounewsofit。

Besides,therewereotherthingstotalkof。ThereisnewsthatAlbemarlehasgonetoExeter,andthatSirEdwardPhelipsandColonelLuttrellhavebeenorderedtoTauntonbytheKing。"

Mr。Wildingstaredathimwithsuddendismay。

"Odso！"heexclaimed。"IsKingJamestakingfrightatlast？"Thenheshruggedhisshouldersandlaughed;"Pshaw！"hecried。"Theyarestartingatashadow。"

"Heavensend,"prayedTrenchard,"thattheshadowdoesnotprovetohaveasubstanceimmediatelybehindit。"

"Folly！"saidWilding。"WhenMonmouthcomes,indeed,weshallnotlackforewarning。Come,"headdedbriskly。"We"llseethismessengerandendeavourtodiscoverwhowerethesefellowsthatbesethim。"AndhedrewTrenchardfromamongthetombstonestotheopenpath,andthusfromthechurchyardandtheeyesofthegapingonlookers。

CHAPTERVIII

BRIDEANDGROOM

Andsothebridegroom,inallhisweddingfinery,madehiswaywithTrenchardtotheBellInn,intheHighStreet,whilsthisbride,escortedbyLordGervase,wasbeingdriventoZoylandChase,ofwhichshewasnowthemistress。

Butshewasnotdestinedjustyettocrossitsthreshold。Forscarcelyweretheyovertheriverwhenahorsemanbarredtheirway,andcalleduponthedrivertopullup。LadyHorton,inapanic,huddledherselfinthegreatcoachandspokeoftobymen,whilstLordGervasethrusthisheadfromthewindowtodiscoverthattheriderwhostayedtheirprogresswasRichardWestmacott。Hislordshiphailedtheboy,who,thereupon,walkedhishorsetothecarriagedoor。

"LordGervase,"saidhe,"willyoubidthecoachmanputaboutanddrivetoLuptonHouse？"

LordGervasestaredathiminhopelessbewilderment。"DrivetoLuptonHouse？"heechoed。Themorehesawofthisoddwedding,thelessheunderstoodofit。ItseemedtotheplacidoldgentlemanthathewasfallenamongaparcelofBedlamites。"Surely,sir,itisforMistressWildingtosaywhithershewillbedriven,"andhedrewinhisheadandturnedtoRuthforhercommands。But,bewilderedherself,shehadnonetogivehim。Itwasherturntoleanfromthecarriagewindowtoaskherbrotherwhathemeant。

"Imeanyouaretodrivehomeagain,"saidhe。"ThereissomethingImusttellyou。WhenyouhaveheardmeitshallbeyourstodecidewhetheryouwillproceedornottoZoylandChase。"

Herstodecide？Howwasthatpossible？Whatcouldhemean？Shepressedhimwithsomesuchquestions。

"Itmeans,inshort,"heansweredimpatiently,"thatIholdyoursalvationinmyhands。Fortherest,thisisnotthetimeorplacetotellyoumore。Bidthefellowputabout。"

Ruthsatbackandlookedoncemoreathercompanions。Butfromnonedidshereceivetheleasthelpfulsuggestion。LadyHortonmadegreatprattletolittlepurpose;LordGervasefollowedherexample,whilstDiana,whosealertiftrivialmindwastheonethatmighthaveofferedassistance,satsilent。Ruthpondered。ShebethoughtherofTrenchard"ssuddenarrivalatSaintMary"s,hisdust—stainedpersonandexcitedmanner,andofhowhehaddrawnMr。Wildingasidewithnewsthatseemedofmoment。Andnowherbrotherspokeofsavingher;

itwasalittlelateforthat,shethought。Outsidethecoachhisvoicestillurgedher,anditgrewpeevishandangry,aswasusualwhenhewascrossed。Intheendsheconsentedtodohiswill。Ifsheweretofathomthismysterythatwasthickeningaboutherthereseemedtobenoothercourse。SheturnedtoLordGervase。

"WillyoudoasRichardsays？"shebeggedhim。

Hislordshipblewouthischubbycheeksinhisastonishment;hehesitatedamoment,thinkingofhiscousinWilding;then,withashrug,heleanedfromthewindowandgavetheordershedesired。Thecarriageturnedabout,andwithRichardfollowinglumberedbackacrossthebridgeandthroughthetowntoLuptonHouse。AtthedoorLordGervasetookhisleaveofthem。HehadactedasRuthhadbiddenhim;

buthehadnowishtobefurtherinvolvedinthisaffair,whateveritmightportend。RatherwasithisdutyatoncetogoacquaintMr。

