第10章

"Business？Whatbusiness？"

Theytoldhim,andscarcehadtheygotthewordsoutthanhecutinimpatiently。"That"snomatternow。

"Notyet,perhaps,"saidMr。Wilding;"butitwillbeifthatlettergetstoWhitehall。"

"Odso！"wastheimpatientretort,"there"sothernewstravellingtoWhitehallthatwillmakesmall—beerofthis—andbelikeit"swellonitswaytherealready。"

"Whatnewsisthat？"askedTrenchard。Vallanceytoldthem。"TheDukehaslanded—hecameashorethismorningatLyme。"

"TheDuke？"quothMr。Wilding,whilstTrenchardmerelystared。"WhatDuke？"

"WhatDuke！Lord,youwearyme！Whatdukesbethere？TheDukeofMonmouth,man。"

"Monmouth！"Theyutteredthenameinabreath。"Butisthisreallytrue？"askedWilding。"Orisitbutanotherrumour？"

"Remembertheletteryourfriendsintercepted,"Trenchardbadehim。

"Iamnotforgettingit,"saidWilding。

"It"snorumour,"Vallanceyassuredthem。"IwasatWhiteLackingtonthreehoursagowhenthenewscametoGeorgeSpeke,andIwasridingtocarryittoyou,goingbywayofTauntonthatImightdropwordofitforourfriendsattheRedLion。"

Trenchardneedednofurtherconvincing;helookedaccordinglydismayed。

ButWildingfounditstillalmostimpossible—inspiteofwhatalreadyhehadlearnt—tocreditthisamazingnews。ItwashardtobelievetheDukeofMonmouthmadenoughtospoilallbythissuddenandunheraldedprecipitation。

"YouheardthenewsatWhitpLackington？"saidheslowly。"Whocarrieditthither？"

"Thereweretwomessengers,"answeredVallancey,withrestrainedimpatience,"andtheywereHeywoodDare—whohasbeenappointedpaymastertotheDuke"sforces—andMr。Chamberlain。"

Mr。Wildingwasobservedforoncetochangecolour。HegrippedVallanceybythewrist。"Yousawthem？"hedemanded,andhisvoicehadahusky,unusualsound。"Yousawthem？"

"Withthesetwoeyes,"answeredVallancey,"andIspokewiththem。"

Itwastrue,then！Therewasnoroomforfurtherdoubt。

WildinglookedatTrenchard,whoshruggedhisshouldersandmadeawryface。"Ineverthoughtbutthatwewereworkingintheserviceofahairbrain,"saidhecontemptuously。

Vallanceyproceededtodetails。"DareandChamberlain,"heinformedthem,"cameofftheDuke"sownfrigateatdaybreakto—day。TheywereputashoreatSeatown,andtheyrodestraighttoMr。Speke"swiththenews,returningafterwardstoLyme。"

"WhatmenhastheDukewithhim,didyoulearn？"askedWilding。

"Notmorethanahundredorso,fromwhatDaretoldus。"

"Ahundred！Godhelpusall！AndisEnglandtobeconqueredwithahundredmen？Oh,thisismidsummerfrenzy。"

"HecountsonalltrueProtestantstoflocktohisbanner,"putinTrenchard,anditwasnotplainwhetherheexpressedafactorsneeredatone。

"Doeshebringmoneyandarms,atleast？"askedWilding。

"Ididnotask,"answeredVallancey。"ButDaretoldusthatthreevesselshadcomeover,sothatitistobesupposedhebringssomemannerofprovisionwithhim。"

"Itistobehopedso,Vallancey;buthardlytobesupposed,"quothTrenchard,andthenhetouchedWildingonthearmandpointedwithhiswhipacrossthefieldstowardsTaunton。Acloudofdustwasrisingfrombetweentallhedgeswhererantheroad。"Ithinkitwerewisetobemoving。Atleast,thissuddenlandingofJamesScottrelievesmymindinthematterofthatletter。"

Wilding,havingtakenalookatthefloatingdustthatannouncedtheoncomingoftheirpursuers,wasnowlostinthought。Vallancey,who,beyondexcitementatthenewsofwhichhewasthebearer,seemedtohavenoopinionofhisownastothewisdomorfollyoftheDuke"ssuddenarrival,lookedfromonetotheotherofthesetwomenwhomhehadknownastheprimesecretagentsintheWest,andwaitedTrenchardmovedhishorseafewpacesnearerthehedge,whencehe"Whithernow,Anthony？"heaskedsuddenly。

"Youmayask,indeed！"exclaimedWilding,andhisvoicewasasbitteraseverTrenchardhadheardit。"`Sheart！Weareinitnow！WehadbestmakeforLyme—ifonlythatwemayattempttopersuadethiscrack—brainedboytoshipbacktoHollandagain,andshipourselveswithhim。"

"There"ssenseinyouatlast,"grumbledTrenchard。"ButImisdoubtmehe"llturnbackafterhavingcomesofar。Haveyouanymoney？"

heasked。Hecouldbeverypracticalattimes。

"Aguineaortwo。ButIcangetmoneyatIlminster。"

"AndhowdoyouproposetoreachIlminsterwiththesegentlemenbywayofcuttingusoff？"

"We"lldoublebackasfarasthecross—roads,"saidWildingpromptly,"andstrikesouthoverSwellHillforHatch。Ifweridehardwecandoiteasily,andhavelittlefearofbeingfollowed。They"llnaturallytakeitwehavemadeforBridgwater。"

Theyactedonthesuggestionthereandthen,Vallanceygoingwiththem;

forhistaskwasnowaccomplished,andhewasalleagertogettoLymetokissthehandoftheProtestantDuke。Theyrodehard,asWildinghadsaidtheymust,andtheyreachedthejunctionoftheroadsbeforetheirpursuershoveinsight。HereWildingsuddenlydetainedthemagain。Theroadaheadofthemranstraightforalmostamile,sothatiftheytookitnowtheywerealmostsuretobeseenpresentlybythemessengers。Ontheirrightathicklygrowncoppicestretchedfromtheroadtothestreamthatbabbledinthehollow。Hegaveitashisadvicethattheyshouldliehiddenthereuntilthosewhohuntedthemshouldhavegoneby。Obviouslythatwastheonlyplan,andhiscompanionsinstantlyadoptedit。Theyfoundawaythroughagateintoanadjacentfield,andfromthistheygainedtheshelterofthetrees。Trenchard,neglectfulofhisfineryandobliviousoftheubiquitousbrambles,lefthishorseinVallancey"scareandcrepttotheedgeofthethicketthathemighttakeapeepatthepursuers。

Theycameupverysoon,sixmilitiameninlobstercoatswithyellowfacings,andasergeant,whichwaswhatMr。Trenchardmighthaveexpected。Therewas,however,somethingelsethatMr。Trencharddidnotexpect;somethingthataffordedhimconsiderablesurprise。

AttheheadofthepartyrodeSirRowlandBlake—obviouslyleadingit—andwithhimwasRichardWestmacott。Amongstthemwentamaningreyclothes,whomMr。TrenchardrightlyconjecturedtobethemessengerridingforWhitehall。HethoughtwithasmileofwhatahandfulheandWildingwouldhavehadhadtheywaitedtorobthatmessengeroftheincriminatingletterthathebore。ThenhecheckedhissmiletoconsideragainhowSirRowlandBlakecametoheadthatparty。Heabandonedtheproblem,asthelittletroopsweptunhesitatinglyroundtotheleftandwentpoundingalongtheroadthatlednorthwardstoBridgwater,clearlyneverdoubtingwhichwaytheirquarryhadsped。