Wilding—ifhecouldfindhim—withwhatwastakingplace,andleaveittoMr。Wildingtotakewhatmeasuresmightseembesttohim。Hetoldthemso,andhavingtoldthem,leftthem。

Richardbeggedtobealonewithhissister,andalonetheypassedtogetherintothelibrary。Hismannerwasrestless;hetrembledwithexcitement,andhiseyesglitteredalmostfeverishly。

"Youmayhavethought,Ruth,thatIwasresignedtoyourmarriagewiththisfellowWilding,"hebegan;"orthatforotherreasonsI

thoughtitwisernottointerfere。Ifyouthoughtthatyouwrongedme。I—BlakeandI—havebeenatworkforyouduringtheselastdays,andIrejoicetosayourlabourshavenotbeenidle。"Hismannergrewassertive,boastful,asheproceeded。

"Youknow,ofcourse,"saidshe,"thatIammarried。"

Hemadeagestureofdisdain。"Nomatter,"saidheexultantly。

"Itmatterssomething,Ithink,"sheanswered。"ORichard,Richard,whydidyounotcometomesoonerifyoupossessedthemeansofsparingmethisthing？"

Heshruggedimpatiently;herremonstranceseemedtothrowhimoutoftemper。"Oons！"hecried;"Icameassoonaswaseverpossible,and,dependuponit,Iamnotcometoolate。Indeed,IthinkIamcomeintheverynickoftime。"Hedrewasheetofpaperfromaninsidepocketofhiscoatandslappeditdownuponthetable。"Thereisthewherewithaltohangyourfinehusband,"heannouncedintriumph。

Sherecoiled。"Tohanghim？"sheechoed。WithallheraversiontoMr。Wildingitwasplainshedidnotwishhimhanged。

"Aye,tohanghim,"Richardrepeated,anddrewhimselftothefullheightofhisshortstatureinprideatthethinghehadachieved。

"Readit。"

Shetookthepaperalmostmechanically,andforsomemomentsshestudiedthecrabbedsignaturebeforerealizingwhoseitwas。Thenshestarted。

"FromtheDukeofMonmouth！"sheexclaimed。

Helaughed。"Readit,"hebadeheragain,thoughtherewasnoneedfortheinjunction,foralreadyshewasdecipheringthecrabbedhandandtheatrociousspelling—forHisGraceofMonmouth"seducationhadbeennotoriouslyneglected。Theletter,whichwasdatedfromTheHague,wasaddressed"TomygoodfriendW。,atBridgwater。"Itbegan,"Sir,"

spokeoftheimminentarrivalofHisGraceintheWest,andgavecertaininstructionsforthecollectionofarmsandtheworkofpreparingmenforenlistmentinhisCause,endingwithprotestationsofHisGrace"sfriendshipandesteem。

Ruthreadtheepistletwicebeforeitstreasonablenaturewasmadecleartoher;beforesheunderstoodthethingthatwasforeshadowed。Thensheraisedtroubledeyestoherbrother"sface,andinanswertothequestionofherglancehemadecleartohertheshrewdmeansbywhichtheyhadbecomepossessedofthisweaponthatshoulddestroytheirenemyMr。

Wilding。

Blakeandhe,forewarned—hesaidnothow—ofthecomingofthismessenger,hadlaininwaitforhimattheHareandHounds,atTaunton。

Theyhadsoughtatfirsttobecomepossessedoftheletterwithoutviolence。But,havingfailedinthisthroughhavingarousedthemessenger"ssuspicions,theyhadbeenforcedtofollowandattackhimonalonelystretchofroad,wheretheyhadrobbedhimofthecontentsofhiswallet。Richardaddedthattheletterwas,nodoubt,oneofseveralsentoverbyMonmouthtosomefriendatLymefordistributionamonghisprincipalagentsintheWest。Itwasregrettablethattheyshouldhaveendeavouredtotakegentlemeasureswiththecourier,asthishadforewarnedhim,andhehadapparentlybeenledtoremovetheletter"souterwrapper—which,nodoubt,boreWilding"sfullnameandaddress—againstthechanceofsuchanattackastheyhadmadeuponhim。Nevertheless,asitwas,thatletter"tomygoodfriendW。,"

backedbyRichard"sandBlake"sevidenceofthedestinationintendedforit,wouldbemorethanenoughtolayMr。Wildingsafelybytheheels。

"IwouldtoHeaven,"herepeatedinconclusion,"Icouldhavecomeintimetosaveyoufrombecominghiswife。Butatleastitisinmypowertomakeyouveryspeedilyhiswidow。"