AsforSirRowlandBlake"sconnectionwiththispursuit,thetowngallanthadbyhisearnestnessnotonlyconvincedColonelLuttrellofhisloyaltyanddevotiontoKingJames,buthadactuallygonesofarastobegthathemightbeallowedtoprovethatsameloyaltybyleadingthesoldierstothecaptureofthoseself—confessedtraitors,Mr。WildingandMr。Trenchard。Fromhisknowledgeoftheirhauntshewasconfident,heassuredColonelLuttrell,thathecouldbeofservicetotheKinginthismatter。Thefiercesincerityofhispurposeshonethroughhiswords;LuttrellcaughttheaccentofhateinSirRowland"stensevoice,and,beingashrewdman,hesawthatifMr。Wildingwastobetaken,anenemywouldsurelybethebestpursuertoaccomplishit。Soheprevailed,andgavehimthetrusthesought,inSpiteofAlbemarlesexpressedreluctance。AndneverdidbloodhoundsetoutmorerelentlesslypurposefuluponascentthandidSirRowlandfollownowinwhathebelievedtobethetrackofthismanwhostoodbetweenhimandRuthWestmacott。UntilRuthwaswidowed,SirRowland"shopesofhermustliefallow;andsoitwaswithazestthatheflunghimselfintothetaskofwidowingher。

Asthepartypassedoutofviewroundtheangleofthewhiteroad,TrenchardmadehiswaybacktoWildingtotellhimwhathehadseenandtolaybeforehim,forhisenucleation,theproblemofBlake"sbeingtheleaderofit。ButWildingthoughtlittleofBlake,andcaredlittleofwhathemightbetheleader。

"We"llstayhere,"saidhe,"untiltheyhavepassedthecrestofthehill。"

This,Trenchardtoldhim,washisownpurpose;fortoleavetheirconcealmentearlierwouldbetorevealthemselvestoanyofthetrooperswhomighthappentoglanceoverhisshoulder。

Andsotheywaitedsometenminutesorso,andthenwalkedtheirhorsesslowlyandcarefullyforwardthroughthetreestowardstheroad。WildingwasalongsideandslightlyaheadofTrenchard;Vallanceyfollowedcloseupontheirtails。Suddenly,asWildingwasabouttoputhismareatthelowstonewall,Trenchardleanedforwardandcaughthisbridle。

"Ss！"hehissed。"Horses！"

Andnowthattheyhaltedtheyheardthehoofbeatsclearandcloseathand;thecracklingofundergrowthandtherustleoftheleavesthroughwhichtheyhadthrusttheirpassagehaddeafenedtheirearstoothersoundsuntilthismoment。Theycheckedandwaitedwheretheystood,barelyscreenedbythefewboughsthatstillmightintervenebetweenthemandtheopen,notdaringtoadvance,andnotdaringtoretreatlesttheirmovementsshoulddrawattentiontothemselves。Theyremainedabsolutelystill,scarcelybreathing,theironlyhopebeingthatifthesewhocameshouldchancetobeenemiestheymightrideonwithoutlookingtorightorleft。ItwassoslenderahopethatWildinglookedtotheprimingofhispistols,whilstTrenchard,whohadnone,loosenedhisswordinitsscabbard。Nearercametheriders。

"Therearenotmorethanthree,"whisperedTrenchard,whohadbeenlisteningintently,andMr。Wildingnodded,butsaidnothing。

Anothermomentandthelittlepartywasabreastofthosewatchers;adarkbrownriding—habitflashedintotheirlineofvision,andablueonelacedwithgold。AtsightofthefirstMr。Wilding"seyelidsflickered;hehadrecognizeditforRuth"s,withwhomrodeDiana,whilstsometwentypacesorsobehindcameJerry,thegroom。TheywerereturningtoBridgwater。

Theycamealong,lookingneithertorightnortoleft,asthethreemenhadhopedtheywould,andtheywereallbutpast,whensuddenlyWildinggavehisroanatouchofthespurandboundedforward。Diana"shorseswervedsothatitnearlythrewher。Ruth,slightlyahead,reinedinatonce;so,too,didthegroomintherear,andsoviolentlyinhissuddenfearofhighwaymenthathebroughthishorseontoitshindlegsandhaditprancingandrearingmadlyabouttheroad,sothathewashardputtoittokeephisseat。

RuthlookedroundasMr。Wilding"svoicegreetedher。

"MistressWilding,"hecalledtoher。"Amoment,ifImaydetainyou。"