"That,"saidRuth,stillretainingtheletter,"iswhatyouproposetodo？"

"Whatelse？"

Sheshookherhead。"Itmustnotbe,Richard,"shesaid。"I"llnotconsenttoit。"

Takenaback,hestaredather;thenlaughedunpleasantly。"Oddsmylife！Areyouinlovewiththeman？Haveyoubeenfoolingus？"

"No,"sheanswered。"ButI"llbenopartytohismurder。"

"Murder,quotha！Whotalksofmurder？"Hershrewdeyessearchedhisface。"HowcameyoubyyourknowledgethatthiscourierrodetoMr。

Wilding？"sheaskedhimsuddenly,andtheswiftchangethatoverspreadhiscountenanceshowedherthatshehadtouchedhiminatenderspot,assuredherofthethingshehadsuddenlycometosuspect—asuspicionwhichatthesametimestartedfromandexplainedmuchthathadbeenmysteriousinRichard"swaysoflate。"Youhadknowledgeofthisconspiracy,shepursued,answeringherownquestionbeforehehadtimetospeak,"becauseyouwereoneoftheconspirators。"

"AtleastIamsonolonger,"heblurtedout。"IthankHeavenforthat,Richard;foryourlifeisverydeartome。Butitwouldillbecomeyoutomakesuchuseasthisoftheknowledgeyoucamebyinthatmanner。

ItwereaJudas"sact。"Hewouldhaveinterruptedher,buthermannerdominatedhim。"Youwillleavethisletterwithme,Richard,"shecontinued。

"Damnme！no……"hebegan。

"Ah,yes,Richard,"sheinsisted。"Youwillgiveittome,andIshallthankyouforthegift。Itshallproveaweaponformysalvation,neverfear。"

"Itshall,indeed,"hecried,withanuglylaugh;"whenIhaveriddentoExetertolayitbeforeAlbemarle。"

"Notso,"sheansweredhim。"Itshallbeaweaponofdefence—notofoffence。ItshallstandasabucklerbetweenmeandMr。Wilding。Trustme,Ishallknowhowtouseit。"

"ButthereisBlaketoconsider,"heexpostulated,growingangry。"Iampledgedtohim。"

"Yourfirstdutyistome……"

"Tut！"heinterrupted。"BlakefeelsthatheowesittohisloyaltytolaythisletterbeforetheLord—Lieutenant,and,forthatmatter,sodoI。"

"SirRowlandwouldnotcrossmywishesinthis,sheansweredhim。

"Folly！"hecried,nowthoroughlyaroused。"Givemethatletter。"

"Nay,Richard,"sheanswered,andwavedhimback。

Butheadvancednevertheless。

"Giveitme,"hebadeher,waxingfierce。"Gad！Itwasfollytohavetoldyouofit。IhadnotdonesobutthatIneverthoughtyousuchafoolastoopposeyourselftothethingweintend。"

"Listen,Richard……"shebesoughthim。

Buthewasgrowninsensibletopleadings。

"Givemethatletter,"heinsisted,andcaughtherwrist。Herotherhand,however—theonethatheldthesheet—wasalreadybehindherback。

Thedoorwassuddenlythrustopen,andDianaappeared。"Ruth,"sheannounced,"Mr。Wildingishere。"

Atthementionofthatname,Richardletherfree。"Wilding！"heejaculated,hisfiercenessallblownoutofhim。HehadimaginedthatalreadyMr。Wildingwouldbeinfullflight。Wasthefellowmad？

"Heisfollowingme,"saidDiana,and,indeed,astepcouldbeheardinthepassage。

"Theletter！"growledRichardinafrenzy,betweenfearandangernow。

"Giveitme！Giveitmedoyouhear？"

"Sh！You"llbetrayyourself,"shecried。"Heishere。"

AndatthatsamemomentMr。Wilding"stallfigure,stillarrayedinhisbridegroom"sfineryofsky—bluesatin,loomedinthedoorway。Hewassereneandcalmasever。Neitherthediscoveryoftheplotbytheabstractionofthemessenger"sletter,norRuth"sstrangeconduct—ofwhichhehadheardfromLordGervase—hadsufficedtoruffle,outwardlyatleast,theinscrutableserenityofhisairandmanner。Hepausedtomakehisbow,thenadvancedintotheroom,withapassingglanceatRichardstillspurredandbootedandalldust—stained。

"Youappeartohaveriddenfar,Dick,"saidhe,smiling,andRichardshiveredinspiteofhimselfatthemockingnotethatseemedtoringfaintlyatthewords。"Isawyourfriend,SirRowland,inthegarden,"headded。"Ithinkhewaitsforyou。