"Youhaveeludedthem！"shecried,entirelyoffherguardinhersurpriseatseeinghim,andthereechoedthroughherwordsanoteofgenuinegladnessthatalmostdisconcertedherhusbandforamoment。Thenextinstantacrimsonflushoverspreadherpaleface,andhereyeswereveiledfromhim,vexationinherheartathavingbetrayedthelivelysatisfactionitaffordedhertoseehimsafewhenshefearedhimcapturedalreadyoratleastuponthepointofcapture。

Shehadadmiredhimalmostunconsciouslyorhisdaringatthetownhailthatday,whenhisstrongcalmhadstoodoutinsuchsharpcontrasttotheflusterandexcitementofthemenabouthim;ofthemall,indeed,ithadseemedtoherinthosestressfulmomentsthathewastheonlyman,andshewas—althoughshedidnotrealizeit—indangerofbeingproudofhim。Thenagainthethinghehaddone。Hehadcomedeliberatelytothrusthisheadintothelion"smawthathemightsaveherbrother。Itwaspossiblethathehaddoneitinanswertotheentreatieswhichshehadearlierfearedshehadpouredintodeafears;

oritwaspossiblethathehaddoneitspurredbyhissenseofrightandjustice,whichwouldnotpermithimtoallowanothertosufferinhisstead—howevermuchthatothermightbecaughtintheverytoilsthathehadpreparedforMr。Wildinghimself。Heradmiration,then,wasswelledbygratitude,anditwasacompoundofthesethathadurgedhertohinderthetything—menfromwinningpastheruntilheandTrenchardshouldhavegotwellaway。

Afterwards,whenwithDianaandhergroom—onahorsewhichSirEdwardPhelipsinsisteduponlendingthem—sherodehomewardfromTaunton,therewasDianatokeepalivethesparkofkindnessthatglowedatlastforWildinginRuth"sbreast。MissHortonextolledhisbravery,hischivalry,hisnobility,andendedbyexpressingherenvyofRuththatsheshouldhavewonsuchamanamongstmenforherhusband,andwonderedwhatitmightbethatkeptRuthfromclaiminghimforherownaswasherright。Ruthhadansweredlittle,butshehadriddenverythoughtful;

therewasthatinthepastshefoundithardtoforgiveWilding。Andyetshewouldnowhavewelcomedanopportunityofthankinghimforwhathehaddone,ofexpressingtohimsomethingoftherespecthehadwoninhereyesbyhisactofselfdenunciationtosaveherbrother。Thischance,itseemed,wasgivenher,fortherehestood,withheadbaredbeforeher;andalreadyshethoughtnolongerofseizingthechance,vexedasshewasathavingbeensurprisedintoabetrayaloffeelingswhosewarmthshehaduntilthatmomentscarceestimated。

Inanswertohercryof"Youhaveeludedthem！"hewavedahandtowardstherisinggroundandtheroadtoBridgwater。

"Theypassedthatwaybutafewmomentssince,"saidhe,"andbytherateatwhichtheyweretravellingtheyshouldbenearingNewtonbynow。

Intheirgreathastetocatchmetheycouldnotpausetolookformesocloseathand,"headdedwithasmile,"andforthatIamthankful。"

Shesatherhorseandanswerednothing,whichthrewhercousinoutofallpatiencewithher。"Come,Jerry,"Dianacalledtothegroom。"Wewillwalkourhorsesupthehill。"

"Youareverygood,madam,"saidMr。Wilding,andhebowedtothewithersofhisroan。

Ruthsaidnothing;expressedneitherapprovalnordisapprovalofDiana"swithdrawal,andthelatter,withawordofgreetingtoWilding,wentaheadfollowedbyJerry,whohadregainedcontrolbynowofthebeasthebestrode。Wildingwatchedthemuntiltheyturnedthecorner,thenhewalkedhismareslowlyforwarduntilhewasalongsideRuth。

"BeforeIgo,"saidhe,"thereissomethingIshouldliketosay。"

Hisdarkeyesweresombre,hismannerbetrayedsomehesitation。

Thediffidenceofhistoneprovedstartlingtoherbyvirtueofitsunusualness。Whatmightitportend,shewondered,andsoughtwithgraveeyestoreadhisbafflingcountenance;andthenawildalarmsweptintoherandshookherspiritinitsgrip;therewassomethingofwhichuntilthismomentshehadnotthought—somethingconnectedwiththefatefulmatterofthatletter。Ithadstoodasabarrierbetweenthem,herbuckler,hersoledefenceagainsthim。Ithadbeentoherwhatitsstingistothebee—athingwhichifonceusedinself—defenceisself—destructive。Not,indeed,thatshehaduseditashersting;ithadbeenforcedfromherbythemachinationsofTrenchard;butusedithadbeen,andwasdonewith;shehaditnolongerthatwithitshemightholdhimindefiance,anditdidnotoccurtoherthathewasnolongerincasetoinvokethelaw。

Herfacegrewstony,adryglittercametoherblueeyes;shecastaglanceoverhershoulderatDianaandherservant。Wildingobserveditandreadwhatwaspassinginhermind;indeed,itwasnottobemistaken,nomorethanwhatispassinginthemindoftherecruitwholooksbehindhimintheactofcharging。Hislipshalfsmiled。

"Ofwhatareyouafraid？"heaskedher。

"Iamnotafraid,"sheansweredinhuskyaccentsthatbeliedher。

Perhapstoreassureher,perhapsbecausehethoughtofhiscompanionslurkinginthethicketandcarednottohavethemforhisaudience,hesuggestedtheyshouldgoalittlewayinthedirectionhercousinhadtaken。Shewheeledherhorse,and,sidebyside,theyambledupthedustyroad。

"ThethingIhavetotellyou,"saidhepresently,concernsmyself。"

"Doesitconcernme？"sheaskedhimcoldly,andhercoolnesswasurgedpartlybyhernewbornfears,partlytocounterbalancesuchimpressionasherilljudgedshowofgladnessathissafetymighthavemadeuponhismind。Heflashedherasidelongglance,thelongwhitefingersofhisrighthandtoyingthoughtfullywitharingletofthedarkbrownhairthatfellupontheshouldersofhisscarletcoat。

"Surely,madam,"heanswereddryly,"whatconcernsamanmaywellconcernhiswife。"

Shebowedherhead,hereyesupontheroadbeforeher。"True,"saidshe,hervoiceexpressionless。"Ihadforgot。"

Hereinedinandturnedtolookather;herhorsemovedonapaceortwo,thencametoahalt,apparentlyofitsownaccord。

"Idoprotest,"saidhe,"youtreatmelesskindlythanIdeserve。"

Heurgedhismareforwarduntilhehadcomeupwithheragain,andthendrewreinoncemore。`IthinkthatImaylaysomeclaimto—atleast—yourgratitudeforwhatIdidto—day。"

"Itismyinclinationtobegrateful,"saidshe。Shewasverywaryofhim。"Forgiveme,ifIamstillmistrustful。"

"Butofwhat？"hecried,athoughtimpatiently。

"Ofyou。Whatendsdidyouseektoserve？WasittosaveRichardthatyoucame？"

"UnlessyouthinkthatitwastosaveBlake,"hesaidironically。"WhatotherendsdoyouconceiveIcouldhaveserved？"Shemadehimnoanswer,andsoheresumedafterapause。"IrodetoTauntontoserveyoufortworeasons;becauseyouaskedme,andbecauseIwouldhavenoinnocentmensufferinmystead—noteventhough,asthesemen,theywerebutcaughtintheirowntoils,hoistwiththepetardtheyhadchargedforme。Beyondthesetwomotives,Ihadnootherthoughtinruiningmyself。"

"Ruiningyourself？"shecried。Yes,itwastrue;butshehadnotthoughtofituntilthismoment;therehadbeensomuchtothinkof。

"Isitnotruintobeoutlawed,tohaveapricesetuponyourhead,aswillnodoubtapricebesetonminewhenAlbemarle"smessengershallhavereachedWhitehall？IsitnotruintohavemylandsandallIownmadeforfeittotheState,tofindmyselfabeggar,huntedandproscribed？ForgivemethatIharassyouwiththiscatalogueofmymisfortunes。You"llsay,nodoubt,thatIhavebroughtthemuponmyselfbycompellingyouagainstyourwilltomarryme。