ThoughRichardcouldnotfailtoapprehendtheimplieddismissal,hewasmindedatfirsttodisregardit。ButMr。Wilding,turning,heldthedoor,addressingDiana。

"MistressHorton,saidhe,"willyougiveusleave？"

Dianacurtsiedandpassedout,andMr。Wilding"seyefallinguponthelingeringRichardatthatmoment,Richardthoughtitbesttofollowherexample。Buthewentwithrageinhisheartatbeingforcedtoleavethatpreciousdocumentbehindhim。

AsMr。Wilding,hisbacktoheramoment,closedthedoor,Ruthslippedthepaperhurriedlyintothebosomofherlow—neckedgown。Heturnedtoher,calmbutverygrave,andhisdarkeyesseemedtoreproachher。

"Thisisilldone,Ruth,"saidhe。

"Illdone,orwelldone,"sheansweredhim,"doneitis,andshallsoremain。"

Heraisedhisbrows。"Ah,"saidhe,"Iappear,then,tohavemisapprehendedthesituation。FromwhatGervasetoldme,Iunderstooditwasyourbrotherforcedyoutoreturn。"

"Notforced,sir,"sheansweredhim。

"Induced,then,"saidhe。"ItbutremainsmetoinduceyoutorepairwhatIthinkwasamistake。"

Sheshookherhead。"Ihavereturnedhomeforgood,"saidshe。

"You"llpardonme,"saidhe,"thatIamsoegotisticalastopreferZoylandChasetoLuptonHouse。Despitethemanifoldattractionsofthelatter,Idonotintendtotakeupmyabodehere。"

"Youarenotaskedto。"

"What,then？"

Shehatedhimforthesmile,forhismasterfulair,whichseemedtoimplythathehumouredherbecausehescornedtouseauthority,butthatwhenhediduseit,hersmustitbetoobeyhim。Againshefeltthateverlastingcalm,arguingsuchlatentforces,wasthethingshehatedmostinhim。

"IthinkIhadbestbeplainwithyou,"saidshe。"Ihavefulfilledmypartofthebargainthatwemade。Iintendtodonomore。I

promisedthatifyousparedmybrother,Iwouldgotothealtarwithyouto—day。Ihavecarriedoutmycontracttotheletter。Itisatanend。"

"Indeed,"saidhe;"Ithinkithasnotyetbegun。"Headvancedtowardsher,andtookherhand。Sheyieldedit,unwillingthoughshewas。

"Thisisunworthyofyou,madam,"saidhe,histonegraveanddeferential。

"Youthinktoescapefulfillingthespiritofyourbargainbyadheringtotheletterofit。Notso,"heended,andshookhishead,smilinggently。"Thecarriageisstillatyourdoor。YoureturnwithmetoZoylandChasetotakepossessionofyourhome。"

"Youmistake,"saidshe,andtoreherhandfromhis。"YousaythatwhatIhavedoneisunworthy。Iadmitit;butitiswithunworthinessthatwemustcombatunworthiness。Wasyourattitudetowardsmelessunworthy？"

"I"llmakeamendsforitifyou"llcomehome,"saidhe。

"Myhomeishere。Youcannotcompelme。"

"Ishouldbeloathto,"headmitted,sighing。

"Youcannot,"sheinsisted。

"IthinkIcan,"saidhe。"Thereisalaw……"

"Alawthatwillhangyouifyouinvokeit,"shecutinquickly。"ThismuchcanIsafelypromiseyou。

Shehadneedtosaynomoretotellhimeverything。AtalltimeshalfawordwasasmuchtoMr。Wildingasawholesentencetoanother。

Shesawthetighteningofhislips,thehardeningofhiseyes,beyondwhichhegavenoothersignthatshehadhithim。

"Isee,"saidhe。"Itisanotherbargainthatyoumake。Idosuspectthereissometrader"sbloodintheWestmacottveins。Letusbeclear。

Youholdthewherewithaltoruinme,andyouwilluseitifIinsistuponmyhusband"srights。Isitnotso？"

Shenoddedinsilence,surprisedattherapiditywithwhichhehadreadthesituation。

"Iadmit,"saidhe,"thatyouhavemebetweenswordandwall。"Helaughedshortly。"Letmeknowmore,"hebeggedher。"AmItounderstandthatsolongasIleaveyouinpeace—solongasIdonotinsistuponyourbecomingmywifeinmorethanname—youwillnotwieldtheweaponthatyouhold？"

"Youaretounderstandso,"sheanswered。