"I"llnotdenythatitisinmymind,"saidshe,andofsetpurposestifledpity。

Hesighedandlookedatheragain,butshewouldnotmeethiseye,elseitswhimsicalexpressionmighthaveintriguedher。"Canyoudenymymagnanimity,Iwonder？"saidhe,andspokealmostasoneamused。"AllIhadIsacrificedtodoyourwill,tosaveyourbrotherfromthesnareofhisowncontrivingagainstme。IwonderdoyouyetrealizehowmuchIsacrificedto—dayatTaunton！Iwonder！"Andhepaused,lookingatherandwaitingforsomewordfromher;butshehadnoneforhim。

"Clearlyyoudonot,elseIthinkyouwouldshowmeifonlyapretenceofkindness。"Shewaslookingathimatlast,hereyeslesshard。Theyseemedtoaskhimtoexplain。"Whenyoucamethismorningwiththetaleofhowthetableshadbeenturneduponyourbrother,ofhowhewascaughtinhisownspringe,andtheletterfoundinhiskeepingwasbeforetheKing"sfolkatTauntonwitheveryappearanceofhavingbeenaddressedtohim,andnotatittleofevidencetoshowthatithadbeenmeantforme,doyouknowwhatnewsitwasyoubroughtme？"Hepausedasecond,lookingatherfromnarrowingeyes。Thenheansweredhisownquestion。

"Youbroughtmethenewsthatyouwereminetotakewhensoe"erI

pleased。Whilstthatletterwasinyourhandsitgaveyouthepowertomakemeyourobedientslave。Youmightblowuponmeasyoulistedwhilstyouheldit,andIwasavanethatmustturntoyourblowingformyhonour"ssakeandforthesakeofthecauseinwhichIworked。

ThroughnorashnessofminemustthatlettercomeintothehandsoftheKing"sfriends,elsewasIdishonoured。Itwasaneffectivebarrierbetweenus。Solongasyoupossessedthatletteryoumightpipeasyoupleased,andImustdancetothetuneyouset。Andthenthismorningwhatyoucametotellmewasthatthingswerechanged;thatitwasminetocallthetune。HadIhadthestrengthtobeavillain,youhadbeenminenow,andyourbrotherandSirRowlandmighthavehangedontheropeoftheirownweaving。"

Shelookedathiminastartled,almostshamefacedmanner。Thiswasanaspectofthecaseshehadnotconsidered。

"Yourealizeit,Isee,"hesaid,andsmiledwistfully。"Thenperhapsyourealizewhyyoufoundmesounwillingtodothethingyoucraved。

Havingtreatedmeungenerously,youcametocastyourselfuponmygenerosity,askingme—thoughIscarcelythinkyouunderstood—tobeggarmyselfoflifeitselfwithallitheldforme。GodknowsImakenopretencetovirtue,andyetIthinkIhadbeensomethingmorethanhumanhadInotrefusedyouandthebargainyouoffered—abargainthatyouwouldneverbecalledupontofulfilifIdidthethingyouasked。"

Atlastsheinterruptedhim;shecouldbearitnolonger。

"Ihadnotthoughtofit！"shecried。Itwasapiteouswailthatbrokefromher。"IswearIhadnotthoughtofthat。IwasalldistraughtforpoorRichard"ssake。Oh,Mr。Wilding,"sheturnedtohim,holdingoutahand;hereyesshone,filmedwithmoisture,"Ishallhaveakindnessforyou……,allmydaysforyour……generosityto—day。"Itwaslamentablyweak,farfromthehotexpressionswhichsheforcedittoreplace。

"Yes,Iwasgenerous,"headmitted。"Wewillmoveonasfarasthecross—roads。"Againtheyambledgentlyforward。UptheslopefromthefordDianaandJerrywereslowlyclimbing;notanotherhumanbeingwasinsightaheadorbehindthem。"Afteryouleftme,"hecontinued,"yourmemoryandyourentreatieslingeredwithme。Igavethematterofourpositionthought,anditseemedtomethatallwasmonstrouslyill—done。

Ilovedyou,Ruth,Ineededyou,andyoudisdainedme。Mylovewasasterofme。But`neathyourdisdainitwastransmutedoddly。"Hecheckedthepassionthatwasvibratinginhisvoiceandresumedafterapause,inthecalm,slowtones,softandmusical,thatwerehisown。"Thereisscarcetheneedforsomuchrecapitulation。WhenthepowerwasmineIbentyouunfairlytomywill;youdidasmuchbymewhenthepowersuddenlybecameyours。Itwasastrangewarbetweenus,andIaccepteditsconditions。To—day,whenthepowerwasmineagain,minetobringyouatlasttosubjection,behold,Ihavecapitulatedatyourbidding,andallthatIheld—includingyourownself—haveI

relinquished。Itisperhapsfitting。HaplyIampunishedforhavingwedyoubeforeIhadwooedyou。"Againhistonechanged,itgrewmorecold,morematter—of—fact。"Irodethiswayalittlewhileagoahuntedman,myonlyhopetoreachhomeandcollectwhatmoneysandvaluablesIcouldcarry,andmakeforthecoasttofindavesselboundforHolland。Ihavebeenengaged,asyouknow,instirringuprebelliontochecktheiniquitiesandpersecutionsthataretowardinalandI

love。I"llnotwearyyouwithdetails。Timewasneededforthisasforallthings,andbynextspring,perhaps,hadmattersgonewell,thisvineyardthatsocarefullyandsecretlyIhavebeentending,wouldhavebeen,maybe,inconditiontobearfruit。Evennow,inthehourofmyflight,Ilearnthatothershavecometoforcethisdelicategrowthintosuddenmaturity。There！Soonripe,soonrotten。TheDukeofMonmouthhaslandedatLymethismorning。Iamridingtohim。"

"Towhatend？"shecried,andhesawinherfaceadismaythatamountedalmosttofear,andhewonderedwasitforhim。

"ToplacemyswordathisserviceWereInotencompassedbythisruin,Ishouldnothavestirredafootinthatdirection—sorash,soforedoomedtofailureisthisinvasion。Asitis,"—heshruggedandlaughed—"itistheonlyhope—allforlornthoughitmaybe—forme。"

Thetrammelsshehadimposeduponhersoulfellawayatthatlikebondsofcobweb。Shelaidherhanduponhiswrists,tearsstoodinhereyes;

herlipsquivered。

"Anthony,forgiveme,"shebesoughthim。Hetrembledunderhertouch,underthecaressofhervoice,andatthesoundofhisnameforthefirsttimeuponherlips。

"WhathaveItoforgive？"heasked。

"ThethingthatIdidintheniatterofthatletter。"

"Youpoorchild,"saidhe,smilinggentlyuponher,"youdiditinself—defence。"

"Yetsaythatyouforgiveme—sayitbeforeyougo！"shebeggedhim。

Heconsideredhergravelyamoment。"Towhatend,"heasked,"doyouimaginethatIhavetalkedsomuch？TotheendthatImightshowyouthathoweverImayhavewrongedyouIhaveatthelastmadesomeamends;

andthatforthesakeofthis,thetruestproofofpenitence,ImayhaveyourforgivenessereIgo。"

Shewasweepingsoftly。"Itwasanilldayonwhichwemet,"shesighed。

"Foryou—aye。"

"Nay—foryou。

"We"llsayforbothofus,then,"hecompromised。"See,Ruth,yourcousingrowsweary,andIhaveacoupleofcomradeswhoarenodoubtimpatienttobegone。Itmaynotbegoodforustotarryintheseparts。SomeamendsIhavemade;butthereisonecrowningwrongwhichIhavedoneyouforwhichthereisbutoneamendtomake。"Hepaused。

Hesteadiedhimselfbeforecontinuing。Inhisattempttorenderhisvoicecoldandcommonplacehewentneartoachievingharshness。"Itmaybethatthiscrackbrainedrebellionofwhichthetorchisalreadyalightwill,ifitdoesnoothergoodinEngland,atleastmakeawidowofyou。Whenthathascometopass,whenIhavethusrepairedthewrongIdidyou,Ihopeyou"llbearmeaskindlyasmaybeinyourthought。